Heist the Colours 2: Now in Space (RP)

- Lio -

Bob's eyes glitter at the word 'fast'. "Without landlubbers on board we can be really fast... 7Gs fast, --light as we are. I can make your eyeballs join your balls-balls."

But he knows what you really mean. "Once Ronny is back inside we can close the airlock and leave immediately. I have kept the engine running, just in case. We can comfortably be over there in a quarter of an hour, give or take landing permission." He says.

Nothing you have seen so far suggest any significant danger to those left stranded on Betty, but Abby may have thoughts about Ronny leaving her.

- Raf -

"Um..." Abby squeaks when she hears she is to be left alone and that no one was coming to check on her. "I could use a little help..."

When you return to the engine room you find Abby has forgotten/failed to tether herself and accidentally pushed off and floated into the centers of the empty space, where she now hangs in 'mid-air', helpless, unable to get herself back to any surfaces. She has tried to lasso something with a data cable, but that has just gotten her tangled and tied up in her clumsy suit.

If you are confident your partners will return with the means to pump air into the room and remove the need for the Vacc Suits, there may be little point forcing Abby to try to do work in the suit. Maybe she should get some rest until you are set up? She was rather excited to do this job, so she might not be able to sleep, though --especially not in a strange Vacc Suit-- and it might be better to keep her within sight, this environment is completely foreign to her and dumping her to deal with it alone will definitely sour her experience of space and her perception of her new team. You are not sure she will actually be able to help you, but making her feel useful might help her, psychologically?

What do you do?

"Yep." Bob says. "Cleared to dock there in 20 minutes."

You can take longer than that if you want and can do any preparation you feel necessary in the meantime. Then narrate your arrival and how you approach the caretaker and what you say.

"Hello Phil, Theo. Nice to meet you too." The woman says in reply. It looks like she was desperately tying to tidy up but you got here quicker than she expected and she is still patting in her hair into place and, incongruously, wearing an apron. She notices the rag in her hand that just patted her hair and tosses it into a corner with a 'nobody saw that' conspiratorial smile.

In addition to cleaning up for guests, she has laid on a meal --which, though simple, looks quite appealing after days of cramped-shipboard food. You get the feeling that 'lonesome' does not even come close to describing her situation.

"My name is Helen." She introduces herself. "Arthur is... " there is a catch in her voice but she continues, "... unable to see you right now. But I am sure I can help you with what you need. No problem, there.

"But, won't you join me for dinner, first? Just the two of you?"

You get the feeling there is more going on here, but she does not seem like a threat, and you do need that airlock dock.

What do you do?

Helen looks delighted at your interest in her food. "He ... Yes, he is my husband." There is a little hesitation there, but she covers it by adding" "Our son used to live up here too, but he ran off after a hussy... but you don't need to hear about my woes." It sounds like she really would love to have someone to talk to about her 'woes', but that is not the sort of thing one brings up at the dinner table.

She did not know how many people were coming over and there is ample place for Bob as well, if you want to include him in this charade with fake names.

"Do you think you will be here long? Doing whatever it is you are doing?" She asks. "You are all welcome to join me... us for your meals if you can spare the time."

Once the pleasantries are over and everyone has tucked into the food she tries to sound casual as she brings the subject round to the possibility of war. The news reports leaving the planet have seemed... faked? --if you have not been following them on your trip here, Helen will mention this-- and she is nervous about the future, this is understandable, but there may be more at play here.

What do you do?

- Raf -

Abby bounces around like a balloon, and ends up clinging to you so as to avoid floating off again. "'I am a hacker, Jim, not a spaceman.'" She quips in reply, your words obviously having set her more at ease. "How do people do any work in these thing?" She asks exasperatedly about the suit.

News that you are working to remove the need for the suit cheers her a lot, and she is gladly towed to where you are working --after having you secure her laptop for her.

When she sees what you are planning she is excited, but also more than a bit scared. "You are opening the big doors? Into 'for real space'?" She asks, and you can't tell from her voice what she thinks of that idea.

Obviously you will need to make sure she is tethered at all times with those doors open, floating off into a room is one thing, floating off into empty space is quite another. She lacks the basic training in such things so it is up to you.

What do you do?

- Ronny & Lio-

"Oh, no! What have you heard?" Helen blurts our before covering her mouth and turning away. You can see her shoulders shake and her hand --out of view-- goes from her mouth to dab at her eyes.

What do you do?