Log:Space Team, Scene 1

Space Team 2015/08/29 Breach Griffin Malcolm Indira 1

It's early afternoon, and Starguard mechanics are busy doing pre-flight checks on the shuttle craft that's been assigned to take Indira to visit the mostly constructed space dock in a geosynchronous orbit over the ocean relatively close to Colonial Bay. There's also security checks to be done, and crew checks to be done before depature.

Getting things arranged for this trip has been a logistical nightmare for Rick Mason. He has been vetting Bad Company contractors, reviewing skills assessments, and chasing deadly Kaargs all over creation. It eventually came down to the question of whether or not security could be guaranteed with the personnel Bad Company had on hand. Rick didn't believe it could be, but he knew just the licensed law enforcement/security freelancer to call.

Rick Mason stands to one side of the landing field, watching Starguard's crew performing pre-flight checks and spot-maintenance with cold brown eyes. One hand comes up to key his tactical radio by tapping a smart earbud, quietly inquiring as to the ETA for Indira & Co. His other hand continues to hold a heavy duty metal attache case - it's already been cleared, twice, by Starguard - as he waits for his crew, including their temporary contractor/specialist, to arrive so that they can perform their final inspection of the craft.

Over the radio, Rick Mason gets a response from one Violet Wyndell, assistant to the ambassador. "We'll be coming down in five minutes. How's the security check going?"

Griffin arrives punctually. dressed in solid black military coverall issued to security personnel on the base.

He gets through the clearance checkpoints and awaits his weapon getting through as well.

He informs the security guard who patted him down that he'll be with Rick preparing for the flight, and to bring his weapon to him. The guard begins to argue but Griffin walks away before the man can get too many words in.

He strides confidently towards Rick and smiles, standing with his hands behind his back.

Griffin arrives punctually. dressed in solid black military coverall issued to security personnel on the base.

He gets through the clearance checkpoints and awaits his weapon getting through as well.

He informs the security guard who patted him down that he'll be with Rick preparing for the flight, and to bring his weapon to him. The guard begins to argue but Griffin walks away before the man can get too many words in.

He strides confidently towards Rick and smiles. He stops near Rick & stands with his hands behind his back.

"Check," comments Rick to Violet's ETA. He pauses a moment, pursing his lips as he considers the situation. When Griffin steps up alongside him, Rick taps his earbud again to reply, "We'll be delayed the full 15 minutes I projected. Tell the Ambassador she has time to soak up some sun in the atrium."

Agent Caldwell seems terribly put out by Griffin's response to the weapons check. He mutters, grumbles, curses, and makes sure to /TRIPLE/ tag Griffin's gun. It might take Griffin a minute or two to remove all of the zipties and adhesive tags keeping it from firing. On the other hand, Rick's combat harness is positively taped down to his torso to prevent misfires with his grenades, but Rick supposes that's a small price to pay for being prepared. Plus it seems to have satisfied Agent Merrimack at some deep level to have so tangled up Rick's signature weaponry.

"The pre-flight is running about five minutes behind. I figure it'll take us about 15 to complete our security check. Keep an eye out for nonsense, not all of the agents around here are terribly fond of me or the Ambassador."

"Check." Griffin says very seriously. He begins doing his own security checks of the immediate surroundings, most notably the personnel. He secures his headset and flips between normal and infrared, looking at each of the various agents involved.

Agent Jimenez is one of those said agents who had a serious disliking of the Ambassador after Starguard agents risked their lives to retake Stronghold from the Guild aliens that had taken over the supervillain prison. There's been a resurgence of anti-alien sentiment in the red states, Virginia being one of them, after the alien conspiracy was uncovered.

Speaking of Jimenez, he seems to be on the ground crew security keeping watch over the space shuttle while the mechanics swap out the air scrubbers. He gives Rick a narrow-eyed look of irritation.

"Alright, Mr. Mason," Violet replies back over Rick's radio. "I think she'll enjoy the snack before the flight."

Agent Caldwell, after tagging Griffin's gun to hell and back, finally marches over and thrusts out Griffin's gun towards him.

o/~ EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! o/~

o/~ EVERYTHING IS COOL WHEN WE'RE PART OF A TEAM! o/~

Rick frowns slightly whilst he gets the stink eye from Jimenez, reaching up to pinky swirl one of his ears. Stupid earbuds, always giving him static at annoying times. Maybe it's because of his altered physiology? Could his ears be generating some kind of weird electromagnetic feedback?

Glancing over at Griffin, Rick bobs his head. It may or may not have a rhythmic component. THE BETTER TO CONCEAL RICK'S VISUAL SECURITY SWEEP!

o/~ EVERYTHING IS BETTER WHEN WE STICK TOGETHER! o/~

o/~ SIDE BY SIDE, YOU AND I GONNA WIN FOREVER! o/~

"Everything looks alright to me, Mason." Griffin says with this very unGriffin seriousness.

"What's next?" He asks eagerly. Somebody obviously wants to get into space! Space! The deep unknown- the infinite void containing the Universe. Oh every scifi fans dream.

He looks down at his weapon and scowls at the zipties and restraints. He holsters it with a frown.

The mechanics are just finishing changing out the fuel cells for the ship. Mechanic Taylor peeks his head into the open sidehatch door and calls to the pilot inside, "She's all fueled up and ready to go."

Griffin can't help but smile as he mentally prepares to board the spaceship. His first to trip space! Its taking all his willpower not to start bouncing around and squeeing all over everything.

"That's our cue to go over the ship, make sure everything's in place," replies Rick. He pulls on his smartshades and quickly flicks through some datapanes. After a moment, Rick forwards a checklist of environmental safety concerns over to Griffin - you know, allergies and toxins that might not affect humans, but will harm Indira - thanks to the future's glorious WIFI technology. Also HRRP.

Rick promptly moves toward the ship, popping open his attache case for a moment to collect several pieces of equipment from its interior. He quickly clips them onto his suit and starts scouring the ship for concealed dangers and the like. Thank Vector Prime for Smart Armor Systems, am I right?

Agent Jimenez scowls as Rick inspects the ship.

Griffin's smart lenses accept the data and he begins making himself familiar with the contents of the file.

"Oh I would have never guessed..." Griffin mumbles as he reviews something of note in the file.

He begins heading towards the ship.

On the list given to Griffin, there's a number of chemicals listed. Herbicides, certain other weed killers, alcohol, saline solution, vinegar, certain fungi...

Some of these are a surprise to Griff, others make perfect sense. He hmms and ahhs as appropriate.

As the careful inspection continues and time passes, Indira and Violet make their way onto the Landing Field and start to approach the ship. Indira spent time soaking in some delicious rays of sunlight while resting, and is prepared for the flight. She's not wearing her usual stately dresses. Instead, she's geared much more practically, wearing a form fitting space suit without a helm. Violet is in a more bulky, less futuristic suit that's Starguard issue.

Agent Malcolm Gibbs emerges from the UESS Pyle - AMX GC-1701 "Sky Saber" class - in his standard issue Starguard flight suit. He's busily rubbing down his hands with a rag to clear the grease and grime from his pre-flight tune-up on the craft. Grey eyes quickly scan over Rick and Griffin as they scour the spacecraft for signs of danger to the Ambassador, though he doesn't really scowl like Jiminez does. Instead, Malcolm rolls his eyes and folds his arms across his chest.

"Take your time, boys. Not like we have a schedule to keep."

Rick offers a snarky grunt at the professional barb thrown his way. He continues inspecting the vehicle, though nothing unusual seems to be turning up. The Undead Soldier's attention finally breaks as Indira and Violet step onto the tarmac. Brown eyes scan over them both quickly, head nodding before he whistles over at Griffin. Apparently inspection time is over for now.

"Looks like we're in your hands now, Captain," calls Rick to Malcolm.

"That's [Very] Special Agent Gibbs," retorts Malcolm before offering a cheery smile and a polite bow to the ladies approaching "his" craft. "Afternoon ladies. I'll be your pilot today. Welcome aboard the UESS Pyle, it's certainly a pleasure to have you aboard."

Catching up to Griffin, Rick asides, "Ain't he just sunshine and unicorn farts?"

"He's like a very large Powerpuff Pilot." Griffin says back to Rick.

He nods to Indira and Violet and to 'Very' Special Agent Gibbs. "Hey man, before we lift off- thanks for getting me this gig. I'll do my best to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Griffin tightens his holster, and his MEDkit to prep for zero g. He's got ants crawling under his skin and butterflies in his stomach.

He shakes the urge to compare the feeling to jumping out of a plane over enemy territory. He looks up at the ship- the UESS Pyle. Griffin swoons at the ship and its infinite possibilities.

Hey, if Anthony DiNozzo can be a Very Special Agent, so can Malcolm Gibbs. It's just that Malcolm's 'Very Special' status is not verbalized; it's simply understood to be a part of the introduction. He activates his own tactical visor, quickly scanning the local broadcast frequencies as everyone loads up onto the Pyle.

Rick subtly fistbumps Griffin. He rolls his shoulders and comments, "Brothers in arms, m'man," before he starts to load up onto the Pyle as well. The Undead Soldier quietly adds, "You were the best choice I had, Griffin. I know you'll do everything you can. Hopefully, though, it'll be a quiet run."

Especially since Indira can't go running off, slipping her guard detail.

Indira smiles and bows to Malcolm as she steeples her hands together. "Greetings, Pilot Very Special Agent Gibbs," Indira says with deep gratitude. "UESS Pyle?" she repeats the phrase slowly with a heavy accent. "What does this mean? It...does not translate."

Malcolm smiles patiently at Indira. He's heard about her.

"That's just Special Agent Gibbs, ma'am," he replies in a cheery, polite tone of voice. Pausing, Malcolm considers the question and calmly explains, "United Earth Space Ship Pyle. Pyle's just the unique identifying name given to this particular ship, ma'am."

"A quiet run through still waters..." Griffin murmors back quietly. Almost like a good luck mantra before getting on the ship behind the others.

He double checks his webbing again, wouldn't want a Mantlet to drop. Its only then that he notices the bindings on those too. He groans silently with a rumble in the back of his throat.

Indira might still be able to escape Rick's guard detail! Because there's an open field. But once she's on the ship, it'll be a lot easier to keep her from giving them the slip. Although Rick did load up before her, so there's that opening.

However, to probably everyone's surprise, Indira does not make a break for it. She looks eager to get on the ship and is smiling brightly. "My sorries, Special Agent Gibbs. So Pyle, it is a name? With no meaning? I see. Thank you for allowing us on your ship. She is a fine vessel." She steps up into the "Sky Saber" class ship, followed by Violet. Violet grins a bit smittenly at Malcolm and quickly averts her gaze as she loads in. The ladies find seats on the starboard side of the ship and begin to strap in.

Malcolm offers a cheery smile to Violet and swings into the craft once everyone else is aboard. He blatantly ignores Rick's continuing stink eye and carefully wends his way up to the cockpit. Whilst strapping in, Malcolm produces a small piece of e-paper with a holographic image of Gabrielle Grimm from somewhere inside of his flight suit. It promptly gets affixed - by futuristic electro-adhesive means - to a blank spot on the overhead control panel so that Grimm and Malcolm can share googly eyes during the flight.

Rick straps into a seat directly across from Indira once he's sure she's on-board. This may involve electronic perimeter checks with Bad Company agents spread throughout the area. He doesn't always trust Indira and this may be a good thing. Folding his arms across his chest, Rick inquires, "Looking forward to the trip, Ambassador?"

Meanwhile, on the Playa in Black Rock City, Grimm is covered in dust and dressed in strips of clothing like a tribal wastelander, clueless of Malcolm's flight while she helps (well, her shadow servants help) build one of the stages in the sound camps at 2 o'clock and Esplanade.

Indira just smiles brightly at Rick. Her subtle neurochemical connections clue her in that he doesn't trust her. Which is why she likes him in her employ. "Yes. Very much! I have missed the stars." She sounds delighted and ecstatic. Maybe not nearly as much as Griffin secretly is. But it's very unusual for her to be so freely enthusiastic.

Griffin grabs a seat next to the Rick directly across from Violet.

His stomach is already doing backflips. He clicks into the five-point harness like an experienced pro, and looks around the hold like a kid going on his first roller-coaster ride.

Violet's knee is bouncing nervously. She's just an administrative assistant to the ambassador and she never dreamed of going into space. She looks, frankly, terrified. Like someone about to ride the rollercoaster they dread the most.

Violet is starting to triple check her fastening belts out of paranoia. Meanwhile, Indira is relaxed and comfortable.

"Better access to the sunlight up there, I imagine," offers Rick. It's not quite clear if he's asking a question or stating what he holds as a fact. Even at a psychic level, Rick's not really asking or telling. He's just sort of saying it to say it.

Space fills Rick with a vague sense of dread mingled with excitement. It's one of those things that he loves about this job, but that doesn't make him feel any less uneasy about the opportunity to die in a thousand horrible and unique ways. He puts on a brave face and body language for Violet, however, clearing his throat semi-absently as he watches her re-rechecking her harness.

Malcolm is probably the most blase about space on the ship. He has been there a number of times with Starguard and there's plenty of life support gear on the ship, not that Malcolm himself needs much more than a stable source of oxygen to survive in outer space. As is his routine, Malcolm goes through the warm-up sequence whilst chattering with air traffic control about securing the proper take-off clearances.

The ship tilts backward abruptly as all pre-flight systems go green, both on the Sky Saber and within Starguard itself. An entire taxiway angles steadily upward from the building's tarmac, starting just behind the Pyle and continuing clear to the edge of the building at an impressive, albeit somewhat gentle 25 degree grade. Moments later, the engines light up with a bass drone that rapidly upgrades to an outright rumble of power.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking. We are preparing for takeoff. Please ensure you are seated and fully strapped in," drones Malcolm over the PA system, "And, of course, make sure your tray tables are in the fully upright and locked position. We have a wide open atmospheric window and gentle winds, so I expect we'll break atmosphere in record time with little need for course correction. Please enjoy the in-flight movie, it'll begin in your head just as soon as you close your eyes."

Rick rolls his eyes dramatically at Malcolm's speech. Fortunately no one can see it behind his smartshades.

Indira studies Rick for a few moments, then just offers a warm, comforting smile. "Yes. Yes there is," she says sweetly. She looks around at the announcement. "Tray...tables...?" she asks as she searches for them.

Indira leans over to Violet and whispers, "These tables...have they already been locked?"

Violet is looking pales as death and doesn't answer or even acknowledge Indira's question. She's tightly gripping the harness belts at her armpits.

Griffin can't help but smile at Malcolm's pre-takeoff monologue.

He looks to Violet and he calmly smiles at her and asks, "First flight?"

Violet nods her head weakly. "N-never...been in space...ever."