Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

[Ilana Logan]

Osirus, Riley's Peak
June 19th, 2518
AST: 10:13 AM
Local Time: 4:13 PM

Ilana drove the mule bike down the cargo ramp and off of the ship onto the hard-packed earth. She stopped a few feet past the ramp and looked around. Riley's Peak… she thought. Not a peak in sight. This is the flattest land I've seen in a month.

She continued on to the address Anastasia's assistant had provided and found what looked to be a dive bar from the outside. More upper class than she usually found outside of the core though. Somehow… cleaner. A large silver sign with bright neon white letters announced it as The Grey Cat. She rolled her eyes at the old turn of phrase and parked the bike outside. She climbed off, lifted the panel on the back, and removed a coil. It's harder to steal it if it doesn't run, she thought. Pocketing the coil, she made her way inside.

It was quieter than she expected, soft music playing as a background over conversation. It wasn't packed or anything, but it was far from empty. She found an empty corner table where she could see the doors, as well as the rest of the patrons, and took a seat to wait for Flagg, and her crew.

After a couple of minutes, a short, thin woman of around 19 bounced to the table with a notepad and exclaimed peppily, "Hi! What can I get for you tonight?!"

"Whiskey, neat, and fries."

"Great! Will anyone be joining you?!" She asked with the same pep.

"Yes, I'm meeting several people. They'll be here shortly, but there's no need to hold the order, thank you."

"Absolutely! I'll be back with your drink in a moment, and I'll have the fries over as soon as they're ready!" she said, still entirely too happy to be here, and bounced away.

True to her word, she bounced right back with Ilana's whiskey and set it in front of her on a silver coaster with The Grey Cat emblazoned on it. "Let me know if you need anything else!" she said, bouncing away again.

Ilana took a short pull on the glass and sat back to wait.

[Helios Hamilton]

Helios wondered the streets of the core world, taking it in, he had never liked these kinds of places that much. He stopped quickly at a store and bought a new shotgun for c50, the store owner had asked for an ident and I gave it.
Helios also stopped at post office paying for a parcel full of some coin to aid in his nieces tution to be sent off, he paused for a minute with his mind drifting elsewhere. He thought about calling Ellie but changed his mind and making his way to the Grey Cat where the captain already sat.
Helios took a seat at the same table as the captain, ordering a coffee and patiently waited for his drink.

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

Osiris, New Amarna
Sunday, 19 Jun 2518
AST: 09:30 AM
Local Time: 15:30 PM


The stone and stucco villas stood painted in dappled shade and birds sang in the trees that lined the street. Afternoon tea had lured everyone away to their terraces and gardens and parlors, hushing the voices of children and pets at play. In their place, the rustle of leaves whispered on the summer breeze. A nearby windchime breathed its glissando alongside a dog's single joyous bark.

One could easily be seduced by such an atmosphere and for one intense moment, Rina wanted to stay.

"Don't be a stranger." Christian said behind her. His lyric baritone carried affection and regret in equal measure and she leaned back into him without looking, knowing he would fold her up in a warm embrace.

"You know why I have to be," she said softly, smoothing her hands over his beautiful bared forearms.

"I know the why." Christian said through her hair and kissed the top of her head with his glossed lips. She felt them twist into a wry smile before he raised her chin with a manicured finger so her brown eyes met his blue. "But you still don't have to."

"You could come with me," she offered, smoothing a strand of his blond mane behind his ear.

"What? And leave all this?" The music of his easy laugh put the windchimes to shame. "Besides, if I left to go out there, I would never again have the pleasure having you visit me here."

Rina turned in his arms and hugged him hard on his doorstep. To hell with who saw. Companions were a law unto themselves, anyway, and no one would dare gainsay who they entertained. Or how. Or when. Or where.

"I'll just have to come back, then."

"That was the idea." Christian planted a kiss on her forehead and wiped the gloss off her brow with a swipe of his thumb, turning it into a caress of her cheek. "Don't wait too long."

"I'll call you." Rina backed away for the steps, trailing her hands 'til only their fingertips touched. Goodbyes were a staple of her life but she had yet to master them.

"You better." Christian's lips twitched into a roguish smile and his voice deepened into a purr. "Or I'll send my mother after you."

"Oooh, you fight dirty!" Rina knew firsthand how unstoppable Delilah could be and was forever in her debt because of it. Rina shouldered her pack and skipped down Christian's front steps before he could delay her again. "Please give her my love."

"I will." Christian waved, elegant as royalty … which, in a way, he was. "Take care, dear heart."

"You, too."

And Rina resolutely strode down the street. She'd arranged for a cab to pick her up on the corner and she and it arrived at the same time. All the better for a smooth slide inside without the temptation to look back. She gave the driver a curt nod and stated her destination.

"Ten credits extra if you can make it in an hour."

"Yes ma'am." The driver tapped the meter live and stepped on the gas.



Osirus, Riley's Peak
AST: 10:27 AM
Local Time: 4:27 PM

Rina paid her driver his fare and his tip. She'd gotten a good look at the place as he'd slowly ground to a stop at its door and she didn't waste any time going in. She ordered a shot of vodka at the bar and scanned the floor while her drink was poured.

Ah. There they are.

Her crew spotted, she paid for her drink and joined them. She slid into an empty seat beside Ilana, downed her drink in one go, and planted the glass on the table.

"What'd I miss?" she asked her captain.

[Ilana Logan]

Ilana's mind wandered back to Tilottama. She inhaled sharply at the unexpected memory, and closed her eyes. I'm sorry... The words stormed into her mind uninvited and she winced a little, that wound still a bit raw, even after all this time. She'd thought about what she'd say to him if she saw him now so many times. Don't be stupid, that cruel voice in the back of her mind said. If he came in that door right now, you wouldn't say a gorram thing. You'd let him come back and pretend like none of it happened.

Her jaw clenched for a moment in anger at herself. Anger for being right, mostly. She'd tuck her wounded pride away and give him back his old job. Maybe they'd even be friends, but she didn't think she'd ever trust him again. He'd proven that he couldn't be counted on.

She shook herself and stared at the door, trying desperately to will someone, anyone, to come in and take a seat so she had something to focus on. She didn't want to think about this anymore. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait for long before the crew started to wander in. First Helios took a seat only a few minutes after her mind wandered to that dark place. He ordered a coffee from the entirely too perky server and Ilana raised a brow. Coffee was an odd choice for this late in the afternoon. When the server bounced away, Ilana nodded to Helios, to acknowledge his presence and took another swig of her whiskey. Before she had time to say anything to him, Rina ambled in as well, so she decided to wait, rather than repeat herself. Rina stopped at the bar, presumably to place an order; she hadn't spotted them yet. Once she did, her eyes brightened a bit and she scooped up her drink and made her way to the table Ilana and Helios were seated at. Rina deposited herself in the seat next to Ilana, threw back her shot, and banged her glass on the tabletop.

"What'd I miss?" she asked.

Ilana smirked at her and said, "Not a whole lot. Helios got here only a moment before you did. I hadn't even had time to start the run down. Hell I've only been here myself 15 minutes or so."

Ilana relaxed into the chair a little more and took another sip. She glanced between the two of them, looked down into her glass and wondered if it would take a bottle to forget this time too. She decided not to think about that right now and instead let her curiosity out of its bag. "So, how was your R&R? Anything interesting happen?"

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

"Interesting? No," Rina snorted, amused. "Restful? Yes. Because it wasn't interesting."

Was it her imagination or did Ilana look ... Hmm. Follow up on that later. Rina turned to Helios and gave him a bright grin. She wasn't sure if he was bored, annoyed, or both … but she felt maybe a little friendly needling might bring him out of whatever mood he was currently in.

"How about you, Helios? How was your R&R?"

[Samantha Greystone]

"Order up," Samatha put the fries on the metal shelf that all the cooked food went on. "Any word from Charlie?"

Claire, the waitress nodded, as she grabbed the basket which held the deep fried potato slices. "Yes, he should be here in a few minutes."

Coincidentally enough, the backdoor opened right at that moment and in walked Charlie. All 6'6", 350 lbs of him. He was also one of the best cooks that Sam had ever worked with.

While the young woman had been hired by the manager, it was Charlie that she had to impress to get the job.

Claire said a quick hello to the newly arrived man and took the fries out front.

"There's a group. Claire said she thinks more are arriving but so far they've just put in the one order of fries and some drink orders." Sam told the other cook.

"Got it." Charlie nodded, "What do you want?"

"Cheeseburger, fries. For here." The dark haired woman replied. "Thanks."

"Okay, be ready in a few. You know, I could get you a permanent position." Coming from Charlie, that was quite the compliment.

"Appreciate it but I'm getting the need to go." Sam lied or half-lied.

She really didn't like being in one place for too long but only part of it was the need to be moving around.

Samantha put her white apron on a wall hook, and made her way to the front of the bar. Gave a quick wave to the bartender and got herself a soda before getting a table near the back.

Glancing around, the place was relatively empty, except Harry, the old guy who spent his days at the bar. He never really spoke to anyone but always had money to spend and never caused problems.

Then there was the larger table who recently received their orders. Probably a crew. Sam thought to herself. She had been around crews enough to know one when she saw one.

After a few minutes, Claire put the white plate with the burger and fries in front of Samatha.

"So, are you leaving today?" The waitress asked.

"If I can. Depends on if a job shows up." It hadn't in the weeks she had been planet side but it wasn't as if Sam had been actively looking. "I'll hit the docks tomorrow, if nothing shows up tonight."

"Well, good luck. I'll miss you though." Even with those words, the blonde haired, blue eyed waitress seemed perky.

The two of them had formed as much of a friendship as Sam would allow. They got along surprisingly well for being opposites. Sam wasn't always brooding but perky certainly didn't describe her either. She was just more quiet and observant than Claire.

"Thanks. I'll miss you as well." Which was true.

Claire bounced off, back to work and Sam started in on her food. Good thing she could eat for free here, with the rate things were going she might just have to pay for a ticket out of here.

[Jay Fuller]

Jay had been to Osiris once or twice in his childhood – it was one of the places his family and he had distant relatives, or close family friends or some such. He had been seven or eight at the time, and he remembered being enamored by the glimmering Capital City and rich residents. There was a twinge of excitement when he heard they’d be arriving here, but he wasn’t sure if the excitement was from an accurate memory or nostalgia.

Osiris, named after the Egyptian God of the dead, was an odd name for a planet. Perhaps it was for the blackout zones located across the planet that inhibited any tracking technology. Or perhaps it was where childhood dreams went to die.

Alright, Jay said to himself, that’s a stretch.

He left the ship early to explore the town, exploring some of the local shops. They didn’t visit civilization often, and despite Jay’s little experience in one, he always preferred the city life. Or, rather, the more-than-four-buildings life. If it weren’t for the fulfillment (for lack of a better word) he got from travelling the Verse with a band of hellions, he always thought of himself as being a well-to-do socialite.

Jay pulled himself out of his own inner-world as he walked into a gift shop. He bought several journals to keep thoughts in, he never knew when they might come across a town with some decent stationary again.

He came across a small flea market as he wandered, and found himself picking up some root vegetables, onions, a few other bits of food that would last a while in the black. There was a small stand boasting a wealth of flowers, so he bought a couple bouquets – one blue and orange one for his room, and an earthy toned one for the main hold on the ship. A little extra plant-provided oxygen would be nice in the ship, he thought, and bring a little color to it too.

With an hour or so to kill, and a rumbling in his stomach, he stopped by a charming bistro and got a beer and a warm, pressed sandwich. He savored the fuck out of that sandwich; a typical over-priced, over-hyped grilled panini that he could probably make on the ship with the right ingredients but would never be quite as satisfying. The beer was fine.

He pulled out one of the journals and began writing a bit, musing on his day. It was rare that this kind of nostalgia came, and even rarer that it didn’t come twinged with the regret of his family. Of course, that thought brought that shame right back. Once again, his mind wandered to reaching out to his parents. He’d sent a message around his birthday, but never heard back. Most of the time, this wasn’t an issue – the only ties he had to his family was their shared genetics, and he had made up for that with Ilana’s crew as it was. But it lacked closeness, a closeness Jay had often craved but never really received.

He knew he was the scapegoat for his family. He also knew he would have been the scapegoat regardless of how his life turned out, but being the medic on a “shipment freighter,” was apparently not what was envisioned for him. School was barely envisioned for him as it was, so he was sure there was resentment on that end.

Jay hated these spiraling thoughts when they came about. They often resulted in an hour or three of journaling, but guess who didn’t have time for that! He downed the rest of the beer, and made his way to The Grey Cat. He was the fourth to arrive – Ilana was first, obviously, she always was the first to arrive. Helios and Rina had already been sitting down.

Jay walked up to the bar and grabbed a whiskey, neat. Then sauntered over to the crew. He removed the bag slung over his shoulder, the bright flowers poking out of the top, and set it in an empty seat next to his, making sure nothing would tip over. He sat down and waved at the others, a smile on his face, “What’s up, crew?”

[Helios Hamilton]

Helios sipped his coffee as the captain nodded to him, he gave a nod. Rina dropped into the bar, ordering a drink, before sitting at the table. She knocked the drink back and began a conversation, Helios didn't pay much attention till they directed a question at him

"How about you Helios? How was your R&R?" Rina asked him, Helios had spent his R&R either working out, fixing up a few tears in his clothes, and taking care of Theodore.

"Pretty bland I guess, bought a new shotgun though, but I gotta say it's been way too damn long since I had some pie." Helios said kicking his duffle bag, which he had placed his shotgun in, when he mentioned his shotgun. Helios flagged down waitress and made his order for a slice of apple pie. Jay made his way into the bar and grabbed a drink before making his over to the table. Helios noticed bright flowers poking from his bag and instantly became intrigued.

"What's up crew?" Jay asked and Helios began questioning about the flowers.

"Nothing much, but hey what's with the flowers Doc." Helios shifted his chair sideways showing off his bright yellow boots to the bar.

[Jace Cisco]

Jace wasn't happy to be on a Core World. He contemplated just staying in his bunk and letting the rest of the crew enjoy the freedom of the world. Pacing a trail into the metal floors wasn't helping anything, but he eagerly wanted something other the food stuffs from the ships kitchen. Even he could only come up with so many ways to make mush taste edible.

Sighing to himself, "Guai!" he spit out. He grudgingly put his ballistic mesh on, and then began chuckling as his expensive suit showed in the back of the his closet.

"Well if I am going to be on this damned world might as well look like one of these proper feh feh pi goh." He said to himself, before getting his suit on instead of his daily cloths. Feeling a bit dapper he made sure the jacket concealed his tactical holsters and added his pistols to their rightful place. Against what he thought was poor judgment he did decide to leave the knives at home.

Jace checked to make sure his vox scrambler and debugger was concealed well enough. Illegal or not he never liked the idea of anyone being able to keep tabs on conversations. Especially when Ilana wants to go to a specific bar, almost always means trouble is coming or a job is up for grabs. Either way he wanted off the damn rock as fast as possible.

Jace stepped into the open port breathing in the cool air of the late afternoon breeze. He may not like the ground he stepped on, but he enjoyed the feeling of the warm sun and natural breeze of the air flowing. Jace strolled through the streets peering into the stores. Checking the time he knew he had a few minutes before needed to be there, his eye did catch a sale in a local shop for a Holotable. He had been considering trying to pick up more things for entertainment that he could use with Helios or Jay. Odd kid that Helios, but he had grown on Jace. Jace was also thankful to have had Ilana and Jay still with him after all this time. He hadn't expected much when he met the crew on that ice ball he was first stranded on.

Jace made a mental note that he would try to talk Jay into splitting the holotable cost if not he would have to settle for the latest Gamebox, and the toggle stick to get the newest games for free, no sense in letting the Alliance making money off his taxes for the digital goods, anything to spite them in any manner he thought.

The Grey Cat stood out he could smell the aroma of the kitchen prepping meals for their customers as his stomach gave a loud gurgle. Skipping the morning meal wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't handle the grub anymore. Stepping through the door he noticed his crew in the corner, smiling to them he rolled his sleeves up masking the motion for him to turn on the debugger he had on him.

Walking up behind Jay he gave a soft nudge for him to scoot over.

"Jay! You really shouldn't have it was nice of you to think of me." Jace joked and nodded toward the flowers poking out. "No vase?"

Settling into his seat he looked around the room expecting there to be more, but listening to the soft tune of the music he barely noticed the tiny waitress asking for his order.

"Anything that is real vegetables and protein, no fish, and whatever is the drink of the day or cheapest." Jace admired the waitresses backside and she scampered away. Until he saw another petite girl eating nonchalantly in the corner. He leaned in and whispered to Jay nodding in the direction of the girl.

"Girl over there looks rather kuh ai, doesn't she?"

Jace leaned back smiling, Core world or not he was happy to be among people he knew and trusted. Though he preferred the black this wasn't a bad night.

"So, Captain what do you have in store for us, and when do we leave?"

===========================
Chinese Phrases

Guai - hell

feh feh pi goh - baboon's ass

kuh ai - cute

[Ilana Logan]

"Interesting? No," Rina snorted, sounding amused. "Restful? Yes. Because it wasn't interesting."

Ilana nodded in full understanding. "Our lives do get a bit too interesting at times, don't they? She asked rhetorically, giving a chuckle as she finished.

Rina gave her an odd look, almost tilting her head with a not quite curious expression. It flitted away as quickly as it appeared, and Rina asked Helios how his R&R had been and Ilana sat relaxed, comfortably listening to the amicable exchange. He kicked something under the table as he talked. Ilana assumed it was the bag he'd stuffed down there when he came in. He raised a hand to get the server's attention and asked for pie.

Jay came in next, and got a drink at the bar before heading to the table she and the crew were seated at. Carefully setting his bag in the chair next to his, he unintentionally flashed bright blue and orange flowers poking out of the bag. There was another bunch of flowers in another color. She didn't quite have a name for the color, but it made her think of the time she threw up a kale and tofu salad after one of Roman's stupid "parties". Jay sat down, giving everyone a wave.

“What’s up, crew?” He asked, smiling brightly, and the conversation continued on, as though Jay had been there from the start.
Helios shifted slightly in his chair to show off the ugliest boots she'd ever seen in her life. They were a glaring, neon yellow, and he was very clearly proud of them. She was just grateful the bar wasn't brightly lit, otherwise she'd likely need a cornea transplant.

Ilana took a sip of whiskey, glad for the distraction of her crew - her people, as the conversations began flowing around her. The crew was bantering almost jovially. They'd had plenty of fine conversations in their time together, but this seemed almost... Normal. One corner of her mouth turned up into a soft smile and she sighed, for once not in any kind of upset. She laughed a little at the exchange, feeling oddly content just then. She'd been so upset before they'd arrived, but something about their demeanor - their easy conversation - made that seem so far away. For a moment, she could breathe again.

Ilana took another sip as Jace stepped into the bar, and she nearly snorted whiskey. Jace was looking quite dashing in a clearly expensive, well-tailored suit. She'd seen enough of them on Roman to know the difference between an off the rack suit and a custom tailored suit. An off the rack suit is fine and all, but a suit like Jace had on was designed to fit the customer perfectly, and so it did. He looks like he actually belongs here, she thought.

He spotted them, grinned, and rolled up his sleeves. He came up behind Jay and gently nudged him, indicating he'd like Jay to make room. Jace gave Jay a light ribbing about the flowers and nodded at Jay's bag of holding, only increasing the feeling the lighthearted conversation was giving her. I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed before, even drunk, she thought, but she wasn't drunk then either. She'd been sipping the same drink since she came in and still she had been overcome by a case of the warm fuzzies for these wonderful bastards sitting with her - all of them.

Jace took a seat and placed and order with the extremely perky server, who had appeared out of nowhere. He then took a long moment to appreciate the view as she bounced away from the table. His gaze shifted in another direction then, before leaning into Jay and whispering something Ilana didn't quite catch. He leaned back in his chair, a grin on his face.

"So, Captain what do you have in store for us, and when do we leave?" Jace asked turning his attention on Ilana, finally forcing her to do more than quietly enjoy the effortless conversation her crew was having around her.

She leaned back in her own chair now, still smiling softly, and said, "This is going to come as a surprise to most of you, but the job is quite simple. Cargo haul from here to the Bellerophon Estates." She laughed and added, "Hell, it's even legal. 800 credits - that's 2,000 platinum - for a legal cargo haul."

An idea occurred to her and she leapt from her seat. No dizziness, so she definitely hadn't been drugged. She had wondered for a fleeting moment when she realized she had the warm fuzzies. "I'll be back in a minute," she said, and without waiting for a response she walked right to the bar. She asked the server to freshen up her drink and turned to the woman sitting at the bar alone, eating a burger. "Did I hear you right a bit ago? You're looking for transport off this rock, or a job? I saw you in the back before when you made my fries, so I know you were cooking here. I could use a cook on my boat if you think you could get on with my band of merry men."

The server slid Ilana's drink back to her, and she waited to see what the woman would say about her offer.

[Samantha Greystone]

Charlie's burgers were some of the best and Sam was savoring every bite not knowing when or if she'd get a chance to eat his cooking again.

She wasn't eavesdropping and didn't really catch what the table behind her was discussing. Little did the young woman know it would involve her.

It wasn't surprising that the woman came up to the bar but it had to be the first time a job, of that nature, just found Samatha without her having to go searching for one.

"Did I hear you right a bit ago? You're looking for transport off this rock, or a job? I saw you in the back before when you made my fries, so I know you were cooking here. I could use a cook on my boat if you think you could get on with my band of merry men." The older woman said.

"You heard right." Sam nodded, then glanced at the table, then back to the woman standing next to her. "And I'm definitely interested in taking you up on the offer."

Perhaps, a few questions should be asked but Sam had a feeling it would be alright. Besides, who was she to pass up the opportunity.

As soon as the older woman was ready, Sam would go to the table with her.

[Ilana Logan]

"You heard right," the woman nodded. She glance back to the table the crew was seated at, then turned her attention back to Ilana. "And I'm definitely interested in taking you up on the offer."

Ilana grinned. "Good! Let's introduce you to the crew and we'll have some discussion," she said.

She scooped her drink off of the bar and headed back to her seat at the table, the random woman in the bar she'd just offered a job to trailing behind her. Ilana resumed her corner seat and waived at one of the open seats. "Come sit. We'll talk and see if we can convince you to keep us from starving to death."

She grinned and asked, "What's your name, and do you have any questions for us?"

[Jay Fuller]

Jay looked at Helios, a look of satisfaction on his face, “They’re pretty. Thought the ship could use a little color in it for a couple days. I also got some real food that will last a while, so we can have some decent meals for a couple days.”

When Jace walked up and nudged him, Jay scooted, pulling the bag into his lap. “Jay! You really shouldn't have it was nice of you to think of me. No vase?” Jay pulled out a small, blue flower and handed it to Jace, “I always am, I was thinking they’d make a nice chain to hang over your bunk.”

He tucked the bag between his legs, careful not to smoosh the flowers. The waitress came up, took Jace’s order and Jay saw his eyes linger on a woman at the bar. He made a comment about her looks, and Jay glanced over. She looked like she could kick Jace’s ass, despite being as small as she looked. Jay liked her. He smirked, “Yeah, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

He then noticed a soft smile on Ilana’s face, she wore a relaxed expression Jay hadn’t often seen. It was almost infectious, and Jay felt himself smiling himself. At least until Jace immediately asked when they were leaving, which made Jay let out a huff. Of course he wanted to ditch the second they arrived, that man wouldn’t leave the ship if he was paid for it.

Ilana described the (surprisingly) legal job they were offered. Jay tried not to look suspicious, maybe it was too many jobs gone awry. Then, like a squirrel, she hopped up and ran across the room to the girl Jace was checking out. Jay exchanged confused glances with his crewmates, before trying to listen to Ilana’s words. He heard “transport” and “cook.”

In less than a minute, they were both heading back to the table, Ilana looking especially accomplished. Jay glanced to the other crew members and muttered, “Sounds like we got a new student, class.” He glanced at Jace, expecting him to be particularly excited.

[Jace Cisco]

Jace chuckled as he added the blue flower behind his ear, as he sat calmly listening to the description of the job ready for them to be off the rock. He couldn't help but feel perplexed. What in the gorram hell is Ilana up to? We actually have a legit legal cargo transport. Jace's confusion only continued as he watched Ilana go towards the young girl across the bar. His cheeks deepened in color as he began wondering if Ilana had heard his comment on her looks.

Leaning his head down and covering his face a bit with his hand he whispered to Jay, "Hey on the way over I found a nice sale on a holotable if you wanna split it be some games for the ship?"

Unsure if Ilana was attempting to embarrass him from his earlier comment or just collecting another passenger. Jace couldn't help but attempt to avoid the girl. A sigh of relief washed over him as he heard another order up as he saw his food, or what he hoped was his food in the window. 

[Samantha Greystone]

"Come sit. We'll talk and see if we can ire you to keep us from starving to death."

The older woman grinned and asked, "What's your name, and do you have any questions for us?"

The young woman took a seat before responding.

"Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam." Her accent didn't scream core or rim.

It would have actually been difficult to tell where the young woman was from based on speech patterns and Sam liked it that way.

It was easy to figure the woman that had offered her the job was the Captain. The brunette was already mentally guessing the jobs of the rest of the crew. She hoped they would introduce themselves but it would happen eventually, if not now.

Questions? Where to start?

"What kind of ship is it?" That answer would give her an idea of the kitchen, among other things.

[Helios Hamilton]

Helios watched as Jay stared at him after his question, “They’re pretty. Thought the ship could use a little color in it for a couple days. I also got some real food that will last a while, so we can have some decent meals for a couple days.” Jay said and Helios nodded, the answer satisfied his curiosity. Helios took a drink of the bitter coffee, it gave him a comforting feeling.

Helios watched Jace enter the bar wearing a suit that honestly didn't look bad, he poked fun at Jay's flowers. Helios began to tune everything out as he ran his finger on his garrote.

Helios's attention slightly peaked once the captain mentioned the cargo was legal, he didn't know whether or not it was a rarity on the ship. Helios took another drink of his coffee as some of the crew engaged in conversations and the captain left to the bar.

Helios's pie was delivered by the waitress and he went to dig in as both the captain and a girl approached the table. He used his good eye, normally his milky white eye creeped people out when they saw it, looking at her as she introduced herself as Sam and asked about Eden. Helios took a bite of the pie and decided to keep quiet for now.

[Marina Kseniya Sebastien]

Rina's expression went from politely watchful on Samantha's approach to something a little more animated when asked about the ship. The petite brunette went from zero to lightspeed in a split-second with her reply.

"She's an ultralight Jo-Lynn-class, a workhorse ship as agile in atmo as she is in the Black. She weighs in at eleven hundred tons, powered by a MacAllister-8 ion engine hooked up to a pair of 6th gen Dunleavy thrusters and … um … I'm betting that you're not interested in that."

Rina caught the clue and reeled her enthusiasm in. She offered her hand to Samantha for a shake.

"Let's start over. Hi, I'm Rina, ship's engineer. If the Captain says you're here to convince us not to starve, does this mean you can cook? Cuz while I might be able to swap out a wiring harness without breaking a sweat, the idea of cooking dinner makes me break out in hives. No, seriously, I've burned jello. One Captain I served under threatened me with the airlock if I ever attempted to cook again."

[Jay Fuller]

Jay almost laughed when Jace turned red at the sight of the approaching girl. Jace immediately leaned over to Jay and asked about a holotable he wanted to purchase. “Sure, I’m down,” Jay said, and gave him a thumbs up.

The new girl, Sam, came and joined them. She was definitely prettier up close, Jay noticed. He didn’t blame Jace for feeling embarrassed, if that’s what it was, when she joined the table. Her accent was odd, something Jay hadn’t recognized before. Either she was from some distant planet they’ve never visited, or it was a carefully curated ruse.

Jay felt a little suspicious about the stranger Ilana invited onto the crew – typically there was at least a little bit of a vetting process. Apparently not for pretty girls, though. He tried to stave off his judgment. Was it envy he was feeling? Who wouldn’t want to be desired by most men. Or maybe it was just suspicion – or, as is often the case, a little of both.

He hid it well though. “Hey, I’m Jay, the medic.” He waved, smiling at her.

[Ilana Logan]

“Sounds like we got a new student, class,” Jay said, glancing at Jace, who looked as though he'd applied rouge to his cheeks while she was gone. Ilana's curiosity piqued and she raised a brow at him, but tucked her questions away for later.

"Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam, the hopefullynew cook said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded almost like a compilation of accents from all around the 'verse. Either she was a lifelong traveler or she had carefully curated this accent. Could be either one, Ilana thought. But she looks awful young to have intentionally created a whole new accent to hide where she's from.

"What kind of ship is it?" She asked.

Helios was quietly eating his pie, appearing to ignore the conversation entirely, but Ilana knew he was probably listening. She wondered for a moment if he had that gorram snake in his pocket again. Ilana had just opened her mouth to answer when Rina, not at all quiet, launched in animatedly, "She's an ultralight Jo-Lynn-class, a workhorse ship as agile in atmo as she is in the Black. She weighs in at eleven hundred tons, powered by a MacAllister-8 ion engine hooked up to a pair of 6th gen Dunleavy thrusters and … um … I'm betting that you're not interested in that."

Rina appeared to realize she was rambling and reigned herself in. A bit more calmly, she said, "Let's start over. Hi, I'm Rina, ship's engineer. If the Captain says you're here to convince us not to starve, does this mean you can cook? Cuz while I might be able to swap out a wiring harness without breaking a sweat, the idea of cooking dinner makes me break out in hives. No, seriously, I've burned jello. One Captain I served under threatened me with the airlock if I ever attempted to cook again."

Ilana laughed at that. She hadn't heard that story before. "Aw Rina! Well, you make a fine grilled cheese," Ilana said with a wink at Rina. "Is that why grilled cheese is the only thing you ever make?"

“Hey, I’m Jay, the medic," Jay added with a smile and a wave.

"Well Sam, it'd probably would be a good idea to tell you who I am," Ilana grinned sheepishly. "When I heard you say you were looking for a job, and knew you were cooking here, I quite literally leapt at the chance to sweet talk you into feeding us heathens. Name's Ilana. I'm the captain and also engineer. Although I don't do much engineering anymore now that we got Rina aboard," she said, motioning toward Rina with her drink.

Ilana sat back in her chair, took a sip of her drink, and motioned at Helios, "The gentleman with the pink hair inhaling that pie is Helios. He's not what I'd call rude - most of the time anyway - but he doesn't like to participate in conversation unless we force him."

She paused for a moment before adding, "We have a decent sized kitchen and it's fully stocked. Both fresh foods and protein garbage. Keep in mind that if you use a bit of the protein garbage in with the fresh foods, you can make fresh stuff last longer, especially if we're on a long haul. For short hauls, you can use as much as you like, just keep a log of what you use for me so I know what to replace without doing an inventory. We keep fairly steady work, so no one's going hungry. It's just that none of us are all that good at cooking, really."

Ilana took a short pull on her freshened drink and gave a small smile to her crew. It'd been a long while since she felt like this. Happy? that usually traitorous voice whispered. Yeah... she thought back at it. It's been a good day.

[Samantha Greystone]

As the petite dark haired woman started explaining about the ship, with enthusiasm. Sam mentally guessed - engineer.

"I'm betting that you're not interested in that." Rina commented before introducing herself.

Sam thought to herself that the engineer might be surprised. She was actually interested in all of that but would hold off, for now, saying anything. Rina seemed friendly so maybe they could discuss that later.

The young woman couldn't help but breathe a laugh as Rina described her own cooking.

"Yes, I've been a cook for a few years." Samantha responded to Rina's question about whether she could cook.

Jay, who Sam had not figured out yet, introduced himself as the ship's medic. After working on some ships short of one, the brunette always preferred when there was a medic on board. She gave the man a nod with a small smile.

It hadn't gone unnoticed, the man eating his pie, had been the only one to not say anything. By elimination and a gut feeling, Sam assumed he was the pilot.

Ilana introduced herself and Helios, and with those final introductions, Sam committed the names to memory.

"It's nice to meet you all." Samantha commented, with a friendly but calm tone.

Fully stocked? Well, that was a luxury. The woman had worked on ships that had everything and those who had practically nothing. Nothing was a challenge but fully stocked was so much easier.

Use the protein to make the food last longer, if necessary. Logging what was used. It all seemed pretty typical.

"Sounds good." Sam smiled

She was expecting more questions aimed at her. Maybe now. Maybe later. Eventually, people started asking.

"When do you aim to dust off?" Maybe, the way that question was said, spoke a little more to all the years living on a ship. Then again, it was just one sentence.