A place to call home

[Ari Deschain]

Ari peeled away the tape from the hull of the ship, a content smile creasing her lips as she surveyed her work. Lenore, proclaimed the fresh paint, black on the gunmetal grey of the ship. "Don't lean back too far, there, Ari! You'll fall to yer death!" fretted Torren, an old family friend, from below. She clung to the ladder and bent over to blow him a playful kiss. "Don't you worry your pretty li'l head, Torren!" He had been there every step of the way for the repair of this old ship; although he wasn't much of a mechanic, he had helped her bargain for the ship and was like family to her. Even now, she could see the pride in his eyes as he looked up at her. "I have to say, you all did a fair job on 'er. She's a sight better-lookin' than I ever thought she'd be."

Ari laughed as she descended the ladder. "Me, I always knew she'd be beautiful." Pausing on the way, she gently, lovingly, patted the ship's hull. Ari loved her ships, and this one all the more because of all the blood, sweat, and tears she'd put into restoring it. She'd bought the little ship off a junk dealer with all the money she had saved from working the Atlas, as well as some she'd made from odd jobs and a little help from Torren. As a mechanic, she'd instantly recognized its potential. After the ship was hers, she'd gone to the shop on the Persephone docks where she had been trained as a mechanic and begged and bribed and charmed her old friends into helping her repair it. It had taken a long time and a lot of spare parts, and Ari owed a lot of favors to a lot of people, but she had her ship. Her old friends weren't worried; Ari always made good on her word, and they knew she'd pay them back eventually.

The ship was a swan, an older model with a large cargo bay. On the first deck was the bridge, shuttle bay, and a hall with access to crew dorms. On the second deck were the dorms themselves, as well as the galley and dining area. Deck three held a common area and mezzanine, as well as two passenger dorms. The cargo bay took up most of deck four, as well as the airlock and her baby, the engine room.

Ari stood next to Torren, hands on her hips as she looked up at the Lenore. "Now she jus' needs a crew. And no gorram companions," she muttered under her breath. Torren glanced at her, bemused. "Why the Lenore?" She shrugged. "This ancient author from Earth-that-was wrote a couple o' poems about her. I jus' liked the name." He nodded, then clapped a hand on her shoulder. The daylight was fading, and Ari knew he started his shift at the pub soon. "Your da' would be proud," he murmured as he kissed her on the forehead, then he walked off. She watched him go, then turned back to look affectionately at her ship, arms crossed against the evening chill. Her new home.

[losingside]

Oly made her way along the Persephone docks. She needed a ship to call home, even for a short while. The last ship offered little in the way of a permanent position. Not to mention the sexist Captain who refused her the job of First Mate. No, instead she served as a cleaner for two weeks – just long enough to get to wear she wanted. He was never satisfied with her cleaning, but what kind of dusting was he expecting from a blind woman? There was many things Olympia was good at, but tidying up after a chauvinistic Captain was not anywhere near the top of the list.

She listened to the laughter of passing children and smiled warmly. Always such a pleasant sound, although not so much when the crying started. But then, that was usually where the fun stopped. The docks were alive with action that day. Crews were working on their ships, but she didn't get the right sense off them. None of them seemed as though they were for her. She continued her walk, taking in everything around her.

The smell of hot food wafted from the ships. The crews tended to set a few members up outside to lure new passengers to their ship. She would have had to have stopped and talked to them to get a real sense of the ship, but she didn't want to risk missing out on a better ship up the line. Instead, she just waited for a sign. Something that drew her to a boat.

She'd been walking a while when she heard two people talking, a young woman and an older man.

"Now she jus' needs a crew."

A brand new ship. It sounded promising. She'd even caught the name, Lenore. Oly thought it was a beautiful name and that it was a shame some folks didn't much much thought into naming their boats. This was the ship. She made her way towards the sound of their voices, careful not to step on any tools, though to looks at her one would not think she couldn't see what's in front of her.

"Pardon. I hear you need a crew."

[Ari Deschain]

A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to see a woman coming up to her. Already she had someone approaching her, and she'd only just finished painting the name on the side. Then again, people in Persephone were always looking for work, especially on a ship. Even in the gathering dim, Ari could see the new arrival's light-colored eyes; the woman was blind. That may be enough to put others off, but Ari was different. She was mostly blind in her own left eye, a result from an explosion in the war, but she was as fierce a fighter and as good a shot as any, if not better. The only things Ari would judge her on would be her determination, her work ethic, and her view towards Independents. Sight was hardly a factor.

Uncrossing her arms, she spread them wide and grinned. "You heard right enough. We've all positions open at the moment, excepting mechanic. That's me, yeah?" Extending a hand, too late to realize the woman could not see it, she quickly pulled it back. "Name's Ari Deschain, and this is the Lenore. She's browncoat-friendly." Other captains might keep it on the downlow about being Independents, but Ari was never the type to skirt around an issue. She was a veteran, this was her new home, and she damn well was not going to rub elbows with any purple-bellies or Alliance-friendlies.

She moved on, "Cargo's her trade, but there are a few passenger dorms and salvaging's not outta the question. We've no particular destination; gonna be hoppin' all over the 'Verse, so if that all sounds alright with you, I wager we can bring you on and see how things work out." Of course, until the ship had a captain, Ari would be the recruiter for the crew. She would not hand over the reins of this baby to just anyone, and it was likewise with picking a crew. This woman seemed alright, as Ari had a way of reading people. Wouldn't hurt to give her a trial run.

[radegrasan]

Rade walked down the docks with his duffelbag in hand. He had enough of Faye Murphy and her continuous taunting. And then there was the lack of work of course. And when the time came that Murphy couldn't pay him anymore, he decided to jump ship. Getting taunted with pay was one thing, but without? Now that he could not take. A man needed to eat after all, and he was done eating scraps, even though Bella did her best to make the food somewhat nutritious.

Rade left without informing Murphy. He knew he'd probably catch hell if he did. But he did leave Bella a note to meet him at his father's repairshop later that night. If he'd find another ship that afternoon, then perhaps she would be interested in joining him there as well.

He was walking a bit longer when he noticed a brand new ship called the Lenore. It seemed a whole lot more spaceworthy than that heap o' junk Riley. Rade got a broad smile on his face also when he saw Ari, a familiar face, standing outside of it as well along with another young woman. He immediately walked over hoping Ari could help him get in.

"Hey Ari!" Rade greeted her. He gave the other woman a friendly nod. "Please tell me you need a pilot to fly this ship!"

[Ari Deschain]

She was interrupted as a familiar voice hailed her. Turning to the young man walking towards her, she smiled amiably and cocked a friendly little wave his way. "Hey, Rade!" She noticed then his duffelbag, and her eyebrows knit together as Rade asked if they needed a pilot. "Things didn't work out on the Riley?" She asked, concerned. They'd had a chat once at a bar, and she remembered Rade's anger at Faye, but she'd thought it was something the two would eventually get over. She never thought he'd be standing in front of her, of all people, asking for a position aboard the ship.

Now she had a bit of a conundrum. She knew for a fact that Rade was a good pilot, the Atlas and the Riley having done a few jobs together. However, Ari had the utmost respect for Faye and she sure didn't want bad blood between them. In the end, common sense won out and she nodded with a grin. "We've pretty much all positions open, still, an' I'd be happy to have you flyin' with me." If she didn't take him on the Lenore, some other captain would grab him up; there were certainly enough ships lined up needing crew. She held out a hand for him to shake before turning back to Olympia. "Sorry, luv, old buddy o' mine. Rade Grasan."

[radegrasan]

"Well Ari," Rade responded as he put his duffelbag off his shoulder to shake Ari's hand. "Faye's continuous taunts I could take. The lack of work was a bit harder, but still I could take that as well. Then there was the lack of food after a while. But when the pay stayed behind too I decided to get out. I hate to leave people stranded on a planet, even Faye Murphy. But hey, a man's gotta eat, right?"

Rade put his duffelbag on his shoulder again. He decided to go check out the cockpit.

"I'll find my way to the cockpit of this baby." Rade said. "And thanks Ari, I owe ya one. Big time!"

Rade then turned toward Olympia. He wasn't introduced yet, but he had a feeling he'd get to know her soon enough.

"Miss." Rade said, as he gave the young woman a friendly nod.

He then walked up the cargoramp and made his way toward the cockpit. His new beginning had started.

[losingside]

She heard the woman approach. The Captain, she assumed. She assumed wrong. She, Ari, was the mechanic and got straight to the point, not afraid to fly the Independent colours. Oly found it quite refreshing. Most ships labelled themselves 'neutral', not wanting to get into hot water with either side.

The Lenore seemed promising from the start. Ari had a plan, if even a loose one. But it suited Oly down to the ground. She carefully dropped a bag and was about to extend her hand to the young woman when someone else appeared, a man.

She listened as the two spoke, they obviously knew eachother. He, Rade, be the pilot, assured of a place, hopefully more for his skill and not just because the two were friends. One thing she did pick out of their conversation was Faye Murphy. That name not only rang a bell, it sounded sirens. She hadn't seen or heard from her since the war ended. Oly had watched out for Faye, strong mothering instincts that she had. But from the sounds of things they weren't on the best terms with Faye. She still thought it would be nice to see her again, so to speak, but without any drama.

When he'd left to check out the ship, Oly smiled and took a short step forward to shake Ari's hand.

"Olympia Artem. It's nice t'meet you, Ari. And if you're up for giving me a chance I'd love to fly with you. Sounds like the Lenore's got a promising future. I've served a few ships as First Mate. If you need recommendations then Captain Darryl Koffeld of The Spectre's the man to contact. And don't fret about me being an Alliance sympathiser. I fought for the Independents, still do."

It'd been awhile since she talked about The Spectre, but as long as she focused on the crew she loved, minus the ruttin' gunhand Lowe, then she wouldn't lose concentration. Darryl was a good man, hopefully still is too. He'd saved her ass once or twice during the war. She'd served The Spectre well and truly missed her place there, but prayed this ship would hold better fortune for her.

[Ari Deschain]

The mechanic was sorry to hear of the Riley's recent misfortunes. She had liked Faye and her crew, though she ran a bit of a tighter ship than Hannigan had on the Atlas. Work could be hard to find, and it sounded as if the ship had hit a rough patch. Bad times for everyone, as of late. She only hoped the pilot wouldn't bail on them if troubles fell on the Lenore as well. "You don't owe me, jus' fly the ship, yeah?" she smiled. She owed enough favors to people, she didn't need others owing to her as well. He was a good pilot, she had hired him. Simple as that. As he left, she called after him, "Find a bunk while you're in there and throw your stuff down."

When she turned back to the other woman, she had her hand extended. Ari shook it warmly. She was pleased to find she had another veteran with her. "Glad ta hear it, Olympia. I don't need any recommendations, I should think. A couple weeks up in the black and we'll find out soon enough how well ya do, eh?" Her voice was friendly and encouraging, not at all threatening. Definitely not captain material, which was why she was so willing to hand over the job to someone else. "First mate, eh? We don' rightly have a captain as of yet, but we could use some authority 'til we do. Welcome to the Lenore."

She studied the woman's face and cocked her head. "I'd offer to lead you to the bunks, but I have a feeling you don't need any help, do ya?" Ari had enough sympathy and help just for having one eye mostly blind, and she resented it greatly. She couldn't imagine how much this woman probably would dislike being treated like an invalid. "Top deck, there's five singles on th'left and three doubles on th'right. The middle on the left is mine, and I s'pose you'll meet Rade up there picking out his own. Grab yourself a single, make y'rself at home. They're drop doors with a ladder entry. You're welcome to stay in your room, or you can make yourself somethin' in the galley on deck two, or you can come back out here with me, see if we can rustle up any more crew tonight." Seeing as how this woman was now the highest ranking crew member, she may want to have a say in picking out more members for the Lenore. However, the captain position was Ari's decision, seeing as how it was her boat, and she'd make that clear if she needed to. She hoped she didn't need to; Ari liked to be easy-going rather than demanding.

[losingside]

Oly smiled a broad, friendly smile when Ari welcomed her to the ship. It seemed like it would be a sort of 'earn-your-place' ship. She didn't need to see recommendations, just what Oly could do. That was a fine way to find a crew. A very browncoat way of doing it. Alliance rested on credentials a lot of the time. That and other means.

"Some authority? Well, I'll see what I can do". She laughed, never one for too heavy handed an approach, except under the right circumstances of course. The mother in her often brought out the best and worst in her. Over protecting one minute and scolding the next.

"Welcome to the Lenore."

"I'm glad to be aboard!"

"I'd offer to lead you to the bunks, but I have a feeling you don't need any help, yeah?"

If the Lenore didn't already seem like the right ship for her, then that sealed the deal. A lot of folk guided her around by the arm once her shades came off. That's when she remembered she wasn't wearing them, her white eyes on show. Usually she kept them out of sight since they tended to put people off. Now she really knew she'd get on well with Ari. She'd given her clear directions to the bunks, without spoonfeeding them to her.

She wasn't particularly tired or hungry, so she thought she'd get to grips with the ship before heading back out to meet and greet the new crew.

"I'll just get rid of these," she gestured to the bag slung over her shoulder as she reached to pick up her other one, "and take a... look around, then I'll be back. Shame to waste a good day on Persephone."

She headed into the ship and made her way towards the stairway up to the second level. She counted the amount of steps she took, mentally recording where everything was in case there was any trouble on board and quick movement was needed. She found the corridor that was lined with bunks and picked out a single one at random. She opened the door and dropped her bags down before taking a little walk around the ship.

[radegrasan]

Rade made his way to the cockpit quick enough, as if he knew the ship already. He threw down his duffelbag and looked at the controls. They were different than the Riley's, and were more similar to the planetary shuttle he flew when he was a privateer.

"Shiny!" Rade said to himself. "I can't wait to get this puppy flying!"

He took off his pilot's jacket and hung it on the left pilot's seat. This was going to be his spot. There was a spot next to it, but Rade figured it would remain unclaimed. He looked around to see where he could put up his big pirateflag. There was a wall where it would be perfect. That's, if Ari wouldn't mind it.

But he'd have to do that later. He noticed the dorms in the hallway and decided to check that out and claim one. He got up from the pilot's seat and picked up his duffelbag again. He walked to the nearest dorm and opened the door, and found a room that had a double bed. Without thinking, Rade threw down his duffelbag. This was more than he could ever have dreamed for. A double bed and a bigger room to boot too. Seemed like things were finally going his way.

Like a kid, Rade jumped on the bed and layed down for a while and looked at the ceiling before getting up again. His straightened out his beige shirt and went down again to keep Ari some company.

"Hey, I just had a look at the cockpit. Looks shiny!" Rade said while smiling. "Also, I got dibs on one of the double rooms. I already moved my stuff in so it's not negotiable, haha."

Rade was glad. In fact it was the most excited the young pilot had felt in a long time. He had a feeling he was going to feel better on the Lenore as on the Riley as well.

[Ari Deschain]

Glad she had guessed right that the woman didn't want any help, she smiled back at Olympia. "No problem, take your time, I'll be here all night. After Olympia had gone, she sat on the ramp, arms braced behind her so that her back was at an angle. So far so good. Now all they needed was a medic and a Captain. A couple passengers, maybe. Some muscle or sharpshooters would not be amiss, should they take on dangerous jobs or get into some trouble. For now, she was just glad she had a few crew members that seemed solid. She was confident in herself keeping the ship afloat, as well. After working on the Lenore for so long, she knew that ship like the back of her hand, and had even taken it out on a couple of test flights. She was not going to disappoint, Ari was sure of it.

As she relaxed in the glow of the setting sun, she glanced up at the sound of footsteps. Rade came up beside and she shaded her eyes to look up at him. He said he had dibs on a double, and for a second she got slightly annoyed, but she realized she hadn't told him to take a single as she had told Olympia to do. "Well, it's not really up ta me, but if Olympia's shiny with it, that should be okay. I guess she an' whoever's Capt'n can take the other doubles, now I think on it. Not as if we've any couples on board as of yet." She'd bring up the issue to the new first mate later, but there was no reason not to use the doubles as long as there were no couples. She certainly didn't need the space, as she'd be in the engine room so much and as she was so small, but she couldn't begrudge him wanting more room. She patted the ramp next to her. "If you wanna take a seat, Olympia's on her way back out in a bit. We can all meet new crew together, if you want. That is, if there's anyone else to be had tonight."

[losingside]

Olympia had taken a few minutes to gather her bearings. She knew her way from the bunk area to the entrance and thought that would be enough for now. She'd work the rest out as she went along. She decided to go back out to Ari to see who else would be joining the Lenore.

As she walked back out, she slipped her shades from her trouser pocket and put them on, not wanting to scare off any prospective crewmates from the get-go. She wished she'd put her coat in her bunk since it wasn't too cold out. Instead, she took it off and hung the black and brown leather coat over her arm.

She got back to Ari and Rade just in time to catch her name being mentioned.

"If what's shiny with me?" she asked as she stood within a comfortable distance of the two, her arms crossed.

[radegrasan]

"If what's shiny with me?"

Rade turned around and saw Olympia standing there with her arms crossed, waiting for him or Ari to respond.

"Oh hey." Rade responded. "Ari and I were just going over the dorm assignments. I took the liberty of taking a double room for myself. Been having some sleeping problems as of late, and sitting in the pilot's seat all day and night doesn't exactly do wonders for your back as well."

Rade was in a good mood. Winter was finally over and so were the nightmares he was having. It was a warm spring day and for the first day in months Rade could put on his pilot's shades again. He took them from his chest pocket, where they had been during the entire winter, wiped them off quickly and put them on his nose.

"Besides," Rade continued. "You never knew when we might take on a Companion."

Rade gave Ari a teasing nudge. He knew that she wasn't too fond of Companions, and also knew for a fact that she got rid of the Companion that was on the Atlas as well.

He then sat down, leaned back against a crate and put his hands behind his head, totally relaxed.

"Man, can you believe this weather we're having?" Rade asked with a smile on his face. He didn't expect anyone to answer it, he just sat down chilling and enjoyed the warm weather some more.

[Ari Deschain]

Ari turned as one with Rade, surprised to hear Olympia behind them already. She hadn't been in the ship for long. She opened her mouth to respond, but Rade was already answering so she just leaned back and watched the sunset as she listened. "We have three doubles, Olympia, and I was just thinkin' you and whoever's Captain could take th'other two doubles. At least 'til we get a couple on here or somethin'. I don't want a double, so I don't mind if Rade takes it if it's alright with you." She added her own two cents in.

"Besides, you never knew when we might take on a Companion."

Ari turned at his teasing nudge and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "No gorram Companions on this ship!" The fight between her and Ursula was the talk of the Atlas and the Riley for a couple weeks afterwards. Ari didn't much care what people thought of her for being the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, in Ursula's decision to leave. No one had liked her besides Ryan, anyway. Ari had no regrets.

"It's nice out," she agreed, leaning back on her hands once more. The mechanic kept an eye out on the docks surrounding for any likely candidates. She was looking for Connor and Leighton, especially, though the chances of them both being around on this particular day were unlikely. Connor would come around eventually, to tell her his decision about being on the crew, but Leighton didn't even know about the Lenore yet. She hadn't seen him in a while, unfortunately, and she wanted him as their medic if he was interested.

[connorbeckett]

Connor Beckett stepped off the cargo ramp, dropping to the ground on Persephone. Little puffs of dust rose to greet him as his boots hit terra firma, along with the ever-present din of a busy port city. Hawkers crying out their wares, ships firing their engines for departure or landing, the dischordant calls of poultry and livestock, the laughter of children; even at this late hour it all melded together into the same raucous melody that played in the spaceports of every world spinning. It was the sound of hope, intermingled with the harsh reality of despair.

He turned to shake hands with the freighter's captain, forking over the passage fee, then hefted his rucksack over his left shoulder, picked up his long, heavy dufflebag, and strode off into the hazy evening. He had a friend to help, and there was no point in wasting time. That meant he didn't bother to clean up, even though he looked as rough as he felt. Spending the better part of a week in the cramped quarters of the freighter didn't translate into a pleasant trip. Apparently the ship's captain didn't see the point of wasting cargo space on anything like comfortable bunks for his crew. Or a common room. Or a shower. Connor had only taken the boat because Ari's message sounded urgent, and that meant he took the first boat headed to Persephone. In his mind, the lack of comforts was inconsequential ... but unpleasant. He knew he smelled like an old goat, and his week's growth of facial hair only added to the image. His jeans, shirt, and long thin duster all bore the stains of traveling rough. Only his guns were clean, both the two he wore openly and those in the duffle. That was important.

Connor scanned the crowd as he walked, occasionally stopping to watch his backtrail. Taking off his hat and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he used the motion to once again look for signs of being tailed. What he had witnessed all those months ago, combined with the rumors he'd heard and the wave that Ari had sent him, led him to the conclusion that his friend was in a lot more trouble than possibly even she knew. It paid to keep an eye out.

And two if you had 'em.

He slowly made his way through the ships and crews, each preparing either to launch or to party depending on whether they were landing or leaving. The crowds and the chaos provided perfect cover for any would-be hitmen, and Connor would be damned if he led them to his buddy. Eventually, with the sun a disappearing red-orange ball on the horizon, he found what he sought.

"The Lenore," he spoke under his breath.

There were three people standing on the ramp when he approached.

"Hello, Ari," he said softly in his country drawl, dropping his duffle on the ground and extending a hand. "Permission t' come aboard?"