7315/Milano Tales: Meet the Ghost and SWORD

Milano Tales: Meet the Ghost and SWORD
Date of Scene:	11 August 2021
Location:	Cockpit - Milano
Synopsis:	Meet two of the new Milano regulars
Cast of Characters:	Phyla-Vell, Peter Quill, Gamora, Ava Starr, Finley Ellison

---

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    "When you said Vance was running late I thought he'd still ... never mind. I'm sure he'll get a chance to meet the crew soon enough," Phyla-Vell says as she watches the Milano come in to view on their approach. Their approach being in a car.

    The space ship is quite a sight for Earth eyes. It's external structure is capable of morphic recalibration on the fly.. in short it looks a bit like a giant space-metal bird. Phyla-Vell hops out of the car as it comes to a stop and sends a signal to the ship to open the hanger bay door.

    "Come on in, let's see who's up and about at this time of the day." Because time is a funny thing when you're in space a lot. You sleep when you can and if you're awake - you're awake.

    "Peter," she calls out ahead but heads up through the common area and to the cockpit to see if anyone is actually doing anything yet. It's only been almost a week since they parted ways rescuing a space princess and Phyla-Vell has enjoyed the hospitality of Ghost and Fin with time traveller Vance. Not to mention meeting Carol Danvers.

Peter Quill has posed:
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AKbUm8GrbM

Who's awake and around at this hour? Peter Quill that's who! The Captain (and best pilot of the Milano, suck it rocket) is seated at his console working the flight controls eyes fixed on the screen as 'Pinball Wizard' plays over the ship's speakers. If they were in space he might have been mistaken for being in the midst of some big space battle... but today, landed like they were? He was playing Galaga, the familiar little spaceship and aliens dancing on the scren. Did he hear Phylla's call? Hard to say with the music up so loud, and he not looking over his shoulder yet.

Gamora has posed:
    Every second not spent making active progress on their mission is winding up Gamora more and more. Something happened on the Dark Aster that put a big crack in the filters between her and her feelings, and it's taking an awful lot of discipline not to just put people in arm-bars until they agree to storm Hyperspace.

    Does the music help her mood? It's a little hard to tell, but the impatient tapping of her boot on the floor has unwittingly synced up with the beat, so that probably means... something?

    Gamora, seated on the bridge of the Milano, squints and tilts her head, as if turning her ear to Phyla's call - partly swallowed by the music. "Phyla. You-" Gamora can barely hear herself, and glances at Peter before trying again louder: "You're-" Nope, too loud. Gamora punches Peter in the upper arm and gives him a Look until the music is turned down sufficiently for her to say "You're back. Did you come alone?"

Ava Starr has posed:
The dark SUV is unassuming in the city. It stands out a wee bit more in the vincinity of the even more distinctive ship. Ava uses the car door to properly exit the car, rather than just Ghosting out of it. She waits for Finley, not wanting to leave the Engineer to trail behind them on their own. Then, she's joining the white-haired alien on the ramp of the odd looking ship, doing her level best to conceal any uncertainty she may feel with a sharp-eyed stare and a set-over-the-hips, give-it-your-best-shot curve to her spine and shoulders. You know... Like Han Solo when he's trying to swindle Jabba...

Wait. You guys *have* seen that one, right?

Nevertheless, her eyes sweep over the interior of the ship as she follows Phyla. The music is... perhaps a surprise. The only evidence of it, though, is a curious arch to one brow.

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley sticks close to Ava, practically vibrating with excitement. They're actually getting on an actual *spaceship*. She can't wait to get a look under the thermal protection system. Even the facts that her friend is dying slowly and desperate for a cure AND that they've signed on to help fight a mad space tyrant bent on destroying half the universe can't keep a huge smile off of her face. Her eye sparkle with excitement. She glances over to Ava and gives her a look of enthusiastic encouragement.

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    The music cuts out for a moment with an unusual ding, then resumes again. One of the displays updates with 'Location: Peter's dumb planet' and then the screen changes to 'Updating music library - I hope you die in the vacuum of space - Nebs' ... it's not Rocket having a go at Peter for a change. Instead, it was Nebula. She gave Peter the complete spotify library as a gift and it seems it was designed to update with the latest music any time they've come back to Earth.

    Phyla is happy to see these two and places a hand on each of their shoulders. "I did not come back along. First, some good news. I found someone who can help us against Thanos. Some extremely bad news though--" She pauses as even her chipper mood can't be sustained when she has to talk about what she learned. "Mar-Vell, my mother, is dead."

    She came to Earth to find Mar-Vell because she thought she'd be the only other person who could help her against Thanos. Instead, she found her mothers ex-lover? it's confusing and the pain inside her is still very real. "My mother passed on her power to a human named Carol Danvers. She calls herself Captain Marvel." A slight eye twitch at that name.

    "Also I met Ava and Fin. Fin is an Earth scientist, very talented. Ava is in need of extremely.. uncommon.. medical help. I think there might be a doctor on Hala who can help her. And a guy named Vance from the future. He really doesn't belong on Earth in this time period, so I asked them all to come with us..." which is overstepping her bounds just a weeee bit there. It's not her ship after all. "I hope you don't mind."

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter rubs his arm mouthing 'ow' but the music is turned down all the same and then rising from his chair, he greets Phylla with a smile. "Welcome back, and huh? A scientist, a woman who needs medical help and a guy from the future? I mean we can take them onboard but we're still fighting Thanos right? The Guardians tour thing is sort of on hold..."

Then the bit about Phylla's mother registers. "Oh shit," he breathes. "I'm sorry," he says putting a hand on her should genuine sympathy showing on that face more used to cheeky smiles. "Sorry, but this Danvers person sounds good if /you're/ okay having them onboard. If not we'll do without."

Then peeking past Phylla to the others, he waves them on "Come on up, we don't bite, well except for Rocket our pet raccoon but he's sleeping." He smiles and puts a finger to his lips to Gamora about that last part, that trick never gets old, at least for Peter. He turns back to their visitors. "I'm Peter Quill but people call me Star Lord, and this is Gamora, welcome to the Milano."

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora furrows her brow slightly with confusion as Phyla introduces her new companions, glving Peter a brief glance before she replies "You have brought us a mathematician and an invalid. Are they bait?"

    When Phyla reveals that her mother is dead, she says, simply, "I see." She is silent for several long moments before it registers to her that she should follow Peter's lead. "I am sorry to hear that."

    She arches an eyebrow at Peter's gesture, but reveals nothing about his lies, instead giving a short, polite bow when Peter introduces her.

Ava Starr has posed:
The look Ava shoots Phyla at the introduction drifts a little into 'WTF, Lady?' territory. Being described as a walking medical condition is something that's pissed her off her whole life. Now isn't any different. Thus, when Gamora heaps a (somewhat justifiable, given the info she was just given) insult on top of it, she snirks audibly. "I'm bloody well not an invalid," she growls, green eyes flashing.

And even on the edge of death (which she's not, any more, thanks to Phyla), she's still one of the most effective assassins on the planet. Which, okay, may not mean much to the rest of the Universe, but... Don't go dissing the walking quantum energy storm!

She settles her eyes on Peter, with his boyish face and swagger. "Ava Starr," she says bluntly. "They call me Ghost." She doesn't bother to explain why.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"I'm Finley Ellison, um Fin, for short. I'm the scientist! I'm an engineer actually, specializing in quantum physics as of late." She sweeps her hand in a broad gesture of greeting. "Hi."

"And, um. I'd rather not be bait if it's all the same to everyone?"

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    "Ava was kind enough to give me shelter while we waited for you to land," Phyla-Vell says giving a thumbs up to Ava in response to the look she just gave her. Aliens. Peter can tell you all about how aliens aren't like humans. "He's joking about Rocket. Not a pet, do not attempt to pet. He may very well bite and scratch or possibly even shoot you."

    She motions to Peter, "This is the captain." and then to Gamora, "And this is the..." she pauses and stares for a moment. "the one with the sword."

    She tilts her head a moment and says, "They're not tourists. Both of them are very competent. I warned them about Thanos... they still said yes. Also Vance is an engineer - so on days when Rocket decides he doesn't want to fix the thing, may be Vance can fix the thing."

    She whispers to Ava and Fin as she steps past, "No one calls him Star Lord" -- "Just going to my room for a moment to change clothes. I'll be right back."

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter gives Gamora a look when she describes the visitors as bait. "Shh, we wouldn't want to say that even if they were bait," he looks to Ava and Fin. "And you're not. Honest."

Phylla fills in the details and he nods. "See? Definitlely not bait like, Ghost even has a cool outlaw name like me, so she's got to be awesome," he flashes the woman a double thumbsups. "And Fin's an earth scientist, that's awesome I bet she can cook up all sorts of crazy ways to beat your dad with science."

He flinches, he probably shouldn't have opened with the fact Thanos was Gamora's dad. "Oops," he mutters to Gamora. "And despite Phylla being very wrong about people calling me Star Lord she was right about Rocket, he's surly, armed, and not a pet and his best buddy is like one of those walking trees from Lord of the Rings so, yeah, watch out. Anyhow, if you have any questions, myself or Gamora, who's in charge when I'm not around, can help you out."

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora meets Ava's eyes with a cold gaze, and acknowledges her with a simple "... Hmm." The incredulous look that Gamora gives Phyla upon hearing her own description, turns into a glare that could peel paint turned to Peter when he just sort of throws her connection to Thanos out there.

    Gamora very slowly crosses her arms, closes her eyes, and lowers her head with a long drawn out nasal sigh. "... Correct. I am the Chief Mate; the second in command to whichever person is claiming the Captainship at that exact moment in time."

    "Acquit yourselves well, and you will be welcome on this ship." A beat. "By a certain percentage of the crew." When Peter describes Rocket, Gamora assures them: "Rocket... has no criminal record in this sector." There, that should smooth things over.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava regards Gamora with narrowed eyes for a moment. Then, she sees her reactions to the others -- including the sore point that is Thanos. Whom, it might be noted, Ava knows pretty much nothing about. Other than the fact he's apparently a crazy sociopath intending to destroy half the universe. She got that much in the briefing from Danvers and Vell.

In the end, a small, sharp smile touches her lips. This is not the worst crew she's met. (This should make her afraid. But it doesn't. Because she still figures she's going to die before all this is over. It seriously changes a woman's perspective.)

"See?" she says with a mild shrug to Finley. "Told ya. Space pirates." This is going to be fun.

For a certain definition of fun.

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley nods, far far too giddy to speak. Her eyes as wide as a kid seeing Disneyland for the first time. She bounces slightly as she grins.

Then she leans over to Ava. "This is so cool!" she whispers.

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla returns not too long without the dark grey cape and a slightly different red body suit. She raises an eyebrow though. Ava is smiling. "What happened?" No one has a knife in them, nor is bleeding from any holes. "There's some scientific equipment in New York we need to pick up before we leave orbit. It's Ava and Fin's. Vance has been trying to use Earth technology to manufacture things. They don't have programmable matter here.. he's going to enjoy Knowhere."

    She smiles, "By now my contact on Knowhere should have finished building the stealth device for the Milano. When Carol Danvers is ready to depart, I told her where to find us. Then we can leave, prepare, and finish Thanos off once and for all."

    And rescue Nebula and Moondragon. Those bits too. Moondragon is all she can think about lately since learning where Thanos has been hiding all this time. For that, she owes both Gamora and Nebula thanks. "And we need to discuss our plan of action.. and how we're going to deal with the Black Order. Once Carol is here."

Peter Quill has posed:
Mouthing 'sorry' to Gamora even as he flinches under that look Gamora gives him, Peter manages to rally a second later putting on a big 'everything is fine' grin for their new allies. "She's not wrong about Rocket," he chimes in brightly. "And we're not pirates, exactly, just outlaws, making our way the only way we know how, and that's just a little more than the law will allow." Did he just quote the Dukes of Hazard theme song? Yes, yes he did. "But now mostly we save the galaxy, like we just did with Xandar, and what we're going to do when we beat Thanos and get our crew member back. If you guys are on board for all of that you're definitely welcome on this ship as long as you like."

He looks to Gamora for confirmation there. See what she meant about who's ever in charge at the moment? The chain of command is more of a pretzel on the Milano.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora considers Peter's look for approval, and nods once firmly. She's still a war criminal in most sectors, but he's BASICALLY right!

    "There is a fair amount of spare room on the ship. If you need something, ask. If anything at all makes you curious, do not touch it."

    There are primitives on their ship again, she has to take precautions!

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava sticks with 'space pirates'. Outlaws. Pirates. Pretty much the same in her books. The real question she has is just how 'ruthless' they are. Quill might have her fooled, but she doubts he's as ruthless as the Somalis or HYDRA.

Gamora, on the other hand... Ava has a hunch about her.

She looks around, trying to judge just what sort of space they really do have. For a moment, she finds herself concerned... if they need to move her QEC onto the ship, is there really enough room for that? Or is Fin going to have to find a way to turn that into a sleeping pod.

God, she hopes not.

"We'll help you take out the... What did you call him?" She looks at Phyla. "Mad Titan?" She shrugs. "Thanos. Whatever. Yeah. We might regret it later. But... we're in."

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley reaches out and, letting her weight shift to one foot, pokes a part of the wall. Just because the whole ship is makes her curious. And well it's not like she can float the entire time. Not until they leave the atmosphere. Unless they don't have artificial gravity. Oh wow. Maybe she *could* float everywhere. But then she'd bump into stuff. So, still there would be ship touching.

She rocks back to center, and her hand drops away from the wall. "What Ava said," she affirms. "We're in. Where do we stash our stuff?"

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla-Vell smiles. They're in. She has a good feeling about these people. About this mission. So she hands them two small button sized devices and says, "Space suits. Attach the button to your belt and press the button if you are about to be exposed to ... well ... space. I'm sure anyone would be happy to show you how to use the weapons too." Because 'space pirates' after all.

    "And the cabins are down the corridor on the left. Plenty of space in the hanger for your scientific equipment. Put your name on things or Rocket will assume he can have it."

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter grins, as they both confirm they're in. "Right on, and he may actually take it even if you do have your name on your stuff, so better go with berths 3 and 4 unless you're sharing they've got the better locks," he says; even if Rocket was the one to install those locks. "Anyhow meals are whenever you want them, grab what you like from the cooling unit thatr doesn't have anyone's name on it, also, if you have any chocolate on you, better eat it now, it's a banned substance on the ship for *various* reasons." Though less so without Nebula on board but the tradition still stood as far as Peter was concerned. "Anyhow, follow me and we'll get you set up."

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora... just...

    Frowns.

    "... Indeed." She doesn't have to dignify this. She doesn't have to dignify anything! If she was in the business of dignifying things, she'd be properly dressed!

Ava Starr has posed:
A green and oddly dressed woman is *not* the weirdest thing Ava's seen in her life. Which, yes, means she's led a pretty interesting life. She gives Finley a speculative look, and a strange half smile at the other woman's clear excitement. "C'mon," she suggests to her. "Let's go see what the locks look like." Becuase... maybe Finley can fix them. She needs to keep her QEC safe.

What would that racoon do with a chamber that channels, redirects, and infuses quantum energy into a body?

FEAR!

Finley Ellison has posed:
Practically floating already, Finley follows Ava. She grins. "We could make a sign: Keep Out or we will not be held responsible for the state of your molecules! signed the Quantum Club."