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#MSVJackOfDiamonds – December 7, 2017
A couple of hours have passed, and the majority of both passengers and guests have their fill of food. Most of the crew have retreated back to their cabins, or the cargo hold, in the case of Wrench. Lucy alone remains on the galley, handling the last of the dishes after taking over from Elena a while ago. Pivin is on the bridge, keeping an eye on the ship.
Jason has kept his distance from the galley. But it can only be put off for so long. Once everyone seems to have cleared out, Jason makes his way up. As he enters the galley, he gives a quick glance around. A part of him hopes people will still be lurking about so he has an excuse to put this conversation off a little longer, but no luck. With a deep breath, he props up his most charming smile and starts towards the table. "I
Lucy is standing by the sink as Jason enters. She glances over her shoulder, a faint smile crossing her lips. "Was startin' to wonder if ya were afraid to try my cookin'." she replies with a slight chuckle. The bustle of the galley over the past couple of hours, and the busywork that came with it, seems to have lifted her mood compared to the day before, or at least allowed her a distraction from her worries. "Still
some chili left." she says, gesturing with a rubber-gloved hand towards the pot on the table. "Could probably use some reheatin' though."
Jason gives a shake of his head as he collects a bowl and a spoon before slipping into a seat at the table. "Not necessary. Ten years with the Alliance. If there's one thing I can handle, it's cold rations.. he jokes as he begins to fill his bowl. "How about you?" he continues, his focus on the bowl in front of him, "You get a chance to eat yet?"
Lucy nods. "Sure have. Been busy, but not that busy." she comments, turning off the faucet before looking over Jason's way. "I... didn't realize ya were Alliance. Guess that's not uncommon in your line of work, is it? Elena served, ya know. Maybe if she knew ya had that in common she'd be less on edge around y'all." She looks away briefly, letting out a quiet sigh. "Think she's worried I'm not thinkin' straight,
Jason scoops a spoonful of chili into his mouth as Lucy speaks. It's not until he has worked his way through his first bite that he realizes just how hungry he is. He points at the bowl with his spoon, giving a few nods to himself. "This is some good chili." he says, his lopsided smirk widening as he dips his spoon back in. "I had a talk with Elena. Think we're on the same page now... As much as we can be considering the
circumstances, I guess." he sighs, but immediately thinks better of bringing down the mood so soon and switches topics, "But yeah, a pretty good portion of my people are ex-Alliance. Not so much the ones here with me, but..." he shrugs. "Leah was Alliance. Ten was with a peacekeeping operation. Jess was-...." he reconsiders bringing her up a moment too late, stifling himself with another mouthful of chili.
"...Mmmreally good chili." he mutters through a mouthful of food, swallowing hard before continuing with his listings, "Ilyna was with the asari military. Jattic served with the military back in batarianland. Oxaris-..." he relents, simply shaking his head. "Point is-... Yeah. We've got a lot of ex-military. We're not just a group of pirates looking to make a quick buck." he explains, perhaps hoping to ease some of the
Lucy nods in response to Jason's comment about Elena, but has no real chance to respond before he continues. She starts tugging her gloves off, the process taking a while. "I think that much is clear. Speaks well of y'all that you're so dedicated to gettin' your friend's girl back. I-..." she sighs, trailing for a moment as she focuses on her halfway-off gloves. When she finally yanks them off she finds herself
without a way of stalling, and she looks back at Jason. "I feel just awful 'bout all this. Keep thinkin' I shoulda noticed somethin' wasn't right with James. Coulda spared both of us a whole lotta trouble." She swallows, her gaze moving to the viewport behind Jason.
Jason keeps his attention on his bowl as Lucy mentions her husband, focusing on stirring the chili around rather than look her in the eye. He gives a small shake of his head. "Mistakes happen." he says simply, but sincerely, casting a quick glance up at the woman, "I wish this was a mistake that didn't happen-..." he admits with a sigh, "...but it is what it is. This is the situation we're in, right? I figure we can sit
around being pissed at you and yours and make everyone miserable and tense, or we can work together and try and make sure we all get home in one piece. It's not a hard decision." That's a lie. It is a hard decision. The less reasonable part of him wants to rampage through the ship, turning over every piece of furniture he can. But he knows that won't help Li. Besides, it's not like Redrock hasn't left their own wake of
destruction due to mistakes. New Longhai was a stain that would never wash out. "Your heart was in the right place." he adds quietly.
Lucy nods a couple of times, placing her hands on the edge of the counter as she leans back against it, looking over at Jason. "I appreciate that. I... know we got off to a rocky start, and I don't blame y'all for bein' angry. Lord knows I would be if it was one of mine that'd been taken. I just-... way I see it, we want the same thing. To get our people back." Her gaze turns away from Jason, wandering across the
galley until it comes to stop on the doorway to the ladder. A heavy sigh follows. "This is gonna be dangerous, ain't it? All this talk 'bout Collectors and cultists... I saw the looks on your people's faces. Anythin' that's got a well-armed group like yours spooked like that ain't gonna be good."
Jason sucks a deep breath in through his nose as she mentions getting our people back and his gaze remains buried in his chili as she continues to talk. His only response to her question is a shallow nod. A silence fills the air as he focuses on his chili for the moment. It's not until he's had a few bites before he speaks up, still not looking up from his food. "How long have you been married?"
Lucy glances over at Jason, a faint smile breaking up her increasingly gloomy expression. "Comin' up on... five years now? I hired him when I first got the Jack..." she says, patting the counter. "Knew things were gonna be rough out here. That I'd need some muscle to keep my crew safe. Turns out there's a lot more to my Jimmy than muscle. It's been our adventure from the beginnin', y'know? Always knew I wanted
to travel the galaxy. Havin' him by my side while doin' it though? That was a surprise. Best one of my life. Took us a good few years to realize. Doc damn near had to lock us in a room to get us talkin' about it." she says, chuckling slightly. Her expression shifts, suddenly looking a little self-concious as she realizes her eyes have started to tear up. She blinks, another, uneasier chuckle escaping. "Look at
me blabberin'. Got more than ya asked for, huh?" she says, trying to gloss over her over-sharing. "Just... worried about him, ya know?"
Jason's smirk crops back up as he listens to Lucy tell her story despite the somber undertone afforded by his knowledge of the situation. "Nah." he waves off her notion that she's said too much, pointedly ignoring the last of her words, "You-... uhh... You obviously care a lot of about him..." He doesn't allow that thought to linger too long, quickly following up. "I'm going on-... three days?" he says with a quick snicker,
the confusion of everything- not to mention the added complexity of space travel- giving him a little trouble with keeping track of time. He raises his left hand to show the ring off. He hasn't had a chance to get it properly fitted yet, so it still doesn't sit quite as high as it should due to the synthetic nature of his hand. "Got a bun in the oven, too." he adds, his gaze moving to the table. His smirk slowly fades
away as he recalls the conditions he and Vasquez parted ways on. "This all happened so fast. We weren't in the best of places when I took off. She's probably sitting at home, worried sick right now..." He slouches in his seat slightly as he looks back to Lucy. "...Does it ever get easier?" he asks, "This whole marriage thing?"
Lucy frowns slightly, and pushes off from the counter. She heads over to the table, taking a seat. "Good days and bad days, like anythin' else, right?" she says, flashing a brief smile. "Worryin' is part of the package, y'know? That's just part of lovin' someone." Her smile fades, her frown returning as her gaze falls, but she quickly refocuses on Jason. "Suppose congratulations are in order." she comments, glancing
at the ring. "Three days... can't have been easy, leavin'." she says, offering a sympathetic smile. "How far along is she?"
Jason nods along as Lucy speaks, a sigh escaping him as she mentions worry being a part of the package. He forces a small smile to accompany his nod as she congratulates him. "Six weeks." he says with a humorless chuckle, "Just getting started, I guess." He falls silent, his gaze moving to the ring on his cybernetic hand that is now flat against the table in front of him. "She's a soldier, too." he says with a nod. "When we
first decided to try making a go of things, I thought that might make it easier. You know?" he asks, looking back to Lucy. "We've both been deployed. Separated from our friends and families for long periods of time. Figured since we both know how it goes, it might take a bit of the edge off." He gives another sigh, deep and heavy as he settles back into his seat. "Guess when you toss a baby in the mix it kind of changes
Lucy 's frown returns, and she studies Jason in silence for a moment before nodding. "I'm sure it does." she says, her gaze turning to the viewport, a quiet snort escaping her. "Jim and I, we've talked about kids. Never really prioritized it I guess. Always busy with somethin' or other, never seemed like the right time. And Wrench was a handful for all of us first few years." She says with a chuckle before going
silent for a while, thinking to herself. "Might be time for another talk once all this is over." she adds with a quiet sigh, looking back at Jason. "How'd ya know it was time? Can't have been an easy choice in your line of work..."
Jason allows a small smile to return as Lucy talks about the past, but as soon as she mentions the future- a future that still includes James for her- the smile is wiped from his face. He once more lowers his gaze to the ring on his finger. "Look, Lucy-..." he sighs, completely ignoring her question, "...We need to talk about James." Given the look in his eyes when he turns his attention back to Lucy, there's no way it's good
news. He's put it off for too long. And, as hard as it's going to be to tell this kind woman her husband is gone, it's only going to get worse the more they talk.
Lucy seems rather caught off-guard, her eyebrows furrowing as she studies the look on his face. "What about James...?" she says, concern filling her voice as she tries to discern what's going on. Her hands tense slightly on the table, unconciously stroking her thumb against her own ring.
Jason swallows, his gaze lowering for a moment as he considers his words. He lets out a deep, heavy breath when he finally looks back to Lucy. "What that woman did to him? I gotta be honest with you, Lucy... We've come across this tech before and-..." He suddenly finds himself unable to look her in the eye. It's not like he hasn't delivered bad news before. But for some reason, despite this woman being nearly a complete
stranger to him, this felt more personal. No, not for 'some reason'. For a very specific reason. It felt personal because he can't help but see Vasquez in her. What if, five years down the line, someone has to sit her down and explain to her that her husband is dead? That their child will grow up without a father? That all of the plans they made together are just... gone? What if they don't even have five years? Five
months? Five days? When your career is to put yourself in the line of fire, how long can you keep dodging bullets? As these thoughts bombard him, he sucks in another deep breath. "We-... We have no reason to believe it can be reversed..." he finally spits out.
Lucy 's frown deepens, and she looks at Jason in confusion, blinking several times. "Wh-..." she lets out an unamused half-chuckle, as if she doesn't believe him. "What's-... what? I don't-... what's that supposed to mean?" she says, confusion and frustration quickly filling her voice as she shifts in her seat.
Jason winces. Anger. Sadness. He expected either of those reactions. Maybe both. But he was hoping against having to go into any more detail. "The devices that they use? It doesn't just-..." he sighs, unsure of how to even phrase things. He's no scientist. He's not an expert in the field of 'crazy shit that makes no sense'. All he knows is it's dangerous. "...James is infected, Lucy." he explains. "We-... We don't know how it
all works, but we know that it seems to be contagious. Really contagious. We don't know how or why but-... but the only thing that seems to stop a person once they've been infected is-..." he tilts his head apologetically, the pain clear on his face at having to deliver such news. But there's no point in belaboring the point. One smooth motion. Like a band-aid. "...Is to kill the host."
Lucy practically freezes in place, going silent as she stares at him. A puff of air escapes her as she tilts her head slightly, her frown turning into a hard scowl as her hands curl into fists. "What?" she snaps, anger and dread both abundant in the single word.
Jason gives a distant nod as he looks towards the table. "Halisi is the only doctor I know of to encounter this technology." he says with a sigh, stealing a peek at Lucy through his brow. He's grasping at straws by this point in an attempt at providing some form of comfort, "I'm just a soldier. I'm not saying she'll have all the answers, but she might be able to explain things better than I can." He falls silent, merely
Lucy shakes her head several times, standing from her seat and pressing her palms against the table. "Ya don-..." she lets out another unamused chuckle. "Who the hell do ya think you are?!" she almost yells, slamming one hand against the table. "Ya just-..." she shakes her head again, her eyes starting to tear up again. "Ya knew! Ya knew the whole time!" she exclaims, pushing away from the table as her hands
Jason doesn't so much as flinch as Lucy's hand slams against the table. Her response is expected. He can't imagine his would be much different if he was in her position. He doesn't interrupt as she shouts at him, allowing her to direct her anger wherever she needs to aim it, his only immediate response a distant nod. "I didn't know James." he finally says, eyes still on the table. "Never met him. I didn't mean to-..." he
trails off, bringing a hand up to run through his hair. The small gesture gives him the time he needs to regain some composure, and he forces himself to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I wasn't trying to make this any harder I just-... This isn't the sort of news you should be hearing from a stranger. I mean-... How do you tell someone the person they love is gone? I guess I-..." he continues to stammer. "...I
Lucy bites down on her lips, shifting in place as she looks off to the side, trying and failing to contain her anger. "Oh y-... gone? Gone?! The hell he is!" she snaps as she looks back at him, stepping closer. "My Jimmy's not gone, ya hear me?! Ya said yourself he's sick! Senya'll fix him up, or we'll bring him to someone that can!"
Jason shakes his head, his gaze once again lowering. "Lucy it-... It doesn't work like that." he says softly. No anger. No frustration. Just sadness and understanding in his voice. "I've seen the way this stuff works. You bring him on this ship and you're killing the rest of your people."
Lucy stares Jason down, her fury and rejection of his words showing no sign of fading. "Ya don't know that! Who the hell made you the goddamn expert on this?! You're not killin' my husband, ya hear me?! I'll save him!"
Jason falls silent. He manages to keep it together, but each outburst from Lucy cuts through him, reminding him of the helplessness he felt when he was given the news about Mina. He was very familiar with the position she's in. It's a position he hopes to never find himself in again. "Nobody made me an expert, Lucy. Nobody." he says softly. "There are no experts. I wish there were. I really wish there were. But-..." his
shoulders rise and fall in a tired shrug, "...as far as I can tell? There aren't. I can only tell you what I know. What I've seen. And based on what I've seen? What that woman did to your husband...? Lucy, that's not James anymore. It might look like James. It might sound like James. But-..." he gives a few shakes of his head, a small bit of frustration showing through at what this woman is forced to experience,
Lucy once again slams her hand against the table, right in front of Jason now. "The hell he is!" she repeats, quickly pushing off and taking several steps away from the table before turning around to face him again. "How dare you?! Ya think ya can jus-... I'm not givin' up on him, ya son of a bitch! You'll see! We're gonna fix him up! We'll find away! Someone'll know how! Senya's got a whole hell of a lot more
Jason's eyes close as Lucy pounds the table again. It's not until she finishes her shouting that they open again. Despite not having known James, he can't help but feel a sense of loss for a man who was so deeply loved. He presses a hand against the table, using it to pull himself to his feet. "If you bring him on this ship-..." he begins, speaking slowly. Anunciating each syllable. "...You're sentencing everyone else to
death. You understand that, Lucy? You? Wrench? Elena? Senya? All dead if you bring him onboard." he explains, repeating the names she's used. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. I know it hurts. I know it's not fair. I know it downright fucking sucks. But do you think I want to be telling you this?" He furrows his brow, making it clear that he gets no satisfaction from delivering such horrible news. "Lucy... If
Lucy glares at him in silence for several charged seconds before shaking her head. "I'm not listenin' to another word of this..." she says, stomping off towards the bridge.
Jason takes a few steps after Lucy before stopping in place. There's no getting through to her right now. Especially not from some stranger who just told her that her husband is dead. She needs time and space. "...I'm sorry." he says under his breath as she exits the room, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He remains in place for a few moments, unsure of what to do. He suddenly feels so very far away from Vasquez. From
his wife. He bites down. Turning in place, he plants a boot against one of the chairs with a loud, angry grunt, sending it skittering across the ground. It's like Halisi said. It never ends. It's a cycle of pain and loss. This poor woman and her husband is only the latest victim. He sucks in a deep breath, tempering his nerves as he reminds himself not to let his emotions get the best of him. He has a job to do and Li is
Jessica stands in the doorway, brow furrowed as Jason storms past her after punting a chair like a soccer ball. She watches him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and entering the galley. Oooh, a bowl of chili!