Among the Stars - Main thread

<p>


Deimos said nothing as the others talked, he just nodded politely every once in a while. It's not that he wasn't paying attention, he was, it would be rude not to, but it's not like he could interrupt mid life story with any particular useful insight. There was quite a juxtaposition between their lives and his, and he doubted any of his experiences could measure up to junkyard racing or being part of a mafia family. Although he felt that these stories were the type of stories one would rather hear than live through, so he didn't much care that his life wasn't nearly as exciting. After all, he was going to share what passed as a ship with these people, so boring was probably going to disappear from his life soon enough. And it seemed the Universe wanted to prove him right, because in walked Yalyax.


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


Deimos was very much aware of the existence of aliens, he had lived on earth after all, but his job as a <em>human</em> physician didn't really expose him to non-human life that often. The biggest surprise, though, was that he had never seen a member of this particular species before, not on TV nor the Internet, and he liked to search about alien medical procedures and anatomy. Inspecting him (she/them/it?) up and down Deimos took note of all the similarities and differences he could find between Yalyax and the average human. He would be treating him from now on, so he should learn which parts of his knowledge he could apply, and which ones he would have to adapt. Thankfully, he had seen much more bizarre alien physiology before, so he wasn't too worried about it. Although he was sure he would spend more time with his medical history than with any of the other crew's.


</p>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
16:29:16


At exactly the right time the ship passed through the secret FFA warp gate set up exactly for the purpose of collecting the full attack force assigned to this mission: a mishmash of rebellion ships, but at least they wore the same colours and none of them were as shabby as the state the Bathtub was in. The tiny ship had barely handled the forces of even a controlled warp, and even with two pilots it had been a challenge to not have it veer off about three stars over. But alas, there it was, dwarfed by ships that on average held 50 crewmembers in what appeared to be pretty comfortable circumstances.


"...yes, we understand, basically you need me to guide you through the facility. Yes, because I didn't want to give the blueprints yes, I'm not giving my secrets away that easily to a bunch of wannabe soldiers. You'll get them when you're in. Oh, and I won't be going on-planet alone." Saami was hanging in his chair quite nonchalantly while speaking, his former depression gone like snow on the surface of the sun now he had found someone he could legitimately piss off. A long sigh followed over the comms, and one could only imagine the headache the woman on the other side was having.


"Listen you little... just listen already, if we wanted you dead you'd be right now. One blast from our cannons and you're obliterated, the reason we're not doing that is be,-"


"Because you need our information." Saami interjected blatantly, still hanging sideways in the chair and playing with the buttons on the comms that didn't work.


"Because we're on your side. I don't care whether you believe that or not, but you better work with us because unless you all want to vanish into deep space you need our protection. So before we're going on planet you'll meet with the force and give them everything they need about that facility. Every little detail that could protect them, and if you still don't want to do that, do me a favour and look to the side at your captain because I'm pretty darn sure she'd understand why I want to protect my subordinates." The woman speaking in question was the admiral to one of the three attack forces of FFA. This was a big thing, and it sure as hell wasn't ideal that Saami held that much power in it, because it might as well have been a drug to him. Yet some of the words seemed to pass over, and for a moment he sat upright and looked over at Adira in the captain's chair, then let out a very frustrated groan as he slumped back down.


"Ugh... alriiiight. You win, I'll tell you."


18:50:00


From the open sides of the stealth chopper they had a clear view on the facility below: a big burning hole blasted in the side walls and the second wave of armed troops pouring in. The admiral in question sat opposite of them, them being Saami, Adira, Jericho and Deimos. She herself had brought three of her goons, filling the eight seats in the craft.


"Alright, thank you." A message apparently had come in for the admiral, and she seemed pretty pleased. "The first assault was a success, we've secured the east wing. We're going in in T+10 minutes." Because of the sounds of the chopper and the explosions they were talking through radio still, but even then it was clear what they were about to do. For the occasion they had been given a choice of actual okay weapons and tactical gear. No expense had been spared on this raid.


Yo, you guys up there, don't lose visual of the facility. Kira, keep the direct lines working, ok? Saami was speaking directly to the crew still up in orbit through his internal systems, and in this instance he had regained some of his former professionalism at directing navigation and communications. For the occasion he had allowed Kira direct access to his mind, a line of communication that for as far as he knew wasn't tapped in yet. He wasn't afraid his side would fall out, but the systems in the bathtub were old and outdated at best. If anything he'd like some intel about what was happening that didn't come from FFA, just to be sure they were telling the truth.


19:05:00


Being in the halls of where he last had stood as a government killing machine was odd at best, outright painful at worst. Though admittedly seeing it blast to pieces did satisfy some animalistic desire for vengeance. Going in with the third wave pretty much was the safest as it could get, yet he still held one of his handguns out just in case the military tried to reclaim the wing while they were still inside. As they went in he provided information about what was used for what, in case they hadn't figured out by now. Some of the rooms were filled with grotesque machinery, most of which he'd pretty much like to forget of what exactly they did to a person. But he didn't have time to stand still on some distant yet crystal clear memories: they'd get the newly released set of INANES, then go back out again. So he could pretend this whole thing didn't exist like usual.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
18:50:00


Kira sat in a chair on the bridge with a headset around her neck, ankles crossed, one hand tapping on the edge of the console the other on her lap. She had quietly slunk away when Yalyax had appeared at the infirmary's doorway, she wasn't, scared of them, just a little uneasy. Most alien species were common, Yalyax though...she'd never seen one of his kind yet. She tried not to think about it as she scanned the frequencies, nothing was unusual and the programming hadn't revealed anything suspicious. Yo, you guys up there, don't lose visual of the facility. Kira, keep the direct lines working, ok?


"Roger, all lines are secured and holding, no bugs." was her response, she pushed her bangs aside a little, continuing to look over the frequencies and the recordings. She finally felt useful, even something as simple as maintaining the communications line gave her a sense of fulfillment. She would leave the position of the ship's report to Erin, was in fact her job. "Just keep us updated, so we can provide assistance at a moment's notice."
 
Erin was where she belonged - she lounged about in the pilot's chair as the rest of the crew departed for battle. Although she had been ordered to stay put, she couldn't help but to examine every button and wheel of the dashboard. For how much they stood out among the fleet, Erin thought that the controls were rather standard. She watched with disinterest as the fight began down below and stretched as much as she could in the cramped space.


Erin had never wanted to fight for the FFA to begin with. She had heard about the rebels and all of the conflict, just ike everyone-else, but it had never been a topic that Erin felt she had much stake in. Aliens, humans, androids - as long as they left her well alone Erin was happy to return the favour.


It had just been coincidence that she'd been cooped up with the others - Erin had been looking for a job and the "Bathtub" had been the first to offer her one. But now... she supposed she backed the FFA as much as anybody else on board. Even if she had inadvertently joined their forces it wouldn't matter much to their enemies, she suspected and Erin had no plans in being another meaningless casualty just yet. She absentmindedly flipped her empty gun over and over in her hands - though she had been fine with being stuck up in orbit, there was no denying the boredom of playing the watchdog.


The highlight so far had definitely been when they had entered the warp gate. She'd almost thought that they were going to die in there, what with the immense pressure on the outer plates. The best part had been when Erin had sneaked a glance out the windows to see a dazzling display of blinding lights and darkness. Erin had never seen anything quite like it before. It was as if the very fabrics of space were twisting and breaking before her eyes - she regretted not taking a picture of the spectacle.


But there were other things to look forward to and while the trio waited for the rest of their comrades to return, Erin scanned the emptiness for her picture taking collection. The stars here were small and dull, even when Erin had zoomed in with her bionic vision. Not album material, that was for sure. Her skinny body craned as she struggled to spot anything worth taking with with her until - in the distance, far above the others, a lonely bright light shone strong.


"J.P... see that star? Enhance it for me, please."


There was a slight whirring noise and a series of clicks as her pupils enlarged significantly. Erin almost looked like an insect in her seat - her now black eyes tinged with coppery metal looked almost fanatical in their concentration. For Erin herself, it was like being enveloped in an array of light. Focusing in on the star blocked the darkness of space and she thanked her artificial sight - for she surely would have gone blind otherwise.


"That's it. Closer. Closer. There we go - that's beautiful, doncha think?"


She smiled slightly and admired the little jewel she had found among the duds. With her memory banks, Erin could save these pictures one by one and flip through them when she wished. Still, Erin felt if she got a better angle on star she would be able to get a better sense of its brilliance. She reached out for the controls without hesitation - yes, she had been commanded to stay in place but surely the Captain wouldn't mind if the ship faced a little more East?


With a click, Erin opened up the intercom.


"I'm moving the ship a bit to the right, over." Her voice was husky and a bit silent in awe. "I'll take the blame."


With a few deft movements, the "Bathtub" turned smoothly to the side, facing away from the facilities below. Her experienced hands quickly bought the spacecraft to a stop before it careened too wildly and Erin refocused onto her star.


A few minutes passed before she managed to tear herself away from the hypnotizing image.


"J.P, take the shot."


A scrolling message popped up in her vision.


"Memory banks nearly at full capacity, Erin."


She waved away the alert quickly with an exasperated expression.


"Take it anyway."


Complying with her command, Erin's pupils shut once, twice, thrice, before the image was shuttled away safely to her memory.


"Image successfully saved, Erin."


She relaxed as the message scrolled up her eyes and let herself be relieved of the tension she was only slightly aware of keeping.


"We good back there?"


Though she spoke into the intercom again, her focus was still on the light of the star. She didn't expect much to happen down below anyway - which showed her inexperience in a real battle.


 
Last edited by a moderator:
Avoiding war was something that the N'thagn had done to a patent: Mechanical hunter/killer drone swarms, holographic laser turrets, long-range ship-to-ship capabilities, anything a N'thagn could do to avoid meeting an enemy face-to-face was paramount among their tactics. When the ground crew was chosen, Yalyax couldn't help but breath a shameful sigh of relief. Though he was glad to not be on the ground, even this close to the planet was somewhat unnerving to the alien, all his fear and anxiety welled within him in a deep seeded shame. They would risk their lives in that facility for the good of all while he would cower up here until the fateful day he was taken ashore and fight the enemy.


An itch ran down the gelatinous membrane of his skin as he imagined the thought of shell-shock, stuck among rubble and the dead and dying. A scenario ran through his head in which he was forced to fight for his own life and in his mind, the pain, fear, and panic was all too real. But not within himself, within the adversary he must kill to save his own life. Yalyax busied himself running checks across the engine when suddenly they emitted a whirring sound and grabbed the attention of the alien engineer.


Lifting a variety of tools to surround him like a posse of protective drones the tools followed him to the monitor only to signify that the engines were in the process of rotating the ship's pitch. His face contorted into a confused mess and to double-check the computing system, Yalyax made his way to the engine and gave it a quick examination. His appointment was cut short however as the engine returned to idle, taking advantage of this pause he opened the maintenance panel with a flock of open-mouthed wrenched who all rotated in unison and allowed the panel to fall. It too was grabbed by Yalyax' psychic ability only to be dropped on the ground from a distance that wouldn't deafen the poor engineer.


The engine was fine, no abnormalities so that could only mean one thing; the pilot did indeed change the pitch- but for what purpose? It was a question the alien would certainly have answered in person and he returned his tools to their appropriate slots before hunching down and shuffling his way down the narrow corridors to the cockpit.


A soft knock echoed off the door, the sound was akin to a wet towel hitting a sheet of metal if only but quieter.
 
Adira had accepted a thin kevlar chestpiece and that was it. She had her helm on and her phaser out, fully prepared to shoot if needed. There was no wish to kill or injure, but she wasn't going to give up her life in a simple fight. The men and women of the military were just doing their jobs as she was just doing hers. All was fair in war, and this wasn't war, so she didn't want to cause any more damage than necessary. The group was moving from the rubble of the breaching point toward the target location Saami had provided. The sound of combat boots echoed through the halls everywhere as the rebels made their way in, part of the ex-Lullaby crew with them. The group slowly progressed past eery-looking devices, the use of which Adira didn't even want to guess, and through empty hallways filled with the ghosts of memories and pain.


Their path soon led them through the room where the INANES where... grown-born-raised...? Adira didn't quite know what term to use, but seeing the kids in pods like that, was just plain spooky. It was unnatural... normally that wouldn't have been the word Adira would have chosen, but it just... was, it was so weirdly unnatural, almost darkly surreal. Then there was the fact that Saami had come from something like that as well... that poor boy. Now wonder he had issues. Adira was in no place to relax, though, as it was still a military installation and she was still trespassing, so she allowed herself some glances around and kept moving with the rest of the group.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
At first Erin wasn't sure where the noise was coming from. She'd thought that it had been just another one of the old ship's quirks but as time went and the knocks continued, Erin realized that it was one of the crew-mates. Not wanting to tear away her attention from the star, Erin leaned back and yelled loud enough for the knocker to hear her.


"Come in! The door's open, I think."


She spared a quick glance away to see the alien come into focus. Erin had spoken little to him since the infirmary. She had no opinion of him as of yet, except that he seemed to be a well-driven and polite individual. Perhaps a little stuffy... but that had never been a problem alcohol couldn't fix, in her experience.


At the rate her eyes were zoomed up in, Erin's sight was completely taken up by his blue eyes. They were deep and vibrant and she felt as if she was back on her home outpost, looking up at the sky. Man had always looked up to the heavens since before the age of space-travel - evidently the gene still lived on, as Erin felt herself feeling slightly captivated by the sight. Not the same kind she had felt with the star, but rather a longing, lonesome feeling.


There was no spark in his eyes, none of the empathy or life that was common in all humans. Erin privately thought they looked quite like polished rocks - only she had never seen any this shade of blue. A few more seconds passed before Erin thought it prudent to zoom back into her regular sight range.


"Woah! J.P, let's go back to regular."


Her pupils no longer took up the entirety of her eyes and they returned to their coppery silver colour. Erin blinked back her non-existent tears - it was a habit that she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to break. Once the gentle hum of the gears inside her eyes had stopped, Erin was able to look at Yalyax more carefully.


He wasn't like any other alien she'd come into contact before. Though Erin had plenty of experience with extra-terrestrials -both saints and thieves- none had ever seemed quite as delicate as he did. He looked almost statuesque with his snow-white skin. Erin felt a sudden compulsion to touch him to see if he was actually breathing.


"What's up, Yalyax? If they need something down below, I think I missed the call."
 
Saami just led on through the hall filled with pods, looking at the floor the whole time. Yet the haunting green light falling through them and the shadows couldn't be avoided, and neither could the memories. Faded like nightmares, a stark contrast with any of his impeccable, recording like memory. Clawing at the glass, at the tubes and lines coming from deep inside until the sedatives kicked in. Yet even those nightmares weren't anything like when he had gotten that wish fulfilled and they pulled it all out; tied to a table, humiliated, hurt and treated without the slightest humanity. They just tugged and tore until it let loose, ignoring his struggling and silent attempts to scream as mindless reactions that would pass. And it did pass eventually when he gave in to his first idea, that this pain was just life.


With a little shock he realised he'd been staring at the floor, standing still. His fingers tracing where he remembered the holes to be in his chest. Shaking his head a little he just moved on.


"Sorry, they made this hall longer, I had to recalculate the position." That was a lie, but he had mastered lying, his voice not showing a trace of the previous thoughts. Even his face had pulled straight again, but it wasn't hard for him to lie about not feeling anything here, now was it?


With what felt like tiny, humbled steps he continued. Even if it wasn't him being small or scared but moreso the hall being giant and frightening.
 
Jericho had been on his lonesome for most of the warp to the rebel fleet. He ran into Yalyax a couple times, as a comrade-in-arms, it seemed natural, but he made it very adamant that he was not looking for small talk in the case that the alien wished to converse. Their conversations were purely business—a question about the radiator, whereabouts of a socket wrench... the common mindless banter that came with the job. It offered no relief.


He had taken the situation with Adira into his conscious thought, and while he broke his own personal record for maintaining perfect focus while he worked on the mechanical parts of the ship, his mind could not help but drift into memory. All the pieces, all the signs of his own humanity coming back were prevalent, and yet, he still chose to ignore it in spite of what he had otherwise told himself. It was disappointing. Jericho had always prided himself with mental fortitude and resilience, though time and time again, he indulges in the horrid humanity of his soul. His compassion had been his downfall so long ago, and he could feel the ominous call again to tumble into the darkness. To be lost, again, in the dramas of caring.


Jericho had to prepare however. All of the wallowing and critique was unnecessary, for now, for he was about to make landfall.


Though obsolete, Jericho had gone back to his old, full-body armor. It was his only relic from a time past, where things were much simpler, and he strove to maintain it. Even with all the scratches, dents, and inferior technologies, the armor was nothing to wave off. It held its own power unit, placed directly on the middle of his back, which powered the auxiliary heads-up-display and life support systems necessary to the survival of Jericho in any environment. On top of that, it held a basic exoskeleton frame which put him on par to the more advanced cybernetic enhancements of his peers and enemies. A truly fantastic, though clunky, piece of technology. Adira, and her gear, was proof of its inferiority however, and Saami's gear was proof that even Jericho's obsolete armor was unnecessary. The rebel troops had already held down most of the wing, and the ex-crew of the Lullaby just needed to point out areas of interest.


There was a comfort that washed over him when he slipped on the airtight suit though, and having felt the whirring of his servos join the whir of the powered and plated protection gave him the soothing relief he had been dying for on the ship. A distraction.


The final part of his armor was the helmet. Fully enclosed, fully independent, and oddly eerie, the familiar ocean blue visor washed over Jericho's face. His old crew recognized his look. Recognized the depth of the drowning waters that made up the visor. Recognized the piercing stares, and the lack of humanity that carried itself in the plate. He was effectively what he once dreaded to be. Something... Not so human.


Holding a shotgun to his chest, Jericho followed Saami around, as instructed, and observed the facility. The hallways were stained in warning blaster marks, and sparse signs of conflict were around choke-points and corridors... It painted a surreal scene. It did not phase the mechanic—but his heart froze when he looked into one of the rooms.


The machine was an antique. From a time where cosmetic surgery was still relevant. The very machine that was phased out of production for the masses, must have proven its worth in brutalization, and was now found in this facility. There were distinct changes made to the chassis, but Jericho could easily recognize it from anything else he had ever worked on. The machine that took his limbs. The machine that almost killed him, and the patient. He looked briefly at Saami then, taking in his features. This facility was made for the production of INANES, and without a doubt, as Saami is an INANES, he had gone through that machine. The thought made him shiver. The phantom feeling of his arm being ripped returned and caused Jericho to cringe. A quick touch reminded him that his arm was there—more like—something at least. He pushed the thought from his head.


Composure, Jericho. Don't let the world see you crack.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
<p>


This was the first time Deimos saw himself in a combat situation. It wasn't the heavy body armor or the phaser pistol he was given that allowed him to be calm, or as calm as one could be in his position, but rather the fact that he was surrounded by people who actually knew was they were doing. Positioning himself so that he was encircled, thus protected, by them from all sides, he told himself that this was a tactical decision, that his strengths weren't in combat but rather treating his fellow team members from any damage that may befall them. In reality he just didn't want to get shot. He fidgeted with his gun, being careful not to offset the self-destruct mechanism. Something he found rather ironic, since these were mainly used for non-lethal takedowns. He had been given the choice between bullet, plasma, and phaser early on, all on pistol form. They probably knew that he had very little experience with weapons, presumably due to the way he stood around not doing much while everyone else got ready, so they held back any of the more powerful stuff. He didn't mind, quite the opposite, he took the phaser without a second though. The rest of them could go with the lethal option all they wanted, but he wasn't planning on killing anyone anytime soon, or ever. Hypocritical, perhaps, letting them get their hands dirty while he stood on the side, but he knew that the universe was a complicated place and that killing would keep happening no matter what he said or did, so he said and did nothing about it and just focused on dealing with the aftermath.


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


He couldn't help but stare around, inspecting the machinery and the subjects contained within. They seemed to be unconscious, but he couldn't say they looked like they were sleeping, neither did they look dead. They reminded him of a particular case he had worked on a few years back. An unconscious man had been brought in to the ER, having suffered every kind of lesion. Cuts, burns, bruises, broken bones, and more were present in the man, who had apparently been the victim of a torturer who had been caught mid-work. The people trapped in the machines looked like that. Unconscious, but not resting. Some part of them knowing what they were going through. He hoped they wouldn't wake up screaming like the patient did. Yet for all the grotesque and horrible imagery that was omnipresent in every corridor, he couldn't stop looking. The amalgamation of metal and flesh, as ugly as it was, was also very captivating on what it revealed about the science behind INANES. INANES were no secret, but their conception was. The general belief was that the mechanical components were fused with non-sentient tissue, shaping them until the desired humanoid form was achieved. A naive belief, for sure, but it was better than thinking about the alternative. Deimos wasn't convinced by this, but he didn't pursue the knowledge. Paranoia didn't tend to intrude in his life too much, but going after government secrets didn't seem like something that would yield any positive results in his overall life, so he let it be. But now that didn't matter, since he was in the center of it all, and while he doubted he would find any blueprints or procedures written down anywhere, everything he was seeing was fair game. He wasn't a mechanical expert, not by any stretch, but he could still make out a lot of what was going on simply by seeing the medical side of it, even though what they were doing here was the opposite of healing. There were plenty of processes he could identify, and plenty he couldn't. This latter one he realized was not only because they were foreign to him, but because some were used in ways which weren't meant to be used, at least not if healing was in mind. Morbid as it all was, he had to admit it he wanted to learn more.


</p>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Saami managed to retain his composure relatively well considering nearly every room here had something to remind him of everything he didn't want to be and didn't want to know. All he'd really done was gone quiet, but then again the shocked looks and sounds of the rest of the crew were enough of a surrogate for his own feelings. The rebels appeared even more outraged with what they saw, hushing and whispering amongst them as they passed through the place. However, to himself the horror of the place had never been in those machines and in the artificial life they created. It wasn't the pods and it wasn't the children in the pods that made him feel hallowed; it was the glaring lack of respect for life and human value that he was staring in the face. To be made was one thing; the knowledge that every child in the hall was made to be worthless was far more painful.


Eventually though even that passed, and he held himself upright with the idea that at least for a few it would change. And hopefully it would eventually change for all of them if only they were dragged out in the light. Even if they weren't sentient, even if they couldn't feel pain or be self aware, that didn't mean these scientists had the right to do just about anything to them. Perhaps deep inside he hoped too that he wasn't the only one, that the rest had simply been mindless because they had never been given the chance to have one. It did get a bit lonely some times to believe there was none like him.


Even though he hated being there, he was also a little bit enthusiastic, if only for the idea that maybe he wouldn't leave alone. Yet he knew it was a barely non-existent chance, so he forcefully shook it out of his head and focused on the task at hand. It was still dangerous to be here, if the military returned he needed to be on his A-game, not daydreaming about family. But the moment he listened carefully, and watched carefully something odd was pointed out to him in the environment. They had reached the living quarters now, where the scientists and live INANES were kept, but obviously the scientists had left and the INANES that could fight retreated. Everything else had probably been detained too so then what was that sound? Very very faint, coming from above even if there was no upper floor left.


It probably wasn't something any human could spot, as he only picked up on it through the slightest differences in what were normal sounds for this environment. Whatever was hiding in the ceiling, had passed not too long ago, if he had to believe the trail of slightly unsettled dust leading all the way down the hallway. Now he knew that this was probably something the rebels wanted to know, but he wasn't exactly so fond of them that he himself wanted to do that. The thing in the ceiling definitely didn't seem like it wanted to be found either, and if his hunch was right it wouldn't be found in a hundred years if the rebels stomped around through this place. Instead he just threw a very quick glance at Adira, before devising his plan.


"This is it, if I'm correct the new ones should be in here. They don't have any responses or knowledge programmed yet, so their reactions might be a bit strange." He pointed at the steel door in front of him, which was painted a strangely familiar clinical white. It was just like the dozens of other doors in the hallway, but last time he was here this had been where they kept the youngest. Of course last time he had been there he had been the youngest, but things didn't change much in this place. The system worked, and scientists didn't meddle with working systems.


Of course the admiral and her three goons eagerly jumped on this opportunity: the moment he opened the door and revealed that he had been right indeed, they lost all eye for him. Which gave him his turn to jump on an opportunity. Already hanging behind Adira, Jericho and Deimos it was a simple thing to take three dead quiet steps back and vanish around a corner within mere moments. Carefully tracing the trail of the not so unseen being.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As he entered the room, Yalyax twisted his face into a friendly alien grin and gently intertwined his fingers at chest level. Standing in the doorway he stared back at her for those few seconds with the same smile, the same face, seeming more than content to have a staring contest with the pilot. However, he was taken aback as she mentioned a third individual in the cockpit. His head turned as he scanned the room and took a few cautious steps inside.


"Ah... Yes..." He said, his voice still retained it's unusual chipper tune but his confusion or perhaps anxiety was audible. His gaze returned to Erin once he had finished looking about the cockpit. "The engines activated and by my account it seems the ship's pitch has changed by several degrees."


He didn't seem the least bit upset by the change in the ship's orientation and was indeed curious as to why it had changed. He approached Erin in her seat and gazed down at her with unblinking eyes. All in all, his contrasting colors seemed to add to the disturbing nature of his stare and his polite demeanor could perhaps be interrupted as eerie as well. He was silent for a moment, reading her, gauging her, before his eyes finally snapped themselves away from the girl and peered outside her sole vista into the black abyss of the void.


"I see." He said with what was perhaps a change in tone, he had abandoned the persona he had built and knelt down on his knees to bring himself to Erin's level (or as close as he could manage).


"It's quite a view, it reminds you that the universe beckons for something greater than you'll be." As he spoke, Yalyax preformed a complex hand motion that resembled sign language but would only spell gibberish.
 
When following the trail, Saami suddenly found that it stopped in the middle of the ceiling. Veered off and clearly going into the wall, he placed his ear against the cold tiles and listened intently. Until a small echo gave away the position of the mysterious inhabitant of the interspace. Still listening he followed the direction where the sound came from, while at the same time avoiding any of the rebels. The latter task being much easier, and despite not having done it for over a year, Saami was still well versed in how to remain unseen. So it didn't take him long to reach the intended target of his wall-friend: the kitchens.


The sound were now clear, and he no longer needed to listen as intently to follow it. Yet he knew that he probably wasn't the only one listening. Opening the doors to the kitchen his plan was already set in motion, and he made sure to make loud sounds passing through. His footsteps heavy and his hands tapping on the counters. Only to push the door on the other side open, except he never went through it. Mimicking the sound of muffled footsteps leaving in the distance he followed by simply sitting still on the counter and waiting for what would follow.


After several minutes it was apparently declared clear, and he saw motion setting in: the screws on a floor-level vent outlet slowly turning one by one. Enough to loosen, but not enough to drop to the ground. Quickly he moved across the counters, yet with utter care to remain silent. Slipping into place beside the vent so he could immediately block the way back in for whatever was inside. Yet he also knew that scaring his newfound friend wasn't the way to go at things. He'd have to be delicate for this, and that was admittedly not his greatest forte as of late.


When the roster of the vent was shoved aside he found his suspicions confirmed. Watching from above a tiny little dust covered creature crawled out: a white haired little girl, now more grey than anything. Still wearing the clinical dress they all wore after just being released, but hers seemed to have some wear and tear, and it wasn't exactly white anymore either. The moment she had crawled out entirely Saami struck: swiftly moving behind her and grabbing her waist with one arm, then covering her mouth with his hand firmly but not painful or choking. It was just to prevent her from getting away or making any sounds.


Immediately her eyes turned purple, and he could feel the literally unsettling motion of bones shifting below his grasp. Yet he knew this type of INANES had that ability, and her wildcard didn't work on him as he simply switched his grasp from along her waist to under her arm to her shoulder.


"Shush... shush... it's okay." Slightly loosening the grip, he allowed her to turn and look at who had captured her. Two big golden eyes meeting his sharper turquoise ones. "See, I'm just like you." His voice was whispered but still clear, keeping it on a very soothing and friendly tone. He wasn't sure how much she understood of language though, so to illustrate his point he just let his eyes hum with a gentle blue hue for a bit. Seeing her eyes widen in fascination was enough for him to dare move his fingers from her mouth in the hopes that she wouldn't just scream.


Luckily for him it turned out that she was still mute, meaning she either hadn't been released that long ago, or hadn't heard that much communication. But her having acted on her own in hiding had told him more than enough, and everything else he could read off from her face. At the very least she knew how to be fascinated, definitely not afraid of her captor anymore. But she had come here with a purpose, and wasn't to be distracted from her mission that quickly, her fascination drifting to the fridge instead.


"Oh right... you must be hungry. I suppose we better get you fed then." Once he handed her over to the rebellion he doubted they'd have a much keener eye for things like that. And there was a full fridge right there and then anyway. Getting up he kept a careful eye on her, making sure he'd be able to react in time if she did try to get away. Yet she didn't show any signs of that, so he simply held her hand loosely with two fingers. The girl barely reached to about his waist, looking more like ten than twelve. Her weight wasn't any better either, and he wasn't sure how much of that was from being made that way or from not having access to much food. She seemed to have found her way into the fridge just fine on her own if anything, but the kitchens were crowded most of the day.


Making sure she wouldn't be too cold he borrowed her his jacket. Which was more like a big coat to her, reaching to her knees and hiding her hands completely in the sleeves. Only to realise she obviously didn't have any shoes or socks either, and he wasn't about to lead her barefoot unto ice cold metal. A solution was however easily found, as she was light enough even for him to lift; supporting her at the knees with one arm and at her shoulder with the other. "Okay, well... you're taking that awfully good. You sure you aren't related to Yax?" Apparently a fascination with hair was commonplace nowadays, and she wasn't exactly shy about it as she had immediately grabbed a handful of it. Don't pull...


Food was found quickly, an apple and a few leftover pieces of bread being the clear first choice. Everything else had just been met with a very disappointed look, as if he was supposed to know that it wasn't any good. Second of all she had refused to let go of his hair, meaning he now more or less had been forced to keep carrying her around. Something made him think she knew exactly what she was doing with that too, and that he wasn't in any position to refuse. As a last act before finally moving to return to the admiral he decided to clean her up a bit better; taking a towel and wetting it so he could clean most of the dust and grime off. Starting with her face, he was quickly met with a happy smile.


"Yeah, you're definitely going better places." Continuing with cleaning off her hands he did realise something though, more or less a fun little idea than anything. "So if you're going to go to human places. You'll need a human name... and I don't want to give the admiral the honours of picking yours." His own smile turned slightly devious, even now thinking of how to thwart those with authority. "How about... Amanda? That's normal enough." His hair now being pulled by two sticky apple hands somehow told him that that name was going to do just fine. "You're going to be stuck in my hair by the time we're back, aren't you?"


Too bad for him the way back didn't exactly go as smoothly as the rest: before he could get to the admiral, Saami found himself staring into the phaser of a rebel captain. Immediately dropping on his knees and holding one hand up, the other was dedicated to making sure a now very frightened Amanda didn't just run away. However, their loud yelling didn't help anything, and a few moments later he somehow found himself being yelled at, while at the same time a loudly crying twelve year old was attempting to hide in his chest.


Eventually the rebels seemed to calm down, realising the threat wasn't as much of a threat as initially expected. Yet the damage was already done; a now very very pissed Saami trying to calm down Amanda, but not having much success as all the people obviously still scared her.


"Admiral Hopper? We have a situation here... yeah, we found the INANES that belongs to captain Adira." I don't belong to anyone you twat. It took Saami all his willpower not to just say that out loud, but knew that him being angry wouldn't calm Amanda down, and that was his very first priority at the moment. Partly because her arms around his neck were starting to choke him.


"Well yes, turquoise eyes, wearing our gear... but, no... but Admiral, that's not it. There are two of them."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Getting past those creepy tubes made Adira much more comfortable: it was now just another mission, not a mission with crazy freaky weird science shit that shouldn't exist. Torture devices, she could deal with, bloody weapons, she could deal with, cages, she could deal with, that stuff? It pushed the boundary of weirdness enough so that Adira had gotten uncomfortable, especially with Saami being her friend and all. It was odd to feel such pity for those kids in pods but at the same time... there wasn't quite that connection as if they weren't in pods. Like they weren't really there yet. Were they? They weren't sentient, but they were alive? Right? It was pushing the philosophical further than Adira liked, so a simple dim hallway was much better for her.


The captain didn't know whether she was should have been frightened for what was in the room Saami told her was where the INANES were, or if she should have been happy. One on hand, they were found! On the other hand, though, would they be strapped up to machinery like they had seen before? Tormented in some way? Tortured? Oh, that would be gruesome for certain, they were still just kids! Did they test them with rusted scalpels or bent needles or give them collars? Kids didn't deserve that.... Adira shook her head and cleared her mind. Now was the time to focus on getting the INANES out. These facilities seemed too humane for torture at the very least... yet it still made Adira squeeze her pistol tighter and feel a surge of protectiveness over the INANES she had yet to meet.


The door opened and Adira cut off a soldier so she could be one of the first few in the room. She knew soldiers: many were actually gentle with children, but these were rebels, and while they believed in what they were doing, there was a chance, especially for the admiral she was following, to be looking at this as some kind of glory mission and forget that they were dealing with kids. The room was very plain, with the typical whitewashed walls and five bunks, so ten beds. Overall it was on the small side, but easily maneuverable. On the group communication, she said, "Remember to be very gentle and not intimidating if possible. We want to give them a good impression, scaring them won't help. They may be prone to making correspondences now that will make it harder in the future." After maneuvering through the room a bit she actually saw the young INANES. Ten of them. They all stared with big eyes, and it was definitely spooky how pale they all were, and how little they reacted. Adira carefully elbowed her way past the others and took off her helmet, making her seem like probably the most human of the bunch: no visible armor, no helmet, nothing. By now she had even holstered her phaser. Adira held out her gloved hand for one of the INANES boys to take, but they didn't. Odd reactions, right.... With surprising gentleness, she took the INANES' hand, making an odd juxtaposition of armour to soft, uncalloused skin. He pulled away and she paused for a second, then took off her right glove, revealing her scar, and took his hand again. The abrasive texture of her glove had evidently upset him. There were tiny marks in the INANES hand from where needles had been, which meant they'd been recently seen to, but it didn't look like there were any injuries on any of them. Over her shoulder, she said, "Anyone escorting them, take your armor off, otherwise you'll upset them." Adira backed up a bit, guiding the INANES boy toward the group. "Friends. Okay?" Of course he couldn't understand, but now Adira had show the soldiers how to properly handle the INANES. The boy she was holding on to traced the scar on her hand with his free hand, which made her pause a bit. They'd never seen a scar, had they...?


There was a quiet beeping from her helm, so she handed the boy off to Jericho and put her helmet and glove back on. Where was Saami, now that she thought of it? He'd been right behind her.... Then she heard the call. "Admiral Hopper? We have a situation here... yeah, we found captain Adira's INANES." There was a pause which gave Adira time ot wonder where Saami was and what he had done now. "Well yes, turquoise eyes, wearing our gear... but, no... but Admiral, that's not it. There are two of them." Before she had even thought it through, Adira snapped, "Alright, first off, it's Captain Rik to you, and second, he's not my INANES. His name is Saami, and you had best address him as such. And I swear if you hurt him I will kill you." With that she looked to the admiral and waited to follow to her second-in-command's position. What was this about a second INANES, though?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jericho's mind had completely focused on the task at hand. He had dwelled on memory for too long now, first with Saami, then Adira, now his own personal history. It was destroying his concentration. He had to put his mind back into place, so with a hard shove, and a few slammed doors and locks, he hid the deepest fears in the recesses of his head.


Being handed the child was surprising, especially Adira's most recent commands. He was instructed to remove his armor, but given the clunkiness of his gear, he was not able to remove anything significant before he was handed the boy. Still clad in his armor, Jericho had to think fast to please the child's feelings. Kids are a sensitive type, even more sensitive than his own battered soul.


A simple side thought, he realized the situation and decided instead to focus on that. As much as he hated to do it, instead of letting the boy stare into the deep ocean depths of his visor, he instead flipped a switch on the back of his head and polarized the paint that made it shimmer. In a moment, the deep ocean blue was gone and was replaced with a tint, revealing the old man underneath. His eyes were dull, and soft to look at, so staring at the boy was not a problem. He figured if they didn't speak or understand language, he might speak with his body language. And his body language was assertive, but blunted, for after he made direct eye contact with the boy... He began to sing.


The static of his helmet's speakers groaned as he sung a simple song, something far from his youth, in a style few have heard in this day and age. Jericho began singing the blues. Croaking the lows and straining on the high notes, he sung a story about being chased. About weight, and weary souls. His chest heaved with each word, and his eyes drifted forward as he bounced the boy gently to the music. His father had done this for him as a child. The memory almost made him choke.


He instead chose to worry about his voice being pleasant enough.
 
The admiral just glanced sideways at Adira's remark, lifting a hand to signal for her to calm down. "Captain Rik, I understand the sentiment but we're not killing anyone. And neither are you Captain Xyruu, stand-by until Captain Rik and I reach your location." A simple confirmation came from the other side, with a location ping included. "Come on captain, let us see who your second in command managed to conjure up. Everyone, take the INANES with you, we will merge with the other group for the time being." Everyone included the crew of the bathtub, considering the admiral was still very much in charge of them too. Even if Adira probably didn't like that in the slightest.


In the meanwhile Saami had managed to calm down Amanda somewhat, and she was now quietly sobbing on his shoulder, staring up at the armed men with frightened eyes. He himself however was alternating between giving a very deadly glare to the rebels and shushing the child on his shoulder, but despite that contrast neither of the two actions seemed to lessen any in intent. The rebels appeared slightly undone by the whole thing, but remained silent and tried to be stoic. The guns were still aimed at him by the time the others turned around the corner.


"Took you long enough. Before these baboons decide aiming a gun at a twelve year old isn't manly enough." His words weren't entirely lining up with his internal anger, holding back on the curses and swears, but that didn't make their tone or intend any less hateful. It perhaps hadn't been necessary for Adira to threaten with killing them, as Saami seemed to have put more than enough thought towards doing that himself. "Just tell them to stop playing soldier already, or is this the way the great Admiral Hopper handles children now?"


Giving a very reluctant nod, clearly disliking Saami more and more by the minute but not being able to argue against it, she told the rebels to lower their guns. When they did so, Saami moved to stand up, still holding Amanda.


"Just place her with the rest of the INANES." The admiral pointed at the rest of the children being led by the group, but he quickly shook his head.


"I don't think she's going to let go. She's been holding me for thirty minutes now, she's been hiding in the vents for days, maybe weeks. There's no way you'll get her to stand in line, she'll just run away again, that's what they're made for." There was a strange sincerity in his voice that didn't happen too often nowadays, when his words lined up with how he actually felt. Before the admiral could reply he continued. "I get it, you don't trust me with children, I'm not that much of a model citizen. But I wouldn't do anything to her, and she's already scared enough now, so if you want her out of this place I don't believe she'll go any other way than this..."


After a long thinking period, the admiral finally just agreed. Clearly not thinking it worth the conflict, or the time for debate for that matter. "Fine, if that's the easiest way then so be it, the first priority is getting out of here safe and quick. We'll see what to do about her later then." Turning around the admiral commanded her goons once more, this time to lead the way back out.


Silently Saami shuffled back towards his own crew, not being able to hold back a tiny little grin as he whispered sideways to Adira. "I think I won that one."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"Does it?" Erin shrugged. She'd seen the stars for what they were - great balls of light. She couldn't explain to Yalyax why she liked them in the fanciful and deep language that he used - she just did. It was inexpiable but just as valid as a moth being drawn to a flame. She swiveled herself around in the chair to get one more glimpse of the light. "I think it just looks pretty. Look, it stands out."


Now that the picture had been taken Erin began to feel a little restless again. She slip her gun out from her belt-holster and began to play with it again. She'd forgotten just where she'd picked up the revolver. Seeing how it was a very common model on the market, she supposed it could have come from just about any space colony she'd visited. After a failed twirl, it fell from her hands and landed too far away for her to reach it with her feet. Erin sighed, not wanting to move around. Erin told herself that it was her skinny body that prevented her from having the energy to do anything (besides her hobbies) but in truth, she was just lazy. She absentmindedly began to examine her hair for split ends while they waited for the crew to return. Her mind wandered before settling on the passenger seated besides her.


Although Erin had spent her time around many aliens before, she'd never held a conversation with one that wasn't about money or ships. For Yalyax to speak of his insights was interesting to her and yet, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable with him being so close. Erin studied his crouched form as discretely as she could. There was no doubt about it - he was maybe one or two steps away from humanity and yet as furthest away as anything could be. But that couldn't be the reason behind her fear, could it? It was far too benign of a reason... he hadn't hurt her. She reached out for his hand, curious to see what it was made of. "Just what did you say you were again? I think I missed that last night."
 
Comfortable where he was, Yalyax remained seated on the floor and finally being able to stretch out his neck and back. There were certain discomforts in his choice but he still undeniably knew that this was the right place to be. Keeping his gaze to the stars he smile brightly and nodded in an awkward way, he knew the meaning of the gesture but performing it was difficult with such a long neck.


"Yes of course. An infinity of stars, an infinity of planets, an infinity of intelligent life. All unique, all with their own loves and griefs, even my species once looked to the stars and wondered what our purpose was in this universe."


Large eyes that befit such a feeble bodied species couldn't help but watch her every movement, even from his peripherals he could see her move towards him and consequently his head jerked to face her like a frightened lizard. It took less than a second for the primal reaction to subside and Yalyax took the chance to read the girl. What she was doing, where her eyes were, body language often times told more than a person ever could, or would be comfortable telling. Lifting his arm, his hand followed limply after and Yalyax met Erin half-way allowing her to satiate human curiosity that was so prevalent in them. His skin was cool to the touch and surprisingly elastic, like a balloon full of gelatin a fine layer of moisture coated the pale-white creature as if his own chilled temperature created condensation upon his own skin.


"I am an..." He paused, watching Erin's hand instinctively to ensure she wouldn't grab at him. "I am a Herald for the Athenaum."
 
Adira had to resist the urge to break the captain's wrist when she found that they were still aiming their guns at Saami and the young INANES. What the fuck was wrong with them to aim their guns at someone after being told it was okay? While the girl was a surprise to everyone, that didn't mean they could point a gun at her and Saami. Maybe she'd have to have a talk with the captain later... alone.


Saami requesting to keep the girl was a definite surprise, but Adira kept her mouth shut. They had space for her, but even just a short time, that girl could get hurt on that shitty ship they'd nabbed, or she could mess something up. But it seemed like it would make Saami happy, so Adira wasn't going to say anything. It pissed off Hopper and the other Captain too, so why not? The mission had been successful, so why not have some fun with the upper ranks? They'd have to set up a room for the girl, though, and some decent food. Saami could keep her occupied in the way of entertainment. He seemed happier than he had in a while, so maybe the child would help? When he spoke to her, she congratulated him with a whispered, "I'll say you did. We can't push them for too much, but I think you made the right choice anyway."
 
Saami grinned a bit wider when he heard his captain agree, but nodded knowing that he had probably reached the utter limit of how much he could go against authority. If anything he did agree somewhat: the bathtub definitely wasn't a place for a child, and the other rebel ships had better accommodations. They probably had designated rooms for the saved INANES too. Yet he also knew that Amanda would have vanished within moments in there if she didn't willingly go with someone. In fact, he was surprised she trusted him to begin with, as he'd been the one capturing her.


Princess Potato, if you're watching the monitors and not instead decided to also turn around like Speedy, we're coming back soon. The mission was a success, but we're bringing someone with us. He glanced at Amanda, whom had laid her head on his shoulder by now, and realised maybe he should be a bit more specific about what that meant. So we'll need a room ready, and perhaps some clean clothes too. The latter part was definitely going to be tricky; there weren't any clothes her size on board. Asking the admiral would be equal to admitting defeat, which he refused. So the only option was to maybe repurpose some clothes. We probably have to figure a few things out when we're back.


Going back was relatively easy from that point out, though by the time they got outside was clear that the military was already planning on retaking their base. The activity on the non-captured sites increased, and though the strange communication between them and the rebels had been about keeping the bloodshed at a minimum, the messages became more hostile. It was very clear they should get out of there as soon as possible, but that in itself went without resistance. The few rebel crews that had been captured were traded for the detained soldiers and scientists, and at the end of the day the large majority walked away, be it with both parties now less fond of eachother.


22:00:00


Adira, Saami, Jericho and Deimos had been picked up by the rest of the crew, and the bathtub was now starting to get pretty crowded. Amanda had been plucked off of Saami, washed, and for the time being given a grey shirt, which looked more or less like a dress on her. They'd try and craft together something fitting better later, but for now it worked. In the end she herself didn't seem to mind all that much either, having a pretty happy look on her face throughout.


At that point in time feeding her had become a priority, and though Saami had pre-made food before, she appeared to be very picky about what she ate. So now he was trying to piece together what she didn't absolutely despise, teaching her the words for food at the same time so she could actually say what she wanted. Some things she clearly reacted a lot better to than others, and if she wanted it he let her have it. Soon enough though he found out she had one mortal enemy: carrots. The way through which he found out was by having one thrown in his face; caught of guard by the suddenness, he now was blessed with an odd shaped bruise on his forehead.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After his few hours of excitement, and nostalgia, Jericho returned to his duties on the ship. Given the nature of the ship's shape, he had to remain ever vigilant of the status of the systems, and it showed from the amount of elbow grease he collected as the day went on. In his dress clothing, stained slightly by the efforts of his craft, it almost felt like things were normal again—at least, on the outside.


He could not shake the oppressive thoughts of his own worry, and while he forced himself into his work, Jericho made odd detours to check on the child that had been brought aboard. He loved children, no doubt, but her curious nature was a liability in a ship where spark plugs are left in open air and the air vents are opened and closed by a simple lever. A tragedy in the making. Still, as the latest addition to the crew, he treated her with utmost respect and at one point even offered a piece of candy he had gotten off of the reception desk of the facility that they caught Amanda in the first place. A sign of peace, if you will.


A step toward accepting her robotic nature, just as he accepted his own and Saami's.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
<p>


Deimos hadn't expected them to get out without going through some sort of conflict, but he was once again reminded that life wasn't like it was depicted in movies, something he was very glad about this time around. That's not to say it had been a walk in the park for him, quite the opposite, he had been nervous the entire way back; his nerves only calming once they were back at the ship. Another day without getting shot. He hoped he could keep adding days to this record. It hand't been all for naught though, for he had been given a medic bag during the mission, and while it was taken back once the mission was complete, he had been able to sneak out some better supplies than they currently had. Not the most ethical thing he had done, but not letting them keep the basic medic bag was rather dickish knowing the state their ship was in.


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


So first thing he did once he was back was to drop the new supplies at the infirmary, update the inventory, and take a long cold shower. This latter one being because "long hot shower" was an oxymoron in this ship. Once he felt prepared enough to relax, he took the pad containing the crew's medical histories and headed towards the kitchen, as per his stomach's request. Noticing that Saami was currently having what appeared to be a losing food fight with the kid, Deimos sat on the opposite side of the room, which gave him enough distance so that he wouldn't be hit by any stray projectile. Grabbing the first thing that looked edible from the fridge, he wasn't a picky eater, he sat down and started to read, purposely leaving Yalyax's file for last.


</p>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Of course Deimos came in just the moment Saami was hit by a carrot, it couldn't have gone unnoticed. With a slightly embarrassed look on his face he stared at the man then decided it just wasn't worth trying to play down the act by talking. In any case it didn't seem like he was in a talkative mood anyway, and in all fairness Saami didn't exactly know what their doctor wanted to begin with. He didn't know him long enough to get him, and on top of that he appeared to be fairly closed off, so it'd take a long time anyhow. Instead he just focused on the one person that demanded his attention, just in time to stop her from throwing a second carrot.


"Alright, I get it you don't like them." Forcefully he plucked the vegetable from her hand, then put it back with the others on the table. "but that doesn't mean I like them in my face." Before she could weasel her way into grabbing another, he quickly put them back in the pantry. Only to turn around and find her holding two more apples, proudly smiling at him as if she'd dug up a treasure.


"Apple!" Not exactly knowing how else to deal with it he just nodded and shoved her back out of the pantry.


"Yeah, apples." As he pushed her along back into the kitchen, they passed Deimos, and Saami could already feel that this wasn't going to go unnoticed. "Day!" "Deimos." "Daymo!" "Well yeah, we might just leave him alone, he's got very important things to do." "Apple!" Proudly she held up her apples, showing them to Deimos. Meanwhile Saami was resisting the urge to facepalm in frustration, flashing an apologetic smile towards the man and then decided it might be best to get Amanda out of the kitchen entirely. "Enough food for now, we're going to work on your speech..." She didn't even seem to care that he was leading her out or to listen to a word he was saying, instead more occupied with eating her apples as they went along.
 
"Haven't heard that one before," Erin muttered. Yalyax's skin felt as if he spent half his time living in water. It was very similar, in her opinion, to those amphibious creatures she saw lurking around ponds and such. She pinched his skin lightly just to see how far it would stretch but stopped before he felt much discomfort.


"You know," she spoke while caressing his arm, "a lot of women would kill for this. I mean, waxing gets annoying after a while but look at you! Hairless like a... I dunno, actually."


It was then Saami's message was sent forwards to Erin. He sounded more or less the same so she assumed the mission had been a success with no casualties. With a touch of her fingers Erin sent the spacecraft into a smooth descent before they picked up the crew. She was surprised to see a little girl clutched to Saami but made no remark besides a, "Looks like we picked up a passenger, Yal."




That had been a while ago now and yet Erin lingered around the cockpit despite being relieved of her temporary job. With both Saami's and Adira's piloting skills, Erin knew that it would be a long time before she set foot in the room again. She slowly went over every handle, every button, ever lever - trying to memorize the touch and feel before she went back to laundry duty.


"This is gonna suuuck," she groaned. Erin was going to miss the cockpit dearly. Already the chair had felt like home to her and she couldn't imagine leaving the blinking station for her silent and solitary room. Her hands broke free of her infatuation first; her fingers traced over the chair regretfully before Erin could tear herself away. She had spent too much time here as it was and she wasn't anticipating being present while Adria and Saami took over the helm. Erin took one last glance outside before leaving but as she opened the door, a figure appeared to block her way.


"Oh! You came here faster than I expected," Erin admitted. "I guess I'll be leaving now... unless there's something else?" Her voice ended on a hopeful note; blissfully unaware of her actions.


 
Adira smiled slightly and cocked her head to the side. So this was the little pilot girl. Hm. Adira had really only seen her in passing. She seemed nice, but flighty. The Flighty Flier, that should have been her name. Despite her thoughts, though, Adira had no look of condescension or anger in her face. Rather, she just looked like... well, Adira. She had taken off her helmet and had given back the armor, so now it was just her regular wear.


"Don't worry about it. Erin, right?" The Captain walked over to the pilot's seat and sat down, then nodded to the vacant communications chair next to her. "Why don't you have a seat? Unless you have something else you're supposed to do." Laundry duty. Adira knew it, but also knew it wasn't high priority. They needed to have a chat. The trick was trying to make it seem like Adira wasn't about to crucify or interigate the girl. Which she of course was going to do a bit of both. Maybe Flighty just needed some direction? Or a bit or grounding, maybe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top