I have my ways of getting answers that do not always involve threats, Skop replies.  Besides, have I ever threatened to space someone without being willing to do exactly that?

Gill leaned back in his chair, a sure sign that he was feeling more comfortable. Scratching his chin as he spoke in a much calmer tone, "It has been a while since we played good cop bad cop, Skipster. Whatta ya say I get to be good cop this time?"

Andre chuckled but it faded somewhat more abruptly than one might expect for good-natured reminiscing, "I'm forced to admit that for as long as I've known you I don't have any proof to suggest that you aren't willing to space anyone that you threaten to space. Although I don't recall you threatening to space anyone... Or actually spacing anyone."

The engineer rubbed at some marks on the table where ionized particles that left small scorch marks flickering. "Has someone been playing around with high voltage lately? Other than me."

Skip looks at Gill with a smirk.  Since when do you know how to be a good cop?  He glances around at everyone, then back to Gill.  You're good with the kids.  How about you keep them occupied while I ask the questions?

Gill looked hurt. "I may not be the most orthodox man here, but I have never put you or anyone on this ship in danger. I really did finish lawschool, ask the Captain if you don't believe me." He wasn't angry, but genuinely hurt. Sure he goofed around and had fun making up and pretending to be other people, but Skip was acting like he was some kind of loose cannon. His fingers tingled and he looked down at them. He spread them wide watched arch moving up between them. He is genuinely shocked and amazed by this. "Will you look at that. Maybe the little blue monkey was telling the truth." There are now little surges of lightening in the cornia of both his eyes as well. He clenched his fist and reigned in his emotions. "Whatever you think is best Skip."

Val raised her eyebrow at Gill with a look of suspicion. She noticed. She knew.

"Gill...don't tell you made a deal with the gremlin...did you? What did you promise it?"

Gill looked a bit sheepish, "He wouldn't let me take a nap. The little bastard just kept staring at me. Said if I gave him a piece of my soul, he'd leave me be and give me a piece of his in exchange. I thought it was a game of some kind. Really, I never expected to be Mr. Lightening Fingers. Hey that's good, I gotta remember that one."

Osram raised an eyebrow at the revelation.

Things were definitely weirder on this ship than any other backwater colony or lonely mining outpost in the deep black he'd ever been to.

A fact that perhaps was not so encouraging.

Andre's eyes widened a bit, "Oh, holy moly. You just... offered soul for peace and quiet?!" he didn't have disappointed tones or expression... but surprise and intrigue. "There has quickly become more to test and measure than I have the time to evaluate."

Val stood up and shook her head.

"Gill, you fool. You don't make deals with fey or demons! It's always a trap!"

She began chastising him like a mother who caught a child with their hand in the cookie jar.

"A piece of your soul? Do you even know what it took?! Has anyone else been offered a deal? Where is the gremlin right now...?"

She looks around.

"Wait...Lilly and the kids...do they know about the gremlin?"

It suddenly dawned on them that the gremlin wasn't present. But it was ALWAYS annoying and toying with someone...

OOC:
Both Ed and Gill were propositioned to gamble their souls in a game. Gill actually made a trade. The gremlin was vague about how it would help Andre but it was always clear it liked playing games, placing bets, and wheeling and dealing.

Andre held up hands in a calming gesture, well known to NOT help agitated females... Or anyone for that matter, "Gryftrr is pretty much everywhere aboard ship. I accidentally bound it into the empty bonding pilot location NOD was made for. I gave him a modified drone so he could be visible and interact more personally. He said he would help me in vague terms so I may have a dossier on the visitors in my messages box in the morning. We didn't have an exorcist. I told Cap about it and I'll keep working on the issues in my spare time. I kind of got him to promise to not take apart more of the ship without my supervision."

Gill responded to Rey, "Yea, so. What would you have traded a piece of my soul for, money? Wouldn't get much. Honestly it was way to easy to just hand over my hat, you know TF? Well now that I think about it that was probably the reason. He took the TF part of me and left the rest." He listened to Rey but headed with Val toward the kids anyway.

The captain shrugs as Val looks from Andre to him.

"I trust my engineer. Plus if he's making deals, 'don't tear the ship apart' is the kind of behavior we need our own AI to take seriously. And it's Gill's soul. He can do with it what he wants."

He was surprisingly calm.

"Just communicate anything odd or weird to the rest of us in the future. Andre, I'd like you to work on that sensor program and double check that we're back at 100% before we do anything. Ed, Skip, Gill, Val, why don't two of you watch the kids and two of you interview Lilly. Decide among yourselves. I'll head back to the bridge to keep watch and Osram...can you check on that creature in our cargo bay now and again? Make sure it doesn't get into anything? You're the only one I think could take it without firing a shot should the need arise."

He stood up.

"Unless anyone has any other bright ideas?"

"Sure thing Cap."  Osram replied despite his doubt regarding Jehnko's assessment after seeing what Vargas had done with his claws.

"You want anyone standing by in case things get... weird?"  He asked Skip due to the matter of Lilly's exact nature being an unsettled question.

"If we are going back, we will likely find wreckage. The salvage might be worth it, but the cubes would be destroyed or reclaimed by the warship faction. I can have it ready for use if I put all tomorrow into it, but it will probably be useless to track the cubes after that. Maybe the guests will offer some other energy or matter that I can attune the program to that would be worth more in the long run than the cubes. Particularly if in light of that or other information we decide not to go back. I am all for salvage but we are going to need a larger hold and a major ship overhaul if you want to turn this thing into an armed freighter." The engineer added quickly, "Not that I am against those ideas we would need a shipyard, a crew, and some time for me to oversee everything myself. Another foreman might not understand my shorthand and cut corners... On my plans... might be disastrous. I can put our key systems into a different hull altogether faster than upgrading this to a different hull type, I think."

Gill looked at Skip, knowing who he would pick but still wanting him to do it looking Gill in the eyes when he took Ed instead.

Fine, Skip says with a tone of exxasperation.  You can come with me, Gill, IF Val is willing to distract the kids.  Any of your antics, though, and I will trade you out for her.

Gill was shocked. He looked around to be sure everyone else heard what he heard. It seemed they had, which was either more or less shocking, perhaps both. He nodded slowly, "Got it, I can be professional. Wait, I need something."

He fished around on his jumpsuit for a moment, before remembering where they were. He unzipped a pocket just above his hip and took out a glasses case. Opening it to find his spare contacts holder, and he calmly took out his contacts and put them away. Then he got out a pair of thick, black, hornrimmed glassed and put them on. They made his eyes look enormous. He put the case back in it's pocket. He inhaled, spine straight, and in an extremely professional tone he said, "Ready when you are, Mr. Tracer."

The captain answered Osram on Skip's behalf: "Nah, you head to the cargo bay and keep an eye on that creature. Ed, Val, and the kids are headed there anyway. The kids want to play with their pet I suppose."


He looks to Andre: "Best to put out the idea of going back for survivors out of your mind and focus on the task at hand. Repairing this ship. I'll be on monitor duty on the bridge while you do that."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:34, Mon 15 Apr.

"Sure thing then."  Osram replied to Jehnko as he moved off to head to the cargo bay.

The engineer grunted as he got up from a seat in the mess hall, "Let me know if, especially if, any alerts only flicker on for a minute. I don't want us to lose backup systems because Gryftrr decided to gamble on not needing them.

Tomorrow I may just start by shoring up some of those other drones. Having more hands might just go a long way to whatever endeavors we are up to next. Babysitting seems to be in the cards..."

Once they returned to the Mess Hall, Gill pulled a chair out for Lilly. Then he went around and sat across from her. "Thank you for agreeing to come with us, Lilly. We have some questions and we wanted the comfort of all of us in this environment. We want you to understand that we are not going to harm you or the children. We are not pirates or monsters. We genuinely want to help all of you. We cannot do that properly without the correct information." He is entirely professional in this, adopting his lawyer persona easily.

Skip had waited while Gill had gone to get Lilly.  When the two walk in, He is over by the mud coffee maker, pouring them each a cup.  When he comes over to the table, he is carrying a tray with the three mugs of coffee (each of the crew had their own mug, plus a number of mugs usable by passengers and guests) and a ramican with powdered creamer and sweetener of various sorts.  And a a dispenser of stir-sticks.
Coffee?  He holds up the guest mug for Lilly to take, if she wants it.  Don't know how you like it, but we have a variety of sweeteners and almost-creamer.

Lilly gladly takes the coffee and sniffs it cautiously sipping it.

"Oh this is very hot and bitter."

She smacks her lip.

"This is a stimulant."

She says in a matter-of-fact manner, staring at the mug.

Gill gave a greatful nod to Skip for the coffee. It was the exact right amout which brought a hint of smile to hip lips, which he doused instantly. He poured in the powdered vanilla creamer, stirred, poured more in, stirred again, and then added a lot of sugar and stirred one last time.

He tried to keep things from going off track, "Lilly where are you from, exactly. What is the name of the planetary body and city, county, and state?"