Drifter

Drifter
Date of Scene:	11 July 2014
Location:	Void - Empty Space
Synopsis:	Serenity and crew encounter something odd while cruising through the Void.
Cast of Characters:	27, 273

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Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"...Right. So. Note ter self: don't ever try ter get between a cow an' a bird."

If anybody could hear him, that's what Jono would be saying right now. There is a very clear reason no one can hear him. Nobody's around. There's also a reason why nobody's around.

Because he's floating space.

Now, for anybody else, this would be a short-lived but rather deadly problem. All kinds of horrible things happen to an unprotected human body in space. Jono's... not exactly completely human anymore, though.

And how did he get out here? Quite simple. There's a space station not too far from here, and that space station has a really nice bar. He got into a difference of opinions over a lady and her right to not be pawed by a giant cow-man. Said giant cow-man took exception to Jono politely asking him to 'bugger off and leave the lady alone'. So he threw Jono out an airlock.

Fortunately he didn't die. Unfortunately... he has no way to get out of space. Maybe he could use his fire for that, but what if he ran out of juice up here? Would he die? He's not eager to find out.

For the time being he's got himself wrapped up. So he does look for all the world like a body floating in space. Just a nondescript-looking man with brown hair and everything between his nose and his waist wrapped with black cloth.

"...Hangin' out? Hangin' around? Floatin' about?" Hard to find words for his current predicament. "...Chillin' out?" It IS kinda cold out here...

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Space is, well, big.

Really, really big.

So, when we say that Serenity tends to frequent this corner of the Void, it's a bit like saying that cruise liners tend to frequent the ocean. The oddly-proportioned cargo ship could travel through this pocket of empty space a million times, and would likely never cross through the same section of space twice.

"Hey, Mal...." says a higher-pitched male's voice. Wash smacks the radar screen with the head of a particularly unfortunate plastic dinosaur. "Something's showing up on the scope...

"Something could mean a lot of things.." says a second voice, as a figure in suspenders and a brown coat steps into the cockpit. "Looks almost like a person," says Mal, leaning in nearer to the green, steampunk-styled screen.

I told Kaylee to stop putting games in the mainframe..." the ship's captain grumbles, good-naturedly.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Hey wait. Is that a ship? It's hard to move, but Jono's radio picks up telepathic transmissions. It has to, because that's the only way he can speak and be understood. So, Jono broadcasts on a local band, "Oi. Think yer could 'elp a bloke out?" Yes, that is a very thick Cockney accent there. The ship should be able to pick up the transmission. "Seems a right manky git an' I had a slight disagreement, an' 'e tossed me out 'ere. Think yer could gimmie a ride back ter the station?"

Jono's trying to move around, to turn and wave at the approaching ship, to indicate that he means himself. Also, if the ship can see him, they'll be less inclined to hit him. Which, while it would be incredibly funny to end up splattered like a bug on a car windshield, would suck mightily.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Glitches don't move, Mal!" replies Wash, jabbing a finger back at the screen once more, pointing at the small, Jono-shaped dot on the radar scope. That's right when the unfortunate's voice comes in over the ship's radio, staticy at first, but with greater clarity once the pilot reaches over and fiddles with a few dials.

"What kind of gorram accent is that?...." says the ship's captain, walking over to the receiver, and picking it up.

"Attention....Whoever this is. Supposin' you're the waving little dot I'm lookin' at on my radar screen at the moment, looks like you're in a bit of a predicament. Now, I don't take too kindly to strangers fixing to be unfriendly once they hop on board, so here's how this is going to go down. We're going to come on over and send out a line. You're gonna take that line, and climb on in. Any weapons you've got are gonna stay in the air lock, which is where you're gonna sit until I figure out who you are, and why you got stuck out here all alone-like. Dig?"

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono would breathe a sigh of relief if he could still breathe. Good, they picked him up on radio. "Right, that'd be me." To demonstrate, he waves again, as best as he can. Though he blinks at the tone the captain takes. Well, it DOES seem like the perfect kind of trap, he supposes-- save some poor bloke from space and then it turns out the 'poor bloke' is after the captain's head. And he IS offering, help, so...

"Alright, thank yer for the help. Name's Jono," he offers. This way the guy on that ship has something to call him other than 'hey you'. And also... "I got no weapons on me, don't worry." he's pretty sure they'll check anyway, but it deserves to be stated.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Well, Jono, today's your lucky day, then," comes the captain's voice, after depressing the button on his radio again.

"Name's Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. Ain't meaning no disrespect. Just don't take too kindly to strangers takin' advantage of folks' helpful nature. And believe me, it's happened before.."

There's a faintly audible chuckle from the pilot's direction as the captain lets go of the button on the radio communicator this time. Serenity continues to head on over towards the small radar signature that is the waving figure out in the middle of the void. The ship slows as it comes within a hundred yards or so of the man, then comes to a stop, drifting there.

"Now, you just sit pretty, and we'll come on over with that line..." says the ship's captain, coming in over the radio once more.

"Is he...? Mal? He's not wearing a suit..." says the pilot, leaning forward and rubbing the cockpit window with his sleeve.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"Yeah. I was just thinkin' that," Jono replies. "Can't ever be sure 'a people's intentions anymore." Once he's sure the ship has sighted him-- and is indeed NOT on a collision course with his face-- he pauses in his waving and waits for the ship to let out the line.

Nope, definitely no spacesuit on this guy. His head is uncovered. Kind of. The slightly wild brown hair is visible, and what of his face the wrappings don't cover. Fingers are visible through fingerless gloves. He's sort of half floating on his back, half 'standing' (inasmuch as anybody could 'stand' in space).

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"You don't...need some air or anything, do ya?" comes the voice of the ship's pilot, over the radio. Presumably, Mal is elsewhere preparing to send the line out to the stranded figure.

There's a noiseless escape of air as Serenity's hydraulics open the main ramp and expose the airlock to the vaccuum of space. Shortly thereafter, a long figure clad in a steampunk-era spacesuit clambers out of the back of the ship, propelled by a primitive sort of space jet pack that holds a few thrusters allowing for movement about during an EVA and carrying a sturdy-looking metal cable. The figure thrusts over in the direction of Jono, slowly approaching.

"Now, how did you say you ended up in this little predicament of yours?" asks the captain's voice, coming back in over the radio.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"Nah. Hard ter explain. But no, I'm fine for air," Jono replies over the radio. And he's... well, obviously not exploding, imploding, blood boiling out his pores, or anything else human bodies are theoretically supposed to do in space when tossed out there unprotected. He tilts his head in the direction of the ship as the airlock opens and blinks. That's definitely not a modern spacesuit. But in this case, it gets the job done. Better than a modern one, in fact... he's never seen a NASA spacesuit with thrusters.

It's kind of awkward, being stuck out like this, so Jono waves in the direction of the approaching person in a spacesuit. Not a wave of 'here I am', but a wave of greeting. And a little bit of 'yup, I see you'.

And he answers the captain over the radio, "Not too far that way--" He tries to point in the direction he came from. "--There's a space station. Sorta like a petrol station, but for spaceships instead 'a cars. There's a coffee shop in there, an' I was passin' by it when I 'appened ter notice this bloke, er... makin' unwelcome advances ter a lady. Big bloke 'e was, too." Here there's a note of sarcasm in his voice. "Beefy, I think's the word. Literally in this case. 'E we some kinda cow... bull... human... thing."

"Anyways. I told 'im ter bugger off an' 'e didn't like that. Threw me around a li'l before decidin' ter be rid 'a me. 'E decided an airlock'd be 'is best bet for that. He tossed me inter one, closed it off from the inside, an' then opened the other side. Whoosh."

It's also worth mentioning that, when the captain gets close enough to see, there's no movement of his lips while he's 'talking' over the radio. The signal is definitely coming from his position, though.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Mm, well, airlocks have a tendency to be keen at getting rid of folk you're not particularly fond of.." the captain replies, through the radio in his suit, presumably.

The suited spaceman continues to approach, the metal cable unfurling out into space behind him, still held in hand. As he nears the man, Jono might be able to see a bit of surprise registering on the captain's features, as he realizes the the man is, in fact, operating without oxygen out there. More so, when he notices that the man is somehow communicating without moving his lips. Odd, that.

"I'd figure out what the odds of finding you out here are but, well, can't see my toes through the suit.." says the captain, coming to a stop an arm's length or two away from the man. He holds out the end of the cable, offering it to the man.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"Yeah. 'E got tired 'a lookin' at me face," Jono quips. The joke being, of course, that his face is mostly covered anyway, so literally 'seeing' his face would be difficult. All joking aside, Jono reaches toward the line and grabs hold as best as he can. Probably slowly, because it's like moving in vaccuum. Which is pretty accurate.

"Thanks." And to the odds of being found out here? "Yeah, I was half afraid I'd get caught in a planet's orbit." No pizes for what would happen after that-- burning. Forever.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Once Jonothon's got a hold on the line, Mal gives it a quick double-tug, and takes a hold of it himself. That must have been a signal of some kind, as the line begins to slowly retract back into the belly of the ship.

"Must not have been much of the agreeable sort.." the captain replies, while the two are dragged back through the vaccuum towards Serenity.

"Ain't really near any planets at the moment, actually.." he adds, making conversation as they're pulled back in towards the ship. "Would've taken you a couple years to get near anything. Probably would've just gotten real friendly with an asteroid, or some space junk. Seems t'be a lot of those driftin' around hereabouts."

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono holds tight to the line as he feels it start pulling them towards the ship. At the mention of it taking several years to reach anything, his brows draw down. And that he might have been splatted against an asteroid or piece of space junk? "Not a pleasant prospect. Preferable to burnin' ter death, though."

A pause, and then he asks, "So what's your name?" Jono had offered his, after all. And he hasn't tried to harm his benefactor so far. So it should at least be safe to give a name. And if not, it could be another clue, if 'Jono' has a reaction to the name.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"You know.. We've got our little special snowflake on board.. Takes a particularly keen interest in what happens when a body ends up in space..." the captain replies. "Ought to be a bit curious why you're out here without a suit and air, and all that.." he adds.

"Malcolm Reynolds. Captain of Serenity," the spaceman replies, at Jono's question.

By now, the two are getting much closer in to Serenity, eventually getting pulled right up to the front bay doors. Mal reaches the ship first, letting go of the cable and jetting around the ramp and grabbing a hold on one of the two hydraulic lifts that control the main ramp. From there, he manually tugs on the cable himself, bringing Jono on over towards a point where the man might be able to grab a hold of the edge of the ceiling, or possibly the other hydraulic. Once he's inside, the ramp would begin withdrawing and angling up to close against the harsh vaccuum of space.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
...Uhoh.

That's Jono's first thought when the captain mentions having someone on board that's interested in human bodies in space. He doesn't say that, though the slightest bit of a wince communicates itself over his features. "Ain't somethin' yer wanna try. There's uh... extenuatin' circumstances in my case." He'll probably have to explain that, but later.

There's no suspicious reaction to the name. Just a nod and a, "Pleased ter meet yer. An' thanks again." Jono pays attention when they get close enough to the ship, and grabs hold of the top of the hatch to pull himself into the ship as the ramp starts to close.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Figured that..." the captain replies, glancing back at the man as he hauls him over on board the ship.

The two hydraulics continues to noiselessly bring the ramp up behind the two men, only giving a sound once the ramp has slammed tightly against the ship's hull. There's an audible hiss, then, as the ship's artificial gravity kicks in and air pressure returns to the ship's interior. The figure opposite Jono reaches up and unscrews the metal-and-glass helmet that he's wearing, walking over to hang it up on a peg alongside a few other EVA suits, all consisting of different parts and pieces put together to make an airtight suit.

"Now, I'm a friendly enough sort. You don't cross me, and I don't put ya back in the airlock and drop ya off someone even more remote... You play nice, and we've got some decent food and company. Ain't but a half-hours drive back to that station of yours. Assumin' you ain't wantin' to go somewhere else, that is."

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Whew! Solid ground again! Sort of. GRAVITY AGAIN! There we go, that works. At least he can stand up now, instead of just flailing around uselessly in the middle of nowhere in space. As the pressure and gravity returns to normal, he shakes his head a little, raising a hand to rub at his ear. His ears are actually open to the environment too, thanks to the fact that the ear and throat are connected and he doesn't have a throat. But the pressure changing still feels weird.

Jono listens to Malcolm's instructions, and nods. "No problem here." The area behind the wrappings still doesn't move, even though he's 'speaking' to the other man without the radio. His voice is not heard with the ears, though that might or might not take a little bit to notice. "Yer don't 'ave ter worry about feedin' me, at least," he notes.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal busies himself with unzipping, unfastening, and unscrewing himself out of the airtight suit he's worn, and returning it back to the rack where the other suits are kept. A few moments later, a small light on the ceiling turns green, and the airlock doors open to the main bay of the ship. The ship's captain turns to head in that direction, stretching out his neck in relief.

"Ain't feeling peckish?" he asks, before turning back to face the man. Clearly, this is when he really notices the fact that the man isn't actually moving his mouth when he speaks, and gives a nod, mostly to himself.

"Right then... " he says. "Back to the station... WASH!" he shouts, cupping a hand to his mouth and turning his head upwards.

"Get us back by that little station we passed 'bout twenty minutes ago, will ya?!"

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono watches the process of getting out of that suit. He's heard they're a pain to get out of, even one of those 'top of the line' ones from NASA. That said, he knows comparisons of quality aren't really fair, since he has no idea what's going on with Malcolm's world. Still, it's a curious process to watch.

The question of whether he's feeling peckish or not gets a shake of his head. He'd also sigh here, too, if he could still breathe. This is where he tries to explain he's missing a substantial amount of the body parts that normal human beings have. Preferrably WITHOUT freaking the hell out of the people who just saved his sorry arse, so they don't kick him BACK out the airlock.

He waits until after the yelling upwards is done before he explains, his 'voice' kind of small, "I don't eat. At all. Because I don't 'ave a mouth anymore. Or a stomach. Or most 'a what's between." If this had been his own world he wouldn't have even clarified it. But there are surely stranger things in the Multiverse than a bloke without a mouth, right?

Besides, Malcolm seems like a reasonable enough fellow. He wouldn't kick a poor fellow out an airlock for not being normal, right? And it's better if he finds out now, instead of at some later point when Jono has to spout flames out of his face.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal gives a slow sort of nod, in reply to Jono's explanation. "Ah... hm...." he replies, half surprised, and half sort of confused, as he takes in that information.

"What were ya doing in the restaurant back at the station, then?" asks the captain, trying to come up with some sort of reply to being told that his passenger is rather..unique.

Jono might feel a slight shift in gravity as the ship turns about, presumably making a course for the station. Shouldn't be that long, really. Ships tend to travel a wee bit faster than folks who get tossed out of airlocks.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
"I was jus' walkin' past it an' heard the racket," Jono replies. "She was pretty vocal about not wantin' him anywhere around 'er." he does indeed feel the gravity shift, and readjusts his footing a little. Then he raises a hand and rubs at the back of his head. "I had a way ter defend myself, but I didn't, 'cause I didn't want ter risk punchin' a hole in the station." Obviously that would have been a bad thing.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal gives a light chuckle at this, leaning against one of the heavy barrels that's set up in the cargo hold. Unfortunately, it turns out to be not to heavy after all, and nearly topples over. The captain catches himself, and goes to lean against a different barrel instead.

"Woulda saved you the trouble of gettin' tossed out the airlock," he points out. "Ain't much different than poking a hole in the side, really," he adds.

There's a few voices that echo into the cargo area from one of the rooms up near the upper levels of Serenity, but nobody walks into view for now, at least. Presumably, there's a few others on board besides the other voice heard over the radio, the pilot, Wash.

"You sure you ain't needin' anything?" asks the captain, then.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono goes to assist Malcolm when he topples, the gesture an instinctive one, given the way he almost instantly reacted, before he thought about it. "Yer alright?" he asks.

He looks rather sheepish when Malcolm points out it might not have caused the destruction and death he thought. "Uh... I was afraid it'd depressurize the whole section and suck everybody out inter space." Pause. "Did break a chair over the bastard's head, though." Pause. "...Probably what prompted 'im ter kick seven shades 'a shit out 'a me," he admits.

Hearing the other voices, Jono looks in that direction curiously. Malcolm's question brings his attention back, and he winces a little. "...A place ter rest might not be too bad, if yer got one. I don't think yer can fix it if 'e broke somethin'."

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Ah, well. Probably best for all of ya'll that ya didn't do anything more...hot tempered, then," replies Mal.

He's fine. Not so much a topple as it was just a temporary loss of balance, really. Just his luck. It's never just an easy job. There's always got to be trouble.

"Got a spare couch or two back through that passage," the ship's captain replies, gesturing back over his shoulder towards the passageway at the rear of the bay, which leads to the small common area near the infirmary and passenger dorms.

"Shouldn't be too long before we've got you back to that station of yours."

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
There's a sound from Jono that's almost a laugh. Except no accompanying air rush noises that such a chuckle would usually prompt. And a wry tone in his voice too. Wry, and oddly? A little self-derisive. "Heh... 'hot tempered'. 'S a good word for it." At least his energy LOOKS like fire, even if it's not.

Jono nods as Malcolm mentions the couches. "Should work. Won't be in your way, will I?" Other than the sci-fi shows he's seen on TV, he has no idea how to spaceship. So he's not sure where he'd could go to be out of the way. Or if it's like a ship on water, anyplace is in the way and there's a certain amount of crawling over each other that's unavoidable.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
Mal gives a shake of his head to this. "Just on our way back towards one of the Earths. Helping out a friend with a little delivery," he explains. "Ain't much out of our way, really. Could use some good luck, I suppose," he adds.

The captain pushes off from the barrel, and heads back over towards the rear of the bay, intending to show Jonothon the way back to the common area with the couches.

"I'll have Kaylee give a holler when we're close," he says.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono completely blames the Multiverse for not at all being surprised when Malcolm uses the phrase 'one of the Earths'. He does however tilt his head a little at the mention of luck, though he follows Malcolm to the common area. On the way, he asks, "Good luck?" Some people do have it, he knows. "Somethin' yer could use 'elp with?" Yes, that is the first thing he asks when given the opportunity, how he can help. He's kind of an idiot where that's concerned. After all, luck's all well and good, but it never hurts to have backup.

Malcolm Reynolds (273) has posed:
"Yes, that most elusive and vengeful of concepts..." replies the ship's captain. "And something we tend to be sore lacking 'round these parts.. or any parts, for that matter," he says.

Mal steps aside to allow Jonothon into the common area, and gestures to the pair of couches set inside the medium-sized room. They look comcortable enough, meant more for lounging than for sleeping, but they'll certaintly do for both if needed to.

"Don't reckon so, but appreciate the offer. Crew's busy at their posts, and shouldn't be running into any other stranded folk, best I figure. Just sit tight, and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times," he replies, with a quick sort of grin.

Jonothon Starsmore (27) has posed:
Jono nods, though a moment later, he 'speaks' the numbers of a radio frequency. His personal radio frequency, in fact. "Yer do need 'elp, lemme know on that frequency, 'ey? I owe yer a favor for pickin' me up."

Once they get to the area, he steps past Malcolm and heads over to one of the couches to sit down. He won't be able to do a whole lot of healing-- not a lot of time-- but some is better than nothing. And he's not too badly hurt, mainly just bumps and bruises.

He makes another of those chuckling sounds at the 'keep arms and legs inside the vehicle'. His eyes narrow a little in mirth. "Oh, yer bet I'm bein' careful wi' that one." He'd lost enough body parts as it was!

But yes. He'll eventually shift to curl up on the couch-- jeez he's skinny-- and snooze a bit. He doesn't need sleep, per se, but it sure makes him feel better after something like him getting kicked around happens.