Futuristic The Blue Betty

[KneelingAngel]

Camo was cursing Hao under her breath as she had a real good look at the FTL. "A hurry of lift off, ha!" She grumbled. "As if anyone is every in a hurry to get lost, never trust a drunken man." She told herself, she was about to grab some new bolts from her tool box to give the old ones a replacement one by one, but then she noticed someone watching here she shot a glare at the teenager and wiped her hands on her already-dirty-shirt. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" She asked, trying not to growl. She didn't like to be disturbed during work, but the person just looked like a boy. He couldn't be that old.

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harmony didn't expect the level of toughness that rolled of the woman who had finally addressed him. He offered a smile, which seemed easy to put on near her. "I'm just trying to find something to do." He answered sweetly, hoping to keep appearances for everyone else's sakes. "Maybe you could teach me a little? I've always found engineering to be fascinating."


That part was true. He was always a little eager to soak up any amount of information. It could mean life or death for him, with the situations he often found himself in--like this one.

 

[KneelingAngel]

Camo pouted her lips as she thought before raising a brow at him. "Engineering is something that's in your blood, not something you can learn that easily. You have to know every part of every ship, which are a lot of parts. How many degrees Celsius do you shower? Are you afraid to get near fire or heat? Do you even know how to use a hammer? How old are you anyways? 15 or something?"


She let out a breathless laugh and shook her head as she grabbed some bolts and a electric screwdriver, testing it before she carefully took out a rusted bolt that kept the FTL in place, it would break as soon as lift off anyways.


"Man," Camo mumbled to herself with the bolts between her teeth. "A captain really needs a crew to take care of his ship, this is almost as bad as Hao's flirting skills."

 

[Th3Tru3Cr33p3r]

Trent was preparing to dissuade the advancing mob from Halley's when Aaron had called him aboard. He looked around the ship for a bit before he encountered something that resembled crew quarters. He picked an empty bunk and put his shotgun down on the bed along with his helmet.


After staking his claim on a bunk he left the crew quarters and heard the engineer and the odd kid talking but let them be. He headed forward towards the bridge, assuming that the captain would be giving some sort of briefing on what their course of action would be.

 

[shadowdude505]

Tora flicked her cigarette out of the back of the Blue Betty before the doors shut at takeoff. She stood by them as she watched the captain, crew, and "invited guest" disperse. She glanced at the Blue Betty's branching pathways and wasn't sure where anything was on the ship. She caught a glimpse of Hao and followed him to Captain Aaron. Tora leaned against the wall and crossed her arms."Did I miss orientation?" she asked with a roguish grin.

 

[Circus]

Otter disengaged the Betty from the dock and made their way out of Station 12. It was unlikely any pursuers would follow them out in space. Many on the port lacked money let alone enough for a ship. The pilot set them on course through the asteroid field as an extra precaution in case there were any brave enough to follow. It would be unwise to follow Otter through the asteroids. The known degenerate made a name for himself at a young age by successfully losing authorities in the Nostrid asteroid belt, a level of difficulty that this particular belt could not compare. In any case, Otter would lose any would be pursuers without a hitch.


The pilot flipped the comm switch and broadcasted to the entire ship. “Hello, boys and girls. Welcome to the Blue Betty. I will be your guide, Oswin McLoud, also known as Oz the great, Oz the mighty, and Oz the all-powerful! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to keep them to yourself. I cannot stress how much I do not care. Now, if you would be so kind to hastily get your asses up here, the Cap’n would like a word.” The comm line switched off and on again. “Oh, and if that cutie with a booty engineer can hear us, stay where you are and fix that damn FTL. I will broadcast the Cap’n’s speech for you until you can join us. Remember, haste makes waste, but I will waste you if you don’t fix that damn FTL! That is all.” The comm line shut off with a buzz.


Otter turned in his chair and awaited the captain’s great speech and reason for bringing them all here today. What other reason would the great Aaron de la Montes come out of retirement if not for some ambitious adventure.

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harm stared up at the intercom system in disbelief. 'What did I get myself into this time?' He thought as he turned back to the "cutie with a booty". " This ought to be interesting. I can wait for you to finish if you want." Harm was nothing if not polite. "And, I hope these guys can see past the anatomical prowess you have and appreciate the fact that without you these bolts and pins could suddenly eject from their positions and we'd be sucked through the openings that remain." He started at the woman, a slight look of warped sanity in his eyes. "I assume that would be bad." He finished with a smile.

 

[KneelingAngel]

Camo scoffed and changed another bolt. "It would be really bad." She hummed before shouting as loud as she could; "HOW ABOUT WE BUY A WHOLE NEW FTL?! STOP BEING ON MY ASS YOU LAZY PILOT! COME AND FIX IT YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!!!"


Then Camo turned back to Harm and tossed him her hammer. "Since you want to help me out, how about you hammer that piece of metal against Otter's scull?" She said sweetly with a demonic grin. "Tell him that if he calls me cutie again, his skin will be the new duck tape and that his blood will become the new fuel." She said in a kind way before her face dropped deadly. "Go. Now." She ordered through gritted teeth before she went back to work. "If he has a problem, he can come look at this himself, this FTL is on the brink of death, I wonder what the Cap did to get it like this."

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harmony looked at the woman with speculation that he wasn't the only person who had a penchant for a good kill. "I guess I'll go now." He said flatly before any other threats could come out of her mouth.


It took no time at all for him to get to the location specified by the pilot. He seemed to be the first to arrive, which wasn't much of a surprise. Tossing the metal hammer in "The Wizard's" lap, he frowned. "The one with the booty says...a lot. I suggest you cram it unless you want your ass torn to high Astair."


Harm didn't believe in any deity, but he believed the phrase would get his point across.

 

[Circus]

The hammer fell into his lap, barely missing his happy parts. Otter gave the boy an annoyed look, much like a grown man would make when he is suddenly thrust with caring for a child.


"Yes, sir!" Otter said mockingly to the boy. "Can I do anything else for you, sir? Wipe your ass, maybe change your diaper?" The pilot grabbed the hammer and scratched his back with it. "Think I may keep this around. You on the other hand can hang out there for all I care," Otter said, pointing behind him to the blackness of space. A free finger found its way into his nose. "The day I take orders from a pup like you is the day that I bite my own neck." He found a good booger, rolled it and flicked it at the lad. "Now, be a good pup and sit quiet till the Cap'n addresses ya."

 

[Cokes]

Hao chuckled at the exchange between the ornery pilot and the newcomer. Yep, this'll be a trip. Settling in next to the doorframe of the bridge, he drew a pair of cigarettes and a lighter from his jacket. Can't go worse than last time I suppose. He put one cig to his lips and lit it before tossing the remainder and the lighter towards Tora with only the quiet declaration of, "Here, kitty," as warning.


While waiting he resumed cleaning one of his grungy firearms, eyeing up the strange boy while he worked. Too fit for a street rat, and the tat's good quality. He's fulla shit one way or the other. Need a plan for that. His efforts to clean the neglected weapon seem largely for naught. Oh well.

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harmony looked down at the dried mucus that hung on his shirt. He simply took the shirt off and wiped the stain on the man who placed it there. Not wanting to be unsanitary, he left it off as he sat down next to the Asian man. He was dressed pretty nicely, the purple and gray suited him well. "Is that customary on this vessel?" He asked the man, the curiosity in his voice being genuine.

 

[shadowdude505]

Tora quickly looked over at Hao when he said "kitty." She caught the cigarette and Hao's lighter before the items could hit her. With her current understanding of his personality she wasn't sure if she wanted to smile or roll her eyes. She nodded her thanks before putting the cig to her lips and lighting it. She tossed the lighter back to Hao and turned her attention to the captain. She puffed smoke as she waited for him to speak.

 

[Vudukudu]

Aaron watched the others group up around him disinterestedly. They seemed to have some potential, but that would only matter if Hao, Otter, and himself could keep them alive long enough to tap into it. No one else had earned his trust yet, and it'd be a while before they did. But they were all waiting for him to speak now, and he didn't want to delay them any longer. He cleared his throat and coughed, quieting the chatter instantly.


"Ladies, gentlemen, and Otter. Welcome aboard the Blue Betty. For those of you who have been aboard before, welcome home. For those of you who've heard the stories and come to make a few more, enjoy your stay. And for those of you who've never heard of this ship before, you've got a lot of learnin' to do."


He hated speeches. They reminded him of his father.


"I'm gonna go ahead and establish a few things for you right quick. I'm the captain. My word is law in these halls." Aaron paused, retrieving a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. He held it between his fingers, then pointed it at Hao. "And if I'm not around, Hao's the boss. If you don't like it, feel free to go get some fresh air." At 'fresh air', he pointed the cigarette at the viewport and emptiness beyond.


"We've got some ground rules up here, despite our obvious distance from the ground. First, you don't touch the frakkin' cargo. If I see an open crate, I'll gut you like a pig and donate your innards as food for the poor. Second, if Hao's cooking, stay the f*** away. Don't want you s***heads getting high on fumes while you're supposed to be workin'. Third, don't b**** about the food unless you can cook better. Fourth, clean up after yourselves, including you, Hao. Fifth, we aren't hired killers, so avoid murder unless it's necessary to secure the cargo or our lives."


He coughed again, then took a drag off his cigarette. "Any questions before I start explainin' our end goal here?"

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harm cocked his head slightly as he raised his hand. His mouth opened before he was addressed, out of habit. "I've got two. One, do you have a DeFrager here? I've been itching to get a look at the code on my arm." He involuntarily scratched the tattoo he'd received while he was in the Pit. He had no idea who put it there or why, but it was one of the things that pulled him from the catatonic darkness. "And, two, why should I stay away from his cooking? Is it that cruddy?" He asked, unclear on the culinary prowess of his higher-up.

 

[KneelingAngel]

Camo listened to everything from the engine room through the speakers and shivered when she heard that Hao was in charge if the Captian was gone. She was going to stick to the Cap like glue.


Grabbing some tape from her toolbox, she pulled off a piece with her teeth and attached two wires together. After oiling the needed parts, Camo accidentally smeared some on her cheek and wiped her hands before heading up the stairs. The FTL would survive... For now, as long as nothing got too rockery.


She headed towards the others and shot a glare at Otter before she shot Harm a look. "Didn't I tell you to bust that-" she pointed at the hammer. "In his scull? Anyways..." She said grabbing the hammer again and putting it in her back pocket. "The FTL needs a good replacement, it will do for now, but I don't think it would survive for more then a couple of weeks. Maybe even shorter if everything gets too bumpy. I can try to keep it running for as long as I can, but if it's dead then it's dead and we would have a problem." She told the captain.

 

[Circus]

Otter frowned when the woman took his back scratcher. He vowed to retrieve it later when she wasn’t paying attention. But first, “Cap’n, I don’t know who any of these people are. I don’t trust ‘em, specially that pup over there,” Otter jutted his thumb in the kid’s direction. “Something is off with that one. Some introductions would be nice.”


The pilot leaned back in his chair and extended his back with a crack. “If the little lady is right and we need a new FTL, we won’t be travelling to any further systems. We’ll have to pick one up at Lotari and they ain’t cheap, Cap’n. But I’m sure you already have a plan.”

 

[KneelingAngel]

"Name's Camo, not little lady." Camo said as an introduction. "Call me Bolts if you like. I wouldn't suggest Lotari, it's expensive but scrap. Go to Hellas, it's maybe a days trip, maybe two, and you got almost brand new FTL for like two third of the money you pay at Lotari. I'm a regular customer at Hellas so I get a good discount. It's just negotiating over there, at least that's what I always do." She shrugged. "And I know you, Otter, you're the drunken pilot that keeps hanging around Haley's. Someone with flirting skills are hard to forget, you're even worse then Hao." She was about to lean back against the wall when she remembered something. "Oh, by the way!" Camo beamed happily before pointing her hammer at Otter's head. "I'll have this tool stuck into your brain if you tell me to hurry up again. If you think it's that easy to keep the FTL from blowing up, you can do it yourself, okay?" She said sweetly with an obviously forced grin. "Don't interfere with what I do." She said through gritted teeth.

 

[Vudukudu]

Aaron watched the others bicker, a faint smirk across his lips. "Cool it, Little Lady. Otter's one of a kind, in that he's the last living member of his species. No hammers in his brain, or I'll vent you out the airlock like Hao disposing of a dead hooker. And, while Camo could certainly use a lesson in manners and some behavioral therapy, she's got a point. Don't f*** around with the engineering rooms." He gave her a slight nod, then looked at Otter incredulously.


"And for chrissake Otter, do you ever remember actually buying an FTL last time we flew? It's so much easier to just.. liberate one. And it's free, too. As to your question, Otter, you don't have to trust 'em, they're not going to be spending any more time near the controls than you allow. That's your place, even I don't go in there without permission."


"And, uh. DeFrager. No. This ain't a science lab. And as for Hao's cooking.. well, it's not the kinda cooking that you eat. That all our questions so far?"

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harm settled back into his seat and sighed. He would have to find the equipment he needed on the next stop, which would be a pain. He hadn't considered what he would be doing in turn for the shelter that was being provided. In all honesty, he didn't want to. The crew already thought of him as an adolescent nuisance and he was sure they would hop at the chance to make him do the most humiliating of tasks. Sure, he could fight back, but how would it benefit him. He looked around, and it seemed that no one else had any queries for Captain Aaron. So, Harmony leaned forward on his hands and lost himself on what the man had to say.

 

[Cokes]

"Scheisse, Cap, throwing the new kids into the deep end already?" He drew his revolver, popped the cylinder, and dropped in a speedloader. "Excellent." The cylinder clicks shut. Hao removed his hat, hanging it on a bit of metal sticking out of the wall.


"Alright, ladies and gents," he tapped the ash from his cigarette onto Harmony's hair, "Cap handles the business side of things, he's usually better'n me at lookin' respectable and such, but grand theft astro is my department. Lotari's got some busy ports, which means federal patrols, which means we do not get caught. If it ain't part of your cover, you dress down, unrecognizable, no purple suits and cowboy hats, incidentally. If it ain't part of your cover, we do not know each other. You get caught, we will make reasonable effort to reclaim you if we like and/or need you."


Hao took a long drag from his cigarette and then began waving his gun around, using it to gesture at people. "Coupla parts to an op like this. First bit is cover; the Betty's recognizable, we need an excuse to be there, I'm guessin' the Cap, Otter, Otter's new best friend, 'r maybe Kitty can figure something. Hopefully the Betty reappearing don't cause to much of a stir. Probably will, with our luck."


"Then we gotta ID a target, shouldn't be too hard. We'll need one of you ship-experty types on that, probably running with me, maybe bringin' Meat or Kitty along. Lookin' for something with the right class of engine, or at least close to it. Here's hopin' Kleines here can jury-rig somethin' if we only get a close match." He tips the gun towards Camo.


"And of course, the big maneuver, stealing an entire FTL drive and getting it onto our ship without getting caught. I can't remember if the FTL is the big'un or the little'un, hopefully somebody can set us straight on that bit, I'm hopin' it's the little one, obviously. This whole exercise will probably take some manpower, probably everyone workin' it, except fer Otter keepin' the engines hot."


The black hat is returned to his head and Hao shrugged, "First mate's recommendation anyway, Cap." He holstered the revoler.

 

[WrittenHollowness]

Harm dusted the ash out of his hair, glaring at Hao something fierce. His patience was wearing thin, being the constant butt of all jokes. As the conversation rolled on, he began to understand the basics of his crew's operation. He didn't know if the Gods were laughing at him or smiling down in him with the characterizations of those aboard the ship. The thing that most concerned him was the feeling he was having: the motivation to actually belong with them.


"I volunteer to ID the target." He said, before he even thought about it. Harmony didn't even think he could ever be impulsive again, yet it happened. He stumbled to stand up and give his reasoning to the outburst. "I promise, if you can give me a face and info I could find anyone you want. Even out of a crowd." His voice cracked in it's accented fashion and suddenly Harm was afraid he'd lost whatever moxie he'd had. And with that, the ghost of emotion floated away again.

 

[Circus]

Otter shrugged in resignation, it was pointless to argue. The Betty needed an engineer and Otter lacked the capacity to make major repairs or upgrades. The pilot decided to not press his luck any further with “Nuts and Bolts”.


The captain’s idea of liberation put a smile on Otter’s cheeky face. “I thought after all these years you might’ve gotten soft. Glad to see we’re going back to the old way of freeing people with what they don’t need.” Otter listened to Hao’s plan but mostly fell on deaf ears. Otter had no place on land as far as he was concerned. The ship was where he belonged and more often than not, Hao and Aaron would require a speedy getaway. Things never go according to plan.


Acquiring an FTL was something the Betty needed, but it was also something that the captain could get with relative ease. Why had Aaron brought Betty back from retirement? Why were they here? The big question had yet to be answered.

 

[KneelingAngel]

Camo leaned on one leg, sticking out her hip and shooting a glare at Hao. He was lucky that the captain was with them or she would have beaten him with her hammer. Why the hell did everyone call her little?! It was annoying her too bits! She was the smallest, but only by a couple of inches!


"I can rig anything you want, you-" She pointed her hammer at Hao. "Just have to get ME the right parts." Camo placed the hammer down and leaned against the wall next to Hao. "The FTL might be a problem, I can agree with that, but if we take the whole thing apart, piece by piece, and smuggle it here then I can put it back together. I can have it working and oiled all together, as long as it isn't broken." She said and combed her fingers through her raven hair before shooting Hao a look. "Don't fuck it up." She warned, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

[Vudukudu]

Aaron listened to Hao's plan as he went over the details. As usual, Hao was the man with the plan. Aaron didn't mind; having someone capable of producing mission plans at a moment's notice was a great thing in this business. Aaron wasn't the most skilled mastermind, but he was a near flawless operator under stress, and that was enough for him.


"Alright, Camo. We're gonna need you ready to disconnect and move the stolen FTL. Hao, Trent, and Harmony'll tag along with you, keep your back cleared up while you get the connector bits off. Probably gonna need four of us carryin' the damn thing unless we get a fork lift, and we still have to get it out of the ship before we can move it to machine anyway. Gonna need something to distract the Feds while we're at work, which means we need somethin' big." Aaron said, quickly assigning jobs as they came to mind.


"Kitty, that's on you. Enter the docking control station, subdue the crew, and disable every single dock vice except for the Blue Betty and target ship. That'll get the security all riled up, so you'd best haul ass once you flip the switch. They'll have to deal with all kinds of s*** when a few dozen spacecraft drop fifteen feet from their docking points. Repair crews will go active, and our FTL carriers won't look so suspicious anymore."


"I'll run comms and keep people away from the Betty. Anybody see a hole in the plan?" He asked, glancing at Hao in particular to answer the question. It wasn't Hao's first time running something like this, and he wanted to be certain that the man believed in this particular plan.