Intergalactic Life: Among the Stars (IC)

[Roose Hurro]

Predator, Pray...



"Rambunctious" wasn't really the right word for Deeks, as a race. For Pico? Yes, at times. Today had so far been amusing, and making new friends... at least attempting to do so... always made him feel perked. Especially now, with them both, Jinx and then Drassil, on his tail. All without stepping on it. However, despite Jinx's "desperate" call, Pico was in his zone, indeed. Focused on his goal. And yes, he did hear Drassil's "He wasn't serious about the ball-eating thing... right...?" loud and clear. And yes, again, the words "lil' Pico" that had come before. But he felt so good, he let that slide. Chuckled inside at Drassil's continued concern for his malehood.

Pico's feelers did indeed sense and watch, aware when the android scanned Jinx. When it/him first reacted to being touched by another. His earlier instinct proved correct... this one did indeed need watching. Armed and dangerous. Which meant his second idea needed to defuse as many concerns as possible, however...

... "No sneaking... no stealing... boldly go where angels fear to tread, I'd say." Grin flashed over shoulder, then eyes locked again on android as he "surfed" the crowd, again making sure his toeclaws made noise. Easiest way to not startle "game" you didn't intend to eat. Honestly, his looks could cause enough trouble. Most beings didn't consider tooth and claw to be friendly, and frankly, it was nearly impossible for him to walk in a non-predatory fashion. Just wasn't built for it, to be blunt. Not that he didn't try...

... "Hello!" No, it hadn't taken him long to get within polite hailing range, and that one word, in its various translations, tended to be a very good defuser. Ice-breaker, to use other words. Non-hostile salutation... "I'm looking for a ship... like the looks of yours... I'm housebroken and I promise not to chew on the furniture......."

Pico allowed his toolbelt and backpack to speak for themselves... not that they had any ability to speak.......

 

[Grothnor]

The group Gemma was eyeing seemed harmless enough... excitable, but harmless. They seemed to be ogling at the ship itself, so Gemma took them for a bunch of shipwatchers and ignored them in favor of the alien woman and the two humans who had arrived.

They all seemed interested in getting hired instead of taking passage. "Umm... I think the Captain said that we were only taking on passengers. Our next stop should be Planet Dręxēl, a vacation hotspot, so if you want to take a ride over there, you shouldn't have much trouble finding another crew to sign onto. Of course, you can always take it up with the Captain when he comes back. He's running errands now and should be back soon...-ish." She tactfully left out the fact that they already had enough mechanics, muscle and pilots.

 

[mr_pibbs]

​

Although his crew seemed preoccupied with quite a few things, Dylan was focused on getting the job done and leaving as soon as possible. He didn't like to make port for too long. Something about staying in one place made him antsy, everyone knew it. People called him "The Wandering Nova" for a reason. But, nobody really knew his true intentions for wanting to constantly be on the move. Some claimed he was just adventurous, some claimed he hated planets and preferred to be a vagabond, and some even speculated that he was running away from something or someone... One of those was closer to home then one may have thought, but Dylan would never personally confirm it. Taking a deep breath as his mask filtered in the 'fresh' air, Dylan made his way down off the ramp and jumped onto the steel floor of the space station. Then... People happened.

A group of about three showed up, two humans and one alien, all asking for a ride. Looking back at Gemma, Dylan knew she could handle them and didn't bother worrying about what she was going to say. Instead, he continued on his path, walking through the crowd of people and making his way to the Galaxy Burger. Along the way, he noticed a particular shop with a-"No fucking way!" Dylan exclaimed, childlike wonder on his face (concealed by the mask). "Guys, it's a Slushee machine! Oooh, I'm sooooo getting one on the way back!" Doing his best to avoid instantly bolting into the shop, Dylan turned his head away from it and continued walking until he saw a strange robot wearing a top hat approaching him.

Greetings! I am Learning Unit 26-B! I am here on behalf of Doctor Shru. You are Nova, correct?

"Um... Yeah. Yeah, I'm Nova. I'm... I mean, I thought the doctor was going to meet us in person."

You are somewhat correct. Doctor Shru was meant to meet with you, but just an hour ago he was robbed. The original payment you were promised was stolen, but that is why he sent me, Learning Unit 26-B.

"Wait, stolen?! Who stole it? Is he alright? It wasn't a mugging, was it?"

No, it was a case of petty theft. Caught him off-guard, that is all. The authorities have been notified, but the university is not too concerned about the loss. However, the doctor felt it would be safer to remain on his ship while I, Learning Unit 26-B, made a cash-delivery of your payment and acquired the chest.

Almost immediately after Geh robot finished speaking, its chest compartment opened up and a small metal hand extended. In its fist, was a handful of thirty galactic credits, each worth around 10,000 units.

Here is your payment, Mr. Nova! Now, the chest, please.

"Sure..." Dylan said, looking at the robot with a surprised expression before he took the credits and handed it the chest. The robot's chest-arm grabbed the chest and pulled it inside, expanding the small compartment to accommodate the object.

Transaction: Complete. Thank you for your business, Captain Nova.

"Yeah, um... Be safe, I guess. Tell Mr. Smithy and Doctor Shru I said hi, and, um... I-I'm available to do business with them in the future." Dylan explained before giving the droid a nod and turning his back, waving at the group so they knew to head back to the ship. Walking back the way they came, Dylan turned his head back to the droid just in time to see it boarding a ship with a man dressed like a professor standing in the cargo hold. Confirming that the deal had gone without a problem, Dylan turned his head forwards again and continued to walk towards the ship. On the way, he stopped by the shop with the Slushee machine and made a quick purchase. Apparently the man who owned it wasn't making adequate profits off the machine, so he was a little eager to get rid of it. 200 credits later, and Dylan was the proud owner of a Slushee machine. Like a child who just got a Nintendo 64 for Christmas in 1996, Dylan was bursting with excitement. He even got himself and the landing party celebratory Slurpees (minus Casspian, who Dylan figured wouldn't be able to enjoy the snack until he got some kind of artificial taste buds or a stomach). A few men who worked at the store helped transport the machine, letting it glide along on a hover-gurney. Before long, Dylan and the crew made it back to the ship with the machine in tow.

"Just hook it up in the kitchen next to the insta-food generator, guys. Walk straight down the hallway, make a left, and it's the second door on your right." he explained to the transport men, who nodded silently before proceeding into the ship, ready to hook up the machine. Taking a sip from his cherry Slurpee (having opened his mask just enough for his mouth to be visable), Dylan looked at Gemma and the people surrounding her, all of whom presumably wanted to join the ship. "Hola, me amigos! I'm Nova, captain of the Moonage Daydream. You folk's looking for transport? We're mainly headed for Dręxēl, but we're flexible if tropical beaches under the bright orange sky aren't your thing. Also, should you choose to fly with us, there will be at least one complimentary Slurpee of your choice. After the first, they're 2 credits a piece."

Man, I am gonna make so much money off of this thing! Dylan thought while he waited for the others to respond.

 

[BB-Bauers]

"I don't think I could ever be sure with him..." Jinx whispered back to an anxious Drassil. "But I sure hope he was joking."

It seemed that at just the same moment that Pico, Jinx, and Drassil ran into the landing crew, so did another robot. This robot directly addressed the human wearing the helmet -- apparently known as Nova -- and the two conversed until some kind of deal was completed. Jinx paused and watched this interaction with curiosity, but also feeling a bit uncomfortable. Clearly, the three of them were interrupting something here... Nova handed over a chest in exchange for a large sum of credits, after which he turned to leave and was almost immediately distracted by a nearby Slurpee machine. (Perhaps his helmet limited his peripheral vision? Because he went on without noticing either Jinx, Pico, or Drassil). Jinx wasn't entirely sure what the machine's function was, but clearly it was a machine of magnificent significance -- because Nova was so preoccupied by it that he went along to ensure its safe passage back to his ship without even noticing the strange group of three that had approached his landing crew.

Jinx glanced back at the landing crew, particularly at the android that Pico had addressed. They'd probably want to be following after their captain at this point, but Pico had already stepped in and introduced himself. "Hah hah... I'm, uh, I'm sorry about interrupting..." Jinx interjected, addressing the android. After hearing Nova's announcement from a distance, she added, "But it sounds like you're taking passengers? That's lovely." (Besides that, she still wondered what a 'Slurpee' was... Perhaps, if they ended up riding this ship, she would have to try one.) Jinx actively avoided eye contact with the blue lady who had been eye-ing her earlier quite curiously, still unsure if the glances had carried a negative connotation or not.

@four @DoomyCakez @Roose Hurro @Jakers​

 

[RomanCat]

Theron was concerned when it seemed the girl was only looking for short term passengers, or at least people who could pay. He had hoped his offering of skills would be enough to allow passage.

Artemia sighed. Another possible pilot position lost. It was the only time she ever felt in control, and without a ship for the past week, she had lost all feelings of control. Artemia turned around, uninterested in the conversation now and looking for something to entertain her. She squinted when she noticed a large metal machine being pushed through the crowd.

"Is that the slurpee machine?" She said under her breath.

She gently pushed her elbow into Syril. "Hey look, he came back."

A young man approached them, guiding the beverage machine toward the ship. He introduced himself and his ship.

Theron was relieved, hoping he didn't want any pay either. Theron held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Nova. I'm Theron Price, and this is my sister, Artemia." He gestured to her and she remained silent. "I was hoping to get some work aboard your ship. We and our friend, Syril. As I was saying to her, we have some very useful skills that could help out." Theron briefly checked behind Nova. "I was also wondering when we will be leaving."

 

[Grimoire]

[fieldbox="Syril Poratun, plum, dashed, 10, courier new"]@Grothnor @RomanCat @Sora1297
[bg=#404040]

Syril fell silent when she heard the woman say that the ship was only taking passengers.

Well, damn...

At this point in time she'll take whatever she can get as long as she got the hell out of this space station pronto. "A ride sounds cool," she said.

Theron and Artemia apparently took interest in the same ship as well. This guy...was he following her? Syril had to admit she was more annoyed of the fact that he failed at a promise...and Syril was big on people keeping their word. However, she barely knew the guy and already was expecting something from him...why was she being so needy? Syril doesn't DO 'needy'. Disgusted with herself now she felt more annoyed but tried her best to not make a scene in front of the lady. She rolled her eyes a bit as Theron spoke, but before she could make a smart remark, something along the lines about giving him a job 'cause he needs the money to buy her a slurpee machine that he promised her, the captain of the ship turned up....and her slurpee machine.

WTF!!

Artemia gently pushed her elbow into Syril. "Hey look, he came back."

Syril's jaw dropped as her eyes followed the slurpee machine and once out of her sight as it got wheeled inside the ship she snapped back to reality.

"Nova," she nodded at him, "it's true what Theron said," Syril said a bit stiffly mentioning Theron's name, "but I don't expect work especially in such a short notice so....a ride would be greatly appreciated, thanks" and decided to worry about work later.






[/bg][/fieldbox]

 

[DoomyCakez]

@Sora1297 @Thurrbo @Roose Hurro @RomanCat @Grimoire


The series of events that had occured were rather confusing for even Casspian to fully understand. After scanning the woman, now becoming aware that she was a cyborg, Casspian had turned back ahead to follow his Captain, only to find that Nova had disappeared rather quickly into the crowd. Casspian paused, scanning the crowd to find the man and realizing he was a good ways away from where he now stood...not only that, but he was now conversing with another robot, dressed in a rather fashionable tophat. Casspian frowned, momentarily cursing himself for being so distracted as he prepared to follow after Nova once more; however, once again his attention was pried away from his mission upon hearing a rather raspy voice just to his left.

"Hello!"

Casspain released a small sigh and turned, only to glance around in momentary confusion when he found no one. That was the problem, for he was looking straight ahead. When he glanced down, he found himself being greeted by none other that the Deek himself. Casspian blinked, fascinated by this smaller life form, that somehow managed to give off some sort of threatening presence. Casspian's scanners were in slight disarray, not knowing whether this little scaly beast was friend or foe. Casspian decided he would be both, remaining cautious, while allowing his usual polite smile to cross his face, hiding any sort of irritation that was present since he was once again being kept from his duties.

"Hello." He decided to say back, taking note of the Deek's toolbelt and backpack; however, he was noticing a surprsing lack of actual weapons, said for those already present as a result of Deek anatomy: The tail, the talons, the teeth. Casspian found that slightly unnerving...despite the Deek's obviously lacking stature. He listened intently as the Deek spoke once more, confused with the term "house-broken". Did the Deek wish to break the ship? Casspian knew that that was a no go, and with the amount of mechanics the ship already had, Casspian felt that there may not be a need for the Deek's....skills.

However, it was odd that this little Deek reminded Casspian of a cat...His little mane and little claws. His curling tail and mischevious face. Casspian felt himself staring for a while, forgetting to answer the Deek, until he noticed his companion running up behind him. It was none other that the cyborg woman, with the Tyuu following close behind.

The girl's words were much more subdued, a small hint of either embarrassment or shyness present, coming from the mild stuttering in her speech. Casspian gazed over her once more,noticing she was quite pretty while eyeing her gloved hands and the bulge in her pocket. Casspian's mind was working, trying to figure out the right kind of answer for this situation, while glancing or to where his captain was, seeing him disappear into a nearby store. Casspian sighed, realizing he would be rather alone on this one, seeing how Gemma had her hand full as well.


"Well...yes, I believe we are looking for passengers...Unfortunately, we already have an efficient Mechanic, so I am not sure if we are in need of another...especially since he is not very welcoming to strangers trying to come into his territory." He paused, not wishing to disappoint the group more that he needed to. He automatically raised his hands, an apologetic expression coming to his face that was so convencing that many would think he was human for a moment. "But I do believe that we are still offering lifts...as long as your Deek friend here reframes from gnawing the furniture as he has promised." He gave a small, slightly awkward chuckle, signalling it was just a small joke before he coninued once more. "Our next stop is Planet Dręxēl, where I am fairly certain you will be able to find a crew in need of your...skills. That is as far as I believe we can take you."

Casspian looked past the small group once more, taking notice that the Captain was returning...an odd machine in tow. Another once of the Captain's odd "retro" fascination, Casspian expected. He sighed once more, his smile turing into a small frown. "I'm fairly certain we do not have room for another one of Nova's oddities..." He looked back to the group once more, an apologetic smile working its way back across his youthful face as his hand came up to rub the back on his neck, he shifted his weight, resting another hand on his hip before he addressed them once more. "You will have to ask the Captain if you can come along...I sadly do not have that sort of authority...The last time I brought a something aboard without the Captain's permission, he dropped it on a lonely planet in the middle of the Banner Galaxy." That was with reference to the last cat he had brought along. The creature was perfectly alright; however, Casspian was still heartbroken over losing his pet.

Casspian stepped aside as Nova came through, automatically following behind him as he gestured for the others to do the same. "This way." The walk back was rather quick, Casspian stepping up on the ramp and watching as the new machine was hooked up in the kitchen. Casspian's frown only deepened, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and his thumb. "Captain..do yu really think that you should be spending our hard earned creds on this..." He paused, thinking of his words carefully. "Primitive hunk of junk?"

He was not really expecting an aswer, watching the passengers flood in, starting with two humans, the male extending his hand and introducing himself as Theron and his sister, the smaller female, as Artemia. Casspian took those names to memory, eyeing over the male and scanning his threat level. He would have to do a full scan of every person, accessing medical records for any sort of infectious deceases, and Police records for any sort of warrants. It was less for the crew and more so for Casspian's ever present curiousity in each new face. he had already done it to every present member of the crew, finding out many things about each person without their knowledge.

For now, Casspian would reframe from doing such scans, seeing as how these stray beings were only looking for a lift; however, there would always be the every present edge, an inability to fully relax in case any of these beings decided to attack and take over the ship.

This thought process would most likely go unnoticed, Casspian's polite smile working its way across his face as he gave a small bow the the two. "Welcome aboard Theron, Artemia."

The third passenger to come aboard seemed to have a bit of hostility towards Theron. Casspian's gaze went back and forth between the two for a moment, his smile faltering slightly into one of fascination. It was interesting how relationships would so quickly form between beings, be it negative or positive. Casspian shook it off, deciding to eye the woman's markings on her slightly greyish skin. She was actually quite to pretty, to living beings standards he believed so, but he felt inclined to stay silent on that matter, wishing to not cause any sort of embarrassment to her. Instead, he gave another small bow. "Welcome aboard. We are all happy to have you."

He looked to the Captain then, before shifting his gaze towards the Deek, the Cyborg, and the Tyuu on the ramp. "Welcome to all of you. I hope we can provide all the comforts necessary for the journey."

​

 

[AshenAngel]

Furrowed brows... Lines of code muttered between soft lips... Fingers racing over a small digital keyboard...

0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 / E N T E R

A long second passed, in which a glimmer of hope flashed into the sharp blue eyes of the technical genius. That was before a single message appeared on the pale blue screen.

E R R O R : 0 1 7 3

Leone let out a long, drawn out sigh of annoyance as his slim fingers lifted from his work pad and massaged his temples. Nearly thirty hours without sleep... For there to still be an error. It was aggravating, to say the least. No colorful language slipped through the firmly pressed lips of the not quite so young man, though those words were close at hand. The sonar program in his helmet was just being difficult. It wasn't cooperating with his other programs. And it should've been fixed by his massive coding overhaul. But it wasn't. His tired gaze ran over the bustling spaceport, analytical as always. It never focused on anything for too long, until a certain commotion captured his attention.

Trying to come up with an idea... Putting space between the problem... Realizing that two big aliens were working their way through the crowd towards him...

A scowl crossed the Terran's face. If he recalled correctly, those were two guys who he played poker with last night. It had been a relatively easy-going game. He couldn't understand exactly why the two looked like they wanted to rip him limb from limb. However, he wasn't planning on finding out. He casually packed up his equipment into his bag. His helmet was in there as well. He rose from his table in a casual way. His long legs carried him smoothly through the crowd and through more than a few merchant stands. The merchants called out in several languages and attempted to press certain products upon the Terran, though they went ignored. The two aliens were held up by the outgoing merchants, having opened up communications with them.

He found himself where several ships were parked. He needed to get out of here and quickly. Of course, he wouldn't do anything insane like stealing a ship. Just because he gambled did not mean he was interested in riskier activities. He was a rational human being, after all. He instead listened for three words. Then he heard them.

"Well...yes, I believe we are looking for passengers..."
​

His gaze fell upon the speaker, an impressive looking droid with an even more impressive AI program by the sound of it. He casually walked up to the droid.

"Excuse me, sir, but where is your next planned stop?"

His voice was soft and smooth as he asked his simple question. He wanted to make sure he wouldn't be riding along into a much more dangerous situation. The human remained polite. His weapons were in his bag, despite his better judgement. It was most likely for the better, as it would help him seem like less of a threat. Which increased the odds of him getting on a ship.

 

[Grothnor]

Dylan came back rather quickly, much to Gemma's surprise. "That was fast. Did you get my computer parts?" Dylan gave a look of surprise that told her that he'd forgotten. Gemma sighed. "Goes out for parts and comes back with a damn vending machine. Son of a scrapshunt," she muttered to herself as she packed up her net terminal and grabbed her gun case. Here's hoping that Dręxēl has a decent electronic selection. "Okay, folks," she called out to the assorted passengers, "Welcome to the Moonage Daydream, your new home for the foreseeable future. Yes, it's pronounced 'Moon Age,' not moonage. This ship is not named after mooning people.

"I believe you have all met our Captain Nova. He is also our pilot, our cook and our resident idiot." Gemma grinned,savoring her petty revenge as Dylan made a face. "You can call me Gemma. I'm the ship's tech expert and the self-appointed tour guide. I'll let the rest of the crew introduce themselves at their own pace. If you'll follow me, I get you sorted out and settled, and show you where all the important things are." She pointed to the cryogenic food dispenser Dylan had brought with him. "That is not one of them."

 

[Roose Hurro]

Jokes and Androids...



Jokes...

Pico understood humor, though it had taken him years to learn. Especially the finer points. Yet life was anything but a joke to him, so his sense of humor tended to have its serious side. Especially towards those who made his life... difficult. Yes, a better word could be found, but this one works. Keeps the fur from flying. Keeps other body parts from flying. So, yes, both Drassil and Jinx could be excused for not being so sure about Pico. Perfectly understandable.

Androids...

Pico had no problem with Artificial Life Forms. They shredded nearly as easily as flesh, more often than not. If they got to be... difficult. But he made a habit of not letting go, of not letting his base, crude, predatory nature rule his actions. Still, he was a predator, not someone to treat lightly. So Casspian's feelings had quite reasonable grounds for existence. And Pico took no offense at this android's confusion... he simply rolled his eyes at this unintended short-joke mime and grinned at Casspian with his most "charming" smile. Even if Pico had known Casspian's "scaly beast" thoughts, his smile wouldn't have gone away. He would just chalk it up to "expectations"... reptiles always had scales. Not that he was in any way a reptile. He just gave off that "vibe."

And then he gave Casspian a bow of acknowledgement. Satisfied. Followed android, crew and companions till he found himself standing on the Moonage Daydream's entry ramp. Where he kept his ears turned forwards as he listened to "Gemma" give the ship's rundown speech. Then he raised a claw…

… "I have one question… can your ship's systems handle Level Three bio-hazardous waste?"


-----------------------------------------------------------

 

[four]

The captain had always made a thing over the crew maintaining a professional image towards the public. All of it about his helmet, the codenames, walking upright with determined stares forwards, and having none of the shenanigans that ensued regularly aboard the Daydream.

Emily generally found it very difficult.
__________

"this...primitive hunk of junk?"

"No need to get all sour over it, Cassie."

Emily said as she landed a few comforting pats on the android's back.

She had to admit, though, Casspian's angst was much understandable, and actually quite well founded - she would probably have felt much the same if she was inherently incapable of knowing what a slurpee tasted like.

The group streamed back towards the dock and started to board the daydream - with quite an increase in the number of members. She settled her kit temporarily against one of the walls next to the entrance, and leant against the same wall as she watched the scene in front of her.

"...I believe you have all met our Captain Nova. He is also our pilot, our cook and our resident idiot. You can call me Gemma -"

She snorted a laugh at Gemma's humour peppered throughout her rundown introduction. There were things that no-one would consider without someone else mentioning it first, and the proposed alternative pronunciation of the ship's name was one of them. She entertained momentarily the imagination of Dylan's reaction to perhaps one of the passengers following the wrong one of interpretations of the name of his beloved ship.

"- That is not one of them."

Oh come on, who are you kidding.

Emily disagreed thoroughly with this opinion towards the food dispenser, but did not articulate it.

One thing she noticed was how Gemma referred to Dylan still with his alias - which was a reminder that these people onboard they intended only to give a lift and not to take in permanently. Did that mean that they needed to maintain the facade through the entire duration of the trip? Not slipping Dylan's name was going to be a challenge.

Drawing her thoughts away from that but keeping it in mind, she tidied her shirt and hair before she moved away from the wall and towards part of the newly assembled group of passengers. In fact, one member of it in particular.

"Hello."

She coughed and convinced herself that she did not look too nervous.

"My name is Emily Goodnight, and I am the resident medical officer of this ship," she said, "Great to meet you."

She put up the best not-intimidating smile she could manage as she waited for the cyborg to respond. Inside, of course, she was trying very hard not to be overwhelmed by the excitement of actually meeting her in person, and that had the effect of her usually well-hidden accent coming through a little more than usual.

"You are of Terran origin, correct?" She said, "I wish to ask you a few questions-"

And then there was, in the background, someone asking something else. She decided she'll have to talk to whoever had level three biohazardous waste in hand to be dealt with - but that could probably wait until later.

Emily quickly pulled out of her diverted thread of thought and directed her attention back at the cyborg. Organic head, metal from the neck down - none of it was visible under her clothes and gloves, yet Cassie's reports were reliable. She needed to get her hands on the information about whoever crafted and integrated this marvel - and at the same time had bad enough taste to also build a weapons system into it.

"Can you - tell me about the person who built your prosthetics?"

@Thurrbo

 

[BB-Bauers]

Jinx was amazed at the android as he so politely and humorously addressed the three of them. Honestly, if it weren't for the few physical characteristics that gave him away, she would have thought he was perhaps actually human. The line between the two -- human and android, that is -- seemed to get blurrier and blurrier with each passing day for Jinx. And while it was incredible to think about, it was also growing increasingly more unsettling. She shook her head clear of these thoughts, trying to keep her mind focused at the task at hand.

So they didn't have a need for mechanics? That wasn't really a problem for Jinx, seeing as she would have been quite useless as a mechanic. Despite what her exterior might have implied, she was much more useful in the realm of the humanities than the sciences. (If the humanities could ever be considered useful.) She nodded in thanks as they were led onto the ship -- which was every bit as beautiful on the inside as it was outside. "Wow..." Jinx gasped quietly, slowly taking in her surroundings.

She was brought back to the present when another shipmate, named Gemma, introduced herself and gave the low-down on how things were going to work as they made their way to planet Drexel. When she was done, everyone was instructed to follow after her, as she would give a brief tour of the ship. And based on the size and spaciousness of the craft, Jinx could tell she was going to need the directions.

However, she was suddenly intercepted before following by someone else -- more precisely, the blue woman who Jinx had noticed eye-ing her earlier. She introduced herself as the ship's medical officer by the name of Emily. If Jinx was worried about the intentions of those glances from earlier, she was at least now content to know that they weren't hostile; rather, there was a glint of nervous excitement in the woman's eyes. Surely, that wouldn't have been the case if she was looking for trouble, right?

"Nice to meet you, Emily," she said, smiling warmly in return. "I'm Jinx." Emily assumed correctly that Jinx was of Terran origins; however, she was not from Earth itself. Rather, she was born and raised on a small Terran colony planet elsewhere in the galaxy. But that didn't seem important at the moment... However, the question that followed was.

Jinx froze up at the question regarding her 'prosthetics,' her warm smile fading. The word was so... distant, that it made her cringe. How had Emily noticed? Jinx was dressed from head to toe, covered entirely... She even had her gloves on today. "Oh, m-my prosthetics...?" Maybe it was her movement that gave it away. To someone with a trained eye, it may very well have been possible to notice the subtle difference in motion and movement. But then, of course, that begged the follow up question -- what did she mean by prosthetics? Was Emily referring to just her arms or her legs, or did she know about the full body-transplant -- that Jinx was really 90% an android at this point? "It was a, uh... a Dr. Khan and Dr. Medley. They were my physicians growing up, back on my---" she paused suddenly. She was about to say 'home planet' before realizing how uncomfortable the phrase made her feel. That place wasn't more of a home than any other, so why should it deserve such a title? "---planet," Jinx finished, quite abruptly.​

 

[Daws Combine]

Izzy tried her best to keep quiet. The last thing she needed was to get caught, in here. Nothing was worse than getting kicked off a ship. If they were nice, they would tie her up and launch her out the airlock. If not, God only knows what they would do first. It scared her. She had heard stories of what some ships do to stowaways. The "kill one and the rest will scatter" mantra is popular among captains, nowadays. Hopefully she had gotten lucky.

She heard talking. These people were taking passengers. She almost swore to herself before she remembered that she had just stolen several hundred thousand credits. Her remaining undetected was for the best, right now. She continued to crawl along in the vents, doing all she could to be silent.

Soon enough, she was at a second grate. If she stayed here, she would be found for sure. She knocked the grate out and hopped out into the hallway. She looked to her right. Clear. She clapped her hands and Dizzy hopped out of the vents after her, landing in her waiting arms. She looked left. She was standing directly in the path of the impromptu tour.

So much for secrecy...

 

[mr_pibbs]

"Planet Drëxâl, kid. But we're flexible with the destination if that's too pricey for you." Dylan explained, nodding at the newcomer shortly before Gemma asked if he forgot the computer parts. "Gem, you know that I completely support your techno-mumbo jumbo, right? Well, the thing is... I really kind of forgot to get them. I mean, come on. There's parts all over the galaxy, I'm sure we can find something elsewhere. But in the meantime, I'm sure if you find the right code, we can re-wire the old Insta-Food* so it'll create basic computer parts and whatnot until we get you the stuff you need." he explained before she commented about him being the resident moron. Smiling at her slyly, Dylan rolled his eyes (hidden under the mask) and said "Go." before lightly tapping her rear in a friendly, yet playful manner.

**The current Insta-Food is the second unit installed on the Moonage Daydream. The first one was destroyed after somebody put tin-foil into it**

Then, Caspian asked what to do with the 'primitive hunk of junk'. Shocked at what Caspian had just said, Dylan stood there staring at him. "Primitive hunk of junk?" he asked, keeping his tone serious and relatively without emotion. "Yeah, because that's accurate. If you feel that something old shouldn't exist anymore, maybe you need to get off of my ship." For a moment, he watched Caspian as the robot turned away from him, silently judging the machine. Dylan wasn't normally like that, but whenever he showed little to no emotion, it meant he was seriously insulted. He never wasted money. If it wasn't for him, the crew wouldn't have found that job... Well, technically it was Jor who found that job for Dylan, but that was going too far into detail. The point is, Dylan was the Captain, and if anyone had a question about his skills or judgement, then they had the option to leave at any time.

Before anyone even walked onto his ship, Dylan took a long swig from his Slurpee and just watched as everyone spoke amongst themselves, trying to calm himself down before he did something stupid. When they seemed ready to go, he pointed forwards and marched inside, sealing the hull behind them when everyone was in. "Now then, Gem and the Holograms over here will give you a brief tour of the facilities, but I'm gonna lay a few ground rules down. Number one: long as you're on my ship, you listen to my orders. Disobey those orders, then we got a problem. Number two: no violence permitted aboard the Daydream. If I so much as see anyone raise a finger or point a gun at me, my crew, or anyone traveling with us, then I swear you'll spend the rest of the trip locked in your bunk without so much as a crumb to eat. Finally, number three: you will leave your bags in the cargo hold. If need to get something from your bag, then a crew member will escort you here and supervise you at all times. Now, we do have sit down meals, the next one being in about two hours, but you're allowed to come down to the kitchen as often as you'd like. But, again, you'll need supervision from a crew member. I'm typically free, so feel free to ask me for anything. Also, this ones just kind of a basic rule of thumb, but if you use the toilet, don't sit down when you flush. You know how when you're on an airplane and you flush the toilet, the bowl becomes really pressurized and it feels like the air is being sucked out from the room? Well, imagine multiplying that feeling by about 200 and instead of the air being sucked out, its your internal organs, mainly your intestines."

Once he finished explaining the rules of the ship, Dylan happened to see a young woman and a... Thing, sitting in the middle of his hallway, staring right at him. She looked scared and hungry, most likely a stowaway. But rather than charge at her aggressively, Dylan just stared at her and began to speak in a relaxed tone. "Um... Hi there. Don't worry, Um... Girl... We won't hurt you. You wouldn't happen to be trying to hitch a ride without us knowing, would you? Because... That would be bad."

 

[DoomyCakez]

@Sora1297 @four @Grothnor @Roose Hurro
@Daws Combine

"No need to get sour over it, Cassie."

Casspian did not move, his nano suit shifting slightly under Emily's touch as she gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. It was rather unlike Casspian to question the Captain's purchases, usually being the one to fully support him during these times. Maybe it had to deal with the fact that Casspian played no part in the day's mission today. He was slightly sour from not doing his job today and allowing himself do be distracted.

The moment he had said it, Casspian had felt the comment rather harsh, watching Dylan tense and turn towards him in mild shock...well..before most emotion disappeared from his form. Casspian felt himself tense as well, the silent stare between the two speaking a number of words.

"yeah, because that is accurate." Sarcasm. That was the start of it. Captain was rather insulted by Casspian's comment. That had not been Casspian's intention to cause such a rift in their friendship...It was bound to happen from time to time, being that the two were usually together. Personalities were made to clash and words were made to be misinterpreted from time to time. Possibly, Casspian's analyzation of the captain's purchase had been rather harsh...even though it was accurate. The machine was slightly rusted, the paint job having faded until the original purple was nothing more that a simple lilac. What the Captain had found as a true treasure was, at least to Casspian's realistic eyes, a 'hunk of junk'. He had little to no knowledge of what a Slurpee was, or why all of the other passengers seemed perfectly happy with it aboard. It was Casspian's innocence of it that had caused the insult, causing Casspian's expression to turn to one of a more apologetic nature. "My apologies, Nova...I had no intention of-"

"If you believe something old should not exist anymore,maybe you should get off my ship." That comment stung Casspian into silence, his eyes widening slightly as he decidedly held his tongue. In moments as these, Casspian knew it was better to just let someone calm down rather than try and explain yourself; however, that did not mean that it still hurt Casspian slightly. The android blinked, his expression falling blank before he dropped his gaze towards the deck and moved out of the way as Dylan stepped inside, Following just behind his Captain's left side as usual. The haul was sealed and Dylan turned to give the ground rules; however, it seemed that Casspian had fallen out of grace.

Tin-can... It was a rather childish insult; however, it did not stop it from stinging slightly, Casspian's gaze rising once more to see Captain had settled on ignoring him for now. It that was how Captain would cope, so be it, but Casspian could not halt the mild irritation that was rising withing himself. He was not 'Tin'...he was Vibranium, a correction he already knew that Captain was aware of very well. It was times like these that Casspian felt that the crew seemed to forget that Casspian could still understand the emotions he was displaying. He could not actually feel them, but it did not mean that they would not surface and disrupt his productivity.

Casspian did not comment, instead he nodded along, closing his eyes to ignore the sudden frustration that was building within him after Captain referred to him as 'tin-can' once more, asking Emily to take him and do a survey of stow-aways. Casspian usually went with Dylan to do that, but it seemed that Dylan was bent on ignoring him for now. Casspian felt slightly hurt by that...or at least that was what his AI told him to do. Casspian blinked, pushing back the sudden flow of emotions rising within himself and fading back to an emotionless Android.

He turned, taking a few steps down the hall before turning back to Emily. Any sign of the insult that had been there was absent from his face...Instead, he smiled friendly, gesturing down the hall for Emily to come along. "Shall we, Doctor?" His smile faltered slightly; however, he turned away once more to keep that hidden; however, upon turning, Casspian watched as the grate was suddenly knock from the wall. Casspian's defenses instantly went up, switching to security mode as his arm switched over to his gamablaster: stun mode.

Casspian was an android, yes; however, that did not mean that it stung to be referred to as such...especially in his current condition. Recently, Casspian had almost forgotten he was just a bot, finding himself growing more and more and leaning more towards the human side of things...at least, he thought he had; however, it was times like these that always reminded him of who he was. He was an android, and nothing more...and it was usually best for him to remember his place, being that Captain had returned the walls and had replaced that lines that had been blurred between the two. Casspian knew it had been unintentional, being that Dylan was just hurt by Casspian's comment, but it was common for many to forget and fall back into the prejudices that usually separated Bot and Man...It did not mean that it was any less hurtful.

It was Emily's comment that seemed to stay in Casspian's mind. No need to get sour. It seemed that that was what Casspian would have to deal with for now, not being sour and simply moving on with his duties, deciding to push back the layer of emotions that were working to disrupt his productivity. He would be slightly robotical for now, the organic nature that he usually kept falling back and being replaced with an emotionless stare. It was better to cope that way, rather than dealing with the flood of confusing emotions...at least he was able to do that...Maybe that was the better part of being a droid. He would not be sour about the comment...more than not, it would be completely forgotten as the crew busied themselves on the ship...Casspian would not forget though...he never forgot.

"Security breach. Stowaway detected." He once again ignored those feelings, switching on his scanners to evaluate the person coming out of the vent. To Casspian's surprise, the being was nothing more than a child. She looked to be no older than her preteens, many tattoos dotting her greyish skin. In her arms, she clung to a dog-like creature, something foreign to even Casspian's scanners. Her small face was framed by long, brown locks, golden eyes staring at the crew with an odd amount of intensity. His scanners told him the child was Makelo, a rare sight on a space station such as this, which caused him to stare with curiosity at the small Stowaway.

Casspian found himself rather unsure what to do at this moment, his emotionless gaze softening to one of mild concern as he looked to the others for a decision. He did not wish to be the one to shoot a child and her pet; however, Dylan's policy on stowaways was strict.​

 

[Daws Combine]

Izzy held Dizzy even closer to her, her eyes flicking between the Captain and the android. She had to get away. Some of these people were human. Thankfully, it didn't seem that they had pegged her for Makelo yet, so that was good. What wasn't good was the fact that the android had scanned her. The refraction in his eyes was a dead giveaway. Light moved differently when infrared beams were involved. She took one hand off of Dizzy to sign at Nova. If he understood Makelo Sign Language, he would gather that she had money on her and could pay her way, if needed. If money didn't work, her services would do, as well. She really didn't want to be kicked off the ship. She needed a way out of here. Silent tears began to trickle down her face, unacknowledged by Izzy, as she was occupied trying to save her life.

 

[CrunchyCHEEZIT]

Prologue: Lambda

Log Entry No. 312, Date Variable; 238...This is possibly the fourth time he has come across a station this week; this sector seems to be overflowing with orbital platforms. Unless the course variable was miscalculated, Lambda had hoped he hasn't wasted precious time floating around in circles. Time is a finite resource, replenished only through re-communication with the Venorin Fleet. 10 years passed and the fleet hasn't seemed to change since Lambda left on his voyage-- indulging in xeno-commerce never gets old for them, it seems. This station seems to be largely commercial in appearance; countless ships of many designs. It took Lambda only 5 years to memorize the ship designs of civilized space. A shame no other race has indulged in actual thought to redesign their vessels to a much more cost-effective saucer de--

Bah, he was getting ahead of himself. The only ship design Lambda can never identify on the fly would be Human. Homo Sapiens, species of bipedal mammalian primates originating from Earth; third rock from the sun. Lambda would be lying if he said the Greys were never interested in Humans; their incredibly malleable genetic code and diverse thought processes make them quite notable in the xenoscience studies. The closest thing Lambda can compare the Human species to would be the Zergyranid;l An extremely hostile race of constantly evolving bio-organism bent on consum--

Ok, so perhaps Humans aren't like that. But they spread incredibly quickly and seem to hold mating high in their society. They don't mate for reproduction-- they do out of pleasure. Pleasure is a thing that comes from discovering new things and expanding the scientific realm...how the Humans manage to simulate such a feeling through meaningless mating rituals is remarkable. Lambda would continue to think about human mating rituals as he stood cluelessly at the docking zone of the statio-- ah, right, he is in a station.

Lambda airlocked his saucer and made sure to turn on the magnetic sealers this time before leaving. The small grey shuffled past vast crowds of much taller species, with some people looking dumbfounded at the Grey walking among the common peoples of the galaxy. Lambda explored the majority of the station rather quickly, his small physique finally being useful at something other than snapping painfully. Lambda ended his exploration of the station when he reached the other side of the docks.

A large, brown ship was sitting there. Obviously of human design, with the word "DAYDREAM" plastered on its side.

@Anyone boarding the ship​

 

[four]

"Khan and ... Medley. Huh."

Colony world, then, Emily thought. The circle of people who worked with cybernetic transplants wasn't a big one, and the frequency at which the two names were positioned next to each other preceding an et. al. in the things she read meant that it wasn't a lot of mental effort to piece things together. She knew that at least one of them was Terran (she had met neither in person and academic documents seldom contained photographs of their authors), and that Terran surgeons tended not to move around much was sufficient for her to make guesses.

Emily also noticed the pause before Jinx was able to usher the word "planet", and the abruptness with which the sentence ended after that. She didn't pay it much mind, though.

"Good folks, those two," she said, "Never thought they were this good, though. There's been, what, " she lifted a hand to count figuratively in the air even though she already knew the number that came next, "four times a full body restoration like this being carried out?"

"Alright. Anyway, enjoy the ride, Jinx." Emily patted Jinx firmly on the shoulder. She couldn't help but again the rigidness of the surface below those clothes. "You're beautiful, kid." she said, that last comment ambiguous in whether it referred to the technology or the person, or both.

She moved away from the captain's line of sight and looked in the same direction he was to see what he was addressing - a Makelo, apparently from the race's distinctive features, curled up on the ship. Emily had no idea how the Makelo got there - and, since apparently neither did Dylan, this had the potential to not turn out so well.

Emily then recalled that Dyl knew Makelo sign language - did he? She remembered that he did. Either way, she came to the decision to leave this between the passenger and the captain, and to carry on with whatever she was doing beforehand. And what was that?

Oh, right.

"The gentleman asking about biohazardous waste," she said, a little louder to indicate that she was addressing someone in the group to come forth, and in the mean time doing a quick headcount to remember what this batch was consisted of, in which quite coincidentally, the short dragon-ish creature standing behind the captain was neglected, "details?"

 

[BB-Bauers]

Jinx flinched at the words "full body restoration" -- ah, so Emily did notice... Not only that, but she somehow knew Dr. Khan and Dr. Medley as well, which just weirded Jinx out. It made sense that their names would be familiar, what with them being all over the literature, but what were the chances? She was shocked into silence as Emily paid her respects to the doctors and their talent. "Uh, yeah -- four times maybe. Something like that..." she muttered, suddenly extremely self-conscious. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was being inspected and examined, and it made her very uncomfortable. Like some artifact on display in a museum.

But then, something different happened. Something that didn't usually follow these kinds of conversations. Jinx flinched and snapped out of it as a firm hand from Emily landed on her shoulder, and she was told she was beautiful. Wh-What did she just say? Jinx's eyes went wide with genuine surprise, a blush creeping onto her face as Emily walked off. "Th-Thank you...!" she managed in response. What a strange thing to say -- and what a strange thing to hear. Not that Jinx had these conversations often, but the things people usually answered were more along the lines of: "Wow! So how did they do it?" or "How are you still alive if all that is machine?!" or "Hey, since you're basically a robot now -- do you think you could fix my droid? He's been acting all haywire recently." Jinx heard that last one (or variations of it) far more often than she'd like to remember; and, of course, it always frustrated her because she's wasn't a mechanic by any means... But never once had anyone told her she was beautiful.

While Jinx was lost in her thoughts, she was suddenly brought back to the present by some disturbance that was happening on up ahead. It seemed a stowaway had just accidentally revealed herself. Jinx noticed her signing a couple things with one hand, and she instantly recognized the movements. The Makelo looked quite frightened, a look of urgency in her eyes as tears began to trickle down her face. Jinx took a step forward before stopping herself -- she wanted to help, but she didn't want to interfere in matters she didn't belong if interference wasn't necessary. Instead, she froze there, anxiously biting her lip, waiting to see what the captain would do.​

 

[AshenAngel]

Humorous remarks.... Playful banter.... Undeniably troublesome beings....

It would seem that Leone didn't have many other options, however. So he climbed aboard and bit his tongue at the so-called Captain's kid remark. That guy was probably younger than him. The ground rules given were mildly reasonable, but he needed his bag so he could keep working on his helmet. Perhaps a break from the project would be beneficial.

Very suddenly, a stowaway dropping down from an air vent caught his eye and snapped him from his thoughts. His gaze flashed between the droid and the captain, wondering what the procedure for that might be. He dug around in his bag a bit, moving his holographic work pads into the pockets of his jacket. He couldn't afford to have those stolen from him, otherwise someone could easily steal his future plans and make a fortune off of them. His helmet and weapons, those would be impossible to reverse engineer. He remained silent as he thought of what else he needed from his bag.