RPG Cowboy Bebop: Project COWBOY [M-LV]

[Angelus_Necare]

[center][size=1][color=darkslategray]
[b]Cowboy Bebop: Project COWBOY[/b]
[u]Session 1[/u]
"Come Together"


:Cast:

kairiKIce2 as [i]Richard Bane[/i]
Domon as [i]Jayme[/i]
Sonata as [i]Natalie Blue[/i]
Blackjack as [i]Jakob Colway[/i]
Angelus_Necare as [i]Carmen Rainst[/i][/center][/size][/color]

[size=1][color=darkorange]

Carmen Rainst didn't particularly beleive in God, but if he did exist she was sure he was having one hell of a laugh right about now...

Little Tokyo was schedualed for rain that day, but it seemed that the artificial clouds were just going to hang gloomily above to keep what moisture they had to themselves. Leave it to modern science to still get the weather wrong. The harbor didn't seem too affected by the environment in any case. A salty mugginess sat above the water, covering anything and everything with a damp sticky residue. It seemed this place was always going to be wet, rain or not.

Few gulls hung about the peir, their only presence to coax or theft away food from travelers. It seemed however that the white-downed theifs were about as motivated as the air that hung about them. Rows of dozing gulls littered the empty docks, very few even bothering to scatter as a flying taxicab soared low over the peir.

Carmen scanned the peir numbers as she flew along, quietly counting to herself as the whitewash numbers zipped along below her.

[i]239...240...241...[/i]

She was to say the least excited about the whole experience. It just wasn't everyday that an offer such as this just landed in her lap. The increased bounty prices and weekly pay were the selling point for her, that was just what she started bounty hunting for. Three years previous a bounty had crawled into her cab and left her with the option of hauling him in or taking him to his chosen destination.

Well, for Carmen opertunity doesn't knock, it leans on the doorbell.

[i]...242...243![/i]

"What?!" She gasped as shee looked down at the cruizer nestled snuggly into peir 243. If it was even fit enough to be called a cruizer...

A rusty old fishing boat bobbed idly against the choppy wave of the harbor it floated in. The dingy brown hull was riddled with rust spots and the deck looked as though it was painted over long ago with chips of gray paint currling up towards the sky. The rather beaten exterior left little to the imagination of what was on the inside. Perhaps it was the wrong ship? maybe some shmuck parked it there illegaly? Carmen felt her insides turn when she gazed at the neatly scribed lettering on the side of the ship.

"The Bebop"

Yep, if there is a God, he must be cracking up.

A black clad man holding a clipboard walked out of the ship's docking bay and waved at the Hornet, instructing Carmen to land on the chipped dock. With a sigh and a turn of the wheel she sent the taxicab on its descent to the Bebop.

The man pulled out a pen tucked by his ear as he walked towards the landing zipcraft. He then smiled politely at the red haired woman as she hopped from the seat onto the solid deck.

"Good afternoon Miss..."

Carmen straightened out her worn yellow taxicab jacket and stuck her Zip key in the back of her jeans pocket before she stomped towards the man who greeted her.

"Rainst, Carmen Rainst." She grumbled, looking over the deck more thouroghly. She scuffed her boot over old ash marks that seemed to have been created by ciggarettes long ago. She grinned, at least she shared something in common with the previous owners of this ship, they both enjoyed smoking. She fished a smoke out of her pocket and lit up before she paid the man or the deck any more attention.

"Right then..." The man quirped checking off the name 'Rainst' on his board, before he lifted his eyes again, "If you'll follow me please."

"Waitasec..." Carmen mumbled around her ciggarette, "Are you Captain Emerson?"

The man blushed slightly with a small embarassed smile, "Uh, no, I'm Leiutenant Daniel Abram. Captain Emerson couldn't come to greet any of the teams today."

"Uh-huh" Carmen snorted smoke out of her nose, " So where's everybody else?"

"They haven't arrived yet, please, this way" Abram coaxed, trying to get her to follow him inside. Carmen finished off her ciggarette, crushing the butt under her boot to join the rest of the stains. She then walked into the docking bay where three to four unattended Zip crafts sat idle. She glanced at the ships dully, none them seemed to be in any better shape than the hull they sat in.

"These all belong to you?" Carmen asked, nodding to the ships. Abram nodded, glancing down at his clipboard again.

"Yep, all of them were given to the ship except that one." he pointed to an old yellow hulk of a craft, "That's the Hammerhead, It was sold along with the Bebop by an old ISSP cop."

"You don't say..." Carmen added a bit distantly as she looked over the three other ships.

The first one was a deep blue, proudly brandishing a speckling of dents along its exterior. While it seemed in pretty good shape, a turret on the left wing hung a bit loose and threatened to fall at any given moment. Gold lettering along the right wing identified it as the "Fish eye", holding along with the theme of it's rather roundish appearance as a whole.

The second ship was a little worse for wear as far as asthetics were concerned. It looked as though the paint was scratched, repainted, buffered away then repainted again, all in slightly different shades of green. the craft looked as though it was painted in a camoflauge fashion, but was only coincidence and a poor paint job. The build was bulky and looked as though it would do a poor job at flying at high speeds, yet brand new rocket launchers were affixed to the front, giving it a decent selling-point.

The last ship was a racer, and looked relatively healthy as far as used Zip crafts went. It looked like a white needle, a bit longer than it was wide, giving it the notion of being quite fast. Although the craft could speed easily, it didn't seem that it was very manuverable, and would most likely end up flying away were it in an airfight.

Well, heaven help the people who're going to fight over these...

"Miss Rainst?" Abram adressed the woman who was already digging for another Cigarette, "If you'd like you can roam the ship now."

"Nah..." Carmen huffed smoke through her lips and waffted her hand to clear the air, "I wanna see what kind of people I'm working with."[/color][/size]

[Raiyuu]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1][I][B]The pay on this thing better be as good as they said it was,[/B][/I] Jakob thought, staring morosely at the lonely couple of bills left in his wallet. [I][B]It's taken half the money I saved from working at the casino just to buy the shuttle trip planetside![/B][/I]

Dealing blackjack had been fun, he had to admit. With the knack he had for reading people's expressions, body language, telltale habits, he'd made sure the house pretty much always won. Just a pity the house hadn't rewarded him particularly well for it.

[I][B]Ah well,[/B][/I] he thought as he looked up from his wallet at the pier numbers going past, [I][B]if this works out I'm set for life. Finally a bit of recognition![/B][/I]

Jakob put his wallet away, making sure as he did so that the flechette pistol was still safely in its holster inside his jacket. Some idiot had cut the strap in an attempt to steal the fletcher, holster and all, and he'd had to sew it back together himself. It wasn't the most secure join ever made, and Jakob felt constantly as if the pistol was going to fall out onto the street at any moment.

There was nobody waiting at Pier 243. Jakob walked down the steps onto the jetty and surveyed the hulking rustbucket docked there. It looked like ... like it had history, but that it hadn't seen much repair after any of the history had happened to it. Jakob knocked on the hull, half-expecting his knuckles to crunch through the rust.

After a few moments a man with a clipboard came out onto the jetty. Jakob had met men with clipboards before. He knew what they wanted.

[B]"Colway,"[/B] he informed the man, [B]Jakob."[/B]

The man was unflustered. [B]"Abram,"[/B] he replied, [B]"Lieutenant Daniel. Come aboard. I notice you don't currently own a zip craft?"[/B]

[B]"Is that going to count against me?"[/B]

[B]"Not at all, not at all,"[/B] Abram assured Jakob as they descended into the hold. [B]"As you're the first here without one, you get first call on the four we have."[/B]

[B][I]Oh yes,[/I][/B] thought Jakob, [B][I]this is definitely worth it. I'd have had to save for at least another six months before I could afford a craft, and here they are just giving me one![/I][/B]

Jakob inspected the four craft in the hold. After briefly considering the green ship purely for its brand-new armament, he decided that really wasn't his style. Get in, take down quickly, quietly and [I]alive,[/I] that was more the right idea.

[B]"That one,"[/B] he said, pointing to the white dart.

[B]"Not a bad choice, I guess."[/B] A red-headed woman emerged from behind the green ship, smoking a cigarette. [B]"It won't corner, though. No good in a dogfight."[/B]

Dogfights weren't Jakob's style either. That sort of thing could get you killed, and all you really needed was to pick up your bounty head and get the hell out of there. The white ship looked the best at getting the hell out of there.

[B]"Which one'd you pick?"[/B] he asked.

[B]"Brought my own. It's the cab out on the pier."[/B]

[B]"The cab?"[/B] Jakob turned to Abram. [B]"I assumed that was just how you got here."[/B]

Jakob looked back to the woman to find a cold stare piercing the rising blue cigarette smoke. He didn't need to be an expert at reading people to know he'd just pissed her off.

[B]"I'll be looking round the cruiser, if you need me..."[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Kairi]

[COLOR=Blue]PLANET PLUTO[/COLOR]
***three days ago

A couple miles underneathe the surface of New Pluto, in a triple max security prison complex...an inmate was being prepared for transport...

Standing outside of cell number 217, 8 guards in thick parkas and thermal helmets stood outside with automatic machine guns...waiting for the cell door to open. Despite the internal heating system of the complex and its prisoners...the atmosphere still was a cold, harsh environment to live in.

''Richard B. Bane, you have been assigned to the jusidiction of the ISSP corportation, effective immidiately for reasons that are held in confidentiality till arrival to Little Tokyo at pier 243...do you accept these terms?'' said the warden over the load speaker; standing in the control room above all the other cells.

No answer...

''Persue to transport the prisoner Captain Harding...''

Immidiately the cell door was unlocked with a load *clank*, easily slipping out of place. As the men moved into the icy prison...in the far corner sat a muscular looking man with only a black wife beater, blants pants and boots as his attire. His skin was that of the color purple from the cold...he was blindfolded, sitting on a chair which was basically a block of ice; hands chained together in front of him, as well as his ankels.

Slowly...with weapons drawn, the guards surrounded him as the Captain walked in; however keeping quite a distance away from him.

''Lets go Richard...time to leave.'' as the Captain removed his blindfold. Richards eyes were dark, that of the color purple.

[COLOR=Purple]I told you I'd get outta here Harding...[/COLOR]

Rising from his chair, Richard moved slowly out of the holding cell; and beginning his long mile hike up the spiral staircase assending up towards the loading dock. All the way up...the other inmates were cheering his name, clapping their metal cups up against the metal bars. The noise could be heard throughout the entire complex.

Throughout the entire way up...the guards constantly kept Richard surrounded, weapons drawn...as they got to the top; Richard tripped over his chains and fell to the ground.

''Come on baldy...get up...'' said one of the guards as he attempted to lift Richard up.

With a quick burst of energy from his thighs, Richard knocked the guards into the air with his shoulder and sent him flying over the railing...falling which seemed like forever to the bottom of the cavern.

The guards cocked their guns in discust...pointing them right at Richard, but they had their orders...they weren't to hurt him; something Bane didn't know...thank God.

With a quick up and down motion with his shoudlers...[COLOR=Purple]Oh well[/COLOR]

***
3 days later
***

''Warden.'' said the pilot...''we're approaching the Harbor now...pier 243.''

''Excellent...the sooner we get rid of this monster...the better.''

The transporter carrier was a medium size...easily parking up beside pier 243. Carmen was standing near the loading bay outside still smoking a cigarette as the carrier docked. The wind from the ship blew her hair all across her face which annoyed her greatly.

As the cargo bay doors opened from the ship...only 5 guards now came out of the ship...still surrounding Richard as he left the ship with the Warden not too far behind.

Abrams saw them immidiately, preparing himself to greet the visitors as a group of soldiers followed him. When the Warden and the Lieutenant converged, they coincidently stopped right in front of Carmen.

''Hello, I'm Lieutenant Abrams, I apologize that Captain Emerson couldn't be here personally for your arrival; but something else came to his attention, so I am here in his stead...welcome to Little Tokyo.''

''Um...sir...'' said one of Abrams men...''are you sure this is the guy'' as he took a look at Richard...''I mean...who is this guy?''

''This is Richard Bane...convicted thief and murderer; escaped convict of 2 triple max penitenturies. He has already killed 3 of my men on this little trip.'' said the Warden.

Carmen raised an eyebrow upon hearing the information.
As the Lieutenant and Warden talked over the legal paperwork and whatnot...Carmen continued to smoke on her cigaretee till she looked at Richard; standing there inbetween 5 guards with automatic weapons.

As he stood there though...he seemed to be smelling something. Turning his head slightly to catch the sent...he suddenlty looked up at Carmen staring at him...and gave a look back with those purple eyes of his.

''Take him away gentlemen...thank you very much for your co-operation warden.''

''Your welcome...'' the guards and the warden walked away, departing in their carrier as the soldier took Richard away down into the Bebop.

Walking through the hallways, Jakop was still checking out the ship when he saw Richard and a whole fleet of soldier surrounding him with Abrams walking in back of him.

[I]Who the hell is that[/I] Jakob thought to himself.

Finally the group stopped in front of a holdling cell...and strapped Richards arms far apart...letting him hanging from the ceiling.

''Now...wait here till Captain Emerson gets here...he'll explain to you why you're here. Till then...I'll be up on the deck awaiting our other guests. Or...I'll be back later...to tell you of our agreement.'' with that...Abrams was out the door...which was now being guarded by 2 soldiers on either side.

''Oh...before I forget...I'll be registering you for the Hammerhead outside for you Richard. A little space craft for ya...a gift from us at the ISSP to you.'' and then he was gone.

OCC: Sorry if that was too long...but it got r' done:)

[Lilt]

[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie rubbed her lips for the fifth time since she got in the cab. They were still sore from playing the saxapohone nearly all night. She wished that she had some chapstick. Or at least, a cigarette. Second hand smoke didn't exactly help her craving. Natalie pulled a small spray canister out of her pocket and stared at it. Her other craving was a bit deadly as well. She put it back in her pocket and rubbed her lips again.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"Somethin' wrong, lady?"[/b] The mustached taxi driver asked, looking at her in the rear-view mirror.[/font][/color][/size]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie was about to shake her head, but then she changed her mind.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"Actually...You don't happen to have a smoke I can borrow, do you?"[/b] She asked, leaning forward. The taxi driver shook his head.[/font][/color][/size]
[b][size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]"I don't smoke. Those things are bad for you. Besides, didn't you see the sign on the back seat?"[/color][/font][/size][/b]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie looked on the back seat, at that well known interplanetary symbol. No Smoking.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie leaned back in her seat. Closing her eyes, she massaged her forehead. She was starting to get a headache.[/color][/font][/size]

[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie opened her eyes slowly. Everything was a blur, but in soon came back in focus. She must have fallen asleep.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"Hey lady, we're here."[/b] The taxi driver told her.[/font][/color][/size]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie looked out the window. Now she knew that he was trying to pull something on her. Abandon her at some old dock, and take her money or something.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"This doesn't look like the place...Are you sure we're at the right dock?"[/b] Natalie asked.[/font][/color][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"Yes, it's the right place. Pier 243. Just like you asked. I wouldn't do anything to someone like you anyways, I have a daughter that's your age."[/b] The taxi driver replied, guessing Natalie's thoughts.[/font][/color][/size]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Natalie stepped out of the cab, and payed the driver. He took off, and she walked over to the spot where a red-haired woman and a guy in a spiffy suit were talking to each other.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b][i]"It looks like I'm not the only one who's without a ride."[/i][/b] Natalie thought, as she passed up the cab.[/font][/color][/size]
[b][i][size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]"It's weird that the driver just abandoned it, though. Maybe he had to use the bathroom."[/color][/font][/size][/i][/b]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]When she got over to the two, the woman just stared at her, and the man shook her hand. He explained everything to her, took her name, and asked her to pick out a zip craft.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"You mean I don't have to buy one of my own? That's nice. I'll take the blue one. It matches my hair."[/b] Natalie smiled, pushing her long, dark blue hair out of her face. It was so dark, that sometimes people mistook it for black hair, in the wrong light.[/font][/color][/size]
[size=2][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]The woman raised an eyebrow at Natalie.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"Have you had any training in bounty hunting at all?"[/b] She asked.[/font][/color][/size]
[size=2][color=royalblue][font=Verdana][b]"Nope. But that's why I'm here. So I can learn a few new tricks. I'm Natalie Blue. I thought you would want to know my name, before I bummed a cigarette off of you."[/b] Natalie said, as she looked up at the woman.[/font][/color][/size]

[Domon]

[SIZE=1]Jayme walked out of the sushi bar and into the dreary day. It seemed that it was going to rain, though the clouds weren't doing anything. Still a little surprised he'd gotten into the project. Traced his index finger over his cross necklace his mother had given him. He then reached towards his shoulder holster and massaged the handle, he'd finally get to do some bounty hunting and probably land a good amount of money too which meant more money in the bank. Looking up he noticed that the clouds just seemed to be doing nothing other than just hanging in the sky; Jayme let out a mental groan, he'd lugged his umbrella around with him for no apparent reason. Just then, as if on cue the clouds opened up and down came a torrent of rain. "Shit!" Jayme cursed as he reached for his umbrella handle and opening it, but the attempt to stay dry was wasted as a car zipped past and hit a puddle which proceeded to splash Jayme in the face. As he unleashed his fury in a chain of curses a woman with her three year-old child crossed the street and then walked past him as he signaled for a taxi. "Where to bub?" The man asked as Jayme slumped down in backseat. "Take me to the harbor" He said as he stared out as the rain pattered against the window. When the car finally came to a stop at the harbor Jayme opened the door and then opened his umbrella and stepped out but not before the driver made a noise of attention. "You gonna pay the fifty woolongs or not?" Jayme reached into his pocket and paid the man the cash and went back to the task which was to get to 243, aka The Bebop, whatever the hell kind of name that was. As he reached the ship Jayme about died from shock. The ship was horrible looking and looked like it didn't even belong in the dock. [I]"Is this the right one or did I misread the instructions? No, I'm sure it said 243."[/I] Jayme thought as he stepped near the ship when a man in black stepped out. "State your name please" He said in a gruff voice. "Jayme" The man pulled up a datapad and looked it over and nodded. "Wait a minute, are you Captain Emerson?" The man shook his head. "No, I'm Leiutenant Daniel Abram, Captain Emerson is unavailible at the moment." Jayme took note of this mentally and followed the man to where a red-haired woman and girl were sitting and smoking, gagging a little on the smoke he shot them both and acid look. Jayme knew right away this was going to be one hell of a trip with these two smokers.. Dropping himself down onto a couch he could smell cigarette smoke coming off the couch. At that time Abram showed him a small screen of zip ships and asked him to pick one. Skimming over his choices, Jayme picked the sleek racer one just because of how cool it looked. After those pleasantries were over Jayme looked over at the ladies, "You do know that those are bad for your health, plus they ruin your looks.." In that instant the women shot him a death glare and he could feel a bead of sweat running down the back of his neck, deciding that he should get out of there as soon as he could he looked over towards Abram. "Hey man, where's the kitchen?" Abram looked back over at him, "No clue, I do think its down the corridoor." With that Jayme set off in search of the galley.[/SIZE]

[Raiyuu]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]OOC: I called the racer, Domon. Read my post.

[SIZE=1][CENTER]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/CENTER]

[B][I]The bald guy looks like one to steer clear of,[/I][/B] decided Jakob, wandering the [I]Bebop[/I]. [B][I]If he needs that much security, if he's that dangerous, why'd they even let him on this project?[/I][/B]

He was in a lounge area, with a couple of battered sofas, a coffee table and a weblink screen in one corner. Even that looked beat-up: there was little insulation on the wiring and there was what looked suspiciously like a ricochet mark on the screen's dirty plastic casing. [B][I]Who owned this hunk of junk last? And what exactly did they DO with it, it leave it in this state?[/I][/B]

A tall guy with auburn-brown hair stooped under the doorway and came down the steps into the lounge, looking around with distaste at the surroundings. He kept sniffing, as if to rid himself of an unpleasant smell lodged in his nostrils.

[B]"You know where the kitchen is?"[/B] the guy asked Jakob.

[B]"It's through there,"[/B] Jakob replied, gesturing through a doorway towards the [I]Bebop[/I]'s excuse for a galley. [B]"Are you on the Project?"[/B]

[B]"Sure. I think we're all here now."[/B]

[B]"Great. What ship'd you pick?"[/B]

[B]"The white one. Cool, isn't it?"[/B]

The guy started towards the galley, but Jakob stopped him, placing a hand on his chest. [B][I]What am I doing? This guy's huge. I'm a shrimp. But there's kind of a matter of principle here. And I'm NOT getting lumbered with that 'Fish Eye' piece of crap![/I][/B]

[B]"I think there's been a mix-up,"[/B] suggested Jakob amiably. [B]"I called the racer."[/B]

[B]"So did I. Abram didn't seem to care."[/B]

[B]"I care."[/B] Jakob felt his hand take out his fletcher. It was almost involuntary. Everything had been going so well - unexpectedly accepted for the project, great rate of pay, free zip craft - but then they'd brought that bald psycho aboard, and the whole thing stopped seeming quite so much fun, and now this guy was making trouble, trying to cheat him out of [I]his[/I] ship. He wasn't having it. [B]"I was here first. I called it."[/B]

[B]"Ease up, yeah?"[/B] said the tall guy, staring cross-eyed at the dartgun's barrel. [B]"It's just a mix-up. We can sort it."[/B]

[B]"What's going on?"[/B] Abram had appeared at the top of the stairs. Suddenly self-conscious, Jakob hastily holstered the fletcher; the badly-stitched strap gave way under the strain and the holster and gun both clattered to the floor.

The redhead he'd annoyed earlier appeared behind Abram. There was another woman, with black hair - wait, no, when the light caught it [I]just so[/I] it was really dark blue - also in the doorway with her. [B]"Don't sweat it, Lieutenant,"[/B] the redhead said around her cigarette. [B]"It's just boys arguing over their toys."[/B]

[B][I]Not the best of starts to this gig,[/I][/B] Jakob thought morosely. [B][I]Is there anyone on the project I HAVEN'T pissed off yet? And I've been here what, ten minutes?

Maybe I should just try and make friends with the psycho...[/I][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Angelus_Necare]

[color=darkorange][size=1]Carmen chuckled as she lit her last cigarette and blew the smoke up towards the slowly rotating fan that hung over the small living space below.

"Why don't you two go outside and think over your choices eh?" She asked leaning over the railing and peering down into the room below. The two men chose to ignore her, which was fine by all means as it wasn't really her problem to begin with.

"So you have a name?" Natalie asked stubbing out what was left of her cigarette on the railing. Carmen paused thoughtfully as she took a drag.

"Carmen Rainst." She blew more smoke up into the air, "You?"

"Blue, Natalie Blue." The other woman responded brushing her hair back from her face again, "Nice to meet you. And thanks for the smokes."

Carmen merely waved a hand as if to say 'no problem at all' when Abram's comm unit began to buzz wildly. he scrambled for the unit at his hip and held it to his ear to accept the call.

"Lieutenant Abram, can I help you?" He paused as a muffled growl of a voice responded.

"Oh, yessir, yes I understand." He spoke into the comm turning his back to the women who stood beside him, "Aye sir, I will, Goodbye."

Abram turned back to Carmen and Natalie, looking a little worse for wear but functionable. He reattached the unit to his belt before he looked up at anyone.

"Well, I have to go talk to Mr. Bane downstairs. You know, give him rules and such before I release him, since the Captain can't make it..." Abram said to excuse himself, Yet Carmen wouldn't let him off that easily.

"Well waitasec, what's that guy's major deal anyways?" she hoisted herself up onto the railing to sit, "I mean, He's not going to try and kill us in our sleep is he?"

Abram looked a bit shocked at her statement, and thought at long lengths before he spoke.

"Who's this Bane guy?" Natalie broke in, "And why would he hurt us?"

"Maybe you two should come with me down to the coolers, he-"

"Coolers?" The two cut Abram off rudely.

"Yes, coolers, this used to be an old fishing boat that could transport fresh fish to the colonies. We've got him down there so he can sustain his slowly rising body temperature..." He looked at the two vacant faces, it seemed that they wouldn't understand untill they saw Bane themselves and heard the rules. With a sigh, he gave the women a wave to follow him down into the lower areas of the ship.[/color][/size]

[color=darkred][size=1 ]I suggest everyone post and look at the underground thread if you haven't done so already. Thanks![/color][/size]

[Domon]

Jayme felt a little surprised that the small guy was so quick to pull a gun on him. As he walked into the galley Jayme rubbed his hands together and started to rummage around the galley, while he did he realized that most of the major food supplies were gone. The left upper corner of his mouth twitching Jayme stormed out of the galley and looked at Jakob. "Where's Abram?!?!" Jakob looked at him rather shocked and mentioned something about the coolers, but didn't get much else out because Jayme was storming down the corridor and towards the lift. Jayme stood in lift twirling his pistol around in his hand until the lift stopped and the doors opened. Holstering his pistol Jayme stormed out and to where two armed guards stood, they came to attention and gave Jayme a look of "Don't go in there." But Jayme chose to ignore them and stormed through the door and looked at Abram and went off right there in front of the girls and some guy who was chained up. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing by not properly stocking the freaking galley!? I wouldn't even bother feeding a squirrel the food that's left in there! You better have one big ass delivery truck coming here or there's going to be hell to pay!!" With this Abram recovered and gave Jayme a death glare and seemed to repress his anger and looked Jayme in the eye. "Jayme, I do believe that the food has been delivered and has been stored in the cargo hold, why don't you and Jakob go deal with it now before I string you up to the wall next!!!" Recovering from the response from Abram, Jayme stormed out of the cooler and back towards the lift muttering a few gutteral curses at Abram.

[Kairi]

[COLOR=Purple]I don't know about this crew of yours Abrams...they look a little skiddish.[/COLOR]

Abrams brought his attention back to Richard as he turned away from Jayme who was stomping down the corridor.

By the time Abrams, Natalie, and Carmen had gotten to the cooler...Abrams had filled them in on little information that he had on Bane. A once escaped convict, killer or multiple people, a grand thief; people preferred to think of him as a ghost...something that just wasn't there.

But Richard Bane was very real...and the fear which he brought with him was very real. When they opened the door to the cooler, both Natalie and Carmen both saw why he was being held down here. Banes' skin was bright red...as Abrams explained to them...Bane had been imprisoned on New Pluto for years, bringing him from such a cold atmosphere to warmth would kill him.

''You still haven't answered my question Abrams...'' Carmen seemed to be getting annoyed at Abrams avoiding her question...stopping himself from turning his attention to Richard, he looked at Carmen ''why the hell is this guy here.''

''To be quite honest Carmen...he doesn't even know himself'' Abrams showing a slight smile...but you shall see.

Finally turning his attention to Richard...Abrams pulled out a sheet of paper from his jacket...as they were all walking down the corridor to the cooler, Abrams had instructed his men to take off their jackets to give to Carmen and Natalie.

''Now as I was saying...before we were rudely interrupted. I would like to inform you of your rights and responsibities being part of ISSP corporation; joining Project: COWBOY.''

[COLOR=Purple]Just get on with it...these chains aren't very comfortable Lieutanant. [/COLOR]

''As you wish.......as of now, by the order of Captain Emerson and the ISSP, you are now under our jurisdiction. The team in which you are being assigned too is designed for the apprehension of all bounties in which you come across; from this day forward...you are a bounty hunter. You will not kill or hurt, any of your fellow teamates; and you certainly will not kill any bounties which you come across. In doing so, no rewards of pay will come to you and your crew...and you will be sent back to New Pluto. What say you?''

Bane was in silence for a while...obviously thinking about the terms.
[COLOR=Purple]Personally, I say......ghost me mother fucker![/COLOR]

With Abrams shaking his head...''its a shame...with your expertise in tracking, fighting, weaponary, espionage, and high intellegence; you Bane, will be a valued member of this team. Your presence will indeed bring most bounties to their knees...and that ISSP desperately wants. So, we'll make a deal with you...if you play by our rules; we will cleanse your criminal record completely.''

[COLOR=Purple]You're saying you'd cut me loss?[/COLOR]

''I'm saying...that you will become a free man once your service here is over with. Working with no restraints, no guards; only with the trust that you will not hurt anyone else on this ship...or to kill any more people.''

[COLOR=Purple]How do you know you can trust me?[/COLOR]

''Because Bane...'' Abrams pulled out a set of keys and began to unlock Richard's restraints...''I know that you want to be freed, to feel alive once again...'' Abrams finished freeing him...''and I know that you won't do anything foolish to risk that hope.''

Bane stretched himself out...rubbing his wrists from where the chains where holding him from.

''So...do we have a deal?'' as Abrams outstretched a hand.

[COLOR=Purple]Agreed[/COLOR]...but Richard just walked on by...not taking Abrams hand. Walking past the guards...Bane turned slightly towards the two women standing there and continued to walk down the corridor, making his way up to the kitchen, all he really wanted was a coffee.

[COLOR=Purple][I]mmmm....its been a long time since i've smelled beautiful. [/I] [/COLOR]

[Raiyuu]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkGreen]The webscreen didn't even [I]work.[/I] All the power toggle did was make the screen strobe a whole spectrum of fluorescents, and Jakob didn't dare try and fiddle with any of the dangerously exposed wiring. He gave up and moved to the kitchen. He left his fletcher with its broken holster on the coffee table. He could fix it later.

The galley was disappointing: a fridge (empty), an oven (greasy), a sink (slimy) and a few cupboards with wobbly doors, containing a few chipped plates and mugs.

[B]"They don't expect us to fast, thankfully,"[/B] said a voice from the doorway. Jakob turned to see the guy he'd threatened leaning casually on the doorframe. [B]"There're supplies in the hold. Abram wants us two to start unloading."[/B]

He turned and started striding away. Jakob scrambled to follow him.

[B]"Uh, I think we got off on the wrong ... I mean, I'm sorry for threatening you earlier. I was a bit highly-strung after they brought that psycho aboard..."[/B]

Slow, assured footsteps made the two of them turn around. There was a bald man with bright red skin and purple eyes just entering the galley. He made eye contact with Jakob for just a moment, and Jakob flinched away. The man had the ultimate poker face, there was nothing there for Jakob to read. He was a closed book. One of those ones with a lock on the cover.

[B]"They let him out?"[/B] Jakob's voice caught and he coughed to clear his throat. [B]"Just who is he anyway?"[/B]

[B]"They called him Bane, I think, Richard Bane. He's a con. Had to keep him in the cooler while his body temperature got up to normal."[/B] The tall guy moved off in the direction of the hold.

[CENTER]~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/CENTER]

Once they reached the hold, finding a disappointingly small pallet of supply crates, Jakob bit the bullet and stuck out an awkward hand.

[B]"Jakob Colway,"[/B] he said. [B]"I'm not normally in the habit of pointing guns at strangers. Unless there's a chance I'll get paid for it, that's why we're..."[/B] Realising he was doing the whole 'nervous gushing' thing he usually took to mean the speaker was a complete social retard, he trailed off.

The tall guy looked at him for a moment, then took the hand and shook it once, as if just for appearances. [B]"Jayme,"[/B] he replied, [B]"now help me shift these."[/B]

[CENTER]~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/CENTER]

Jakob nearly dropped his end of the crate when he and Jayme got back to the lounge. Richard Bane was sitting on the couch, his posture and every movement radiating strength and control, holding Jakob's fletcher.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Purple]This,[/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen] Bane said evenly, without taking his eyes from the gun,[/COLOR] [COLOR=Purple]is a pathetic weapon. A gun for the man with no conviction.[/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkGreen]He looked around, purple eyes locking onto Jakob's where he and Jayme stood frozen in the doorway.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Purple]There had better be some coffee in that crate.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Lilt]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=royalblue]Natalie watched as the red man walked past her and Carmen.[/color][/size][/font]
[i][font=Verdana][size=2][color=#800080]mmmm....its been a long time since I've smelled beautiful.[/color][/size][/font][/i]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=royalblue]She gave him an odd look because of his compliment. If that's what you could call it. It seemed to be one, coming from a criminal like him. Natalie put out her cigarette, and stretched as she yawned.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1][b]"Sorry about that. I didn't get much sleep last night. We do have beds around here, don't we?"[/b] Natalie asked Abram.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1]He pointed to her the direction of the girls' bedroom. Natalie walked off, and waved goodbye to Carmen.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1][b]"If that Bane guy kills you, wake me up."[/b] She said, smiling.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1]Carmen smiled back and waved to Natalie as she left the room.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1][/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1]On her way to the bedroom, Natalie made a small detour. She had heard a noise coming from what Abram said was the lounge area. It turned out that what had happened, was that bane threw jakob's gun to him, who dropped the box he was holding. The box landed on Jayme's foot. (The noise that she had heard.) And now Jayme was swearing while Jakob was trying to apologize to him. Bane was laughing at the both of them. That mystery solved, Natalie continued to search for the bedrooms. There wasn't much going on now, so it wouldn't hurt anything if she took a little nap. Besides, Abram could come and get her if he needed anything. When Natalie got to the bedroom, she found out that it was a little more disappointing than she thought it would be. The bedroom didn't seem to be designed with comfort in mind, and even though there were bunk beds placed in the wall, the size of the room looked like it was only meant for one person. Even her apartment's bedroom seemed better in comparison. Despite all of this, she was still tired so she climbed up onto the top bunk and closed her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep, she wondered what kind of people she had gotten mixed up with and what they would think of her secret.[/color][/size][/font]
[font=Verdana][size=2][color=#4169e1][i][b]"I'll worry about it later, I guess..."[/b][/i] She thought.[/color][/size][/font]

[Domon]

Jayme was cursing only because the pain that had just been inflicted on his foot was enough to make anyone scream. All the while Jakob was apologizing to him as Jayme finally heaved the box off of his foot and limped over towards the couch, pulled off his boot and proceeded to massage his now throbbing foot. As he was doing this he glanced over at this Richard Bane man, Jayme remembered reading about this man. He'd murdered a lot of people and was an excellent criminal, until he got caught of course. Flexing his foot a little Jayme pulled his boot on and walked back over towards the box and motioned for Jakob to help him. Once they had reached the galley they both set it down and Jayme opened the box and was surprised to find an actually decent amount of food stored in there, of course there was the means to store some of this, glancing around he opened a cabinet and was a little shocked to find a booze stored in it. "Is it all right if I stay here and help you with this?" Jakob asked a little nervously as he glanced back towards the area where Bane was still sitting smoking a newly lit cigarette. Jayme nodded and the two set to work on cleaning the kitchen up first. Once the kitchen had been cleaned in about thirty minutes they began placing food in the proper places (more like where Jayme could easily keep track of it.) Once they had finished this task Jayme stood up from his crouching position near a cabinet, stretched and walked out of the galley to look for that red haired girl.

[Kairi]

OCC: Richard doesn't smoke...but thats ok...he just got bored then:)

Jayme was cursing and swearing at Jakob when Natalie walked in and out to see what the commotion was about.

Bane couldn't help himself but laugh at the two of them...Jakob trying to apologize while the tall guy was jumping up and down because of the pain that shot through his leg from the box falling on his foot. By the time Jayme settled down...Richard had enough of his fun and picked up a stranded lighter and a single cigarettee on the kitchen counter.

[I][COLOR=Purple]I haven't had one of these in God knows how long...[/COLOR][/I]

Jayme and Jakob were gone for a while...Richard could hear them packing away all the food that was stored in the crate. He just stood there...listening in on their conversations, not really doing anything at all. Just taking in this new feeling of his...

[I][COLOR=Purple]I can't believe they let me loose. I hope they don't try to backstab me...because I think I'll actually try to get along with these people if Abrams keeps to his word.[/COLOR][/I]

Looking back into the galley where the two men were...getting a glance from Jakob[I]...[COLOR=Purple]Or someone will go to sleep...and not wake up. [/COLOR][/I]

After they were finally done...Jayme left with Jakob close behind. Jakob stopped in the lounge area as Jayme took off, obviously trying to look for someone.

[B][COLOR=Purple]Did I hear something about ''booze'' back there...[/COLOR][/B] Richard asked Jakob...catching him off guard, he didn't expect Richard to talk to him.

[B][COLOR=DarkGreen]Um...yes. We found some in the cuboard and...[/COLOR][/B]

Richard had already left and could be heard rumaging through the cabinets...trying to find the bottle. Eventually, Richard came back into the lounge area with a big bottle of liquor in his left hand....and his coffee in his right with a cigarettee still in his mouth.

[I][COLOR=DarkGreen]Who is this guy...[/COLOR][/I]

He placed the coffee cup on the counter and opened the bottle of liquor which read RUBY RED. [B][COLOR=DarkGreen]''I don't think I've introduced myself, how rude of me...my name is Jakob Colway. I'm a newbie to this whole[/COLOR][/B] *Richard started to drink, with the cigarette burning in his right hand[B][COLOR=DarkGreen]*......um....bounty hunter business; but I've been[/COLOR][/B] *still drinking[B][COLOR=DarkGreen]*...uh...working in a casino as aa...''[/COLOR][/B] *Jakobs words just trailed off as he just stared at Richard, continuing to chug down the ruby looking wine.*

When Richard was finally finished...he had consumed the entire bottle on his own all at once.

Smacking his lips[B]...[COLOR=Purple]mmm...not bad. Now what were you saying about working in a casino?[/COLOR][/B] as he put out his cigarettee.

[B][COLOR=DarkGreen]Yea...I've been working as a Blackjack dealer for quite a while...till I picked up on this little gig. And you are?[/COLOR][/B] Jakob trying to sound proper and polite to Richard, stretching out a hand of friendship. He didn't want to get on his bad side like he had already done with Jayme...

Richard was impressed, showing a slight smirk on his face...[[B]COLOR=Purple]Richard B. Bane...escaped convict...murderer. [/COLOR][/B] as Richard shoke Jakob's hand.

Jakob was a little taken back by Richards answer...freake him out a little causing a shiver to run up and down his spine[B].[COLOR=DarkGreen]Quite impressive...drinking all that.[/COLOR][/B]

[B][COLOR=Purple]Not really...this stuff is crape.[/COLOR][/B] tossing the bottle into the trash as the glass shattered, hitting the bottom. [B][COLOR=Purple]They better have a quailty selection of food...[/COLOR][/B]

[I][COLOR=DarkGreen]Good...this guy hasn't killed me yet. This is a good start...I think...[/COLOR][/I]

[B][COLOR=Purple]Hungry...?[/COLOR][/B] as he picked up his coffee cup.

[Raiyuu]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1][B][I]Oh god, oh god, oh god, I was right on the money, he IS a psychopath...[/I]

"Ummm ... no, I'm not hungry, really, I ..."[/B] Bane just stared as Jakob stammered. He cast about for an excuse to get away - it had seemed like a good idea to introduce himself at first, but now his suspicions (well, fears, if he was honest with himself) had been confirmed, he didn't really want to hang around and share a bowl of chicken soup with the man. He was very conscious of the fletcher in his trouser pocket - thrust there for want of a holster - mainly because he couldn't, in the heat of the moment, exactly remember whether he'd safed it or not, and his mind kept filling with the vision of it going off in there...

[B]"I really need to fix this,"[/B] he finished lamely, picking the snapped holster up off the coffee table. Bane just stared at him as he left.

[B][I]Okay, so now EVERYONE on the team thinks I'm the weak link. Jayme thinks I've got an itchy trigger finger, and now I've dropped a sodding food crate on his foot. I've insulted Carmen's zip craft, and she saw the trigger-happy incident too. This Bane guy has me written off as a wet-behind-the-ears pacifistic wannabe tryhard with no potential and limited social skills. And I've not even spoken to Natalie yet, but she saw me pull a gun on Jayme, and now she's seen me dropping stuff on him as well ... yep, she thinks I'm an idiot too.[/I][/B]

Jakob realised he was moping. Feeling sorry for himself. He pulled himself together, heading off toward the staircase, trying to carry his coffee and his holster in the same hand so he could hold the bannister rail.

[B][I]I'm pretty sure I found the crew's quarters while I was exploring earlier. I'll go relax and mend this strap, properly this time.[/I][/B]

Up the staircase, whose welds and rivets looked about ready to pull out of the wall, and a short way along a corridor were the crew's quarters. One of the doors was wide open, Natalie quietly asleep on the top bunk. Jakob reached in carefully and pulled the door shut.

[B][I]She must have been knackered, to be asleep already. She must have just collapsed without even bothering to shut the door.

She's only a bit older than me, a couple of years at the most. That little smile when she looked in and saw me drop the crate on Jayme ... was that 'I'm-laughing-at-how-clumsy-you-are', or 'I'm-stifling-a-little-grin-because-I-find-your-antics-cute'? Is it my instincts telling me it's the second one, or is it just wishful thinking?

At least we haven't been properly introduced yet. Hopefully I can make a bit of a better impression on her than I did on the others.[/I][/B]

There were three bunks in the next room, a single and a double-decker. Jakob hoped like hell that didn't mean they expected him and Jayme to bunk up with Richard Bane. He sank down on the single, took the fletcher out of his pocket (just for peace of mind) and pulled the hotel sewing kit from his jacket. He set to work mending his holster strap.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Angelus_Necare]

[color=darkorange][size=1]Carmen had followed Abrams back out into the hangar where the rain began to puddle around the entrance as well as pound the deck relentlessly. She sighed, not looking forward to venturing into the rain to retrieve her ship which sat idly on the deck. Abrams whiped his forhead with the back of his sleeve while tucking the clipboard under his arm.

"Well..." He began, turning to Carmen with a small smile, "This is where I leave you all. From here on out you're on your own."

"Great, but what are we going to do now?" She asked, shoving her hands deep into her pockets.

"Wait for someone to contact you on a bounty I suppose...The weblink unit upstairs in functional as far as Mail anyways." he laughed a bit smuggly, "But you're all on your own if you can get the TV on that thing."

Carmen returned the laugh, "Probably needs a good swift kick is all..."

"Perhaps..." Lieuteneant Abrams began walking towards the exit before he raised a hand in farewell. The last any of the Bebop crew would see him.

Carmen sighed once again. Her problem of getting her ship inside and not getting soaked weren't solved as of yet, and it wasn't like she could just leave it out there either with the ship taking off very soon. Well, when times are rough, you'd have to grit your teeth and bare it.

Removing her coat and holding it over her head, the taxi-driver turned bounty hunter made a mad dash into the rain, slipping and sliding on the flooded deck as she went. Although her attempts at rushing seemedlike a good idea, the surface on which she ran prooved otherwise. A slip of the foot and then, BAM!

"SONUVA-!"

Ten minutes and a world of cussing later, the Hornet was parked alongside its travling companions, drip drying in the now closed hangar. In this time Jayme had wandered into the hangar looking for Carmen, yet what he found was slightly confusing but slightly funny at the same time.

Carmen was soaked head to toe. Her yellow jacket and her jeans alike were covered with smears of what looked like washed away paint. Another victim of the gray paint was her once brilliant red hair, now turned a dull mucky color. Carmen sat hunched on the stairs, wishing all for the world she hadn't finished her cigarettes so soon. When she saw the brown-haired man comming she scowled moodily. Great, it seemed that moping alone wasn't likely on this ship.

"Miss...er." Jayme began tenderly, trying not to push this woman's patience any furthur.

"Rainst, and it's Carmen by the way..." She pushed her damp hair away from her face.

"Ah, I'm Jayme-" He began before being cut off.

"Well What do you want?"[/color][/size]

[Domon]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Navy]"I was just thinking I should come by and apologize for my rude comment earlier about you ah, smoking." Jayme tried to put on a friendly face, but Carmen's face and attitude gave off the fact that she really didn't give a damn at the moment. Sticking his hand out Jayme helped the wet woman up to her feet.

"Oh, I got the kitchen organized and I found a liqour rack, but I don't know how long it'll stay stocked." Jayme looked at the yellow taxi that was sitting in the hanger and about cracked up. "Why is that thing here?" Carmen glared at him, her eyes seemed to dare him to say something else so she could murder him but Jayme bit his tounge. "Anyways, I was just coming down to tell you that I'd be cooking and the food should be ready after that. So, get cleaned up and be ready for some decent cooking!" Jayme turned and waved as he walked back down the corridoor to the galley to start working on some food.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Kairi]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Purple][B]Bottoms Up...figured you were hungry. You should never turn down an offer from anyone. They could one day save your life...you wouldn't want to dissapoint them.[/B] [/COLOR] as Richard placed a plate of food on his bed.

There was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some potatoe chips and a pudding snack on the side.

[COLOR=DarkGreen][I]Oh no...now I've really pissed him off. [/I] [/COLOR]

[B][COLOR=Purple]You seem very uneasy around me Jakob...like your avoiding me...[/COLOR][/B]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][I]What the hell...first time I meet the guy I can't read him...now he's giving me a psych. examination. [/I][/COLOR]

[COLOR=Purple][B]Hunger was written all over your face, however I may have been mistaken...but, maybe you lied to me just so you could get away from me.[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][I]That's it...I'm a dead man. [/I][/COLOR]

[B][COLOR=Purple]I know its not much...but its better than the food on New Pluto[/COLOR][/B] Richard trying to show a smile...

[COLOR=DarkGreen][B]Th...Thanks Richard...I was kinda hungry...[/B][/COLOR] [I][COLOR=DarkGreen]wait...should I trust this guy, or is he luring me in like another one of his victims, maybe the food is poisoned.[/COLOR] [/I]

[COLOR=Purple][B]Listen Jakob.[/B][/COLOR] Richard obviously seeing his concern on his face[COLOR=Purple]...[B]There's no point in killing any of you, despite my past...I would hope you would come too see that. Enjoy...[/B][/COLOR] with that...Richard took his plate with him and walked out of the bedroom.

[COLOR=DarkGreen][B]Wow...I didn't expect that...[/B] [/COLOR] Jakob deciding to eat what Richard had given him...he was really hungry.

A couple of minutes later...Jakob could hear Jayme yelling and screaming in the kitchen. Moments later...Jayme was outside the door, glaring down at the plate of food that Jakob was holding.

[B][COLOR=Blue]So you're the one who made the food and messed everything up in MY KITCHEN! I HAD A NICE MEAL PLANNED FOR ALL OF US![/COLOR][/B]

After a couple of minutes of Jakob trying to calm Jayme down, telling him that Richard was the one that made the food. He looked a little worried bout wanting to confront the convict...but he had disorganized his entire kitchen, the way he liked it to be.

[B][COLOR=Blue]RICHARD![/COLOR][/B] as Jayme yelled...stomping out the door. Jakob couldn't help himself but laugh.

Unknown to Jayme...Richard was walking around the ship, taking a tour for himself. He stopped by a weapons hold and found himself some weapons that he found to be to his liking. A nice 12 gadge shotgun...and a 9mm automatic pistol....there were also a pair of knives hanging by the wall.

[I][COLOR=Purple]Nice...[/COLOR][/I]

Strapping an ammo belt around himself...putting the pistol in its case, as well as the daggers to his sides....and harnesed the shotgun over his shoulder.

[B][COLOR=Purple]Damn right...[/COLOR][/B]

[I][COLOR=Purple]HHmmm...maybe I can live with these people. However, I am not sleeping in the same room as those two...I'd prefer the couch. [/COLOR] [/I]

OCC: I call the couch guys:)[/SIZE]

[Raiyuu]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1][b][i]That'll teach me not to make assumptions about people. Maybe Richard isn't so bad after all. And Jayme's angrier about his kitchen getting messed up than he is about getting my gun in his face or a crate on his foot. Maybe I didn't get off to as bad a start as I thought![/i][/b]

Jakob finished the can of pudding and went back to repairing his holster strap. He'd stitched it in a hurry in his hotel room after it got sliced, but this time he had longer and could be more careful about it. Once it was done to his satisfaction, he took off his jacket and strapped the holster on. He checked the flechette pistol's double magazine - he had equal amounts of tranquiliser and explosive darts, with a shot-selector switch on the dartgun's grip, just in easy reach of his thumb - and re-slotted it, checking that the 'ready' and 'safety' LEDs were both green. He thrust the fletcher hard into the holster, and this time there was no crackle of stitches parting.

Shrugging his jacket back on, Jakob picked up his plate and the empty pudding can and headed downstairs to the galley. Jayme was in there, with the oven and the hob on and all the cupboards and the fridge wide open. Jakob put his can in the waste disposal and his plate in the sink; he started running some water to wash it up, but Jayme rounded on him irritably.[/size][/color]

[size=1][b][color=Navy]"This place isn't big enough for both of us, especially while I'm trying to cook stuff. Just ... wash that up later with everything else."[/color]
[/b]
[color=DarkGreen]Jakob didn't argue. He'd seen what Jayme was like when people messed him around about his kitchen. He headed to the hangar, more on autopilot than for any particular reason. Carmen, looking bedraggled, was just leaving - [b][i]to dry herself off, I guess[/i][/b] - and he went to have a look over his new zip craft.

Close up, it was even more obvious that Carmen was right about the white needle's manoeuvrability. Its thrusters were a fair size compared to how big the ship was overall, so it would get a decent turn of speed, but its wings and tailfin were little more than stabilising fins to stop it from rolling uncontrollably. The ailerons were skinny and didn't move beyond forty-five degrees. With the speeds the craft looked like it could potentially reach, its turning circle would be enormous.

[b][i]But that's no problem, really. I don't plan to do any aerobatics, just outrun anyone that tries to follow me.[/i][/b]

He found the cockpit hatch release and vaulted into the pilot's seat. He'd been planning to buy one of these for a while, so he'd done pilot tuition sims so that he'd know how to fly one as soon as he got it. The controls were in a slightly different layout to the way the sim had taught them, so he pulled the hatch closed and concentrated on figuring out exactly how to fly the thing.[/color][/size]

[Angelus_Necare]

[size=1][color=deepskyblue]I'm going to be wrapping up this chapter pretty soon. I'll give everyone a chance to post one more time before the chapter is officially over.[/color][color=darkorange]

Carmen Paid little to no attention to Jakob as she exited the hangar in search of a bathroom with a working shower. From what facilities the ship provided she wasn't expecting a grand display of bathroom accessories.

[i]"As long as the water's hot..."[/i] she thought wearily as she, trailed her wet grimy footprints through the Bebop's living area. Carmen made a mental note to clean the floor after looking behind at the mess she tracked in. She paused before veering to the left of the common area to a dimly lit hallway that held a closet-sized toilet and shower room beyond that.

The shower room wasn't exactly glorious in any way shape or form, but the bright yellow interior tried to convince any onlookers otherwise. The shower itself was a raised square basin on the far side of the room with a small round showerhead pointing down towards the tiled floor. There didn't seem to be any curtains in sight but the sturdy lock on the door assured that privacy would be provided given that one would remember to use it.

Carmen gazed indifferently at her surroundings as she closed and locked the door behind her. She then proceded to shuck her dampened clothing, tossing them into an empty hamper, her soppy boots soon following. She then stepped into the basin reaching to turn the water on full force. Carmen's hopes for a warm shower were granted as she relaxed underneith the warm flow of water, massaging the paint and grime from her short frock of red hair.

She soon emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a relatively new towel, now padding about the ship barefooted as she searched for her living quarters.[/color][/size]

[Domon]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Jayme focused on cooking after he re-organized the kitchen from Richard's former invasion for food. [I]Why me? Of all things why did I have to get a bunch of people who invade my kitchen for food!?[/I] Jayme asked mentally. He knew it was the ship's kitchen but always being in some form of cooking space made him feel better, he'd always wanted to be a cook but he also enjoyed getting air and exercise that's whe he started being a bounty hunter.

Grabbing two onions Jayme started chopping them up to along with checking on the steaming pot to see how it was going along. As he was doing that he heard footsteps coming up behind him and indiscrimantely yelled. "Either you're here to help or you can get the hell out..." The footsteps stopped, turned around and left the kitchen as he went back to cooking. Muttering to himself he went back to cooking, again the footsteps came back to the door and this time Jayme snapped, "Dammit I told you to either help me or get out and now you're pissing me off!!" This time the steps back off and turned around. After whoever it was had gone upstairs, Jayme turned around slammed the door shut and locked it and then rounded on the food and started to work some more on it.

After another thirty minutes his infamous clam chowder was finished. Unlocking and opening the door he returned to the pot with two towels and grabbed the steaming concoction and walked upstairs to where the couches and table were. He plopped the pot down and bolted downstairs to get bowels and spoons. When he returned to the upper level he noticed that Carmen (who was in a dry outfit), Jakob, and Richard had managed to find their ways to the food and were semi-drooling over the enticing smell but one person was missing. "Has anyone seen the blue-haired girl??" Jayme asked as he looked questioningly at the group. "She's asleep." Jakob offered up the information as Jayme shrugged and opened the pot and served himself up some food as did the other three.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Raiyuu]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkGreen][B]"Wouldn't want her to miss out ... I'll go wake her up,"[/B] Jakob volunteered. [B]"Just don't finish off both our shares yourselves, okay?"[/B]

Everyone chuckled a little as Jakob left. [B][I]Yes! A bit of light-heartedness. Maybe we can gel as a crew after all.[/I][/B]

He'd sat in his new zip craft for about half an hour, working out the control configuration. It was simple enough, but he'd taken ages searching for the undercarriage retraction, only to find that in this particular ship it was a tiny lever hidden away under the main console. He was confident he could fly the ship when the time came, but maybe he'd get some practice in once the [I]Bebop[/I] was airborne, while they were waiting for a bounty to come up.

He knocked firmly on Natalie's door. Getting no response, he pushed it open slightly. The blue-haired girl was still fast asleep on the top bunk. Jakob moved into the room and shook her gently.

[B]"Natalie...? Natalie, wake up. There's food downstairs."[/B]

She woke up with a start and grabbed the front of his shirt.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]"Oh, it's just you."[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=DarkGreen] She released his shirt and relaxed.

[I][B]What's that supposed to mean?[/I][/B]

She must have noticed his affronted expression, because she clarified, [/COLOR][COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]"I mean, as opposed to Bane. You say something about food?"[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkGreen][B]"Yeah, Jayme made clam chowder. They've probably started on our portions by now."[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue][B]"Well then, what are you waiting for?"[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Angelus_Necare]

[size=1][color=deepskyblue]Well I've waited for Sonata long enough, It's time to move on.[/color][/size][size=1][color=orange]

For the first time since they had boarded the ship the complete crew now sat together, huddled over steaming bowls of clam chowder set on the tiny metalic case that was the dining table and center piece of the living room. The hunters either sat on the coutch or the floor as each spooned the soup into their mouths rather quietly, seemingly avoiding conversation with one another as well as eye contact.

The silence continued on for another few minutes before a hushed voice pipped up, Jakob's,

"Hey Jayme, this soup isn't half bad." He commented after drinking what chowder he had left from the lip of his bowl, smiling as he wiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth. The rest mumbled polite compliments to the cooking as an excuse to break the silence, Jayme patted his hand at the air in the meantime.

"Aw guys, it's nothing." He blushed before his expression dimmed, "All I ask is that the rest of you [i]please[/i] try to keep my kitchen tidy..."

Bane paid no mind to the glares aimed his way as the subject of his raid in the kitchen was once again brought up. He reclined in the chair opposite the couch, his bowl long since abandoned on the table. He lazily gazed at his crewmates,

"So when are we going to get outta this harbor?" he asked, his answer returned with blank stares.

"Well where are we supposed to go?" Natalie added in, now setting down her bowl, "I mean, we don't have any bounties to go after yet."

The group collectively nodded, knowing well that they could leave anytime they pleased, but for what point? there was really no place to go, and what was the point of wandring aimlessly? Yet getting out of the harbor would be the first step, and one that must be taken rather soon, bounty or not.

"Let's just sleep on it, yeah?" Carmen added in, standing from her seated position on the floor to stretch, "We'll talk in the morning."

The hunters follwed suit, moving off to their own little places of the ship to sleep. tomorow would bring a new day, and the beginning of an adventure of sorts. It seemed the Bebop became a home again, and its hallways would echo with life for some time to come.

[right]Ch.1 END

[i]See you around Cowboys...[/i][/right][/color][/size]


[center][size=1][color=orange]Ch. 2
"Boris the Spider"[/color][/size]

[color=yellowgreen][font=courier new]+=SYSTEM BOOT=+ Date: April 3, 2099 9:34 AM Good Morning|| The scheduled weather today for :Little Tokyo/COL:MARS: is plenty of that healthy sunshine with a slight breeze of about 5 Mph|| Colony temperature will maintain 75ºF/23ºC until later this evening|| Why not go on a picnic? It's a beautifull day!|| >BOUNTY ALERT!< Processing...One moment... Bounty File: 87534-0986-2 Photo ID: N/A Name: Boris Venure Allias: "The Spider" Age: 37 Gender: Male Height: 6' 8" Weight: 168 lbs Distinguishing characteristics: Gangly, sickly looking man, may appear older than given age. Wanted for: Murder, Conspiracy against non-Gang acts, involvement with Montallio. Price: W37,000.00 Additional information: Take caution, Vernue is notorious for escaping tight situations and is a man of desperation.[/font][/color]

[/center]

[size=1][color=orange]The Bebop bobbed lightly in the harbor, basking in the morning sunlight rather serenely. Carmen sat in the morning sun as well her legs dangling over the side of the deck. She spent her waking hours gazing out over the harbor, the light breeze stiring her short frock of hair. A cigarette poked out of the corner of her mouth as her feet drummed against the side of the hull lightly.

Sleep was never really that important to Carmen since she spent her days lazing about, wasting little to no energy in the process. Thus she was up with the sun out already to stock herself with cigarettes before they had decided to take off that morning. Now she merely waited for the others to get around to the lifes of the living and decide where they were going.

She shrugged thinking to herself as she leaned back to stretch on the deck. She'd give orders, but that really wasn't her style... [/color][/size]

[Raiyuu]

[size=1][color=DarkGreen]Jakob pulled himself out of bed as quietly as he could, trying his best not to wake Jayme, who was sprawled on the top of the bunk bed. The single on which Jakob had spent the night had a few springs missing, and it creaked and squeaked like it was infested with crickets, but he'd slept on worse.

He'd slept on much better too, though.

Once out of the room, Jakob briefly considered getting some breakfast, but the image of Jayme's face when he looked at Richard sprang to mind. Jakob didn't want to be the second to incur that kind of wrath. He decided to give the galley a miss.

[i][b]Carmen mentioned another webscreen, one that supposedly works. She said Abram told her it was up here somewhere.[/b][/i]

The first room he tried was another bathroom; there was something that looked like it might be distantly related to a spider glaring at him from the middle of the floor. He shut the door hurriedly.

The next room had an easy-chair, a desk with one leg propped on a copy of [i]Cruiser Maintenance for Dummies,[/i] and a webscreen in one corner. It certainly looked in better condition than the one downstairs. Jakob slumped into the chair - it felt like it was padded with kitchen cutlery - and tentatively flipped the power toggle.

The sound of the cooling fan whirring up to speed filled the room, and the screen, after a few frustrating seconds of strobing like the other one, flickered onto a 'Welcome' message. There were over seven hundred messages waiting.

Sighing with resigned frustration at the poor housekeeping of the [i]Bebop[/i]'s last owner, Jakob set a filter to remove all the junkmail telling him he needed a college degree or more efficient sexual equipment. One message remained. He read it. He stuck his head out of the door.

[b]"Is anyone else awake?" [i]Well, obviously they are NOW. [/i]"I think everyone needs to have a look at this."[/b]
[/color][/size]

[Domon]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]Jayme had been sleeping peacefully until Jakob yelled at the top of his lungs which then caused Jayme to mechanically roll over to his right left side and onto the floor with a dull thud. Jarred from his odd half-awareness Jayme cursed Jakob for yelling so loudly. Storming over to the drawers that were attatched to the bottom of the bunk beds Jayme pulled out a fresh set of clothes and a towel and stalked down towards the shower. The room was dark but when Jayme turned the lights on he noticed a large arachnid scurrying up into the ventelation shaft. Somewhat glad he closed the door and locked it and then proceeded to wash himself.

After Jayme finished with his shower he walked back into his quarters which he also shared with Jakob and strapped on his shoes. Once he was fully dressed he headed towards the room Jakob was in. When he was about to unleash his fury he saw Jakob was looking at a letter.

"This thing was left in the message box after I got rid of all the crap." Jakob said as he pointed at the letter displayed on the screen. Jayme nodded and set off to get ahold of Carmen.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Kairi]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]Unknown to Jakob...as he tried to get everyone up from sleeping to see the message, Richard was already in the pilot control room preping for departure. He had seen the message this morning...and recognized the name.

With a hard gerk of the ship, the Bebop slowly began to ascend into the sky, away from the harbor.

''What the Hell!?'' cried out Carmen as she ran inside and collided with Jayme, who was coming to get her. The floor was shaking from underneathe their feets; the Bebop felt like it was going to fall apart.

''Who's piloting the damn ship?''

***In the control room***

[COLOR=Purple]We don't know what he did, but we're down with captain kidd, we don't wake up before lunch, but we all eat captain crunch, we don't smoke, we don't chew, we watch captain kangaroo...[/COLOR]

Bane was singing to a very very old song on the radio as he continued to elivate the Bebop into the sky. His voice deep and masculan, he seemed to actually enjoy himself. Natalie and Jakob were the first ones to burst through the control room doors when suddenly Bane's voice became soft, with a opera kind of style behind his tone.

[COLOR=Purple]and I've never licked a spark-plug
and I've never sniffed a stink bug
and I've never painted Daisies on a big red rubber ball
and I've never bathed in yogurt
and I don't look good in leggings[/COLOR]

Suddenly the lyrics became faster, the bass booming, the rythm intensifying as Richard lifted up on the controls as the Bebop lifted up towards space in a more rapid pace.

[COLOR=Purple]and I've never been to Boston in the fall[/COLOR]

Natalie and Jakob were sent clear off their feet, as did Jayme and Carmen down below.

[COLOR=Purple]we are the pirates who don't do anything
we just stay at home, and lie around
and if you ask us, to do anything
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything[/COLOR]

Bane's body was swaying back and forth to the music as the Bebop itself twisted left and right to his beat...he looked like he and the ship were out of control. Everyone was flying into the walls, falling onto their hands and knees while Richard rested comfortably in his pilot chair strapped down.

Once the sound died down...Richard placed the ship on auto-pilot, and set a course for the Anubis System. While in space, there was no more turbulance....and Bane unstraped himself from the chair. As he made his way to the door, both Carmen and Jayme blocked his way to exit, Jayme folding his arms as Natalie covered Bane's back as Jakob ran to the counsol.

''What they hell were you doing Richard!'' Carmens face was intense, a blood red complextion. ''And where the hell are we going?''

[COLOR=Purple]What...[/COLOR]as Bane shrugged his shoulders, trying to show an innocent face to Carmen. I thought we were heading for a new bountry.

''I already know about that Bane...but where...''

''We're heading to the Anubis system Carmen...'' interupted Jakob, coming back from the counsole.

''What's there convict?'' as Jayme's voice lowered, trying to intimidate Richard. As tall as he was...Richard knew he was stronger, and he slowly walked directly in front of Jayme ,his heavy boots pounding on the steal flooring underneathe them.

Richards eyes were only a couple inches away from Jayme's...[COLOR=Purple]Because that's where he is...[/COLOR]

''But how do you know?'' replied Natalie from in back of him.

Richard turned only his head around towards Natalie...his purple eyes shining with conviction and focus.

[COLOR=Purple]I don't know the man personally, but he is known to me...in the Anubis System there is a drifter colony called Abaddon; he's been known to pop up there from time to time...it's a better place than any to start looking around. Now....[/COLOR] as he turned his attention back to Jayme...[COLOR=Purple]Excuse me...[/COLOR]

Bane brushed past both Carmen, forcing Jayme's shoulder aside with his own and headed down the metal staircase.

[I][COLOR=Purple]There's no such thing as friend....that's what the slam taught me. I'm not going to wait forever for you all to warm up too me...for then you will recieve none. [/COLOR][/I] [/SIZE] [/COLOR]