Rim's Dream "Olivier's" Day Five of Journey. 11:00 am ST
"If we're going to get through this we're going to have stay professional." JC growled at the tailor. The tailor stepped back from JC and gave a miffed snort.

"Hey, we're shiny! Totally shiny!" The man said more coldly now. "I am a Bespoke Tailor and I can professional you into the next week and back Honey. I was just having some fun but I see you're a serious man." He says and makes a hand gesture that looks like swatting a fly and dismissing a servant at the same time. "And a serious man needs a serious suit. Well trust me darling, I am gonna make you look good."

"So Olivier, I just got here. How are the wedding preps going?"

"Oh it is chaos, just chaos. The baron has the entire penthouse level for himself and guests and the security restrictions are making a lot, and I mean a lot of passengers, pissy. And these are high rolling muckymucks who come with their own tailors - or shall we call them what they are - slaves. Oh my. The verse is the same no matter where you go. The golden rule I tell you - whoever has the gold makes the
rules."

(so they aren't mingling?)

"They are using the casinos and going to the entertainment but it is all private tables and boxes sweetie. No way for an honest merchant to get in with that crowd. That's why I was so estactic to here you are going. Say my man a few times to the right people and then I will be in the den of dragons. That would be shiny indeed."

(Groom and the Guns)

"Gun collection? No I had not heard of anything like that sweetie. I'm sure he does though - after all that is how he made his money right? But from what I hear, Mr. Steele is staying on his private yacht and comes across to play only. If he has a collection of anything sugar - it will be there. But he ain;t the showing off type, at least not to the likes of me. Love to get him into my dressing room though. Man probably orders suits by the dozen."

(Steele and the ladies)

"Well now honey. Let me tell you." Olivier says with a smile and another flicking gesture, "I don't think that him and the bride have been waiting at all. That Lilianna was always a slip of a thing and now! Well let's just say she up a cup size or three from what I can see. And they are keeping everyone away from her - claiming she has a cold or something. You ask me, she is already preggers and they don't want the scandal. She seems too young for him but you know, different strokes for different folks and I ain't one to judge people on their stroking sweetheart. But as to slowing down, men are all the same really - if they can get it, they will - on the side or the fly."

(Wedding planner)

"Have not heard much about a wedding planner." He says with a shrug, "I am sure they do but it is not a large wedding for what I have heard. Only 50ish guests at the most and they are all staying on Deck 10 - Lilac statesrooms."

(Troublemakers)

"Oh I don't think anyone is gonna cause trouble anymore. Ever since the Star of Sihnon was destroyed by pirates, the security here has been tight. There are holding cells near the bridge, and the casinos have their special ‘rooms' and there are others places down below where security can house people."

Olivier finished his measuring and laid out some cloth over JC's shoulder to see the colour in the light. "Okay Honeybunny, you need to do big tough scary man stuff and Carl and I need to work. I can have it ready for early this evening so come back for final fitting and we should make you look marvelous."

(payment)

Oh Sweetie, just having my suit at a wedding of this magnitude is payment enough. But I'll give you some of my cards to pass to anyone who asks about it. Believe me daer, you are an investment in my future."

Rim's Dream "Concourse" Day Five of Journey. 11:00 am ST
Jon then led the rest out of the shop, seeing ships brochures on the tailors door Jon grabbed one with the deck layouts. When they were out of earshot," Steph, if you see any old friends slip off and socialize, take Catie with you, find out what you can. I'll stay with Angela and watch for security stations.. They will likely have a port for Grace's bug." Sliding it from his pocket he slipped it to Angela, "You seem to have a knack for secret things and looking like that you shouldn't have a problem distracting security people and getting this plugged in,.." Looking at the ship's layout, "We'll try to find a way into the guess quarters, I'd say that Daniel would be there instead of the brig. We may find the brothers too. This whole thing is fluid and need to gather information quickly. When things start to happen it will happen quickly so use your best judgment."

Stephanie smiled a smile that was meant to be reassuring but he worry came through her eyes, "Please be careful Jon. I don't really want to have to break you out of a "brig" or Jail or whatever." She nodded to Catie and the two went off with cards in hand.

Jon looked over at Angela. Her eyes were flickering around, noting all her surrounding and the passings of people. No detail seemed to be missed by the payload specialist. Then she said simply, "Casino."

(assuming a pardon me)

"Angela smiled, "The casinos. Alliance keeps a tight leash on gambling activity in the verse. They would be monitored by the alliance gaming commission so there would have to be ports there. Video feeds, security stations. The best place would be the casino. Shall we?"

Rim's Dream "Loading Docking" Day Five of Journey. 11:00 am ST
"I am Templeton Steele. I would like to speak to Lilianna Fairchild - my fiancé. Would you know where I could find her?"

"Erm," Grace squeaked before forcing herself to cough, trying to make herself breath "I don't know for certain, sir but I can get someone who might be able to help you." As quickly as she could without raising suspicion, she darted to one of the ships cons, paging for Seth to come to the cargo bay.

Seth came to the cargo bay swiftly. He was fully dressed for security escort duty on a black leather armour, his sword on his back and the gun on his leg holster. "Mr. Steele. " He said formally and bowed politely.

"Seth! Good to see you. How is the Mark 4 working for you?"

Seth looked down at the gun, "Fairly well although the power pack is a bit too easy to remove in close combat situations."

"Oh!" Stelle said and then it seemed like he really heard what was said."Oh! Was there a problem? Is Lilianna okay?"

"Yes Mr. Steele. Lilianna is fine but unfortunately she is not inclined to speak to you right now and the Baron left instruction that she was not to receive visitors. Besides, it is unlucky for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."

"Yes. Well I was hoping we could make an exception."

"No." Seth said flatly.

"I am ... come again?" Steele stopped in mid0-sentence. Grace was pretty sure her uncle was not used to hearing that word.

"No Mr. Steele. I have my orders."

Templeton furled his brow, ‘Seth we are all friends here. I gave you the Mark 4 to protect Lilianna and surely I could speak to her fr a few minutes? You can stand over me if you'd like."

Seth pulled the gun off his side and pulled the power pack out in a fluid motion to hand it back to Steele butt first. "I have my orders. If you'd like the weapon returned, you may take it back."

"No!" Steele said looking around for someone else to talk to. "Listen, I just want a few minutes."

"I understand your desire Mr. Steele but I have my orders."

Steeles walked away for a few steps and then stopped. He looked around the cargo bay as if seeing it for the first time. "This is a really nice ship. I don't recognize the model."

"I was told it is a wildfire." Seth replied.

"Wildfire?" Steele said in wonder, "Heavily modified perhaps. Well Seth I can understand you have your orders and I appreciate your dedication to duty."

"Thank you Mr. Steele."

"Say ... Could I get a tour of this ship? Nowhere near Lilianna, I understand but I would love to look around this amazing vessel."

"I do not really know the layout well Mr. Steele but perhaps Grace here could do so. She is the engineer of this ship and no one knows it like her." Seth replies and gestures at Grace, who is trying hard to blend into the background.

"Grace?" Templeton says as if something just occurred to him. He looks to the mechanic and smiles broadly, "Yes Grace. Would you give me a tour of this ship please? I am sure we have a lot we could discuss."

Rim's Dream "Bridge" Day Five of Journey. 10:00 am ST
"Sir. I am picking up a distress signal from sector 7G."

The Captain of Rim's Dream looked up from his tea, "Sit Rep please, Corporal."

"Yes Sir. I have a Firefly class vessel sending a distress signal from 7G. Long range shows completely burned out core. Six life signs, one female, and five males. They are on backup life support and battery power only."

"Scan for weaponry and the like Corporal."

"Already have sir. No weapons on the scan and with the little power they have, they'd be down if the have them."

"Very well." The Captain said and sipped his tea. There were unwritten rules about ships whether they roved the high seas of earth that was or the Black of the verse - Distress calls had to be answered because one day it could be you. "Send a patrol boat with a full security attachment and approach with caution."

"Yes Sir!" the corporal flipped the communication, ‘Security this is the bridge. We got a DS-19 in sector 7G. Request recon and pickup but approach with caution, repeat approach with caution. No contact has been made."

"Bridge this is Security control. We have target acquisition and will rendezvous. We will go for warm entry in 30 minutes."

Jon looked over at Angela. Her eyes were flickering around, noting all her surrounding and the passings of people. No detail seemed to be missed by the payload specialist. Then she said simply, "Casino."
Jon gave Angela a questioning look.

Angela smiled, "The casinos. ,Alliance keeps a tight leash on gambling activity in the verse. They would be monitored by the alliance gaming commission so there would have to be ports there. Video feeds, security stations. The best place would be the casino. Shall we?"
"Yeah, but there would be a lot of eyes watching those ports, wouldn't that just be tougher?"

Stephanie gave a little chuckle. When Jon looked at her she glanced at Angela's dress. Jon cleared his throat, "Oh..yeah,Ok then, the casino it is." Jon fumbled with the brochure, "Let's see the canino is," As he looked up Angela was already on the move. "Yeah,that way."

The small group entered the gambling palace. Lady luck had never been a friend to the Captain, at least not when he was wishing for it. He was starting to think this might be a bad idea. About then he saw a small knowing smile come across Angela's face and he really got worried.

The casino is huge, located in the center of the ship, for this is one of the main attractions. To reach the Verbena restaurant, passengers are required to walk through the casino. The casino operates twenty-four hours a day and features faro, roulette, blackjack, poker, slot machines, pachinko, and mahjong. Rooms for private, high-stakes games are available to high rollers. Security is tight aboard ship and tighter in the casino. Cameras keep watch on players as well as the dealers. No money changes hands in the casino. Even the chips uses are holographic and the money is strictly controlled through a gaming authority system. Players gamble for credits that are exchanged for cash at the Purser's Office.

The Lucky lady is decked out in red and blues with the waitresses and dealers dressed in form fitting red short skirts and blue half- tops that are made without buttons. The girls come around frequently offering free drinks. The main lobby is filled with many different forms of "slot" machine games with the tables for the other games as you move further back. There is a huge lounge/bar located in the centre of the casino where the servers wear less than the floor servers.

Security guards are clearly visible but they are not visibly armed. There are stations for clientele to load their cards and these all have the ports you are looking for, and each one has its own security guard. The place is moderately full with passengers, but not so busy that you cannot move around.


The Entrance:



The Lounge:

Angela smiled while tucking the bug into her upswept hair, "The casinos. Alliance keeps a tight leash on gambling activity in the verse. They would be monitored by the alliance gaming commission so there would have to be ports there. Video feeds, security stations. The best place would be the casino. Shall we?"

"Yeah, but there would be a lot of eyes watching those ports, wouldn't that just be tougher?" Jon worried aloud.

Stephanie gave a little chuckle. When Jon looked at her she glanced at Angela's dress. Jon cleared his throat, "Oh..yeah,Ok then, the casino it is." Jon fumbled with the brochure, "Let's see the casino is," but Angela had tired of waiting and was already walking away. The glance at the brochure had been enough, and she could almost hear the cacophony of forced merriment from where she stood.
As she stepped into the gambling establishment, a ripple of excitement went through her. A barely dressed cocktail waitress changed her course through the crowd to intercept them with her tray of drinks, only to veer off as another waitress appeared and hurried (without seeming to) to reach them with the complimentary bubbly.

"Good, " Angela smiled to herself in a way that made Jon's heart sink," They're going to take me seriously. First girl had the watered down dreck for the tourists, this girl's got the high grade stuff."
"Oh thank the stars!" she declared out loud breathlessly while swooping the nearest glass off the tray and taking a sip, " I believe I've been here for two whole seconds without a drink! You ARE a doll for saving my life! Now, darling, I've only got this on me," and she waved the Baron's card merrily while taking another sip," so help me find a lucky blackjack table so I can get my chips and thank you properly. Who's lucky today, hun?"

The bemused waitress beamed at the thought of a gambling chip, as Angela knew she would. All the waitresses had readers in their trays (and in her cleavage, no doubt, for the creeps) but casinos tended to take a hefty handling fee for scanned tips. A chip was as good as cash, and Angela just made her first friend.

Cherry, as the waitress was called, led her to a blackjack table manned by a friend of hers, and Angela quickly surrendered the Baron's card for a modest stack of hologram chips. The waitress' smile faltered as she saw the chip stack, thinking she'd been played by a well dressed poser, but returned to full force as Angela plucked the highest value chip from the stack and set it on Cherry's tray.

"For love and luck, hun, love and luck. Swing by once in a while with more bubbles and we'll see how my luck's running. The Baron and I have a little wager - he thinks this won't last me more than a drink's worth of playing, but I want to see just how far the rabbit hole I can go. This your friend? Hi Frank! Shall we play?"

Angela found herself a spot at the table at the far right of the dealer, where she'd get the last card before he dealt his own. She set her chips down and pushed forward a chip worth the minimum bet for the next hand. The first few hands never mattered, she needed to see all the cards to know how many virtual card decks the dealer was dealing, then she could start making educated guesses. In the meantime, she kept up a steady stream of idle chatter, a bored rich woman who clearly knew her way around a casino. Cherry would return periodically to bring fresh drinks and Angela made sure to tip her each time.

Once she had a bead on the cards, she was better able to assess what her fellow players had, and what the dealer had, based on the cards showing and the cards already played. When the odds were in her favour, she bet heavily (but never all in) and when they were against her, she kept to the minimum bet. Even with occasionally losing on purpose, her stack of chips grew, and Frank went from affably polite to carefully polite, and finally chillingly polite. She'd attracted a crowd of watchers, and it was getting hard to see past them to watch the security guards and pit bosses make their rounds, so after one last sizable win, she tipped Frank handsomely, finished her fifth glass of champagne (which burned a little at the back of the throat,had Cherry been told to get her tipsy?) and gathered up her chips.

Once away from the blackjack table area, Angela considered her options while pretending to sway a bit from her drinks. She needed a port for Grace's bug, and every table had a port for the dealer's ID, but an empty table wouldn't stay empty long. Same with any waitress' drink tray. She needed a port that was out of the public view and not routinely used. Her best bet was to win enough chips to go to one of the high rollers' cashier offices, which offered privacy and security, or attract enough attention to get taken to a security office for a "discussion" of her gaming practices.

At that thought, a flash of light, seemingly behind her eyes, made Angela blink and shake her head. For a moment there, she'd been astride a hovercycle (a Harley Quinn, no less) racing away from a different casino, a heap of bodies in security uniforms behind her. With a second blink, she was back on the cruise ship. She tasted copper at the back of her throat and shook her head.

"Nope, nope, nope. Winning loads of cash, it is," she muttered to Jon, and looked around for the craps tables. Maybe she'd been marked as a card counter, maybe not, but most cheaters were one trick ponies, so no one would expect her to be good at craps, too.

Grace's mind was bouncing back and forth between panic and amusement. Sure, a large part of her recognise the danger of having her Uncle Steel on board, and was screaming to run, hide, and try to build a memory suppressant gun out of the spare parts but she had to admit that it was amusing to see her Uncle not get his way. If thus had been her father, she mused, Seth would have already have his gun taken away, Baron in the room, and Father yelling for the man to be fired on the spot. Part of her was vaguely surprised that hadn't happened already.

However staying her was tempting fate, so Grace pulled her hat down again and started to walk away,

"Say ... Could I get a tour of this ship? Nowhere near Lilianna, I understand but I would love to look around this amazing vessel."

"I do not really know the layout well Mr. Steele but perhaps Grace here could do so. She is the engineer of this ship and no one knows it like her." Seth replies and gestures at Grace

"Grace?" Templeton says as if something just occurred to him. He looks to the mechanic and smiles broadly, "Yes Grace. Would you give me a tour of this ship please? I am sure we have a lot we could discuss."

Extremelly long list of curse words
A panicked "NO!" came out of Grace's mouth before she could stop herself, but she quickly recovered with "I mean, that I am not sure I could do it , in a very short amount of time. After all, I know you have a wedding to prepare for and I hate to waste your precious time." Grace tugged her hat down farther in an attempt to seem bashful (and hide her face).

(OOC. I am going to stop here for now as I am not sure how Steele is going to react. If he keeps insisting on the tour, Grace is going to try to discourage it.)

Then he just let the tailor prattle on but noted the information hoping there would be anything worthwhile to pass it on the Jon. However he thought why not ask 1 more question.

"So tell me about Annie"..............

Rim's Dream "Penthouse" Day Five of Journey. 11:10 am ST
The WInchester brothers walked alongside the Baron through the corridors of the liner. Every attempt they made to find out more of what was going on was rebuffed with a "We'll discuss that later" and "Don't worry, everything is in hand boys. " They travelled up to the secluded penthouse of the liner, which the Baron had rented the entirety of this occasion. S they wandered through the lush and ludicrous quarters, they realized the penthouse had its own airlock to which there was a large yacht visible through a port window.

In a lounge area they met with a voluptuous blonde lady dressed in a form fitting business suit and glasses. "This is Yama Jiang Ziwen, my personal solicitor. She will assist you from this point on. Gentlemen, if I do not see you further, it has been wonderful to meet you and if all goes to plan, I am sure I will have work for you in the future."

"This way Gentlemen." Yama said sweetly and lead them down a hallway to a small room at the end. She opened the door with a separate door pass and lead the brothers into the room, closing the door behind her carefully. Both brothers noticed the door pass was on both sides so the card was needed to get in and out. The room was a guestroom, and there was Daniel, tied up and secured to the couch in the room. Yama walked over to him and checked all his binding, "He has been recently in attempting to escape." she said disapprovingly. Once she was sure he was secure, she turned to the brothers.

"Okay boys. I only want to go through this once so please pay attention. The wedding is tomorrow morning so we have about 24 hours to go. We must keep him alive until the wedding is official and the Baron has his mineral rights." she walked over to a desk and pulled it open to draw out a handgun - one that looked exactly like the one that Seth carried. " You will kill him this gun. You will wear gloves. Reverse the battery in the charger and an acid will cause the gun to dissolve rapidly so dicard it in a ship disposal chute quickly."

The brothers exchanged a look. "what about ..." AJ started.

"Wait until I am done to ask questions please." Yama intoned like an annoyed schoolteacher. She walked over to a closet and pulled out a room service tray cart, "Dump his body in here. Switch into the uniforms of the liner provided underneath, and then proceed back to the ship you came in on - Destiny was it? Take the body back to the ship and hide it in such a way that it can be easily found. I will inform the ship authority, the ship will be searched, Seth will be blamed for the murder and the crew will be arrested as accomplices. You will change out of the uniforms and I will give your papers to get off the liner when it makes port. Now do you have questions?"

"Umm..." Rick said slowly.

"No." AJ answered firmly. "Seems like you got it all covered. Are we to stay here until the wedding is over?"

"Yes." Yama said, "The walls are reinforced and soundproofed so we do not need to worry about being overheard or interrupted."

"Okay then. " AJ said flashing a look to his brother to keep quiet. "Will you come to tell us or is there a comm in here?"

"Oh I am not going anywhere," Yama said as she took off her jacket. "There is a king size bed in the next room and we have a lot of time to kill boys." She smiled as she slowly unbuttoned her top, "and the baron wanted me to make sure that you were very very well compensated for your efforts."

Rim's Dream "Lady Luck" Day Five of Journey. 11:10 am ST
Jon watched Angela transform from a meek and mild payload specialist into a card playing lady of fortune before his eyes. He could not - would not dare stop her now. Whatever part of Angela was working right now, he knew that it was would be far beyond his depths.

Looking around the casino, Jon enjoyed the view, both the grand design and the cocktail waitresses while trying to make sure he knew where all the exits were. The seemed to be a lot of security working in here. he tried to be discreet and watch Angela but he was not surprised to see she was winning money. Actually she was doing quite well.

"What can I get you?" a voice said beside Jon. He turned and looked into the cleavage of a waitress. She smiled cheerfully and said, Hey there sugar. How can I help you? My name's Plenty and I have plenty to offer - what would you like?"

Angela moved to the Craps table her eyes quickly searching for a post for Grace's bug. Across the room there was a high roller with bad luck and no skills losing at the high stake Faro table. The wannabe companions were sensing their opportunity dwindling with him so they were moving off his shoulder. A security guard next to a credit refill station was more interested in the women going by then station he was suppose to be watching. At the blackjack table a man was winning big and they just switched the dealer on him. One of the waitresses with more flesh and less class was working the room and the others were getting annoyed at her for the tips she was trolling. There were so many possibilities.

Rim's Dream "Olivier's Tailor Shop" Day Five of Journey. 11:10 am ST
JC just let the tailor prattle on but noted the information hoping there would be anything worthwhile to pass it on the Jon. However he thought why not ask one more question.

"So tell me about Annie."

"Annie? How did you know? I have always wanted to play Annie since I was in the 4th grade but they would't me. Claim is was because I was too big but honey we know that Miss Sung had a thing for Betty Parker."

JC realized his mistake, "Umm yeah. I meant Annie Foy. She is a performer on the ship? I know her and was hoping to meet up."

"Oh!" Olivier said and laughed at his mistake, "Here let me look on the entertainment core. " He said and pulled up the screen on his terminal. "Oh yes. Annie Foy. Musician. She is performing at the Olde West Saloon in an hour. Joust up the corridor and pass the Lady Luck Casino. Go if you want. We have work to do I can have the suit ready for early this evening so come back for final fitting."


Rim's Dream "Loading Docking" Day Five of Journey. 11:10 am ST

"Say ... Could I get a tour of this ship? Nowhere near Lilianna, I understand but I would love to look around this amazing vessel."

"I do not really know the layout well Mr. Steele but perhaps Grace here could do so. She is the engineer of this ship and no one knows it like her." Seth replies and gestures at Grace

"Grace?" Templeton says as if something just occurred to him. He looks to the mechanic and smiles broadly, "Yes Grace. Would you give me a tour of this ship please? I am sure we have a lot we could discuss."

A panicked "NO!" came out of Grace's mouth before she could stop herself, but she quickly recovered with "I mean, that I am not sure I could do it , in a very short amount of time. After all, I know you have a wedding to prepare for and I hate to waste your precious time." Grace tugged her hat down farther in an attempt to seem bashful (and hide her face).

Templeton smiled, "As the groom I have remarkably little I have to do for the wedding besides show up and say 'I do'. I do find ships fascinating and this was is really unique. Of course if I can't convince I can always return to my yacht. Your name is Grace? You know, I have this old friend who is looking for his daughter quite desperately and her name was Grace. I have not spoken to him in some time but perhaps I should call him. I know he'd move heaven and earth to find her - even stop a cruise liner in its track if he had to. So if you are sure that you can't give me a tour Grace, I can be off then."

Rim's Dream Security Station C, Day Five of Journey. 11:15 am ST
Yeomen Barnes was new to the Rim's Dream and he was very pleased to be working here. It was not an exciting job, watching the cameras in the Casino for any red flags to pop up. Like anyone was going to send a red flag among all these rich people?

*DING*

Barnes punched his keyboard to open up an alert message. Expect some silly message about a ex-wife's restraining order or the like, Barnes almost fell out of his chair when he saw the alert. He activated his comm, "Sir! I have a red flag at the Lucky Lady Casino. A level 6 flag sir."

"A level six? That's impossible. Check your system Yeoman." came the response.

Barnes quickly ran the diagnostics. "No sir. System is fine and we still have a level six."

"A level six would never get on board. The system would have flagged the ID."

"Yes sir. This is not from Identification. This is the facial recognition program."

"Patch it through to me then. What is his name?"

"The Black Mark, Sir and it is not a man. It is a woman currently up over 300% at the Lady Luck. According to the report, she took out a 12 man security team at another establishment several years ago. Shall I dispatch a team?"

"Negative Yeoman. Hold and keep eyes on her. I need to verify and call the captain."

Rim's Dream "Olivier's Tailor Shop" Day Five of Journey. 11:12 am ST
JC realized his mistake, "Umm yeah. I meant Annie Foy. She is a performer on the ship? I know her and was hoping to meet up."

"Oh!" Olivier said and laughed at his mistake, "Here let me look on the entertainment core. " He said and pulled up the screen on his terminal. "Oh yes. Annie Foy. Musician. She is performing at the Olde West Saloon in an hour. Joust up the corridor and pass the Lady Luck Casino. Go if you want. We have work to do I can have the suit ready for early this evening so come back for final fitting."
"I can do that, would you let my friends know I‘ll be having a drink at that saloon" In a spontaneous show of thanks Jeremiah Christian pulled Olivier into a one armed hug. "You're a big help Olivier and I think you'd make a hellva Annie"

With a last smile directed Olivier's way JC followed the tailors directions passing the Lady Luck Casino and quickly finding himself in front of the Olde West Saloon. Moving threw a set of swinging doors JC found himself inside and quickly moved to a corner table with a good view of the room. He may not have had his guns but he still had his sec habits and it was no time to get sloppy now.

Ordering a whisky and soda he waited for any sight of Annie Foy.......

Rim's Dream "Lady Luck" Day Five of Journey. 11:10 am ST
Another side of his Payload Specialist was emerging and Jon wasn't sure where it was going. Angela seemed thrive at the card table. Her winnings were rising faster than he'd ever seen; gambling was too risky for his taste. As the Angela doubled and then tripled her winnings he started to worry if she may draw too much attention. He was about step up and remind her their purpose was to plant the bug she moved from the card table and headed toward the carps. He turned to follow and found himself almost nose deep in cleavage.

"What can I get you?" a voice said to Jon. A waitress smiled cheerfully and said, "Hey there sugar. How can I help you? My name's Plenty and I have plenty to offer - what would you like?"
Jon is human and a man and,,,, well he just had to step back and smile. He knew for the waitress it was all part of the job and she did it quite well. "Well thank you.. ah, Miss Plenty,, but I'm good." Jon tipped his head politely and stepped around her to follow Angela.

Jon watched the action in the room and it almost seemed liked a field of action, so much going on and each building the other, but each being able to crumble all.

Jon caught up to Angela as she rounded on the dice table; as he passed close he only had time to say one word, "lose!" He hoped she would understand.

Angela moved through the crowd towards the craps table, her eyes tracking every security guard, pit boss and waitress. She was still mentally calculating the odds from the blackjack table, but she needed to wipe that board clean and restart with the odds for craps. She bit her lip to clear her mind, but her thoughts were tumbling faster and faster, a flywheel wobbling on its axis.

Jon passed close by her as they reached the craps table, and sensing his nearness while still thinking hard, Angela instinctively tilted her head towards him: a cheek for a kiss or an ear for a whisper. He hissed "Lose!" and kept moving, and Angela was so startled she almost stumbled. She blinked and the bored but knowing gambler's expression gave way to the confused and frightened girl who woke every morning with nothing. A blink later, it was gone, and Mihela was firmly in control.

"No guts, Jason," she muttered, "but you gotta play it that way? Fine! Losing, with style! Hello darlings" she greeted the craps table crew and patrons with the somewhat too loud voice of the inebriated. "Gina" she gestured to herself with both hands overflowing with hologram chips," wants to learn craps."

She listened solemnly while the nearest dealer patiently went through the basics of play; the other players might have been annoyed with the momentum of the table being interrupted, but the newcomer's legs were fun to watch and she seemed to attract waitresses trolling for trips.

The one that had almost engulfed Jason with her bosom kept hovering, and Angela noted one bored security guard's eyes kept returning to the waitress. And Angela.

She played a few rounds as the other players rolled the dice, betting safely based on the dealer's original guidance. She'd tip the dealer after a win and also tipped the waitress with each new drink, so Plenty was plenty happy with her new friend. It was getting hard recalculating after every throw, knowing what to bet to win a little but not too much, while still waiting for the best way to lose the whole thing accidentally.

Her opportunity came as a new game started with the player next to her had his turn shooting . She set all of her chips down, on Eleven, a 16:1 payout, and turned away to take a fresh drink from Plenty, before turning back, ready to spread her chances out among a number of bets. She timed it well, though, and the Stickman had already offered the dice, so she had to let the bet ride.

"Oh no," she exclaimed as her chips were promptly swept out of existence by the Stickman, her face tragic. She turned to Penny, who'd just seen her last tip disappear too. "Penny, sweetling, show Gina where she can get her card refilled, and I'll make good on that last one."

The two of them pulled away from the excitement of the table, and the change in temperature once she was free of the crush of bodies almost made Angela's head spin. She was so close now, she just had to get to that refilling station so she could plant the bug.

"Whew, darling, that was some fun, wasn't it," Angela fanned herself and smiled lopsidedly at Penny, who was canny enough to smile back. As they approached the refilling station, the security guard straightened up and pretended to be scanning the room, but he was watching the two women approaching out of the corner of his eyes.

"You know, " Angela purred coyly at Penny, "You're kinda cute. And, hey handsome," she caught the security guard's attention openly, "you are, too. How ‘bout the three of us go somewheres and have some fun? Talk amongst yourselves while I get me some more money."

Jon had teamed up with Angela because he sensed she would adapt to the situations but what he was seeing was starting to worry him. His baggage special was special and had proved herself in her ability to fight but this change at the gaming tables was moving her into a whole other category. Jon had worked with special ops people during war and what he was seeing now moved Angela straight toward that class in his mind. What had Gracie brought on his ship? Jon was pretty sure now that there were gaps in the information she had shared with him. But he could only trust his partner and engineer that she had them covered. The way things were going he may have to that little engine room rat out here to help him.

The startled look and muttering of Angela didn't sway his concerns either.. and who was this Jason person?..Maybe it was just a rhyming thing. At least to him she seemed to be acting more like the other guests and hopefully not drawing securities attention.

But whoever this Angela was couldn't do anything small. After just a few passes she lost her whole haul in one roll and then played the ditz. Well maybe now they could Grace's bug planted.

Ah..but no. Angela turned to her personal barmaid, "Oh no,,,,Penny, sweetling, show Gina where she can get her card refilled, and I'll make good on that last one." A moment later the two of them were slipping away toward the security station and the guard.

Well Jon couldn't say Angela wasn't following the plan..because there wasn't plan.

Jon saw the smile his baggage special gave Penny and though he tried to follow inconspicuously he nearly tripped when he heard,"Whew, darling, that was some fun, wasn't it,,..You know, " Angela purred coyly at Penny, "You're kinda cute. And, hey handsome," she caught the security guard's attention openly, "you are, too. How ‘bout the three of us go somewheres and have some fun? Talk amongst yourselves while I get me some more money."
A chill rolled up Jon's spine.."Oh, I've got to have a talk with Gracie,"he thought.

Rim's Dream "Lady Luck" Day Five of Journey. 11:15 am ST
"You know, " Angela purred coyly at Penny, "You're kinda cute. And, hey handsome," she caught the security guard's attention openly, "you are, too. How ‘bout the three of us go somewheres and have some fun? Talk amongst yourselves while I get me some more money."

A chill rolled up Jon's spine.."Oh, I've got to have a talk with Gracie,"he thought.
In Jon's peripheral vision, he notices that the number of security guards in the casino was increasing - dramatically. Looking around the room he spots a few more come in through a side door and much to his dismay, he can see a fully armoured and armed commando waiting behind the same door.

*Jason* smiled charmingly at Angela and put his hand gently on her arm, softly caressing down the length. He moved subtly around her to prevent her from going to far, ‘That sounds like a wonderful idea. I know a place we can go that is nearby and ummmm, Penny here would be more than happy to join us."

"What I'm not .."

Jason flashed her a look.

"Not doing anything that couldn't be interrupted. Sounds like fun sugar."

Jon took a few steps towards Angela, but Plenty was there again and this time caught his arm in a more than friendly way, "Hey there, Honey. Is she with you? You don't seem to be that type. You're more of the rough and tumble I'd bet?"

Rim's Dream "Olde West Saloon" Day Five of Journey. 11:15 am ST
JC enjoyed his drink and waited a short time. His schooling on Earth-that-was Old west was not very great but he was pretty sure that pink tops with leather fringe were actually worn in the day. Nor were sheriffs prone to wear tops consisting of tied kerchiefs with a Silver Star pin holding it all together. Not that he mind the view but for a high "class" place with a nice whiskey, it seemed rather cheesy.

The lights dimming slightly and a spot on the stage great brighter were the only signs that Annie was about to take the stage. When she did, JC was a little surprised. The young girl he knew had grown up a bunch since he seen her last. She wore a heavily sequined jacket over a (naturally) pink corset and black leather jeans. Under a white cowboy hat, her hair was much blonder than JC remembered.

"Howdy Folks!" she said with an artificial twank to her voice, "My name is Annie. Annie Foy and I'll be playing for you here at the Old West Saloon for a spell. If you have any old classics you'd like to her, you just come up and whisper into Annie's ear. Y'all know how to whisper right?"

She started with a lively tune about love and lost and finding love again. She then did a another after that in a different key which used similar themes before moving to a ditty about a woman hellbent on revenge on her husband cheating on her. After that she sang a couple of slow love ballads before stopping her set for a break, promising to return soon.

JC was about to order another round when Annie came up to his table from a side door. She looked both shocked and elated at the same time. "Jeremiah Christian Kane!?!? Is that really you?" she asked without a trace of the twang she used before. "Oh by the Buddha JC we thought you were dead?"

Rim's Dream "Loading Docking" Day Five of Journey. 11:15 am ST
Templeton smiled, "As the groom I have remarkably little I have to do for the wedding besides show up and say 'I do'. I do find ships fascinating and this was is really unique. Of course if I can't convince I can always return to my yacht. Your name is Grace? You know, I have this old friend who is looking for his daughter quite desperately and her name was Grace. I have not spoken to him in some time but perhaps I should call him. I know he'd move heaven and earth to find her - even stop a cruise liner in its track if he had to. So if you are sure that you can't give me a tour Grace, I can be off then."

Grace looked coldly at Templeton, realizing that her Uncle knew who she was and that he could make things quite miserable for her. She had worked hard for her life and was not about to let it all go now. Briefly....briefly she thought about using the anti-personnel mines lined into the sides of the cargo bay but she was not likely to survive that so she filed it under plan B in her mind, "Sorry to hear about your friend. If his daughter doesn't want to be with him, maybe he should just accept that. I am pretty sure that you don;t want your wedding put on hold just for a wild goose chase. So I'll give you a quick tour, under one condition."

Templeton smiled politely, "And what would that be?"

"A tour of your ship afterwards. The one you have docked here. I hear you have quite a collection of rare items and weapons."

Templeton looks surprised at the request like it was the last thing that he was expecting, "Aren't you worried I might take you captive and bring you to my friend, just to be sure?"

Grace snorted dismissively, "What are you flying - custom Mk7 with amped engines, fusion core to heighten the handling and luxury interior all the way? I've escaped from some of the Alliances maximum security prisons during the war - you couldn't hold me and I could damage your systems so bad you'd have to buy a new one."

Templeton laughed lightly and then when Grace continued to stare at him, stopped laughing. "It is a Mk8 actually. Wow. Glad you are on our side."

"Actually I wasn't."

"Okay. You show me yours, and I'll show you mine. Lead on then Grace, but can we at least drop the charade that we do not know each other?"

Rim's Dream "Olde West Saloon" Day Five of Journey. 11:20 am ST
JC enjoyed his drink and waited a short time. His schooling on Earth-that-was Old west was not very great but he was pretty sure that pink tops with leather fringe were actually worn in the day. Nor were sheriffs prone to wear tops consisting of tied kerchiefs with a Silver Star pin holding it all together. Not that he minded the view but for a high "class" place with a nice whiskey, it seemed rather cheesy.

The lights dimming slightly and a spot on the stage great brighter were the only signs that Annie was about to take the stage. When she did, JC was a little surprised. The young girl he knew had grown up a bunch since he seen her last. She wore a heavily sequined jacket over a (naturally) pink corset and black leather jeans. Under a white cowboy hat, her hair was much blonder than JC remembered. However the gunslinger had to admit she had grown up into quite the beautiful lady, and for a moment a very sensual image popped up in his mind.

"Howdy Folks!" she said with an artificial twank to her voice, "My name is Annie. Annie Foy and I'll be playing for you here at the Old West Saloon for a spell. If you have any old classics you'd like to her, you just come up and whisper into Annie's ear. Y'all know how to whisper right?" Yeah JC thought with a smile, she has that twang.

As JC listened to her singing he gazed around the room gauging any threats or people to be aware of, especially of any undercover sec types. He was about to order another round when Annie came up to his table from a side door. She looked both shocked and elated at the same time. "Jeremiah Christian Kane!?!? Is that really you?" she asked without a trace of the twang she used before. "Oh by the Buddha JC we thought you were dead?"

Standing Kane wrapped her in his arms and said "Now Annie you know better then that, I'm not that easy to kill. So how are ya sexy?"

Sitting back down, Annie joining him, they talked about old times. With her gentle yet sincere prodding for information on where he had been he found himself opening up more then ever before. He told her of his time with the Brown Coats, his years as an enforcer, how he got his metal arm and finally his time with Destiny and her crew. Then he sat quietly as she reprequicated in return finding in her narritive a little bit of admiration. However as the conversation winded down Annie, not a stupid person, started the conversation JC and been thinking of a way to start.

"So JC what brings you here?"

For the next five minutes JC went over the events that had brought the Destiny and himself to this point leaving nothing out. At the end he posed the question he had come hear to find out.

"So I need your help. What can you tell me of this upcoming wedding?".......................

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