<div align="center"><strong>-= Griffin Kingston, Captain – Inside Cast-Offs looking to purchase a catalyzer =-</strong></div><br/>Griff felt more than a little out of his element as he followed Jack through the family shop while Jack examined the catalyzer more closely, looking for any identifying part numbers or manufacturer stamps. The store’s interior was lined with scores of shelves housing an unimaginable number of miscellaneous parts, in various states of repair. On the floor lining the walls were other mechanical and electrical parts that were too big for the shelves to hold. The place smelled of grease, hydraulic fluid, and sweat and the sounds of power tools and steel pounding against steel rung in his ears from someplace towards the back of the building. To anyone not familiar with this line of work, the place seemed to be a disorderly collection of parts. However, Jack and Diane were meticulous in their organization and could easily find the specific part a customer needed, provided they had one in stock.<br/><br/>As they passed by yet another row of shelves, Griff’s radio chimed to life with static before a familiar voice flowed through. “Cap’n, ya there? This is Hayes.”<br/><br/>Pulling the radio from its pouch on his belt, he brought the radio to his mouth and keyed the button. “This is Griff. Talk to me Hayes.”<br/>There was a pause before the radio keyed up again. “Cap’n… I just got word from back home. Royce is in a bad way and needs me to come home for a spell.”<br/><br/>Griff stopped in his tracks, dropping his hand with the radio to his side and hanging his head in frustration. “Ta ma de! Qing wa kao de liu mang!” Hearing his old friend’s words, Jack came to a stop as well, giving Griff and curious and concerned look. Griff looked up at his friend, his face expressionless as he brought the radio back to his mouth again. “Understood, Hayes. Any idea how long we’re talkin’?” He half smiled to Jack, his arched eyebrows accompanied by a sigh of resignation.<br/><br/>“No way of knowin’ for sure. It might be a peck.”<br/><br/>“I understand. How soon ‘til you leave?”<br/><br/>“Now, actually. There’s a Pheidippides class fast courier ship here that’s departing for Beaumonde in twenty mins. I’ve already booked passage and I’ve cleared my cabin.” There was a long pause before Hayes added quietly, “I’m… sorry, Cap’n.”<br/><br/>Griff’s jaw tightened as he breathed in deeply to calm his frustration. He nodded silently for a moment before keying the radio once more. “Do what you gotta do Hayes. Blood is more important. Never you mind about The Gamble. I’ll take care of things on my end, you go take care of things on yours.”<br/><br/>“Thank you, Cap… Griffin.” She said quietly. It was the first time he could recall her using his full first name as she usually called him Cap’n or Kingston. “Tell everyone I said goodbye for me? And try to take care of my engine, will ya,” she added with a soft laugh.<br/><br/>“Will do, Hayes. You take care of yourself out there. Keep in touch.” He said in an uncharacteristically soft tone.<br/><br/>“You bet. Well, gotta run along now, Cap’n. Gotta make my way down to docking bay 75. I’m leaving your radio on top of the loading ramp control console.” There was another long pause and then a small chuckle, “Ain’t no need getting all tetchy so… Ima git now. Zàijiàn.” The radio clicked and then there was silence. Griff cursed under his breath some more before returning his radio back to its pouch on his belt.<br/><br/>“Well, no point in getting that part just now as I ain’t got no one to put it on. My mechanic just…”<br/><br/>“Yeah, I heard," Jack interrupted. "Sorry 'bout that, Griff. I’d offer to come put it on for ya but... I’ve got my hands full with back logged work. But, I’ve got a guy who’s been doing some part time work for me who could probably help you out. In fact, I think he’s working today, out back in the yard salvaging parts.” He motioned Griff to follow him and started moving towards the back of the building again, towards the junk yard. “He’s a real wiz with mechanics too. I’ll send him over to install the part for ya right away. Heck, if you offer him competitive wages he might just be inclined to be your mechanic for as long as you need him.”<br/><br/>“Sounds like a plan. Not like I got a whole lot of options at this point, is it?” He scoffed, following Jack out the back door and into the junk yard. Piles and piles of sections of old ships littered the expansive yard. An old crane with a huge magnet tethered to the end sat in the center of the yard, nearly concealed by the many towering piles of junk. Weaving their way through several very high stacks, they followed the sounds of power tools. Rounding the corner of one particular stack, Griff spotted a man up ahead working on some unrecognizable chunk of what used to be a space ship.<br/><br/>“He goes by ‘Anwar’ “ Jack said as they approached the man. “Anwar! Hey, Anwar!” He had to yell to be heard over the noise of the equipment he was using. As the man glanced up, Jack slashed the edge of his hand across his throat, giving the universal “kill” hand signal.<br/><br/>“Anwar,” Griff muttered. What the hell kinda name is that?<br/><br/><hr/>Ta ma de! = Fuck!<br/>Qing wa kao de liu mang! = Frog-humping son of a bitch!<br/>Zàijiàn = Goodbye<br/>