<div align="center"><strong>-= Captain Griffin Kingston; on the flight deck, in the pilot’s seat; plotting a course = -</strong></div><br/>The lackluster launch from Persephone hadn’t been nearly as smooth and crisp as his pilot-extraordinaire or even his exceptional co-pilot regularly pulled off with practiced ease, but the pair had been summarily grounded by the ship’s doctor. Although Griff was annoyed with the order, inwardly he agreed with Dani’s decision, for the safety of his crew… and his ship. As the ship broke atmo, Griff began calculating for the periapsis, the point in which Persephone and Bellerophon would be in closest proximity, but was distracted by the growing heavy feeling in the air. Little did he know, at the exact moment his first officer and trusted associate were calculating their own periapsis.<br/><br/>The air on The Gamble had quickly grown stagnant and stuffy since their departure. Checking the ships systems, Griff realized he had neglected to switch on the ships air circulation. Cursing himself quietly, he reached up to the overhead instrument panel and initiated the vital system, immediately circulating fresh air throughout the ship. Crossing his arms across his torso, his fingers curled into the hem of his shirt before he stretched them upwards, dragging the shirt up his body and over his head. Turning his attention back to Bellerophon,  he focused on the task at hand, pushing the thought of the debriefing from his mind for the time being.<br/><br/>A few minutes passed and Griff was content that the most efficient course had been laid in taking into consideration the position of Persephone and Bellerophon at their time of departure. Thoroughly checking the close range and then long range scanners, Griff was satisfied they were in the clear and activated the ship’s autopilot, locking in to the programmed flight path coordinates. Disengaging the five point harness, Griff swiveled the chair to the side pushed himself to his feet. Dropping his shirt in the seat, he exited the flight deck, making his way down the corridor and past his quarters to join Sasha and Si in the debriefing of Vince. His thoughts went back to the days’ events and the effect they had had on him. Mae and Vince were still unaware of the departure of Hayes and the arrival of Anwar as the new mechanic. All of them, including Griff, were unaware that their newest hired hand, Steve McPherson had missed the dust-off, so distracted he had been with the pretty skirt that had flirted with him back at the pub.<br/><br/>As Griff neared Sasha’s quarters, he once again found his thoughts mostly surrounding Sasha and how she had seemed so angry at him for scrubbing the remainder of their shore leave. He was a little surprised to find the thought of Sasha being angry with him caused him some displeasure.<em> I’ll have to talk with her later, try and make it up to her.</em>No sooner had the thought entered his mind than he realized the rest of the crew had also missed out on some much needed shore leave. Still, it was the knowledge that Sasha was unhappy with him and his decision that panged him.<em> …and the others too, of course.</em>he thought, more to appease himself.<br/><br/>Wrapping his hand around the cool, steel latch to Sasha’s cabin, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, expecting to see Vince sitting in a chair while Si and Sasha questioned him as to the identity and motive of his attackers. Instead, Griff froze stock still just inside the door. His jaw tightened at the sight that literally lay before him, but he made no other outward expression. “Tai Kong Suo You Di Xing Qui Dou Sai Jin Wo De Pi Gu,” he muttered to himself as his mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. Sasha.... nearly naked… on top of Simeon… the two of them kissing? What the hell was happening?<br/><br/>It seemed as if he had been standing there watching them for many long minutes, like watching an accident in slow motion. Surprisingly, Griff didn’t explode into a tirade, despite the tumultuous emotions that now boiled just beneath the surface. “I... I take it that the debriefing went well? Or… maybe I should say it’s GOING well,” He said, stunned with disbelief. Swallowing to ease the sudden dryness in his throat, he hurriedly backed from the room, anxious to escape the heart rending image of Sasha laying atop … someone else. As he pulled the door shut behind him, he added, “I'd... like to hear what you found... whenever you're done... ” he trailed off as he pulled the door closed, standing motionless on the other side as his mind raced and his heart pounded in his chest.<br/><br/>He considered going to the workout station – the workout station that he and Sasha had set up shortly after she had come to be a part of his crew, part of his life – to work off some steam, but he had a responsibility as the captain to check on the engine and his new mechanic. And so, with it clear now that Sasha had no interest in Griff beyond that of serving as his First Officer, he put the issue from his mind – or so he convinced himself – and set out to find Anwar.<br/><br/><hr/>Tai Kong Suo You Di Xing Qui Dou Sai Jin Wo De Pi Gu = Stuff all the planets in the universe into my ass.<br/>