Fun Things Come in Small Packages

Posted on Tue Jun 9th, 2020 @ 5:09pm by Alden Loxley & Alison Bliss & Daiyu

Mission: The Milk Run
Location: Fortune's Echo
Timeline: Day 8 - Newhall to Hera

He'd quietly woken her up in the middle of the night, shipboard time, and not wanting to disturb the entire crew, Alden had brought Alison to the bridge and introduced her to the problem. Well, condundrum. Because, honestly, they could just leave the pod out there, floating in space, for the next person to find. But.. why would you?

They were still two days out from Hera now. Alden was curious, and the pod was unmarked, just beeping with a transponder that only fired out enough power for short range sensors to pick up. Almost as if someone didn't want it to be found. And that fact alone had his curiosity all piqued up. Things that didn't want to be found? They were bound to be interesting.

"I'm thinking we open the bay doors and scoop it into the cargo bay?" He suggested to Alison, a serious expression on his face as they both looked out from the main bridge. "I mean... Quiet-like, without waking everybody up..."

Alison wasn't sure how to take it. She wasn’t sleeping when Alden came for her, now, brought to the bridge, dressed in a tightfitting leather pants and loose tank top she watched the readings. It was middle of the night and such request was highly suspicious.

"Alden, we have the security that fails to do their job and let for a stowaway to get on board, we have a doctor who might be needed if whatever you want to pick is dangerous." She pointed out. "Why suddenly you don't want to involve them?" She raised her eyebrow. "Is there something you are not telling me here?"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes, because - yes - she had a point, but he didn't want to hear it right now.

"I do want to involve them," Alden said. "Even if I didn't want to though, I don't see how we can avoid it once we bring that thing on board. But," he rested a hand on Alison's shoulder and his eyes shone bright with a child-like excitement. "I just wanna see what we got here before we wake them all up." He raised one eyebrow. "C'mon, you know you want to show off those skills. I bet," he offered up the challenge now, arms folded before him and a smug expression on his face. "You can't get the pod on board without waking them all up anyway."

Alison frowned.

"Are you trying to do what I think you are? Come on! Do you really think that after all the time I know you this will still work on me?" She asked coldly. Though most of it was just pretending. She sighed and shook her head. "Why more and more I am the voice of the reason here?" She took the pilot seat and disengaged the autopilot. Gently nudging the ship, she changed the course and speed, putting it on the course toward the pod. "What are you going to do with Tristan?"

"I'm not trying to play you, but c'mon, it's a mystery," Alden wasn't even playing innocent now. "You really wanna just leave it out there?" He shrugged, and leaned towards the controls. "I need a distraction," he admitted, honestly. "And it has a beacon, so the pod has enough value that somebody wants it. But a quiet one, so not a distress. That's gonna drive me crazy if we don't at least take a look."

He paused, watched as Alison took control of the Echo. "You're saying I'm not reasonable?" He asked, sounding techy, but not angry. And then she brought up the stowaway and Alden rolled his eyes and turned to stare back out into space.

"I dunno. Kid's worked hard all week. We'll check the Cortex when we get within range of Hera, see if there's anything with his face on it. Go from there. Fair?" He asked, unsure of Alison's view on this matter.

Alison nodded. She didn't say anything more. Problem she had was that the amount of people was starting to get so high that she was worried this could affect working. With everyone, having own wants and needs. However, since at this point there was no issue with this yet, she decided not to push the issue. Instead she focused on the flying, softly slowing down as they approached the pod.

"I'll slow down and stop, you should check it visually." Alison suggested. "In case no one wrote 'don't touch it or I kill you'." She nodded toward the front viewports.

Alden smiled. "No giant red text so far as I can see," he noted. Get us above it, and open the lower bay hatch, suck it up into the vehicle bay. I'll suit up and head down there. I'll keep the comm link on..."

Alison just nodded, focusing on flying. While Alden was gone, she slowed down, very gently. The ship parked just above the pod. Alison was steering the transporter and checking things on the various monitors. Only when she was satisfied, as the sensors showed the pod exactly in the place she wanted, she opened the lower bay hatch.

"Use the grapple to catch the pod and bring it in." She instructed Alden. "I am coming to you."

---

By the time Alison joined him (on the ship side of the airlock) Alden was securely locked in the sealed off vehicle bay, suited up and letting the winch and grapple hold the rescued pod in place so that it rested, bottom to the metal floor. Then he slammed a gloved hand against the outer lock and briefly closed his eyes as the rush of air stabilised the environment and allowed him to remove the suit. For now, though, he kept it on.

"If its creepy aliens or monsters from beyond the void," he joked to Alison via their comm link as he walked around to the pod's outer hatch. "Avenge my death, Dohn luh mah?" With a bright smile and hope in his heart, Alden hit the release and waited to see whether it was treasure or trouble.

“Oh, Fang Xin. If anything this will be a Reaver.” Alison replied.

The pod resonated with an eldritch wail. If words were uttered, they were undecipherable. Only a loud, definitive thud against the pod's door.

Alden's eyes automatically went wide as the sound echoed about the Echo. He cast a worried look back over his shoulder to Alison, then checked the pod again. Gloved hands turned the manual override wheel and unlocked the secondary, manual defences, then he slowly dragged open the heavy door and let the light from his helmet cast clarity and shadows on the interior.

"Kělián wŏ ba! Please!" Daiyu clutched her bag of meager possessions to her chest and screamed for mercy. "I'll do anything you say, just don't lock me away again!"

He froze there for a second, stunned by the sound and the tiny, fragile little person making all the noise, then Alden reached out a hand and realised he was still suited up.

Alison glanced at the person in the light of the helmet headlamps. It was like déjà vu. She glanced at Alden and shook her head.

"Jao Gao, she ain't a Reaver, that's for sure." She commented with a resigned sigh.

"Reaver?" Daiyu asked, still full of fear.

Alden removed his suit helmet and gloves and set them to the side. Then, with a bright smile and a confident step forward, he reached out a hand to help the small stranger out of her prison.

"Don't worry about Reavers," Alden said, his voice warm and his smile strong. "C'mon, let's get you outta there, Mei Mei. You hungry?" He turned to Alice. "Could ya rustle up some food, we'll meet you in the galley?"

Alison sighed and shook her head. What was going to be next? A pair of mailed newborns? She could see Alden melting away again. Just like with Tristan.

"Sure, captain." She said firmly and turned on the heel, leaving both behind and headed toward the galley. She maybe didn’t like the way it was going but deep down in the Black, she would never refuse a help to someone in need.

"Thanks," Alden returned, but the radio link had carried the sound of Alison's sigh just fine. He ignored it for now, though he knew a Conversation was coming later.

Daiyu's thousand yard stare slowly swept over the cargo hold. Eventually her wide almond eyes fell on Alden. "What are you going to do to me?" she quietly asked. The question was loaded with undertones, none of them good.

As he allowed their unexpected new arrival to get acquainted with the old bucket of bolts, Alden shucked off the protective suit and opened the inner hatch. It slid back slowly to gift them both access to the wider cargo bay, and, he hoped, seem a little less intimidating to this tiny little person who'd been done wrong.

"Well, first up, I'm gonna get you some food," he stated with a small smile. "And then you can tell me how you ended up in there all by your lonesome." He pointed at his own chest. "I'm Alden," he told her gently. "And this is my ship, the Fortune's Echo."

It began to dawn on Daiyu that maybe this Alden wasn't working with the other cargo hauler captain.

"Am I to stay here?" she asked warily. Maybe this Fortune's Echo was friendly and maybe it wasn't. Just because Captain Alden wasn't in cahoots with her pursuers didn't mean he wouldn't try to harm her in other ways. Like Brother Ames.

"We're out in the black," Alden answered. "No place else for you to go right now, I reckon, we're a ways out from anywhere to drop you off safely. But we get to where we're going and you can make a choice. Sound fair?"

She could make a choice? Daiyu barely knew what that felt like. Slowly nodding, she said, "As long as we stay away from Hera. I... I can't go back there." She pulled the hood of her monastic robe over her head and tightened it to hide her face.

"Tzao Gao, (oh crap) " muttered Alden under his breath, but he didn't exlpain why just yet. "How 'bout we worry about locations another time, Mei Mei," he suggested. "Right now, let's get you settled in a bunk, give you a chance to wash up and settle down, huh?" It never honestly occurred to him that she might be anything other than in danger from the Verse in that moment, she was such a tiny, frail and terrified looking little soul. "You hungry?"

Daiyu nodded. "I was locked in the pod for awhile... I had to eat my plants..." Sorrow overtook her face. Clearly there was some sort of sentimental value to what ultimately became a food source.

"Is there a private bathing area?" Daiyu asked. Her hands absently, perhaps unconsciously traced along the scars on her face and arms.

Alden's face fell as hers did. "Oh," he said, sounding a little crestfallen on her behalf. "Well, we can... get you some new plants when we get to..." He let that sentence fade out to both avoid mentioning their current destination and to stare for a moment at the young woman's scars. His gaze softened a little further at the thought of someone treating such an apparently delicate soul so roughly.

"There are showers," Alden said. "Water's limited, but there's enough for you to get clean." He led her out of the vehicle bay and up one flight of metal steps, to the passenger dorms, and offered what he hoped was a friendly, non-threatening smile. "Here, this one can be yours."

"What's your name?" He asked, as he opened the door to one of the empty rooms and stepped back to allow their latest new arrival to enter in her own time.

The feral quality had left Daiyu's face, but her eyes were still fearful. "Daiyu," she said meekly. "Can... can you stand outside the shower? Make sure nobody comes in?"

"Uh..." The elongated sound covered his delayed reply. "Yeah, sure. Okay." Alden pointed to the external door. "I'll be right here k."

Daiyu hesitated a moment, then went into the shower. "Xièxie," she said softly. And then, finally alone with the door sealed behind her, Daiyu shed her clothing. Her small, athletic body was riddled with more than just scars, but signs of fractures, burns, and even gouges that had healed only under the best of medical care. She turned on the shower and let it rain down on her. The terror of the past week began to fall away under its warming cascade for which she was grateful. But as the fear melted away, the gratitude turned to anguish.

What had she done? What might she do? Who was after her? So many questions. Worse. Too many answers. Setting her head against the wall, Daiyu wept beneath the showerhead and both hoped and feared nobody would hear her.

Over the sound of the falling water, Alden didn't hear those hidden tears. He only knew that someone had put a fragile and vulnerable looking young woman in a pod and cast her alone out into the black. By the way she carried herself, and by the healed wounds he had seen, he knew someone had deeply hurt her, but not why. Not why they left her to be found, hanging in the expanse between the main shipping lanes with only a tiny beacon to guide someone back to her.

He vowed, as he stood sentinel outside the door, to protect her for as long as she needed it, and, as his hand clenched, white-knuckled in impotent anger, Alden internally cursed the conscience swore that silent oath. Waifs and strays. He was a sucker and an apparent magnet for the flotsam and jetsam of the gorram Verse.

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