"Ha!" Enzo's 'sympathy' ran out with this auditory signal. His signature wicked grin crept up in its usual spot and he pulled away from the truck. "Lady, there ain't no points in lovin' him or anyones else. Yous gots a lotta learnin' left to do, sister."

The now-labled scoundrel strolled around to the frame of the door and shoved his head in, close enough to smell Zeta's breath. "Or maybe you needs to lay off the sauce for a minute. And Raggsie," He continued, pulling back and turning his gaze to Robert. "Don't you go encouragin' her like 'at, see? You been on the streets, where it's a DA a day eating-shit-and-preyin'-on-tricks for a livin'. Don't tell me yous just gonna sit theres and lets the last decent level-headed' broad on this junks heap fill her head wit' fancy ideas. I oughta sings a song to yous two, honestly."

Enzo jumped back, throwing himself away from the truck with a mid-air turn. As if to call attention to the miniscule feat, he turned with a grin once more before going off into the docking port. He shook his head mid-stride, muttering, "Like I'm gonna get shot over love 'er somethin."

Robert snorted as Enzo left. "Bah, figured he would say something like that. He looked around for something heavy to throw at the scoundrel's retreating form. Finding nothing that wouldn't take minimal effort to throw, he settled slouching back. "Don't listen to him. Sure I've been out on the streets, taught me that if ya should find love ya should go for it with every thing ya got." he gave her a convincing grin.

Zeta was quietly sobbing and listenin to those two. She figured Enzo's reaction would be like that and it was actually slightly comforting. In his own way he told her to remain same. And Robert? Robert was just too sweet.

"Thank you Rob," she then sad and leaned back in the seat. She wiped the tears off he face with both hands. "I think I should finish the bottle and then get some bloody sleep. Thank you for listening to this rant of little meat robot." She then said and chuckled a little. "AND THANK YOU TOO ENZO!" She then shouted in the hall.

As Naoko looked away, Matthew's eyes briefly opened wide in shock. He caught himself though, and narrowed them back to the 'hostile normal' setting. 'This...doesn't make sense. I've always been on the other end of the table when it came down to these stares with Her.' It seemed that each time he interacted with them at length, the Nekos merely reinforced what he thought of them. 'I don't understand them at all.' Mr. Smith's eyes bored into it, her, whatever, as another glass was poured, mentally vivisecting Naoko in a desperate bid to wrap his mind about the Neko. Like all other instances, he simply found no purchase, and gave up once again.

'Its not like Naoko is a killing machine.' He thought. 'Those, like Mishhu, are surprisingly easy to predict at the mid and lower levels.' The glass was brought halfway to her perfect, sumptuous lips. 'But you're not a person either, otherwise, I wouldn't have trouble bending you left and right when it comes to business.' Smith stopped thinking and listened proper when Naoko spoke however. Unlike most people, he actually bothered to listen. And it sounded like...was this distress? Perhaps even despair he heard? No. It was more than that; she was likely borderline defeat. And then something came together in Smith's mind, and he rejoiced. Something about a Neko made sense!

"It's nothing petty like ideology or ethics about birth or origin...not at all." Smith spoke with a warm kindness in his voice. "Its absolutely personal, so don't worry about it one bit Miss Aihara." A thin, cruel smile was on his face now. "Though, I must admit, I thought the feeling was mutual considering how you were behaving towards me." He casually peeled off a flake of brown skin, revealing the painful pink and red below. "Besides, what would make you think I'd like to kill you? True, it would have the same end result that I'd prefer - you being gone - but, I'm not a killing machine or anything like that. Believe me, I'd rather ask you politely to leave." He paused, flicking away the flake of dead skin. "But I won't." Smith flatly added. The Origin Representative then proceeded to toss the Impulse with the slagged chestplate over his armored shoulder before laying it down on the floor face up with a heavy thud.

"Because, I know this is important to you. I don't know what it is yet, since you haven't said, but I do know. This. This is very important...isn't it?" He looked up from his work, continuing to to slightly smile at her.

"So, how may I be of assistance Miss Aihara?" he asked with cheer.

Robert smiled as he gently took the bottle as took a swig of his own. "Anytime girlie. What are friends for after all?" he passed the bottle back to her and stood back up. "I'm gonna hit the rack myself." he grinned again and walked off towards his new quarters. "Don't be a stranger and stop by if ya need to." he said as he walked out of the bay. He passed by the cargo bay and saw Smith and Naoko talking, but he continued on without a sound and entered his room. He flopped onto his rack and promptly fell asleep.

Before Robert left the room Zeta looked at him and smiled. "Thanks again," she said and took drank a bit of gin. "Boy this thinks is not very tasty at all, but it gets you drunk. Oh and by the way I hope you still did not forget about that dinner you promised." She said and smirked.

Beau didn't react that much to Enzo's prank, it was almost as though he was prepared to die. He'd seen his airbike race, he was happy with the result (even if he didn't win), and just sighed a sigh of relief as he finished his beer. Melissa, who had pulled out her rifle and pointed it at Enzo swearing a blue streak.
"...grrfuckin'hellwotdy'rethinkyerfuckin'DOING!?" She swore angrily as she pointed her rifle at Enzo, but after watching Vincent give him the what-for, she lowered her rifle and looked over to Beau, still eerily calm, "You orright?" She inquired as she put the safety on her rifle and sat down with it.

"I'm fine." Beau said, sounding numb as he sipped his beer and looked over to Luca, "You have a very, very dysfunctional crew. Ever considered getting a shrink?"
Luca thought for a moment and said, "If we did, I think our chances of success would diminish tenfold."
"No, I don't mean for sanity. I mean for togetherness," He observed, "If anything you and your team would get better," He smiled a weak smile.
Luca thought of Uriel, being the one with the most level head on the crew, bar his parents. He then thought of his crew at large and their squabbles. He could hear them vaguely - then it hit him with clarity, "You're right. You're absolutely right. I'll try and look into it."

"I don't doubt that you're one of the good guys, if anything you're a whole lot more pleasant than the pirate I shot down a month ago," Beau observed dryly.
"That's always a plus. No doubt you'll sell your story about me to the media about the Insane Sideburns wearing Pirate?" Luca smiled wryly.
"No need. A deal is a deal." Beau gave Luca a pat on the shoulders.

"John," Luca commanded, "Get us back to the Kestrel and take us home with Ardent. Beau, you're free to leave. Get some rest and bust your boss."
"Can do," Beau said as he picked himself up, and then took Ardent with him, "Sorry boss, you have to face the music for what you've done, maid uniform and all."

"Alright, on our way now," Jon confirmed as he detached the ISC Phoenix from the Lady of the Night and sent it back to the Big Bird, which, in turn, sent itself back to the Crimson Kestrel. Eventually, the Police Vessel went its own way, and the Lady of the Night was in the Hangar.

-

"How did this get on board?!" Luca said as he threw himself at the Mishhu, with a flamethrower in one hand and an automatic shotgun in the other, firing both off at the same time.
"I dunno!" John said as he erected a sentry and used his Laser Pistol to keep shooting at some of the straggling zombies.
"Quick, we gotta hurry!" Melissa argued as she continued picking off the ones closer to the back and the bigger ones in front.

"Door's open! Go Go Go!" Sebastian yelled as he finally unsealed the door, and the crew sprinted through it, Sebastian closed it behind him and sealed it shut with a welding iron.

MISSION COMPLETE!

"Whew!" Luca said as he put the controller down, "I haven't played that in Ages!"
"That wos fun," Melissa said, "Not terribly realistic, but fun ne'erth'less."
"I wonder if the others want in? Its an eight-player game, we got eight controllers." John mused.
Sebastian shrugged, "You kids can keep playing. I've got books to balance."

It'd only been an hour since the the previous incident, and by the looks of it, the crew needed a break for a while to gather their wits.

MISSION 9 - COMPLETE!!