Running Scared (Post-kidnapping)

[radegrasan]

Rade kept sprinting toward the docks. He was tired and his breath was getting more shallow. When he finally reached the Eavesdown docks he kept his eyes open for the skiff and Bella's kidnappers. Was it possible he had beaten them to the docks? Then perhaps there was still hope. All he had to do was get to the Lenore and warn the others. He was certain Connor would send everyone out to look for Bella. And maybe, just maybe they were able to get her back that same day.

Rade ran into the Lenore's cargobay and dropped to his knees. He was exhausted, and his breath didn't seem to catch up with him.

"Connor! Ari! Leighton! Someone!" Rade yelled, hoping someone would turn up.

[Ari Deschain]

The mechanic happened to be in the cargobay when Rade came sprinting in, tying down some of their cargo. She immediately let go of the strap she was tightening, the box she had been attempting to batten down falling askew as the strap was released. Her hand went instinctively to her weapon, always tucked into the back of her pants, and she pulled it as she ran to Rade, her eyes not on him but on the cargobay door. "Rade, what the hell is goin' on?" She knelt beside him, finally glancing at him before looking back out again. There was no way she'd let someone sneak onto this ship. "Are you hurt? Is someone chasin' you?" She had no idea what was going on, but she didn't want to be here alone if anyone was chasing Rade. "Connor!" She cried, not even awaiting a response from Rade. "Olympia!" Running to the speaker system by the door, she simultaneously looked out onto the docks and said over the speaker, "I need the capt'n and first mate to the cargobay immediately." As she spoke, she hit the button that would close the bay door.

[radegrasan]

Rade coughed a couple of times. The running had done that to him. He had been more out of shape ever since he started working on an intergalactic ship.

"They... they took her!" Rade answered. "They took Bella! They came for her!"

He stood up. His legs felt heavy. Something he got from not stretching them before he started running. Rade felt as he could go through them and fall back on the floor.

"They grabbed her back in town." Rade said. "A man and a woman and a dog. I think they were undercover Alliance. We can't let them take her off-planet!"

Rade figured he wasn't making much sense to Ari, but they didn't have a moment to spare. He could explain everything to everyone later on. For now, all that mattered was getting Bella back.

[phantomseige]

Leighton sat in his room, reading to himself as they waited for supplies so they could get back in the air. The story was good, and Leighton was thoroughly engrossed; until the shouting, indistinct to his ears, started in the cargo bay.

"What the?" Leighton mumbled to himself. He closed the book and tossed it on his bed as he walked out. It was only when he saw Rade standing wounded in the cargo bay beside Ari that he kicked into gear.

"Haven!" Leighton ran up to Rade and immediately started to asses his wounded shoulder. He was about to ask if there were any other wounds when Rade explained the situation. It made Leighton stop for a second.

"Alliance?" He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he did have a patient to attend to. The doctor started to lead Rade to the infirmary. He sat him on one of the two beds and got gloves on, and one of the trays he had pre-made for just this kind of injury.

"What did they want with Bella?" Leighton asked timidly as he injected a local anesthetic. He then started with what was undoubtedly the worst part of the treatment: removing the slug.

Leighton couldn't help but wonder. If the Alliance were after the boat - he wasn't sure why they would be, but if they were - then he and the rest of the crew was in grave danger. If it was just a coincidence that the Alliance wanted someone else on the Lenora crew, he was still in danger of being found out himself, which was unsettling to say the least. But what he worried most of all is that this had nothing to do with Bella; that possibility scared him most of all, that the girl had been taken because of his indiscretions, and not her own.

[haven]

Haven had been in the infirmary organizing things about. Her things were thrown in a room not far from the infirmary-right by the doctor’s-in case they were needed. She hadn’t really done anything to organize her room yet. The only thing put away nicely was her jacket. At the moment she was in simple sandals while walking around. Her sneakers needed to reshape. They had been flattened in her bag, so she wasn’t in the proper footwear that came next.

Haven raced out when Leighton called her name. She made it only halfway before she met him and a bleeding Rade. She grabbed Rade’s other arm as she looked over his wound. She would clean it up while Leighton got things together. As Rade settled onto the table, she grabbed a pair of gloves and snapped them on. Apparently the blond one-Arabella-was gone. And Leighton was mighty worried about that. Haven took a cleaning solution the wound before she glanced out the doctor. ”Localized anesthesia? He seems to be up and talking and didn’t hit any major vessels or arteries. Plus,” Haven tossed the used cotton aside before she rested her weight on one leg. ”From what I understand he knows things we need and we may need him to fly this thing if needed.” Haven arched a brow skeptically. ”But I only caught what I heard form the hall and here. So, your call.”

[radegrasan]

Rade's arm went numb. So much for flying the boat anywhere anytime soon. But he knew where they were taking Bella, he just didn't know the exact location. But all of that could be found out once they were back on Londinium. And Bella's stuff were still on the ship, maybe that had a few clues as well.

"She's a fugitive." Rade answered. "Her family's this high class royalty types on Londinium and she ran away to get out of an arranged wedding. She meant to tell everyone once we were burning sky but..."

Rade stopped. He could feel Leighton stitching up, a slight sensation of the needle going in and out of his arm.

"All I know is we gotta get her back." Rade continued. "I don't think she'll survive long in that kind of world."

But Rade knew that wouldn't be easy. Londinium and Sihnon were only accessible to those with official Alliance business. So they had to get access. Rade knew where he could get that, but doing business with her was very risky, and deadly if they weren't careful.

[haven]

Haven injected the anesthesia into the back of his shoulder. Now it was time for the doctor to do his thing on extracting the bullet. Her job now was to assist him if anything went wrong or when asked. She stopped as she listened to his explanation. Haven shook her head. She was some Alliance princess. Escaping form an arranged wedding? Yeah right. The spoiled brat was probably lying about that. And Rade had stooped low enough to believe that. No girl brought up in that lifestyle would just up and leave like that. She stepped back and shook her head. Haven snapped.

”Do you seriously believe her? God are you stupid Rade! No hoity-toity brat just runs away. She’s hiding something. I thought you would have realized that.” Haven was Haven. She had her beliefs and ran into many of the Alliance debutants at her parents shop. Specialty orders of fabrics that they couldn’t get anywhere else. Knowing this recent. She probably ran into this girls family. Haven turned to look at Ari. She was desperate and didn’t want the girl on this boat. Though she didn’t have much power, she could question.

”How do we know there’s truth to her story? Someone needs to look into this! She could be an Alliance spy and reporting back. No one knows since now we only have his word. No offense Rade, but we dunno.”

[radegrasan]

"Look Haven," Rade said. "There was a time where I'd second your opinion, but not anymore. I've had this song and dance with Bella already when we were still aboard the Riley. Trust me, only thing she was running from was her arranged wedding. Hell, you'd run too if your parents forced you to marry some big fat yokel, right?"

Leighton got finished stitching, and as soon as he put a patch on the wound, Rade stood up, one arm hanging beside him all numb.

"Look, we can't just sit around. I know where they're taking her." Rade said. "How about you guys go check out the docks' register to see what ships are bound for Londinium, and in the meantime I'll check out Bella's stuff to see if I can find an exact location?"

[phantomseige]

Leighton listened to the two talk as he finished, taking pains to get the stitches right. Once he had completed, he put a bandage on, and then slung up Rade's arm.

"Sounds good," Leighton said once he finished. "And I didn't give you quite as much anesthesia as I was supposed to, so hopefully your arm will be back with you soon."

He started to pack up as the last few words were exchanged. Once the room had fallen silent, Leighton nodded his head.

"This may be a setup," he said calmly, trying to articulate his feelings as clearly as possible, "But bottom line is that Bella is part of this crew, and I for one am not going to leave a crew mate behind." He looked at Rade and Haven, his face as solemn as could be. "Saving her is the right thing to do, even if it is the risky thing. We will go after her, because doing so is what makes us different from the Alliance scum that took her."

Inside, he was scared as hell to even be saying the words, but he had to go - if nothing else, he knew the crew would do the same for him, and to leave Bella hanging would be cruel. Leighton peeled off his gloves and tossed them in the disposal bin. "Let's make this quick," he said to Haven. "If the Alliance has her, they're not going to sit around planetside waiting for us." He looked at Rade. "It'd probably be best to have the ship squared away; I have this distinct feeling we're going to be going to Londinium." As they started to leave, Leighton couldn't help but say, "At least it's nice there..."

[haven]

Haven simply stood back and shook her head. She sent a look to Ari but form there kept her mouth shut. For the most part. As they finished up she took off her gloves and started to clean some things. ”Still, this doesn’t smell right to me. That‘s all I‘m saying” The disinfectant was being spread all over the counters and the exam table as Rade got up. Those stupid liners cost way too much to keep on the ship. She’d just have to make she kept cleaning up after the crew or whomever came by on this table.

A brow rose at Leighton. She technically didn’t want to talk back to him, but felt the need to express her opinion. ”Ok I understand it’s the right thing, but how are we even going to get anywhere near where she is. She’s an Alliance Princess taken by more then likely Alliance officials. It’s going to take more then just us.” She finished up her thoughts before she pretty much zipped it. Haven didn’t like this. She hated the Alliance from her years growing up. Made her family put up a front that they were Alliance aligned or else they were going to be in ruins. As much as she appreciated the help for nursing school, it would have been easier if she had been allowed to go about it her own way.

Leighton’s words almost went unnoticed. There was a pause before she turned and tried to speak calmly. ”Leighton, how would you know? Not trying to be rude but…” Haven really had to try to control her tongue and thoughts. She wasn’t captain after all nor even close to him in the crew. But she always had the problem of speaking her mind when it wasn’t necessarily the best time.

[Ari Deschain]

"They took Bella! They came for her!"

These words struck Ari as she watched the bay door shudder to a close. She turned to stare at Rade, head cocking as he stood up. "Who, Rade? Who would take Bella?" It made no sense, these words he was saying. Alliance? A dog? She was utterly confused, but what she did understand was that a crew member was missing and that the Alliance was involved. "Gorram purple-bellies," she muttered as Leighton arrived. Rade was pleading with her, telling her they couldn't let the Alliance take Bella. Well sure, that much seemed obvious, but why did they want her in the first place.

Leighton took charge of the situation immediately, and Ari took comfort in his level-headedness. She offered him a quick smile, then looked at Rade. "Go with Leighton. I'll try ta track down the Cap." As the pair went towards the infirmary, Ari headed towards the dorms. She had no idea where Beckett might be, and that was the best place to look. Moving quickly, she still felt as if she wasn't moving fast enough. A new ship and new crew, and already there was trouble. With the gorram Alliance, no less. She would feel better when she had found the Captain. He would know what to do. Ari was lost without direction from someone. She knocked loudly on his door. "Cap!" she cried, rapping once more. "I think you should come out 'ere. We may have a mighty big problem on our hands!"

[phantomseige]

Leighton took off his gloves, threw them in the bin, and then stopped Rade. "Stay here, I can track down something to get us off this rock. See if you can't find something in Bella's room, we're going to need to know more than a planet if we're going to mount a rescue."

He waited until the two left before turning back to Haven. "I know for a lot of reasons. Partially what I saw on Hera." He walked over and grabbed a couple of auto-injectors out of the drawers; auto-injectors filled with sedatives. He figured that, if it came to fighting, he wanted more options than just guns and fists. "I have to go find something to get us out of here and to Londinium," he said. "Come with me if you want, and I can explain everything, or wait here, and I'll explain when I get back, but...right now, I need you to trust me."

They were big words, and Leighton wasn't sure where they were coming from - he just hoped that the adrenaline and anger that was driving him now held out.

[haven]

Haven wasn’t sure about much at the moment. She was a hot head and most everyone who knew her personally knew this. After everything back home, she was very touchy when it came to the government and their minions’. It was going to take time, but eventually Haven would need to learn the world wasn’t black and white-Alliance and Independents. Sometime’s there were gray areas. People who switched from one side to another, who spied, who weren’t as they seemed. But Haven was young and only time would help her.

Her hands traveled to her head and ruffled her hair in thought. This was proving to be a more difficult spot she’d have to be in. But the look in Leighton’s eyes proved that she needed to trust him. ”I’ll come with you.” She narrowed her eyes and held up a finger. ”Wait here though.” She made her way to her things and grabbed her small pistol that she tucked into her jeans after the safety was flicked on. It was swift as she walked back to the infirmary and pulled her shirt and jacket over the gun. Haven‘s gaze reached Leighton‘s eyes. ”You have to realize, the pigs manipulated my family so their business didn’t get run down. I’ve had my share of the hoity toity’s and the officers who came by their trading post. If they declared that they were neutral, the business would have been run into the ground. Rade may know her, but I don’t. That’s all.” Haven shrugged as she followed Leighton out of the infirmary.

Haven wasn’t trying to be rude. But she had her reasoning after all. It’s not like she purposely hated Arabella. She just didn’t know her and after all the high up Purple Bellies she had met, she wasn’t too keen on putting her neck out for the girl on the word of Rade alone.

[phantomseige]

"This is a risky endeavor for all of us," Leighton said, letting the act of speaking calm his nerves, "I mean, if this is some kind of Alliance trap, we're all in a lot of trouble, but if it were, why would they run off to the core? Why not just lay in wait here, leave some ransom note on our door, something?"

He led Haven away from the ship and towards town.

"My family stayed on the Alliance good side, for what it may be worth," Leighton explained, trying to give Haven some of the explanation he promised. "We were on Hera. It was tough to stay neutral. When the Alliance showed up and declared it was all under their law, not many complained and got away with it."

Leighton had a suspicion that the Londinium clearance was going to be a black market good. It was now a matter of finding someone to buy that pass from. "I was working there as a doctor, fresh out of school," Leighton explained as his mind and eyes searched for opportunities. "I worked on Alliance and Independence patients. I didn't want any part of the war."

He stopped in front of a bar for a moment, considered, and moved on when, inside, he could see a few officers.

"One day, though, the Alliance burst into my OR, demanded I stitch up the patient, and hand him over. Held a gun on me and my assistants, and forced it. From that day on, I couldn't touch an Independent, by Alliance Law."

He looked around for a second, and then got closer to Haven to whisper. "One day, I had a big-time Alliance brass on my table. One of the guys responsible for the fact that I had to watch independents die on my doorstep while I could do nothing to stop the bloodshed." He sighed. "He had a leg wound, so I," he threw a pair of quote marks into the air with his fingers, "accidentally' hit his femoral artery as I was removing the slug. It didn't take him long to bleed out. I was scared the Alliance would realize what I did, so I took the first flight out of Hera that I could get on, and now, a few adventures later, here I am."

He stood for a second. "That's why this is dangerous for me, and that's why I know how the Alliance works - because they forced me to help them. I've seen their cruelty, and I've seen the fact that they don't wait when they have a hot item on their hands." He nodded and continued on their way. "We need to find a boss," he explained, "see if we can't buy our way to Londinium."


((OOC - feel free to reply, I'm gonna make the post with Minerva in a different thread; we can return to this one after the pass or whatever, but yeah, figured it might be better if this thread stayed with the ship))

[haven]

Haven was right by Leighton’s side as they wove their way through the crowds. They hadn’t even told anyone where they were going. As long as no one worried about two more crew mates being kidnapped, they were all set in her mind. That was her only concern. Anything else rolled off of her. ”So you don’t really think this is a trap? You think there was some kind of hit out on Arabella or something?” It’s the only thing she could think of. That girl was way too reserved to be a criminal to Haven. Even for a cover.

His story softened Haven a little though. She could relate to him on the way the Alliance manipulated their families and in the medical field as well. The hospitals on the Core planets were corrupt. That’s why she had been helping the ones planeside here. So they could get the medical attention they needed. Her gaze stayed mostly to the ground and only looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Until the part where he let a brass die. She turned to him ins hock and began to walk in front of him and backwards. ”Whoa. Ok, so you think they’re out for you?” Her head shook in confusion. ”Wait, is that why you were so puzzled as to why they’d want blondie? You thought they’d want to nab you didn’t you?” She fell back in step with him with a look of disbelief on her face.

Her head nodded silently. Then she shook it to get her thought straight. ”There’s someone we can talk to. Who can point us in the right direction. I think I know the boss to deal with, though I’ve never met her. But she’s supposed to be a big time bithc with balls.” There was a silent agreement between them now. Haven understood Leighton and wouldn’t question him every again. She was now his assistant through and through.