Episode2Act2Part1

CAST

• Michi Nom
• Karl
• Dorota Kowal
• Sarah Lee
• Carina Yuzu

ABOARD THE KOBUKSON

Aboard the ship, Michi sits in the cockpit, exploring Cortex information about the town. "We can't get it with a shuttle. There's too much of it. The Alliance is checking anything coming into port." He frowns, tapping the screen thoughtfully before speaking into his earpiece. "Eveyone back to the ship. We've got plans to make."

Carina is also checking on various data from the Cortex feeds, but she has not yet spoken of what she's thinking or planning, perhaps because she's not yet done. But she is very intent.

Dorota arrives at the ship. She hasn't said much during the walk, perhaps not wanting to be overheard, perhaps just mulling over what's going on.

Having done a lot of talking already, for Karl at least, he is silent on the way back to the ship as well. The whole inspection had him a bit disgruntled but he didn't do anything to make waves. They are going to have a hard enough time as it is. Upon reaching the ship he heads directly to the communal area outside the cockpit "Captain." he greets with just the one word.

Sarah doesn't say a whole much on the walk back, looking more thoughtful than anything. Though when she spots Michi on the ship, she nods and actually speaks up, "So what's going on?"

Michi moves the meeting into the common area. There's more space there. Everyone can sit down. "Here's the thing. We have to move two cargos. Both of the illegal. We have to do it quickly, quietly, and under the nose of the gorram Alliance who are inspecting everything. If we don't, we lose the ship and I lose vital organs." Dorota nods. Very quietly. "And we know what one of them is." Only once they're in the ship, the doors are closed, etc.

Carina comes into the common area as asked, and settles in against the wall in a corner, a tablet in her lap as she taps and taps and taps away at something.

Michi makes a 'go on' gesutre.

"I will lay a bet *right now* that the cargo Felix sent us here to get is that prototype engine." Dorota's tone is flat. "He has to want it. He has to want it *even more than I do*." Sarah glances over at Dorota, then hmms, "Makes sense at least."

"... stolen from the Alliance. Or someone who can afford to put them in their pocket. Great." Michi rubs his eyes. "Give me any intel you learned tonight. Everything. Don't leave anything out."

Michi says "All of you."

"There is a raid planned. I guess the Alliance has an idea of where it is and they are going to try and get it back." Karl throws out as part of leaving nothing out.

"When. Where. Details." Michi says.

"Tonight." Carina comments, and goes back to her tablet for a while, pouting annoyedly at whatever it is showing her as she taps along.

"A raid planned within the next 24 hours," Dorota added. "So we don't have time to wait this out." Which would be her normal plan under the circumstances. Lie low. "Location, we don't have."

Michi looks down at the map of the town again. "How many places could house that much crap?" She mutters.

"It's an engine. Hide it in plain sight," Dorota says, simply. "I would hide it in the repair yard. But they might not think like me."

"Where it is, only half the problem. We need to get it on the ship. Need to get it into the Black. Need to not get stopped by the Alliance." Michi notes. "Carrie, when are you going to tell us what sorcery you're cooking up?"

"Worst is, the gravity well is above Earth normal, despite the small size of this moon." Carina comments. "I was trying to work out guesstimates of the mass of the engine, and the ballistics of launching it into the Black without a constant power signature. Instead, use a time-delayed burst transmission beacon. Knowing where it will be and when, a quick burst should be all we need to scoop it up. They'd almost certainly never detect it. But ... I can't work out enough power to get it up that won't trip their sensors."

"What about giving their sensors something else to focus on while we launch?" Michi asks. "Sleight of hand."

"We also need the mass for the other cargo."

"And we still have the other cargo..." says Dorota. In stereo, apparently, where available.

Michi slides his tablet over to Carina. "I've got measurements. Mass and volume. They gave it to us so we could figure out launch vectors."

Karl listens to the back and forth as he mulls over the other information that he has "What could we do with an Alliance person that could be willing to look the other way?"

Sarah hmms and passes a look at Karl, "Quite a lot, really. Depending on how high they are placed."

Carina says "Any distraction we put up is going to get blasted to smithereens." Carina comments. But she does take Michi's tablet and start working out a second ballistics and trajectory problem."

"Which means finding something we don't care if it gets blasted to smithereens," Dorota says simply. "Chaff, as it were."

"Quiet and broody," hello kettle this is pot "at the bar wants out of the Alliance. I don't know the specifics but he wants out bad enough that it is driving him to drink." Karl says to Sarah.

"What does quiet and broody do for the Alliance?" Michi asks Karl.

Karl doesn't answer immediatly, glancing at Dorota as he thinks back over the conversation they had "He didn't come right out an say, but he implied he was part of the crew inspecting freighters, looking for the engine."

"I know how he feels," Dorota quips. "About wanting out." She hasn't talked much about her military service, other than to mention its existence as, well, valuable experience.

Michi leans back in his chair and closes his eyes, thinking. "We need three things. We need the Alliance on the ground distracted. We need the Alliance in orbit distracted. And we need the cargo. Carina, if you and Dorota can get the cargo into the black, I can distract the Alliance in the air. All we need is another ship working with us. We race each other right under the Alliance's nose, their sensors will be focused on us. On the ground... maybe a brawl at the bar. Something loud and noisy. And if Karl's new friend can help out somehow, we can offer to take him with us."

When Carina holds up her hand to indicate she's still doing the math, Michi turns to the others. "Karl, Sarah. Can we start trouble at the bar? Can we get Mister Weary Alliance to help us?"

"Another ship working with us...I think that one's on you, Captain. Any old racing buddies in port?" Dorota says. Race pilots do tend to KNOW each other, after all.

Sarah hmms, "Starting trouble at the bar shouldn't be a problem. I could probably arrange for a bit of an... additional incentive in that regard." She smiles faintly, percolating some ideas.

"Our patron will know someone who can help us." Michi says. "He's waiting for our plan anyway. It all has to happen tonight. Alliance isn't known for patience. If they're planning to raid tonight we need to move soon."

Karl gives a nod at the causing trouble part. It's a bar, booze is flowing trouble is easy to cause though he can only shrug at the question about the Alliance man "Possible.

"Good." Michi says. "As soon as Carina has her math worked out, we'll set things in motion. Contact our patron, get ready to race, to riot, and to launch things into orbit. Its going to be a long night. I don't think anyone's getting much sleep."

Dorota shrugs. "I've functioned on caffeine shots before, I can again." Sleepless nights are not uncommon for mechanics, after all.

Sarah nods, "I'm sure I can arrange for something that'll help temporarily. Though we'll probably all sleep like the dead afterwards."

"I'll make due with coffee and tea." Michi says to the doctor. "I don't need drugs clouding my system if I'm flying fast in the sky. The adrenaline will keep me awake."

Getting to his feet Karl begins to head into the kitchen area "I guess it is back to the bar for me. Put first I'll start a pot of coffee." a glance to the Captain "Extra strong."