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Episode 4: All That Could Have Been
Topic Started: Jan 3 2013, 02:03 AM (7,215 Views)
abbey
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The crew of The Lucky Seven was on Persephone. While at a bar, the crew scattered in order to evade the law, which were privately appointed local lawmen aka Lyle Vesto’s thugs, a group hardly concerned with the law. Cain, Mag and Gwen Hart left via the back door while Rikka and Ian ran interference by baiting two officers with the promise of information on the outlaws. Ian and Rikka managed to subdue them out back (with Rikka having some guilt over the violence she had imparted), paving the way for their escape. At the same time, Dema was arriving back at the ship with the munitions he procured under his aunt's name and account.

Things didn't go as smoothly for Cain, Mag and Gwen as they made their exits and a firefight ensued. Many of Lyle Vesto's security force were cut down. Finally, they all got back to the Seven in one piece, bit it was obvious that they needed to get someplace so they could make repairs. Gwen gave them a place to go, but they'd have to deal with smugglers at New Hanover. New Hanover was a place that used to be an mineral extraction facility which was now run by Hitomi Asakura.

Rikka disappeared into the Engine Room as soon as she arrived to fix what she could on the ship and meditate a little on the violence she helped inflict while they were out there. Luckily, none of it had been lethal. While she was working, she interacted with SYBIL who was starting to sound more and more “human” by asking Rikka if she was OK and giving her advice on the fashionability of the glasses she had put on. Cain arrived soon thereafter to announce that they had a destination and Rikka should do what she could to get the Seven in the air as soon as possible. He was still very leery of the AI and how she was infiltrating the ship’s systems so thoroughly. Rikka also informed him that they could probably make a hard run out, but it also had a chance of backfiring on them and possibly causing them to drift. Ian arrived to help out. When the authorities issued a communication mandating all ships to stay grounded, SYBIL was instructed to bounce a message back to the authorities saying that the ship was having communication difficulties.

Mag took Gwen to his very pink bunk because there was a box of various abandoned women’s clothing left there by previous occupants. Gwen had nothing and she was instructed to take what she needed. He also managed to take a quick shower, but only managed to get half-dressed before things started to go south. When told to strap in Gwen followed Mag to a place where they could do just that.

Helena Cain received the message sent to her, responded back to Cain and began preparations to meet the crew of the Lucky Seven. She was already at their destination.

After some pursuit by an Alliance Arrow Class Interceptor, coupled by some mechanical problems, the Lucky Seven finally arrives at their destination, a small cluster of islands in the Dreaming Sea (New Hanover). It was an abandoned Alliance drilling facility that was closed when some fluid leaked into the ocean and killed every sea creature within a hundred miles. The facility had been taken over by smugglers and turned it into a base of sorts. Upon arrival, the crew used some of the weapons that Dema procured as a decoy so the authorities would think they crashed into the sea. They landed and were met by Hitomi Asakura, the proprietor of the establishment, and her guards. A message was also sent to Helena Cain (no relation), a prior crew member informing her of their arrival and their location.

Hitomi was not pleased that Gwen Hart had arrived with the Lucky Seven in tow. She did not like the idea of such high profile fugitives on her facility. She asked them to leave unless they have a compelling reason why they should be allowed to stay. Helena arrived on the scene and asked her to negotiate with them (Ian knows Helena from his past; she crewed on his ship as well). Hitomi agreed to let them stay even with the threat that Vesto’s men may come there looking for them, but at double the regular price. Hitomi offered them the use of the Blushing Mermaid, her personal private meeting site. The crew took her up on her offer. Before they leave, Cain apologizes for the hard treatment he gave Rikka before they took off from Skara Brae. Rikka forgave him but chastised him on his use of foul language. She also addressed him as ‘Jacob’ which had not been done is a very long time. Even Meg Dwyer, a woman who Cain actually discussed marriage with once, did not call him anything but ‘Cain.’ Cain regarded her fondly and warned her not to become like him.

Cain, Ian, Helena, Gwen and Dema proceeded ahead with Hitomi to the Blushing Mermaid. Rikka stayed behind to make repairs. Mag stayed behind as well and found out through SYBIL that there was a wave that he should probably listen to. It was an open message floating through the Cortex in general from Colonel Harris. There was no designated recipient.

The message from Colonel Harris warned Mag that some folks were on to them and offered him sanctuary if he came to Santo. The rest of the crew was not part of that Sanctuary. Mag deduced that it was Harris’s way of warning Mag that Santo was a hot place to be. It was being watched as well as Harris himself. He also figured that anyone that any of them could go to for the same treatment was also being monitored as well. He departed for the Blushing Mermaid to report this information to Cain.

Rikka took inventory of what was needed for repairs and contacted the locals to have the supplies procured. After that, she showered and fell asleep naked in an escape pod located off the side of the Engine Room.

At the Blushing Mermaid

After the group was stopped at the door and searched by Hitomi’s guard, they finally entered the establishment. They were handed menus and they ordered some food while they engaged in playful banter with other members of the crew. Gwen announced that she would be looking for passage off world with another ship.

Mag arrived at the establishment and told of his news about Santo. He made a brief joke about missing the days when they just got shot at. Cain questioned Mag’s loyalty to Harris and whether or not Harris was trustworthy. Cain’s view was that Harris was Alliance, an enemy and not someone he personally could trust. Mag reiterated that Harris was no longer Alliance and that he had quit when the war ended to work at a private security firm. Mag trusted Harris and that was that.

They also discussed the trust that could be afforded to SYBIL. Cain didn’t trust her and said he was planning to destroy the data cube and purge her from the Seven’s systems. He also propsed that the crew scattered to make sure they were not all in one place. He was however worried that Rikka was becoming attached to the AI and might not take well to his plan. Dema weighed in on the subject by suggesting that SYBIL was just looking to ‘live’ and might want to avoid the Alliance as well. She might just have the same goals as they all did. He also voiced his opinion that SYBIL might not be so easy to purge from the ship since she could replicate herself and hide nearly anywhere. Cain then admitted that he didn’t quite know if SYBIL was ‘alive’ or not and that he hated having to deal with the responsibility of such an action like trying to ‘kill’ her.

Hitomi arrived, suggesting that there was dissension in the ranks of the Lucky Seven’s crew. Dema corrected her, telling her that it was merely a debate. They quickly got into a discussion about the sexual aspirations of everyone there. Ian decided to go back to the ship in order to get started on the IFF Beacon change so they can take off without suspicion from the authorities. Cain left soon afterwards to check on the ship.

***See Information on the Asides for Mag, Dema and Helena at the Blushing Mermaid.***

Rikka woke up after a strong dream. One that actually caused concern from SYBIL. Rikka reassured her that she was just having a dream and went back to sleep. Ian arrived and SYBIL asked him to check on Rikka since she was in an area where her vitals could not be monitored. Ian agreed and found the near naked Rikka and placed his coat over her like a blanket. Then he proceeded to the Nav console, setting up IFF codes for three different ships that they could masquerade as: The Lucky Seven, The Mei-Li and The Montenegro.

Cain arrived and went to check on Rikka. He found her sleeping and left her that way. Then he continued on to the Bridge where he found Ian. He told SYBIL that he would be testing the comms on the bridge and that they would be offline for a bit. He really just wanted to talk to Ian without being eavesdropped on. He mentioned that Ian might not have been favorable with his plan back at the Blushing Mermaid. He then asked Ian if he ever had to make a decision that took the life of one of his crew members. Ian confirmed that he has been in similar situations where he was unsure of how his decisions affected some of his people. The not knowing if he had killed one of them was worse than knowing for sure if he had.

Cain then asked Ian his opinion of SYBIL. Ian told him that he believed her to be sentient and a person. He also equated her to a child that could be taught love and loyalty. Cain took Ian’s opinion and tried to work it into how he felt himself. Then Rikka arrived on the bridge wearing only Ian’s duster. She asked him if he wanted it back, even though she had yet to obtain clothing. Her upbringing gave her a feeling that the nude body was nothing to be ashamed of. Ian told her to hang onto it because of the draft she could come upon while moving about the ship. Rikka actually flirted a little, finding it fun and exciting. Then she left.

Cain then questioned SYBIL about what she remembered from her time with the Alliance and whether or not she wanted to return there. SYBIL told him that she did not and he accepted her answer, deciding not to do anything to purge her from the system.

Ian yawned and decided to head back to his bunk for some sleep. Cain went to the cargo bay to check on his Remora Launch Racer.

Helena and Mag returned to the ship. They walked back together, but the trek had been an awkward one. She grabbed her gear and boarded the ship, went to her room and unpacked before taking a nap to rest.

Upon seeing Mag return to the ship, Cain asked him to come over to talk. He told him that he knew they were in the same detention facility at the end of the War. He said there were two kinds of folks there. One that spent 6 months in decontamination from Airborne Viral Agent Delta Nine which was dumped in the atmosphere of Shadow, resulting in the destruction of the planet. He was one that didn’t feel anything when being discharged where the other group wasn’t quite ready to stop fighting. He wanted to know which group Mag belonged to.

Mag thought back to that time. There had been an uproar in the Parliament and they had wanted a way to be able to accuse ex-Browncoats with more serious charges if they failed to follow the new laws. It was decided that those prisoners of war waiting for release should be forced to agree to abide by the new laws and not take up arms against the Alliance again. If they broke this "contract", they would be treated with far more vehemence because of their past aggression toward unification. Since signatures could be forged, they decided to go with a retinal scan, which quite a few soldiers gave voluntarily. When the last processing facility- the one Cain and Mag had been in- was running far past their allotted time schedule, an Alliance heavy had been called in to set the place right and close it down. Mag was the last one to have his retina scanned and it took seven guards to hold him down while it was done. Mag told Cain that he was part of the group that went down swinging because of sheer stubbornness. Then he asked if he missed anything important since he had been off ship.

Cain told Mag he was an idiot for fighting the retina scan and that the Alliance had won before the war even started. He also revealed that he still planned on having the crew scatter and if he was to rekindle a relationship with Helena that he should treat her well. Mag was disappointed that Cain still thought about dissolving the crew of the Seven and tried to think of where he would go. Harris was his only option, but he didn’t know how to get to him safely.

In her room, Helena tried to sleep, but couldn’t. So she got up and headed to the galley and started a pot of tea. While there, she conversed with SYBIL about whether or not whiskey in tea was acceptable of not. The debate annoyed Helena and once she found Cain, she told him so. Cain bantered with her before telling her that he was appreciative that she arrived so quickly. He also reiterated that they were innocent of what happened on Three Hills. Helena reacted indifferently.

After that Cain went off to help Rikka with some repairs.

When Dema returned to the ship, he noticed that he has an incoming message. He asked SYBIL if the message could be dangerous since they had recently received the one from Harris. SYBIL reported that she had scanned the message and it was OK to accept. She also informed him that it was from his aunt. Dema’s Aunt Sarine was well aware of the purchases he made for weapons and charged it to her accounts. She was none too happy about it. She demanded that he return to her so he can answer why he procured so many weapons and allow her to make sure his name is never connected with the sale whatsoever. If he didn’t comply, she warned him that there would be consequences.

Dema responded to the message by telling his aunt that he was indeed not returning and she should leave him alone.
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Blushing Mermaid Aside Summary

Helena and Dema talked to Hitomi who reveals a lot about herself. Child abandoned on the streets of New Tokyo on Beaumonde, put to use as a whore by the local yakuza boss before she was old enough to go to school, sacked away enough cash to go to college and got out of the life. Those skills had worked to keep Lyle Vesto off her property. That and a lot of money. Hitomi respected Helena for being able to work as a hired gun because that is more interesting than the wifey folks who lay around at the spa all day while their rich husbands handle everything.

Helena was happy about the respect and compared herself and Hitomi. They were both women and knew how to control a situation to their advantage, not to mention that they both had a squad a men that would back them. Inwardly, Dema agreed with Helena. Although he started out only looking out for himself, he did feel a certain obligation to look after more than just himself these days.

Over at the card game, the one player kept trying to get Mag to bring over Helena for some ”together time.” Mag tried to dissuade him, saying that Helena wasn’t his type, but he kept it up. The guy sent Helena a drink along with the lewd request while Mag told him that he was asking for trouble. Helena came over after the drink arrived and warned him to back off, reiterating that she was not his type.

Back at the table where Hitomi and Dema sat, Hitomi propositioned Dema. She stated that she was looking for someone who would show her a good time and not just do the ‘wham bam’ method. She knew he was a Companion and thought that he might take her up on the offer. After all, she had the coin to afford him. Not wanting to do things that were not on his terms, he lied to her saying that he was involved with someone, even though that was usually against the rules for a Companion. He indicated that he was involved with Rikka and had pledged monogamy to her. He figured that Rikka and Hitomi would probably not come across each other again, so that the ruse would work well. He also didn’t quite get why he cared what Rikka might think about him doing this. Hitomi was flabbergasted at the pairing and the fact that he went along with it. Because of that response, he mooned over Rikka, giving Hitomi the idea that he was completely captivated by Rikka. Then, before things got more complicated, he said his goodbyes and left for the ship.

At the card game, the one player continued his lewd overtures to Helena while Mag seemed to get more uncomfortable. He had feelings for her and that surprised him. When Dema came to say he was leaving, they also took that as a cue to get going as well. Mag hooked his elbow around Helena’s like he was personally escorting her out of the bar while praising her on her tactics. She thanked him for standing up for her (even though she was slightly disappointed that he stated he didn’t see her as a lady). She didn’t know that he did that because he thought that was the way she wanted it. She pulled her arm away as they walked back to the ship, making Mag miss the feeling of her arm in his.
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