Pre-Boarding Stories

[Ellie]

Sometimes in the course of new players bringing their characters onto Jenny Wren, we find ourselves in a point in the current story line that is not conducive to introducing a new character. So these new players, eager to get in on the action are forced to wait until we reach a point where they could write their character onto the ship. So I thought, why not have a thread where they can begin writing for their character before they actually join the ship? Well, here it is! The purpose of this thread is for new players to write their character into a spot where they intersect the crew of Jenny Wren. This is NOT a place for current players to write back story. This is strictly for new characters to be introduced and written up to where they intersect with the ship. As with our regular sim threads, we ask that the characters write their starting location and ending location, they don't need to be super specific since no other players will be interacting with you here, but it helps the other players who are reading to understand where they will be meeting up with you eventually. Welcome, and have fun!

[Graham]

Location: Bernadette

"Say ahhh."

A little blonde boy, maybe about nine years old, opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue, "Ahhhhhh."

The wooden depressor held down the boy's tongue as the doctor took a look inside. "Mmhmm."

The boy's nervous mother stirred anxiously, but he turned to reassure her with a smile. "Nothing to worry about Mrs. Carson, just a 'bout of tonsillitis. I'll write him a prescription and he'll be right as rain in a couple of days."

"Oh thank you Dr. Graham!" the woman pressed his hand in gratitude.

He patted her hand and then to write the prescription before showing them to the door. Finally they left and he locked the door after them.

"Anything you or Dr. Lehman need from me before I go home?"

Graham shook his head in response to the inquiry of the perky and overly eager to please secretary he was beginning to regret hiring, "No Jill, I don't have anything for you, but you could ask Paul before you leave to make sure he doesn't need your help with anything."

It was a welcome suggestion, he was sure. Jill had been making eyes at his young apprentice since Paul Lehman's first day in the office. Graham couldn't figure out how Paul felt about it, or if he was even aware. The boy was just so nervous and quiet all the time, it made him impossible to read. Marvelous doctor though. Or he would be anyway, once Graham signed off on his apprenticeship at the end of the week.

He watched Jill flounce off towards Dr. Lehman's examination room and gathered his coat and hat. Seemed like the perfect time to escape. It was chilly outside, but Dr. Graham always walked to and from work no matter the weather. Today he leisurely strolled along the road in the direction of his house, greeting people he passed with a smile. He was well known among the townfolk, so many of them called on him during times of sickness and injury. They would be hard pressed to point out someone they trusted or respected more. If Graham was aware of the way they thought of him, he didn’t act it. Instead, he seemed to interact with them as friends, people he cared for and about. Perhaps that was part of why they thought so well of him. It was simply easy to like the guy.

He turned in at his house. Upon entering, he hung up his coat and dropped his keys on the small table, "Mrs. King?"

From elsewhere a woman called out in response, "In the kitchen Dr. Graham, just taking your supper out of the oven. I'll have it on the table in ten minutes."

"Perfect," he replied. It was just enough time to check his messages, see what might have cropped up in the outlying farms where people found it hard to get in to a doctor's office. So he stepped into his small home office where his dedicated source box was. After turning it on, he checked the waves he had received. Didn't seem like anything too critical, some chicken pox had been going around and one of the Henderson twins had broken their leg a while back and wanted to know when the cast could come off. A message caught his attention. It was text only, no vid. He quickly read the contents and then looked out the window. He was looking at the same old scene of the hometown he had been living in for the past three years, but his eyes weren't seeing a bit of it. Graham called out to his housekeeper, "Change of plans Mrs. King, I'm going to be taking a trip off world and I have to leave tonight!"

[Graham]

Graham lay staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't much of a view, truth be told. It was a corroded metal color, probably because it was corroded metal. This would not have been his preferred method of travel, but it was the first transport leaving Bernadette, and he was looking for a quick ride. Now he had nothing to do but lay in his cot and think. He could have interacted with the crew and passengers but they all seemed to be an unsavory sort with which he had no desire to mingle. So instead he secluded himself in this dingy six foot by six foot cubicle that passed for quarters. Heck, he had seen prison cells bigger than these. Not as an inmate, mind you, but during a volunteer stint during his academy days.

And think he did. He thought of the message he received. He thought of Mrs. King's protests, none of which did he heed. He thought of bargaining with this ship's captain down at the docks. Of the looks the crew gave him. He was obviously a higher class citizen than usually took their company for any kind of trip. Finally, after he had exhausted all other topics, his mind naturally (though unwillingly) drifted back to a very similar trip two decades ago.

"Go away kid, we don't take on hard luck cases. Paying customers only!"

The man's face went pale for a moment when the boy (no more than fifteen or sixteen, surely) held out an open bag containing silver! A greedy glint came into the man's eyes and he asked, "Now where would a little gutter rat like yourself come up with silver?"

"I stole my father's pocket watch and pawned it so I could buy my way outta here. How far will this get me?"

The grizzled and hygienically deficient transport captain studied the boy. Someone had obviously been beating on him, and judging from that last comment he could make a good guess who that someone was. Doing some quick calculations the man responded, "Whitefall. Anything farther would cost more, and would not be a good idea for someone like you anyhow."

"Then take me to Whitefall."

And just like that, he had escaped. From the nightly whipping he got from the man who called himself his father. He couldn't tell you what the last straw had been, it just happened one day. His dad had stumbled home in his usual drunken stupor and passed out cold on the door step. Graham had heard him from inside the derelict shack they called home and came out to help him in the house. With one arm slung over his son's shoulders Henry Graham looked at the boy in the face and sneered. "Should have been you who died, not her. It's all your fault, yaknow? Why don't you go drown yourself or something, no one wants you here anyway." It was nothing new, Graham heard it everyday for almost as long as he could remember. Perhaps within him there was a counter, that only ran so high. And that night, it reached the final count with an ominous click. There, with his father's liquor thick breath wafting in his face, Graham decided he was leaving for good. So he did, and he had never looked back and never regretted it.

Even now as he took a trip into his own past, one filled with uncertainty and a touch of anxiety, he did not regret that decision. If he had not left his father, he would not have found his true family. It takes more than blood to make a family, that is what Graham had learned.

[Graham]

Location: Unknown Transport Freighter

Graham strolled the length of the aging ship simply for something to do. He was nervous about the purpose of the trip, so he was constantly trying to keep himself in motion luckily, he didn't notice the crew laughing at him or hear the jokes they made about the crazy doctor they had brought on board this trip. He kept to himself so they didn't know much about why he had booked passage with them. All they knew is that he had paid way too much, dressed like a dandy, and was constantly pacing the ship and staring thoughtfully out of the view ports or holed up in his quarters. They had bets about what his trip was about. The captain believed he was just going to get some medicine for his patients, maybe to keep off an epidemic or some sort of thing. The mechanic was a bit more creative, he thought that the doctor's wife had run off with a drug company representative and the doctor was going after them to try to get her back. The first mate thought he was consulting with one of the drug companies to help develop a medicine he had discovered. The pilot was only interested in the fact that he was a good looking man and it had been a while since she had a good lay. She didn't care why he was taking the trip, she just wished he would spend more time with the crew especially her.

Of course, Graham was unaware of all of this and if he had known any of it (particularly the pilot's thoughts) he would have stayed in his quarters all the time. All he cared about was getting to his destination.

[Liam Owen Whelan]

“Past Tense and Worse days!”

Present Day, Planet Greenleaf.

The past, it’s funny how it manages to catch up with you, the though ran through Liam’s head as he stared at the man before him, past his fancy adorned pistol mere inches from his one good eye blotting out more of the man’s bulbous figure.

The sound of a very raspy and “Oh Dear Liam, Let me count the ways!” the tell tale sound of a hammer clicking back into the ready position caused a bullet of sweat to roll down the man’s cheek. The rancid breath from the man’s unkempt mouth filled his nostrils, “all the way’s I’d like to kill ya for what ya did!”

Having had a few shots his brough“What exactly did I do to ya again?” he asked squinting up at the man. “Cuz I canna Recall yer visage, can you help me with me poor ol memory?” he shifted waiting for the next blow be it death or pain.

The man let out a roar of laughter enough to shake poor Liam to the bone. “Playing Coy!” he shifted grabbing Liam by the hair, and pulling him so that the lights were no longer blinding him. “How about now boy!”

He scoffed “Joy!” he grumbled.

“Joy?” the large man looked at him sidelong. “All you have to say is, Joy?”

“What do ya want me to say, thank ye! The shine was great. I’ll pay ya back for me fill in a couple of decades when I’ve gott’n me riches?” Liam smiled as he leered at the man.

“You will pay with yer life! This time for real!” the heavy set man grinned, he didn’t see the blow but he knew where it came from, the world around him swam into darkness, the last site was the dirty underside of a very large mans underpants, and his last thought was of course “Oh lord, I didn’t even clean me forehead!”

The Past, Planet Hera, Serenity Valley,

`“Low! Seriously!” the exhausted voice called from behind him as they ran down a trench, leaping bodies both alive and dead.

“LOW!”

Liam spun, “For the love of Peat!” he was nearly out of breath. “WHAT!”

“What are we doing!”

“Seriously?” he bowed his head and then sharply looked back up. “Ya could’nt have waited till we stopped!” he turned and began running, the amount of injured was not very heartwarming. “They will be here any minute, so its follow orders and don’t ask questions time Haemis!” he took a sharp turn into a bunker and stopped, his partner nearly bowling him over. “Lord save me, we have to fight in this!”

His partner Haemis peered over his shoulder, “I’ll get a…. “ Before he could finish his sentence somewhere in the distance they both could hear the sound of weapons fire, and very soon after the zing of bullets past them both. So they dove in! The smell was horrendous. But living was preferred at this point, they both pushed away what they could and try very hard not to think about it. More focused on the battle, they were under intense fire, nether of the boys wanted to look over the rim of the make shift bunker.

An explosion ripped through the hill next to them sending dirt, rock and foliage flying through the air caused both of them to jump. “What do we do!” his friend called.
Liam looked his friend in the eye, “We fight! It’s what we’re here for!” he said a prayer under his breath, and a few choice words, then rose up to meet his foes. As his weapon settled into one of the many divots in the wall, his eyes came true to the sites on the weapon he could see what looked like hundreds of Alliance troops filling the valley in the distance and many advancing toward their position. “Save yer ammo, only hit what you can hit!” he called out, the tremble in his voice clear.

Minutes seemed to turn into hours as the onslaught continued to come in towards them, neither Liam or Haemis could tell if they were making a difference in the battle, there was too much happening. The sonic sound of incoming aircraft was not a welcome sound, nor was the sudden barrage of heavy explosives landing all around them on the battlefield, the two young men hunkered down in the bunker as the explosions began to tear at the hill around them, the foxholes.

The two of them only reacted as a body came out of nowhere through the would-be door to the bunker from the trenches as an explosion pitched someone in whom landed hard right on the two, an intense pain shot up from Liam’s lower extremities, causing a loud and harsh cough to issue forth from him. A woman’s voice issued forth from the mess laying on top of him and Haemis, “Owww…” again pain and then the weight was off having rolled up against the wall. “Thanks for breaking my fall!” she said as she was clearly checking herself over for injury.

“No problem.” He managed as he curled into a ball against the wall.

“What in the hell are ya do’n!” she hollered at him, “Get yer boney ass… back on that wall… and hold!” she too settled in immediately opening fire as she fell against her firing position.

Haemis just stared at her, as did Liam. “What!” Haemis stammered. “We can’t…” his lips continued but the sound failed to continue, his eyes narrowing on the revolver now trained on his chest.

“Fight… and have a chance at life, run, or die!” she shrugged. “I don’t care either way, just start shooting or start running.” She angrily gestured at Liam with the same revolver. “You too stick!” she went back to her rifle, then stopped a moment before looking at the two her cheeks flushing red with anger. “WELL!” she said snapping them out of the stare.

Haemis looked at Liam, both of them began to shoot. For hours this went on as the Alliance continued to push, by the time all was said and done that day Liam and his two companions were covered head to toe in blood, ash, and dirt. The motley crew they looked indeed, rather a reaverish site.

Haemis was the first to talk in the silent hours that followed. “Were alive!” he exclaimed under his breath.

“That we are!” the woman said, “that we are!” she nodded too the two. “Good shooting boys!” she gave them a nod as she headed for the door.

Haemis stood up, and was stepping towards her. “Miss we didn’t get yer na….” no one even heard the shot, but the smatter of blood and flesh flying across the pit they were in caused Liam’s eyes to go wide. Haemis stumbled to his knees and began to fall, the woman rushed back to her position. Liam went opposite catching his friend before he could hit the muck. “Haemis!” hauling him up, he felt the tug on his left side which nearly pitched him to the ground the searing pain flew through his body but he managed to pull his friend back to the edge of the pit.

“Low…” Haemis coughed blood with each gasp, his lung clearly had taken the hit, the bubbling wound in his chest was a clear sign of this.

Liam pulled his first aid patches from his pant pocket, he shoved one of the bandages down on the wound. “You’re going to be ok Haemis!” he met his friends gaze.

“It… it.. “ he heaved suddenly his body jerking tight with spasm. His friend let one last breath out before going limp in his arms, his eyes blank and clouding over.

His head hung low, the sounds around him were dull to him, the woman was shouting at him as she continued to fire her rifle at the now oncoming Alliance. “Are ya alright!” he hollered at him. “I need ya boy!”

He just sat there his friend slipped from his arms, he was frozen. He felt himself suddenly being pulled and propelled into the trench just as an explosion ripped apart the hole they had been in for the last several hours. As he turned over, the sky was dark and to him seemed to be on fire though it was just the flames from the hole he had just been saved from.

“LOW!” the woman whom had saved him slapped a rifle in his hands. “Fight or die!” she yelled. Everything around him seemed to move slow as he watched the woman turn and begin firing into the oncoming alliance soldiers.

The next few minutes were a blur of weapons fire, and even occasional hand to hand bout which was more like a literal tooth and nail fight for his life. If it wasn’t for that woman he would have died at least ten times over. He didn’t even know her name, but he didn’t have to know. He could feel his body getting weaker and weaker by the moment, and then suddenly the Alliance troops were gone where had they gone? He stood in the trench full of bodies, blood and weapons as if in a daze. Then as if someone had snapped a rubber band darkness faded in.

The Past, Planet Hera, 13 Kilometers outside of Serenity Valley, Medical Camp 3, 2 Days Later…

The light hurt, more than a hangover and less than death. His body felt as if it had been run over by a cargo runner about nineteen times, his vision was blurred but he could see that he was clearly in a tent. His mouth was dry, but he did manage to get a few words out. “Help!” he said raspy. “Hello!” he sagged in his cot.

“Your alive!” an older man with a gritty voice asked as he came into view. “Thought for sure you were done for!” he didn’t look as if he was in that great of shape himself. “No, I’m not the doc. He’s at another camp!” he shrugged, offering a canteen of water to which he sipped.

“Ah, where am I?”

“Camp 3, a short walk from the Valley!” the older man said. “When that lady dragged you in here the doc was sure you were done. Ya took as much as ya gave she said!” he frowned as the sounds of explosions in the distance rang out off the hills.

He shifted in his cot. “How bad?”

“Well it’s not fer me to say son, but I believe the doc said ya would be lucky to get full use of yer left eye back. You lost some innards, nothing ya can’t miss which he said was the worst of it. You took a bullet off the left hip too me thinks, he said ya might have trouble walk’n. He did say if you survive infection ya’d live.” The old man shook his head. “Better than most boy, be strong!”

Liam nodded and settled back into his cot. “Joy!” he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, he spent the next several weeks in that cot changing his bandages eating what little food and drink they would send his way. Nearly seemed they were forgotten.

The alliance showed up sometime during what he felt was his fourth week in the camp and took them all to an internment camp, Liam was consigned to his life ending sometime in the not too distant future, or an eternity in the camp. Whichever came he would accept it and move on with life for Haemis.

To be continued…..

[Liam Owen Whelan]

“The Drink of Champions”

The Past, 7 Years after the Battle of Serenity Valley, In Transit from Persephone to Deadwood, Cargo Transport – The Blys Eye, Lower Deck Crews Birthing,

“I’ve got a pair!” Liam said tossing his cards down on the table.
The other four men at the table the lowbies on the crew, simple deckhands all let out a chuckle. “That’s not a surprise Liam! You suck at this game!” he said as he tossed his cards on the table.

“Flush!” he grunted.

The others around the table grumbled and shied away from the table shaking heads as they left for their respective rooms. “Aye, that’s the truth!” he chuckled. “But it’s fun to watch you win!”

The other well rounded man shook his head and tossed him several bills. “good job as always,” he said casually looking around to make sure they weren’t being watched. “I’ll see ya on watch in an hour eh?” he stood stuffing the money he’d just swindled from the others into his trousers. “and come clean, jesus boy!’ he walked or more well stomped off leaving him to his vices.

Liam chuckled. “He said clean…” he took up his walk’n stick and disappeared from the birth into the cargo area, glancing about. At this hour most everyone was in there racks asleep.

He approached the cask of solvent which made up a majority of their cargo, a grin riding his lips. He took out what looked like a flask and proceeded to fill it from one of the spigots. Gazing about he returned everything as it was and headed back to his bunk. Closing the door he settled into the bed taking a pull from the “Solvent” which uniquely was a high grade alcohol in addition to being a great engine cleaner, he stared at the ceiling and began running a hand back and forth in front of his face slowly. “Joy!”

A knock at the door drew Liam’s attention. “Yeah!”
The door slid aside to reveal the ships engineer. “Low! Can ye cover me when we get too Deadwood, I’ve got some personal business to care fer!” he said.

“Toss in a bottle of the good stuff?” he asked his eyebrow rising.

“Bah! Yeah!”

“We have an accord me friend.”

The greasy engineer ducked back out and like the jerk he is left the door hanging open. Taking a long pull from the flask he tucked it neatly into his vest pocket and pulled himself from bed, and started his long trek to the ships flight control center. “I love me job!” though he had a slight limp to his step he made it around fairly well. While inebriated he made it in even better time.

“Early!” his portly friend commented.

“What’s it too ya mate!” he said in a surly tone!

“You’ve been in the soup again haven’t ya!” the large man said.
Liam chuckled. “A wee bit!” he gave him the squinty eyed, sqweezed tight finger expression before stumbling into his seat nearly spilling out the other side. “I’m good boss!” he chuckled.
“Jesus, man!” he shook his head. “That stuff will be the death of you!”

He swiveled in the chair. “Or the life of the party me friend.” He smiled broadly, then turned back to his station.

The large man shook his head, “Where the heck do you get all that swill anyhow!” his attention went back to his console, then back to Liam his expression changing then going back to its usual stoic look.

“Oh… here and there.” He spun in his chair. “This deal or that!” he continued to spin for a moment longer till he realized he was about to dump himself on the floor.

“Right!”

9 Hours Later, Awaiting Landing Instructions for Cargo Dock in Orbit of Deadwood.

Lights came up bright as hell, Liam shielded his eyes. “What the big idea!” he hollered.

“That’s what were here to find out Liam!” the familiar voice of his heavyset friend called out from the gantry’s above. “Just what in the nine hells of the verse do you think your doing!” the man’s very stern voice echoed in the open cargo room.

The sound of several weapon safety’s clicking off caught Liam’s attention. “I can explain!” he said moving around the pallet of solvent. “I got a thingie, on the thingie…” he gestured toward the nearest wall. “that this was in bad order. So I was performing some very important product test’n boss!” he nearly fell over as he lost his footing. “It’s good! Crisis averted and such!”

“Check it!” the boss yelled to someone on the cargo deck.

One of the men came forth a shotgun trained on Liam, he pushed the top off the cover of one of the solvent bins. His mouth hung open. “Umm.. boss.. “

“WHAT!” he yelled.

“It’s nearly gone!” the man was white as a sheet.

What came next is really too much for even censors to bleep out, needless to say Liam found himself being beaten to the edge of his life and left in a remote part of Deadwood. Left for dead! Luck or just his smell was on his side, he was discovered by a hunter, whom proceeded to relieve him of most of his belongings, but was nice enough to dump him in one of the nasty hell holes they call towns. Several months of recovering from his injuries, odd jobs. Bit of jail time we come closer to near present day…. But not there just yet…

To Be Continued…

[Liam Owen Whelan]

“Hunted”
The Past, 1 Year after the incident on the planet Deadwood, Planet – Jiangyin, 8:43 PM, General Store,

“Low! You keep an eye on things boy, don’t you screw this up!”

Low scoffed and eyed the woman. “Shut up an do yer part ya harpy, or you’ll get us both nicked!” he grumbled under his breath at the woman.

She raised a hand across the room, “Swear to the verse I will knock that sass out of your ass if you talk like that again to me boy!” she said, her voice way too high for a delicate situation as such.

He stayed near the windows looking about, he could hear the occasional stir of a horse, and the tooling about with the safe his partner Jennifer was attempting to crack. He found Jennifer at a bar in the midst of a bar fight. She knocked him cold after he attempted to handle her delicates while in one of his usual drunken stupors. It was love at first strike apparently because she took him in and since they had managed to become a decent enough team running a scam here or a robbery there. She had taught him fairly well how to put together a scheme to make money, and was already starting to teach him how to breach lock boxes and safes. “How long!” he whispered noting that someone had come out of the local law enforcement establishment down the way.

“Oh, about a pinch and a pop!” she said, he heard the safes tell tale click and pop. “Gotcha!” she exclaimed, and then luck turned. An alarm began blaring as the safe swung open. She looked and caught him with a wide eyed look. “The hell is that!”
“Oh gee I donno,” he flailed his arms. “Didn’t think to look for an alarm or pressure switch did ya!”

“Liam Owen Wh…!” she began

“Not now Jenn darl'n, we’ve got trouble!”

“No dear, we are the trouble, that’s the good guys.” She said as she peered out the other window. The sound of scuffling upstairs caught there attention as the General Store owner finally rolled out of bed. The alarm went out, and the sound of a shotgun being readied made both of them jump and run for the back door.

Liam kicked it straight open, boy did that hurt. He caught his foot just right on the handle, but as luck would have it the door nailed the sheriff’s deputy laying the unsuspecting man out cold. “Ha!” he laughed hopping on his foot a moment. “That’s what ya get for mess’n with a man and his job!” he turned to see Jenn racing down an ally between buildings.

The sound of a shotgun discharging made the hair on Liam’s neck rise. He caught a glimps of the shop owner advancing toward him from in the shop as he leaned just enough to catch a look. “Of all that’s holy man!” he yelled as he took off running. He managed to make the first exit just as the man fired again.

Jen was nowhere to be found as he raced on foot through the spaces between and behind the wooden houses. He could hear the towns law enforcement group coming together and looking for the two. He managed to make it too there room at the pub they managed to book, he found a note and a small amount of money on the bed.

As he picked it up he could smell the sweet sent of Jenn on it. He began to read out loud. “Sorry about your luck dear, but it’s time we parted ways.” He scoffed again. “Joy! Are ya bleed’n kidding me!” he hollered.

“He went up there! Room 3!” he could hear a familiar voice from the street yelling.

“You charlatan, Harpy Deceiver!” he yelled at the window as he watched her mount a horse, tip her hat toward him and blast off heading for the other end of town.

“What to do….” He looked around, and took up the note again, balling it up he tossed it at the mirror.

He pulled out his Revolver and checked that it was loaded and ready to go. “Check!” he mumbled. Pulled out a flask as he put away his Revolver. “Check!” he took a large hit from the flask. “Double Check!” his attention very suddenly went to the door to the room as he heard a thud!

“What in blaz…” The door shattered sending wood everywhere. As the dust began to settle a somewhat toned figure stood in the door, one hand on his hip partially in the lip of his pants, a tooth pick bobbing around on his lips, and an odd looking gun trained on Liam. “Oh my g……”


To be continued…

[Liam Owen Whelan]

“No, not quiet but thanks for the compliment.”

“So then who the hell are ya and why’d ya blow me door to the far reaches of the verse!”

“Shhhhh,” his fingers to his lips. “we will exchange names later, as for the door I just wanted you to know… well let me put this in terms you’ll understand!” his voice changing to a low base demonic sound. “I’m going to blow my load all over your insides!” a very stoic look on his features though his body shows signs of inner laughter.

“Well, all righty then...and good luck with that one” he gestures to the window with his walking stick. “I think I’ll take stage right for my exit, good day sir!” he starts for the window.

“Oh that was a fail!” he fires the weapon, its steel prongs nailing the unsuspecting man in the left peck and shoulder.

Liam turned to eye the man, his mouth hung open… “Owww…. What the hell!” suddenly his entire body is on fire flopping all over the floor as countless volts of energy are poured into his body from the Tazer in the man’s hand.

“Then again so was your daddy’s condom!” he walks into Liams now collapsing vision. “I will PROBE you for information later.” He says with a heartfelt smile, before turning out the lights with a quick jab.

About 3 hours later……

“So…. Your probably wondering what I did to you while you were unconscious.” The voice seemed to echo through his mind, not to mention the very loud sound of smooch. “Have fun with that!” Liam’s vision was still blurred and the bright light in the room certainly didn’t help.

Blinking his eyes, he begins to catch an idea of his surroundings. A Cell, imagine that! “Oh Joy!” Glancing around he realized he’s not alone. “Right!” he sighs heavy.

“So…” Glancing over at the other prisoner. “Ok, so this guy leaves us alone, and with only these to keep us!” he scoffs “I think not!” he start to bite at them to try and remove them. “Give me a hand will ya!” he looks up at the man.

“Uh hell no! Do you know what he will do to us if we try to escape!” he gives him that “Oh hell no” look of fear.

“What, threaten to probe us again!”

“Threaten that man is straight diabolical! He will… “ the man hears a noise and clams up looking above him. Liam’s vision follows his and he stops biting at his bindings.

“Oh no…. Please continue, give me some ideas!” a look of pure joy on his face. He proceeds to kick the steel cage open. “It’s your lucky day son, you get to make a call, but first I gotta do some fishing.” He grabs this wicked looking hooked pole off the wall and reaches down toward the man, who oddly just sits there holding his hands out. The first attempt goes south nailing him across the abs drawing blood, the second bounces off a forearm before finally finding purchase on the mans bindings. “Got me a big’n here!” he pulls the man out setting him aside. “Time fer yer call!”

“Oh! Oh! I wanna call me gal!” he yells as the man begins to walk away with the other prisoner.

The lawman steps back into the holding area, peers down at Liam. “Boy you want me to take you seriously you better flush that tird down the toilet.” Making note of the giant pile in Liam’s toilet, then turns and disappears out of the room leaving Liam standing there just staring at the hatch befuddled.

Meanwhile…. In the forward cabin….

Another officer looks up a video monitor. “What did the Irishman want?”

“I donno, he wanted to make a phone call to his girlfriend. Who I firmly believe is a guy named Chuck.”


About 5 Hours later…… Asteroid Penal Colony 5, Cell Block B, Cell # 69 “The Love Nest”…


The cell door rolled open with a loud clank, Liams new home away from home for the next two years. The Lawman grinned as he removed the plastic zip ties from his hands, “You two play nice now ya hear!”

Liam’s eyebrow rose as he turned around just in time to catch a very large, tall and muscular white man with a bald head, and a Chinese mustache.. “Hi I’m Napa! Don’t Drop the soap!”

Liam spins around, his eyes wide watching the very satisfied lawman disappear, and the shadow of his new best friend blotting out the light behind him. “Oh god!” he whispered.

As he closed his eyes. “No! Napa!”

[Graham]

Location: Greenleaf

With a duffel slung over his shoulder, Graham exited the ship which he had been confined in for the duration of his trip. He blinked in the bright sunlight, all that time in the black made his eyes sensitive. The ship had set down planetside as opposed to one of the floating discs that most of the upper crust of the 'verse liked to visit. The surface of Greenleaf was like a tropical rain forest, home to the most diverse variety of plants to found anywhere in the known 'verse. Some of it was natural, some of it was engineered. This feature is what attracted all the pharmaceutical companies to Greenleaf and kept the residents flush with jobs and money. It also made the planet pretty difficult to get permission to set foot on, but Graham was a Doctor. It was easy to use his credentials to get him a visitor's pass, citing the need for better medicines and new information for his practice back on Bernadette.

The freighter's captain gave him instructions to the only hotel in a hundred mile radius and Graham happily left the company of the surly man. He soon came to small hotel, it was nothing fancy, but it was also very clean and would do just fine. He booked himself a room and settled in. Once that was finished he opened his bag and withdrew his portable secured source box and connected to the Cortex. He pulled up the ships that had checked in upon landing on Greenleaf in the last 48 hours.

"Nothere, at least not yet..."

[Shur'anna, The 'Priestess']

Shur’anna lands Lilith’s Pearl on Sihnon…she was alone when she stepped off the former currier ship. Her servants were already waiting as they removed her lighter outer garments. Then wrapped around a bit thicker clothing to keep her warm. Its Autumn here on Sihnon…the leaves are in brilliant hues of orange, reds and yellows. Some were still green which tells that its early in the season. They brought down her belongings from the craft…lifting crates upon crates from the cargo port.

She walked off the land platform that more resembled a garden. The landing pad was made up of large white rectangular stones, which formed a circle…surrounded by a ring of smaller grey stones. Around this was a circler mound covered with lush green grass with mid sized cherry trees.

Its Autumn on Sihnon one of the most if not only beautiful places in the verse. The colors all around were warm hues of yellow, oranges and reds…some where still green but most was as red as the planet. It likely was early late the end of the season. The sunlight softly fell upon her pale skin. A servant quickly walks aside her with a rice paper umbrella…shading her.

Shur’a loved this world enough but never with the same passion as Inara Serra. This amazing jewel was the box that kept all the other Companions and their houses. She walked gracefully up the steps in to her Great House and though the large wooden and steel doors. There was something in her step that she gave that she belonged here but also gave that she didn’t want to be.

She passed through the halls and in to her great chamber. Her ladies prepared her bath…which was filled with milk and orchid pedals. Shur’anna stepped in to the bath chambers and sheds her garments. She orders the doors to be closed and she is left there be. She removes the pins on her hair and allows it to fall over her shoulders and back. It’s a brilliant bright but deep red. Her skin was as milky as her bath and her body slowly melted in to it and her hair floated and slowly sank in it. Above her were droplets that started to drip slowly as soon as she laid in the milk. It fell upon her face and in the milk and these droplets where as red as her hair…..

Shur’anna a woke from her bath…she looked about and realized she was in her craft. In her makeshift chambers in a tub that was much smaller that she was accustom to. For ordinary folk this was heavenly but her it wasn’t enough. All this wasn’t enough……..

Enroute to Greenleaf