Futuristic [IC] Sail the Stars : Mission Log

[ChasmOfOrganicMatter]

"Anything valuable in the storage section, go and take it. The feds do not need to know what they never saw happen. Scavenge any valuable electronics and spare parts; cannibalize the ship, even."

Riezlav didn't slow much as Brodh approached and hunched over slightly, he somehow seemed larger and more imposing. Some massive mass of shadow and filth who only seemed to move slower because of how much moved at once.

"Do NOT take any personal items." This time, his predatory skull jerked upwards; a glare? Or was this how their fleshless faces normally expressed themselves? His voice was pointed and refusing of excuses. "We're getting the bounty for the dead but their loved ones and family deserve at least to have any keepsakes. If there's any suspicious or hazardous materials, I'll leave that to you. Most of it is presumably in storage. If there are any problems, make lots of noise. Better yet, bring someone with you."

He didn't stick around for more, dragging the corpse quartet over to the hallway and towards the medical bay. They'd need a way to preserve the bodies to avoid them rotting and becoming a biohazard on teh ship. He was hoping for something quite cold...

 

[Verena]

Keiran paid little attention to the anthropod’s words, partly because he was having a hard time understanding what he was saying. The strange, almost unnatural intonation of his fellow crew member and gunner almost sounded like the buzzing of a swarm of insects to his ears. The Gehennian wasn’t overly surprised but highly impressed that the creature was able to carry four and thus the last of the men out. Unlike him, Keiran could only drag one at a time. He didn’t want to imagine the full strength of the anthropod. He had once read about how Earth’s ants were able to carry up to 5,000 times their own weight but couldn’t believe or imagine seeing anything similar in person.

The gunner felt some disappointment upon not receiving an answer to his question. It was a silly one indeed and maybe humans felt like something not even worth talking about. However, he could also see the reasoning behind Sarah’s swift attention switch. Their captain was already issuing new orders, which meant more work for the pilot.

Keiran also heard Honey’s announcement of food although he had some doubts that anyone would be too hungry after the whole ordeal with the pirates. He sure didn’t feel particularly interested in food at the moment, especially after seeing the bodies. Maybe if there was something sweet, he would reconsider. After discovering some human desserts, Keiran had developed a bit of a sweet tooth, especially concerning chocolate.

The gunner listened to the exchange of words between the two giants, the Taurus and the anthropod, then watched as the latter dragged the bodies deeper into the ship. They were leaving a trail of blood behind but perhaps there was a better place to store them rather than out in the open of the hangar bay. Besides, he had done enough for today. Someone else could clean the mess afterwards.

Instead, Keiran headed back into the ship to see if he could find something of value. After a few moments though, it quickly became apparent that these pirates were not only suicidal but also poor as dirt. Keiran had been a thief for the majority of his adult life and generally knew where to find treasure. Yet, he was only able to find some rusty and dented armor, equally rusty and useless guns, an old and broken compass, a handful of coins and a rolled-up map of the nearby galaxies. Aside from this junk, he only found some playing cards, dice, a bit of jerky, herbal tea and of course some rum.

Keiran was about to leave and find something better to do when, suddenly, a large crate in the back caught his attention. A few boxes were stacked on top of it as if to hide its contents, which he quickly shoved aside. He then pried open the lid, only to reveal a cryosleep pod. A female human was laying inside and if it weren’t for the electronic monitor displaying her heart rate, blood pressure and some other data Keiran couldn’t understand, he’d probably think her dead.

“Uhm, Taurus!”, he called out to the scientist, whose name was unbeknown to him. “There’s something here you should take a look at.”

*** Start of 0stinato post***

Brohdish’s ears were droopy things. They held themselves horizontal but didn’t make too much effort to avoid flopping around when he was in a hurry. In combat, it was one of the most telling pointers: if a bovine held his ears tense and taut as he charged, he was skilled. If they flopped, he was not used to the field.

Brohdish’s, of course, flopped. They only attained a brief tense state as he heard Keiran call for him. He’d have to remind the gunner of his name. He was new to the ship, after all, and with so many new people to meet – including people whose names were much more important to remember – maybe he had forgotten. Or maybe he just had never known.

His ears did their bouncy thing as he tried his best to hurry to Keiran. He was used to jogging in a confined space, but usually he knew where he was going. His hooves clashed in the metal corridors.

“Aye?” he said, relieved to have found his way. “What’s this?”

The sight spoke for itself though: female human (or very convincing synth façade), alive but asleep, kept from physical and mental harm through the cryotech embedded in the pod. This was a piece of gear Brohdish had only read about and never seen. Inducing cryosleep, and waking someone from it, were both vital information for anyone calling himself a Biologist to know. There were different rules for all sorts of races across the stars, but humans naturally had the most information about them.

“Shit. Ah suppose she’s part of our cargo for now then. We’ll have tae get the Cap’n’s word on whether we wake her or keep her induced in sleep. Ah should probably also run some tests before either one happens, as should the medical team. And Engineering probably, since this pod could house contingencies.”

He looked at Keiran. He wasn’t sure what to say, he just needed to look someone awake in the face.

“You guys did a great job takin’ the pirates down. Now it’s us nerds’ time to take action.”

***End of 0stinato post***

The gunner felt the ground underneath him rumble and pulse as the Essex’s powerful superluminal engines began accelerating again. “Destination set: New Finland. Prepare for hyperjump.”, Inaros’ voice rang through the comms, warning the crew to hold on. Nearly two hours later, the Essex was hovering around 30.000 ft over the planet’s surface, descending slowly and gracefully towards a free spot on the landing dock of the Pioneer Station – the largest and most hospitable settlement on the otherwise rocky world, situated on a hillside overlooking a flatland.

New Finland had a subarctic climate, not unlike the original, which was destroyed along with the rest of planet Earth. It was discovered and settled by none other but the remaining Finnish, Swedish, Norwegen and Danish colonists who felt right at home on the strange, yet familiar new world. Lush taiga covers the planet’s warmer latitudes, with tundra and enormous glaciers near the poles. Each summer, hundreds of thousands of vibrant blue meltwater lakes dot the surface, turning the stark winter landscape into a blossoming fairytale. Only the hardiest of crops and the hardiest of creatures survive on New Finland, toughened by the extreme temperature variations.

The Essex and her crew reach Pioneer Station in the early afternoon, in a transitional period between winter and summer. Temperatures are around 12 degrees (53 f), snow and ice slowly give way to the first flowers of the season, small white-, yellow- and orange-colored blossoms that peak through the layers of frost and seek the sun’s warm rays. A small stream passes through the Station and people are finally enjoying some warmth. Everyone is going around their business in a good mood, children are playing in the street, picking flowers and making wreaths and crowns.

From the landing dock, where the Essex is situated, the crew can see a variety of small stores and merchants hawking their wares – local delicacies smelling of fish and spice, warm clothes and shoes from wool and fur, various electronic devices and small upgrades, handmade souvenirs from wood, stone and crystal. In the distance, you can hear the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown.

A few dozen ships of various sizes and models are docked around Pioneer Station, new ones arriving and old ones departing every couple of minutes, delivering foreign goods as well as people. New Finland was a popular tourist destination during the few summer months when the temperatures reached the 20s (70s f). The planet offered nice views of greenery and its magnificent lakes, many of which were now only starting to melt.

“Destination reached successfully: Pioneer Station, New Finland. Surface temperature: 12 degrees Celcius. Time of day: 14:46. Weather forecast: sunny. It’s a marvellous day for a walk.”, Inaros greeted the crew. “Request permission to lower ramp.”

SpazTheButcher Vagabond Spectre Arai Soviet Panda milo-ren Clan Ize ChasmOfOrganicMatter Nero_Cardia

 

[SpazTheButcher]

"Hit it HAL" Ray said, as the light greeted his face. He inhaled the fresh, non-recycled air, and felt it fill his lungs. The gravity felt much more comfortable as he stepped off his ship and into the bustling port. He checked his watch and said, "Anyone not back in 3 days gets left. And come back sober please." Ray then turned to his crew. "Now, go have fun, and don't get arrested. I don't have the money to bail any of you." Ray then approached Sarah, and said, "I may need your help before you start your leave. I have a package I need to pick up. You don't need to come though, if you don't want to."

 

[ChasmOfOrganicMatter]

After ensuring the bodies were bagged then crammed into a conveniently large cold storage, the vrexul had decided to help clean up the mess he'd made. The hail of gunfire the new stiff and frozen cadavers faced hadn't cared much about the fact that they were humans and humans were mostly fluid. Dragging them across the ground had spread it out across not just the bay the battle had taken place but the corridors towards the cold storage. This was un-glamorous work but he was not arrogant enough to see himself as above it.

His mind went back to the robot; the maid one was it? He didn't remember its name. He felt no need to call to it even if this fell within its purview. Something about its existence, rather than the machine itself, was revolting to him. Something that made him despise the need for it and that kind of intelligence reduced to servanthood. His face showed none of this; mask like and arthrpod as multiple mops in multiple hands scrubbed over the trail of crimson he'd dragged over the floor.

"If we're handing in these bodies, we better do it fast. Flesh rots faster in fairer weather."

 

[Vagabond Spectre]

Sarah Mackenzie​

The pilot was only a mere supervisor for the cleanup. Simply pointing to where to keep the bodies within the ship. The woman observed the pirate ship's status, only pointing out the obvious damage in the front but the ship can still be sold for parts. It is not her business to what to do with the ship, she has a ship to pilot on her own. It is now time to leave.

Silently leaving the cleanup halfway through she returned to the bridge, launching to a new planet under the name of New Finland. The blonde prepares the ship for lightspeed and announced to the ship that they'll be launching and to let the crew know. Eyes on the EICAS. The ship warped into light speed.

Destination reached successfully: Pioneer Station, New Finland. Surface temperature: 12 degrees Celcius. Time of day: 14:46. Weather forecast: sunny. It’s a marvelous day for a walk.
​

The arrival was smooth like always. Sarah managed a touchdown on the docking bay. Allowing Inaros to let the crew get some fresh air or at least some sun. Making sure she is the last Crew to get out of the ship. She looked up into the ceiling to speak to the ship AI.

"Inaros, Remain in sleep until either me or the captain's order activation."​

She made her way down the ramp as the air enters her lungs. She was still in her spacesuit uniform like usual, it's almost like it's a part of the woman. She too needed a little more sun from the new Finland. Her eyes squint from the sunlight, only lasting for a few minutes until her eyes got used to it. The captain sends out the crew to... Have fun. Whatever that maybe will never be clear to her.It's almost like watching children run around the park. Not mentioning the young of different species running around. Standing at ease, the captain approached her as her eyes break from the bustling view of the port. Asking a favor to pick up something or someone? Turning her head to the sunglassed man, she looked blank like any day before.

"What do you need, Captain? You need assistance with it?"​

Knowing the Pilot, she hardly complains when being told by him. Her stiff posture softened upon being asked for the task. Her head tilts slightly left, following up a question in regards to something else. She lowered her voice to keep private.

"The bodies, sir. What do we do with them?"​

SpazTheButcher

 

[Verena]

Keiran stood aside and let the Taurus get to work on examining and studying the pod. He felt incredibly curious to see what the engineer would do but at the same time, he didn’t want to interrupt or annoy him with his less than helpful presence. The gunner lacked scientific literacy and this was certainly not the time to learn more about it.

“I’ll leave you to it then.”, he said instead and headed for the exit. “I’ll speak with Mr Person and report a bit later.” Keiran didn’t go to speak with their captain immediately though. He imagined the man’s mood hadn’t improved yet and decided to wait a bit longer before bombarding him with more information about the pirates and their precious cargo.

Instead, the Gehennian washed the blood and stench of battle off and decided to get some rest before reaching their new destination. He lay in his bed and closed his eyes but sleep never came. His body rested but not his mind. The new environment, all the strange new faces, their latest encounter… Keiran knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep properly for a few days at least.

Inaros’ announcement of arrival woke him from his attempted nap, he rose and exited his room. The gunner reached the ramp just in time to hear their captain’s instructions. He saw him casually talking with Sarah and decided now was as good a time as any to tell him about the pod. “Captain, sorry to interrupt. We discovered a umm… a pod of some sort on the pirates’ ship. There’s a woman inside and the engineer has asked to wake her.”, he explained, the proper words to describe the discovery missing from his mind.

0stinato SpazTheButcher

 

[SpazTheButcher]

First responding to Sky, Ray said "Scratch it, I will grab you when I need you. As for the bodies, either burn 'em, or give them to the Marshals. Your pick." Ray said darkly. He then turned to Kei, and thought for a moment. Ray considered dumping the lass in the port, make her security's problem. But his morals(So goddamn useless, gone when you need them, there when you don't) got the better of him. He cringed as he said it, but he nonetheless said to Kei to, "Open her up, see if she needs anything. I am gonna visit a doc in town, maybe we can bring them aboard."

 

[Verena]

“We’ll get right to it.”, Keiran confirmed and walked off to tell the engineer the good news. He didn’t know if the Taurus was done with any intended research and examination but now at least they knew what to do with the newly discovered woman. The gunner’s curiosity was now at its peak and so, this time, he would remain and see the awakening for himself. “Hey, engineer!”, he called out as he reached the pirates’ ship again. “The captain gave us the all-clear. Let’s wake her up, shall we?”

0stinato

***

Somewhere downtown, Skrebi was enjoying a light lunch of fruits and vegetables from last year’s storage. Apples, beets, carrots, pumpkin and of course potatoes. The residents of New Finland adored potatoes and brought the plants, as well as many other crops, from planet Earth to the new land. Surprisingly, the root vegetable flourished here and rewarded their efforts with a plentiful harvest.

While this made the people of New Finland incredibly happy at first, they soon found themselves overrun with potatoes and thus started putting them in everything – salads, main courses, bread and even desserts. They also started selling them to neighbouring planets and soon, New Finland had become one of the fastest-growing exporters in the universe. Their potatoes of various shapes, sizes and even colors ranging from gold to deep purple made them famous almost overnight. The simple but versatile and nourishing root vegetable not only attracted buyers but also tourists from all corners of the world.

As a doctor, Skrebi always advised her patients to stick to a varied diet, although even she knew that winters here were harsh and that many crops didn’t make it until summer. She sighed as she snacked on the last slice of a steamed potato of a beautiful sapphire blue color, then cleared her throat and went back to her usual hawking. “Bring me your sick and wounded!”, she cried with a silvery voice. “Treatment and care for all ails!”

It wasn’t long until she attracted patients. A group of three children in their early teens approached her, one of them, a younger boy, sniffling and dewy-eyed. Even before the youngsters had reached her, she knew immediately what was wrong. Her keen Averi eyes could see the scraped knees and hands, the wobbly tooth. “Aww, did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall?”, Skrebi asked kindly as she lifted the child to sit onto her colourfully scribbled medical cart. “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn't put Humpty together again.", she recited the century-old rhyme, conjuring a smile on the child's face. "Skrebi can though, she can indeed.” Once again, the eye-catching motifs worked like a charm, distracting the young one and letting her work without squealing and fidgeting.

SpazTheButcher and everyone else in the vicinity

 

[Clan Ize]

Arisu Ize
Arisu's eyes fluttered open and flashed pink as she finished updating herself, it was a long process but required to stay operational and up to date. She took a small yawn before standing up and walking out of her room. She had been updating for a while and something had most likely happened in her absence, as she began to walk around the ship her scanners displayed a new new life form. Immediately, Arisu unslung her AK and made sure it was charged. The signature appeared to be coming from the pirate ship hold and considering they were pirates it probably had a decent chance of being dangerous. Quickly she sprinted to the storage hold of the pirate ship preparing her systems for combat as she ran. As she approached the hold she scanned the cargo hold until she found where it was coming from, a pod which seemingly contained a human, nearby was two other crewmembers one of which was Keiran the other the Tarus she hadn't learned the name of yet. Looking at them and pointing her gun at the pod she spoke in a distorted voice

"Who is that, is she a hostile?"​

Interactions: Verena SpazTheButcher
Location: Rays Office

 

[SpazTheButcher]

Ray left the ship, not even wanting to be near whatever the hell they woke up. He kept thinking about it, and shivered at the thought of of an alien being in the woman's stomach. So, he walked around downtown, till he saw an Averi squawking about medical care. He watched from a distance, to confirm that the bird brain wasn't selling placebos. After watching a small group of adolescents approach her, and watched as she gave aid to them. He then approached her, standing "in line" behind the kids. He was hoping she had a practice nearby, because the pain in his arm was killing him.

 

[ChasmOfOrganicMatter]

Deciding they could call the authorities over to take the bodies and give them their due rewards later, the huge arthropod decided to see just what this mysterious living cargo was. The pirates had given them some but not too much trouble. Given how willing they were to risk their lives, perhaps they had something equally vital to protect. Riezlav had played it safe with the pirates and he had been right. They weren't as much of a threat as their bravado suggested. This entity could be a different story. This time, his weapon was half raised as he entered the heart of the ship, waiting for the engineer and any other relevant staff. He'd switched out his rounds; standard rather than armour piercing. All that it changed would that there'd be a hole in the target rather than pieces to pick up.

Still, he hoped he wouldn't have to use it.

As he entered the room, he stood near the doorway leading outwards and his multiple eyes began to trace potential travel vectors if the entity proved hostile. The weapon's butt pressed against his chitinous armour, jerking abruptly as he tested his tracking motions. He kept his other arms hidden; if it closed in, he wanted to fool it into thinking he wasn't hiding any secrets.

"I am prepared to oversee this waking of our unusual cargo.

 

[Verena]

Skrebi had spread her large black and white wings around her small patient like a surgical curtain, blocking the view of all passersby. However, while this served to excellently preserve the patient’s privacy, it also blocked her own view of the surroundings. Despite having lived for so long among people of all species, Skrebi never really thought of this significant disadvantage. She always thought the best of others but this didn’t pay off every time. “There, as good as new!”, she exclaimed happily as she helped the child back off her cart and lowered her wings, only to see her money drawer open and the two older boys running in the distance with her cash box. By the time she had realised what had happened, the smaller child she had been treating so far was running also, his small figure disappearing quickly into the dense crowd.

“Oh no, not again.”, Skrebi cried out, unable to do anything to stop the thieves. “My savings…”, she whimpered quietly. She couldn’t leave her cart to chase after the naughty children, but now, she couldn't pay for her motel room, a passage away from the planet or even medicine to treat more patients either.

As she noticed Ray, her attention immediately shifted to him. Her beady black eyes widened as she glanced down at his blooded forearms. “Oh, I’m sorry you had to see this, sir. Please, let me have a look.”, she said with a sudden urgency in her voice and led him to her cart. Once again, she spread her wings around him. From a patient’s perspective, it would almost look like an angel’s hug.

After but a moment of silent observation, Skrebi spoke again. The cheerful tone she had previously used with the kids was now replaced by the solemnity of a professional. “This must be painful for you. I’ll administer a local anaesthetic and a tetanus vaccine before carrying on.”, she explained her actions, knowing that patients usually felt less stressed when they knew what the doctor was doing.

Skrebi put on a pair of clean rubber gloves, then prepared both injections. “I’ll need to make two small cuts in your shirt.”, she explained further, taking out a pair of suture scissors from a drawer. “Don’t worry, I’ll sew them back together once I’m done.” Taking the clothes off would be painful and she needed to access the nerves located at the armpit.

SpazTheButcher

 

[SpazTheButcher]

Ray Person
Ray watched the children run away with her money. He heard the poor doc try to talk with him about his wounds, but then again those damn morals got the best of him. "Wait here Doc," Ray said casually, as he pushed out of her wings and ran after the kids. He was pushing through the pedestrians nearby and vaulting over stall tables. He immediately regretted wearing his cowboy boots, and his feet quickly began to ache. He barely maintained the kids in his eyesight as he sprinted after them. He leather belt holding his Single Action was falling down, so he slowed down slightly to tighten it, but then he resumed the chase. How the hell are they so fast?, Ray thought as he slowly, but surely closed the gap in the pursuit.​

 

[Verena]

“Ah!”, Skrebi gasped as her patient pushed off her and ran after the kids. “Please don’t hurt them, sir!”, she cried after him, worried both for his and the children’s safety.

Noticing Ray chasing them, the two older kids sprinted away, slipping in between the civilians with ease while the captain had to push them aside to keep up. Despite their agile manoeuvering, however, the marine with his many years of experience was quickly catching up to them, despite his ails.

One of the boys quickly grabbed hold of the support beam of a potato stand, then pulled it down with his momentum, causing its roof to crash over sacks of potatoes below. The round and slippery contents easily spilt all over the street and in Ray’s path. The merchant yelled after the boys but his efforts at stopping them were just as futile as Skrebi’s.

“Help! Help! I’m being chased!”, cried the other boy, playing innocent. To ordinary passersby that hadn’t seen what the rascals had really done, the scene indeed looked as though a grown man covered in sweat and blood was chasing after a helpless child. Some quickly jumped out of Ray’s way but others were now actively trying to stand in his way.

SpazTheButcher

 

[SpazTheButcher]

Ray Person​

"That kid shot me!" Yelled Ray, thinking that two could play at that game, as he hopped over the potatoes. I still got it, he thought to himself and looking back at the potatoes, only to run into a low pipe. Ray went ass over head and fell on his back as the kids laughed and ran away. He now held his hand up to his bloody nose. He let out a long drawn out F-bomb, and just lay there. "Well shit." Defeated, Ray walked back to the Doc. "Sorry about that," he said as he dropped himself onto a stool. "Got any painkillers?" he said as he held out his arms for treatment.

 

[Verena]

Skrebi was anxiously pacing around her cart when Ray finally returned. Relief was written on her face at seeing him still in one piece. “Of course I do.” She had prepared all the needed tools, injections and dressings on a surgical tray and immediately got to work again. “You shouldn’t have done that, sir.”, she said calmly as she checked his nose for breakage, then inserted a pair of nasal packs to stop the bleeding.

“Going after that money was selfless and brave but also foolish of you.” Skrebi spoke like a mother disciplining her child as she made two small incisions in Ray’s shirt around the armpit, cleaned the area and felt for the nerves. “Don’t move, please.”, she said and gently inserted the needle, quickly followed by the tetanus vaccine to prevent infection. While painkillers developed centuries ago took up to 30 minutes to become fully effective, modern anaesthetics only took around a minute or two.

“Do you want to tell me how this happened?”, Skrebi asked, starting to clean the wounds on Ray’s forearms from dirt and debris, carefully cutting dead skin around the cuts and closing large gashes with stitches.

SpazTheButcher

 

[SpazTheButcher]

Ray Person​

"I only did it because it was the right thing," He told her. "You work hard to make ends meet, only to have it all snatched away by people you trusted," he said, as if he was speaking from experience. When she prompted him about how it happened, "Some pirates decided death was a better option than imprisonment," he casually remarked, notably leaving out the fact that he had falsely disguised himself as a military officer. "What about you? You seem pretty experienced, how did this happen?" He said, motioning to the cart around him.

 

[Verena]

“I’m sorry to hear that. As a medic, I've dedicated my life to preserving life and would never want to see anyone come to harm. Although, even I knew this is not always possible.”, Skrebi spoke quietly and there was sadness in her voice. She wanted to change the subject quickly.

“Well, I’ve spent all my life taking care of others.”, she explained simply, still focused on the injuries that had now finally stopped bleeding and made sure everyone was looking tidy. “I took the Hippocratic Oath when I was ten and have been all across the galaxy since then.” Averi developed physically and mentally quicker than humans, so graduating at such a young age wasn’t all that uncommon for them. This fact didn’t make her adoptive human parents less impressed or proud though. “70 years of experience so far and counting. Despite this, I still have so much to learn and so many new races to discover.”

Finally, the medic looked over her work, then, with a look of satisfaction began bandaging Ray’s forearms with an antimicrobial dressing. “Much better, don’t you think? Now, do try to avoid any strenuous exercises and do eat a balanced diet. The dressing will need to be changed once every two days or when it's dirty. With good care, the sutures can be taken off in about a week. Probably won’t even leave a scar.”, she instructed him and lowered her wings, folding them over her back.

 

[SpazTheButcher]

Ray Person​

Ray sat their, listening to her story. He had not been as successful as a kid, growing up on the hard streets of New Nebraska. He had no opportunity except one, but even then he felt bad for anyone whose life had not gone to plan. Especially this poor lass, who kind of reminded him of a girl he knew. She had big dreams to one day become a doctor, she had picked her colleges and everything. She was his unit's corpsman and was working in a local clinic. A week before they were supposed to be rotated out she died when the clinic was bombed. He felt, again, a damn moral obligation. Fuck me, and I going to recruit every person with a miserable life? Ray thought to himself. No, but as many as a can. "How would you like to see all those races?" Ray said. "See the stars, maybe make some friends? You see, when marines invade a foreign planet, we need to work with the locals. We meet with politicians, elders, and sometimes, we recruit local doctors. To be honest, I have not met any as good as you though. Or as kind."

 

[Verena]

Skrebi was visually perplexed by the sudden offer. “Well, I-I”, she stuttered slightly. Since her parents passed away, she had always been on her own, using passenger ships to travel but never really staying with them. This would be a welcome change of pace. Making long-term friends would definitely do her good. Skrebi was sure her medical knowledge would benefit them as well. Besides, she was left moneyless mere moments ago. Despite her desire to heal and help, medicine supplies were not cheap to buy.

“I humbly accept. Thank you, captain. I’m truly in your debt.”, she said happily as she started preparing all her used tools for thorough disinfection. “Oh, silly me! We never exchanged names! I’m Skrebi.” The medic exclaimed, holding out a gloved hand for a shake. “May I see the ship? I’m eager to meet the crew too.” Skrebi was practically trembling with excitement. Meeting the crew, however, served a very specific purpose too. Certain alien species required very specific medicine to treat different conditions. She may need to restock her cart with the proper supplies.

 

[0stinato]

“Ah, we’re not sure yet whether she’s hostile or not.” Brohdish smiled at Arisu, deciding not to take too much notice of her weaponry. She wasn’t about to turn them on him, after all. “Hang about, ah’m gonna call doon Moscur Del so he can judge things too. Oh, by the by, since we never had like, formal greetin’ before all this happened, ah’m Brohdish, but ye can call me Snout if ye like. Ah thought the security team handled the pirates pretty efficiently. Glad to have ye on our side, ah’d hate tae go up against ye. Gimme a moment to call Del.”

He stepped out of the room to call the Head Engineer down to have a look at the pod with him. This technology wasn’t something he recognised at all, and perhaps the Engineer’s credentials could provide more insight. With an affirmative from Del, Brohdish began thinking about the process needed to determine safety. First steps would be to work out the state of the physical body inside, which would probably require more in-depth study. However, if his on-the-road sampler picked up no contagious viruses, nothing too alien, then that would be a good step forward. After that he’d try determining the origin of the pod.

“Hello, reporting. You needed me?”

Looking down the little corridor, Brohdish saw the diminutive figure of Del. He always expected the young man to be taller, given his credentials, but there he was, bright-eyed and round-faced.

“Yeh ah, so Keiran’s gone off to tell the cap’n about this pod thing we found, and I thought it’d be best to have an engineer doon here to help oot. Arisu’s there too, askin’ if the girl inside is hostile.”

“Right.”

“Ah don’t recognise this tech at all.”

“I’ll… I’ll have a look.”

His shoulders were tight and, while Brohdish was leaning against the wall to greet him, Del was standing straight up.

Eventually, Brohdish decided just to ask. He was gregarious and friendly and being in the vicinity of someone who clearly wasn’t happy made him want to help.

“You okay? Don’t answer that, ah can tell yer not okay. Is there anythin’ ah can do?”

Del looked up. He couldn’t answer for a moment and seemed frozen where he stood. “Uh… well. It’s nothing to concern yourself about. I just find Arisu is incredibly intimidating. And I don’t deal well with fights, nor the aftermath. You’re aware there are blood trails around the ship, right? I’m just being as professional as possible, so ...”

“Ah, yeah I saw them. Ah guess they didn’t faze me that much. Been servin’ on this ship for a little while noo.”

“Yeah. I’ve… not really been serving on ships long at all. Not seen a fight like this before. Even though it was over so quickly. Can we just focus on this? Sorry, I’d rather not dwell on the fight.”

Brohdish hesitated, not expecting such a straight-forward request for a topic change. He decided not to mention that it was Del who mentioned the blood and the fight in the first place. Clearly, he didn’t need to hear that.

So, the two entered the room again, together but apart, conducting their scans, samples, and tests without much communication. Eventually, Keiran gave Brohdish a heads-up of the Captain’s request to go ahead and open the pod, so that was left in his hands.

Brohdish didn’t noticed Riezlav enter the room. Instead, he saw Del twitch and sidestep, clearly staring at something in the doorway. There he was, the monstrous creature that had, along with Arisu, made short work of the pirates. Brohdish stood up and gave Riezlav a big grin.

“Hey, nice to have ye join the party. As ye say, the Cap’n says we can wake ‘er up, but me and ‘im are currently just doin’ some tests first off. So far, it seems only the outside o’ the pod has any dangerous substances on it, but provided ye wash yer hands, and don’t go lickin’ it, you’ll be fine. Other than that, ah’m not sure what to expect of the girl inside, though it seems like she’s in a very deep sleep. Not much to report there. Really, it’s gonna be a case o’ findin’ out who she is, what she’s like, and what state she’s in after wakin’ her up, because any readings of mental state are useless when she’s so deep asleep. What’ve ye got, Del?”

Much more hesitantly than Brohdish, Del looked up at Riezlav and Arisu. His lips were dry upon doing so, because he was very aware that the two most efficient killing machines in the crew were in this tight space with him. In the logical part of his brain, he knew neither Riezlav nor Arisu were going to attack him – they were crewmates, they worked together – but his paranoia was telling him otherwise. Still, he had to be professional.

He cleared his throat, stood up straighter and delivered his report with a more professional voice. “From the scans I’ve conducted, including a probable 3D scan of this pod and its technological internals, it appears to be roughly 1000 years old, perhaps a relic from Earth before its destruction. Due to the relatively recent addition of the substances on the outside of the pod, sampling would be inaccurate. I haven’t personally seen anything similar to this, though it leaves me to draw a few hesitant conclusions. Firstly: if this pod is a thousand years old, it may be prudent to assume the person inside it was put in there a thousand years ago, perhaps even on Earth. Therefore, if they prove to be harmless, waking them up will have serious mental and emotional consequences to them. I advise we take utmost precaution. I also advise security keep their weapons hidden unless necessary, since it may prove a shock.”

“Right,” Brohdish said, scratching his chin. “Given it’s old tech, it probably follows a much simpler method of awakening the occupant, and I should be able to do that. Good thing ah’m a biologist from a kinda… scientifically inferior society? Naw, let’s not say it that way, but ye know what ah mean. Stand by, boys, and try ta be welcoming.”

Del moved away from the pod, closing the distance between himself and the two weapon-wielding individuals in the room, to give Brohdish enough space to begin the wake-up sequences.

-----
Interactions: Verena (Keiran, briefly) ChasmOfOrganicMatter Clan Ize
Mentions: Nero_Cardia SpazTheButcher
Location: Pirate Ship Cargo Hold

 

[SpazTheButcher]

He shook her hand, "Call me Ray," he said grinning. "I do apologize, but there is work to be done outside the ship. When you see whomever decided that staying was a good idea, please tell them that I sent you and that you are to be shown your quarters." He then gave her directions to the docking bay. "Also, here is the crew's roster." He sent her the roster via data pad, and then gave her a big smile and said, "Welcome aboard the Essex Doc, I hope to see you around more." He then walked off into the crowd, for he had important business to attend to. He had to see her. He checked his pad one last time to make sure that she would be there.

He arrived at the bar in 15 minutes. The last time he had been there was a 36 hour recreation leave during his fourth deployment in the Chendaki Wars. The place had not changed much since he had last been there, as the layout was what made the place unique. The bar was a large oval in the center of the room, with a stage situated directly behind it. The really notable feature was not the physical features, but the people. The left side of the bar was purely made up of members of STARCOM, most of whom were PDF and Naval personnel, with the only exception being five Colonial Marines in a booth. Currently on stage was a band playing some patriotic bullshit. There were scattered applause when they were done, but he knew the real reason they were there. He took a seat on the left side of the bar, much to the dismay of the military personnel.

Then she came onstage. He saw a flash of brown hair and knew it was her. He didn't pay much attention to her band mates, and when they finished setting up, he heard them play. He heard her voice vibrate in the now quiet bar, as almost she had cast a spell on all the patrons, and even the bartender was watching her. When she hit the first chorus, her eyes met his and she began to sing more powerfully, as though she had something to prove to him.

 

[Vagabond Spectre]

With the instructions given. She was left alone on site to make a decision, before the Captain’s leave however, one of the crew members about her height, notified an unusual organic cargo on the dead ship. This, of course caught her curiosity. Watching the Captain fade from view, the woman turns her back towards the ship to investigate the said cargo.

Before heading down to the Hangar, she seems to have returned to her quarters for almost 5 minutes. Perhaps to get something. The woman was seen again in the bridge to inspect the cockpit but did not interact with anything on it. Opening the feed from the Hangar, she observed the non-human crew mates investigating a pod. It looked like n old fashioned cryo chamber to her. Wanting to get a better view, she turned off the cam and proceeds to head down the site. Arriving just in time for her to hear the Taurus’s and the head engineer’s report on the pod.

Passing by the arthropod and android, she entered almost too quietly. Her eyes locked into the pod as she gains more visual knowledge of what the pod contains. It was a woman alright, a sleeping beauty as some would call it. What’s a pod like this doing a pirate ship? She did not linger on the thought as she proceeds to break her silence .

“Do not mind me, carry on.”

Specifically towards the Engineer and the scientist. Her arms folded while in focus of the pod for the last few seconds before turning around gracefully back into the doorway, as if she has seen enough. It may seem like she couldn’t care less about a pod on the ship and went to do something who knows what else.

“Page me, if i’m needed. I’ll return again.”

Telling the crew before stepping out of the doorway for good. Taking turn around the corner. Sarah was searching for another crew member that she just noticed hasn’t seen yet about now. The cook that Ray purchased who is very noticeable in size. Searching first on the dining areas of the ship.

milo-ren (Currently looking for Honey)

 

[Nero_Cardia]

A slow, rhythmic beat. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. A thick, ice-cold liquid began moving again, steadily warming up as it went. An all-encompassing numbness, replaced by a short-lived, yet sharp pain, followed by a desire to shout, which could not be fulfilled. She simply could not. She. She was. She was alive.

The cryopod’s lid opened slightly, releasing a soft mist. It then raised up and backward, over the head of the girl inside.

She opened her eyes to a blinding whiteness, stretching into infinity. Her ears were filled with muffled voices as if whispering from the other end of the universe. Then she felt air filling her lungs. She tried to move.

Shortly after the pod’s lid had stopped moving an almost silent robotic movement could be heard from within. Her robotic prosthetic grasped the side of the pod and pulled her up. The crew saw a young, shivering human girl, whose muscles were barely able to hold her up.

In the endless white - black, almost formless silhouettes, slowly taking shape. The voices were becoming clearer as if moving closer and closer, yet remained unintelligible. She mustered all her will to force herself to remember. Karah. Her name was Karah. And she was put to sleep for a long journey.

The woman appeared dazed and confused, breathing heavily. Her body was slowly recovering its strength, allowing her arms to support her as she sat inside the pod. She squinted at the closest living thing next to her as if trying to focus her vision, and let out a soft whisper, which was probably an attempt to speak normally:

-Have we reached... our destination?

She had a clean, literary British accent. In spite of everything, she seemed to put considerable effort into making her pronunciation as clear as possible. However, she still could not see or hear properly yet.

 

[0stinato]

Her movements were fluid despite being frozen for so long. Del had seen nothing like it for some time; it had been a good few decades since he’d been through Cryo-stasis technology, though the memories were coming back, brought to the surface by the girl’s movements, rather than the tech itself. This was during the preliminary stages of Project Olive Branch, where AI Del and human Moscur were still unbonded. In fact, given the time schedule, human Moscur wasn’t even born.

Instead, AI Del was on intensive Astrophysics and Engineering courses, due to Project Olive Branch wanting its first few selected AIs to bond well with their human partners. It was all about learning and memory, about stuffing as much knowledge into the AI as possible before bonding. Cryo-stasis technology had been part of it. Though, in this situation, only the most base history lesson of Cryo-stasis would be useful. The woman’s pod was old, after all.

She had a prosthesis, which immediately got Del’s attention back to reality. Of course, he’d noticed it while scanning, but seeing this woman move and push herself up with that prosthetic arm made him realise that she was there, that she was awake, and who knew how long she’d been asleep for.

She seemed to be speaking to him.

He heard her question. He digested her question. But he didn’t answer her question.

Instead, he knelt next to the pod, his head tilted to one side, and spoke gently, though not letting the tone of normality from his voice either.

“You’re safe, though try not to move too much. As for this destination you mentioned… well, that entirely depends. What destination do you mean? Do you remember when you were put into cryo-sleep?”

Her accent was notable too. His friend – the one who had called him an idiot for being late – also had that accent, though his was notably scuffed by the years of cross-nationality on Kepler-62. While Del himself had an accent befitting Earth’s America, his friend certainly had one more similar to Earth’s England. However, her accent was different. It had defined lines, clear edges and seemed entirely isolated.

His working theory was that she was, in fact, from Earth. The time difference between when Earth was in a state to send out cryo-sleep pods, and now, was huge.

To Del’s side, the Taurus glanced at the others. Arisu, Riezlav, Keiran, and also looked at where Sarah had been standing a moment ago. He wasn’t sure what to do. He’d woken her up, and he knew he or Riezlav could carry her, if not the pod, without issue if that was necessary, but it seemed she had spoken to Del.

He decided to merely wait. A part of him said he should be running tests, taking swabs from her and seeing if she harboured anything, but he was confident enough in his initial scans. Del’s scan hadn’t picked up on anything notable either, and he was comfortable enough to sit close to her and speak with her.

He didn’t want to look intimidating though. He raised his heavy brow to reveal his “big dumb eyes” (as Bollar called them) and tried his best to look soft, rather than tough.

-----
Interactions: Nero_Cardia
Mentions: Verena (Keiran) ChasmOfOrganicMatter Clan Ize Vagabond Spectre
Location: Cargo Hold