Project Black IC

[shadowz1995]

Ross had finished placing out the last fire when she heard a scream and some curse words. At first she thought maybe the doctors had gotten Shin out of the pod, only for her to not recognize the voice all that much. Ross placed down the red can and wandered off towards the yelling and screaming. That's when she came across the fallen angel. He was still strapped into his chair, but his arm and wing looked damaged.
She took a few steps closer to notice the blood running down his face. She figured he had to have hit his head somewhere. She knelled down and raised a hand, "I'm here." She told him softly as she started to undo the belts strapping him down. She noticed the look in his eyes and could tell something triggered something.


She took her time pulling the straps off and looked over his shoulder and the wound on the back of his head. She couldn't get a very good look yet, but the sooner she could get him to the med bay the better.


Ross stepped back understanding and knowing flash backs very much. "Look at me." She told him. If she could get him to focus on her and not the bad stuff.... Then bad stuff might not happen. She had to keep him from going to that dark place. A dark place she took knew first hand.


She couldn't say that it never effected her, but now a days, her past was more just faded memories. But for others.... Their past could still be that black haze and could cause more damage if they ever fell into that darkness.


She tried to remember the angels name and hoped that she got it right. "Aeva." She stated in a calm voice. She stood up and held out both hands to help him up. She would not force her help upon him... But only offer. Those memories and thoughts could be triggered by anything... So she would not push any buttons.

The pain served as focus for his goal. He searched his memory and mentally plotted out the route in his head. The world around started to fade and all that mattered was surviving. Not that his life was in any danger but rational thought was already fleeing rapidly from his mind. At some point, he felt the pressure on his chest leave. The restraints being released. The angel surged forward and collapsed to his hands (well one hand) and knees and his eyes searched ahead, unseeing but very much alive. It wasn't until he heard a voice. Someone called his name. Something...who was that? His own name echoed in his head a few times, reverberating within his own mental cage and for a moment, the world cleared up for him. He could see the ship again, though it was blurred from the concussion and black that threatened to over take his moment of clarity again. He looked up and laid eyes upon....who was she again? Someone important. Important....important people can help...though nobody important has ever given him a second glance other than as a damned lab rat. Breaking to pieces, putting him back together again in different ways, laughing at how he cried and bled and suffered and despaired! He wouldn't beg again. Not to them! Not to those whoresons. Not to those damned humans! "Aeva" The word reverberated once more. One final time. They never called him by his name...It was always Subject: Fallen. Fallen. Fallen. Fallen. A clever little joke on fallen angel. It was always so much fun to watch Subject: Fallen writhe. So interesting how he despaired at having his wings stripped away from him time and time again.


"Captain...." Aeva breathed out eventually. She was some kind of captain. A ship. He remembered a ship. The medbay was on the ship. She knew the ship. She knew. She was in charge. She could help. Could she? Would she? "Med bay. Need to...n-need to fix my shoulder. I-I- I can't be grounded again. Not again. No. No. No..... I c-can't. It hurts. It's not funny. It's not! Why do you laugh? Why is it funny Captain?" It was in that moment that Aeva locks eyes with the captain of the Gallion with an expression that looks almost like a dead man's stare, "Why do you humans always find it so funny to hurt us. Why? Why? Why? Why do they keep doing it? Heheh....Is it funny to see the birdy go poof over and over? Ha...ha...hahaaha. Yeah I guess it is huh??" The ex-soldier's voice starts to shake as he speaks his mad ramblings but in one final moment of clarity, just before he descends into the dark place that is his own mind, he practically begs, "Don't.....let them.....take my wings away again.....please captain. Please....." Aeva lapses into silence after that. His eyes no longer in the present but reliving his trauma in his own mind. Years of this have made him able to keep his body from lashing out in fury and madness but he would no longer be able to move without some kind of guidance.

 

[hootie0813]

Isaac's eyes darted open at the sound of Aeva screaming and Ross' message over the coms. He rolled himself over onto his hands and his knees, metal hand scratching the floor as he clawed his hands against his aching sides and spinning head. He watched the blood dripping from his nose until the engine room stopped whirling around him, then stood up on shaky legs. Aeva had quieted down a few notches by then and he thought he heard a calming voice with him so he turned to the first-mate who hadn't gotten up yet. He stumbled over to Dax and dropped down on his knees next to him to check on his head. He was no doctor but he had been doing this kind of work for a long time and accidents happen. And he's a dad, so first aid wasn't unfamiliar to him.


As far as he could tell- his vision still spun occasionally- the knocks and cuts didn't look too bad, plus he had heard him answer Ross' earlier call for a sound off. He even did a decent job of not bleeding on Dax too badly. Isaac tucked an arm under the first-mate's shoulder and lifted him up with only a little strain.


"Alrighdy, Big-guy," He grunted, "Cap'nth orderth, ledth ged you doo the med-bay. Check on Feadderth while we're ad id."


He trudged along with Dakarai, leaning almost as much against the larger man as he was holding him up originally. Bit by bit, his vision and sense of balance was reorienting though.


He got to where he had left Aeva to strap in and found him on the ground, shaking, with Ross standing by to help him up. At the site of the Captain, Isaac forgot about the steady drip from his nose and his roughed up sides. He could tell she was rather upset, though she was doing a damn good job keeping a strong exterior, probably more for the crew than for herself. With the ship crashed and her people hurting here she was, helping what essentially was a passenger with a break down, when he knew she had to have a million things on her mind.


So far his first impression of her had been right. An absolutely admirable woman.


He spoke up quietly, to not barge in on her helping the angel. "Fire thuppression thyftems did deir job for the motht part, eben through de rough landing." He tried as hard has he could to speak clearly.


By this point, he was almost totally covered in black ash and dust, almsot caked on by sweat with a small stream of red down his front. The white, sleeveless undershirt he was wearing is stained with all of those, along with being torn in a couple places and speckled with tiny holes burned through by sparks from welding and the plasma cutter. Each with a equally small burn underneath, though not visible because of all the dirt. Overall he was not the most presentable type at the moment.

 

[Lokipi]

Dax didn’t offer much resistance as Isaac pulled him to his feet. His head hurt and the world was spinning around him. But pride became an issue as Isaac pulled them towards the unfolding scene between Ross and Avea. As the false Angel’s cries softened into ramblings, Dakarai tried to right himself. Blinking hard to try and stall the spinning as he watched Avea on his hands and feet. Like Ross, he was no stranger to post traumatic stress disorder. Their travels had taken them to places, which even Dax found difficult to forget.


Patting Isaac’s shoulder in a silent thanks, Elsangan stepped forward, or rather, stumbled forward on unsure feet.


“Come on, feathers.” Dax said gently, echoing Isaac’s nickname from before. “Let’s get you to Val.” With that, he gently placed a hand onto Avea’s good shoulder and tugged gently. The man had gone silent, but Dax did not trust his judgement or restraint and if he lashed out, Dax would rather it was him that got hit than Ross or Isaac.


********


Charlie watched as Ross took her leave, before turning back to DJ.


“Looks like we have our orders.” She sighed, as she pulled herself from her seat, her attention still trained to the red blinking lights in her glass’ display. One by one they were disappearing, meaning the ship’s fire suppression systems, as well as Ross, were kicking in. “Come on, let’s go see how the others faired. If we’re are lucky, Shin will still be under and we might just be able to clean up a little before he tries to kill us all.” She smiled faintly at this before leaving towards the med bay, only pausing to agree about DJ's statement on needing a shower with a wink.


*******


Jack peered up from his tablet, as if only now taking notice of Rem.


“Isn’t Val already doing that?” The man was about to ask, before his eyes flickered over to the incapacitated Doctor. Never mind then. Resisting the over-whelming urge to roll his eyes, Jack stood and nodded to the man before he scuttled off, trying to tidy up some of the mess around the med bay. As it was messy. Everything was everywhere, and honestly, the crew was no better.


“Certainly, sorry” Jack corrected himself, as he looked over to the dark haired rider with an apologetic smile. He had been so caught up in monitoring Shin, he had presumed Val would have taken care of the other patients, or at least he thought she would have tried to avoid becoming one at the very least.


Straightening and unrolling his sleeves, Jack turned to the Cardinal who had taken a spot beside him, watching Shin cough and shiver.


“You said you had some experience, Cardinal? Would you be kind enough to assist me? I seem to have found myself working alone.” Hack managed a pained grimace as he motioned to the unconscious Val Black.


“I need some stations cleared. After that, would you be able to clean up any open cuts you see? I will take a closer look when I am free.” Jack said, as he nodded his thanks and offered the Cardinal a bottle of alcohol to clean simple wounds. “I believe this will work nicely.”


After that, Jack moved towards Raven, keeping hold of his tablet. Unlike Val, Jack was human which meant he lacked the handy ability to ‘touch and see’. Instead he had to do things the human way, which was less flashy and more about prodding and poking.


“It’s Raven right?” jack began, as he stopped next to the girl and inspected her. “Do you mind if I have a look?” Of course this wasn’t really a question, but he was going through the motions of bed side manners. Instructing Raven to sit, he then began his testing. Poking different areas of the woman’s arm to get a feel for where it hurt and didn’t hurt. When that was done, Jack then produced a device which emitted a soft blue glow as he activated it, running it along Raven’s limb.


When finished, he inspected the data which flashed up on his tablet and nodded.


“Its broken alright, but seems like a clean break via the humeral shaft.” Jack announced, before looking at Raven with a raised eye brow. He was new here and had very little knowledge as to what Val had on tap. Usually, back in the day, Jack would have suggest an injection of CMC’s to help mesh the bone together. But would the Gallion have such a thing? Or even be able to afford it?

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

DJ looked at the captain and then back at Charlie. It seemed like the med bay was going to get very cozy once again. They walked through the hallways and the mess hall before arriving to the already hectic scene. Apparently the bridge was the place to be in terms of suffering minimal injuries. Everyone was hurt in some way, some worse than others.


Hurt was better than dead, he thought to himself. But as he looked at the grumbling passengers and crew members, he was not going to be a fan favourite. After all, none of them had been in the cockpit and saw that his actions were to save everyone, instead they were in confined areas getting thrown every which way. Which meant that they probably weren't going to line up and hug him like Charlie had.


On top of that, he noticed that Shin was now awake and still confined to the pod that he was in earlier. A smile broke across his face, everyone was going to be so relived that he was ok. In a few hours he would be walking around fixing the engines... the machinery... and anything else that DJ broke in the ship upon crashing it. That thought should have made his stomach twist as he was most likely going to get left on Edison and he would have to find a new home, but he was still faced with happiness as he knew that Shin was loved, even though no one wanted to admit it, by the entire crew.


Less than one day. Probably a new record for DJ for shortest time on a ship as he contemplated running to his room, packing his small bag, and heading to the nearest city. Of course there was that one time on Eldrah where the crew forgot him entirely, but he wasn't sure if that counted because he never actually step foot inside the ship...


However, DJ was not one for running away from his problems, except for his biggest problem which he sprinted away from, so he decided to stay and face the heat. He would then leave when they undoubtedly kicked him off the ship, or killed him. But for the meantime he stayed in the corner and silently observed figuring it was best to stay quiet at this point.

 

[St. Boethius]

Dax didn’t offer much resistance as Isaac pulled him to his feet. His head hurt and the world was spinning around him. But pride became an issue as Isaac pulled them towards the unfolding scene between Ross and Avea. As the false Angel’s cries softened into ramblings, Dakarai tried to right himself. Blinking hard to try and stall the spinning as he watched Avea on his hands and feet. Like Ross, he was no stranger to post traumatic stress disorder. Their travels had taken them to places, which even Dax found difficult to forget.
Patting Isaac’s shoulder in a silent thanks, Elsangan stepped forward, or rather, stumbled forward on unsure feet.


“Come on, feathers.” Dax said gently, echoing Isaac’s nickname from before. “Let’s get you to Val.” With that, he gently placed a hand onto Avea’s good shoulder and tugged gently. The man had gone silent, but Dax did not trust his judgement or restraint and if he lashed out, Dax would rather it was him that got hit than Ross or Isaac.


********


Charlie watched as Ross took her leave, before turning back to DJ.


“Looks like we have our orders.” She sighed, as she pulled herself from her seat, her attention still trained to the red blinking lights in her glass’ display. One by one they were disappearing, meaning the ship’s fire suppression systems, as well as Ross, were kicking in. “Come on, let’s go see how the others faired. If we’re are lucky, Shin will still be under and we might just be able to clean up a little before he tries to kill us all.” She smiled faintly at this before leaving towards the med bay, only pausing to agree about DJ's statement on needing a shower with a wink.


*******


Jack peered up from his tablet, as if only now taking notice of Rem.


“Isn’t Val already doing that?” The man was about to ask, before his eyes flickered over to the incapacitated Doctor. Never mind then. Resisting the over-whelming urge to roll his eyes, Jack stood and nodded to the man before he scuttled off, trying to tidy up some of the mess around the med bay. As it was messy. Everything was everywhere, and honestly, the crew was no better.


“Certainly, sorry” Jack corrected himself, as he looked over to the dark haired rider with an apologetic smile. He had been so caught up in monitoring Shin, he had presumed Val would have taken care of the other patients, or at least he thought she would have tried to avoid becoming one at the very least.


Straightening and unrolling his sleeves, Jack turned to the Cardinal who had taken a spot beside him, watching Shin cough and shiver.


“You said you had some experience, Cardinal? Would you be kind enough to assist me? I seem to have found myself working alone.” Hack managed a pained grimace as he motioned to the unconscious Val Black.


“I need some stations cleared. After that, would you be able to clean up any open cuts you see? I will take a closer look when I am free.” Jack said, as he nodded his thanks and offered the Cardinal a bottle of alcohol to clean simple wounds. “I believe this will work nicely.”


After that, Jack moved towards Raven, keeping hold of his tablet. Unlike Val, Jack was human which meant he lacked the handy ability to ‘touch and see’. Instead he had to do things the human way, which was less flashy and more about prodding and poking.


“It’s Raven right?” jack began, as he stopped next to the girl and inspected her. “Do you mind if I have a look?” Of course this wasn’t really a question, but he was going through the motions of bed side manners. Instructing Raven to sit, he then began his testing. Poking different areas of the woman’s arm to get a feel for where it hurt and didn’t hurt. When that was done, Jack then produced a device which emitted a soft blue glow as he activated it, running it along Raven’s limb.


When finished, he inspected the data which flashed up on his tablet and nodded.


“Its broken alright, but seems like a clean break via the humeral shaft.” Jack announced, before looking at Raven with a raised eye brow. He was new here and had very little knowledge as to what Val had on tap. Usually, back in the day, Jack would have suggest an injection of CMC’s to help mesh the bone together. But would the Gallion have such a thing? Or even be able to afford it?

Adrian nodded, " I used to be a field medic in the army a life time ago. I can't do much with being out of practice for so long but I can certainly do that." Adrian said taking the bottle of alcohol and carrying it with him and he cleared stations to make way for what was probably going to be an influx of patients in the med bay. After clearing as many stations as there were to clear off the cardinal began using that bottle and tended to Sarah first. Thankfully she didn't seem to be hurt because she was strapped in. Once Adrian was sure Sarah was okay he looked to the unconscious Val and picked her up only to set her down on one of the freshly cleared stations. Doing a quick look over Adrian could see her injuries and began cleaning them.

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Ross kept her eyes on Aeva and noticed the small notion to when the man responded to his own name. She smiled a little. "Aeva...." Ross paused when Issac and Dax showed up. She wasn't exactly too thrilled that more people showed up. Even if it was Dax... This was a touchy subject for Aeva. She wasn't even sure if more people would trigger Aeva's issue further. Ross placed her hand up to Dax and gave him a stern look when he went to move the angel. She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed to Issac and then the med bay.


She knew Dax would rather place himself in danger before the captain... But Ross was a big girl.... A big amazon girl... well woman...


And she was not in the mood to let others pick up her slack. Even if it seemed like nothing.. To her this was just as it was important to Aeva. "Aeva?" she asked swatting Dax away and moving closer to the angel. "Why don't you tell me about how messed up the Gallion is?" She recalled that small smirk from back in the hanger when he downloaded the ships information from Shin's tablet. He was hiding a lot of excitement at the time.


She would use the Gallion as a distraction. "I'm sure you have some complaints." She slipped under Aeva's good shoulder and placed a hand around his waist. She gripped tight and stood up bringing Aeva to his feet. "I mean seriously.... What the hell was Shin thinking when putting this crap bucket together?" She joked a little. She picked up on small but very important detail with Aeva. The place he was not trying to go to was indeed dark... So she tried to lighten the mood while she got Aeva to the med bay. From there if Aeve had an episode, they could knock him out before he could do damage to himself further, or to others around him.


***


Raven looked to Jack and winced when he started to touch her arm. She knew it was broken as she couldn't really move her fingers or hand. She watched as he worked, only to let her eyes drift over to Val and Adrian. Then she looked over to the Pod Shin was in, she couldn't see Shin, but she did know that he was awake now. She bit the inside of her bottom lip a bit to redirect the throbbing pain in her arm.


She frowned looking around the room as the Remington brothers picked up what they could. If this is what the med bay looked like... She glanced back to the pod and smirked a little. She could imagine the look and anger that would come from the navigator.


Oh the irony.

 

[shadowz1995]

Ross kept her eyes on Aeva and noticed the small notion to when the man responded to his own name. She smiled a little. "Aeva...." Ross paused when Issac and Dax showed up. She wasn't exactly too thrilled that more people showed up. Even if it was Dax... This was a touchy subject for Aeva. She wasn't even sure if more people would trigger Aeva's issue further. Ross placed her hand up to Dax and gave him a stern look when he went to move the angel. She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed to Issac and then the med bay.
She knew Dax would rather place himself in danger before the captain... But Ross was a big girl.... A big amazon girl... well woman...


And she was not in the mood to let others pick up her slack. Even if it seemed like nothing.. To her this was just as it was important to Aeva. "Aeva?" she asked swatting Dax away and moving closer to the angel. "Why don't you tell me about how messed up the Gallion is?" She recalled that small smirk from back in the hanger when he downloaded the ships information from Shin's tablet. He was hiding a lot of excitement at the time.


She would use the Gallion as a distraction. "I'm sure you have some complaints." She slipped under Aeva's good shoulder and placed a hand around his waist. She gripped tight and stood up bringing Aeva to his feet. "I mean seriously.... What the hell was Shin thinking when putting this crap bucket together?" She joked a little. She picked up on small but very important detail with Aeva. The place he was not trying to go to was indeed dark... So she tried to lighten the mood while she got Aeva to the med bay. From there if Aeve had an episode, they could knock him out before he could do damage to himself further, or to others around him.


***


Raven looked to Jack and winced when he started to touch her arm. She knew it was broken as she couldn't really move her fingers or hand. She watched as he worked, only to let her eyes drift over to Val and Adrian. Then she looked over to the Pod Shin was in, she couldn't see Shin, but she did know that he was awake now. She bit the inside of her bottom lip a bit to redirect the throbbing pain in her arm.


She frowned looking around the room as the Remington brothers picked up what they could. If this is what the med bay looked like... She glanced back to the pod and smirked a little. She could imagine the look and anger that would come from the navigator.


Oh the irony.

"Ship? Oh yes.....the ship. At first I thought it was a pile of junk haha..." Aeva chuckled, grabbing onto the words that were foreign in his memories. They were like life vests and they would pull him out as long as he clung to that voice. "When I first hacked in to the system...everything seemed so chaotic. But the deeper I got the more I understood. I realized it wasn't a mess but pure genius. I even got into a head to head hacking battle with the prickly one. We matched each other blow for blow but I had the upper hand. He turned off the power to kick me out of the system." Aeva wasn't really thinking when he spoke. He was just reliving the memories that came with the words the captain spoke. Reciting them like lines in a play. Needless to say, after some time it brought him out of his stupor and back into the world of the living. "I met the doctor when my wing was hurting. She brought me to a place where I could fly and use my wings freely. Something about her peaks my interest. I want to know more despite myself. The captain of the ship seemed lost half the time. Like she wasn't sure of what she was doing. Whether it was the right thing or not. She looks like the type that worries too much. The navigator....the programmer....I could easily see he doesn't know how to treat others and that he needs a good beating. Not a bad guy I'm sure but definitely needs to open his eyes. The riders....two good looking ladies. I helped them clean the rails. Haven't worked in a team in forever...." The angel kept rambling on about his experiences on the ship. About every person he met and everything that he did since arriving on the Gallion until he was fully brought back to the present and blinked his eyes a few times, looking around with confusion in his crimson eyes. "Captain Ross? What are you - AGH! DAMN!" He said as he tried to move and see what was going on. Immediately the string of recent events returned to him and he remembered what had just happened. "Right my damn shoulder. Hey Captain. Mind helping me get to the med Bay? I can barely get there myself with my wing dragging along." He stated with a pained smirk. The Crimson winged angel was back together for now.

 

[Lokipi]

On her arrival at med bay, Charlie found herself thorn into three separate parts. The first of these, was the part of her that jumped at the excitement and then horror of seeing Raven awake. Her teammate was being tended to by Jack, her arm held in an odd angle. The second was the fact that as they had entered, DJ had separated himself from the group to stand in the corner looking sheepish as his eyes wandered over the various cuts and bruises as well as mess.


To Charlie, she took this in her stride as injured and in pain, was better than dead and numb, but she could also understand the overwhelming sense of doubt the man must have been feeling. It was an internal struggle which she was well acquainted with. But it was just something that come with reasonability and a pretty impressive amount of epic skill. Plus the man was too tall to be huddled in a corner. However, she’d ensure that he didn’t receive any bad rep, or at least she would try.


The third was that Shin was now awake. Albeit in, still encased in his tube. The lead rider had wanted to go over and see him, but something, for once, held her back. Perhaps it was nerves or maybe guilt which held her back. On some level, Charlie didn’t want to let Shin out… his evitable anger over the ship and where they had landed was the last thing the crew needed…or, heck, it wasn’t something Shin needed either. And she wanted to see him safe and resting. Not riled up and going supernova on them…which would undoubtedly happened when they released him.


Taking a tentative step towards the cryo-tube, Charlie only stopped to shake her head, as she pulled her foot back. She wasn’t ready to see Shin in that condition and the longer he stayed in there, the longer he could rest and remain ignorant to the damage round him. So instead, she turned towards Raven and approached tentatively.


“Hey.” She grinned, swallowing back whatever it was she had just gone through. “I thought I told you to look after her. Jack.” Charlie sighed as she stopped next to her friend. She could see the nervous look on Raven’s, her eyes fixed to the tube, but Charlie couldn’t bring herself to look in the same direction. “He’ll be alright, Raven.” Was all she could managed, as she watched Jack press slightly on Raven’s arm, sending a spasm of pain up her arm.


****


Meanwhile, down in the engine room recoiled as Ross slapped him away. On contact, Dax felt a flicker of hurt, then anger spark inside him, as he stepped back. Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply as frustrated he ran a hand through his dreads, his fingers coming away red and sticky. Turning, he fixed Isaac with a cold gaze, before stumbling past him. The world still spinning.


Enough was enough. Dax found himself thinking. He had been injured to help the crew, only to swatted away like a child. Fine. Although none of this would have happened in the first place, if Ross had listened to him the day she had dragged to see a ship… Now she spent her days, knee deep in worry and living hand to mouth. But she had made it clear that she was capable of making decision on her own. Even if they weren’t grounded or well thought out.


“Leave them.” Dax growled back to Issac. “Report to med bay, as the captain ordered.” Then with that the giant disappeared from sight, using the wall as support, for the remainder of his journey.


****


On arrival, he ignored passengers and crew alike as he made his way to the one of the cleaner areas and sat down. He would wait until Ross came to check on everyone, but after, he would seek out solitude. He needed time away, where the children could not annoy him.


****


Jack nodded to Charlie as she appeared, but said little, focusing on realigning Raven’s arm. When he was done, he then nodded to the lead rider, before grabbing some pain killers and handing them to Raven.


“Take these,” He said simply, before turning and making his way back to Shin to check in and double check it wasn’t time to drain the remaining liquid. From here, he then made his way to Val, to gently prop her head up with his waistcoat. She was out cold.


“Perfect timing Dr Black.” Jack sighed, as he grabbed a cold compress and placing it gently over her forehead. He could do force her to wake up with smelling salts, if he could find any. But it was wiser to leave her. She could wake up when her body naturally rebooted, plus, although he needed a hand. Val had seemed so panicked before, that Jack felt she needed the rest. Not that I am becoming soft or anything.


After this, Jack then turned to the rest of the crew, seeking out the cardinal.


“Cardinal, anyone need further assistance?” He asked, as he looked around.

 

[St. Boethius]

Adrian had been ever so carefully cleaning any wound he saw on Val that didn't require the removal of clothing, though even if he were willing to do so it didn't seem necessary. Adrian had finished cleaning and tending to Val's wounds when Dax entered the med bay. He could see that the giant of a man was both injured and in a foul mood, but he obviously wasn't in need of immediate need.


"Dax had a few wounds that could stand to be cleaned at the very least. Other than him none at the moment. Do you require my assistance with Raven?" The cardinal asked going ahead and moving to clean Dax's wounds unless Jack needed him.

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Raven gave Charlie a sly smirk as the led rider and Dj came into the room. She looked to her arm and then back to the lead rider. "I think it looks worst than it is." she stated. She looked around the room to collect everything in. "So what happen?" she asked. She had been out for mostly... everything except the end. So things to her were very much confusing.


***


Ross nodded to Aeva as he spoke about the ship and her crew. Her thoughts paused when he mentioned hacking into the ship and having a showdown with someone. Shin would be her only guess, but he didn't mention this to Ross. She narrowed her eyes a bit as she walked Aeva to the med bay. She smiled when he came to. "Don't worry we will have you fixed up in no time." she stated.


She glanced back to Dax as he left. She noticed the angered and hurt look in his eyes. She always did over step her boundaries at times... And this one was probably one of them. But in her mind she had a crew to look after... Those passengers they had picked up helped out a lot. This was a fact not to be over looked.


Upon reaching the med bay she helped Aeva in, this was no easy task. But once she had him in and sat him down, she stepped back and looked around the room.


Everyone was there........ And all of them were injured and or banged up. She hid her frown easily as she had down many of times before. She looked over to the pod and peeked inside.


She tilted her head as she noticed Shin was awake but not out of the pod yet.... She could agree with Charlie mentally on this one... It might be a good thing her navigator was still locked up tight. But she didn't like to see him freezing and coughing.


Ross let the world around her go quiet and empty in her mind for a minute as she recapped everything.


They were attacked..... And with Shin out she failed as a Captain. And if everyone wasn't their...


She let the world come back to her. She knew what she was going to do... But even now she could not state her words or mind just yet. Just then her com beeped in.


"Captain Ross, this is delta 275 medical assistance crew 14."


Ross pressed the button on her ear piece. "This is Captain Ross." She replied.


"We are asking for permission to come aboard."


Ross looked back at the room and muted her com. She had to let them in.... She unmuted her com and nodded. "I will open up bay seven." She told the man before disconnecting the channel.


"Assistance will be heading your way." She told Jack.


Ross searched the room for Dax but did not see him. She figured her actions were the reason. So she turned to leave the med bay on her own to let in the Edison med team.

 

[hootie0813]

Isaac returned Dax's stare with a shrug, there wasn't anything to say. He let the large man go down the hall and around a corner before heading that way himself. On the way, he took off his shirt and balled it up against his nose. He knew Sarah would be in the med bay and he didn't want to have all that blood on him when he got there.


As he went, he felt his sides. A couple spots hurt rather badly but he didn't find anything broken. Probably just bruised a few ribs, he figured. He'd let the docs take a closer look.


He arrived there shortly before Ross did, turning just in time to catch Sarah who jumped up into his arms.


The two of them took turns looking over each other for hurts, Isaac being extremely relieved to find none on her, aside from the beginnings of bruises where she was strapped in.

 

[Lokipi]

Jack nodded to the captain his thanks, before turning back to Adrain.


"Thank you, Cardinal, for your help," He began, clasping his hands together as smile worked his lips. "I can now understand why Val was so eager to employ a nurse." He chuckled, before motioning for the Cardinal to follow him towards Avea and Issac. The false angel was struggling with a great amount of pain, while the other, now chuckling his child was bruised and still bleeding from his nose.


"If I could do with keeping you close by," He began as he pointed to Issac. "Would you tend to his wounds while I inspect Avea? Although you really must tell me about your days in the military. Is it common for a solider to turn to religion like yourself?"


Ross has said he would get help, but that did not mean that Jack could slack off now.


Charlie shrugged as Raven asked her what happened.


"You were already tranqed when I came into the mess hall." Charlie began, "Must have caught you by surprise. But at least two of the passengers have turned out to be hunters. There was that girl...think she was called Melody? You know, one of the quiet chicks who were into racings, and then there was him..." At this Charlie pointed toward Nick, who was now sprawled across the floor. No one had bothered to move him since after the rather haphazard landing. "But yeah... We took them out. Of course. But not before they had apperently got to Shin." Charlie didn't know about other two in the storage room.


"And without Shin, this ship just fell into chaos." Charlie sighed. "Ross has to get the passengers involved. Sent Avea, Isaac and Dax to the engine room, while I took DJ to the cockpit...and well, the rest is kinda self-explanatory." Charlie motioned to the mess. "We're on the ground though, thanks to DJ and the others...and Raven you'll never guess where we are." Charlie paused, then looked towards the cryo tube suspiciously before calling over to Jack.


"Can Shin hear us?"


"No." Came the reply.


Charlie nodded, then looked back at Raven.


"We’re on Edison, Raven. Planet Edison! And Oh man! You missed such a thrill. I got to watch us almost crash land onto it! Should seen DJ go!” Charlie beamed this, before waving over to the pilot to come join. Not liking that he had been remained cornered off. “Although we may have lost escape pod 9… but no one was using that anyway…and might have blown engine four…”

 

[shadowz1995]

Isaac returned Dax's stare with a shrug, there wasn't anything to say. He let the large man go down the hall and around a corner before heading that way himself. On the way, he took off his shirt and balled it up against his nose. He knew Sarah would be in the med bay and he didn't want to have all that blood on him when he got there.
As he went, he felt his sides. A couple spots hurt rather badly but he didn't find anything broken. Probably just bruised a few ribs, he figured. He'd let the docs take a closer look.


He arrived there shortly before Ross did, turning just in time to catch Sarah who jumped up into his arms.


The two of them took turns looking over each other for hurts, Isaac being extremely relieved to find none on her, aside from the beginnings of bruises where she was strapped in.

Raven gave Charlie a sly smirk as the led rider and Dj came into the room. She looked to her arm and then back to the lead rider. "I think it looks worst than it is." she stated. She looked around the room to collect everything in. "So what happen?" she asked. She had been out for mostly... everything except the end. So things to her were very much confusing.
***


Ross nodded to Aeva as he spoke about the ship and her crew. Her thoughts paused when he mentioned hacking into the ship and having a showdown with someone. Shin would be her only guess, but he didn't mention this to Ross. She narrowed her eyes a bit as she walked Aeva to the med bay. She smiled when he came to. "Don't worry we will have you fixed up in no time." she stated.


She glanced back to Dax as he left. She noticed the angered and hurt look in his eyes. She always did over step her boundaries at times... And this one was probably one of them. But in her mind she had a crew to look after... Those passengers they had picked up helped out a lot. This was a fact not to be over looked.


Upon reaching the med bay she helped Aeva in, this was no easy task. But once she had him in and sat him down, she stepped back and looked around the room.


Everyone was there........ And all of them were injured and or banged up. She hid her frown easily as she had down many of times before. She looked over to the pod and peeked inside.


She tilted her head as she noticed Shin was awake but not out of the pod yet.... She could agree with Charlie mentally on this one... It might be a good thing her navigator was still locked up tight. But she didn't like to see him freezing and coughing.


Ross let the world around her go quiet and empty in her mind for a minute as she recapped everything.


They were attacked..... And with Shin out she failed as a Captain. And if everyone wasn't their...


She let the world come back to her. She knew what she was going to do... But even now she could not state her words or mind just yet. Just then her com beeped in.


"Captain Ross, this is delta 275 medical assistance crew 14."


Ross pressed the button on her ear piece. "This is Captain Ross." She replied.


"We are asking for permission to come aboard."


Ross looked back at the room and muted her com. She had to let them in.... She unmuted her com and nodded. "I will open up bay seven." She told the man before disconnecting the channel.


"Assistance will be heading your way." She told Jack.


Ross searched the room for Dax but did not see him. She figured her actions were the reason. So she turned to leave the med bay on her own to let in the Edison med team.

Jack nodded to the captain his thanks, before turning back to Adrain.
"Thank you, Cardinal, for your help," He began, clasping his hands together as smile worked his lips. "I can now understand why Val was so eager to employ a nurse." He chuckled, before motioning for the Cardinal to follow him towards Avea and Issac. The false angel was struggling with a great amount of pain, while the other, now chuckling his child was bruised and still bleeding from his nose.


"If I could do with keeping you close by," He began as he pointed to Issac. "Would you tend to his wounds while I inspect Avea? Although you really must tell me about your days in the military. Is it common for a solider to turn to religion like yourself?"


Ross has said he would get help, but that did not mean that Jack could slack off now.


Charlie shrugged as Raven asked her what happened.


"You were already tranqed when I came into the mess hall." Charlie began, "Must have caught you by surprise. But at least two of the passengers have turned out to be hunters. There was that girl...think she was called Melody? You know, one of the quiet chicks who were into racings, and then there was him..." At this Charlie pointed toward Nick, who was now sprawled across the floor. No one had bothered to move him since after the rather haphazard landing. "But yeah... We took them out. Of course. But not before they had apperently got to Shin." Charlie didn't know about other two in the storage room.


"And without Shin, this ship just fell into chaos." Charlie sighed. "Ross has to get the passengers involved. Sent Avea, Isaac and Dax to the engine room, while I took DJ to the cockpit...and well, the rest is kinda self-explanatory." Charlie motioned to the mess. "We're on the ground though, thanks to DJ and the others...and Raven you'll never guess where we are." Charlie paused, then looked towards the cryo tube suspiciously before calling over to Jack.


"Can Shin hear us?"


"No." Came the reply.


Charlie nodded, then looked back at Raven.


"We’re on Edison, Raven. Planet Edison! And Oh man! You missed such a thrill. I got to watch us almost crash land onto it! Should seen DJ go!” Charlie beamed this, before waving over to the pilot to come join. Not liking that he had been remained cornered off. “Although we may have lost escape pod 9… but no one was using that anyway…and might have blown engine four…”

DJ looked at the captain and then back at Charlie. It seemed like the med bay was going to get very cozy once again. They walked through the hallways and the mess hall before arriving to the already hectic scene. Apparently the bridge was the place to be in terms of suffering minimal injuries. Everyone was hurt in some way, some worse than others.
Hurt was better than dead, he thought to himself. But as he looked at the grumbling passengers and crew members, he was not going to be a fan favourite. After all, none of them had been in the cockpit and saw that his actions were to save everyone, instead they were in confined areas getting thrown every which way. Which meant that they probably weren't going to line up and hug him like Charlie had.


On top of that, he noticed that Shin was now awake and still confined to the pod that he was in earlier. A smile broke across his face, everyone was going to be so relived that he was ok. In a few hours he would be walking around fixing the engines... the machinery... and anything else that DJ broke in the ship upon crashing it. That thought should have made his stomach twist as he was most likely going to get left on Edison and he would have to find a new home, but he was still faced with happiness as he knew that Shin was loved, even though no one wanted to admit it, by the entire crew.


Less than one day. Probably a new record for DJ for shortest time on a ship as he contemplated running to his room, packing his small bag, and heading to the nearest city. Of course there was that one time on Eldrah where the crew forgot him entirely, but he wasn't sure if that counted because he never actually step foot inside the ship...


However, DJ was not one for running away from his problems, except for his biggest problem which he sprinted away from, so he decided to stay and face the heat. He would then leave when they undoubtedly kicked him off the ship, or killed him. But for the meantime he stayed in the corner and silently observed figuring it was best to stay quiet at this point.

Adrian had been ever so carefully cleaning any wound he saw on Val that didn't require the removal of clothing, though even if he were willing to do so it didn't seem necessary. Adrian had finished cleaning and tending to Val's wounds when Dax entered the med bay. He could see that the giant of a man was both injured and in a foul mood, but he obviously wasn't in need of immediate need.
"Dax had a few wounds that could stand to be cleaned at the very least. Other than him none at the moment. Do you require my assistance with Raven?" The cardinal asked going ahead and moving to clean Dax's wounds unless Jack needed him.

"And nearly killed everyone down in the engine rooms." Aeva shouted from across the room to Charlie and Raven. It wasn't bitterly, as Aeva actually laughed about It before groaning heavily from the pain of his shoulder. His wing hung useless and only pulled down on his broken shoulder, so the false angel decided pull a spare gurney from the corner and use his good arm to drape the wing 40+ Pound wing across it. Taking the weigh off of his shoulder and no doubt making it easier for Jack, Val, or the Cardinal to help him out a bit, whenever they decided to move their attention to him. A few cries of pain as he did this was all they would hear from him. That and the light Pitter patter of droplets of blood hitting the floor beneath Aeva's feet. His head injury was still open and bleeding freely but it wasn't life threatning. At least, not yet.


"Still DJ. When you aren't blowing up engine rooms or....escape pods as I hear it. You do make a Damn good pilot. Though, I take half the credit for keeping the systems in running order while you flew this hunk of steel into what was probably the most graceful crash landing of the era. If we all would have died, at least it would have been with style." He gave the makeshift pilot a pointed grin before turning his smile to Captain Ross and offering his thanks to her for dragging his feathered assume to the medbay . Despite how his mental state was. He offered the same thanks to Isaac and would offer it to Dax whenever he decided to reveal himself.


Val's unconscious form drew his attention from the people in the room and he asked Jack, as he walked over, "What happened to the doctor? Is she alright?" With probably a little more worry in his tone than was normal but at the moment Aeva didn't care much appearances.

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

DJ couldn't help but feel even more guilty as Aeva and Isaac rolled in. It was an added bonus that everyone seemed to have broken bones that would take weeks to heal. Apparently he could have just given everyone a few bumps and scrapes, no, he had to leave a lasting impression on his first day.


For the mean time, he was being ignored, everyone was too busy dealing with themselves or others. Of course this just gave him time for the guilt and self-loathing to roll around in his stomach. It was an odd feeling, something he didn't experience often, and he did not like it. In an attempt to be rid of the feeling, he tried to see the positives of the situation. First off, he hadn't actually killed anyone. The only real casualty was that poor lonesome pod. Second, there are worse planets than Edison to be stranded on. He could take some well deserved vacation time for once in his life, and there was never and will never be a time where Edison wasn't exciting. Maybe he would take up gambling or join a band or take up street fighting again... Already he could feel the knot in his stomach loosening.


Just then his momentary period of being ignored ended as he heard his name from across the room. DJ made eye contact with Charlie who was now inviting him over to where she and the other Rider were having a conversation. Knowing he was past the point of pretending he didn't hear or see her, he walked over to them reluctantly and offered a shy smile.


"We're only on the ground because I blew the ship out of orbit." He finally took the goggles out of his hair and put them in his back pocket. The sweat and the thickness of his hair combined to make one messy mop on the top of his head.


"And nearly killed everyone down in the engine rooms."


DJ turned to Aeva, "If it's any consolation, I nearly killed the entire ship." His smile broadened and became more cheerful rather than awkward as the jokes started flying around, "But thanks, I couldn't have done it without you guys cleaning up the messes I made."

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Raven's face paused and moved in slow motion to Charlie's words. Her eyes went wide and her jaw started to drop. Once she hit normal speed she held out her good hand to Charlie. "Shut up... Don't mess with me right now..." Raven's voice started to build with excitement. She turned to Dj as came over to them. Raven looked like she was starting to loose her words and foundation of function. Like a dream had come true... or was being granted before her eyes.


Raven looked around the room and no matter how much it hurt Raven found something to turn into a sling. She placed her arm in the sling and pulled at Charlie. "What does it look like?" she asked. "Plus the Captain is opening the bay..." Raven pulled Charlie along and motioned for Dj to follow.


Raven looked more than in a hurry now. She was freaking out in her mind. "I don't believe this." Raven stated.


The three Remington brothers watched Charlie and Raven for a moment. Rem slowly looked behind him to find Micheal and Andrew giving him puppy dog looks as if asking to follow the two girls and pilot. They two liked the races and always did want to see Edison... It could wait... But they didn't want to wait anymore.


Rem let out a deep sigh and nodded to his brothers. The two left quickly and soon caught up with the others.

 

[St. Boethius]

Jack nodded to the captain his thanks, before turning back to Adrain.
"Thank you, Cardinal, for your help," He began, clasping his hands together as smile worked his lips. "I can now understand why Val was so eager to employ a nurse." He chuckled, before motioning for the Cardinal to follow him towards Avea and Issac. The false angel was struggling with a great amount of pain, while the other, now chuckling his child was bruised and still bleeding from his nose.


"If I could do with keeping you close by," He began as he pointed to Issac. "Would you tend to his wounds while I inspect Avea? Although you really must tell me about your days in the military. Is it common for a solider to turn to religion like yourself?"


Ross has said he would get help, but that did not mean that Jack could slack off now.


Charlie shrugged as Raven asked her what happened.


"You were already tranqed when I came into the mess hall." Charlie began, "Must have caught you by surprise. But at least two of the passengers have turned out to be hunters. There was that girl...think she was called Melody? You know, one of the quiet chicks who were into racings, and then there was him..." At this Charlie pointed toward Nick, who was now sprawled across the floor. No one had bothered to move him since after the rather haphazard landing. "But yeah... We took them out. Of course. But not before they had apperently got to Shin." Charlie didn't know about other two in the storage room.


"And without Shin, this ship just fell into chaos." Charlie sighed. "Ross has to get the passengers involved. Sent Avea, Isaac and Dax to the engine room, while I took DJ to the cockpit...and well, the rest is kinda self-explanatory." Charlie motioned to the mess. "We're on the ground though, thanks to DJ and the others...and Raven you'll never guess where we are." Charlie paused, then looked towards the cryo tube suspiciously before calling over to Jack.


"Can Shin hear us?"


"No." Came the reply.


Charlie nodded, then looked back at Raven.


"We’re on Edison, Raven. Planet Edison! And Oh man! You missed such a thrill. I got to watch us almost crash land onto it! Should seen DJ go!” Charlie beamed this, before waving over to the pilot to come join. Not liking that he had been remained cornered off. “Although we may have lost escape pod 9… but no one was using that anyway…and might have blown engine four…”

Adrian nodded and began looking over Isaac. As he assessed the wounds he talked with Jack, " Not a problem. As for my transition from military to religion I would say my specific transition is a rare one. Most soldiers find religion and use it to cope with the horrors of war. However I left the military entirely to join the clergy. I had enough of the violence and suffering. Enough of causing such pain and wanted to help and heal others." He explained as started mending his wounds. While he couldn't really do much about the bruises except for helping with the pain he could clean the cuts and help with his nose.


"As for my time in the service I started as an rifleman on the front lines with a dear friend of mine. As we continued we went separate paths. He wanted to become better at killing the enemy while I wished to heal my allies. " It had been quite some time since he had spoken about his time in the service but if he was going to travel with everyone he might as well share.

 

[Lokipi]

Watching the excitement contort Raven’s face, Charlie couldn’t help but reflect her friend’s joy. They had waited years for this moment and although she was tempted to call her friend out for being the hypocrite for not resting Charlie allowed herself to be pulled out of the med bay. Sparing a few seconds to wink back at the Remington brothers and DJ who were being drawn into their wake.


“She really should be resting,” Jack called after them, his peripheral vision spotting the riders on their way out.


Charlie grinned to herself leaning forward say to whisper quietly “You know, he’s right.” Before she stepped back, holding her hands up. “Of course, who am I to say someone should be resting…”


+++++++++++++++


Jack, on the other hand, turned his attention back to Avea, half on Adrian as the man explained his change from army grunt to a man of faith. From his past, he had never really had much room for religion, but his work meant that he crossed paths with it on a regular basis. After all, when things are bad, everyone seems to turn one benevolent force or another to find comfort.


“A fascinating tale, Cardinal.” Jack chimed, as he nodded to Avea, inspecting his injuries with a raised eyebrow. Until this point, he had never actually come across one of Avea’s species, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t spot a fractured clavicle or the shallow laceration positioned posteriorly on the left parietal bone. Clicking his tongue onto the roof of his mouth, the man shook his head.


“The landing seems to have taken a toll on everyone.” He sighed, as he gently before setting to work. He would tend to the cut first and help cease the bleeding. Then when the medical crew appeared, Jack would make use of their equipment and aid in setting the clavicle.


“What happened to the doctor? Is she alright?”


Avea’s voice pulled Jack from his thoughts, the false angle’s tone of concern, sweet and noticeable with its meaning, to the point where Jack rolled his eyes, as he positioned the angle’s head to look away as he tended to the head injury.


“Dr Black has undergone a minor concussion. Nothing serious, she’ll wake up in about 20-30 minutes, no doubt.” Jack explained. “The Cardinal tended to any of her wounds, she’s in good hands, I assure you.”


“How is Issac looking, Cardinal?”


***********************************************


Meanwhile, Dax had removed himself not long after Ross had left. Finding himself on the viewing port once more. He had swiped a cloth and now pressed it against his head, easing the blood flow a little. The giant’s heart still thumped with annoyance, his breathing ragged and sharp, as his eyes scanned the orange landscape in front of them.


He had never been a fan of this place. There was no honour in gambling away your money or buying company. It was a wild place and despite having difference reasons for their dislike of the planet, Dax had to agree with Shin. This place should have remained off bounds. But they were here. Ross had made the decision.


“Every choice has its consequences, Ross,” Dax growled to himself, as he flexed a clawed hand.


From somewhere in the bowels of the ship, a groan of a hatch opening signalled the boarding party of Edison's rescue team entering their territory. There would be fireworks, no doubt, when they reached med bay and Shin, at last, came to realise where they were.  After all, there had been very few rules to follow between the captain and the navigator. 


“Let’s see you calm this storm.” Dax laughed dryly, as he removed the ragged and inspected it’s almost black stain of blood. He should have stayed in the med bay, but it had been better for the others' health that he removed himself. Plus, at some point, the Edison’s ‘rescue’ crew would come to find him for their blood tests. They would tend to him then. Hopefully when his blood and cooled. 

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Raven only gave Charlie a large smile to the fellow rider and continued on her way towards the docking bay. Her eyes were in sparkles but seemed more like the brightest stars in the galaxy. She rushed as best as she could through the corridors. She didn't even notice that Andrew and Micheal were now following her and Charlie. This was going to be the best day of her life... If not.. Her and Charlie both.


They were on Edison, the race capital of the world. She paused as she neared the docking bay where Ross was already at. She heard the doors start to open. A gush of dry hot air zipped through the halls and dashed all over the ship in seconds. There was a slight hint of burnt fuel or even the smell of a well used motor coming from outside. 


 Raven continued on with her steps and in the far, far background of a noise, she could hear it. She could hear motors and even loud music... The cities of this planet were said to be loud... And you could hear them over the desert parts of the planet too. 


Ross had released a breath before unlocking the doors and pressing the button to open the bay. She knew Shin didn't want to come here. But with him still in a pod and half of the crew and passengers all banged up... She felt she had no choice. If she didn't pick to land... Who knows what could have happened, and with the replacements of Shin... Ross watched as the door slowly lowered itself, revealing a group of six medics waiting to board with all kinds of medical supplies, and four... 


Ross questioned this part. 


Four Edison officers. She knew Edison had their own law enforcement but.. Why would they be here? She only figured that maybe they were here for the blood scans, or to check their ship and cargo better. But they had that look... That look where they knew what they were there for. 


Raven turned the corner and stopped just as the bay door touched ground and stopped. She blinked at the sight of the planet. They were a good distance away from one of the bigger cities, but that did not stop the view.. 


She could see other sips nearby off in the distance, but her eyes had to settle upon the closest city. She walked over next to Ross ignoring the fact that the medics and the four officers were now boarding. 


One of the medics stopped and looked her over. He noticed her arm in the sling and pointed at it. "Miss?" he asked. Raven's eyes were still on the scene before her. 


"Excuse me? Miss?" the man asked again. 


Ross waved at the man in a, 'she's not all there right now' manor. Ross then pointed to the hallway closest towards her. "I'll show you to the medic bay." 


Just as Ross was about to lead the medics to the crew and passengers... An officer stepped forward and stopped her. "Captain Ross?" he asked. 


Ross nodded. 


"Officer Justin Kelp. I was told that I am to do a full sweep of this ship and to get all blood scans from all crew members and passengers." He told her. Ross nodded. 


Ross nodded and then motioned them to follow. 

 

[shadowz1995]

Raven only gave Charlie a large smile to the fellow rider and continued on her way towards the docking bay. Her eyes were in sparkles but seemed more like the brightest stars in the galaxy. She rushed as best as she could through the corridors. She didn't even notice that Andrew and Micheal were now following her and Charlie. This was going to be the best day of her life... If not.. Her and Charlie both.


They were on Edison, the race capital of the world. She paused as she neared the docking bay where Ross was already at. She heard the doors start to open. A gush of dry hot air zipped through the halls and dashed all over the ship in seconds. There was a slight hint of burnt fuel or even the smell of a well used motor coming from outside. 


 Raven continued on with her steps and in the far, far background of a noise, she could hear it. She could hear motors and even loud music... The cities of this planet were said to be loud... And you could hear them over the desert parts of the planet too. 


Ross had released a breath before unlocking the doors and pressing the button to open the bay. She knew Shin didn't want to come here. But with him still in a pod and half of the crew and passengers all banged up... She felt she had no choice. If she didn't pick to land... Who knows what could have happened, and with the replacements of Shin... Ross watched as the door slowly lowered itself, revealing a group of six medics waiting to board with all kinds of medical supplies, and four... 


Ross questioned this part. 


Four Edison officers. She knew Edison had their own law enforcement but.. Why would they be here? She only figured that maybe they were here for the blood scans, or to check their ship and cargo better. But they had that look... That look where they knew what they were there for. 


Raven turned the corner and stopped just as the bay door touched ground and stopped. She blinked at the sight of the planet. They were a good distance away from one of the bigger cities, but that did not stop the view.. 


She could see other sips nearby off in the distance, but her eyes had to settle upon the closest city. She walked over next to Ross ignoring the fact that the medics and the four officers were now boarding. 


One of the medics stopped and looked her over. He noticed her arm in the sling and pointed at it. "Miss?" he asked. Raven's eyes were still on the scene before her. 


"Excuse me? Miss?" the man asked again. 


Ross waved at the man in a, 'she's not all there right now' manor. Ross then pointed to the hallway closest towards her. "I'll show you to the medic bay." 


Just as Ross was about to lead the medics to the crew and passengers... An officer stepped forward and stopped her. "Captain Ross?" he asked. 


Ross nodded. 


"Officer Justin Kelp. I was told that I am to do a full sweep of this ship and to get all blood scans from all crew members and passengers." He told her. Ross nodded. 


Ross nodded and then motioned them to follow. 

Watching the excitement contort Raven’s face, Charlie couldn’t help but reflect her friend’s joy. They had waited years for this moment and although she was tempted to call her friend out for being the hypocrite for not resting Charlie allowed herself to be pulled out of the med bay. Sparing a few seconds to wink back at the Remington brothers and DJ who were being drawn into their wake.


“She really should be resting,” Jack called after them, his peripheral vision spotting the riders on their way out.


Charlie grinned to herself leaning forward say to whisper quietly “You know, he’s right.” Before she stepped back, holding her hands up. “Of course, who am I to say someone should be resting…”


+++++++++++++++


Jack, on the other hand, turned his attention back to Avea, half on Adrian as the man explained his change from army grunt to a man of faith. From his past, he had never really had much room for religion, but his work meant that he crossed paths with it on a regular basis. After all, when things are bad, everyone seems to turn one benevolent force or another to find comfort.


“A fascinating tale, Cardinal.” Jack chimed, as he nodded to Avea, inspecting his injuries with a raised eyebrow. Until this point, he had never actually come across one of Avea’s species, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t spot a fractured clavicle or the shallow laceration positioned posteriorly on the left parietal bone. Clicking his tongue onto the roof of his mouth, the man shook his head.


“The landing seems to have taken a toll on everyone.” He sighed, as he gently before setting to work. He would tend to the cut first and help cease the bleeding. Then when the medical crew appeared, Jack would make use of their equipment and aid in setting the clavicle.


“What happened to the doctor? Is she alright?”


Avea’s voice pulled Jack from his thoughts, the false angle’s tone of concern, sweet and noticeable with its meaning, to the point where Jack rolled his eyes, as he positioned the angle’s head to look away as he tended to the head injury.


“Dr Black has undergone a minor concussion. Nothing serious, she’ll wake up in about 20-30 minutes, no doubt.” Jack explained. “The Cardinal tended to any of her wounds, she’s in good hands, I assure you.”


“How is Issac looking, Cardinal?”


***********************************************


Meanwhile, Dax had removed himself not long after Ross had left. Finding himself on the viewing port once more. He had swiped a cloth and now pressed it against his head, easing the blood flow a little. The giant’s heart still thumped with annoyance, his breathing ragged and sharp, as his eyes scanned the orange landscape in front of them.


He had never been a fan of this place. There was no honour in gambling away your money or buying company. It was a wild place and despite having difference reasons for their dislike of the planet, Dax had to agree with Shin. This place should have remained off bounds. But they were here. Ross had made the decision.


“Every choice has its consequences, Ross,” Dax growled to himself, as he flexed a clawed hand.


From somewhere in the bowels of the ship, a groan of a hatch opening signalled the boarding party of Edison's rescue team entering their territory. There would be fireworks, no doubt, when they reached med bay and Shin, at last, came to realise where they were.  After all, there had been very few rules to follow between the captain and the navigator. 


“Let’s see you calm this storm.” Dax laughed dryly, as he removed the ragged and inspected it’s almost black stain of blood. He should have stayed in the med bay, but it had been better for the others' health that he removed himself. Plus, at some point, the Edison’s ‘rescue’ crew would come to find him for their blood tests. They would tend to him then. Hopefully when his blood and cooled. 

"Agh! Easy Doc. Avalon bones are very fragile. Mine are an exception but still weaker than the average human. Like birds....its for flight." Aeva choked out as Jack moved his head to get to the cranial injury. The movement had caused his shoulder to move and that in turn made the wing twitch in place which sent a spasm of pain into the angel's body. Though if he was being honest, his own pain was rather muted and his eyes came to rest on Dr. Black's unconscious form. His brow furrowed and that only caused more pain for the pounding in his head. "As long as she is ok. She helped me when I was in a tight spot when I had come aboard." Aeva said rather neutrally, though the appreciation could be heard to anyone who was actually listening to the psuedo-angel. 


The medical crew from the planet they had landed on was rushing through the high tech doors and Aeva could almost feel the relief come off of Jack and the other passengers. Charlie and Raven seemed incredibly excited about where they had landed. They seemed almost guilty to feel so excited and kept sneaking glances at the Gallion programmer's pod. The faint thuds coming from within the pod gave away that he was awake and clearly not happy. The human would have to wait until the process was completely and the only way to do that was to take deep breaths and let the liquid oxygen leave your lungs. Cryo-stasis was something familiar to Aeva. When they had shipped him across the galaxy to drop in for operations, the operatives needed to go into cryo so that the ship could preserve supplies and the agents wouldn't "age" nor fall victim to, what the humans called, space dementia. Going crazy while on a ship for incredibly long periods of time. 


"Can you tell the prickly human that he needs to breathe deeply if he wants to get out of there faster. He's only making it worse by panicking the way he is..."

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

DJ felt like a lost puppy and found himself following the two girls wherever they were going. He wasn't going to lie to himself, he loved being on Edison. There was never a lack of excitement, fun, or action on the planet. People would walk out of Casino's feeling on top of the world after winning a years salary, a new ship, or food for their family. You could make new friends and more money than you could ever need from one night at the tables. Happiness, love, and constant partying made It DJ's kind of planet. 


Of course their was a dark side to the planet, but DJ never noticed as he was always distracted by the lights and noises of the planet. People would more often than not walk out of casinos with nothing in their hands or in their accounts, but even worse, people would walk out with a debt and if that debt wasn't paid... well....


The look on the girls faces was priceless. He guessed that they had never been on Edison before judging by both of their reactions when they found out they had landed planet-side and now that they were actually looking at it with their own eyes. They appeared to be mesmerized by the sight, and DJ was no different. He could feel the giddiness rise from his chest as he recalled amazing (and fuzzy) memories of the few times he visited. The shows, the markets, the casinos, and the parties he had experienced while planet-side were some of his fondest memories. 


Jack and Charlies comment drew him back to reality. He looked at Raven and shook his head.


"Edison never rests which means that you don't have to either," he winked at her, "besides, I'm sure we can find a phoney, hoax, home-made, bone healing remedy here. After all, Edison has literally everything you could possibly imagine." He smiled widely at the pair and didn't faulted when the medics and officers arrived.


He had been through the blood-testing process many times and had come to know that it was better to cooperate and act calmly than do anything reckless. He would simply smile and extend his arm when they asked for it and casually walk off the ship when they were done. 

 

[Lokipi]

[SIZE=10pt]Charlie breathed in the warm air as it rushed by her, the sensation causing her lips to fall naturally back into their lazy grin.  [/SIZE]Beyond the hanger door the burnt orange landscape peaked into view, while the distant music throbbed below the sound of other whirring motors. One by one, the rescue crew filed on as Raven broke away to stand next to Ross, one of them briefly stopping to try and get Raven’s attention. When he was waved away, Charlie chuckled.


[SIZE=10pt]Looking back over her shoulders, the rider took note of the brother’s faces and lastly DJ, just as the tall pilot said “After all, Edison has literally everything you could possibly imagine."[/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]And it was true, Edison was legendary in all race circuits, and through a series of unfortunate events, DJ had managed to get them here, after almost three years of Charlie and Raven asking. Who knew that all it would have taken was getting bordered by hunters, knocking out the navigator and the ship almost imploding. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]“Silver linings I guess!” Charlie grinned, before her attention was grabbed by the guards. Their presence sent a chill running down her spine. What where they doing here? Innocence suggested that it was standard procedure, and Charlie wanted to believe that. She really did. But that look in their eyes…instinct suggested otherwise. Casting a questioning glance to Ross as she waved for the medics and guards to follow her to med bay, Charlie simply held out her arm to of the medics as they breezed by her, taken the required blood. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]When they were done, she stepped glanced up at DJ with a cocked brow. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]“You’ve been here before then?” Charlie asked as she stepped forward to stand next to the mesmerised Raven, lightly nudging her. “Don’t forget to breathe.” She joked. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]In the viewing port, Dax felt the warm air rush through the door, but unlike Charlie, this sensation only made the man tense. He knew fireworks were going to ensue once the little medic party reached Jack. But there was nothing Dax could do for that. Folding the cloth, Dax reapplied pressure to his head wound as he sat. He wasn’t even looking out the window anymore, his thoughts internalised. He knew at some point he would have to stop sulking, but anger came so easily to his people, it was hard to just bypass something so deeply rooted into his nature. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]At this, his teeth became bared as he let out a low, almost disappointed growl. Why had he gotten so caught up in that whole moment? It wasn’t like it was the first time Ross had refused his help. If anything, after all the years of watching the woman put her own neck on the line for her crew and making, sometimes, silly decisions, Dax should have grown use to it. He should have developed thicker skin by now. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]If anything, now he was faced with an even harder job of eventually swallowing his pride and apologising. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]“Damn it.” Dax sighed. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]Jack grinned as Avea nodded towards Shin, giving a gentle shrug of his shoulders. “He already knows. I just think it’s a habit of his to make life as difficult as possible for himself.” Jack laughed, before furrowing his brow as Avea twitched. “Sorry about that.” He sighed, as he continued to dab at the head injury. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]“And yes, I remember her helping you. You guys were gone for quite some time, no?” the nurse laughed, before glancing around the med bay. He was looking forward to having a few extra hands around the place. Isaac’s nose was still bleeding, Val was still out cold and the hunter was still sprawled aimlessly on the floor. Yeah…he would have to eventually move the man back to a bed, but that required significantly more care than Jack had to give to the low life. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=10pt]“It sounds like you have some experience with liquid oxygen though.” Jack probed, as he stepped back to admire his work. The wound had stopped bleeding, thankfully, and now all it required were a few carefully placed stitches or some adhesive to help the wound heal…if only he knew what Val had actually stocked. Other than the number of drugs he had investigated previously, Jack had no idea what this med bay actually stocked. In fact, actually doing this amount of work during his time on the Gallion had never really been in his plan. [/SIZE]

 

[Super Villain Nova]

The medics took a blood sample from Raven and turned to Ross. Ross had her eyes on DJ, Charlie, Raven and the two Remington brothers. "I don't want anyone to leave the ship just yet." She called over to Charlie and Dj who edged closer to the docking bay door. With that she turned and started to lead the medics to the medic bay. The four Edison officers followed in toe keeping their eyes open as they followed. This was more of just a standard routine.


One of the medics stayed behind to take the blood samples from the Remington brothers. They too had their eyes and jaws dropped over the scene before them. They had always dreamed of coming to Edison. Edison was a dream for all, and all were not so very much welcomed. After taking the blood samples he ran off to catch up with the rest of the group. 


Ross lead the medics into the med bay to find everyone just about where she had left them. Rem was doing his best to pick things up, Val was passed out, Jack was working on Aeva, and well everyone else was just there... Except for Dax. She frowned a little. She knew she had hurt his feelings, but she was trying to do what she could to get everything organized. She would have to sit down with him later and apologize, even if she thought it was the right thing to do at the time, Dax was still her first mate, and probably best friend. 


Val's eyes slowly opened and she started to sit up. She placed a hand to her head and looked around with a bit of a daze. "What happen?" she asked as she rubbed the side of her head. She could already piece things together letting her know that she must have fallen and knocked herself out. She looked around only to blink at the sight of new people. Two medics made their way over to her and started to attend to her. 


A few others made their way over to Jack seeing if he needed any help, while one started to take blood samples of those within the room. None had yet to pay attention to the pod Shin was in. Their focus was those they could see clearly in the room. But the four officers had noticed it. One that seemed like the leader turned to Ross, "Might we ask why you have a King Pod aboard your ship?" Ross looked over to the pod and then back to the officers. She could tell them what had happened but at the same time she wondered what they would do in turn. She motioned to the hunter still on the floor and decided to state what little facts she wanted to give them. "Him and three others had boarded my ship... Their plans were to take it over... And then sell those on board." she motioned to the pod. "They managed to kidnap my navigator." She looked over at the pod. She glanced over her shoulder to Jack. "How much longer till we can let Shin out?" she asked him. 

 

[St. Boethius]

Adrian focused on helping Issac rather than thinking about the fact that they had just crashed landed on Edison, a planet notorious for its sin and regulation. After the Cardinal had been working on Isaac for a bit he had all but fixed the rudimentary injuries and waiting for the Edison guards to do what was required of them.  Adrian looked toward Jack, " Issac is better than when he walked in, but I've done all I can do with what little I could remember." The cardinal said responding to the media's concern for their fellow ship mate.


While the Cardinal and the medic were having a nice conversation about his past he was curious about Jack's and considering it would probably take a bit for Shin to be let out of the pod it could be a good way to pass the time. After Ross had made her inquiry on Shin Adrian continued their conversation, " If you've any time I'd like to hear more about your past as well. What you did before joining the ship, why did you join, you know some basic things. I have the feeling we will be traveling together for quite some time and I'd like to get to know you better."

 

[Lokipi]

"Can you tell the prickly human that he needs to breathe deeply if he wants to get out of there faster. He's only making it worse by panicking the way he is..." Aeva suggested, gesturing to the king pod and giving Jack a moment to almost laugh. 


"Already told him. I simply think Shin has a habit of making life as difficult as possible for himself." The doctor grinned. 


Then the wave of fresh medics came in, allowing  Jack to ease a little of the tension in his shoulders.


Greeting the two who joined him at Aeva’s side, Jack noted two more moved toward the now conscious Dr Val Black. The remaining medic, busied himself with blood samples, like an eager mosquito with a syringe.


 Stifling a quickening heart at the memory of blood test, Jack forced himself to return his attention back to his company, not bothering with introductions. Instead, the man introduced the two to the injuries, explaining the head wound and broken clavicle. The pair were oddly quiet, apparently taken aback at Aeva’s unique appearance. However, they soon began their work, producing a shot of CMC to help the broken bone fuse.  


Becoming a little envious of some of their toys, Jack watched over the medics’ work, engrossed, that the nurse almost missed the Captain’s question. It was only when one of the medics stopped and looked questionably at Jack, that the man response, snapping back to his sense.


“That depends…” Jack began, giving a gentle smile of apology to the captain for his delayed response. In truth, Jack had allowed himself to forget about Shin until now. The navigator’s intrusive cough now quiet and less frequent. As progress went, this was either a good or bad sign depending on where you stood on the idea of thawing out the man.


Approaching the pod, Jack risked a quick, steely glance in through the glass to survey his patient before confirming his thoughts.


“Should be any minute now.” Jack said, catching eyes with Shin very briefly, before stepping back. He couldn’t afford to antagonise the navigator now. Too many people were watching. “I can start the release sequence if you like?” Jack asked. If anything, working with the pod would be a good break from tending to wounds, which the medics were now sorting, relieving Adrian and Jack from their duties a little.


Although this momentary lapse in work, did allow for the Cardinal to ask uncomfortable questions.  Giving the man a tight smile, Jack waiting for Ross’ orders concerning Shin, the doctor shrugged his shoulder casually.


“Ah, well I guess it’s only fair I share.” He began lightly. “Although there isn’t much to tell. I have had a remarkably dull life by comparison to yours.” The man grinned. “I’m just a simple man, born and raised in the core planets following in their father’s footsteps.” It wasn’t essentially a lie. It didn’t go into enough detail to be considered a lie. “But where would you like me to start?” He laughed.


Charlie turned and nodded back to Ross’ order, before moving towards Raven, who was still transfixed by the view. Gently, the little lead rider touched Raven’s good elbow. Although she wanted to enjoy the view and rush off into the orange sunset with her friend, other things called for attention.


“I think we should go check on the bikes.” Charlie offered, as put her hands on her hips and looked back to the rest of the crew. “The ship’s in pretty bad shape, and if you’ve had your blood samples taken and have time to stare, you have time to work. Get a first-hand account of the damage and maybe clean a little.”


The suggestion almost seemed alien to Charlie. It had taken years to get here, and now that they had touched down, Charlie was more worried about the ship than the planet. However, the reasoning was relatively sound. After all, Charlie was rather fond of breathing, and no manner of gambling, dancing, racing and drinking would allow the girl to forget about the ever looming threat of Shin’s wrath.  


Dax stood and wavered a little as blood rushed to his head. Anger still pulsed through his system, but duty always won over trifling emotions eventually. The air about him still held the oil scent of Edison, making his stomach churn. He hated the smell. His home planet didn’t have much use for machines or oil, and when he had left his home the scent had always accompanied bad experiences. Like the time he was jumped in an alleyway and left for dead, or working in the chop shop to earn just enough to eat…or the day he had boarded a ship which perpetually stank of the stuff to leave behind Sara.


Dax flinched at that memory, a finger reaching for the scar below his eye on habit. An empty action which meant nothing to anyone watching bar the man himself. It did nothing for the sense of longing which washed over him, but the healed flesh did remind him that such past things did not belong in the present.


Remembering this, and not removing his finger, the alien began his way towards the med bay, knowing that the Edison rescue team would now most certainly have arrived and drilling Ross for answers, something which the first mate should also endure. Even if he could not bring himself to address his behaviour just yet.


The man arrived when Jack asked if he should activate the sequence, but said nothing on the matter. Instead, he made his way towards Ross’ side and stopping there like a silent sentinel. His eyes only briefly washed over the guards, before sweeping across the unfolded chaos of the medical bay. Yes. Shin would be angry when let out, and it was Dax place to be there and ensure things went as smoothly as possible.

 

[Super Villain Nova]

Val watched as a medic or two came to her aid. She was still a little confused as to where all these people came from. But her mind was giving her reasons that seemed very understanding like. She could see the name tags and the planet emblem of Edison on their uniforms and from that point did not question as much. She slightly recalled the moments before passing out. She was to help get Shin out of his pod, but... She only figured that she had lost her footing leading to her passing out. 


The medics were quick to check her vitals, take a blood sample, followed by doing a quick scan to make sure nothing was indeed too serious. A slight bump on the head in the right place is what caused her unconscious state from before. Her eyes wondered around the room, falling to Aeva quickly. He was in a rough state. She wanted to get up and check on him herself, but those attending to her had told her to stay where she was. They didn't want her to get up and move around just yet. So her eyes mostly drifted over the room... Always landing on Aeva in the end. 


Raven and the two Remington brothers turned to Charlie. She had a point. The ship literally crash landed and half of it was all out of order and wack at this point. Raven blinked as she let the suggestion sink in. Her eyes went wide, their bikes!


"We should go check on them now." She told Charlie and the others. Yeah her arm needed to heal, but if they were on Edison and their bikes didn't even work there was no point to life. Or that's how dramatic Raven was thinking. They had very high advantages here on Edison to where she could get her arm fixed in a week or so, but if her or Charlie's bikes were destroyed, that was something she was not looking forward to. 


Ross blinked at Jack when he recalled a bit of his life's past. She tilted her head a bit as she crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced over her shoulder to find Dax standing next to her. She shook her head a bit as she knew that there was no stalling what was to come. The ship was all over the place, people were severely hurt and the monster was about to be let out of his pod. 


"You can start by letting out Shin." Ross told Jack. She didn't want to delay any further. 


Ross wanted to make sure she could have some time with Dax later as she knew she had messed up big time. Out of everything they had been through, she felt like this was her worst moment in life. The ship had fallen, she hurt her best friend, and her crew was in a very vulnerable state. 


One of the Edison Officers turned to Ross, "Captain?" He stated as he looked around the room before settling his eyes on her. "May I ask whom is part of your crew and who is a passenger?" 


Ross looked over to the man with a slight confused look. "All of them." She stated clearly. The man blinked. "Every last person on this ship is part of my crew." She stated. Her words clean and clear for all to hear. After what had just happened and how everyone reacted, Ross' mind was set on keeping those aboard the ship as her crew. She had seen people step up before to help ships they were traveling on, but this group of people took on something much greater. The Gallion was not a small ship and not in no means, an easy ship to just pick up on a whim.