Eavesdown Docks - Persephone
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Set on the fringes of the city, the docks are almost a world unto themselves. The area is hemmed in, defined by huge cargo containers that have long been abandoned here. Under the protective watch of their colorful eyes, tents have sprung up like mushrooms. Stores and dwellings alike - there are few defined streets with canvas flapping every which way. Bicycles carry the impatients to their goals and every once and a while various gangs form and prowl the streets.
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[Coye]
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Her age is hard to tell since lack of nutrition can take years of growth and maturity from a person. Large blue eyes overwhelm a thin and pointed chin face. Her hair is white blonde, thinned and dull but clean and braided back. Somewhere between twelve and nine, most likely...
She wears rainbow colored dress with a red sash around her waist. There is lace around the hem and pockets a plenty.
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[Spider]
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No taller than 5'2" in her boots, this woman is a mongrel of races; some Asian blood shows in the epicanthic fold on her brown eyes which have thick, black lashes, her skin-tone is darker than that of an Asian and reveals African heritage and there's also the signs of Caucasian blood in her cheekbones and nose. That nose is small and buttony while her lips are full and generous to smiles. The chin tapers into a point on her oval face. Her hair is a black mess of curls, but cut short in such a fashion it helmets her head. Her small ears sports several golden hoops on each side, which seems to be almost her only concession to female vanity. Her small form has a limberness and tone to it and what she lacks in strength she makes up for in agility. Subtle but feminine curves gives her a pleasing over-all appearance; more exotically pretty than conventionally so.

She wears an outfit consisting mostly of grey-scaled clothing; a tightclinging top in a silvery grey, a pair of dark grey utility pants with plenty of pockets and a long and rather scruffy old looking coat in an even darker shade of grey than the pants flaps about her legs when she walks. To finish the outfit, she wears a pair of well-worn combat boots of some ancient looking model.
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[Nokovic]
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A rawboned, rangy-looking man, Nokovic isn't much to look at, but what he lacks in charm he makes up for in cigarette stink. The guy smells like a basket full of chain-smokers. His face is rather on the gaunt side - dark, deep-set eyes, straight nose, hollow cheeks, a high forehead - although his mouth is toothy and predisposed to wayward smiles. His face is tanned and clean-shaven (or at least no worse than a bit of 5 o'clock shadow now and then) and his hair is dark brown and cut short. He stands at somewhere just under six foot tall, minus an inch or so thanks to a habitual stoop, and his age looks to be around the late twenties or so.

He's presently wearing a pair of faded orange overalls, a grey t-shirt, and a pair of workboots. If anything, the outfit makes him look like an errant technician.
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[Harmon]
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Tall enough to see just over the heads of most people in a crowd and athletic enough to give the impression that he is a man who relies on his reflexes and not his size. His black hair has been let hang around his head, straight and unremarkable, his eyes are dark brown. His nose is thick and looks to be a bit crooked from some wicked punch sometime in the past. He has no visible scars. On his arms are a few tattoos.
At the moment he is wearing a shirt with the top few inches done up in buttons, tan, and a pair of dark brown pants. Over that is a black longcoat. Across his shoulders is a backpack and on his feet are a pair of black combat boots. His hands feature a pair of fingerless black gloves. From his hip is slung a sixgun in a holster.
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The crew of the Golden Hind are busy working in the cargo hold, having loaded on board the final stuff for their departure.

Nokovic gives the cargo door's closing mechanisms one final dirty look, then moves further in to the bay itself. He busies himself with making sure that everything is safe and secure, just wandering around aimlessly to check crates and whatnot. "Stupid question, but you've flown in this thing before, right?"

Spider transmits, "Roger. I'll ask him to fire her up." She coughs, looking at Nokovic. "No," she says simply. "Newport hired the crew here on Persephone and then he died. But, Lek said the ship is good and Estragon has confirmed it's spaceworthiness as well. It'll be fine."

Ahhh, nothing like a good trade to make one feel shiny, and Cole is, indeed, walking with a skip in his step. Until he glances around for his arranged transport and discovers it took off an hour ago. Last thing he wants is to be on Persephone when the owner of Harry's Space Wares realizes he's been sold a defective engine coil! Desperately looking for a way offworld, the first thing he catches sight of is the Hind's open cargo bay door. And all the people, seemingly busy readying her for departure. He tries to dart aboard and hide while they're looking elsewhere...

"Oh. Er. Good." Nokovic bears his teeth at Spider in what is suppossed to be a grin, then disappears in to the belly of the ship, probably to make sure that everything in his bunk is properly bolted down.

[Cargo Hold - ]
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A small-bulk transport, the Osprey's nearest relative in space faring vessels in terms of cargo capacity and loudout would most likely be the mid-bulk Firefly design. Spacious enough to carry four mid-CONEX boxes comfortably, the cargo hold is the first space that visitors see when boarding the vessel.
The lighting here is good, several tool boxes and equipment racks line the bulkheads nearest the dual swinging cargo hatches. Despite it's nearest relative, however, the Osprey does have on noticeable difference. The lack of an inner airlock door. Gaskets, thick and well maintained, cover the edges of the cargo hatches, providing even further evidence that the hydraulic operated shutters are indeed the only defense from the harsh reality of space.
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Mila arrives from Catwalk - .
Mila has arrived.

Harmon glances around at all the people in the cargo hold and says, "Who the gorram are all these people?"

The cargo hold has Spider and Harmon in it, the latter standing at the entrance while Spider is beginning to unload some boxes from a cart she's rolled into it. "Who?" she says, staring at Harmon in bewilderment. "Close the doors will ya? We're about to take off in a few."

Garrett climbs down the ladder from above, helping Mila down with careful hands. His expression is a mixture of pride and sorrow as he looks around at the crew.
The ship growls as the main reactor comes online.

Mila follows Garrett down the ladder, finally reaching the bottom she stops turning to him. Not paying attention to the others that are around.

The gentle whoosh of moving air caresses your skin as life support is powered up.

A light thrum rattles the bulkheads as the thrusters come online.

Spider is loading off some boxes from a large deep cart she's pushed on board.
Harmon's over by the still open hatch, the ramp lowered. Cole is trying to sneak on board. Garrett and Mila are climbing down the ladder from the ramp above.

- Cole rolls Stealth with a modifier of 0. Result: 11
- Rolled Stealth with modifier of 0. Result: 0+1+0+10=11
Harmon rolls Perception with a 0 modifier. Result: 3

Nokovic arrives from Catwalk - .
Nokovic has arrived.

Garrett rolls Perception with a -2 modifier. Result: 21
Mila rolls Perception with a -2 modifier. Result: 9

An osprey's door is smaller than a Firefly's, and Harmon's position in front of the door is problematic. So Cole tries rounding the ship to one side and then crawling underneath it, moving himself from the bridge area aft and squeezing himself between the junction of the ship and the hatch, climbing up the ramp behind Harmon's watchful eye. The position puts him in a spot where he could be easily viewed by the others for a couple of seconds, if they happen to turn, but they're not looking for him, so the risk is acceptable, right? He climbs quickly and quietly, rushing to duck behind one of the offloaded boxes as soon as he's aboard.

Having checked out his bunk to make sure that all his stuff is in place, Nokovic moses down the catwalk, idly scratching himself as he does so. He then pauses and sits down, resting his arms on the railings and swinging his legs over the edge of the walkway.

Garrett notes something from the corner of his eye, but quickly dismisses it as his attention is definately on the woman coming down the ladder above him.

"So, who is that woman?" Harmon asks again, and points on the ladder by Garrett.

Spider is catching movement and swings that way for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly. But then she suddenly smiles and carries on with her work, before looking over at Garrett and Mila. "Oh, hi there. That's Miss Luydmila, a friend of Lek's," she explains to Harmon. "Was the tour nice?" she wonders casually of the pair, flashing them a smile. "We're taking off in a few."

Mila having just reached the bottom turns as she hears another voice. A bit surprised to see a finger being pointed at her. She turns to Garrett, with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

Garrett nods to Mila, "I guess this is good bye for a while... I'll leave word at the Sky Plex when I get an idea of where we'll be next." At this moment in Garrett's world, the deck is empty off all but one. He leans forward to give her a kiss and quickly turns to start back up the ladder again.

"She's leaving?" Harmon questions, looks at Garrett and listens to what he says, "Ah, well, that settles that. Nice meetin' ya lady."

Nokovic keeps quiet, doing nothing more than raise his eyebrows slightly and continue to watch the rest of the crew.

Mila returns the kiss, before quickly looking away to the floor. Her voice caught in her throat as she tries to choke out her words, "Yes.. I'll be looking.. for word from you.. then." Not taking notice of anyone else she makes her way out of the ship, not daring to look back.

Mila has left.
Mila disembarks from the vessel.

Ten full seconds and no violent yelling? Must be safe then. Or so Cole assumes, as he leans against one of the boxes and starts on the precarious task of not breathing too loudly.

Garrett heads through Catwalk (C) into Catwalk - .
Garrett has left.

Spider's face turns a bit blank when watching the tender scene. She shakes her head at it, sighs, waves after Mila and offers a smile and then moves for the ladder. "Let's get this boat into space! Harm? Close the doors will ya? Shadow awaits!"

Spider transmits, "Take us out, Lek."

Spider heads through Catwalk (C) into Catwalk - .
Spider has left.

Harm says, "Too bad, I'd have enjoyed taking Garrett for all his share on the ship over that broad," and hits the button for the door, then moves after the captain, leaving the cargo hold empty.

Harmon heads through Catwalk (C) into Catwalk - .
Harmon has left.

Nokovic rises to his feet again, stretches his arms out in front of him, yawns, then follows after Spider.

Nokovic heads through Catwalk (C) into Catwalk - .
Nokovic has left.

Presuming everyone gone, Cole lets out a small sigh of relief and stands, stretching his legs. "Gotta be a better hiding spot..." he comments to himself.

[Crate: Unknown Cargo - 2530]
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A simple crate, small enough to be carried by a single individual but bulky enough to be safely moved by two. It is locked with an electronic tamper proof seal. No documents suggest what exactly the contents are.
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Everything is silent except for several moments except for the faintest thump from one of the crates.

- Cole rolls Listen with a modifier of 0. Result: 13
- Rolled Listen with modifier of 0. Result: 1+2+0+10=13

Attuned to noise because of the danger of being discovered, Cole's first reaction at hearing the thump is to dart behind the boxes and hide again. Heart jackrabbiting, he stays still, listening to hear if footsteps follow.

There are no footsteps to follow up. And, for a long time, not even a repeat of the noise. In fact, its at least five minutes before anything else even resembling a noise can be heard.

- Cole rolls Listen with a modifier of 0. Result: 15
- Rolled Listen with modifier of 0. Result: 1+2+0+12=15

Another faint thump. The exact crate involved is likely obvious by now and the sound clearly comes from within.

The ship sways as it lifts from the ground, tilting and shaking as it becomes airborne.

Cole's interest in the cargo crates is amplified by the time the next thud comes, having already been studying the locking mechanism on another one. "Hmmm... live cargo?" he wonders, heading over to the thumping box and studying it, checking for a similar lock.

This cargo crate actually has no lock. It's not one meant for actual postal type delivery but an empty box that Spider put a few things that needed transport in. As secure as a box on moving day.

That being the case, Cole risks lifting the lid just a few inches, eyes peering inside. "Are you a puppy?" he asks the entity inside, mostly just to talk to himself.

Pale hair is likely the first thing that light catches, along with the reflection of several of the shiny things Spider packed away. Coye doesn't look up right away. She's too busy trying to bring up a small flute to her mouth in the small confines. But after a second she does look up and blue eyes blink.

Cole rolls Willpower with a 0 modifier. Result: 5

It's at that moment, of course, that the ship jostles, and Cole, unbenefitted by the sturdy crate environment, lurches backwards, dropping the lid down on Coye again. Unable to control himself, he lets out a "Woahhh," as his rump hits the floor.

There are several items in that crate that make noise when jostled. As the ship does its dance, the thuds in the crate can be heard. Items and perhaps person tossed about lightly.

Cole comes to his feet again as it subsides, muttering, "Ow." He approaches the crate a little bit more slowly now, having recalled the glimpse of person. "You okay in there?" he asks softly.

There is no answer from within, but a distinct shuffling sound.

Cole reaches the box, hand resting on the lid, but he doesn't reopen it yet. "I'm going to open the box," he says, glancing nervously to the catwalk a number of times as he talks. "Don't shoot me, okay? I'm not armed." The other hand pats his pack, feeling for the outline of the firearm inside as he makes the false claim.

The crate's lid is flipped open, and scaredy Cole backs up three steps.

More shuffling. After about ten seconds small fingers find the edge of the box and knuckles go white with strain. But no face appears, nor a weapon. The fingers disappear with a quiet sound of exertion. More thuds. Things being, probably, kicked to the side.

Cole waits patiently, eyes alternating between the box and the catwalk.

A sigh and the noise stops.

Cole rolls Perception with a 0 modifier. Result: 7

Cole doesn't get it. "Come on, you can come out..." With another glance at the catwalk, he adds, "You probably better, we need a better hiding spot before they come back."

Thunk, Clash, and whimper.

Cole rolls Perception with a 0 modifier. Result: 10

No one stays clueless forever. "Oh, you're stuck?" Cole asks, a lot of the fear leaving his voice as that concept settles in his brain. "Geez, how could you get stuck in such a small crate?" Letting his pack slide off his shoulders, he approaches the crate again, ready to help the person inside get out.

Coye rolls Strength with a 0 modifier. Result: 5

Coye looks up at Cole, warned by his voice that he'd be approaching. And, the fact that she's stuck likely says as much about her health as the thin lines of her face. Yes, a few things have fallen on her, pinning her legs more by their angle than anything else. There is a pout to her lower lip and she waves a hand for help.

Cole rolls Strength with a 0 modifier. Result: 8

[Coye]
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Her age is hard to tell since lack of nutrition can take years of growth and maturity from a person. Large blue eyes overwhelm a thin and pointed chin face. Her hair is white blonde, thinned and dull but clean and braided back. Somewhere between twelve and nine, most likely...
She wears rainbow colored dress with a red sash around her waist. There is lace around the hem and pockets a plenty.
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Cole isn't exactly in better shape than Coye, being a bit waifish himself. But he's been eating well of late and he's got a better angle on the items holding her down, so he manages to shift them around a bit. "Well hi," he greets as he works to free her. "I'm guessing they didn't buy you at the store..."

Coye beams at Cole as he moves to help her. She waggles a little to get more free and then doesn't actually move to leave the crate, but hugs Cole instead.

Cole tries to jerk away from the hug at first, but eventually just lets it happen, although he doesn't respond with an embrace in kind. "Well you're welcome," he murmurs.

Coye grins again as she pulls back and then hands him what looks like battery. A double AA sized flashlight usable battery. She waggles and moves to stand up now, scooping up her fallen flute.

Cole accepts the battery with a quizzical look, turning it around in his hand. "Thanks. I guess." He looks the crate's occupant over a little more. "Mmm... well, you ain't a runner," he remarks. "I done remember seein' ya 'round the Rail Yards once when I was sleepin' there, an' I think maybe one of the alleys too..." He shrugs, reaching out one hand to help her out and the other hand, the one holding the battery, also clamps the crate's edge for support. "Hope you wern't just cuddled in here t'sleep, cause Persephone's 'bout a hundred thousand miles aft by now."

Coye climbs out of the crate with Cole's help. Again, she beams at him. In fact, it seems that her expression's natural state is all smiles at this point. She looks around the cargo bay, mouth opening in a quiet O.

Cole frowns slightly. "Y'also ain't a /talker/, I'm seein'," he remarks with a shake of the head. Then it finally dawns on him. "Oh hey, y'ain't the girl been hangin' wit' a strange young couple calls her MeiMei, is ya?"

Coye starts to walk for the equipment racks, head tilting to the side. Her brow furrows as she examines it, and then looks to the airlock door.

Cole watches Coye's explorations as he gets the crate lid and moves to put it back on the crate, glancing around for any objects that might have fallen out and just generally trying to erase any evidence of their presence in the area.

Coye leans in and touches the piece of eqiupment lightly. Then she frowns and runs back to Cole.

Cole is just reaching to sling his pack back around his shoulder as Coye returns to him. "Guessin' you didn't wanna be flyin' after all, mmm?" he remarks. "Well, c'mon, let's find an electrical panel to hide in for a bit. I'm not right sure where the ship's goin', but if'n we find the galley and hide close to there we should be able to survive 'til it lands."

Coye stifles a yawn, but seems amiable to the plan. She frowns a little and touches the back of her neck.

Cole starts for the catwalk slowly and quietly, encouraging Coye to walk to his side and a little ahead of him, partially to get a surreptitious look at the back of her neck and make sure there's no mark there.

There might be just a little redness. Barely noticable. She walks with little or no sense of fear though. She heads up the catwalk, head tilted to the side.

[Catwalk - ]
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Fifteen feet above the deck of the cargo hold is where this catwalk looms, allowing one transit between the living quarters and operational side of the vessel forward and the engineering compartment aft. A small ladderwell affords access to the cargo hold below.
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Nokovic arrives from Berthing Nexus - .
Nokovic has arrived.
Coye arrives from Cargo Hold - .
Coye has arrived.

- Cole rolls Stealth with a modifier of -5. Result: 6
- Rolled Stealth with modifier of -5. Result: 0+1+-5+10=6

- Coye rolls Stealth with a modifier of -5. Result: 9

Nokovic rolls Perception with a -5 modifier. Result: 1

Nokovic hurries by, heading aft. The man has all the self-awareness of a dead slug, and it seems that he's really just marching past.

Cole and Coye are coming quietly up the ladder, Cole taking the lead only after reaching the rungs themselves and presuming Coye's minor neck issue to be simply a matter of stuff in the crate falling over on her during the turbulence. His head pops up in the middle of the floor just as Nokovic is moving by, and it's only by fortune that he ducks his head under before Nokovic winds up using it for a football.

Coye leans back on the ladder, arching her back so that her eyes can follow Nokovic's motion as he walks by.

Nokovic heads through Aft (A) into Main Engine Room - .
Nokovic has left.

"Better be quick," Cole comments, heading forward for no better reason than that Nokovic headed aft.

[Berthing Nexus - ]
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A quaint kitchen and pantry sit local to this room, allowing you to pass through it on either side. A small wooden table sits just behind it towards the catwalk access where a series of matched chairs afford seating arrangements for the crew.
On either side of the kitchen are two doorways, each leading to a seperate berthing compartment.
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- Cole rolls Stealth with a modifier of -5. Result: 1
- Rolled Stealth with modifier of -5. Result: 0+1+-5+5=1

- Coye rolls Stealth with a modifier of -5. Result: 9

Harmon rolls Perception with a 0 modifier. Result: 14

Nokovic arrives from Catwalk - .
Nokovic has arrived.

Harmon is walking back and taking a seat, pulling out his cards and setting them on the table when he hears the sound of someone approaching from the aft. Assuming it is the doc, he doesn't react immediately, in any way drastic, but he does look up a look a bit stunned at the presence of two unexpected people in the kitchen area. His hand sliding for his gun rather instantaneously. "What the--?"

"Gonna have to find a conduit, walking in the halls is..." Cole is commenting as he heads forward from the catwalk. Catching Harmon's outburst, he stops short of crashing into the man. "Dangerous," he finishes in a more meek tone, the sight of the man's sidearm causing him to raise his hands in a surrender posture.
You paged Coye with 'Nope. ;)'
Coye grunts as she knocks into Cole, not too quick on the 'stopping' uptake, and may very likely send them all dominoing into Harmon despite Cole's nicely executed stop.

Nokovic belatedly returns from the engine room, and stops dead on the catwalk when he notices the two shorter profiles up ahead of him. He looks over the two kids, to Harmon, then regards the two kids again. "Uh."

Lanky as he is, Harm has the twelve inches of iron drawn and he rests it at his hip, his elbow cocked. Ready to fire right then and there. To keep himself from getting the weapon grabbed at, as, well, he still hasn't registered the remarkably small man as a boy, he steps back a step and says, "Keep your hands up pal, or the last thing you see will be a big bullet passing through your head and out hers. Doc, get the captain."

Spider arrives from Bridge - .
Spider has arrived.

Cole keeps his hands up as requested, although he, too, backs up a step, in a way that's just as much about protecting Coye as it is about giving her easy and hopefully unnoticable access to his backpack. Unnoticable from the front, anyway - the doctor's presence behind him isn't something he's noticed, as the big gun pointed at him rated a lot higher in his perceptions than the Doctor's murmur.

Coye frowns as she is crowded back again. She does notice the backpack. Or rather the zipper on it. She extends her finger to trace it, expression mildly curious now.

Nokovic clears his throat, and shouts over to Harmon, "Er. They're just kids. You know, tiny human beings? Maybe you have deadly child gunfighters where you come from, but I don't think that these two midgets here are dangerous enough to warrant shooting." He takes a few steps forwards and crouches to get a better look at the two. "If I recall right, the girl was invited aboard by the Captain. Don't ask me why. Hormones, probably. Never seen the boy before in my life, though, so god knows."

"They're stowaways until I hear different, and that means that as far as I'm concerned their about to join the vaccuum, now get the gorram captain," Harm repeats himself, and continues to keep his gun trained at Cole's head. The tip not wavering from between the boy's eyes. The look on his face is deadpan and unemotional.

Spider choses that very moment to step into the berthing nexus from the bridge, ducking unnecessarily as she moves through the hatch; she's too short to have to worry about knocking her head into anything. "Hey guys, I've-" She cuts that short when seeing the scene, eyes widening. "Cole?!" she exclaims, part question, part outcry. "And, hi Worm," she adds, a smile beamed at the girl. "Gorram, what's going on here."

Well, the guy's not shooting, which makes Cole feel brave enough to put in a word or two in his own defense. In a shy voice (not hard to pull off, considering the fear), he notes, "This ain't th' Hadrain's Summer? I done thought we got on our mom's shhh...." The word changes in mid stride as he takes note of Spider's arrival. "...it." He smirks. "Hey, Spider. Did I say mom? I meant 'ma'am'. You know, mistress? Everybody needs a whippin' boy, right?"

Coye flips the zipper first one way and then the next. Then, with the slightly guilty looks of one who knows she's probably doing something wrong, she opens up Cole's backpack and peers in.

Nokovic leans against the handrail of the catwalk, doing nothing more than mutter, "Speaking of the devil," when Spider arrives. Otherwise, he keeps quiet.

Harm continues to keep the gun casually pointed at Cole's head, the weapon having moved now, to a more comfortable firing position, his shoulders prepared to pull the trigger. The hammer back. "Captain, I'm thinking I can eject them out the airlock pretty easily. They're small, oughta get sucked right out."

Spider wanders a bit closer, putting her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised. If she's worried about the gun aimed at the kids, she doesn't show it. "Yeah," she agrees with Harmon, nodding slowly as if she's contemplating it. "The girl's invited by me though, so she's fine," she explains casually. "Besides, it'd be messy to open the hatch, we'd need to move a bunch of cargo around. Cole? Gimme a very quick reason why I shouldn't let Harmon here shoot you. You might be a kid, but you're a devilish kid." There's a bit of a merry glint in Spider's eyes, however.

"Hell, if anyone's gonna shoot anybody, put some plastic coverings down first. Last time I saw someone get shot in a confined space, it was like an explosion in a headcheese factory" Nokovic grumbles, otherwise staying out of this.

"Ummm... I managed to get us out of that M-Transports mess without getting caught?" Cole suggests with a grin, before amending, "Oh wait, you did that." Most of his nervousness has dropped away, if his body language and tone of voice are any indication. "Oh, I know, cause of that thing back on the Che. Y'know, what with you tellin' me bout bounty hunters on Beylix."

Coye's hand digs into the backpack as a smile of glee crosses her face. She rummages and then pauses to look concerned. She leans around Cole as if to check his expression and make sure that he doesn't mind the intrusion.

Harm keeps the gun trained on Cole's head. And his eyes move over towards Spider, his face still deadpan serious. "Captain, I'd like to have a word with you, just now," he says, unblinking.

Spider rubs her jaw, thinking it over. "Nobody shoots anyone. Cole, you sit tight here. Doc? You keep an eye on them? Harmon, come with me to the bridge, Lek's calling for me, wants me there right now. You can talk with me on the bridge," she suggests to the gunman, turning to leave. But, over her shoulder she adds; "And Cole... don't touch anything or I'll take you up on that whippin' boy thing."

Spider transmits, "Coming."

Nokovic moves around Cole and Coyle so that he's no longer in Harmon's field of fire, and takes a seat on a kitchen chair. He props his head in his hands.

Harmon says, "No." And keeps his gun trained on the boy, saying, "Kid, how much money you have on you?"

Cole raises a brow. "/Captain/?" he repeats curiously, looking between Spider and Harmon. And when that concept finally sinks in as reality, the boy just casually drops his arms. "Aw hell, y'ain't shootin' me none. If I'd done known Spider was runnin' this boat I'da just walked up and /asked/ t'come aboard." At the question of money, he rolls his eyes. "Thousands, that's why I get my rides with a two-foot discount." He looks back at Spider. "You hired this guy?"

Spider laughs a little. "Harmon... he's not worth mugging. Trust me. But he'll owe us a favor OR pay for his transport. I know this kid, he's alright. No worse than any of us in here..." A pause. "Well, I guess that's no glowing endorsement." A hand is slowly reached out towards the gunman's arm, to rest on it should he allow. "I didn't hire him, but I'm glad to have him on board. Who else is gonna handle the free-riders that well?"

Coye takes this to mean that she can rummage at her leisure. Rustling accompanies the movements. Various items are visible for a moment and then moved to the side. One item, however, draws forth a furrowed brow. She looks to Harmon and the gun in his hand for a long moment, then back to the backpack. Then another back and forth. She looks to Spider, whether the woman has started to exit or no.

Nokovic drums his fingers against the kitchen table and keeps his mouth shut, although he seems to be suppressing a slight smirk at Cole's words.

Harm still dead serious says, "Get your gorram hands back up," and he eyeballs Coye over the boy's shoulder. "Take off the backpack and kick it over."

Garrett arrives from Bridge - .
Garrett has arrived.

"Alright. Everyone just stay calm. I have to go to the bridge now. If there's any shooting going on, I'll bring out the screechy yelling and you do /not/ want that. You've not heard me screech and you don't want to. Trust me," Spider notes, staring around at everyone with a surprisingly stern expression. "Worm? Go sit with the doctor. Cole? Sit down on the floor and stay there. I'm getting tired of this," she mutters - and now she /will/ head to the bridge.

Garrett says, "Wo de ma he ta de feng kuang de wai sheng dou!" He looks over the children and shakes his head, nope, nothing needs to be said about that. He does, however, have a more important message to deliver, "Cap'n, someone knows we're here and that we're late."

Cole shakes his head at Harmon. "A'ight, friend," he calls over his shoulder to Coye. "You better give it to him. I'm just gonna sit down now." And with that, he does take a seat.

Garrett turns and heads back to the bridge, giving Coye a second glance.

Spider sighs. "Well. Isn't that good news..." she drawls and ducks into the bridge.

Spider heads through Fore (F) into Bridge - .
Spider has left.
Garrett heads through Fore (F) into Bridge - .
Garrett has left.

Coye glances up, blinking first at Spider and then in general. She looks at Harmon and tilts her head as if in confusion. A slight smile that may be apology for the lack of previous attention she's been giving him.

Nokovic tsks to himself, pulls out a chair, looks to Coye, and pats the chair's seat. "For the love of god," he mutters, and clears his throat. "I'm going to make tea. Anyone want tea? You..." He points at Cole. "You're not going to hijack the ship, kill us all and eat our corpses while I make tea, are you? You better not have any atomic bombs or murder machines in that backpack."

Harmon looks at the Doctor and then at the boy and says, "Doc, you shouldn't get busy. You may need your hands, because if this kid isn't on his feet doing what I say, right now, this is going to go badly for him."

"Y'aint ever held someone up a'fore, have ya," Cole remarks to Harmon with a roll of the eyes, although he does get back up. "Sittin's better for it. Sittin's less able t'dodge, less able t'run." He unhooks the right strap of his backpack but leaves the left strap on for the moment, raising his hands again. "Y'also don' wan' me gettin' this pack m'self, y'know. Gives me time t'yank stuff from it. Be better you come over an' take it."

Coye frowns as the backpack is loosened and then gives it up for a bad deal apparently. Besides, Nokovic has gotten her attention. She turns and trots over to Nokovic, smiling up at him as she goes. Though, the shadow of something less than happy crosses her face. She looks over her shoulder at Harmon.

[Loudspeaker] Spider says, "Folks, we might have trouble. We got an alliance ship close by and another one heading right in our direction, yet unidentified.

Harmon continues to keep the gun pointed right between the boy's eyes with expert precision. "Drop the backpack, and kick it over. I'm not sticking you up kid, I'm confiscating your belongings, it's a military police thing, and that, yes, I have had done to me before," he says calmly.

Nokovic stares at Harmon, then at Cole. "Umm. What d'you think he's gonna do? Bite our ankles?" he begins to say, but falls silent upon hearing Spider's transmission. The medic groans, and remains seated. Tiredly, he removes a packet of mints from an overall pocket, and hands the pack to Coye. "Don't sass him, lad. You'll make him crankier," he tells Cole.

Coye takes the pack of mints with a grin and a clap of her hands. She takes it and moves to take Nokovic's hand as a gesture of her appreciation. Or her perhaps as a gesture desire reassurance. She leans close to him as her eyes go back to Harmon. She begins to stare, pale blue focusing on him as if he were the most interesting thing in the universe. Or as if she were trying to set his hair on fire with her mind. One of the two.

Cole shakes his head at Harmon, gesturing towards the comm. "Look... can we do this later? Got a friend in trouble, kinda wanna help her." He looks to Nokovic. "This boat got a high freq transmitter? Somethin' could be wired through Navsas as to muck up the Alliance Nav consoles?"

Harm says, "No, we can't. Drop it.. /now/."

Nokovic takes Coye's hand, still using his other hand to prop up his chin. He shakes his head at Cole. "Hand over the backpack, make the guy with the gun happy, then you can go talk to Spider. You'll get the backpack back afterwards. Don't try to negotiate with the guy with the gun. People with guns are not known for their tolerance or good humor."

[Loudspeaker] Spider says, "Alright. Since I've not heard any shots I assume things are fine and dandy back there. Hold those tempers back for the real deal; we're about to meet up with our mysterious business partners. The ship is IMV Humdinger. If any of you know of it, I'd appreciate a word."

Coye's eyes are still locked on Harmon. Though she offers Nokovic a mint.

"Fine," Cole murmurs, dropping both hands and allowing the left strap of his backpack to fall... into his waiting left hand, which grips it tightly as he crouches a foot and jumps towards the side, in an attempt to put Nokovic and Coye between him and the gun.

- Cole rolls Dodge with a modifier of 0. Result: 5
- Rolled Dodge with modifier of 0. Result: 0+1+0+4=5

- Harmon rolls Projectile Pistol with a modifier of -1. Result: 23

Harmon traces the bag as it falls, and well, he never wanted to have to shoot the kid. Just wouldn't stop being obstinate, and so when he sees the hand start to reach, he flicks the gun those few inches of space needed to change the trajectory and squeezes the trigger. The sound of the big .44 round ringing loudly in his ears.

Cole's hand, the one clutching the backpack, explodes in fury of red mist.

Spider arrives from Bridge - .
Spider has arrived.

Nokovic and Coye are at the table - the doctor seems to be just reaching for a mint that's being offered by the kid, his hand poised and frozen. Cole, well, Cole is presently sporting a gory hand, and Harmon is still pointing a gun at him.

Cole rolls Constitution with a 0 modifier. Result: 4

Cole never did handle pain very well, and losing a hand is a fairly painful process to say the least. There's a brief, very loud scream, but even as Cole's body makes it, his brain's already out to lunch, and what hits the ground is one completely passed out person.

Coye rolls Willpower with a 0 modifier. Result: 14

Spider doesn't rush into the scene. Her own gun is drawn and she's sliding along the wall, peering inside to take stock of what's going on before rushing into something and get a bullet in her. Situation is taken in and she does not look happy. Not at all. She scans around - who the hell shot?

Spider transmits, "Status, Lek?"

Coye was staring at Harmon. As the gun is fired she doesn't move, doesn't flinch, doesn't inhale. Nothing. She remains stock still, eyes simply widening.

Spider transmits, "Nothing major. Harmon just shot the kid in the hand."

Harmon watches the boy fall and moves over to inspect the damage, kneeling down and saying, "Why didn't you just do it, ya stupid little shit," and looks a bit perturbed. Before he looked just neutral on the matter, now he looks angry. Looking then at the doc he asks, "Doc can ya save the kid's hand?"

With the degree of blood loss, there may be a question of saving the kid in general. Boy, does it gush.

Spider takes a few deep breaths to stop hersel from yelling. Yelling never did solve much. She steps up, holsters her gun again and looks critically at Cole, before her attention is given to Coye. She smiles softly and moves to pull the girl close, hiding her face. "Yeah. Do your best, Doc. I'm simply gonna call this off as an unfortunate accident. Harm? I appreciate your thuggish tendencies, but gorram - you're scaring me at times. Don't go shooting more kids, please?"

Spider transmits, "Status again? We there?"

Nokovic slowly rises from his chair, pretty calm all in all, and crouches by Cole. He takes a wuick survey of the kid to make sure that nothing other than his hand is damaged, then does his best to pick him up. "Don't count on it," he tells Harmon, flatly. "Need to make sure he doesn't snuff it out of shock, first. I'm taking this guy to the infirmary. Gorram, people." Lugging Cole with him, he heads towards his berth.

Just before he vanishes out of sight, Nokovic yells at those in the kitchen, "And clean that blood up before someone slips in it, too!"

[Starboard Berthing Three - ]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A tuckaway head and a folding mattress allows this room to maintain the illusion of size when in use for recreational purposes. When used for sleeping arrangements, the bed and recessed closet on the aft bulkhead give it a quaint, cozy feel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[1MC] Garrett says, "Cap, we're directed to land up ahead."

Cole bleeds. A lot.

Nokovic places Cole on the bed that, fortunately, is already folded out (it would seem that the doctor actually sleeps in a sleeping bag on the floor). He first moves Cole in to a good position for his circulation, then heads over to the recessed closet to turf out the required materials - bandages, suture silk, the works.

Nokovic says, "Osiris (O) pages: Okay. The damage is this: 2 fingers are blown off. You'll have to retrieve them to even /hope/ to put them back on correctly. 1 finger is mauled and half the palm and inner workers are missing and/or mangled."

- Nokovic rolls Medical Treatment with a modifier of 0. Result: 24

The ship shudders as the retro-rockets engage and the ship begins its descent.

[Loudspeaker] Spider says, "Doc, we've docked to Zrat, some kind of Orbital Refinery. Just for your information."

Nokovic whistles an off-key rendition of 'The Blue Danube' to himself as he patches Cole up, keeping the kid alive, at the very least. He's pretty neat and quick about it - the bleeding is soon stopped, a saline drip is hooked up, and Cole's condition is stabilised. However, he's still missing two fingers. Nokovic grunts to himself, then heads out to go find them.

Nokovic heads through Out (O) into Berthing Nexus - .
Nokovic has left.

[Some time later...]

Nokovic arrives from Berthing Nexus - .
Nokovic has arrived.

Nokovic has searched high and low for the missing fingers. However, while he finds a lot of blood, the digits elude him.

Nokovic grumbles under his breath as his attempts to locate the missing digits come to nothing. Muttering darkly, he quickly checks on Cole again, then heads to the bridge to yell for help.

Nokovic heads through Out (O) into Berthing Nexus - .
Nokovic has left.

[More time passes...]

Nokovic arrives from Berthing Nexus - .
Nokovic has arrived.

- Nokovic rolls Surgery with a modifier of 0. Result: 16

Nokovic returns, looking rather peevish, and goes about fixing Cole's mauled hand. He resumes whistling the Blue Danube again, and soon manages to lose himself in his work.

Cole's body responds well to the treatment, entering a state very much like REM sleep. Odds are, he won't remain unconscious much longer.

Time passes with a sense of disconnection as Nokovic works. His hands are steady and the stitches come slowly. When all is said and done, Cole's hand is put back in some shape of togetherness. The mangled finger is saved, and the collateral damage to those still attached but yet effected is totally negated. While the mangled finger will not need to be cut off, however, it is still misshapen and likely to have some issues later. Therepy may, or may not improve its mobility.

Once things are reasonably ship-shape, Nokovic removes his latex gloves again, rolls his shoulders to get them to loosen up, and steps away from Cole. The medic frowns at the doorway to his berth, then pokes his head out in to the nexus beyond.

Letting out a grunt, it becomes clear that the first sensation to welcome Cole back into the 'verse is pain, making up for lost time. "Ahhh, ahhh... ahhhhhHHHHHHH," he starts, a squirming motion spreading across him as he tries rolling every which way to make the pain stop.

Nokovic looks over his shoulder, back at Cole. "Dumb kid. Lucky that he didn't shoot you in the head," he says, full of the milk of human kindness. He vanishes in to the kitchen for a moment, then returns with a glass of water. The doc then digs some painkillers out of the recessed closet full of medical supplies, and offers both the tranqs and the glass to Cole.

Cole is in no condition either to process words or accept items, emitting one long scream after another. It's apparent in his eyes that he's yet to even process what's happened.

Nokovic regards Cole blandly, drinks the water for himself, eyes the painkiller speculatively as if debating whether -he- should take it, then snorts and goes to find a syringe and some of the injectable stuff. After filling the syringe's barrel from an ominous-looking bottle of something, he taps it to get rid of any air bubbles, squirts a bit out, then shuffles back to Cole. Nokovic grabs the kid's injured hand, spends barely a second looking for a decent vein, and sticks the needle in Cole's arm.

The shot causes a renewed, envigored scream, and Cole nearly rolls clear off the cot, but whatever vague sense of self preservation is still in there keeps him from rolling off. By the time the painkiller works, the juvenile's mouth is too hoarse to scream any further, bloodshot eyes have rolled tears freely, and now there's just a general look of numbness to him.

Garrett arrives from Berthing Nexus - .
Garrett has arrived.

Garrett enters quietly, setting the com link on the the shelf. "Doc, here's an extra com link since I got the console..." He peers around the room, looking strangely sick as he sees the bloody bits of guaze and tissue.

Garrett says, "Oh... I don't feel so good."

"First flight on this ship, and I'm already earning my keep. Ha." Nokovic smiles thinly to himself, then looks up as Garrett enters. "Thanks," he says, and takes the commlink from him. "Kid seems alright. He's been screaming, so that means he's fine. He just has two fingers less than the next person, is all."

Garrett hits the floor with a solid THUD as he is overwhelmed by the sight of blood.

Nokovic just stands there, still holding the syringe, and says, "Dammit."

Cole doesn't react at all. Doesn't even look.

Nokovic sets the syringe down on a metal tray, and dusts his hands together. "Well, you coped with it better than he did, gotta give you that," he tells Cole, then crouches and moves the pilot in to a recovery position for the heck of it. Although that's -all- he does. Nokovic then goes about tidying up the infirmary. "You did good," he mutters.

Cole stays unresponsive.

Nokovic sighs quietly as he puts things away. "Bedside manner. I'm lousy at bedside manner. I'm kind of a 'you're dead, quit your griping!' kind of guy. It's probably 'cos I started off as a vet. You don't need to be nicey-nice to animals after you're done fixing them, I guess. And then the war started, I was too busy to be nice to people." He disassembles the syringe, opens a compartment in the closet which contains an autoclave, and pops the needle in there. "God, that Harmon guy is crazy."

Harmon. There's a name that snaps Cole out of his delirium, at least a little bit. It gets him to blink, and it puts a look of intense hatred on his face. Still, he stays quiet, too weak to even conjure up the threat that's undoubtedly going through his head.

Nokovic watches Cole carefully, and purses his lips in a manner which suggests he's biting his tongue. "Some people just won't let a matter drop. Just pure pig-headed willfulness, I guess. No point arguing with them, 'cos everyone loses."

Cole lifts his mangled hand to look at what's left of it.

Nokovic nods to Cole's bandaged hand. "Pretty good job, if I do say so myself. -Don't- unbandage it. If I ever catch you messing around with it, I'll knock your block off. I'll change the dressings for you." He crosses his arms, and nudges Garrett with the toe of his boot. "Figures that Harmon must ex military, if he's crossed military police before. Wonder what side he was on."

Cole puts the hand back down at his side, and now a sad look overtakes him.

Nokovic rubs at the bridge of his nose, then begins to pace back and forth - which isn't all that easy, giving the room's limited confines and the fact that there's an unconscious Garrett on the floor. He pauses, looks at Cole, shakes his head, and awkwardly pats the youth on the shoulder. "Well, hell."

Cole looks over at Nokovic, a sad smile finding his face. And then he finally manages to find some words. "Doctor..." He looks to his hand again, then back at the medic. "Please..."

"Yeah? Nokovic asks, regarding Cole carefully again. He glances down to the communicator that he's still holding, and unthinkingly turns it on.

Cole takes a couple of deep breaths, every word labored. "Please..." He closes his eyes a moment, squinting them, and opens them again, an appropriately pleading look in them. "Please... kill me..."

Nokovic's initial response isn't all that appropriate, but it's the response that comes to him first, all the same. He laughs, although it's a pretty dry, sardonic sound. Then, abruptly, his expression changes to one of grave vexation and righteous annoyance. "Wo de tian a... You lost two fingers. -Two-. That's nothing. Your hand will soon function fine without them. Hell, you'll eventually learn to compensate for them without even thinking about it. I've seen people lose entire limbs. Imagine if the guy had blown your bottom jaw off. You'd be eating all your dinners through a straw, and -that's- if you survive the risk of infection. Or your eyes. You could have lost your eyes. Or the bullet could have got you in the neck, and you'd be paralysed. If someone didn't take care of you twenty four hours a day, you'd starve to death, left to fester in your own piss and crap. Two fingers is bullshit. You're just speaking rubbish because you feel sick and the painkillers are screwing with you."

Cole shakes his head, or at least tries to.. the painkillers are, indeed, causing a little loopiness, as well as the injury itself, so it comes out more like a little jostle. "Can't..." he starts, taking a deep breath. "Can't live... only... fixing... kept me alive." He frowns, voice trembling. "Can't... fix.. like this..."

"You've got a whole other hand left, plus two good fingers and a thumb. Y'know, if you'd lost the thumb, -then- you might've been totally screwed, but as long as you've got a thumb, you're fine." Nokovic is in grumpy old man mode. "Your hand'll heal itself. You'll learn to do stuff just as easily with two fingers less. Human beings are good at adapting. That's pretty much the main reason why we've been around for so long. You'll get movement in the hand again, gorrammit. It'll take practice, but it'll come back. In the meantime, crap, I don't know, I'll ask the captain if you can stay on the ship so someone's feeding you, at least."

Cole starts softly crying, shaking his head. "Please," he murmurs weakly, his good hand clutching the bedding beneath him. "Please."

Nokovic points his index finger at Cole. "I'm not arguing with you. You're all mixed up right now." He quickly checks the saline drip, sparing it a brief scowl, then sits down on the floor. "We should be talking about stuff to take your mind off all of this."

Cole continues to jostle/shake his head, closing his eyes tightly as the teardrops drip down.

"Like I say, I'm not real good at bedside manner," Nokovic grumbles, then shuts up. The doctor remains silent, perhaps waiting for Cole to finish crying. He reaches under the bed and produces a hardbacked book, which he flicks through uneasily.

Cole doesn't show signs of it anytime soon. At least it's not hysterical at this point, merely a steady flow of misery and anguish.

Eventually, Nokovic decides to read aloud. Perhaps he's trying to provide a distraction for Cole. Or perhaps he's trying to give himself a distraction -from- Cole. The doctor's voice is low, monotonous. "... Tertiary blast injury occurs when an individual is bodily displaced by the blast and is injured by tumbling or by striking a solid object. Secondary and tertiary blast injuries are familiar to physicians as penetrating wounds and blunt trauma. PBI represents a unique casualty mechanism with important diagnostic and treatment implications. The blast wave creates a squeezing force on the body surface that is transmitted to the internal structures. Solid tissues are relatively unaffected and PBI is limited almost exclusively to air-containing structures: the ear, the respiratory tract, and the bowel. The most common injury is a ruptured tympanic membrane..."

Well, it's not a bedtime story, but it's enough to snap Cole out of it for a moment. He starts trying to comprehend it, and by the third paragraph, he actually goes so far as to recognize it. "The lungs are the organs most susceptible to severe injury, manifested by, uhhh... words I can't pronounce." He peers over at the doctor. "Old surgery book, right?"

"Yeah. Probably older than I am. But a lot of it still applies." Nokovic smiles very thinly to himself. "Pulmonary contusion - put very simply, it's where you get blood and fluid in your lungs. Pneumothorax is where you get gas in the space surrounding your lungs. Pneu-mo-media-stinum... Even I can't pronounce that one easily... Is where you get gas -betwen- your lungs. Although it's much easier to say, 'hey, Joebob has gas between his lungs' than pneumomediastinumumum. Don't ask me. I never made up Latin." He shakes his head.

Cole shakes his head. "I don't understand a word of it," he admits. "I just remember it cause I read it." The full few moments of distraction pass, and he turns his head to look at his hand again.

Nokovic looks up from the book, eyebrows raised. "You read it?" He glances down at the book again, and seems faintly amused. "What were you reading about this sort of stuff for? Admittedly, I only read about it because I'm morbid."

Cole's answer is barely given with any thought, his mind still focused on the mangled hand. "Friend had it. I got bored. Just skimmed it."

"Oh, I believe you," Nokovic says, although the tone of his voice suggests quite the contrary. "You got bored, so you read about blast injuries. I used to do the same when I was a kid." He creakily rises to his feet, considers the closet full of medical supplies, then takes a key out of one of his pockets and locks it up.

"Maybe that's what made you a doc," Cole suggests wearily, either imperceptive or uncaring of the doctor's scrutiny. "Cept'n you couldn't be an eight-fingered doc, could you..."

Nokovic tosses the key up and down in his hand. "Kid, I could be a doc if I had no arms and my legs were tied together, and I'd be a ruttin' damn good doc, at that," he says, solemnly. "If I was a disembodied brain in a jar, I'd -still- be a good doc." He props his hands on his hips. "I'm going to go clean up the kitchen. Holler if you need anything."

Kitchen. Right, kitchen where his /hand/ was blown off. The very thought makes Cole shudder and squint his eyes shut again.

Nokovic winces slightly, and slips out before he can say anything else that's potentially unhelpful.

Nokovic heads through Out (O) into Berthing Nexus - .
Nokovic has left.

[Again, hours pass...]

Garrett sits up, rubbing the back of his neck.

Cole is still lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Garrett pushes himself to his feet, still feeling queasy. He looks at the kid momentarily before quickly stepping outside.

Garrett heads through Out (O) into Berthing Nexus - .
Garrett has left.

[More hours pass...]

Spider arrives from Berthing Nexus - .
Spider has arrived.

Cole is lying on the cot, staring up at the ceiling. Cole's arm does have a saline drip IV in it.

There's voices coming from the berthing nexus now. Garrett, Spider and Harmon are out there, but soon the door to bunk three opens and Spider quietly steps inside, closing it again behind herself. "Hey," she says softly, immediately turning a gaze on Cole's injured hand.

The hand is in miraculously good shape, considering what happened to it, but there's still considerable damage. The middle and ring fingers are gone entirely, and what's left is bandaged in such a way that the pinky is clearly going to require quite a bit of physical therapy to be useable. Cole doesn't acknowledge the greeting in any way, still staring at the ceiling.

Spider finds no other place to sit at then on the bed, so she takes a careful seat on the edge of it, turning to face Cole. "Good to see you again," she says awkwardly, not sure how to handle the situation. His leg is given a little pat, gaze locked on his ruined hand. "Looks like most of it got saved, eh?" She tries to sound cheerful.

Cole doesn't answer or turn to look at Spider. Save a slight twitch when his leg is tapped, he might as well be catatonic.

Harmon arrives from Berthing Nexus - .
Harmon has arrived.

Spider takes a deep breath, then leans over Cole so she can block his view of the ceiling, staring into his eyes. "From the moment I met you, I knew you were a tough one. A survivor," she tells him, voice intent and earnest. "You'd meet any challenge, bring it upside down and beat it, cause you just didn't know how not to. That's how I see you still. And at the same time... you're a kid. A kid in an environment no kid should be in. So, I'm really sorry, Cole."

Harmon steps into berth three, one hand wrapped around bottle of whiskey. The other on 'the kids' backpack. "I interupptin' anything?" he inquires as he moves inside. Looking towards Spider and then towards Cole.

Spider is sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over a catatonic looking Cole who's eyes are open. His hand is injured badly, the middle and ring finger gone and the pinky going to require physical therapy.

[1MC] Garrett says, "Cap, we're ready to launch."

Forced to stare at Spider, Cole's eyes lock with her's, burning hatred and malice projected from them. He opens his mouth to speak... but then Harmon's voice cuts across the silence, giving him pause.

Spider reaches over to punch the intercom button. "Take us to Shadow, Lek."

Spider looks back at Cole, seeing that malice and flinching a bit from it. She leans back, looking over at Harmon. "He's a computer wizard, you know," she notes dryly. "Gonna be painful for him to get back to his work."

Harmon throws the bag at the base of the bed / operating table, and nods at Spider. "Yeah, I hear it," he says and takes a seat. "Why don't you let me talk to him for a minute?" he adds and nods to her. Letting her know it's okay to go. The kid will be fine.

Cole glances over to Harmon, an odd expression now. Almost a relief. He waits for Spider to depart.

Spider is a bit wary about that, but she has to get to the bridge so she stands up. "Alright. Don't kill each other," she warns, then pats Cole's leg again, giving him a warning glance too. "Gorram mess..." she mutters as she moves out, brushing a hand over Harmon's shoulder in passing.

Spider heads through Out (O) into Berthing Nexus - .
Spider has left.

Harmon takes in a deep breath through his nose and seems to try and clear his head. With his rear against the side of the room, he looks longer than he does standing up, in the confines of the room. As before, he still sports the heavy revolver at his side.

The ship sways as it lifts from the ground, tilting and shaking as it becomes airborne.

"Hoped I'd see you," Cole says, closing his eyes and resting his head back upward. "Ain't no one else this gorram ship got the nerve, but you do, an' you'll understand."

[1MC] Garrett says, "Launch sequence initiated"

Harm nods at the boy a bit and listens, he has the look of a man who could listen and listen and listen. The look of a man who could tell a story, and that means he can listen. He doesn't speak, just nods at the boy and listens.

Cole waits a couple of moments, squinting his eyes. But as nothing happens, he relaxes a bit and lets out a sigh. "K, y'don't get it," he murmurs. A moment's pause. "I need you to finish what y'started."

Harmon seems to think on it and squints an eye at the boy, and says, "Because you think that you'll never be as good with eight as you were with ten, and speed matters that much?" trying to get a feel for where the kids head is at.

Cole nods slightly. "Gorram miracle I lived this long," he admits sadly. "Shoulda died th'day my mom did. Fixin' things an' breakin' codes the only reason I ain't been killed long 'fore this, ain't no way in the 'verse I'll make it now. I'll die slow out there, slow and hard." He opens his eyes, peering straight into Harmon's. "You can make it quick, an' I think you owe me that at least." He stares holes at Harmon for a few long seconds before closing his eyes again. "So do it. Do it now or I swear by the 'verse I'll do it t'you someday."

Harm takes out his revolver and spins the chamber slowly, looking down at the twelve inches of iron in his lap, he seems to think on it for a second or two before he looks back at the kid. "So, how good are you with a computer?" he asks, still holding the revolver in his lap.

Cole hears the revolver, squinting his eyes and breathing a little harder, but making no move to change his mine - only bracing himself. "Ain't no difference now," he insists tersely.

Harm says, "I only ask, because we'd been thinking about bringing on a computer guy, and I was wondering if you were as good as him, but yeah, I guess it doesn't matter, does it?"

Cole sighs, opening his eyes. "You don't get it, do you?" he asks, turning to look at the man again. "You wanna offer me a /job/?" He snickers, shaking his head. "You kill me now right proper, put me outta my gorram misery, or you'll be spendin' th'next twenty years lookin' o'er your shoulder. Less, if'n I get lucky."

Harm laughs a bit from his spot to the side of the room, "You got the guts kid. I believe you, but the next time I take a shot at you, I will kill you. I'd suggest that if you decide to keep going on, that you put this behind you. Grow up and be a man. I'm not your enemy," he says calmly.

Cole winces, laying back against the bed and gritting his teeth. "Ruttin' pain meds wearin' off. Y'ain't gonna do this, then just go away n' let me suffer."

Harm says, "You know, if you wanna die, there are a lot of ways to do it, but as you said, I'm the only one with nerves to do it for you. If you really wanna go, do it yourself, don't ask me to do it for you."

"You done caused it," Cole insists again, this time through a more obvious groan. "Least you could do is finish it. Ain't that part a' bein' a man?"

"Part a' bein' a man is realizing when you've made a mistake, living with your lumps, and not being a little gorram pussy about it," Harm says in response.

Cole starts to say something angry in response, but winds up just letting out a painful grunt.

"Part a' bein' a man, as you put it, is realizing when not to go for a gun in your backpack. Part a' bein' a man, and I've already said this, but it's the most important part, is accepting, and working past your problems. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Be the best damn computer wiz in the 'Verse, show them that you can do better than them with eight than they can with ten," Harmon says and rises up off his ass. Sliding the heavy iron pistol away. "I'm gonna mention the money in your bag, but it'll be up to the Captain if she wants to take your fare from you. I reckon, as you said, she won't have the nerve, but I thought I'd give you warning."

"'Prised you didn' take it," Cole mumbles, each syllable echoing an increasing amount of pain as adrenaline flushes out painkiller. "Didn' want any bounty for your good aim?"

Harm glances at the kid and says, "I was doing my job, you went for your gun, and well, the fact I shot your hand was my good aim, but I don't want a prize. I suspect you earned it, and that's why you get to keep it."

Cole starts convulsing slightly, his bad hand shaking. "Your eyes ain't good," he moans between gasps. "Went.. for cover...not a gorram weapon.."

"I saw what I saw kid, diving for cover and playing games with your bag are two different things," Harm says and turns and starts out of the room.

Cole doesn't respond... at this point, pain is larger than words.

Harmon heads through Out (O) into Berthing Nexus - .
Harmon has left.