Preparing For Liftoff (Tag: Hayate, William, Open)

[Hayate Tenoh]

Hayate did as requested and checked William's input. There were a few mistakes, mistakes that could have put them way off course. She quickly fixed them with one hand, showing the extensive practice she had under Conrad.

"You were a bit off, Bill. I fixed the calculations so we're back on course. Maybe I should show you how to use a manual navcomp when we're back at base." Hayate gently suggested. Humiliating him in front of the others was a good way to anger him. They did not need to clash right now. They could clash after they were back at base and had both feet on the ground.

Hayate thought of something she needed to know. Chisana was just the one to ask.

"Hey Chisana, how exactly does the stealth system work? Are we invisible to radar, invisible to the naked eye, or both?" Hayate asked.

[Sakuya]

Sakuya gripped her seat slightly as they took off. But as the ship lifted and soared into space, she smiled. She loved being out in the middle of nowhere. She felt alive. And being on a mission again made her blood pump. The adrenaline was going...stopping nowhere.

With a smile to Chi, she nodded “Oh hells yes! I’d love that!” She smirked wickedly before looking to William and Hayate, giving them both a thumbs up “I think you’re doing awesome, buuuuuut I’m not a pilot...at all, but we’re not dead, so that’s something!” She laughed.

She then sat up straight, preparing for the drop off “I’m ready whenever you are.” She said giving William a wink. “Drop me off by the bad guys.” She chuckled

[Chisana Usagi]

A bright smile spread across Chi's face as she heard the answer from Sakuya. It would be fun to have another friend who could fly. She had a feeling that the raven haired woman would understand the joy of just being out there.

She heard the comment made by Hayate to her brother. It was hard not to feel bad for William. She was used to inputting with the nav computer. She turned to face the twins as she was asked the question. She knew these systems in and out, almost as well as the captain.

"We are invisible to all forms of detection concerning noise from the engines. She does mimics radiation around which allows us to fly in with up being picked up from sensors. Best as I can figure, the paint reflects the environment around us. It takes a very well trained eye to spot us."

She activated the engine dampeners as she would wait on the paint. Caution was something which was ingrained at this point in time. She never knew if anyone was waiting for them just on the other side of the maw.

[William Tenoh]

William appreciated the diplomatic way that Hayate handled his mistake with the calculations. She did not humiliate him in front of the others. He was thankful for that. He was about to express his appreciation to Hayate when Sakuya chimed in.

William took a look at the navcomp. They were at the dropoff point already? It looked that way.

"OK, opening the door now. Good luck Sakuya." William said to her over the comms system.

"All other passengers, please remain seated." William advised the others. It was an unnecessary warning, but one he felt obligated to give nonetheless. Hopefully the mission would go off without a hitch. William liked missions where everything went according to plan.

[Jacob Marconi]

Jacob was impressed with the way that the Tenoh’s handled his ship. They would have to be support staff on his gunship next time they were doing more than a hit and run. That would be a great time. The main focus was them going to slipspace. He had reviewed the computations as well without saying anything and when they made the jump he leaned back and let the quiet of space take him. He fell asleep as they rode. It was normal for him as he had done this so many times that he could feel when the ship revert to normal space. His eyes popped open when came into the system.

“Welcome to Cowliga home of the Cowligians. They have five planets capable of supporting life and have colonized all of them. They are a bovine species. That shouldn’t fool you though they are a rather interesting people who don’t mind different species. We bring stories. They love stories. It’s part of their culture. The family we are meeting is a clan known as the Tangs. They control a small shipping business as their legitimate front. It helps them launder money.”

He did a weapons check as he brought of their system on the screen HUD and looked at the Tenoh’s.

“At your leisure.”

It was said calmly and with a near playful quality to it. When they dropped Sakuya he gave a comms check.

“If you will please look to your southwest about three quarters of a kilometer and find the cafe. It’s labeled Tang’s Feed Bag. Once your dialed in let me know. I’ll approach from the opposite direction.”

He wanted them to circle half a kilometer and drop him he was used to it.

“Alright ladies and gentleman it’s time to get this done. Drop me there.”

He pointed to an alley which they could hover over and allow him to drop into with very few eyes.

[Hayate Tenoh]

Once Sakuya was safely dropped off, Hayate closed the door and listened to Chisana's description of the stealth system. She also listened to the captain's description of the planet and its people. Of particular interest was the Tang family, who were the people that the captain wanted to meet.

"I see it. Tang's Feed Bag spotted." Hayate chimed in. It was exactly where the captain said it would be. Southwest and three-quarters of a kilometer.

She circled about half a kilometer. She hovered over the desired alley, making certain to hold the ship steady. She took a look around with both her eyes and the sensors. No sign of hostile activity or observers.

"OK Captain, you're over the drop site. You may leave when ready." Hayate said before opening the doors again. So far everything was going smoothly. Sakuya was safely on the ground. Soon the captain would be too.

[Sakuya]

Sakuya landed gracefully onto the hardened dark soil. Leaning down as her fishtail braid fell from her shoulders, she fastened her boots and ensured her gear blended with her new surroundings.

Her fingers tailed along the fabric of the strap of her rifle as she found a safe place to complete her duties. She was a ghost. Looking up as she the ship lifted above her, she smiled as they disappeared into the murky atmosphere. Could you call it an atmosphere? With a shrug, she got into stance and waited...

[Chisana Usagi]

Chi waved as Sakuya got off. "Good luck and happy hunting, Sakuya."

She turned back to her station as she checked their stealth systems. They were good to go as they dropped the captain off. She knew that she most likely would be still staying on the ship. She does not want to compromise the mission in the least.

She sighed as she made a click or two. She cracked her neck slightly as she waited for her orders. She would not mind seeing these people. It might be fun to get new material for her painting.

[William Tenoh]

William listened to the activity behind him. Sakuya was already on the ground and the captain would be on the ground shortly. There were no signs of trouble. So far, so good.

"So once we drop off the captain, we make our way to the designated area and wait for them?" William asked Hayate and Chisana. His memory was a bit fuzzy. It was likely due to thinking about Sakuya and her outfit. How did she fit in it without any wardrobe malfunctions happening?

[Jacob Marconi]

Jacob hit the open door and then dropped tot he ground, the 15 meters, and landed nearly silently except for the animal he frightened as he landed and it yelped and skittered off down the alley. He cued up his comms and contacted the ship.

"If you will look about seventy-nine degrees to the right you will see the a tower. That is the Tower of Tales. It will support the ship as it is made of stone and about two-thousand years old. Every year they gather there on their solstice and tell tales about the past, present, and even tales of the future. Land there on its top and wait."

He started to walk out of the alley and contacted Sakuya.

"You ready to haunt me? There is a building about one-hundred and eighty degrees to your rear. It will give you a good vantage of the cafe. The second floor should be empty as I gave it scan as we passed over. Go ahead and set up there unless you saw a better spot. I will be at the cafe. Oh I might have you demonstrate our resolve by shooting someone because it will be hilarious. On top of that after the last time they tried to double cross us they deserve it."

He walked up and sat down at one of the tables where he could be seen by both his Ghost and those they had come to visit.

[Hayate Tenoh]

Hayate listened to the captain's instructions over the radio. They were to proceed to the Tower of Tales and land on top. That should be simple enough. The weather was not too bad and two skilled pilots were in control of the craft. The ship's most experienced pilot was on standby in case something went amiss.

"OK, Tower of Tales has been spotted. Proceeding there now." Hayate stated as she spotted the structure seventy-nine degrees to the right and began increasing altitude. A smooth ascent should do the job. There was no need to rocket towards it and draw needless attention.

Hayate guided the craft until she was directly above it. She hovered in place and looked towards William. His absentminded expression meant he was probably thinking about Sakuya's outfit again. Typical.

"We are above the tower now. Proceeding to land." Hayate stated. She began the landing procedure.

"Hey Bill, do you mind lending a hand?" She asked.

[William Tenoh]

William was off in another ozone layer. He was still trying to figure out how Sakuya moved in her outfit. It had to be skintight. Not that he was complaining, of course. He was not some kind of warrior-monk like Felix... William was a worldly guy and tended to look at the females on the station.

How did Felix ever score with Freya? William envied him. The blond male wanted to get with Freya. The fact that the perpetually sour and irritable Felix got with the most attractive girl on Dark Echoes annoyed William to no end.

Hayate's request brought him back to reality. She was beginning to land and needed his help. Time to go to work.

"Oh, right. Landing on the Tower of Tales. Got it." William said as he helped with the process. He monitored their descent. There were no problems.

"Landing speed is slow enough. Ship is holding steady. No sign of hostiles or curious locals. No problems." William stated. They were halfway there. Their smooth descent continued with no problems.

"OK, almost there. Deploying landing gear... now." William reported, pulling the lever to lower the landing gear. The on-screen display indicated that the gear deployed with no complications. Splendid.

William felt a muffled THUMP as they landed. A quick check of systems showed that there was no damage. Great.

"OK, we have landed. No damage was taken. All systems are functional." William reported. Time to use that vaunted stealth system the captain valued so much.

"OK, we need to get that stealth system up and running." William declared.

[Sakuya]

Sakuya chuckled at that. Shaking her head at her commander, she breathed in deeply and made the trek up the soil and toward her spot. "One...hundred...andeighty degrees..." she whispered to herself, finding the building with no issues. Sauntering into the dusty atmosphere she looked up to the stairs, running up them quietly so that only a mouse could be heard. As she passed, she found a decent spot to shadow herself into the darkness. Crouching nonto her knees, she carefully removed her rifle from her shoulder, getting into position as she whisked some of her ravel hair from her face. Licking her ruby red lips, she smiled. This was one of her most favorite things...

And then he crossed her mind. Again. Damn it.

Bill..his golden hair...those deep, soulful eyes. His humor...and not to mention that bod...god damn. **Someone break me off a piece of that...** she thought to herself. Shaking it off quickly, she got down onto her stomach and looked through the scope of her rifle. Eyeing up a lazy man just relaxing against the structure across the pathway, she chuckled as her index finger tugged the trigger oh...so...slightly..

The bullet soared into the air as quietly as the wind could breeze...

It cracked into his skull, making minimal noise. He fell to the ground silently.

[Jacob Marconi]

Jacob watched as the man came to laze against the building just as soon as he appeared. The moment he was comfortable he seemed to go all limp and slid down the building slowly. He clicked his commlink showing his appreciation for his Ghost.

As soon as the man dropped the matron of the Tang clan appeared with her daughter making a tsking sound and before she was close enough Jacob spoke into his commlink.

“Hold fire they are the ones I came to speak to about our provisions.”

He stood and bowed to Ms. Tang. He gave a slightly lesser bow for her daughter.

“Jacob! You old warbull what brings you this far out besides business as you usually wish to conduct?”

The daughter smiled at Jacob politely and they all took a seat.

“Madame Tang a pleasure as always. I have come to see about the parts you withheld last time. I know Mizuki lost her temper and broke a few things and a few of your boys but trying to double cross us is not wise. That on top of Alex and Sakuya besting two of your best fighters was embarrassing enough. I did come with a peace offering though.”

His bag was brought out and placed two large diamonds on the table. The daughter looked wide eyed at them and Ms. Tang shook her head. He removed one and placed a book of fables on the table.

“A diamond and a book of fables. That for the parts and a sewing machine and fabric. Do we have a deal?”

Ms. Tang looked at where her man was slumped over and shook her head again. She nodded though and spoke.

“I see you have already introduced yourself. Why shouldn’t I just call the rest of my boys to work you over?”

Jacob contemplated that answer and smiled back to her.

“Well you know I’m haunted. This particular ghost is the one that wishes to save me for all the other ghosts. It may end badly for them. I come offering to pay for the damages and give incentive. You threaten. How is that equitable to our continued relationship?”

Ms. Tang nodded and let her daughter take the diamond while she took the book. She pulled out her communication device and made a quick call. Once done Ms. Tang looked back at Jacob.

“You know our warehouses right?”

Jacob nodded and watched as two large males came out and they were armed.

“Warehouse Ten is where we have the items you wish. Although those two coming up will not listen and are going to hurt you. Jacob you are like one of my own and I have learned that treating you like anything else is counterproductive.”

Jacob nodded to her as she leaned forward and lowered her voice.

“They have refused to follow my orders and want to kill you for the embarrassment that your two females caused them. They have been causing trouble. You’ll be doing me a favor and therefore I’ll owe you.”

[Hayate Tenoh]

Hayate listened to William's request to activate the stealth system. She was way ahead of him. With a flick of the switch, they were now using the stealth system the captain had made such a big deal out of. It had better be worth flying an unarmed transport.

"OK, stealth system is engaged." Hayate reported.

"Hey Chisana, how long does the stealth system last? Are we in any danger of using too much power for it?" Hayate asked.