Just Looking for a Ride [Faye/Riley Crew]

[echo]

The docks were nothing new. Bright and sunny, full of faces, some friendly, others not so friendly. You had to be a quick judge of character before boarding with any of them, and trust none of them. That was the only way to survive in the Verse. Back when she was only a knee high youngin' her father told her that trust is everything. Without it, life wasn't worth much. Echo didn't want anyone's trust, nor did she need it. All she wanted was a ride off the pesky trade planet of Persephone. To hitch a ride somewhere to the outer rim, or someplace she could find work.

It go sort of mundane after a while. Jumping ship to ship, hopping planet to planet. All she could do was pass the time until her big score. Either a lot of money, or a really big ship. Whichever way the chips fell, Echo would have the means to settle an old score.

The docks were crowded today, more so than usual. There were your typical outlaws looking to work a job for one of the crime bosses on the planet. Then there were the transport ships, packed nearly to the brim with traveling families who could barely afford the clothes their backs let alone a ride to the outer rims. They'd probably spent their entire life savings on a trip to someplace Reaver's would likely raid. Times were tough, nothing was going to change that, and criminals had to make a living too. If that meant ripping off a few families for a bumpy ride, there was nothing wrong.

With her ruck sack over one shoulder, Echo scanned the transports. She didn't want anything too crowded, and something with only a few would never fit her. In fact, she'd probably try overtaking the thing. No, Echo needed something discrete and fun. Something new that she hadn't ridden before. She looked off to her right as she walked, the ships all waiting with hatches open. Her change purse rattled with enough platinum or credits to get her anywhere. Of course, most of it she had stolen, but her kindly crew didn't have to know that part.

She paused on one particular vessel, intriguing enough and looked to be piloted by a younger crew. Perhaps a crew she could get along with for once. Remembering that no one could ever be trusted, Echo felt both of her hip holsters for her pistol and ran her ruck sack along her back to make sure the carbine was still in place under her long brown coat, a tribute to her father. Approaching the vessel, Echo made sure to look her up and down. She'd have to be sure to ask the pilot what she ran on. Echo did like parts after all.

Tossing her ruck sack to the ground, she placed her hands on her hips and shook her long wavy brown hair back from her shoulders. Echo wasn't much for fancy wear. Just a pair of black slacks, black knee-high boots and a dark maroon tank top, all topped off with her weapons' holsters and her brown coat. As far as anybody knew, she was just another traveler.

Looking around, Echo called out in her loud and raucous voice, "Hey! Anybody home?"

[radegrasan]

Rade was sitting in the common room just being bored again. There wasn't much to do for a pilot when the ship was docked. While fumbling with his revolver again, he looked at the deck of cards that lay on the table and wished someone, somewhere would've taught him how to play solitaire.

He put his gun away and leaned back on the seat, staring at the ceiling. If he were a religious man he'd pray for something to happen.

"Hey! Anybody home?"

A voice came from the cargobay below. Rade didn't recognize it and immediately jumped up. With his hand on his gun he walked out of the common area, and to the stairs of the cargobay. He saw a young woman he didn't know standing there. There wasn't anyone else around, so Rade decided to greet her. She didn't seem hostile so Rade let go of his gun and walked down the stairs.

"As a matter of fact, there is. How can I help you?" Rade said.

[echo]

On instinct, Echo's hand reached to her hip, her fingers tracing gently around the hilt of her gun. When a man emerged from the inner quarters of the ship, she released her hold and let her brown coat fall over her weapons once again. Taking a step forward, she kicked her own bag out of her way and looked around the cargo hold. "Just looking for a captain or crewman. I'm lookin' for a ship to board. Need to get off this rock."

Echo hated scrounging for rides. She liked being able to make her own way in the Verse, yet it was impossible to do so. For years she had been lent different vessels so she could complete jobs for all sorts of criminals and the like. a heist on Ariel, a wanted man on Beaumonde. Bounty hunter, thief, she worked for anyone but the Alliance.

"Quite the bucket you got here. How she fly? It was the usual set of questions. Most people knew what to ask and the ranges to look for, but Echo knew precisely the best deals. She couldn't be taken for a scam, and she knew what to listen for. Looking around, Echo took in the ship.

[radegrasan]

"Bucket." Good thing Faye wasn't around or she would have send this girl right on her merry way. Rade figured not all people got off as good as he did when he called the Riley a bucket. But he had come to love the boat he flew, and now he wouldn't stand for it either. If this girl would have been a guy, he'd react exactly as Faye did on the day Rade got hired on the Riley. But hell, she was cute so Rade decided to approach things a bit differently.

"Well as far as crewmen go, I'm the pilot of this boat." Rade said. "And the captain, you're lucky she wasn't around when you just referred to this boat as a 'bucket', miss. I suggest not to do that again. And keep in mind some of us refer to this 'bucket' as our home."

Rade put a few steps more toward the girl. He noticed the gun she was packing too. She looked a bit shady too and Rade wondered what she wanted.

"But now that we've got that outta the way, how can I help ya?"

[echo]

Echo couldn't help but smile at his caution. Could she really blame him though? Hell, she'd be cautious around someone such as herself as well, especially if she caught sight of a weapon. For a moment she wondered if she could overpower the man and take the ship for herself. Then she waved the thought off. Taking a ship in an act of mutiny or the like, it wasn't really how Echo wanted to obtain something she would hold dear. Instead, she took her eyes from the surroundings and settled back on the man in front of her.

"I'm looking for a ride." Echo placed her hands on her hips, and softened her eyes slightly. He wasn't such a bad looking spaceboy. Perhaps even one worth getting to know a bit more? But she'd decide on that later. First she needed a ride and this was the best ship she'd seen so far.

"My apologies -- for the bucket thing. Used to flying on such things." Echo broadened her smile and took a step forward herself, "I can pay in credits, platinum, or trade work. Pretty good at fixin what needs it, then again, payment is up to you or your captain."

[radegrasan]

Rade felt like a hypocrite. He hated getting lectured himself, and now he had given this girl one of his own. Faye's military discipline seemed to have rubbed off on him.

Rade then put a smile on his face. For him, this girl wasn't going anywhere. Shady or not, he'd rather fly knowing this beauty was in the engine room than that piece of tzao gao Nico. And Nico hadn't been around for a while so the possibility that he jumped ship became bigger the longer the Riley was docked.

Rade was determined now to give this girl a hearty welcome, and decided to invite her in. Sure, maybe Faye would have his ass for him letting someone aboard without her consent but for the moment he could have cared less.

"So you fix things huh miss?" Rade asked. "That's good. That's really good actually. Got a name I can remember you by?"

[echo]

Echo was picking up a not so unfamiliar vibe. Attraction. She'd used it so many times before for her own advantage. Charm the men, and get whatever you want in return. Just a Companion trade she had learned from her own mother, however warped she had turned them into. Her smile broadened as he approached.

"Sure do," she replied simply, "Name's Echo Maubrune. What about you, or should I just stick to calling you Pilot?" Her tone was light and coy, as if she were toying with him but in a playful manner.

He wasn't bad looking, that she could admit to herself. Possibly the best looking man she'd seen in a very long while. Echo took him in, toying with the idea of what life aboard this ship and private run ins with a particular pilot. Just another way to spice up life, she supposed. Another way to make a challenge.

Bringing herself back to the present, Echo proffered her hand to the young pilot. She hated introductions, but they were necessary, sadly. She'd rather jump right into the thick of it all. Work what needed workin' and do what needs doing.

[radegrasan]

Rade knew all too well when a woman faked interest. Something he had learned to recognize ever since school. There were a lot of skanks back then who'd fake interest in order to get homework, or a favor done. He didn't fall for it then, and he certainly wouldn't fall for it now. There may have been women among them who were genuinely interested, but he couldn't tell one apart from the other. To Rade, turning down a beautiful woman seemed a better idea than to wake up one morning and find his belongings gone.

Echo had a certain tone in her voice, almost playful. The same tone the girls back in school used when they wanted something done.
But he had come a long way since school and now he had the advantage. After all, she was just a drifter in desperate need of work, and he could make or break her by either calling the captain, or sending Echo on her merry old way herself.

But for the moment, Rade decided to indulge Echo in her playfulness. After all, if Faye would decide to take her aboard and he would end in the sack with Echo somehow while on the boat, there weren't many places she could run to if she decided to rob his ass.

And perhaps he would be able to talk Faye into replacing Nico with Echo, and then things would definately get interesting.

"Well Echo, not that I wouldn't allow you to call me Pilot, but I'd prefer it if you'd call me by my first name, which is Rade."

Of course Rade had noticed her gun, and no matter how attractice and fragile she may have looked, he knew not to take any chances.

"So, how's about you grab your bag, and I'll offer you a drink in the common room while we wait for the captain to arrive? I'm gonna have to ask you to take the bullets out of your gun though. Sorry, captain's orders."

Of course there was no such rule not to have loaded guns on the boat, but Rade wasn't taking any chances. He didn't know her, and this was a whole different situation than when he brought Jaclyn and Trevor aboard the Riley.

[echo]

Again, she was smiling. He was smart, this one. First, he wasn't falling for her over enthusiastic interest, and he was asking her to remove her bullets. What good was a weapon without bullets? Brushing her coat backwards, she took the handguns from each hip and removed their bullets. Stuffing them into her ruck sack, she then pulled the carbine from the holster strapped against her back and emptied the rounds, again placing them in her bag.

"Rade." She spoke the name, playing with it on the tip of her tongue. With a nod, Echo looked back up to the young pilot, "I like it. Simple. Strong." Her interest was real this time as she picked up her bag and slung it over one shoulder.

Taking another step forward, she looked around the ship once again, "Smart captain," she acknowledged as she followed him, "Can never be too careful these days. And xie xie, for letting me wait on board for your captain."

It was little, her thanks, but it was all she could afford. Niceness was hard to exude, especially from Echo. She'd had a pretty bad youth, not that many others had spectacular ones. But kindness, however her mother had tried, was hard for Echo to get the hang of. Not that she was blatantly rude, she just didn't understand the natural realms of social interaction. Which could make life dodgy at times. "So, you think I got a good chance of makin' passage?"

[radegrasan]

"Strange." Rade thought in himself. "She disarms herself just like that? Perhaps she would let me strip search her if I asked."

But all hormones aside, Rade felt a lot more at ease when Echo disarmed herself in front of him. It was the first time too someone ever complimented him on his name.

"Everyone who's got the dough gets passage on this boat." Rade answered. "But eh, if you're interested, and if you're as good in fixin' things as you say you do, maybe we can find you a place here. Our mechanic's been missing in action for a while now."

It was true. Rade hadn't seen Nico in a while now. On one hand, he hoped Nico had thugged himself out and was rotting in some gutter, getting eaten by flies and rats, but on the other hand he'd be mighty disappointed too because he really wanted to whack Nico himself.

"Now don't get me wrong. I'd shoot the bastard myself if it would open up a spot for you here." Rade said. "But then it would still be the captain's decision to take you aboard."

Rade smiled again at the girl and nodded his head at her, gesturing her to follow him.

"Come on, let's go get you that drink now." Rade said, and started walking up the stairs, towards the common room. He sure as hell hoped he could offer Echo something else to drink than water.

[echo]

"Yes sir," Echo replied in a mock subordinate measure, yet again playful. A drink was just what she wanted, actually. Calm her uneasiness in social settings, even though it was just the two of them. Anyhow, once a drink settled in her stomach, she'd be good and comfortable, back in her element.

The ship wasn't half bad, really. Nice space, good looking parts. She was nearly impressed. Of course, the only ship that had ever truly impressed her had been her father's vessel, and she was planning on keeping it that way. But something was telling her this was a place she could most likely make home someday. That is if she was given a chance.

"Persephone's a good place to go and get yourself on the dodge. Could be your man went and got all cozied up in a nice Federal prison, or worse. Course, you got to take in account the crooks hangin' round these parts. Probably crossed one too many, but then I don't know your man and wouldn't want to assume." Echo gave Rade a wink, but didn't know if he could see or not, seeing as he was leading the way.

Just as well, really. She wasn't exactly staring at the back of his head while he walked. Echo was fully focused on his backside, which wasn't half bad to look at. Sometime, in the near future she suspected, the looks between the two would result in something more. Looks like that usually don't go away, not that Echo would want them too anyways.

"So how long you been takin' to the skies, Rade?"

[radegrasan]

"Well that depends..." Rade said as he walked through the door of the common room. "Interplanetary, you know, on this boat, just a few weeks. Planetary however, four years. I used to be a privateer, handling all sorts of jobs. Transporting people and goods, stuff like that."

Rade checked the small fridge in the common room and found two bottles of beer. Looks like Echo was in luck. He didn't even ask her whether or not she liked beer. She seemed like the type of girl that did.

He took one of the bottles and put the top of it on the edge of the small iron fridge. He hit it with the lower part of the palm of his hand, and with a sissing sound the bottlecap came off. He then opened the other bottle in the same manner as the first and walked over to Echo.

"Here you go. Have a seat." Rade said while he handed her a bottle of beer. He then walked over to one of the armchairs in the common room and sat down on it.

"So, while we wait for the captain... why don't ya tell me your story Echo? And why you chose this boat to seek passage on?"

[echo]

With a smile and a nod of her head, Echo took the beer she was handed. It was a godsend, really. Saving up all her money this time for a ride off Persephone, she hadn't had a good drink in weeks. It was sheer luck she'd been offered anyways. Echo felt the cool bottle between her fingers, and suddenly wanted to put it against her forehead to cool herself. Days on Persephone could be most unbearable at points, and today was one such day.

Echo was quite certain she had a layer of grime and sweat shimmering over her tanned skin. Not a beauteous sight to some, quite the turn on to others. Echo shrugged her shoulders back, and shed her long coat, tossing it against the back of the chair. Then she sat down, perched on the edge of her seat. Her forearms rested against her knees as she sat hunched.

"My story?" She gave a half hearted chuckle, "My story now is I'm looking for a ride. My past is a closed book I don't go digging in. Not much happiness there." Echo took a deep drink from her beer and looked up at Rade. "I will tell you I've been flying Interplanetary since I was a child. My life's in the skies. Been on the ground far too long."

[radegrasan]

Rade could respect her not wanting to talk about her past. If something would be up with her, or if she did have something to hide, it would eventually come out. Just like it did with him and Arabella. It wasn't particularly easy to keep a secret when you were cooped up with so many people in a confined space such as a ship.

"Well we all have our demons." Rade said, and then took another sip from his beer.

He hoped he could keep this girl entertained until Faye showed up. And that he could convince her of giving Nico the boot and hiring Echo instead. Although he hadn't seen Faye all morning so he figured she must've gone out or something.

At least now Rade had someone to talk to. Someone very interesting for that matter. It sure beat staying on the boat alone trying not to get bored to death.

"To me, all life is in the skies." Rade said. "Being on the ground like this makes me feel like some gorram insect that's scavenging for whatever."

Rade leaned forward on his seat and put the bottle of beer on the coffee table in front of him.

"So do you think you're able to handle the engine of Firefly class freighter? Especially when I'm flying it?"

[echo]

Echo was pleased he didn't press the subject. Perhaps one day she would tell him her story. Of course, that all depended on how long she stayed with the crew, or if she was given passage at all. His captain seemed to make the decisions, as any captain would, but she wondered how long until this captain came back.

When the conversation moved to handling ships, Echo's smile returned. Lifting the bottle back to her lips, she drank again. This time, she nearly finished the bottle before setting it back down. Engines, ships, mechanics, that was a subject she could focus on for days at a time.

"You kidding?" She scooted forward in her chair, leaning towards Rade. "I was working Firefly engines since I was in diapers. No matter the pilot. Even if you threw a gorram wrench in the compression coil."

Her tone had once again become lighthearted, and she was easing into the situation. Suddenly, she believed she had no reason to be on edge, or ready to defend herself in one way or another. This ship, before she was even allowed to travel on it, was beginning to feel a bit homey.

"You think you can fly this ship once I've amped up the engine? Wouldn't want you to sit the saddle too raucous." Echo gave him a wink and picked up her bottle again.