The Orion Files | Mother Ship: Sweet Child of Mine | Pitt's Workshop
Ideas! Lectures!
Irina Rostikova | SARA-00735
[hr]
If the Catican Merchant Mechanic weren't already busy holding the prisoner down and keeping her from jettisoning her armor inside an enclosed area, Irina would have instinctively face-palmed in reaction to Pitt's lecture that, were it presented in a more formal setting, could have been titled: The Lost Colony of Ocholla: A Contemporary Roanoke or A Demonstration of The Corus Sphere's Influence? While she had no doubt that there were some fragments of reality laced in the man's diatribe, it was individuals such a Pitt who attempted to uncover the truth regarding The Corus Sphere only served to bury said truths under a mountain of conspiracies. Despite Mary's feeling regarding the disposable nature of the prisoner, the tidbit of information that this SARA-00735 had presented was intriguing enough to Irina that would offer some assistance in removing the prisoner's armor.
Based on the fact that they, the crew that had been guarding and attempting to remove the armor the prisoner, had dragged her into Pitt's workshop, it could be assumed that there were countermeasures installed on the armor that were hindering efforts to remove SARA's equipment. Leaning in the Sharp Sensed Catican delicately sniffed the armor to get an idea of what they were dealing with.
"
Explosive charge... C-7... or some derivative..." The frequent Merchant of Firearms and Explosives muttered as she started to examined the armor's metal surface, "
...Scoring..."
While some might have assumed that the pattern etched on surface of SARA's armor was some sort of Carbon Fiber design that some armor manufacturers thought was fashionable, it was actually micro-scoring designed to break apart into small but lethal metallic fragments were the explosives installed in the armor to detonate. This was not the real problem, at least not in Irina's mind. The real problem was the fact that they were on their way to Tortuga.
While Irina wasn't the type to make wild generalizations about a populace,, it was already bad enough that they would be entering the outskirts of Tortuga space in a large and tempting freighter but to enter the outskirts of Tortuga space after suffering an internal explosion would have made them a very tempting target for a large portion of Tortugans. Now, if the explosion occurred within Tortuga's borders, that would probably be worse as it might be seen as a sort of assault. So it would probably be best if they jettisoned the armor prior to their arrival, letting it detonate in the vast emptiness of the voice.
"
So... here's an idea..." Irina said to the others of the Crew, "
If she's so insistent on removing her armor, why don't we take her to the nearest airlock and let her eject out of her armor, drag her back into the ship and then vent the armor out of the ship. I'm ... umm... pretty sure that the airlock can take that sort of damage... and I'm pretty sure we'll want to do it before we get to our destination."
Yes, if the airlock could survive a glancing blow from a ship the size of the Redeemer, chances are, it could withstand a few dents caused by impact of bits of armor traveling at relatively low speeds.
[hr]
The Orion Files | Mother Ship: Sweet Child of Mine | Common Room/Kitchen
Grace's School for Unskilled Girls
Edward Aubergine
[hr]
Edward Aubergine, one of two resident front line heavy weapons specialists aboard the converted freighter Sweet Child of Mine, stretched lazily as he looked at the pile of empty food containers in front of him. He made a mental note to himself to replace the food that he had consumed with supplies from the Redeemer as it would have been unfortunate should any of the Sweet Child of Mine's crew members take offense to his gorging himself. As he was discovering, humans were a fussy lot, often taking offense to the smallest of infractions, often meting out punitive forms of punishment instead of making an effort to correct the behavior through additional training. Taking the issue between Irina and the culprit that had defaced Ed's personal quarters, who he assumed was Grace based on residual scent left aboard the Redeemer, if the issue was the fact that Irina had collided and damaged one of the airlocks during their escape from the doomed mission, it would have been far more beneficial to both Irina and the crew were Grace to aid the relatively untrained pilot in additional training, even if that meant shooting at Irina while she attempted to dock the Redeemer.
~
Sniff - Sniff - Snort!~
While the smell of burnt ozone caused by a short circuit would not have been a strange occurrence aboard an under crewed ship like the Sweet Child of Mine, the fact that the scent appeared to be traveling was strange. While it was possible that there was some sort of electrical surge that was causing circuits and fuses to short, such an occurrence would have been near instantaneous and occurred through out the ship rather than traverse the corridors in such a linear fashion. The ever curious and concerned Catican picked himself up slowly, more slowly than he would have liked, and started following the electro-metallic smell, grabbing a fire extinguisher as he exited the common area.
"
[small]Strange...[/small]" He muttered to himself as he noticed the lack of smoke in the air that would have also been present were there an issue with the electrical systems. Continuing on, he noticed that he was being lead towards the airlock where the Archer was docked, the smell growing increasingly stronger as he closed in on the ship.
Reaching his destination, Edward removed the safety pin from the fire suppressing foam dispenser and pointed it toward the closed entryway of the Archer. Using his second right hand, the gargantuan fire fighter and sometimes fire starter opened the door, while using his left hand to check the door for signs of warmth, indicating that there was an active conflagration on the other side.
Nothing. Not a sign of any sort of event that would have put both the Archer and the Sweet Child of Mine at risk, nothing other than the smell that he had detected at its greatest concentration. Entering the ship unannounced with fire suppressant at the ready, Edward turned a corner and was surprised to see Grace as she was donning a shirt, pulling it down around her waist.
"
I apologize for the intrusion but... I smelled a possible electrical surge coming from the Archer and thought it best to investigate..." Edward apologized as he lowered the undischarged fire suppressant canister.
-------------------------------------------------------
Grace had retrieved some normal everyday clothing to put on, and was only slightly surprised to see Ed there with a fire extinguisher. It only took her a few seconds to determine WHY he might come here with a fire extinguisher, which bothered her...but not visibly. It
did mean, however, that Catican noses were sensitive to even her best stealth. Something to remember in the future. Grace shook her head at his assumption of a fire.
"No fires. Elliot and I maintain systems regularly."
She made no attempt to explain what he
actually smelled, nor even appeared as though she HAD any idea. Grace was just being her normal 'too damn quiet' self.
-------------------------------------------------------
If Grace could read Catican expressions, she would have noticed that Edward was frowning at the thought that it was possible that his comrade was hiding something from him. While it was true that there was no fire present in the Archer, the electrical smell was still present in the air. Unwilling to press the matter, the Massive Catican Shock Trooper dropped the topic but instead decided to focus on another.
"Grace, may I have a word with you regarding Irina?" He asked as gently as possible, "Is there an issue between you two?"
-------------------------------------------------------
Not so much as hiding as omitting the unsaid or unasked, so no worries, right? Besides, with Grace not currently in any light-form, there wasn't any additional ozone-burning going on. That means it would quickly fade away too. Grace was silently waiting to see whether the Catican was leaving or if he had other matters to discuss. The Archer wasn't exactly for their access. They weren't making boundaries here, but it
was still an intrusion. Still, he asked his question now, and Grace nodded.
"Yes, there is. You know there is."
He would know what, as well, if he'd been paying attention. They're trying to escape the battlezone into a hyperjump, the Redeemer breaks an airlock and occupies the other, Archer has nothing to latch onto, and only because of quick thinking was Grace not separated from the group. Even with Irina making an apology, Grace has reason to
resent her.
-------------------------------------------------------
The Purple Ball of Fluff nodded slowly, as if his mind was chewing on Grace's words the same way that he had been chewing on Decadian Dragon Tail earlier during his marathon length meal. While he had known of the damage that had been caused by the Redeemer's collision with the Airlock, he had hoped that professionals such as Grace and Elliot would have dropped the matter in lieu of the fact that there were no casualties. Between the vandalism done to the Redeemer and Grace's own admission, he could see that he was wrong. While part of him wanted to chastise the mercenary about her "professionalism" he could understand her desire to teach the relatively inexperienced merchant a lesson, especially if the events surrounding the destroyed airlock had almost cost Grace her life.
"
I had thought as much when I saw the vandalism aboard the Redeemer," Ed said, "
and while I understand your reasoning for such actions, I must ask you a very simple question. To what lengths are you willing to go in order to punish Irina? While I am tasked with her safety, you and I are also comrades, even though this is only a recent development, and I would prefer to remain neutral in this matter. However, as this war of pranks escalates, there may be a point where it jeopardizes the safety and operation of this ship, perhaps during a mission."
Which, unknown to Edward Aubergine, was already a possibility considering the Grace's previous prank. If Irina were to attempt to open a door and then disable the protocol that the overly silent soldier it might have put Ed at risk were he in the middle of combat, something that was probably given their current destination.
-------------------------------------------------------
To her mind, it would be remiss of her to let such a situation go unpunished. As Ed went on speaking, he would find that it would make Grace frown. She didn't do rage or - apparently - any great overt reaction, but
having a reaction was certainly something. She waited for him to finish before speaking.
"I get creative, not vindictive, which is fortunate for her."
Because...well...a lesser person would have applied all of her abilities in a severe-to-fatal fashion.
"If this had been a small and petty grievance, I wouldn't bother, but it was not. The punishment is deserved, and she will have to accept that."
-------------------------------------------------------
There was a slight lull in the conversation as the Catican Shock Trooper attempted to consider what alternatives existed. While the former soldier with the Catican Hegemony could respect Grace's desire to teach his partner a lesson, he wondered if she could redirect some of her efforts in a positive manner while teaching Irina a lesson regarding. Lessons?
"
While I understand your grievances regarding my crew mate and believe that such actions would be acceptable in the spirit of squad building and camaraderie, in this case your action do not ensure that there will not be repeat of Irina's mistake in the future. Might I suggest that such energy might be better spent attempting to hone her piloting skills. While she is aware of the basics of piloting, she has never previously attempted to pilot in a combat situation." The Shock Trooper/Pilot suggested with a weary smile on his face, "
While I may be up to the task, it is perhaps a more fitting that the one who desires to punish her do so in a more constructive manner."
-------------------------------------------------------
Grace now had on a look that pretty much said 'Can't tell if joking or not' after he said that. Then, she decided that the Catican who ripped off a chair when they first met was not inclined to kidding that much. Whether this is true or not is in the eye of the beholder. Nevertheless...
"If her piloting skills are that bad, she's a space hazard."
She considered it for a moment, then spoke up once more.
"Alright, but you break the news to her, after the yodeling."
The what now? Was that...the hint of a smirk on her face?
-------------------------------------------------------
The normally tall and terrifying tank on two legs grumbled quietly, aware that this was probably something in the related to the concluding War of Pranks between Irina and Grace. Though he did not approve of it, he would not deny the mercenary her pleasure. Nodding in agreement, he considered asking Grace about the smell that had brought him aboard the Archer but decided that he would probably be pushing his luck in that regard.
"
Very well. I will inform your student that she is to report to you for training once we have reached normal space and I will not inform her of this... yodeling that you speak of." The Four Eyed, Four Armed, Beserker Purple People Eater responded as he turned to exit the Archer, briefly wondering what he would have seen had he rushed in ten or so seconds sooner, as Grace was donning her clothing. Banishing the thought, the Sweetie's Resident Xenophile entered one of the freighters many narrow corridors and made his was towards the common room, expecting that he would run into his Catican cohort sooner or later.
