Looking to Ash Wolf just said “go” and turned back to the problem at hand

This is bad. This is very bad…………
The thought kept going through Wolf’s head as Ash left once more out of the engine room. Wolf hoped Wyatt or this new pilot Tess would be able to land the ship someplace quick. The mechanic did not how long he could keep it all running before it began to cascade fail one broke system causing another to break and that causing yet another to go till the Rocinante blew up or went dead.

For the moment all Wolf could do was react like the little Dutch boy and continue to plug holes and keep the dam that was the Rocinante from bursting..................

Willow's worry eased as she found John in the medical bay, his steady manner belying the obvious haste in which he'd tidied the bay. He helped to guide the men carrying Sifu to the table, which let Willow hastily remove the long silken dulpatta from around her shoulders and pull a scrub shirt over the short sleeved choli blouse she wore. By the time she'd pulled on a lab coat to cover her skirts and donned gloves, John had Sifu prepped and had dismissed the men.

Willow was looking at the diagnostic screen when Wyatt's voice over the com called John to the bridge. Exchanging a glance, Willow nodded her agreement, but whispered," Hurry back. I'll need you." And John was gone so fast he seemed almost a memory.

She returned to her study of the screen, tapping here and there to get more information. She could see the dark shadow spreading over Sifu's brain, ironically not near the gash. The brain floated in a cushion of fluid encased by a tough membrane to protect it, but the backlash of the little monk's impact had been too much for that membrane, and it had torn, bleeding and increasing the pressure inside Sifu's skull.

Willow prepared the instruments she'd need: scalpel, cauterizer, clamps, suction and sponges, and the sutures and needles she'd need afterward. She picked up the sonic bone cutter, checked the screen again for the thickness of Sifu's skull, then calibrated the cutter with precise taps of her finger.

She nudged the com button with her elbow, reaching the bridge. "Tess, dear, be a love and keep Rocinante as steady as you can? I'm about to do one of my more delicate dances, and a barrel roll in the next hour or so would be...unfortunate."

Wyatt used the chance to ask about Sifu, and Willow, not seeing any point in being delicate, gave the news straight, as Wyatt would appreciate nothing else. He was silent a moment, then ordered John to rejoin her. Willow almost smiled at that, but settled for pulling the surgical mask into place and walking back to Sifu.

The little monk seemed so small under the light green sheet, his face partially obscured by the oxygen mask. Willow touched his face gently, wishing she could reassure him before she began. Shaking her head at such folly, she picked up her scalpel and began, making precise cuts in the little monk's scalp and peeling it back to expose the bone of his skull.

John joined her at the point, and after scrubbing in, came to stand across her, sponges and suction at the ready. They worked quickly, the sonic blade cutting a small circle of bone that Willow deftly lifted away, setting it in a dish for John to rinse and prep for its re-insertion later. Moving quickly, Willow suctioned away the excess blood so that she could see the pinkish brain beneath. Almost immediately, blood began seeping in again, but Willow was ready with the cauterizer; quick snaps of heat closing off microscopic blood vessels in the dura. They worked well together; the tall medic and the slender companion, exchanging words sparingly but moving as if they'd worked together thus many times. It felt good to not have to bear this responsibility alone, Willow thought to herself.

She handed the cauterizer back to John and peered at the surface of the brain, looking for signs of cell death or other damage. So many memories lay within its folds, emotions and memories and skills and experiences. It seemed odd to her, this moment; all her time as a Companion never felt as intimate as this, and she was oddly ashamed to have intruded as much as she just did with a man as private as Sifu.

She realized that she was just standing there, looking at the little monk, so she glanced up into John's concerned eyes and smiled behind her mask. "I think we managed to stop the bleeding in time, John, no sign of damage. Let's get the dura sewn up, then we can close. "

The remainder of the procedure was painstaking: tiny sutures bringing the tough dura back together to once again hide the brain beneath it's grey veil. The dura was necessarily tough, and it took both strength and delicacy to pierce the dura without approaching the fragility beneath. By the time that was done and the little circle of bone set back in place, Willow felt as if she'd been running a marathon.

"Can you suture the scalp back into place, my dear?" Willow asked of John, "an opportunity to see your handiwork, in case I should need it." Her tone was light, but her limbs were heavy with weariness.

Despite the tone in her voice John knew Willow must be tired, it had been a long and tricky operation and although he'd assisted Willow had done everything, but John wasn't a surgeon. He looked up at Willow as she encouraged him to secure the scalp back in place.

"Not the best time to admit this, but I'm not a medic. I never graduated first year of med-school."

John's face was honest and sincere, one of the secrets he'd not let on to and should have. Maybe he should come clean about The Hun, after all Willow already knew he was taking tranqs each night.

"You'll need to guide me through it if I'm going to do it."

Rocinante Cargo Bay, 8:45-9:00 pm ST
Asher stared back at Matheson, unflinching from the cold gaze he was receiving. The man was obviously not used to having people talk to him that way. In the end, Matheson smiled, "You are right of course. More important things to deal with than my case. I apologize for my ... selfishness and if you require assistance in any way, my two men would be more than willing to help as much as they can."

Asher watched Havelock and Lord Hood for a few moments before heading off the cockpit. The two men had more differences than similarities but they did seem to want to help. Asher noted that for all his stumbling and loudness, Havelock was getting people to sit down and in places between bulkheads and tied down cargo. Prefect places for them to brace themselves if the landing went badly. The man may be drunk but he was no fool. Lord Hood soon started doing the same thing, all while talking a positive talk that everything would be ok.

As he moved on, Asher noted that four young ladies who looked very similar were grouped together and staring at him as he walked by - giggling amongst themselves as he did. No good ever came from giggling.

Rocinante Rocinante Cockpit, 9:00 pm ST
Everyone had reported in and Wyatt gave them their orders. John thought that once in the Atmo, he'd should be able to activate the Beacons of the processors. As well, there should be a sand field that the terra-formers would create in case of a bad landing, so he might be able to locate that.

Tess thought it through over and over again. She would have to slow the descent speed dramatically, which she could do in a number of ways. Once in the Atmo, with only one pod working, she would be in a jam.

"When we are heading in, Captain, I am going to need to take the lead. John on second chair if Willow can spare him, Wolf and Asher in the engine room with comm open. I can do this but everyone is gonna have to trust me. Dohn ma?
Rocinante Cargo Bay 1:00 am ST
All the passengers were down on the floor and strategically placed where they could hold on to something solid. Havelock was telling stories to anyone who listened.

"We were coming in hot and the drive pods were both on fire. Landing gear was jammed and frankly we thought we were goners. But the ship flew true. We bumped the surface a few time, spilled our beans in every crevice and corner, but it got us down safety. This is a good ship and a good crew. They'll get us home."

"Why?" One of the young ladies asked, " Why are fireflies so special. My dad says they are junk ships."

Captain Havelock smiled, "Because my dear, they were designed by a very smart woman, and if anyone knows how to bring the menfolk home in one piece, it is a woman."

John came out of the medical theatre and nodded a positive nod to his crewmates. The monk would be coming around soon. He quickly ran off towards the cockpit as Asher ran up to join Wolf in the engine room. The time was now.

Rocinante came towards LV-426 at a shallow angle, as Tess used the atmosphere to slow the ship down. The ceramic tiles on the bottom of the hull were no doubt glowing red but it was a qucik and dirty way to drop the velocity.

Once through the outer reaches of the moon, she cut the pulse engines and attempted to activate the drive pods. The one came alive no problem but there was no response from the other. The good news was that she could tell by the way the ship rolled under one pod that the damaged pod was still attached to the ship. Otherwise they would be spinning right now.

As Tess handled the flight, John worked on finding the beacon of the atmosphere processors. It took a few moment but he located it and set up a feed between it and Rocinante. The sand field was due south of the closest processor and he fed the coordinates to Tess.

The ship flew an odd pattern of half spin and wobble but it came down steadily. Using the reactor and the Grav Dampener - Tess pushed the null grav bubble well past safety limits - essentially turning the ship into a leaf on the wind.

In the engine room, Wolf knew what Tess was trying and although he might it otherwise, he could appreciate it was the best solution. Without the primary buffer panel, the big mechanic had to watch the dials and reading in the engine and manually adjust the power by hand. Asher was maintaining all other functions so Wolf could concentrate on that.

The ship flew down and bounced once off the surface of the sand field. Then it bounced a second time, hard enough to be felt by everyone and cause a small amount of panic in the cargo bay. Then the third and Tess dropped the landing gear, spun the drive pod downward and using pulses of full power to no power, brought the ship down to the surface safely. Once down, a mighty cheer was heard throughout the ship.

Rocinante Infirmary, 1:10 am ST
Fu Sheng opened his eyes and looked around the room. Willow was there at his side looking worried but serene at the same time.

"Have we landed?" The monk asks weakly.

Rocinante Cargo Bay, 8:50 pm ST
The kid tried hard to keep his body from giving away his nervousness. Any other time and Matheson would have eaten him alive, but this time he’d gotten a little respect from a powerful man. He’d take it for what it was worth, but he also knew this wasn’t over.

Scanning the cargo bay it was clear that Lord Hood and Captain Havelock had the situation in hand. Moving among the people they squared things enough so Ash could get to the bridge. Hot footing for the corridor to join the rest of crew, the sound of giggles caught his ear. Smiling sweetly at him as he passed were four attractive young ladies. A smile crossed the kid’s face as he remembered Ernestina May and the three sisters on the ride back to Doc’s house. Pain never hurt so good.

Rocinante Control Bridge, 9:00 pm ST
The gunslinger listen closely as Wyatt and Tess went over to plan. "When we are heading in, Captain, I am going to need to take the lead. John on second chair if Willow can spare him, Wolf and Asher in the engine room with comm open. I can do this but everyone is gonna have to trust me. Dohn ma?
Things didn’t sound good but he had faith in the crew.

Rocinante Control Bridge 1:00 am ST
The crew had waited patiently as Willow and John cared for the monk. Asher watched Tess as she reviewed her pilot station. There seemed to be a lot times she touch the many doodads she wore or fiddled with her goggles.
When John came in and nodded positively Ash knew Sifu was out of serious danger. It was time to man his station in the engine room. Once again he strode down the corridor. Entering the propulsion heart of the Roc Ash saw Wolf busy monitoring and adjusting the engines. The boat had approached the moon LV-425 and Tess was starting the maneuvers she hoped would work to land without greater damage or harm.

Rocinante Engine Room 1:05 am ST
When the Roc finally broke atmo things really start to hop. Temperatures were rising to near critical in all systems. Tess called out to Wolf as the Roc twisted and rolled….. Wolf kept the engines responding. Ash handled the other gages and systems to free Wolf to play the control like a fine musical instrument. The kid was nervous but with Wolf’s direction and the knowledge he’d learned from Kora they worked together to keep the systems from failing. Sweat rolled from both the men as they moved intently about the room.

The altimeter let them know they were approaching the ground. The devise signal out zero as the Roc bounced on the sand strip; even prepared the two men were jostled roughly. Quickly a second thud followed. Systems screamed as Tess lower the landing gear and pulsed the engines to bring the boat to stop.

When the shaking had stopped the two men in the engine room kept moving. Even with the cheers coming from the cargo bay Asher followed Wolf’s lead through the systems checks, shutdown sequences and power downs… they may be on the ground but they still needed to stabilize.

With Tess announcing that they were hitting atmo Wolf continued to focus on keeping the engines intact and holding. Temperatures were rising to near critical in all systems but as Wolf kept the engines responding, he had Ash handle the other systems to free himself up. Just as Ash was a good kid with a gun he was also a good assistant as needed and Wolf was happy to have him. Sweat rolled from both the men as they moved intently and decisively about the room.

Though it was easy thanks, to the altimeter to know they were approaching the ground, the landing made it easier still as the Roc bounced hard on the planets surface. Quickly a second thud followed systems screaming as Tess lowered the landing gear and pulsed the engines to bring the boat to stop. As Wolf moved again quickly Ash followed the mechanics lead through systems checks, the long needed shutdown sequence and electrical powers down.

Now it was a matter of time and parts to get the Rocinante space worthy once more. After all they still had a run to complete.............

It had been some time since Wyatt had enjoyed the thought of touching boot to earth. Standing in the cockpit of Rocinante whilst Tess worked a miracle and somehow landed them despite being lame did absolutely nothing to change his opinion on the matter. If anything, he felt an increased sense of longing to be back in his sky again as soon as possible. Touching down in the early hours of the morning on a barely-there terraformed moon with a bay full of all-too-importants and explosives while there was apparently a ghost floatin' about in the Black (or hot on their heels)... well, that just about did his nerves right in. Just about.

"Good landing," Wyatt gave Tess a brief pat on the shoulder. "Almost as good as yer flyin'."

Gathering the crew together wasn't in his best interest. There were too many possibilities roaming about this ship to make him feel comfortable with the idea of leaving them unattended. Of course, a moon like this was a pretty decent hiding place for those less than favorables in the 'Verse to hang their hats, and he did have some liability for the Star's passengers since he'd done the brilliantly kind thing and picked them up. Essentially that meant that he couldn't have them wandering about the moon like a bunch of starry-eyed cows lest they run into some danger. But he'd be damned if he was going to have them hanging out more volatile than the ingredients he'd originally agreed to transport.

"Asher," Wyatt picked up the mic and began dishing orders. "Let the kind people out int' the fresh air please. Kind people, this is Captain Sung. I'd be mighty appreciative if'n you all could stay near the ship while my crew does the best we can t' see to repairs as well as yer needs. Thank you."

Changing to just the Infirmary: "Willow? How's our little monk friend?"

Once he had received his answer and their back n' forth was finished, he switched over to the engine room. "Wolf, we've precious little time for you and John t' get this baby back flyin'. Let me know what you need stat."

Turning to Tess, "Don't let no one who ain't supposed to be here in, an' keep an eye on all things. Yer my ears and eyes Little Lady. Ma'll be her to help. John and Fenris need t' keep focused on repairs. Willow will be about t' help with the passengers and the injured. Asher and I are going to need to do a little recon to see what our assets are. Everything shiny?"

That being said, Wyatt sets about to gather up the Kid and with weapons in hand, see what's what.

The flashing lights and bleeping alarms slowly quieted as the Kid and Ferris shutdown system after system. Tess’s maneuvers had got them on the surface in one piece, more or less. As the last of the system came under control Wyatt voice came over the com, "Asher, let the kind people out int' the fresh air please. Kind people, this is Captain Sung. I'd be mighty appreciative if'n you all could stay near the ship while my crew does the best we can t' see to repairs as well as yer needs. Thank you."
Asher looked over Wolf and with a sheepish look on his face said, “Gotta go….again.” The kid knew Ferris had everything under control now so leaving wouldn’t hamper the boat status. Putting the last of the tools away and wiping his hands on the work rag he turn and left the engine room. As he passed the bulk head he heard Wyatt’s voice again, "Wolf, we've precious little time for you and John t' get this baby back flyin'. Let me know what you need stat."
Ash knew they were going to open the doors though folks in the cargo bay would be thinking they were home safe; it would be time to show some strength so he dashed to his room and strapped on the girls. The custom rig kept a Python 6 under each arm and his Peace Keepers strapped to each leg. The straps carried extra reloads. Throwing on his duster and grabbing hat he started back, pausing he added the SPA30 and a bandoleer of shells, you never know what you might need. Passing his mirror he caught his image, “Well now you look more like security.”

Reaching the cargo bay he saw folks starting to gather impatiently near the cargo ramp. Stopping at the top of the gangway Asher let the duster hung open to add to the effect, “Folks…….please stand back from the doors. We’re on the ground , but we don’t know who or what is lurking on this chunk of dirt.” As he walked down stairs he continued. “It’s just breaking dawn out there and it may be a bit chilly, so if you ain’t dressed for it you may want to stay put. If you do go out don’t wander, we’d hate to see you carried off by who knows what…… I would expect the men folk to be gentlemen and the lady folk to understand this ain’t a resort and this is no vacation….. please be mindful of each other, we’re down but it still ain’t safe.”

Looking over at four boys that had entered the engine room. “ Don’t touch anything on the ship unless asked directly… we got repairs to make if we want to get out of this place and we don’t want no more troubles.” Reaching the bottom, “Now clear path so I check the area and open the bay doors.” Asher remembered when he was sheriff folks listened cause they thought he had the authority, he hoped it would work now.

Willow looked up at John following his revelation, the look lasted for some time and John found it awkward and hard to gage. He was somewhat sure she wasn’t frowning at him though. Finally she spoke, before continuing with the work herself. “If that’s the case, I’ll manage, thank you. Our friend here walks around with a truly bare head, he deserves as finer scar as possible. We can get you practicing on oranges later.” John didn’t argue with her.

Later, operation complete, John arrived in the cockpit for what would be one of the more interesting landings of his life so far. He voiced his thoughts that there should be sand fields around the terraformers and that once they hit atmo he should be able to activate one of the terraformer’s locator beacons. The decent through the atmosphere seemed like one drawn out moment of unrivalled tension, and it had taken him longer then he’d have liked to locate a terraformer, but with the first bump on the sand they knew it was almost over and that Tess had done it. A second bounce, harder than the first, jilted John violently and threw him forward in his chair. The third, thanks to Tess, was the last and landed the ship.

After a sigh and leaning back in his chair to recover for a second John unbuckled and started system checks. Power was on, so that was good. Apart from the obvious of a dead drive pod systems registered that the primary buffer pannel was unresponsive and that core containment had been breached. The latter problem was the biggest, they could fly with a both job to the buffer pannel, but if they’d cook in a radioactive oven if they tried. John reported the problem immediately, first to the cockpit and then by radioing down to the engine room where, if it wasn’t apparent already, they’d need to know. He then set about downloading the cortex’s saved data on LV-426 to his databook and began shutting down systems.

After the captain had finished speaking John congratulated Tess, she’d flown like an ace and landed, of sorts, something that in all rights shouldn’t have been able to land. John then made his own suggestions to the cockpit:
“We should do a walk around of the ship when it gets light, see what external damage we’ve sustained. There should be some caves somewhere around for us to shelter in, there won’t be any native life but that’s not to say there could be squatters, pirates, or reavers about though. Wolf and myself should take the mule to the nearest atmospheric processor just as soon as we know what we need, we should be able to salvage what we need from that. Whatever we do won’t be pretty, but we only need to make Sihnon anyhow.”
It was in John’s mind to grab his belongings from his cabin and to then meet Wolf to do the walk around.

LV-426 moon of Sihnon, Rocinante Cargo Bay, 6:00 am Planet time
As Asher passed through the crowd he realized just how many folks were crammed into the cargo and they didn’t know who most of them were. Waving to Captain Havelock and Lord Hood as he crossed the bay the grabbed up some old manifest papers and writing supplies. When the two arrived, “We need to know just who we have here so we can keep track of all these folk. Please write down who is leaving the boat. This’ll give a good list of who we got and who went out. It’ll also take up some time before they start fretting. Be sure we get’um all even those that stay.“

Asher then stepped up on a small container so he could be seen by the folks gathered. “Folks, I’ve asked these gentlemen to list down your names so we know who we have as survivors here and who has left the boat to walk about. Please be so kind to cooperate with them, we can use the information to inform authorities about your safety as we work on your rescue.... Folks I was raised on farm and I ain’t much for sugar coating things. We are down on a place with breathable air and that’s about it so far. The crew will be fixin the boat, looken for shelter and trying find more supplies. I can see that many of you have come from successful families or businesses………………, that didn’t come easy to you and our survival won’t be easy. ……… Let us do our jobs and you help out when asked. If you have any talents you’ve ever learned that might help tell these men when you sign in. What you know may be just what we all need to get through this with as little discomfort as possible.”

The kid then went the control panel and lowered the cargo ramp and open the personnel door. Cautiously he stepped out and surveyed the landscape.

Rocinante Cargo Bay 1:00 am ST
When the two elderly gentlemen from among the crew started getting the other passengers to sit on the floor, Jesse stayed where she was since she was already sitting on the floor. She was still to the side of the door to the medical bay where she could hang on to the doorway and lean over and peer within to see if Fu Sheng was doing better.

She could hear one of the gentlemen, Havelock, talking to the passengers and telling stories obviously intending to distract them from the potential danger ahead in what could be a crash landing. Jesse smiled at his comment about how women knew how to get their men folk home; the old man was good.

Her attention was drawn to one of the crew, John, coming out of the sickbay; she watched as he gave a nod to another of the crew and then run off. She glanced in where the monk lay and saw that they had stopped working on him and she saw bandages which meant he was still alive. She sighed slightly; she didn’t know why she cared for someone she had just met. But she had sensed a kindness in the Monk and it pained her to see him hurt so badly. She was glad that it looked like he might pull through alright.

Jesse held on tight to the doorway as the ship began a series of bobbing and weaving causing everyone to hang on as they knew the landing, and possibly their deaths were close at hand.

After a few minutes of stomach churning maneuvers; the ship hit hard and then again; passengers screamed and Jesse held on as tight as she could to the doorway and her small silver case. A third bounce and then the ship seemed to float for a second and settled down; after a few heartbeats of silence cheers filled the cargo bay as everyone realized they had survived. Jesse took a deep breath and fought back tears of joy as she gave a little laugh and slowly got to her feet.

"Have we landed?" The monk asks weakly.
Jesse heard the weak voice and peered into the sickbay and smiled as she saw the Asian woman leaning over and talking with the now conscious monk; it appeared he was going to make it. She didn’t say anything she just watched silently as the rest of the passengers cheered.




LV-426 moon of Sihnon, Rocinante Cargo Bay, 6:00 am Planet time

After a few minutes, she saw the return of the young crewman who now seemed armed to the teeth; he obviously wanted to set a ‘don’t mess with me’ impression. He started giving instructions about how they were down but didn’t know what was out there and how they had to find that out before any of them would be allowed off the ship.

Jesse wasn’t sure she wanted to leave the ship; she felt safer here than out in an open area on some strange planet. She was accustomed to large cities and ships, people everywhere, nice safe protective walls and the like. Open spaces made her uncomfortable, made her feel exposed; she didn’t like feeling like that.

“Folks, I’ve asked these gentlemen to list down your names so we know who we have as survivors here and who has left the boat to walk about. Please be so kind to cooperate with them, we can use the information to inform authorities…. she heard the young crewman speaking aloud again and when he mentioned authorities she froze and didn’t really hear a thing he said after that.

Her heart almost skipped a beat; authorities? She didn’t want anything to do with them; she had to keep a low profile and avoid any Alliance entanglements. But wait, she had forgotten that she was here under an alias. Beatrix Kiddo, that was the name, but her deception might hold up on a cruise ship but the authorities might know that the name given was that of an old dead woman and was not the young living woman before them.

What could she do? For the time being nothing; she would continue the deception and give them the Beatrix Kiddo identity. She began to form more of a plan as she sat on a crate in the cargo bay and thought more about what she could tell the people here if they began to question her more. She sat with the small silver case across her lap, still holding on to it and hoping that all this trouble was worth what might be within.

The lowering cargo ramp snapped her back to reality for a moment; she had no intention of leaving the ship unless instructed to do so; perhaps she could find a reason to stay aboard, a way she could be useful to the crew, but what?



(A little something to catch up and bring her up to the same time frame. If I missed something and need to address it, please let me know. )

Rocinante Infirmary, 1:10 am ST Fu Sheng opened his eyes and looked around the room. Willow was there at his side looking worried but serene at the same time.

"Have we landed?" The monk asks weakly.

(assuming an affirmative reply)

“I must speak to the Captain immediate. It is of the utmost importance.”

(assuming a You need to rest and the captain will come you soon)

Sifu hand grasped Willows arm firmly but not harshly. It was as if the importance of what the monk was trying to say was telegraphed in the single action. “No Miss Willow. What I have to say may well hold the balance of life or death for everyone on the ship.” He said and released her arm.

Willow nodded and reached for the intercom.

Rocinante Cargo Bay 1:30 am ST
Asher opened the cargo bay door to a bluish purple sky slowly turning bluer as the dawn approached. The sun was coming on the horizon, Bai Hu - the centre of the ‘verse for the alliance. The air was cool but warming yet it seemed... odd, a bit thin and lacking the scent of vegetation – like the world was actually an air-conditioned building. The hills in the distance were a reddish-brown as was most of the land around but pockets of lichen and ground cover were easily seen.

In the distance was the huge building that housed the atmospheric processors that were used during the first stages of terra-forming. Lights shone from light and beacons attached to the building so it had power for sure. People began to come out of the ship and mill around, not really knowing where they were going but feeling a need to get out of the cargo bay. It was pretty cramped n there with so many people and the air was a bit stale. Wolf had pulled off a miracle of his own by rigging the scrubbers to work with so many people, but the big mechanic wasn’t looking around for an ovation. Asher looked over his shoulder and saw Wolf and John coming with toolkits in hand.

*Changing over to Planet time*

LV-426,Outside of Atmospheric Processor B2 6:30am PT
Wolf and John left the ship to do a walk around and check the damage. Although they were dreading it, the walk around had to be done.

The Primary Buffer Panel was still intact. Debris from the Cruise liner had severed the cabling and connectors but the panel was in good shape still. It would require re-cabling and welding but all was doable.

The core would take a few hours to cool down before Wolf could be sure but he was certain that the containment jacket around the core was punctured and would need replacing. The jacket (a mechanical sandwich of lithium alloys, boron and plastic) was panelled and Wolf had a few extra panels to use. Hardest part of that would be the waiting.

The port side drive pod was still there. Had it been sheared off completely, the chances of getting off the planet would have been slim to none. The side of it looked like a Giant for Earth That Was long past came along and kicked it hard with a steel boot. Then was an indentation in the exterior panel the size of the hovermule. The turbine within had half of its blades ripped off or mangled beyond salvage. The drive shaft was intact but without a turbine, it was useless. The doors that seal it for space flight were destroyed as well. John and Wolf both looked to the Atmospheric Processor in the distance and exchanged a smile. If anything had a lot of different turbine in it, that would be it.

There was minor damage to the hull from the bounce but not that would affect flight worthiness in the short time. The landing had been so good that the landing gear were fine – Something that John and Wolf had expected ripped off by the impact.

So it was a mix of good news and bad news. The worst part was time because there was no way they were going to get the ship to lift off in less than two days, possible three. They would have to cut away all the damaged drive pod first, then find a turbine, and then seal it all back up.

(I am going to assume that Willow and Wyatt will tell the crew of the news quietly, Wyatt telling Asher, Willow telling Tess, and they in turn tell John, Wolf and Trish if you were planning a big meeting instead, I will change that part. Either way, the crew will know by the end of this post.
Basic summary – Tess has determined that somewhere out in the black is a ship, blocking you from accessing the cortex. Add to this that someone also tried to radio another ship but Tess jammed the signal before much got out, and you have a spy/inside man on the moon with you.

Sifu mysteriously knows that you have someone on the moon with you who wanted something off that liner and “it” is now on your ship. That person killed a lot of people to try and get it and they are more than willing to kill some more.)

LV-426,Outside of Cargo Bay 6:30am PT
Asher brought down the Hover mule from its mooring as Wyatt looked out on the purple sky and reddish ground and watched his “passengers” milling around. Most were scared, confused and had no idea what to do right now. But somewhere among the crowd was a person who meant harm to him and his own. But which one? Who could it be? Was it only one of them? The news that the monk had given did not sit well, and the fact that they were sitting ducks on this moon made it all the worse.

Captain Havlock approaches Wyatt cautiously, with Lord Hood following behind. When he first came abroad, Winston Havelock was drunk and stumbling but the time passed and events had cleared his mind and gait. He nodded a greeting and said, “Sorry to bother you Captain, but I wanted to ...well... to let you know that if there is anything I can do of service while we are here, please do not hesitate to ask. I may be an old fool now, but I would like to be of some use around here.”

(assuming some sort of acknowledgment and noncommittal acceptance)

“I say, by your choice of clothing I believe we were on the same side once. I don’t know what rank you held then, but as far as I am concern, you are giving the orders here. I remember back in Serenity Valley I had ...”

Lord Hood cleared his throat and put a arm on Havlock’s shoulder. “I think the Captain needs to be going.”

Havelock looks over to where Asher has pulled the mule up and out of the Cargo Bay doors, “Oh! Yes. Of course. Recon, a very good plan. Carry on Captain.”

The Lord steps back with Havlock and smiled sincerely at Asher and Wyatt before heading back to help the other passengers get settled.

(add anything you wish to say or do at this point)

Asher fired up the hovermule as Wyatt got himself into the seat and they began their circuit of the area. The air was warming up nicely as the sun rose on the light purple horizon. As the drove down the sandy airstrip where Rocinante had skipped, they can see the deep impression and molten glass where the bottom of the boat had burned the sand. The area was very flat in about a 2 kilometer radius, and the hills to the east were dotted with holes as John had suggested they would be, the first residences of the Terra-formers. The place was windy, but quiet. No signs of recent movement, or tracks of any sort.

To the south, the huge atmosphere processor loomed heavily in the landscape. Just the processor building was here, not the living quarters that would could in a number of years for the stage three. As they passed the enormous building, there were no signs of forced entry. Padlocks were on all the doors. Steel shutters locked down on all the windows. It appeared that you were very much alone on this planet.

LV-426, Rocinante Bridge 6:30am PT
Tess worked her way through the sensors and tried to find out what she could. Nothing was setting off then thermal sensors, nor the long range motion detectors. The system wasn’t really made for on surface scanning though. It seemed like there was no one home. But the shielding of the Atmospheric processor could hide an army and the caves would be almost as effective so Tess could not be completely sure.

The static of the cortex signal continued and Tess could not do anything to get pass it. She had tried many methods to send a signal out, but most would be so slow or so faint that it would be a miracle if anyone got them. One hope she held on to was the escape pods from the Cruise liner. They would have been carrying beacons and sent off in multiple directions. If the Blocker was chasing Rocinante then one of those beacons had to get out of range soon.

As he and John walked around the Rocinante, Wolf could not help but think if not for the new pilot's skill at getting them landed planet side. They could very well have been stranded here like their Cruise liner “guests“. Wolf began a mental countdown of needed repairs.

The Primary Buffer Panel, still intact, cabling and connectors severed. Re-cable.
Containment Jacket, punctured, replace.
Port side Drive Pod beat up but intact. Interior turbine total loss replacement needed.
Replacement turbine space flight doors needed.
Minor damage to the hull, negligible no need to repair at present time.
High end estimate repair time 3-4 days.

Looking to the near by Atmospheric Processor Wolf knew any hope for a new turbine lay there and he could only report as such to Wyatt. With a quick consult with John he moved inside and gave his report.

“Cap’n it don’t look good but it’s not as bad as it could be. Thanks to Tess’s landing skill” A nod of his head to her to acknowledge her skill “We got lucky to only have the damage we got. Biggest prob though be the port side turbine it’s toast. We’re gonna need a new one. Only place we got a hope of finding one though, be that Atmos Processor over there. I’d like to take John and Asher, all of us fully armed, over there to find out if there be one we can snag. No point doing all the repairs if there’s no turbine to put in there. With your permission Cap’n?"...........

Gradually the people made their way out into the morning sun. Peering back into the cargo bay the kid saw Wyatt gesture. Ash nodded and went to the control panel. With the flip of couple switches the metallic grinding of straining cables. The land roving mule began it growling descent into the cargo bay.
As the machine was lowering Ash noticed the pretty young lady with the troublesome metal case had stay inside.

“Miss… you need to step back.. that mule don’t kick but it is might heavy. I’d hate to see it do you harm.” As she stepped back he continued, “It ain’t nun a my business but I figure you need to know that that fella in the white suit wants to claim that case of yours. He wanted me to get it from ya; I as far as I care it’s legal salvage. But you should watch him and his two thugs.”

(Teller might want to respond. We can fill conversation as needed.)

When the mule was down the kid unfastened the cables and slipped in the pilot’s seat. If felt good to take the controls again, “This should be easier than that bank job,” he whispered as he pulled the machine up to pickup Wyatt.