Futuristic Uknown Crisis: Intermission

[TrashRabbit]

Donny
I can't believe its not NASA!
​

"I love to make suffer," Donny called back evenly, waving Ji-eun into the common kitchen after him, "Cathal- Ji-eun. Ji-eun, this is Cathal McKay, he's head of security- or something- you have a job here, right, I forget?" He teased and filled up his coffee cup.

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal
I can't believe its not NASA!​

"Rude. I am hurt. I am offended, Donny. I've lifted so many boxes for you," Cathal said. He leaned over and tried to add sugar to Donny's cup. "Here, you're a big strong lad and you need some sugar." To Ji-eun he added, "And good morning to you, Ji-eun. Or good afternoon. We aren't sure anymore. Time's an illusion. So are pants. How're you?"

 

[TrashRabbit]

Donny
I can't believe its not NASA!​

"[No]" Donny signed at the spoon full of suger. He put his hand protectively over his cup and moved it far out of his reach like a owner of an cat trying to keep a treat away. He eyed Cathal's own "Chirst is comming- are you swallowing" Mug like it might be full of spiders.

 

[theunderwolf]

Mako
Two Girls and a Bug Walk into a Bar​

Mako giggled at the absolutely abhorrent pronunciation that would require some serious fixing if... well several things happened and she tried to teach Eppie her native language. Emphasis on try, Mako knew many things but how to make a human able to pronounce her language was not one of them. "Maybe..." She said with a smile at Eppie, "But you'll have to be really good with your tongue to mange it." She looked at Zephyr and gave him some friendly scratches under his chin, trying to remember where other bugs she had met liked being pet. She stood up, giving the lovely bug a "In a second" Motion at his offer to play. "Oh I uh," she put on a slightly bashful look at her blood stained shirt, "Guess I forgot how juicy some of the meat is. Good though! Anyone want any?" She said as she casually stripped off her shirt, careful to avoid hitting Eppie's head as she tossed it to the laundry bin. Unconcerned by any modesty she casually walked over to her pile of clean clothes and pulled on a fresh but ripped tee-shirt which could stand some play. She looked down at zephyr and matched his gesture, ready to play-fight. 'Where's Zephyr from?" She asked as she braced herself for said bugs first move.

 

[ValtheStarGal]

Miranda Menendez
Two Girls and a Bug Walk into a Bar
​

The sound that Miranda makes at Mako's answer to Eppie's question can best be described as a guffaw, a look of delighted surprise on her face and her tail whipping around at the excitement. She grins as Eppie steps up to Mako's side and stops herself from putting a hand on Mako's bloodied arm, imagining the two of them as a couple...and wondering if perhaps there might be room for one more in the picture. It takes a special kind of character to be able to play off being covered in blood as though it happens every day, even if it's just blood from packaged animal meat, and the fact that Eppie doesn't seem concerned about Mako's mess is amusing as well. Miranda certainly isn't in a position to complain as she watches Mako change out her shirts without so much as an offhand request for discretion, taking in the lovely definition of Mako's musculature. She lets herself think on what that relationship might look like...

It wouldn't be the strangest polycule Miranda had ever been a part of.

"The short answer is a shipboard exowomb: Zephyr is a designer lifeform," Miranda answers, returning to reality and glancing at Zephyr - who has been poised in the same dog-ready stance as they wait on Mako's signal. "Their template species is from a rough planet we named Xibalba, but Zephyr's a mutt with all kinds of different genomes woven together to make our bug. I can tell you the broad strokes, but my sister could talk your ear off about the process and how she made it all work."

Zephyr twitches near-imperceptibly as Mako enters a ready stance of her own, trilling steadily.

"Go easy on her to start, Cricket!" Miranda calls. Zephyr chirps affirmatively at Miranda, then - taking only a second to calculate their trajectory so as to avoid catching Eppie - Zephyr launches themself at Mako.

 

[CelticSol]

Eppie Cross
Intermission: Two Girls and a Bug Walk into a Bar
​

Eppie cheeks go a little pink at the insuiation, but she doesn’t skip a beat as she replies, “I’m pretty good with mine. I’m told I’m a cunning linguist,” Just so her meaning isn’t lost, Eppie makes a suggestive gesture with her tongue and winks at Mako. Eppie steps back as Mako suddenly whips off her shirt, and while her Mennonite sensabilities scream, her gay has her fixated on the strong muscles of Mako’s back and arms, mouth going dry. She sends a look at Miranda, who might be made a little uncomfortable, but she finds that Miranda is appreciating Mako’s physique just as much as Eppie is.

Mako wipes off a little bit of the blood, but is more or less still stained with blood. Eppie resists the urge to sigh wistfully as she yanks a shirt back on, robbing her of the sight of Mako topless, but knows that the image is probably seared into her mind in the best of ways. Zephyr and Mako size each other up, evidently about to play fight, so Eppie quickly goes to Miranda’s side to evade the worst of any damage caused by the two of them wrestling.

She peeks up at Miranda, smiling coyly, “We’ve only missed out on meeting Miloj, but I’m sure we’ll run into him later. I think you’ll fit in pretty well with the crew, since none of the quirks have really fazed you. I know that I’m very much looking forward to having you around.”

 

[ValtheStarGal]

Miranda Menendez
Intermission: I Can't Believe It's Not NASA!​

"Huh, sounds like Cathal and Donny are already in the kitchen," Miranda says to Altis as the Menendez sisters make their way to the common room. Both of them are dressed in Commonwealth smart-fabric jumpsuits set to a comfortably snug fit and displaying neo-solarpunk designs, and both of them wear their hair in loose ponytails. Altis carries a crate, the contents of which clank softly with every step, and Miranda carries five duffel bags - four between her four arms and her tail wrapped around a fifth. No one was supposed to be awake this early, but it shouldn't make a difference to the sisters' plans.

"Morning Cathal, Don- oh!" Miranda starts to say as she turns the corner and enters the kitchen, stopping herself short as she catches sight of Ji-eun, Altis deftly dodging around her sister and also stopping as she catches sight of the newcomer. Miranda can't help but smirk at Cathal's charming nightwear, and can sense the flushed heat radiating off of Atlis with Donny in the room; she takes a moment to regard the newcomer, her Federation background evident in her fashions but with an ebullience to suggest that she hasn't been entirely ground down by hypercapitalist life.

"Hello there, you must be the one we're picking up today! Welcome to team nine! Give us just a moment, won't you?" Miranda says to the newcomer, smiling as she shrugs to indicate the bags she carries. She and Altis cross to the kitchen counter, Miranda setting each bag on a nearby dining table as Altis sets the crate on the counter and begins unpacking what looks like a chemistry set. As her sister sets up the specialty cooking equipment, Miranda begins unpacking and organizing the ingredients, careful to keep them organized by the meal they are destined to become, quietly double-checking to make sure her calculations for portions were accurate to be sure everyone on the ship could enjoy the feast to come.

"It's been a few days since we got here ourselves, and we wanted to make dinner for everyone," Miranda explains as she sorts the exotic ingredients. "It's a custom in the Commonwealth to make food together when you join a group - helps builds community - and we put our own twist on it by sourcing ingredients from planets we've explored. The smartprinter's been running on bioprinter mode almost non-stop to get everything ready, you're just in time to help us if you like!"

"It won't be much different than cooking anything else; Miranda and I will handle some of the more, erm, special ingredients," Altis says, indicating the specialty cookware on the counter. "It'll be a day long effort so we wanted to get started early and be ready in time for dinner."

"By the way, have either of you seen Zephyr?" Miranda asks Donny and Cathal. "I think I heard them in the vents earlier but we haven't seen the cricket since waking up this morning."

 

[Graystone713]

Kevin Starr
I can't believe it's not Nasa!​

Cathal sent him motivational quotes, all awful. Donny tried to get him to play cards. Goody sent Kevin the footage of him running at full speed through the halls, set to Eurobeat. None of that got him to leave. The bug did. It showed up at the grate only a minute ago, and Kevin nearly jumped out of his suit.
"Haaa... Okay... You can't open the grate. You don't know how to work a keypad."
It trilled, and began to prove him wrong. Wh-what? It was precisely hitting the keys, trying out combinations! Th-this thing knew what a keypad was? What the fuck?...
"N-no way! You're a bug! You can't-"
It entered the right combination. THE GRATE OPENED. Then the door opened, and Kevin proceeded to hit the gas and run like his life depended on it.
"AAAAAAAA WHERE IS MILOJ WHEN YOU NEED HIM? AAAAAAAAAAAAA"
He ran and screamed all the way to the cargo bay, unaware that Zephyr hadn't been actively chasing him for a minute there. Past the kitchen door, around all the people, and straight to mechbay. Thank god all his robots were on their charging stations. Tina and Billy weren't present, but he could load into a robot on his own. Into the Neuropod he went, and up went Gamma. its form, loaded with hydraulic muscle, was more than enough to wrestle a bug!... Wait. Where the hell was the bug?... Did it NOT chase him? And whose stuff was this? Did that other new girl show up too?
"... This was totally unnecessary, wasn't it?... Well, darn. I have no idea how I'm gonna get back to my room..."

 

[Nimbus]

Intromission: Ji-Eun "June" Moon

Starring in, "I can't believe it's not NASA!"
_____________________________________________________________________________________

June parked Honeychrome to one side of the cargo bay, taking advantage of some nook near the hull .

She countered Donny's self-deprecating comment with, "I'm sure talent runs in the family."

Donny took June to the kitchen, which made the Aquilan realize she hadn't had much to eat today. But she wasn't sure she could . So many people to meet, so much to do. So many questions to ask, like, "Hey, where are we headed to next?"

Cathal McKay was positively the most adorable security officer June had ever met. In her past, though, June mostly tried to avoid security. But the freckled cutie had just enough snark and charm to make her not completely tense. She was still a bit too wound up to not talk at the speed of hardlight though.

"I'm fantastic, thanks for asking! Donny was showing me this cute little photosensor bug-struct he made. I kinda wonder if you put something like that in a maze of hardlight, what would it do? But that's like a later thing when I've got a moment to rig that up. Oh yeah, and you miiiight have to move some of my boxes later. Just come see me before you do and I'll help out!"

June flexed the barely there muscles on her wiry arms and tried very hard to look pretend tough without laughing.

"So Donny, you're team lead for the whole unit, but do I have a boss I-"

June stops short when she hears a voice addressing Cathal, then Donny. She turned around to find the source, and is greeted by what must be two more members of Team Nine. Are they setting up an experiment, with all this gear? After seeing a syringe looking thing or two mixed in with the redhead's, June broached another hypothesis: the kitchen wasn't just for coffee and chatting, but maybe, also for interrogation. The brunette who addressed her next was quite a bit larger than her, much better suited in the lifting boxes department than June would ever be. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Umyeahthat'sme."

She chewed one side of her lip for a second, shooting Donny and Cathal glances that hinted at her state of "What the Venusian Hell Pits?"

In the interests of not freaking the fuck out right away, she swayed on her tiptoes and chirped, "Hiwhat'sgoinon?"

An explanation of food appealed to her stomach enough for her to settle her heels back onto solid ground. The fact it was weird food team-building exercise from the Commonwealth gradually synthesized her anxiety into curiosity. In the places June frequented, you really didn't get to see terrible many Commonwealth folks, let alone have them cook with you.

June takes this duffel burdened lady in, kinda tilting her head slightly. Where her companion seemed distinctly human, Miranda was what Eomma* called a kimela, a chimera made real. Sometimes Feddies with big bucks got bio-modded, but usually - if it was legal - it'd be some type of reconstructive surgery - Bone tissue enhancement was pretty common among Lunarians and their ilk. But these mods seemed quite opposite - kind of done just for the Hell of it - which gave the Aquilan the impression Miranda maybe married or blackmailed a geneticist to get her work done. June counted four arms, and a tail with simian abilities, all of a size and stature that could allow the woman to easily support additional weight. And the eyes - shimmery, pretty golden eyes that made her illusory contacts look like super thin disks of Crayola by comparison.

"Um I can help but like, where do we start? I brought some tea, but I dunno if I have a kettl- eep!"

June covered her face and 'do reflexively as a running figure kicked up a slight gust. From her years of experience, running at that speed and volume meant bad shit was going down.

"I-is there trouble?"

Her gloves squeaked again as she balled her hands into fists.

"If so, point me in the right direction and I'll handle it."

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal
I can't believe it's not Nasa!​

Cathal's interest in June and the sister's planned meal was quickly distracted by someone sprinting past.

"Aw, shit, who set off a bomb in Kevkev's room?" he asked and slid off the table, following Kevin into the cargo bay, coffee mug still in hand. He stopped in front of the robot that Kevin was clearly piloting, and asked, "Where's the fire?"

 

[TrashRabbit]

Donny
I can't believe its not NASA​

Donny's face lit up when the spooky babes entered. He smiled at the talk of food around his cup. The more talking umong themselves that happened the better he considered his 'Introduce the newbie' task was going. He wasn't so keen on the science equipment in the kitchen, he'd been raised rather strictly that those two shouldn't mix but also he had a bad habit of eating street food on strange planets without inoculations so he couldn't really make a strong argument not try some when the time came.
He heard it before he saw it. The heavy thunk and distinct muffled pap of the footsteps from an exo-suit worn inside. And then. There he went. He didn't know Kevin could go that fast honestly. Cathal slid off the counter and out the door in one easy cat like motion.
Donny turned to the girls and put his coffee cup down with a small, sharp clink.
"Shit biscuits," he said under his breath, "Excuse me girls- I- I- I honestly don't know! Something's probably spooked him- just- carry on as usual- " And then bolted out the kitchen after them. "Cathal! Kevin!" He shouted down the halls after them. He careened after them and then came to an abrupt stop-using Cathal cushion when he came up short.
"Kevin-" He siad from behind Cahtal's shoulder. He scanned the quiet mechbay, with the activated neurpod and a rather sheepish Gama doing its best kevin impression said, "What the fuck?"

 

[Graystone713]

Kevin Starr
I can’t believe it’s not NASA!​

Kevin was already a little embarrassed when Cathal and Donny showed up. But at least they’d understand, right?
“It was the bug, it-it broke into my room! I thought that my security grate would keep it out BUT IT COULD TYPE ON THE KEYPAD! IT EVEN GUESSED MY PASSWORD! So I got out of there and ran down here because the robots are way stronger than that bug but... The bug didn’t come. And I’m too scared to leave my neuropod unguarded now. It could be back any minute...”
He said, the large robot awkwardly sitting down and twiddling its thumbs, occasionally glancing over to the pod, just in case. He knew they’d be disappointed in him...
“Someone else rotated in, right? I don’t recognize the bike...”
He said, trying to divert the conversation anywhere else.

​

 

[TrashRabbit]

Donny
I can't believe it's not NASA​

Donny put one big silicon palm against his head and sort of tipped to the side like a teapot. his face said 'well I guess that makes sense,' but his body language said confused earth dog that isn't sure where the treat went.
"Would it help if I told you, Zephyr is just a weird dog? He hasn't hurt nobody?"
He looked at Cathal and the look said, 'Do not leave me hanging with this.'

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

Cathal
I can't believe it's not NASA​

"Zephyr's a perfectly normal dog," Cathal said, like both of them were maybe a little stupid but he wasn't going to bring it up. "Listen. Listen, Kevkev. I know he's big and all, but he's not going to hurt you. He just wants to play. I promise. We'll make sure he stays out of your room though. Let's get you out of that robot though, huh? C'mere to me, I'll get you some breakfast. A big lad like you needs some food in him."

 

[TrashRabbit]

Donny
I can't believe its not NASa
​

He gave Cathal a squint- that gag was sounding less like a gag as time when by and honestly he was going have to ask eventually. But- He looked back to Kevin twiddling his thumbs in robo form; "Yeah, the new girl is here- that's her bike and Miranda and Altis want to do a big cook in the kitchen- Come hang?" Donny added optimistically.

 

[Graystone713]

Kevin Starr
I can’t believe it’s not NASA!
​

Kevin paused. That THING was not just a 'weird dog' and he didn't even like that whole thing. But... It hadn't hurt anyone, and he knew it hadn't. He just... Couldn't get over it.
"Dogs can't use keypads... But... Okay... Just give me a minute... And I'm not letting you cook for me, Cathal. I know what you did with the Sriracha.”
He said, hesitantly putting Gamma back on its charging dock and disengaging. Gamma was easier to come back from, because it was ludicrously broad-shouldered in comparison to a human. It was more disorienting, but easier. He breathed. He left the neuropod, and felt helplessly small. He felt like any second now, that bug would show up and run him down. But he had Cathal and Donny. They’d keep him safe. It was supposed to be the other way around, with the robots. He felt awkward. Ashamed. He felt himself instinctively try to swat away a plate-sized bug that wasn’t there. New Io hadn’t been kind to him. He still felt super tense. He needed to see the counselor. He didn’t talk to her often. He had trouble opening up, obviously. When they arrived in the kitchen Kevin immediately wanted to leave because there she was, the mod girl. And... Who was she? He could see some implants, but didn’t recognize them. She almost drew some curiosity out of him, but he could feel eyes on him...
“I didn’t know they’d be cooking... Maybe I should go.”

 

[ValtheStarGal]

Zephyr
I Can't Believe It's Not NASA!
​

Zephyr just wanted to give the spacesuit their thingamajig back.

Zephyr found it on a couch an hour ago: it smelled like the spacesuit, but was left there unattended - maybe the spacesuit left it there? Zephyr knew the spacesuit was afraid of them, but thought that maybe the spacesuit would like having their thing returned to them? Zephyr wasn't quite sure what it was, but it smelled like the spacesuit, and that would have to do. Taking the device up in their mouthparts, Zephyr found the nearest vent and climbed in, ascending the vertical shaft with their longclaws and thunking their way through the horizontal portions, taking the scent of the air in the vents to correct their course as need be and at one point hearing the snoring of an immense man as they made their way toward the spacesuit's cabin.

The scent became particularly strong just above a serious-looking grate that blocked access to a room, which Zephyr guessed was the spacesuits' room (the spacesuit probably had a person inside of it because Zephyr knew that's how spacesuits work, but Zephyr still hadn't seen the person inside it yet so it could be a robot for all they know). A vertical drop was between Zephyr and the grate, and Zephyr dropped down with a thud, device still clutched firmly in their mouthparts as they found themselves confronted by the grate. The shout from the other side rang clear through the grate, setting Zephyr to worrying they'd further spooked the poor spacesuit.

"Haaa... Okay... You can't open the grate. You don't know how to work a keypad."

Beyond the fact that Zephyr did know how to work a keypad, they found that comment odd: did the spacesuit not want their thing back? Zephyr knew the spacesuit was afraid of them, and decided to make their visit a quick one, but that still left them with the grate in the way! What to do about the grate? As if in answer, a touch-screen console lit up in response to Zephyr's presence, a keypad awaiting some kind of code. Zephyr set the device down on the 'floor' of the vent and eyed the keypad before tapping at it with their mouthparts, trying the obvious passcodes first. 1234 - a sharp buzz and red outline around the words. 9876 - the same result, and the grate going nowhere. This could take all day if Zephyr couldn't think of a better approach! The spacesuit said something, apparently anxious about Zephyr's efforts at guessing the keycode, but it was difficult to make out between the heavy grate and the fact they were talking through a vocalizer. Zephyr continued to try brute-forcing their way through combinations, earning only harsh buzzing and red lights.

0420 - two short beeps and a green light! With a sudden clank the vent's locks disengaged. Zephyr picked the device pack up in their mouthparts, eager to get it back to the spacesuit and show them that Zephyr only wanted to help. As the grate opened, Zephyr spotted the door to the cabin opening and the spacesuit rushing out of it, shouting incoherently as they made a run for it. The door shut behind them, and Zephyr was left alone, hanging in the vent above the spacesuit's room.

"<Aww>" Zephyr trilled, their claws reaching out from the vent as they stepped out, device clutched firmly in mouth-parts. The spacesuit's room had rubber padding on most of the corners - Zephyr would have to ask Mi'mi or Ti'ti about what they for. Zephyr gingerly stepped out of the vent, taking a few sharp draws of the air to get the scent of the spacesuit's room. It all smelled like technology, with no natural smells to be found...except for around an empty fridge which smells like it could've have food in it, and a kitchenette that smelled faintly of home cooking but that hadn't been used much recently. Zephyr thought better of investigating further, dropping the unknown device on Kevin's bed before turning back and re-entering the vent, wanting to talk about what happened with Mi'mi.

Miranda Menendez​

"Oh dear...I think we found Zephyr," Miranda says, recognizing the tempo of Kevin's footfalls as Donny and Cathal give chase. Seconds pass with her, Altis, and Ji-eun in the kitchen, nothing happening between the three of them, unsure as to what to do next. Then, Miranda hears a distinct thunking mingling with the tap-tap-taping of claws coming from the vents above the common room.

"Cricket?" Miranda calls, gently but firmly: the sounds suddenly stop, then quickly resume as Zephyr searches out the fastest way to get to her. Looking up to the vents, Miranda watches as Zephyr's four mantid claws unfurl from the opening in the ceiling before Zephyr drops from the ventilation shaft and lands on the floor with a thud. Zephyr quickly trots around to Miranda, and she can see the contrition in the poor bug's expression - aware they have upset someone without fully understanding the how of it. Zephyr collapses to the floor, looking up at Miranda with worried eyes and cooing softly.

"What's the matter, cricket?" Miranda asks, crouching to regard Zephyr at something like eye-level.

"<The spacesuit left their thingamajig outside their room! I thought maybe he'd want it back>" Zephyr explains, downcast.

"I'm sure Kevin does, he's just not used to you yet," Miranda says to Zephyr, stroking their opaline chitin. Zephyr's cooing gives way to purring and their mood perks up with Miranda's attention. At some point, Miranda would have to figure out how to get everyone acclimated to Zephyr's presence aboard the ship.

A message arrives on her entoptics from Altis: [Uh, Mirri? Ji-eun's still in the room.]

"Oh, Ji-eun, um, yeah!" Miranda says to the newcomer, bolting upright and suddenly very aware of the fact that Ji-eun - already visibly nervous about Miranda - probably doesn't know about Zephyr and swiftly adding: "Don't mind Zephyr, they're harmless and actually quite sweet, I-"

Miranda can't explain much more before she hears footsteps from the hall - and is quite surprised to see Kevin enter, with Donny and Cathal following close behind, thankful that Zephyr is out of sight of the doorway. "Oh, Kevin! Hello, um, hi, yes, sorry about Zephyr, i know you're not used to them yet. I hear you're a good cook - Altis and I wanted to fix something up for everyone and we'd be happy to have you along to help us if you like!"

Without having to be told and using Miranda's booming voice as cover, Zephyr proceeds toward the door at the far end of the room, careful to keep their footsteps silent and out of sight of the doorway where Kevin and the others stand.

 

[theunderwolf]

Mako giggled playfully. Normally she was a bit more bashful about any double entendre but well, she was always more relaxed in her own room and when full of food. It was an odd sort of territory, she supposed. Eppie could make her explode into every feeling imaginable when they were out doing human things, but meeting a bio engineered bug and human while eating raw meat? Definitely where Mako was comfortable. She noticed happily, and for the first time that Miranda had a tail which was wagging. She would be exeptionally easy to read and it was nice to have a tail to watch. Of course, she watched Eppie's tail for completely professional reasons, and Miranda looked like she'd be two for two in tails but that was... a bit much. Dammit. Another Xeno scientist and another human Mako found attractive. She supposed, listening to the passion Miranda half hid when talking about Zephyr that she was... quite pretty. Not like Eppie was, the woman had similar proportions but was more well, Xeno. Mako felt like she had met another alien for the first time and the worldly, graceful and intense air about Miranda was quite something. Mako was a bit too busy failing to not be enticed by Xeno scientists to notice Xephyr's first run up which she caught like he was a child barreling into her, pulling him into a bear hug. "Ooooh I'm a little heavier then that Zephyr." She said gleefully,"Gonna have to try again"
Expecting their momentum to send Mako tumbling over, Zephyr hisses with surprise upon colliding with and being pulled into Mako. They wriggle and writhe, using all four claws to pry Mako's grip loose before attempting to loop two of them around her and leap past her to pull her to the floor, using her own weight against her. Mako laughs as she lets herself fall to the floor. Usually she was the small slippery one (Which said more about her then it did about zephyr to be fair) and she knew the tricks. Using the fall as momentum she collapses on Zephyr, he wanted to use her weight? He could have it. Still she was cautious to just jump on his shellier bits, she didn't quite know his limit yet. Thinking they had Mako pinned, Zephyr is further surprised by the deftness with which Mako tumbles around and lands on top of them rather than the other way around. Zephyr just slips out from beneath Mako's deceptively heavy body - much heavier than any human Zephyr has ever encountered - to avoid being pinned, leaping up and springing off of one wall, and then another, aiming to pounce on Mako while she was still down. "Careful of my tropheys!" Mako yelled at Zephyr though ther wasn't really any anger in it. She was having far to much fun. Zephyr was quick and smart and it was so rare to find a tumble with both. Taking a trick out of the bugs own book she flipped over and grabbed him by the legs and flung him backwards, deftly sailing him over Miranda and Eppie's heads and into the hallway. "Sorry sweets," Mako said as she ran through the woman too, we can get further acquainted later!"
Zephyr rapidly reorients themself and catches themself in the doorway by way of their four long mantid claws, arresting the momentum of their own tumble and launching themself back into Mako's quarters. Rather than the direct approach, Zephyr hurls themself wide of Mako, warble-hissing with delight as they try to outmaneuver her for a rearward take down. The fight dissolved into a flurry of limbs and joyful growls from theres as the two ramaged through Mako's room and the hallway.

 

[ValtheStarGal]

Miranda Menendez
Intermission: Two Girls and a Bug Walk into a Bar​

Miranda is absolutely delighted by the banter between Eppie and Mako, and by the fact they both seem pretty comfortable with her in their space. Since leaving the Commonwealth, Miranda has felt out of her element, and the unfortunate first impressions she's made had her starting to wonder if this was all going to work out. But as Eppie rushes to her side to get out of the way of Mako and Zephyr, and as Miranda catches Mako eyeing her up, Miranda feels a renewed confidence that everything is going to work out. In the back of her mind, she knows that hard times are coming - it's what she, Altis, and Zephyr signed up for; in this moment, that doesn't matter, and when it does, Miranda will be ready, with people like these at her side, ready to face them down together.

"I'm glad you think so, cariña," Miranda says to Eppie, a delicious warmth within her heart that shines through in her voice, on her face, and in her body language. "I'm looking forward to being around."

Miranda is shocked to see Mako catch Zephyr mid-pounce and pull them into herself as though Zephyr were a puppy and not almost two hundred pounds of dense xenomuscle and chitin. She can hear the surprise in Zephyr's hissing, and feels Zephyr's continued surprise as Mako proves to be much more challenging a playmate to take down. Zephyr has speed and agility on Mako, but there is a power and determination to Mako's stance and moves that is far in excess of even her formidable stature. Miranda feels a rising heat, excited and intrigued by Mako's prowess: she watches in awe as Mako dodges Zephyr's pounce, then grabs them out of the air and throws Zephyr for the door.

"Whoa!" Miranda shouts, her upper and lower-right arms wrapping around Eppie's shoulder and waist as the two of them duck - despite Mako's throw sending Zephyr clear of the both of them, even at Miranda's full height. The cricket catches themself in the doorway, then throws themself back for Mako, not about to be outdone. Miranda and Eppie find a corner in Mako's room, Miranda keeping her arms on Eppie as Mako and Zephyr's antics spill out of the cabin and into the suddenthunderbabywagon666's corridors. She can hear Zephyr warble-gurgling and Mako giggling with joy amid the grunts and hisses of mock-battle and the thunking of bodies against the walls, and steps up to the door to watch their antics unfold, grinning wide to see them.

[Zephyr found a playmate, sis] Miranda texts Altis, grinning ear to ear, [I think we're in for a very exciting assignment.]

 

[wickedlittlecritta]

I can’t believe it’s not NASA!
​

"I don't know what your problem with Sriracha is," Cathal complained, following Kevin back to the kitchen. "It's the best thing that ever happened to mac'n cheese." When Kevin faltered at the doorway of the kitchen, Cathal wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered him in. "Kevin, this is June. June, Kevin. And you met Miranda and Altis, right? Right." Cathal gave Kevin's shoulders a little squeeze.

 

[Daimao]

Miloj
I can’t believe it’s not NASA!
​

Miloj slowly walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts. Eyes still almost completely closed, he walked over to the coffee machine and started pouring himself a mug of coffee. "Robot boy's screaming could wake the dead," he mumbled, before downing his mug of coffee and refilling it. Eyes opening just slightly wider, he noticed the unfamiliar faces. "Hello, am Miloj," he introduced, speech slightly slurred, before going back to his coffee, sipping it this time.

 

[Faelinara]

???
"Do You Hear That?"​

In the span of a moment everyone's hearing is beset by song. Soft in volume, directed from any cybernetic device that allows for that on person. It thumps, very high bpm, electric and bassy....is this dubstep? Further listening reveals the song is loudest in a far part of the ship.

 

[ValtheStarGal]

Miranda Menendez
I Can't Believe It's Not NASA!​

"Well, aren't you something?" Miranda says to Miloj, rare that she ever has to look up to regard someone. "Would you like to help us cook for everyone? Altis and I have most everything figured out, and most of the steps will be familiar to you even if the ingredients are strange." Turning to regard Kevin in where she thinks his eyes would be behind the visor, she says: "I apologize on behalf of Zephyr. The cricket really does mean well: I understand they found something of yours and left it in your room. I can speak to them about leaving you be, though - I know you had a rough go of it back on New Io." To everyone in the room, Miranda says: "you're all welcome to join us, or if you've got other things to attend to then Altis and I can take care of just about everything in time for dinner tonight - only we'd love to have you along to help!"

Using Miranda's voice to cover their footsteps, Zephyr scuttles to a corner of the room they think no one will have a reason to wander toward, staying out sight.

 

[ValtheStarGal]

Miranda Menendez
"Do You Hear That?"​

"Do you hear that?" Miranda asks, looking up from her flexiform scroll computer.
"What?" Altis asks. The sisters and Zephyr are in the lab, testing their equipment as they prepare a relatively simple designer organism project.
"It sounds like music," Miranda answers. The noise is faint, almost drowned out by the humming of the lab's equipment and life support systems, but Miranda's augmented hearing can pick it out.
"Could be one of the others," Altis says.
"Who on this ship likes dubstep?" Miranda asks, having to wrack her brain to pick out the name of the ancient old-Earth electronic style.
"...no one I know of," Altis says, having to think on the question.
Suddenly, the music starts playing inside Miranda's head - or more specifically on her cortical inserts; she and Altis are both staggered as the pounding rhythms obliterate their trains of thought. As quickly as it starts, it stops, and only Miranda can hear it down the hall.
"<Are you okay??>" Zephyr chirps with alarm, on their feet and claws out. Command line streams down Miranda's entoptic display, reading out the inserts' diagnostics as counter-intrusion software rated for use against Jiian cyberwarfare programs kicks into high gear.
"Yes, cricket," Altis anwers, looking like she's got a ripper of a headache. To Miranda, she says: "I should stay here and make sure our systems weren't compromised."
"Come along, Zephyr," Miranda says, turning and proceeding toward the source of the music, Zephyr following along quickly. Miranda draws a small communicator from her belt and sets it to broadcast to everyone on the ship.
"This is Miranda, reporting a possible intruder aboard the ship. Our inserts were attacked - we might be dealing with an electronic warfare specialist. Zephyr and I are moving to investigate, but we could do with some back-up, is anyone near the lab who can join us?"

 

[Nimbus]

Intromission: Ji-Eun "June" Moon

Starring in, "I can't believe it's not NASA!"
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Donny and Cathal were on the case immediately, chasing down a crewmember they called "Kevin." Curious to see who she'd missed introducing herself to, June peered around the confines of the kitchen to check down the hall. Donny and Cathal were talking to a spacesuit. Was there a human body inside the spacesuit or was Kevin the spacesuit or maybe Kevin was from New Io and had a cool cyber-ized body but was like, chronically afraid of being sight-hacked - which was a scary sort of experience, 200% Do Not Recommend - or like, his metal body parts rusting when he washed dishes or something. She wanted to ask him, but also didn't feel like shouting.

Overhead, there were a bunch of clicks and clacks, like a southbound quick train, punctuated by the occasional thunk. June's gaze shifted to the ceiling. She was overcome with the instinct to jump back as the aforementioned Cricket fell out of the ceiling and sent a slight tremor beneath her feet.

Her mouth formed a small o shape as Miranda explained that their many-legged friend was harmless. Because Ji-Eun was reminded by both parents to make a good impression on her latest video call, she tried to be polite and charming. "Sorry if I seemed a bit...tense and all. I expected excitement on my first day, just not quite this much!" Her laugh fell between "aw shucks" and "I see why people gave me weird looks when I mentioned Team 9." June was not the savviest of liars, but she made do.

"So this is your gals' Cricket, eh? That's some serious 3D-wizardry there. You don't mind if I-" and because Ji-Eun is Ji-Eun, she was already reaching out for the creature.

She booped the center of the insect's forehead with her pinky, only lingering long enough to analyze the contact. It felt smooth, but not in the same way metal would feel. More like...lobster tail smooth. It also didn't resonate with her wrist, so it definitely didn't have an electrical or chemical signature that would allow her to trace its synthetic origins. It dawned on her that this was the real biological deal. Thank Kidinnu for Science!

Despite its size and generally spiky shape, June considered it probably had a level of domestication and human-familiarity similar to a cat or dog. The critter was just closer in looks to an insect, which, she admitted, might creep out some folks. June could probably get used to that dissonance, maybe.

"Crickets are good luck charms where I come from. A sure sign you're doin' something right in a Biome. So if you don't mind, I'm gonna call you Cricket too."

Zephyr turned back from where it put itself in a corner and chirped in response, which June, ignorant to the life form's capability for linguistic processing, took as a yes.

"Hi, Kevin! Are you a fan of cheesymac? I really like it with basil, paprika and garlic chives."

June went for the handshake, but paused when a long shadow darkened the floor near her feet. She looked back to see a literal mountain of man muscle lumber through the kitchen.

"Ah, wh-huh-ey? Hi?" was all June could utter in response to Miloj as he explained his attitude but not his state of dress - or really, lack thereof. June tried real hard not to stare, finally brave enough to peek through the contents of Miranda and Altis's shopping bags.

"I see Miloj is a coffee guy. You know what goes great with coffee? BBQ. But um, maybe we don't have a BBQ rig. Hmm, Oh, I know! Croquettes! You can drink anything with Croquettes!"

She looked around at the faces of all her new teammates. Cooking together with this crew would be a blast!

"With Commander Chaya on the case for my luggage, I think I've got a bit of time. Add a knife, a board and some meat, fruit or veg and I'll be all set to help!"