Landing Pad - Zenda City, Ariel

Connie disembarks from the shuttle, a holdall over one shoulder. She pauses to look around the pad, noting which ships and people are here. Kai gets a briefly raised hand in greeting, before slowly starting to make her way towards the east Sky Walk.

"Not supposed to -what?" Kai asks, arms looped loosely around a knee, her voice a raspy whisper, likely from whatever caused the lovely 'choker-style' bruise around her throat.

Kai waves to Connie, a polite salute.

"Ask you questions and stuff," Pascale answers, slowly, with uncertainty. "Because it was bad and all." She looks up to see who Kai might be greeting, and watches Connie's movement across the landing pad. She's like a small wildcat, ever watching, ever waiting.

"They're protective of me." Kai replies. "Like they are of you." She gives the girl a small grin. "But, *I* am telling you, it's okay to ask. Just...know that maybe, sometimes, I might not be up to answering in a lot of detail. And, there are lots of parts I don't remember. But, if my telling you about it helps you learn how to keep it from happening to you, then I'll tell you."

There's a steady rumble, the sound of a vessel deorbiting and heading in to the pad. It's a commercial liner, one of the big Falcon Lines vessels that plies its trade from Shinon and Londinium out to Ariel. As ever, it gets priority space on the pad, and Connie stops to watch it, drawn by the sleek lines as it settles, raising a small dustcloud, onto its appointed spot. Someone else is watching it too, from the northern end of the huge pad, a female figure with blonde hair tied back in a severe ponytail. She looks somehow on edge, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"You're not really a robot?" Pascale asks, that being the truly outstanding question she had regarding the whole Kai conversation she had with David and Shade. "Like, a blood robot? You know, a ...(what are they called?).. Cyborg, or anything?" She decides she's had enough of the second boot, and flings it back into the cargo hold of the Nightingale, with her other one. Her remaining sock follows, catching on a latch overhead.

Watching the ship land, Kai's gaze drifts over the edgy female and then back to Pascale. "A /what/?" She looks at the child and then smirks. "No. I'm not a cyborg. I've just had someone spend a lot of time messing around in my head." She pauses. "Programmed. I've been programmed...that's why you think cyborg, isn't it? No..it's..mental conditioning." She looks back at the ship, attention drawn to Connie for a moment.

In the sky above, a dropship comes into view as it descends toward the surface.

You take a step back as the IMV Ruadani fires its drop rockets and lands before you.

Connie shakes her head at something, chuckles quietly to herself, and turns away from the ships, starting to head for the east skywalk. The blonde woman near the northern end of the pad, on the other hand, starts to move towards the liner, as the pad announcement system (briefly drowned out by the descent of the Ruadani) announces the arrival of Falcon Lines K5 from Shinon. Several small MULE-like people carriers fan out from the hangar building, heading towards the newly landed liner to pick up its passengers. Kai and Pascale are chatting on the ramp of the Nightingale.

Michael Markham walks out of the trade office with a disgusted look on his face. "Damn pitiful contracts lately. Its like they are trying to starve us out."

Sherok walks down from the ramp after shutting the Ruadani down. His arms are folded. He rspondes to Markham "Hell your probley right. I like not to starve"

Pascale watches people move across the open area, the Alliance boys who were patrolling wander to a different area, Connie, standing there, "Mason, that's my father, is a programmer. He programs computers. But that's different." There's a question in those statements, but she doesn't come out and asking it point-blank. What is mental conditioning? "Want another candy?" Then, as explanation for why she'd be nice to Kai, her enemy, whom she hates, "You bought em, after all."

Kai is seated on the Gale's ramp, arms looped loosely around her knee as she talks to Pascale, hat tugged low over her brow and a choker-style bruise around her throat if you are actually close enough to see it. "No thanks. They're for you." She adds, voice consistently raspy. "It's sort of the same thing. You tell a computer to do something over and over, and it does it. A person, you can make them do what you want if you hurt them enough or mess with their head enough."

The Falcon Lines liner's already on shore power: down comes its ramp, and the first of a large group of passengers disgorge, evidently the first class ones, judging by the better looking ground car they're ushered towards. Connie's gone, vanished along the skywalk, when a figure amid that cluster of passengers stumbles, falls, and lies still.

The blonde woman's walk towards the liner turns into a run.

Shade returns from the city and heads over towards the 'Gale's ramp. Her eyebrow raises to see Kai there with Pascale. Hrm. Weaving through the crowds, silent footsteps stop at the foot of the ramp. "'ello, Kai. Good ta see ya again." She looks to the girl after that. "Hey, Pas. Ya ain't houndin' Kai, are ya?" Out of the corner of her eyes, she catches the falling figure and the other running towards her. Ahh.. life planet side.

Michael Markham looks up at the commotion on the landing ramp, then sees the blonde woman hurrying towards it. He alters his direction towards it to see what is up.

Zank watchs as the liner start loading its passengers. He looks over the liner as the fine dress passangers board the liner. Then notices the blond women runing twords...a person on the ground." He raises a eyebrow...he starts to walk twords the person on the ground behind Michael.

Sherok comes in next to zank "What you make of that" He walks with his arms crossed in pace with Zank.

Pascale's eyes snap up as she accidentally swallows the candy she just put into her mouth - right after asking Kai if she wanted one. Her head shakes, beads clinking lightly, "I didn't ask anything. She just said it. I didn't even want her here. She just was waiting for the fat bald guy."

Thomas arrives aboard an inbound shuttle.

Carefully /not/ watching too obviously what is going on over on the other ramp, Kai grins at Shade, voice raspy and hoarse. "I came by to talk to David and brought the kid a little something. She's been fine, we've just been chatting." A glance at Pascale and she chuckles at a whispery level. "It's okay, Pascale. Seriously."

From the way the cluster of passengers are backing away from the fallen figure, something's up. One of the liner's security staff's on a communicator, evidently calling for help, and the blonde is almost there, yelling "Alliance Officer, let me through" as she shoulders past various passengers. Not calculated, perhaps, to cause an air of calm and sanity to prevail.

Michael Markham continues walking, getting closer to see what is happening and who the officer might be.

Zank dose not shake his head he just say "I dont know..somebody's collapsed." he walks just behind Markham..being this is a core world he is a little up tight.

Sherok keeps his pase next to zank and nods as starts to walk a little faster

Dipping in from the heavens comes a traditional shuttle, on the core they're a dime a dozen so it's rare that anyone would notice the ship drop in.

Shade smiles at Pas as she passes place a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's alright, kiddo. She's just on the ramp, and ain't gonna cause us trouble." Moving to the edge of the ships entrance, she leans against the edge casually where she can survey what's going on without looking like she's staring. "Ya doin' alright, kai? Sounds like ya got a cold or somethin'."

Various folks are scanning the surrounding buildings somewhat nervously, in some cases, simply heading for the nearest cover at a flat run. The blonde has dropped to her knees beside the fallen figure: those who are close can see a widening pool of blood leaking from the man: he's older, in his sixties, greying hair and beard. He moves, weakly, the last few moments of a dying man, as she kneels, says something to him.

"She got strangled," Pascale tells Shade, "..with something. A rope or something. I didn't do it, though. So don't look at me." She pokes around her bare toes, absently casting away sock lint as her eyes move toward the scene, without comprehension, then over to watch the shuttle land.

At the sight of blood, Michael's pistol comes out, looking for hostile action. The various attacks recently against various passengers and ships has left him nervous. He moves near the Alliance officer, taking up a cover position to protect her back.

Kai murmurs low. "Shade? This don't look good. Kid might want to get under cover." She edges back up the ramp towards the kid, hand sliding under her duster, blocking Pascale from the front as best she can. "And yeah, had a little trouble on Shadow. I'll be fine."

Zank finally arrives near and watchs Michael draw his pistol: he does the same and takes a position near Michael.

Thomas climbs off the shuttle noticing the group of people quickly gathering but completely unaware of whats going on, spotting some crewmembers of his he wanders towards their group.

Sherok moves over to the left of Markham drawing one of his two pistols

Shade glances to kai and nods softly to the woman. "Back on up the ramp." Her gaze doesn't turn from the scene as her hand moves to rest on her holster. "Pas, come up and get behind me, please mam. I don't want ya in the line of fire nor gettin' shot." The order given polite enough is still an order. "So, Kai, got strangled, huh? That welcomed trouble or unwelcomed trouble."

From the direction of the nearby Federal base, an APC is approaching at speed, clearly summoned by the liner's security. The female officer looks stricken: those close can hear her practically beg: "Please, I need to know. The rest are dead barring one." The dying man grabs for her arm, pulls her closer to gasp something out.

Michael Markham scans the area, looking for weapons or suspicious body language, particularly among the fleeing passengers.

Thomas taps Michael on the shoulder and whispers in his ear

Thomas whispers to Michael Markham.

Pascale obeys... v e r y slowly. Itty bitty baby steps up the ramp, as her head turns back to the Alliance buzz, "What happened? Someone get knifed, or something?"

"Unwelcome." Kai replies hoarsely, helping to shield Pascale from outside view, looking in the direction opposite Shade. Between the two, the ramp is well-covered. "Kinky is a feather, perverted is the whole gorram bird, dong ma?" she mutters to Shade, a smirk playing around her lips. "I never was one for feathers and birds, m'self." Then, almost as if an aside. "Speaking of birds, think this is another of those 'shoot the sitting ducks' games? Been a few of them around the landing pads of late, or so I've been hearing."

Zank watchs the buildings for anything..reflections from light off a scope lence a muzzle flash..movment..anything"

Michael Markham spins, shoving his pistol at the person who just tapped him. "Damn it, Thomas! That's a good way to get killed. Someone is down and I don't know why."

Sherok looks around a bit more trying to take anything hostile in. He looks back as Thomas comes into the picture.

"Pas, I ain't jokin'. -NOW-, child." Shade's voice touches that no nonsense voice of a parent. "Someone over there is down and I don't know why. There's a good Alliance Officer on the scene, so it'll get figured out. But if they start openin' fire, we're gettin' t'safety." She pauses after that to nod to Kai. "So, um.. unwanted and ya got decent self defense. So what happened?"

Pascale doesn't hear Shade, because her arm goes up and she points at a hangar roof, "There!"

The APC arrives, disgorging a dozen Feds who start clearing crowds, weapons out. Anyone with their own weaponry out is clearly going to get questioned, and a second APC's on its way from the same direction. The blonde woman supports the man for a moment, then gradually lets him go. Her expression is an unreadable mix, anger, shock, something akin to shame...

Thomas pulls his coat closer in in an attempt to conceal his sidearm even though it hasn't been used in a looooooooong time...

"Doesn't matter how many guns you've got, if you get surprised." Kai replies quietly. "And when I fought back, they decided that the kidnapping might as well just be a mugging and murder. Ishmael left the bodies in the scrub of Shad..." Her attention snaps to the hangar roof and she draws the Perun under the cover of her duster, backing up to push Pascale if necessary into the cargo hold, and herself out of the line of sight.

Zank also spots the moment as well "Sir Movement Hanger roof." he say to Micheal

Nothing to see on that rooftop now: whatever it was, and if anyone saw it, it's gone.

Michael Markham raises the muzzle of his pistol towards the sky, then holsters the weapon with the arrival of the Alliance troops. He turns his attention to the hanger roof at Zanks shout.

Sherok picks up the talking between Zank and Markham, he looks to the roof

"Cover sir?" Thomas asks quickly, calmly, and concisely referring to the possible sniper on the roof.

Michael Markham shakes his head. "No. But if you see something, point it out to the troops. Everyone holster your weapons."

Zank keeps his eyes on the roof for a moument then holsters his pistol and watchs as the troops arrive and do there jobs

Shade clicks her tongue in pascale's direction. "Child." That's your last warning. Though her eyes do look up to the hanger roof where the kid pointed. She pauses a moment and then moves over to pull Pascale behind her this time. "Whatever ya saw is gone now, but that don't get ya outta of trouble for not obeyin' m'orders." She glances to Kai now as she's stepping farther back into the hold, but never turning her back from the scene. "Whatever this is, the Officers got it handled. As for gettin' jumped, ya got some real rotten luck."

Sherok Straitens up and holsters his weapon watching the troops arrive. He is not shure what the movement wass all he knows is now its gone.

Pascale opens her mouth to protest, "I was lis..." Then she gets pulled behind Shade and just lets it dissipate in a sigh. Life is no fair when you're 10! Waaah.

Troops swarm out of the second APC: they're already buttonholing those near the scene, lining them up for questioning. "You." The leader of the first group, a Lieutenant, approaches Markham and his small group. "What happened here?"

"Yeah, if it weren't for rotten luck, I'd have no luck at all, eh?" Kai replies, still watching. "S'what happens when you're too tired to pay attention, I suppose." She flicks a glance at Pascale, then at Shade. "I'm going to see if I can slip out to the shuttle and head back to my own ship. Would you let David know I stopped by to talk to him, please?"

Michael Markham shrugs. "Unknown. I saw the commotion on the ramp and people running. Found the officer hear rendering aid and moved to cover her back. Didn't see anything, but one of my crew spotted someone on the roof of the hanger."

Shade keeps an eye on the scene outside as she talks to Pascale. "We'll talk about it in a minute, Pas." When Kai's not standing there. "Sure, Kai. wish ya well out there." Once the woman is off the ship, she turns to look at Pascale now. "I didn't say ya weren't listenin'. I coudl see that well and good, but ya were obeyin' m'orders in a timely fashion. Whenever's there's danger, when folks don't obey orders... lots more people get hurt."

Zank is now watching the roofs again not really paying attention. He is still ignores the movment around him just watching the roof seeming to wait.

Sherok turns tward Markham listening to the convesation between him and the fed. He folds his arms.

Pascale puffs those hackles up, as if preparing to argue back, "But I just wanted to see....." She lets out a groan of frustration, "Uuuuuuuh! Nevermind." She reaches over to snatch her sock door latch, the points to the other one that's draped across the keypad as she goes to retrieve her boots from the cargo bay floor.

"Which roof?" The Fed looks between Markham's crew, expecting an answer. Meanwhile, the Alliance woman (this close, the badge reading "Maj. K. Briggs" is not that hard to read) is likewise being questioned, though perhaps somewhat more informally. A medtech from the second APC is just completing a sadly brief examination of the fallen man, looks up at his CO and shakes his head.

"Mr. Zank, please tell this gentleman what you saw and where you saw it." Michael indicates Zank to the officer.

Shade crosses her arms standing there unmoving. She waits to hear pascale out before nodding. "Look from behind me next time, Pas." She moves to stand between the girl and the ramp. "I ain't gonna deny that ya got good eyes, kiddo. I'd just rather that ya are lookin' from safety." her voice softens a bit as her panic of the kid getting hurt fades.

Thomas stands there with Zank, Sherok, and Michael. The pilot is keeping his pretty little mouth shut in the hopes that he won't have to say anything to the fed

Zank snaps back to reality and looks towrds the officer "Um.. yes sir" he points towrds the hanger roof "There..quick flash of movment..I think some one else saw it to..sounded like a kids voice."

Sherok stands and listens carefully to the conversation at hand. He scratches his beard a bit.

A look of annoyance flashes across Pascale's face, "Great. Then you'll just get shot. Kablow. There wasn't even any gun shots." Said as if Shade had flawed logic and minimal cognitive function.

The Fed's on the communicator instantly. "Reports of movement on the roof of hangar 36A. Get a section over there, stat." Major Briggs has been processed, is standing by the liner's ramp watching the med cover the fallen body, looking oddly lost.

Shade nods to Pascale's words. "Aye, I would, but that's my job, kiddo. Unless ya are in safety, I ain't gonna be in safety either. I watch after m'crew." She pauses after that before adding. "There was somethin' out there. That man over there is dead, and there was whatever ya saw. For a moment there, we coulda been in danger." She takes a deep breath before leaning against the ship again at the top of the ramp. Her voice quietens a little, "Pas, do ya trust me?"

Michael Markham looks to the Lt. "Are you done with us, sir?"

Another APC screeches to a halt outside Hangar 36a, most of the width of the pad away from the Falcon Lines liner, the fallen man and the cluster of Feds. The Lt. nods to Markham. "For now. Which ship are you with?" The hangar meanwhile is rapidly surrounded by armed, no-nonsense Feds, several occupants coaxed out with their hands in plain sight.

"The Ruadani," Michael says. "This is the crew."

Sherok spits the side and looks back to the rest of the crew and fed and nods

Zank watches the fed storm the building and shakes his head and sighs and talks softly to himself.

Thomas stands there still totally dazed and confused

"Fine." The Fed turns on his heel, heads back to where his men are questioning passengers, walking smack into what's clearly the fastest video wave news team on Ariel...

Michael Markham looks at his crew. "OK, guys. Back to the ship. I'm going to grab a cargo and then I'll meet you there."

Sherok nods and makes his way back to the ship.