RP XSDF Roleplay Thread: Vanguard of Forseti

[DarkGemini24601]

DarkGemini24601 and MarineAvenger: “Surprised to Meet You”

Einherjar, Somewhere over the Pacific
January 17th, 2044
Gym
10:45 A.M.

Cayden took a swig of his bottle of water as he wiped his sweaty forehead with a towel, his morning run on the treadmill having left him a bit breathless for a bit. It appeared he wasn’t the only with a morning routine, other men and women occupying the gym. Cayden didn’t know any of them, only having met a few people since coming so he had no idea who was a soldier or different. It was weird being in an environment where everyone was mixed together. Usually, he had always been with other Rangers he knew. Now, things had changed and he was still not certain whether or not it was for the better yet.

“Look, I’m fine with you following me around a bit… though I doubt you’ll find much use out of a gym, Sparks,” a South American man approaching the treadmill next to Cayden said to a short gray creature with mechanical limbs in place of normal ones. “Just keep in mind there are times that we must go our separate ways. Picking up chicks, for instance. Do… do Sectoids have those?”

Kelio shook his head. “Not that we can tell anymore,” the gray alien spoke through a psychic translator, having a normal, if a bit squeaky and excited, voice. “I understand, though…”

“Not saying you’re ugly or anything, just… don’t want to trot you around like a dog or something,” Kallpa said with a smirk, hopping onto the treadmill while Kelio sat down nearby.

Cayden glanced at the Sectoid briefly before he looked to Kallpa. “Your friend can join you, I just got done with my run.”

“I doubt he’d really need it for much, being all skin and bones,” Kallpa joked, though he motioned for Kelio to come over.

“Still never hurts to at least try. You don’t come to a gym to just sit around and watch unless you are a very desperate guy.” Cayden looked around, knowing very well how some of the guys acted around the women.

“Fair enough,” Kallpa responded as Kelio set the treadmill to a similar setting to Kallpa, confident in his mechanical limbs. Huh, he almost looks like someone I’ve seen before… was it…could it be? “What’s your name?” the former sheriff asked.

“I’m Cayden, you?” He asked, letting his towel rest on his neck.

“Kallpa Vizcarra,” the Incan stated, not yet short of breath even though the speed was fairly high. “Just curious, but you’re not related to a Desmond Walker, are you? You look a lot like that guy.”

Cayden raised an eyebrow at the question. “Of course I know him, he is my father. You...know him?”

Kallpa’s eyes bulged for a moment, and he nearly tripped and fell, managing to click the off button before his offset balance got the better of him. “N-Not know… but I watched a ton of the old XCOM reels when I was a kid…” He composed himself a little and hopped off the treadmill. “Really uh… look up to your dad. He’s a cool person.”

“You watched combat reels as a kid?” Cayden asked, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, thanks...I, uh...guess.”

Kallpa shook his head. “Well, fifteen specifically. Not like I watched that stuff when I was six, my parents aren’t crazy or anything. What’s he like these days? I imagine he’s even stronger than he was before…”

“He’s...well a dad. He didn’t really do much after the war. His life has been very quiet.” Cayden felt a bit awkward talking for his father but he thought he might as well indulge the guy.

“Ah, alright.” Kallpa rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, didn’t mean to go all fangirl on your dad. Just never thought I’d meet him or one of his kids.”

“It’s fine. Just never thought the Walker name would carry fans along with it.”

“Well, mind if I ask if you have any psionic abilities? I doubt I do, all I’ve got is my trusty arm here.” Kallpa wound his mechanical left arm in a circle. “And before you ask, no, I didn’t get one to look like Desmond. Bank robber with an autolaser blew it off.”

“Ow. Yeah, I do. I was born a natural one.” Cayden leaned in to show Kallpa his eyes. “Though I wear an inhibitor at all times.” Next he showed the necklace.

“Like the one… what was her name… Tiala? Like the one she wore.” Kallpa shrugged. I guess that means he’s strong enough to need it.

“Something of the sort. I just don’t get a shock when I use ‘em.”

“So, what brings you to the XSDF?” Kallpa chuckled, shaking his head in amusement at himself. “You don’t want to hear my reason. Just some boring speech about protecting the galaxy and other self-righteous crap.”

“Well...to be completely blunt I was bored. Things weren’t going my way so I thought I would maybe try and follow my Dad’s footsteps. Though from the warning of some people hopefully not exactly follow.” Cayden shook his head and looked to the floor.

“Not… sure I get what you mean. If you mean not have an evil archnemesis, sure, that’s probably preferable,” Kallpa responded, trying to lighten the mood. Kelio finished up and hopped down beside him as the Incan rested his right hand behind his head with the left at his side, trying to offer Cayden a reassuring smile.

“Well for one, the arm. Plus nearly dying against every strong opponent and the whole distrust thing the first half of his time there, leaves little to be desired.” Cayden looked to the Sectoid and asked, “So what’s your story?”

Kelio perked up. “Well, my name is Kelio Sparks. I was created in Labratory Four-B of the XSDF Supra-Battleship named the Arkbird, in cloning vat 14. I was created for the purpose of being a scientist or engineer, but the other Sectoids there gave me a choice about whether I could fulfill a role as part of the XSDF or go do my own thing. I consider it for a bit but then decided on being a technical engi-”

“Sparks! At least give him a… slightly condensed version, please,” Kallpa groaned with exasperation.

The Sectoid sulked for a moment. “Sorry… if you were wanting to know how I became a MEC Trooper, I lost vision in my right eye and had severe damage to my right hand after I left the XSDF for awhile. I ended up on Adamantem when I rejoined, and was an ambassador there up until I got caught up in that bank robbery Kallpa was talking about. I was inspired by his courage and decided to become a soldier, so I figured why not have my limbs upgraded since they were damaged anyway?”

The Sectoid looked at his metal hands. “My race is weak anyway without something like this… and I wasn’t going to be one of those mutated guys with the stronger psionics.”

“Well that’s quite a story. Maybe one day you can tell me it all.” Cayden gave Kelío a friendly smile.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

MarineAvenger and DarkGemini24601: “Initial Checkup”

Earth, Sol System (January 16th, 2044)
The Einherjar (1:27 P.M.)
Medical Ward

The clock on the wall seemed to be the only sound in the waiting room, the typing of a secretary seeming to be overtaken by the sound of the pesky annoyance. Connor bounced his knee up and down in anticipation, having been told today would be his first meeting with one of the doctors that would be overseeing his recovery. He had been laying down in his new room when the messenger had told him about his appointment, only having time to throw on just his jacket over top his undershirt, the sleeves of the jacket rolled up so he wouldn’t be as hot with it on and a pair of sweatpants. He ran a hand across his forehead, letting out a sigh in boredom as he waited for his name to be called.

After what seemed like forever, the secretary called out, “Karo, Connor,” with something of a bored tone in his voice. Waiting for Connor beside the secretary’s desk was a young woman who appeared to be in her very early twenties, though with the Aeternam solution she was probably closer to her mid twenties in actuality. The woman was wearing a simple XSDF medical uniform, consisting of light gray shoes, white pants, a light blue shirt with a small imprinted badge near the top right, a white medical coat, and light gray gloves. Contrasting with that clean look was her mostly straight, slightly wavy black hair, appearing soft to the touch.

What set her apart from the other doctors there was a duality of an armband around her right wrist and her complexion. The armband was black like her hair, though it looked much rougher with small boxes of machinery and containers fitted around it, light but a bit grotesque. Her features could not be describe that way, however. She was beautiful, though pale and a bit thinner than she probably should be, even as a petite Frenchwoman.

The woman looked up from a physical clipboard she was holding with hazel eyes. “Come with me please,” she said quietly, leading Connor into an examination room and having him sit down in a central chair. Glancing over his file again, she asked, “Did you bring anything onboard the ship with you besides the cigarettes?”

Connor shook his head, just looking at the floor with an expressionless face.

“Alright. We don’t keep any onboard the Einherjar except for emergency reasons, so I will caution you that your supply may not last. I am… told that there might be merchants along the way and at Forseti that might sell them, but I can’t promise that you’ll be able to make contact.” The doctor was silent for a moment. “I am obligated to remind you of the medical risks such a habit takes. Even though we have the means to cure cancer and treat other ailments smoking causes, it is not cheap, and if the medical bill goes too high it may result in the termination of your career here.”

“No disrespect ma’am but I am a soldier on a spaceship heading millions of miles from home to fight who knows what...the effects of smoking aren’t really on the forefront of my mind. I also bought a large carton before I came on board so I will be fine. Can we just...get this over with?” Connor barely looked up from the floor and he spoke in an emotionless way that showed he really did not enjoy this.

“I hope you didn’t come here expecting to die, Mr. Karo.” A pained expression briefly showed on the French woman’s face at the prospect. “Because I will do everything in my power to ensure that does not happen.” Quieter, she added, “I only warn you about the risk you are taking for that very reason.”

“If I was planning to die I would have stayed in the slums. I have no intention of dying anytime soon.” Connor looked up for the first time, his face hard and his eyes dead set with determination.

The doctor nodded, seeming a bit relieved. “I will point out that we have entertainment devices based off the ‘Aethernum Dreamscape Enhancers’ onboard the ship. I won’t force you to quit smoking, but I do encourage you to try the A.D.E. system out. They have been proven to be excellent for stress relief and relaxation, like recreational drugs but without the side effects. Moderation is still important though.”

Shrugging, the Latvian man asked, “Is there...anything more here to do other than talk about what I do for stress relief?”

“I need to run a physical examination to make sure you are fit for combat duty, the usual things,” the woman responded, shifting uncomfortably at the icy treatment she was getting. Pointing a bit shakily to a capsule standing upright on the left end of the room, she added, “Step into that please.”

Getting up from his seat, Connor stared at the capsule with a questioning look. As he stepped into it he asked, “What am I getting in exactly?”

“It’s just a body scanner. A more efficient way of doing this than how physicals are done in less advanced facilities,” the French doctor explained, stepping over to a small terminal and pressing a few onscreen buttons. Two half-rings on either side of Connor moved up and down and shifted a bit in either horizontal direction, blue lines of light folding out and washing over the recruit. His respiratory system seems stable for now, thankfully. “You appear to be in good condition, Mr. Karo,” she announced, noting a few things that weren’t however.

Walking back from the terminal and over to a small table, the woman continued, “Come over here please,” as the capsule door slid open again, allowing Connor to exit.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

He stepped out and rolled his shoulder, walking over to the table. “What is it?” He asked with only a little concern.

“I noticed you have a few injuries. Damage to your hand from an impact, bruises on your chest, and a faint remnant of a fracture on your leg.” Opening a drawer and pulling out an object not unlike a pad but with two tubes filled with orange liquid on the back, she requested, “Place your bandaged hand on the counter please.” The doctor momentarily put down her device on the table as she made her request.

“I’m fine.” He stated, putting the hand in his jacket. “I just got mad and put it through a wall...doesn’t even hurt.” He said as an obvious lie about the pain as he winced when he hid it.

The French woman raised a black eyebrow slightly. “Even if that were true, there’s still no reason not to repair the damage. I understand you often practice with punching bags; it would not do if you were to worsen this injury or the others during exercise.”

Rolling his eyes, Connor reluctantly took the hand out of his pocket and placed it on the table. The doctor carefully set to unwrapping the bandages, doing so to minimize discomfort when she removed them. The obstruction gone, she retrieved her device and hovered it just over the wound. Pressing a button on the side of the thick plate, a thick mist, almost like a cream, washed over the Latvian's hand for several seconds. Before his eyes, the numerous shallow cuts and stitches lacerations on his hand started to bind together like magic.

“This stuff would have come in handy to have in the Octagon. We just had good old bandages and hope the wounds didn’t get worse.” He smiled briefly, mostly to himself before the look and humor left as quickly as it had come.

A faint smile touched the doctor’s expression. “I would be a little shocked if they didn’t these days. A good thing for you, should you ever have the desire to return.” The mist fading and the wound healed, the woman stepped back for a moment. “I don’t know if that’s one of the reasons why you joined the XSDF, but it will go a long way towards mending your reputation.”

Connor’s look quickly turned a bit angry and he let his hand fall to his side. “It’s never going to happen. I’m already washed up.”

“Only if you believe you are. And I was only trying to be nice,” the doctor said quietly, taking a step back.

“I’ve been blackballed from the UFC, made a laughing stock and portrayed as a monster. Lady…” Connor chuckled grimly and shook his head, “I have passed giving up believing things will get better by just fucking hoping for it.”

“That’s… not what I…” The doctor shook her head. “J-Just… lay down on the central table, please.”

Connor did as she asked, taking a deep breath and laying down. Composing herself, the doctor walked over with her device. “Pull up your shirt please.”

Connor looked at her for a brief moment, muttering, “Christ…” As he unzipped his jacket and pulled up the shirt underneath.

Doing her best to just focus on her job, the doctor placed the device over Connor’s chest, mending the bruises pockmarked over it with the same misty gel. “I think the fracture will mend on its own soon, so there isn’t much need to work on that.”

“Didn’t think you guys would ever notice that.” Connor stated, his tone sounding more annoyed with himself than the doctor.

Stepping back to signal that she was done with the medical treatment, the French woman went to put away the biological repair device. She pulled her clipboard back into her hands, and marked off a few things, writing a small note off to the side for a minute. “Do you have any plans to receive genetic or cybernetic modifications?”

“I made no plans to, but if I have to down the road then...I will.”

“It is purely voluntary, of course.” Another checkmark. “And do you wish to volunteer for psionic testing at any point? We have about a week before the Einherjar sets sail.”

“Just to find out. I don’t know anyone in my family or anyone I knew having psionics so I don’t really know what they are like.” Twirling his thumbs, it was obvious that Connor was bored, but he didn’t say anything in regards to it.

The doctor nodded. “Basic testing over three or four days will tell us if you have potential for psionics or not. Other than that, I have only two pieces of information to give you.” She shifted uneasily, not looking forward to telling him the first. “I’m going to be honest with you, I’m recommending to Miss Cross that she speak with you regularly. She’s our therapist aboard the Einherjar.”

“I was already told before getting out of rehab that I would need to see a therapist so I was going to have to do it anyways.” Connor shrugged and just held his hands open a moment.

“Alright. Please work with her. Otherwise it won’t be pleasant for either of you.” Resting her hands in her coat pockets, the doctor added, “The second thing is that I will be doing regular medical checkups of my own, of course. And this isn’t on my list, but… please try to enjoy your time here.” The woman pulled her right hand out of her coat pocket, looking over the device around her wrist. “Life can be more fleeting that we realize. There’s no sense in wasting it.”

“I…” Connor tilted his head at the weird advice and he just responded, “O-Okay. I will at least...try?”

The doctor merely nodded slightly. “I do not want to be your jailor, Mr. Karo. My job is to ensure your health, as every doctor should do above all else.” Pressing the button to open the door, she finished, “I’m usually here or in my room if you need me for something. All you need would need to do is ask for Irina Beaumont.”

Connor looked at the floor and just gave an awkward smile, walking out the door and stopping, turning around and finally said, “Uh...thanks, Ms. Beaumont.”

 

[Frostlich1228]

Frostlich1228 and DarkGemini24601: “Guiding Light”


Earth, Sol System (January 17th, 2044)
The Einherjar (4:21 P.M., GMT)
Office of Camellia M. Cross

Sasha sat in the waiting room for the XSDF psychiatrist aboard the Einherjar, tapping the side of the couch idly. Even though she had fully expected a preliminary check-up like this one, having gone through one upon joining the Russian military and a subsequent visits, meeting a new therapist was always nerve-racking. The Russian-American closed her eyes for minute, measuring her breathing and trying to relax as best she could while she waited to be called in.

The speakers buzzed on lightly as a strangely familiar voice spoke through them, “Ms. Dragomirov, the doctor’s ready to see you now.”

Nodding and springing up a little quicker than she had intended, Sasha made her way over to the door and pressed the small white button to open the door, walking inside the office. As she stepped in, an even more familiar face greeted her, smiling brightly inside the cozy room, “Hey there Sash.”

Sasha’s green eyes brightened a bit at the sight of the white-haired girl. “Camellia? I didn’t realize you worked here… I keep meeting old friends on this ship.”

“Mmhm, I joined to help up to help people and to fit in my parents shoes.” Winter replied, “I was more surprised to find out you were here, honestly.”

The soldier scratched the back of her head. “Well, me and Mikhail both. Even if he’s afraid of space, he refused to stay behind.”

“Wait, he’s afraid of space? I suppose it’s like a fear of flying, except, less rational considering there isn’t much else out here besides us.” She chuckled a little, “Make sure he doesn’t open the window to throw up, alright?”

“Believe me, I think he’s going to avoid the airlocks like the plague.” Sasha sat down in a nearby chair, much more relaxed that she was before now that she knew who she was dealing with.

“So, how’ve you been? Haven’t seen you for a while and the last time I did, wasn’t the best time.” Camellia asked, resting her elbows on her desk.

Sasha’s smiled faded a little. “Well, I’m glad to be done with school, I can tell you that. I followed Mikhail into the military afterwards, and I’ve been with them up until now. Wouldn’t have made it through training if not for some testing I went through.” The Russian pulled out a medium-sized marble from her pocket. “I can show you here since I figure they don’t have any cameras up in here, but I should warn you that I don’t think the Commander is too fond of us using psionics off the battlefield.

A soft orange glow surrounded the round object, and it lifted into the air above Sasha’s opened hand, spinning in a circle briefly before just hovering a foot above it.

Cammelia smiled widely as the show began, yelling, “You’re a Psion?!” She asked, quickly lowering her voice once she realized the walls weren’t the thickest, “That’s amazing! I didn’t know!”

Sasha had the marble drop back into her hand. “Yeah, though my abilities aren’t really that impressive. I can only lift about 66 pounds with my telekinesis right now, and my rift is pretty useless as is. Just a small eddie right now.”

“How much’ve you been practicing with them?” Winter asked, still smiling.

“Well, I’ve got a lot of mileage out of telekinesis lifting debris and other stuff with it,” Sasha explained, smiling a little from how excited Camellia was getting. “Didn’t find much use for my rift though as the only time I would have been able to use it was during the raid of that Humanity Defense building, but it wasn’t combat ready then either. Even if it was my first ability.”

“Don’t worry, stick with me and you’ll be creating black holes in the ground before you know it!” Cammy exclaimed, “I’ll personally help you train your powers, my mom was the same color as you after all.”

“That would be nice. I don’t know of any other strong orange psionics here anyway,” Sasha responded, thinking for a moment. “There is that one Humiliata pilot that I heard some people talking about, but I figure he’d probably brush me off.”

“Seen any aliens yet? I swear I walked past this centaur guy on the way here! He looked like something straight out of my campaigns!” She exclaimed, giggling a little.

“I did see this one girl with pointed ears and a tail,” Sasha replied. “Seemed a little moody to me though. Other than that, a Balmadaar here, a Replitan there. So far the craziest thing I’ve seen has to be this android with these… metal feather wings on his arms. I wanted to get a closer look but I lost sight of him in the main hall crowd.”

“Metal wings? I really don’t think those would even work… Probably doesn’t flap them…” Winter thought before waving her hand, “Anyway, I suppose you’re here for your medicine?”

Sasha nodded. “That along with the initial assessment of my mental state, I assume. Pretty much out of pills after I…” The soldier looked down. “Kind of… spilled them when I got angry…” Sasha mumbled.

“What made you so angry exactly?” Cammy asked, being sure to give her a friendly smile.

Sasha looked up again, shaking her head. “Got into an argument with Mikhail. He wasn’t sure we should go on this voyage… we managed to work it out though, or we wouldn’t be here together.”

“The space thing right? So you’re the one who took the initiative and came up with the idea to join the project?”

“Yeah. I wanted to prove that I could do more than just the basic stuff I was doing in the Russian military… and I figured this was the best place to do something truly significant.”

“So, how are you feeling lately? I suppose you’re pretty excited for your first mission here, huh?” Winter responded.

Sasha shrugged. “Excited and nervous. I’ve never fought with anything more powerful than a gauss rifle, and that was only during the storming of the Humanity Defense HQ. Otherwise I’ve just used beam weapons… never actually got to see a pulse rifle. Or fight against people with them.” Sasha shuddered a little. “It’ll probably be fine, but it’s definitely the step up I was looking for.”

“You said you fought against Humanity Defense? How active was your role in the battles, were you in the front lines?” Camellia said, leaning forward with interest.

Sasha chuckled. “It… it was just one battle. Singular. They called in a ton of people, Russian military, XSDF, to take down their HQ, and they were already pretty worn down by then. Was pretty much a cakewalk… we did lose a few people, but it was nothing like what everyone had been worried it was going to be. I’ve only been in small firefights with criminals or the like other than that, and it's always asymmetrical fighting. Ballistics don’t do much against alloy armor, and lasers not much better.”

 

[Frostlich1228]

Part 2

“Did the stress of the fighting affect you in any way?” Winter continued.

“I was able… to deal with it.” Sasha frowned. “S-Seeing someone die is paralyzing, but… I could recover from that after awhile.”

“That’s okay, a reaction like that is perfectly normal. War is hard on everyone, even the veterans, I think they just learn not to show it.” Camellia replied reassuringly.

“I guess.” Sasha tapped her foot. “Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?”

“How’ve you been sleeping lately? You said you were nervous, is it keeping you up at night at all?” Cammy spoke, tilting her head slightly.

“Not so far.” Sasha shook her head. “I’ve been sleeping alright.”

“Suppose you’ve started up some kind of exercise routine since you joined the military? Keeping up on that?”

Sasha nodded vehemently. “Yeah, I have to. Harder to keep up with the guys physically, so I’ve been working out when I’ve had the chance. Not that I expect to be toting SAWs or LMGs anytime soon.”

“Not without loading up on gene mods like my Aunt. Out of date or not, I still think she could bench a truck!” Winter smiled.

“Eh… I’m not really that interested in genetic modifications. Not when they’re really not that necessary.” Sasha looked at the marble in her palm. “I think I’m good with what I have for now.”

“Sounds like you’ve got my mom’s attitude… Ammy… I know that gets confusing sometimes.” She laughed.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. “A little, yeah. And it may sound a little weird that I’m not interested in gene mods considering who my mother is, but then again, she wasn’t keen on dad getting his either.”

“Well, I think everyone knows by now that meld does weird stuff to you, I for one think it all goes straight to the breasts…” Cammy said, rubbing her chin.

Sasha reddened a little. “W-Well, my genetics aren’t modified… s-so… not sure how true that...is.”

Winter noticed her friend’s redness, “I’m sorry, my Mary is showing.”

“I think you spent too much time around her…” Sasha murmured.

Camellia lifted up a piece of paper she was taking notes on, “Well, it seems to me like you’re doing great right now. Keep up with what you’re doing and we could probably take your off that medication in a few months.”

“I-If you think that’d be best… a lot could change in the next few weeks,” Sasha cautioned.

“True. Don’t worry, I’ll always be here if you need me and my door is always open.” Cammy said comfortingly, “If you’re worried, we can make these check-ups bi-monthly just to make sure everything’s alright.”

“That’d be nice.” Sasha smiled faintly. “I’m glad I could see you again, regardless.”

“So am I. By the way, have you decorated your room yet? I spent hours getting this room just right and I haven’t even started on my bedroom.” She sighed.

Sasha shook her head. “I don’t have a room to myself. Have a room that has three girls in one sleeping room and three guys in another. You’re lucky. We only have one shower room so we have to take turns…”

“Or you all could shower together…” Winter was quiet for a second before laughing a little, “Maybe you don’t know eachother that well yet.”

Sasha shook her head. “I’d prefer not doing that, and if you really think that’s a good idea I think it’s good you’re away from Mary for awhile…”

“Anyways, my break is in a few hours, want to hang out a little and check out the rec room? Haven’t actually seen what’s in there for myself.” Camellia suggested, passing the bag of medicine over to her.

Sasha smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

“Just make sure to sign the prescriptions list before you leave, need to keep a record of what I give to who, after all.” She said, pointing over to a small metal writing pad on her desk.

With a slight nod, Sasha went over and signed her name. “There.”

“I’ll see you later then!” Camellia smiled, waving her out. Sasha returned the gesture, departing feeling a little better than she had coming in.

 

[Adrammalech]

| FRIENDS AT THE END OF THE BAR
| Willow "Tessa" Ryan & Tabitha Le'talla / Kallpa Vizcarra & Kelio Sparks (DarkGemini24601) / Alexandros (Zain Shah) / Zz'khaz “Al” Ts'kalik-sha (Alzdude28)
| Einherjar Barracks Lounge and Bar
| Orbit of Earth, Sol
| January 17th, 2044 - 6:40 PM

Tabitha sat at the bar in the soldier lounge, cradling a glass of ice water in her hands as she looked over the other recruits in the room. Many of them were socializing as though they already knew everyone there, a feat she found more difficult than just idly reading the labels of the liquor bottles on the shelf in front of her. She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, hunching her shoulders up a little to try and make herself seem less available, before forcing herself to relax.

Her train of thought was interrupted as another woman slapped her arms down on the bar next to her, giving her a small jump of surprise. The human woman stared at her for a moment with a look of confusion, before realizing why she was started.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, suppressing a smirk.

“It’s fine, just thinking about things,” Tabitha replied.

“New to XSDF?”

“Is it so obvious?”

“Not too obvious, but to someone who knows what to look for,” she chuckled and offered her hand, “my name’s Tess, yours?”

“Oh, um...Tabitha, is what humans call me.”

“Right...you’re one of those...elf people, right?”

Tabitha scowled a bit. “‘Elf people?’ I am a Tamearin…”

“Sorry, just because of the ears...we like to label things,” Tess said with a nervous chuckle.

Tabitha only gave a small nod before looking away, trying to look for other people around the bar that could distract her.

The Tamearin did note one approaching human with a short grey creature at his side walking over. Probably not the best idea to be rude around a Tamearin, Kallpa thought to himself, knowing the moodiness of the outcast members of the race firsthand now. The Incan had a bottle of beer with him, and took a sip as he sat down nearby. “Nice to see we’ve got more than one Tamearin onboard. I was wondering if Korra was the only one.”

“Pleased to meet you,” his Sectoid friend added through a translator that did justice to his almost constantly-excited voice.

“Oh, hi,” Tabitha said, her voice slightly shaky, “same to you. I haven’t met any other Tamearins yet, but I haven’t really met anyone yet, for that matter…”

Kallpa shrugged. “Maybe you just need a little push then. I’m pretty sure Kelio here would be stammering every time he talked to someone if he didn’t have me around,” he stated jokingly, earning a slightly unamused look from his compatriot.

“I’m sure I’m the same way, just without a pusher. I’m more of a stay in bed and read books kind of person, at least while...” Tabitha idly tugged a strand of her blue hair with her fingertips.

The former sheriff of Mediotierra tilted his head slightly. “Not… sure I follow.”

“Tamearin hair color has to do with psionics… so does it have to do with that?” Kelio guessed, recalling some of the knowledge he had about other xenos.

“Yes, it is related to that. I have two colors that I can use exclusively, and they often correspond with my mood. It is a...rare mental problem with us,” Tabitha offered.

“Well, that’s more power than Sparks can use. All he’s got is mind merge after becoming a MEC Trooper,” Kallpa explained, glancing at the Sectoid’s metallic limbs.

“Oh, I’m sorry. How were you wounded?” she asked sincerely, looking down at the Sectoid.

Oh… uh, right, Kelio thought, remembering how Tamearins were about modification. “I was.... injured by a knife that damaged my arm and eye. And later lost the other limbs.”

Kallpa raised an eyebrow momentarily, but realized why Kelio had lied about the second half. “Mhmm. Seems like he’ll make a really good shogun though.”

“I am sorry for your loss, but I am glad you’re making the most of it,” Tabitha said, offering a small smile.

 

[Adrammalech]

| FRIENDS AT THE END OF THE BAR: PART TWO

At this moment a hush fell upon the room. Many people glanced to the door to see a tall alien with red-brown skin and long black and white hair, which upon closer inspection was revealed to be a mixture of black hair and white spines. He walked over to the bar and sat down, as the rest of the room returned to their drinks and conversations. The drake looked at the bartender and called for a whiskey. He was off duty for the rest of the day. He had resolved to enjoy it.

Tess sidled up beside the draconic alien, looking down at the color of his glass with admiration. “Whiskey’s your drink, eh?”

“Depends where I am. Whiskey is the most reliable. It’s too easy to find poor quality drinks.”

“That it is,” she smiled. “It’s interesting that you drink our drinks as well. You’re pretty badass looking, you know?”

“In my opinion your drinks are one of the best inventions of humanity. Anything that can help me put Styx behind me is very welcome.”

“Is that your homeworld?” Tess asked.

“Yep.” He drained his glass and asked for a second.

“Interesting place I imagine, what with all the spikes,” she noted, pointing at the spines on his skin.

“These? Spikes? You clearly need to take a closer look at my hands.” He placed his left hand on the table, showing the long claws that tipped each finger.

“Those too, of course. The whole package is pretty intimidating, not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing.”

“It has it’s advantages…”

“Is it for hunting or...have you used it for something more aggressive?” she asked curiously, making a gesture across her neck to punctuate her meaning.

“Both.”

Tess gave a little shudder of excitement, her grim curiosity only being further stoked as she continued to bombard her bar neighbor with more questions about his kind while Al sat back and answered the questions without embellishing the truth too dramatically.

As Tess began asking questions, Alexandros silently came into the bar without a single person noticing. He quickly darted his eyes across the room, examining the different aliens all of which he had never met. Alex walked over to the bartender and simply said “Water.” He sat on a stool and began lighting a cigar.

Al looked on with interest. “As I understood, the regulations prohibit smoking on this deck.” He promptly pulled out a battered pack of cigarettes. “Mind if I use your light?”

Still not saying a word, Alex held out his decorated lighter and lit Al’s cigarette. As soon as Alexandros took a puff of his cigar, he coughed yet continued to smoke. Al settled back in his chair and closed his eyes. Listening to conversation around him, but unwilling to join in for the time being.

Tess suddenly swiveled towards him in her stool, unwilling to let anyone sitting beside her avoid her for long. She offered her hand, a little more comfortable giving the gesture towards a human. “Name’s Tess, new here?”

Alex stopped coughing long enough to answer “Alexandros.” After contemplating extending the conversation, he finally added “It’s nice to see a human on this ship after seeing all these...creatures.”

Tess looked around for a moment. “You mean the other aliens? Or have you seen something I haven’t?”

“The aliens...I hadn’t seen any before and now I’m supposed to work with them! How am I supposed to trust them?” Alex started to show his mistrust towards the other aliens.

“They seem alright to me,” she shrugged. “XSDF trusts them enough to recruit them, why shouldn’t we trust them to drink with us?”

“I don’t trust them with my life on the battlefield.”

“Well, maybe you won’t have to,” Tess said, “but either way, they might surprise you. I doubt they came across space just to screw us over, considering what happened to the last ones that tried that.”

“We defeated them? Maybe I underestimated what we’re doing here. I just thought of this as a simple soldier job.” Alex displayed his cluelessness towards past events due to his unique circumstances.

“You...didn’t know about that? Big invasion, like 20 years ago? I mean, it’s kind of recent, but I imagine it’s taught in some classes by now…”

“I had a different childhood. The focus was on praying to our great Lord and learning to master spiritual…” After pausing for a moment, Alex tried to avoid explaining his childhood “I’ve said too much about myself; what about you? What brought you here?”

“Just getting a new start somewhere new,” Tess replied, drumming her fingers on the bottle in her hands, “I like to refresh every couple years, for the sake of tradition.”

Alexandros tried to decipher exactly what she meant “You’re as cryptic as I am.” By now, Alex’s ‘special’ cigar had started to affect him and he started rubbing his forehead in pain.

“Um, are you okay?”

“Just the cigar; it’s made for the vassals to stay in touch with the Light by having visions from these.”

“Visions, huh?” Tess replied, her eyes narrowed. “What kind of visions? And what light?”

Alex started to panic while in excruciating pain “No visions. No Light. No vassals. Forget everything I said.”

Al uncoiled from his seat. “It sounds to me like our friend here has more than just tobacco in that cigar.”

“Doesn’t seem particularly good, either,” Tess said nervously.

“I...uh need to go.” Alex sprinted out before anyone could stop him and he went straight back to his room.

Al sighed slightly. “All that stuff about not trusting us ‘aliens’. I hope I don’t get stuck with him on ops…” With this Al stood up, dropped a tip onto the bar and walked back to his bunk. As far as he was concerned the socializing for tonight was over.

With half of her company vanished, Tess leaned against the bar for a moment, pondering her new acquaintances and scanning for replacements as Tabitha chatted with Kallpa. Seeing an attractive soldier at the bar, she drank down the last of her bottle and stood up, hoping she could get him to buy another round.

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Black0ut and DarkGemini24601: “Acquired Curiosity”

Earth, Sol System (January 16th, 2044)
The Einherjar (7:26 P.M., GMT)
Main Gymnasium

Silence... Almost relaxes the soul. Thomas thought, if only I could get those faces out of my head.

The training bag swung loosely as Thomas punched it idly. The tempo of the punches increased with each remembered patient Thomas had operated on. Finally, due to the heavy assault of Thomas's "robo-hand", as he fondly called it, the bag ruptured, spilling the sand over the floor. Thomas walked over and disposed of the training bag.

An armored figure paused in the doorway, having come to inspect the physical training facility even if he didn’t have plans to use it himself. That’s an impressive display of strength… After a few moments more, the android stepped into the room, offering a greeting. “Hello. I hope I am not disturbing you, but I am impressed by your strength.”

Thomas paused, slightly startled by the stranger. He started to size up the pale newcomer. He looked a bit weak, he was probably a sniper for the XSDF. As he finished his brief examination of the stranger, he decided on not interacting with him. Don't make any "friends", Thomas thought, it'll be harder to face their inevitable death.

"... Don't you have anyone else you can bother?"

Hermes’ expression became more curious than anything. “I don’t think I follow. I was just saying hello, I meant no offense by it.”

"... Just... Go away. I'm not interested in talking to anyone. Just leave me to my solitude. Besides, you staying here interrupts..." Thomas stopped before he revealed... her.

“To be fair, this is a public facility. But if you wish silence, then I shall not disrupt your concentration.” With a slight nod, Hermes went over to the wall and retrieved a punching bag of his own. Hanging it up, he stepped around it for a moment, analyzing the exercise tool. “With my strength it would be easy to break, but that is not the objective of the exercise…” he murmured to himself, before setting into a gradual rhythm, slightly emulating Thomas’s pace but with restrained force as to not knock the bag off its chain.

Thomas studying the stranger's form was surprised to notice that the newcomer was holding back. Intrigued, Thomas watched the newcomer and pondered how much physical strength the newcomer had. Hmmm... Could it be possible that this guy has gene mods? No... He would probably be a bit beefier than he is currently. Cybernetics? That would explain why he looks wimpy and yet why he is strong. Thomas peered at the stranger's arm. It appeared to be non-mechanical. But looks can be deceiving. I opted for no synthetics on my arm, but he could have synthetic skin covering it. Thomas called out to the stranger " Do you have T1 cyber arms?"

Hermes paused in his assault on the punching bag, glancing over at Thomas. “I believe they would be more comparable to Tier Two limbs. Hence why I have to be cautious here.”

"Interesting," Thomas replied curiously "what caused you to lose your natural arms? Or did you just opt to be a bit stronger?"

Hermes raised a metallic eyebrow. “Neither of those things… why…?” Oh, he thinks I’m human. “I see the misunderstanding here. Most people were able to discern what I was, but I suppose it isn’t as obvious as to everyone.” Hermes stepped back from the punching bag. “I am an android.”

Thomas' eyes slightly widened. An android? But... that's impossible! My researchers said that that kinda tech would be a few years off! Maybe... Cross and Exalt teamed up?

Hmmm... I need more info. "What is your name or if you don't have a name, what is your product number?"

“My name is Hermes Arcwright,” the would-be paratrooper replied. “If I have the latter, I am unaware of what it would be.”

Thomas paused. That name, Arkwright, had haunted him. Was this machine somehow related to... No, it couldn't be. Could it?

"Are.. You..." Thomas' facade faltering, "Ahem, do you know a Alfred Arkwright?"

Hermes considered the man’s words for a moment, and then shook his head. “If I did, that memory is no longer available to me. Much of my memory banks were damaged in an escape pod crash, so I’m afraid I couldn’t confirm nor deny that much.”

Thomas sighed, then realized the full weight of the words. Damaged? Hmmm... So there is a chance that Hermes knew Alfred. If such things, like spirits and the afterlife were real, Alfred could be saying something beyond the grave.

Hermes sighed. “I suppose this is all more reason to try to figure out what information remains and uncover the rest of the truth of my existence. I don’t believe I asked your name, by the way.”

Thomas blinked. It had been awhile since someone has care to ask his name without wanting material things, and asked just for the sake politeness. "Thomas... Thomas Wolfe." Perhaps this relationship won't turn out so badly. Perhaps I can trust this mach- Hermes to not die. Thomas nodded, intrigued by the machine and slightly hoped that what followed wouldn't be something he regretted for the rest of his days.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Thomas.” Hermes smiled faintly. “With any luck, perhaps my memories will be repaired enough to give you the insight you desire. If not, however, I’d still be glad we met.”

"It was nice meeting you as well. Perhaps in the future we could spar, helping one another learn to fight more proficiently." Thomas offered. With any luck, I'll be able to be certain that he'll be able to handle himself.

The forgetful android nodded. “That would be helpful. I do have a lot of combat instructional data that survived with essential information, but it's not the same as physical practice. So I will take you up on that offer when I get the chance.”

 

[Dahlexpert]

A collaboration between Dhalexpert & Zombiesplitter 53

Earth, Sol System (January 16 2044)

The Einherjar (9:30 A.M GMT)

Docking area

Noire and Eva are on Battleship Einherjar.

Wow this ship is huge, so this is the inside of a star ship.

Eva looks in side the ship. Hum it kinda reminds me of X-COM, only it's not five hundred feet underground.

"That's the idea in many ways," a voice called out from down the hall. Aya walked up to the pair, a smile on her face. "A mobile XCOM of sorts, flying through the stars. Hi, Eva. How are you?"

That voice, it can't be. Eva turned around and Saw Aya"Aya,Eva rushes to Aya and hugs her. Aya it's been to long, still working for the military I see.

"Mom who's that?"

Eva releases Aya. "This is my friend and, the only person on earth that can match me in strength Aya."

Aya chuckled. "I heard you were coming on board, and wanted to greet you." She smiled at Noire. "Aya Brea. Second in Command of the Einherjar."

"OU my mom told me about you, she said that your the only person that forced her to go all out.But your not dead? Mom, didn't dad say your like a typhoon when you go all out?

"He's not wrong, but Aya here is different.

Noire looks at Aya. I'm sorry I haven't introduced my self, I'm Noire Francois it's nice to meat you.

"Nice to meet you too." Aya shook the woman's hand. "And your father wasn't wrong. If there was anyone who could fight me when I lost control back then and live to fight on, it was your mother. She was a force to be reckoned with."

Noire's eyes start to glow with excitement. Wow mom you truly are amazing so all those stories you told me when I was a baby were true.

Yes they were.Eva turns to Aya I'ts good to see you Aya, truth be told I didn't want my daughter to join because I still thinks the XSDF want's another me But to see someone I trust here and is the second command it calms me down at least.

Aya nodded. "Noire is in good hands. And if she is anything like her mother, we're in good hands too. Besides... at least it isn't a war this time, right?"

Eva looks down at the ground. "Yea at least the earth isn't going to be in danger this time.

Cough Cough Noire clearing her through "Um I fell like I need to say this, but i'm not as strong as my mom, in fact I think I have at least half her strength at best. So mom don't worry the won't get another you. Noire says to calm down her mom.

Aya looked between Eva and her daughter. She sighed, and placed her hand on Eva's shoulder. "Listen, Eva... Noire caught our eye because of who her mother was, yes. But she got here on her own merit. Her own skill. Her own potential. We have no intention of turning her into a weapon. Whatever you might have heard, that isn't what this organization is about. I promise you."

Eva sighs "Yea thanks Aya, I needed that. Whelp i'm gonna go Noire you take car of your self remember to train and don't rush the enemy and punch them like I did OK.

Yes mom I promise to be good, now go i'll be fine go have fun with dad go out on a date have sex do something with dad to forget about me.

Hay, don't be telling me how to!

Noire hugs Eva "I love you and I promise to make you and dad proud.

Sigh Eva hugs Noire "I love you to, and please be careful OK.

OK I promise you I will be careful.

Sigh Eva looks at Aya. "Whelp Aya I leave her in your capable hands take good care of her.

"And I will." Aya grinned at Noire. "Ready to travel the stars, Ms. Francois?"

"You bet I am, I always wanted to go into space. I just hope I can impress the people here."

Aya nodded, and led Noire out of the hanger. "I'm sure you will. What made you decide to join the XSDF, if you don't mind my asking."

Noire looks down "Mom won't mention it but, people who sees my mom as a weapon and think they can us her blood to make super solders. I see my blood as a curse, see unlike most people I was born with gen mods, and as you on earth people didn't take to kind to me, and my peers can be cruel.

See I want to join the XSDF be cause, I want to believe that there are people like me on this ship. And ... I want to change peoples mind on people that are augmented, that were more then just weapons that is why I'm joining.

Aya nodded. "I understand, Noire. And you are more then just weapons. That's what this organization is about. Helping humanity adjust to the new world we live in. Remember that a lot of the aliens we deal with were once treated as little more then weapons to us, like the Balmadaar. We aim to make people see them as free thinking people, just as much as any human."

I see,me joining was the best thing I could have done. Now I fell like I should say this but i'm also an engineer so I could help in engineering if you need my help."

"Good to hear." Aya patted Noire on the shoulder. "We could always use some help. Just keep in mind that the Commander has some strict training regiments for soldiers, so don't push yourself."

"I'm sure because I am who I am she's going to push me. Also I kinda have some anger problems nothing bad it's just, I hate being called a freak and other so called monsters."

"Well, the Commander won't call you..." Aya swallowed hard. "Listen, Noire. You aren't the only one here with those kind of problems. Just don't do anything... over the top, and you'll be fine. And, um... try to avoid any Tamearins, if you can."

Noire glares at Aya you have Tamearins on this ship? Yea i'll try to be nice to them. And you know not break there bones and give them concussions.

"Not... exactly what I'm worried about." Aya rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "They're good people. Very close to humans, from their culture right down to their appearance. But they have their differing beliefs. One of them is in regards to, um... gene mods. They find any unnecessary modification of one's body to be taboo. You should be fine, since you were born the way you were, but they might still be unfair about your mother. And their suppressed emotions can make them sound very cold, even when they aren't trying to be. You can spot them by the slight reddish-tan tint to their skin, their pointy ears, and their tails. This organization is above diversity, but... you might want to stay clear of them until you get used to the ship."

"Sigh very well, i'll avoid them, but it's a big ship what are the odds that i'm going to run in to one of them on my first day right?

"Right." Aya nodded, and the two continued forward. After a quick tour of the labs and engineering, a stop at the mess hall, and showing Noire the holo-rooms, they stopped off at the gym. "Here is our top of the line gym. Most of the equipment is rated for Balmadaars, so you should be fine using it. Just try not to break anything. Kinda hard to replace..."

"Aya!" A young woman with long, flowing red hair stomped up to the pair. She appeared to be one of the Tamearins Aya had just warned Noire about. "I need to talk to you about my given time in the holo-rooms!"

Noire looks at the alien and sees that it's a Tamerarins. "Ou hello nice to meet you, um miss Aya is currently giving me a tour of the ship. So if you would be so kind to just wait just a little bit i'm sure she will listen to you." Pleas for the love of god don't say any thing stupid, I would rather not get into a fight on my first day.

Korra scoffed. "Um... I think you can wait. I've had this problem since I came here, and Aya's been..."

"Ms. Devolina, please." Aya rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I told you, you need to share the holo-rooms. You get no special treatment. Your hours are set." Korra opened her mouth to argue, and Aya held up a finger. "AND... and I told you to watch how you talk to your superiors. Keep it up, and I'll give you a reprimand. I've warned you before. If the Commander heard you acting like this, she'd probably do the same."

"She'd probably lock me up," Korra muttered to herself. She sighed. "F... fine. I... I will watch my tongue... Lt. Commander Brea." Her eyes darted towards Noire, almost as if she was blaming Noire for her being in trouble. "And who are you?"

"My name is Noire Francois it's a pleasure to meet you, and as a recommendation. I recommend that you be nice to your superiors it goes a long way, and it's less of a pain in your neck."

 

[Dahlexpert]

Part 2

Aya closed her eyes. "Oh, dear..."

Korra glared at Noire. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?!"

Aya rubbed her eyes. "Korra, please don't..."

"I'm not going to be lectured by some... know-it-all bitch! You watch who you're talking to!" Korra took an angry step towards Noire.

Noire keeping her smile but is showing irritation." I recommend you watch who your talking to, see i'm the daughter of Eva agester. Which means I can send you through that wall into another wall until you reach a wheelchair and that wheelchair will put you into the med bay. Now i'm trying to be nice t and not do that on my first day, but if you keep acting like this you might be kicked off the ship before take off. So why don't you turn around wait until my tour is over then talk to Aya."

"I dare you to..." Korra started, but Aya raised her hand.

"Noire has been nothing but patient, Korra. Please. Remember what we said about your temper."

Korra clenched her fists, and slowly nodded her head. "F... fine. I'll go... take a shower or something." She looked Noire up and down, as if sizing her up. "I'm... sorry I interrupted your... tour."

"Ou it's fine,I get the feeling that were going to be sure great friends at some point but.Noire gets in Korra face I'm not like other humans,and I will utterly thererly and maliciously beat you down.

Noire extended her hand " I look forward to ether fighting you or alongside you , which ever comes first.

Korra raised an eyebrow. Oddly, a grin spread across her face. "Yeah... me too." She tightly gripped Noire's hand. "It should be... interesting."

For once we agree,it was nice meeting you,enjoy your shower. Noire says releasing Korra hand.

Korra nodded to Aya, and stepped out. Aya let out a held in breath, and smiled at Noire. "I... I don't know what to say. I... I have a confession to make. Working with your mother all those years ago, I was afraid you might have shared her... impulsiveness. If that had been her when she first started with XCOM... she probably would have started a fight with no hesitation."

Who said I don't,the entire time I Was thinking,I want to send her flying through a wall.But mom told me to be nice and not be like her when she first joined X COM.

And hearing from you,I'm doing a good job so far.

Aya nodded, patting Noire on the shoulder. Leading her out of the gym, she said, "Remember, control doesn't mean not wanting to do something, it means wanting to do something but having the sense not to."

Yea my mom said the same thing,and trust me there has been plenty of Times were I wanted to roll some heades.But I know better,and mom will be disappointed if I lose it.

The pair entered the soldier barracks, Aya waving her hand to one of the rooms. "And here is where you're staying. We have a long trip ahead of us, so rest up."

Right,I need to unpack first then probably get some workout in today.Sigh hum I can't wait for my first assignment.

Aya gave her a salute. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Francios. It is good to have you along for the ride."

Noire salutes Aya,I t will be a pleasure working with you guys,I can't wait until I finally see some action.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Like Anati... But Not Anati

XSDF Battleship Einherjar
Main Engineering
Jan. 17th, 0800 Hours

"This will be your work station," Frederick explained. "We matched it to your size and specifications, and I commissioned these myself." He opened up a tool box, revealing a set of tools made for Baʒir hands.

Bɒkɒ reached in, grasping a custom made socket wrench.This is very kind of you, sir. I will cherish them, and take excellent care of them. Teefa reached up, taking it from her brother and looking it over with Nana.

"Of course. We want you to be able to do you job, after all." Frederick watched Bɒkɒ's sisters for a moment. Realizing this, they quickly ducked behind their brother and handed him the wrench. Frederick raised an eyebrow, but only shrugged. "You'll be asked to work in a number of fields here, from weapon work, to designing, to MEC repair. But, as your major fields of knowledge are in ship maintenance and repair, these will be your primary duties."

Yes, sir. I shall do a good job, I swear this to you.

Frederick held up a hand, smiling nervously. "P-please, relax. I believe you. Now, the other Baʒir will report to you, and it will be your job to make sure they..."

The heads of the three Baʒir darted up. Tini... reports to Bɒkɒ? Nana asked her brother.

Is Bɒkɒ new Anati? Teefa asked.

Bɒkɒ shook his head. Sir... I... I am to give Tini... orders?

Frederick closed his eyes, taking a minute to go over everything he knew about Baʒir culture in regards to leadership and XSDF regulations in his head. He knelt down, placing his hand on Bɒkɒ's shoulder. The Baʒir's sisters flinched, though he remained still. "Listen, Bɒkɒ... I realize this might be... unusual for you. But understand. You are an officer now. Tini isn't. So... you are free to follow her orders in regards to your duties, but by XSDF rules, she answers to you. Which means, if anything goes wrong, you are the one who will be held responsible. Do you understand?"

Bɒkɒ slowly nodded. I understand. I am responsible for mistakes. And I... I am the one who knows of the XSDF's rules. I will remember.

"Good." Frederick grabbed a computer pad and handed it to Bɒkɒ. "Now, these are your current responsibilities. You report directly to Chief Engineer Von Braun. If he is unavailable, report to Central Officer Kirchner."

Yes, sir.

"Finally, your application shows you have knowledge in android maintenance and repair." Frederick looked through some files. "Currently, that work falls under... Nicholas Cauthon and Mark Exalt. But should they need your assistance, they'll call on you." Bɒkɒ looked over the computer pad. When he started to say something but stopped, Frederick said, "If you have any questions, please don't hesitate."

Bɒkɒ nodded. This says... this Mark Exalt is lab tech. Is in charge of... cybernetics.

"Yes, well... the way in which a lot of androids are made these days are quite close to the way cybernetics are made. And while our basic androids are completely mechanical, the more advanced androids on our staff have systems that are biological in nature."

And... how many of these... advanced androids do we have.

Frederick stood in silence for a moment, finally answering, "Only one. He is a soldier. We are still learning about his system, though it seems pretty..."

Bɒkɒ blinked several times. Oh... apologies, I am still learning your language. I thought you implied... more then one with your words...

Frederick scratched his chin. "Oh... yeah, I must have misspoke. Only one. I... I meant to say... we might get more in the future."

Bɒkɒ watched him for a moment, then nodded. I understand, sir.

Frederick nodded back. "Alright. I'll leave you to your work."

Bɒkɒ watched as Frederick walked away. Now relatively alone, Nana and Teefa gave each other an excited look. Tini is still Anati. Nana said.

But Bɒkɒ gives Tini orders. added Teefa.

Bɒkɒ gives Anati orders. Like Anati... but not Anati.

We should tell brothers. Tell Tini.

Wait! Bɒkɒ started, but the pair had already run off into one of the vents. He slowly shook his head, and glanced down at the computer pad before setting up his custom made tool belt and heading off to his first assignment.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Child Prodigy Part One (MarineAvenger and ZombieSplitter53)

XSDF Battleship Einherjar
Main Bridge, Commander's Ready Room

Astasha finished going over the last of the alien crewmen's files, and switched over to the humans. The was one on the top of the stack, marked with a bright red tag. Slowly reading through the file, Astasha reached over and hit her comm. "Can someone send this... Nicholas Cauthon to my ready room?" She released the button without waiting for an answer, confident that they'd do as she was told.

Nick looked warily at the guards escorting him up to the bridge, Glitch floating warily close to Nick's shoulder. "Mr. Cauthon...why do we have an armed escort?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't know. This don't bode well though." He stated, deep down a little scared like a kid being called to the principal's office for the first time. When they exited the elevator, Nick was led to a room and waited as the guards went to announce his arrival.

As the guards brought him onto the bridge, they reached to knock on the Commander's door. "I'll take it from here," said a tall man with black hair and a slight British accent. The guards nodded, and walked over to wait by the exit. The man knelt down, whispering, "Good luck in there. And no matter what happens, hold your tongue, and remember that you have allies, alright?"

"Wait...what?" Nick remembered the warning he had gotten before and his throat seemed to tightened, the teen getting butterflies in his stomach. "Who are you?"

"My name is Frederick Mason." Freddy smiled. "I'm the ship's second officer. I've followed your work. I have high hopes for you here... provided we can get past a certain hurdle."

"I've already been informed of our Commander's... attitude. I will try my best at least." Nick rubbed his palm and said, "I can do this..." He said in a low voice.

"I know you can." Frederick knocked on the door. "Commander. Mr. Cauth..."

"Send him in," Astasha called out. Frederick gave Nick a reassuring smile, and opened the door for him.

Nick walked in with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, Glitch floating in behind him. Nick stood and Glitch floated next to him. "Hello, Commander Streczyk." They said in unison.

Astasha slowly looked up from her computer, her eyes wondering over to Glitch. "What is that thing?"

Nick looked over to the floating cube and said, "He is Glitch, my A.I. assistant. He helps me maintain my machines and makes sure I uh...stay alive."

"More machines," Astahsa mumbled. She turned off her monitor, and folded her hands. "Do you have a lot of health problems, child?"

"Well...not really health problems per say, more like helps makes sure my implants don't fry me like an egg. I haven't developed him much beyond simple tasks like that but I hope to. It has taken him years just to get him like this." Nick gave a nervous smile and asked, "Why...am I here, if you don't mind me asking? I don't...think I have done anything wrong."

"Well... to put it simply, I'm curious. I didn't pick every person on the ship, as you might imagine. And a few of the choices have me perplexed." Astasha smiled, though it was an incredibly obvious smile. "Tell me... what are your qualifications?"

"Well...I don't really know what to say...uh, I never really went to public school and was taught at home by my parents, who were both famed engineers and scientists to a degree. We moved to Megha where I was both self taught and had help by the other people there."

"I see." Astasha turned her monitor back on, and flipped through a few pages. "It says here you are quite skilled with robotics. What are your accomplishes in this field?"

"Well, I made three drones that I can consciously connect to with the implant on my neck and I made Glitch with very little help...they have some quirks and issues I need to iron out but so far they are fairly solid."

"I see." Astasha typed for a bit on her computer. "You know... I have studied the old files about the XSDF quite extensively. And we have no record of someone your age or maturity level having been accepted into the XSDF. You could say it is unheard of. The closest thing we've ever had is... what... was her name..."

"Sonya 'Sunny' Randolph. Youngest female engineer of XCOM and Mr. Cauthon's idol." Glitch said for Nick, the teen blushing a bit.

"Well... not idol really, I mean I admire her work and she uh... inspired me."

"I see." Astasha took a deep breath. "I am... going to be blunt with you. We are not a babysitting service. We a practically a military in our own right. And XCOM had the excuse of a war for Dr. Randolf." She looked into Nick's eyes. "Now, can you honestly say you are prepared for all the work you'd have to do here, the danger from attacks you'll be in, and the stress of space travel, bringing you lightyears away from home?"

"Allow me to be blunt back...I am not a kid. I may be a teenager but I have worked hard my whole life. Besides, I can defend myself just fine. I may look frail, but I'm not, I assure you that!" Nick squeezed his hand into a fist and took a deep breath. "Sorry...I just don't like being called a kid."

Astasha tapped her fingers against her desk, giving Nick a neutral stare for several seconds. Finally, she stood up, walking around her desk and standing before him. "So, I... I am underestimating you, is that it? You are... far stronger then you seem, huh?"

"Well maybe not physically strong...but I am no kid. I have my smarts, intuition, and cunning. So yeah...I'm...I'm not a pushover." Nick stated defiantly, allowing himself to finally breathe as he realized he held it without realizing.

"I see. So, say... you said something to piss some one off. Say... a solider that didn't take well to something you said." Astahsa leaned down, placing her hand on Nick's shoulder, uncomfortably close to his neck. "And that soldier decided they wanted to shut that smart little mouth of yours? How would you deal with that?" Her hand moved ever so slightly closer to his neck.

Glitch floated around uneasily, Nick cautiously looked at the Commander's hand. "W-What are you doing?"

Astasha narrowed her eyes. "I asked you a question, child. How would you react if threatened by someone bigger, stronger, and more skilled then you?"

"You really want me to answer...you might not like it..." He said, a hint of a threat in his tone overshadowed by the fear.

The Commander placed her other hand on Nick's other shoulder. "Out with it!"

"It's simple...I outsmart and outmaneuver them...like the fact Glitch is behind with a taser aimed at your back and my small drone Buzzer in the corner of this office filming you right now. I could be lying but are you willing to take the risk?" Nick asked in a rushed tone.

Astasha glared at him for a few more moments. Suddenly, a small smile spread across her face. "You have a lot of balls for one so young, don't you?"

"You don't become a genius by not planning ahead..." Nick stated nervously. "Plus I was bullied a lot in school so I sort of had to grow some on my own."

Astasha nodded. "I can imagine. And I know how frustrating it can be to be underestimated." She released Nick, walking back to her desk and sitting back down. "But you need to prove you shouldn't be underestimated. You've... done alright to do that now, but I'll be watching you. Someone put themself on the line bringing you in. I trust you won't disappoint them... or me."

"Of... Of course Commander. By the way I wasn't bluffing, Glitch may not have a taser as there was no space and it would short him out..." A small drone the size of a very large marble flew out from the corner of the ceiling and in front of the Commander's desk. "When I was rubbing my palm earlier I activated Buzzer here with the wrist computer on my arm. All inputs come directly from inside my head so you were none the wiser. Sorry for the uh...recording. I will delete it when I get back to my workshop."

"Please be sure that you do," Astasha responded. "I'm not a fan of being recorded. Besides... I would never have... actually done anything." She smiled, an odd smile that Nick wasn't was playful or malicious. "Though I will give you credit for innovation. Good job... Mr. Cauthon."

"Thanks... and although it seems you are a...don't mind me saying... very abrasive women but there seems to be... some sort of good silver lining to you... I think. I can't really tell with you."

Astasha chuckled. "Don't push your luck. Like I said... I'll be watching you." She turned back to her computer. "You're dismissed. Good luck, Mr. Cauthon."

"Uh... you too, Commander." Nick got up from his seat and walked out of the office, pocketing Buzzer and Glitch following closely. When the door closed, Nick threw his arms in the air in victory.

"Things go well?" asked a tall Asian woman with blond hair, sitting in a chair next to the Commander's seat. Fred watched from the other side of the room, smiling.

Nick looked over himself and patted his body. "No bullet holes or slashes, earned a chuckle from the Commander and a maybe smile...yeah, I would say it went fairly good. Who...are you?" He asked the woman with a slight tilt of his head.

"Aya Brea. First officer of the Einherjar." Aya stood up, walking over Nick and offering her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And it's a pleasure to meet y-" Nick fell to his knees in pain, a sharp pain bolting across his body as if he was struck with lightning. His head became dizzy and the room spun, a huge headache searing his mind.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Child Prodigy Part Two

Aya dropped to her knees in front of him, Frederick rushing over as well. Aya placed her hands on Nicks shoulders. "Mr. Cauthon? Nick, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Nick grabbed his head in pain, squirming around as every part of him tingled. "The computer on his wrist!" Glitch stated, floating down to his master. "Ms. Brea, on his computer there are three symbols. Hit the one red one next to the two green." Glitch said calmly.

"Got it." Aya gently lifted his wrist and did as she was told.

As she did so, Frederick pulled out his communicator and looked at the hovering machine. "Should I call the med bay?"

As Nick stopped his shaking, Glitch said, "He will be fine momentarily. Mr. Cauthon is sometimes forgetful in disconnecting himself from his drones. A fault in which is dangerous for him."

Aya gently placed a hand against Nick's cheek. "Are you okay now? You need to take care of yourself, Nick. Don't be so reckless."

Nick's breathing was fast and quick and he still grasped his head, his headache lingering. "I...I'm fine..." He said breathlessly, obviously lying.

Frederick frowned. "Good thing that didn't happen in the Commander's room," he mumbled. He stepped to the side, leaning close to Glitch. "Is he okay?"

Glitch's one eye flickered for a moment, simulating him blinking. "He will be fine." He stated with little emotion. "This is not the first time."

"Good." Frederick rubbed his eyes. "It won't look good if the kid I pushed for collapsed before we even got underway."

Aya stood up, holding out her hand for Nick. "Come on. Maybe the doctors should give you a once over anyway, just in case."

"Please..." Nick said, grabbing Aya's hand and saying, "Please no. I can't let people know..."

Aya smiled. "Of course." She helped Nick to his feet. "Just make sure you take care of yourself." Aya glanced up at Glitch. "Make sure that he does. He won't be the first kid I know who needs an A.I. to take care of him.

"Keeping Mr. Cauthon alive is my prime directive, Ms. Brea." Glitch informed Aya, Nick shaking his head and pulling away from Aya.

"I can hear you you know, and I'm not a kid!" Nick said in an agitated voice, storming away from the three and into the elevator, the doors quickly shutting behind him.

"Oh dear." Glitch said.

Aya placed her hand against her mouth. "Oh, my... I... I did not mean it that way. I... I probably know better then anyone here that one can't always be judged by there age." She sighed. "Between Brigid, and now Nick, I'm not making myself very popular."

Frederick folded his arms and shook his head. "It isn't your fault. He's probably just frustrated. Must be hard, such a big brain in such a young body. Probably gets underestimated all the time."

"Perhaps we should go after him. He is currently going down to the engineering level most likely. Would you like to accompany me on the way down?" Glitch asked Aya. "And do not worry Ms. Brea, Mr. Cauthon is like this...a lot."

Aya smiled at the small robot. "Sure. Let's go."

 

[MarineAvenger]

Child Prodigy Part Three

Nick grumbled to himself as he exited the elevator to engineering, making his way hastily to his small workshop. "I don't get it...I will be seventeen this year. I am not a dang kid. If anything I am closer to being an adult." Nick's frown grew and he found himself pulling his winter coat more tightly over himself despite how warm it was in the engineering bay. He liked the heat.

"Are... are you okay?" Asked the gentle voice of a women from behind him. "You seem upset? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, sort of." Nick said with a bit of agitation, turning around and his eyes widening a bit in surprise.

Alice knelt down in front of him. "Well, is there anything I can do to help you..." She starred at him for a moment, studding his face. "...Dr. Cauthon?"

Nick's heart leapt into his throat, never having actually met Alice before but the amount of times he had studied her designs, he would recognize her anywhere. To his great embarrassment, Nick made a squeaky noise, unable to respond.

Alice gave him a worried look. "A-are you okay, Dr. Cauthon?" She placed her head against his forehead. "You... don't seem to be ill."

"Ha-ha, da, da, da, are you uh...is your name." Nick's voice cracked and he had to clear his throat to regain his composure. "Is your name Alice?"

"It is." Alice smiled. "Did you see my file? Or did... do you..." Her smile faded, and she slowly stood up. "My friends call me Alice, but it... it's just a nickname. An in joke. I..."

Nick fell backwards and hit the floor, quickly getting to his feet and looking around blushing. He imagined this a lot smoother in his head. "I...I'm sorry if only your friends use that name, it is just..I've..." Nick looked around and said in a low tone. "I...have been studying you for years..." Nick finally admitted.

Alice blinked several times. "I... no, you... you must be mistaking me for someone else, I... I'm not..." Alice shook her head, stepping away a few feet. "I'm sorry, I... I need to go..."

"W-Wait! I didn't mean to offend you!" Nick said, taking a step forward. "L-Look, I'm sorry okay?"

Alice slowly nodded. She looked around for a moment. With none of the other engineers nearby, she stepped forward again. "You... you know who I am? What... I am?"

"Y-Yeah, I...Sun-Sonya Randolph is my biggest inspiration. I learned a lot of what I know from her notes and what I have studied about you. To meet you in person is so... surreal for me. You look really, really amazing." Nick said in awe. "The amount of work that had to go into you... I can see why you got so defensive. Anyone else I would have never known the difference."

"That... that is very nice of you, but... that isn't exactly the problem." Alice took a seat next to the stool Nick had been in. "Dr. Cauthon, I... I'm not human. Nor am I an alien. I'm... a machine."

"I... trust me I am not a doctor. Just call me Nick." With a smile Nick added, "And look, I know you are a machine but that is what I loved about you. The fact you were so... you, made me wish I could have created someone like you. The fact you are so human now... I am just blown away."

Alice slowly looked into Nick's eyes. "Do... do you really mean that? You... you don't think I'm... I'm just an imitation?"

"Of course not! I swear if I got Glitch to be half as human like as you I would be happy. I...I-I can't even think straight right now, this is just so cool." Nick said sincerely, his smile unable to get any wider.

A matching spread across Alice's face, but it quickly faded. "That is quite kind of your, Nick. But I am afraid you are in the minority. The fact of the matter is, the are very few A.I.s with my degree of sentience on Earth. Not enough to worry about things like rights." She looked down to the floor. "I'm... I'm afraid I... I, um..."

"Oh... it's you." Nick ignored Aya for a second and said, "But that's crazy! How could an A.I. not be sentient enough to be counted as not being property?"

"Well to be fair Mr. Cauthon, you would not expect to walk up to someone and pronounce me not to be property, correct?" Glitch stated in a neutral tone of voice.

"But that's different! I still have yet to develop you fully but she," Nick panned his hand over Alice, "She is perfect! I mean, name one quality that doesn't make her sentient because I can think of five right now that do."

Alice held up her hands, looking around worried. "Nick, please... k-keep it down."

Aya leaned down in front of Nick. "Mr. Cauthon, please. You don't understand. Alice... is considered property according to the laws of Earth and the rules and regulation of the XSDF." She looked up at the android woman. "She's also a dear friend to me, and more human to me then plenty of the so called humans I've met. Which is... which is why I..." She looked up at Glitch, hoping he was recording her. "Which is why I falsified her entrance forms."

"You... you what?" Nick looked between Aya and Alice, running a hand through his hair. "That is why... you got freaked out when I approached you..." He said with guilt in his tone.

Alice nodded. "Only Aya, Mr. Mason, and a select few others know who I am." Her eyes darted between Nick and Aya. "Even... even the Commander... doesn't..."

Aya smiled at Nick. "Listen, Nick. I'm sorry if I insulted you before. But I knew Sonya Randolf. I worked with her, so I know first hand that it is possible for one so young to have such an impressive intellect. Which is why I... I'm trusting you with this secret."

"O-Of course." Nick said, looking between Alice and Aya. "I mean I admire you so much, so I would never try and hurt you or anything like that."

Glitch floated up to Alice's face and seemed to look her over, his body moving up and down as if in a nod. "As will I. Though I must say I would like to learn more about you later on. It will be crucial in my development process."

Alice giggled a bit. "Of course. I'd love to help."

Aya nodded. "Good." She stood up, and cleared her throat. "Now, your main duties, as I am sure you are aware, will be in our robotics division. Alice is plenty capable of caring for herself, but if she should need help, you are the most qualified to do so. In the meantime..." She waved her hand at Alice. "Meet your new part-time assistant. Besides your... floating friend, of course."

Nick's eyes widened and his jaw hung open. "M-m-m-m-ma-ma-ma...my what? I didn't die during my episode did I?" He asked to no one in particular.

"Of course not," Alice said with another giggle. "I'll be assisting you whenever I'm not working on maintenance, repair, and design on the fighters and scouts. I just hope I can be of service." She bowed her head.

"This is..." Nick rubbed his forehead and laughed. "This is the craziest day of my life."

"Mr. Cauthon, you are merely sixteen. Wouldn't such claims be reserved for your twilight years?" Glitch stated innocently.

"Well I already know our first project." Nick said, looking at Alice though his smile fell a bit. "You...are fine I'm sixteen right? You don't have to be my assistant if you don't want." He informed her, having a bit of hesitance to his words.

Alice shook her head. "Dr. Randolf was only eleven when she started with XCOM. And I know of your credentials, skills, and intelligence. I am confident in your abilities."

Nick's smile returned and he resisted every urge to hug the android. "Well alright then." Nick turned back to Aya and said, "And...sorry for over reacting before. I probably shouldn't have taken it so personally. I also..." Nick bit his lip and said, "If I have an episode like that again I will be sure to see a doctor. Glitch has a tracker on him that is programmed to pinpoint my implants location so if I ever need help and I am alone he can help get someone so...you don't have to worry. You can have confidence in me!" Nick said in a determined voice.

Aya nodded. "Good to hear. I'm going to let Mr. Mason know everything is okay. Your work order will be sent to you soon." She nodded to Alice, and headed back to the bridge.

Alice smiled, adjusting her here. "Well... I need to prepare so things. But I'll see you again tomorrow morning." She extended her hand. "I look forward to working with you, sir."

"Just Nick, please. I programmed Glitch to be formal with me and it got old quickly." With a chuckle he took her hand and a thought occurred to him. "So do I still call you Alice or something else?"

"Yes, sorry. Alice Cassandra Alexandria Blossom Randolf Fischer. But please... call me Alice." She brought her fingers up to her mouth, letting out a sharp whistle. Glancing behind Nick, she bowed her head again. "Gotta go get some food. But I'll see you later."

"Yeah...sure." As Alice walked away Nick and Glitch looked at one another and Nick shook his head. "I am surprised my implant did not overheat and explode. How does anyone have a name that long?"

"I don't know Nicholas." Glitch remarked.

Nick stopped in his tracks and looked at his A.I. "I appreciate the attempt at the joke but if you had a head I would smack you upside it."

"As you say Mr. Cauthon. I must say it was nice to meet Ms...Ms...to meet Alice."

Nick laughed loudly and he grabbed his A.I. "We are on our way buddy, we are on our way!"

Just be sure you do not do anything to harm master. Master can not be harmed. Dinah will not allow it.

Nike felt something brush his leg, getting a glimpse of something small and white rushing to catch up with Alice.

"Uh..." Nick said speechless, looking to Glitch who just shook his body side to side. "Should we be worried?" Nick asked and Glitch looked back the way Alice had walked away. "In my honest opinion Mr. Cauthon...we should always be worried on this ship."

 

[MarineAvenger]

Learning to Care (MarineAvenger and Frostlich1228)

Earth, Sol System. (January 17, 2044)
The Einherjar (6:11 P.M.,GMT)
Office of Camellia M. Cross

Winter looked through her list of patients and sad stories, almost nearing the bottom of the list. Camellia had hoped she was doing a good job helping them, and from their friendly faces upon leaving, she had reason to believe that was the case. Winter pressed the red button on her intercom and looked at the next name on the list, C. Karo. The name instantly rang a bell and she breathed through her teeth a little, Oh Boy…

The speakers buzzed slightly as her voice came through, “Mr. Karo. I’m ready to see you.”

Connor sat up from his chair in the waiting room, not too keen on a visit to the therapist. He had never liked any of the shrinks in his facility, they gave him no reason to like them which made the group meetings just another boring lecture to sit through about how bad life is. Rubbing his palm against his jacket, Connor went into the office and sat down, studying the woman he saw.

“Hello there, Mr. Karo.” She smiled brightly, “I’m the base therapist, Cammelia Cross, but you can just call me Winter if you’d like.”

“So Ms. Cross, can we get started here?” He asked, folding his hands over one another and glancing up at the clock as if he had been sitting there for years.

“Of course. Let’s see, you’re here for your mental evaluation and standard check-up.” She said checking her clipboard, “But first, I’d like to get to know you a little, if that’s okay.”

Connor nodded his head, leaning forward and getting ready for the standard way therapist usually did the first meetings.

“I’ve… Heard a little about your story… It’s very tragic… You’ve been through a lot Mr. Karo.” Camellia said, giving him an empathetic expression, “But you’re still going on despite how hard it is, that takes a great deal of strength.”

“Not so much my own strength, I just don’t really have any other choice. I would rather feel pain, then have to feel nothing at all.” He said solemnly, resting his chin on his knuckle.

“I’m really sorry about what happened to you and your wife… I don’t think people ever did understand the concept of innocent until proven guilty… How your live can be ruined even if they haven’t got a shred of evidence against you… It really pisses me off, to be honest.” Winter replied, shaking her head a little.

“You’re not the only one. I don’t have much a life anymore unfortunately.” Damn that judge...Everything would have been just fine if he had...bastard… Connor shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Hopefully you can find a new life here, there are a lot of good people that’ll watch your back no matter what you’ve done… or well, haven’t done… Maybe you can use the XSDF to help you get your life back and find your wife’s killer, people tend to see XSDF veterans as heroes after all.” Winter suggested, “I want to help you make that happen, alright?”

“It’s not going to happen.” Connor said, clenching his hand into a tight fist and looking away at the ground. “They gave up looking for him...I will always be the guilty one.” He growled a bit bit in frustration but allowed himself to cool down, even though his scowl still remained. “I’m no hero...to anyone. Just another name on another clipboard.”

“Well I don’t treat my patients like that… All of them are important and I want to help all of them get their lives together… And that means you…” Winter spoke up with determination in her voice, “You could become an example for all the people that have ever ended up like you, you could help bring justice to the court system! If you just lie down and quit, none of that will ever have a chance of happening. More people will just end up like you, unjustly punished for a crime they didn’t commit!”

“I have tried!” Connor yelled, now visibly steaming. “And each time you just get another ‘Sorry, we have more important things to do.’. Guys like me don’t get justice, and every time you try and fight back, it just gets thrown in your face, so yeah, I have given up!”

“That’s only because they still see you as a criminal, well I don’t! And if you help people through XSDF, become a hero, they’ll have to listen to you, and if they don’t, I’ll personally hold their feet to the fire I promise you that!” Camellia stood up from her chair and placed her hands on the table in front of her, “You’re life is far from over Connor… In fact, XSDF is the chance you have to change the world for the better.”

Connor still looked down at the ground, a dark thought still looming over his head that haunted him ever since the day the nightmare had started. “I’m not sure I even am innocent…” He stated in a shallow tone, his whole body seeming to droop.

Winter slowly sat back down, “What do you mean? Are you saying you might’ve had amnesia?”

Connor closed his eyes and recalled the painful memory. “No I...the night before I had gone out drinking with some bodies. I got so smashed that I didn’t even recall the night before. I woke up early in the morning on the couch and went out for a morning run to clear my head. When I came back, I went upstairs and…” Connor said no more after that and silence carried on for a little while. “I went running out of the house calling for help. A neighbor heard me and called the police. The autopsy indicated she died around the same time I got home. Apparently I took a cab home alone that night and the timeline perfectly lined up. The only problem was the cops had no weapon or DNA...”

“No weapon… No Dna…” Camellia said, thinking for a second, “Did anyone else follow you home in that cab? Do you not remember?”

Connor shook his head. “Driver said it was just me, and he watched me go in by myself before driving away. None of the lights were on before I got home.”

“What if… It was the Driver... “ Camellia suggested, “Because no weapons and no foreign DNA would only mean two things… Either they overlooked something… Or it was psionics…”

Connor shook his head again with an even grimmer look. “She wasn’t killed with psionics...her...her face was bashed in...the prosecution said it would have been easy for me if I was in a drunken rage but I can’t...I don’t remember anything. And there was no blood on me…”
Winter covered her mouth, sighing slightly, “Psionics aren’t just mind powers Connor… Red psions can create solid psionic constructs, lances, swords… Maces…” She stood up and walked over to Connor’s chair, “I know it might seem likely… but there are even more ways that someone else could’ve done it… Back when the case was handled, psionics were still a very new topic… They still are in fact, being very hard to actually get evidence from... It’s likely they didn’t look into it because they didn’t know how…”

“And they probably never will. I can’t tell you how many times I have tried getting the detectives to reopen the case but they just refuse and by that time no P.I. would bother and the fortune I had was gone before my eyes.” He said hopelessly. “And I did the psionic testing on board...not a trace.”

“Since you’re not a psion, I can safely say that it couldn’t have been you… If you were drunk enough to do what you did, I don’t think you would’ve been level headed enough to get rid of all the evidence and clean the scene along with your clothes…” Cammy put a hand on his shoulder, “Listen… My mother is a very powerful woman… I think I might be able to convince her to hire an investigative team to look into the case for you, what do you say?”

“You shouldn’t waste resources on someone like me. Even if they were to find the real guy...no one would care. I already lost Tracy...and I doubt no matter how hard I fight I will ever get her back...I can never keep my promise…”

“Not with that attitude… And trust me, I would care… and if I care, my mom cares... She has many connections with pull in the federal government along with professional soldiers working for her… And she knows someone else with even more… If anyone can find your wife’s killer, they can…”

Connor thought about the offer for a few moments and finally, he reached a decision. “It’s no hair off my back. Go ahead.” He said reluctantly.

“I uh… I think that might be enough for today… I know this was meant to be an evaluation but uh… we can do it some other time… I think you just need some time to think right now.” Winter said, grabbing her clipboard and writing some things down.

“That’s uh...fine.” Connor got up from his seat and walked to the door, opening it up and preparing to leave. “See you next, um...Winter.” Connor closed the door behind him and proceeded to go back to his room, much of his energy having left him.

Winter sat back in her chair slowly, looking up at the clock then back down, looking around her room, “So… That went well.”

 

[DarkGemini24601]

Adrammalech and DarkGemini24601: “The Other Side of the Coin, Part 1”

Earth, Sol System (January 18th, 2044)
The Einherjar (11:24 A.M., GMT)
Holodeck Four

Sasha Dragomirov looked over the weights assembled before her. The first she wasn’t worried about at all, being a measly 30 lbs that her telekinesis could easily suspend in the air. The second was 50 lbs, only about 15 away from her current upper limits. She frowned at the last one, a 70 pound block of steel that would require better than she had displayed so far to lift. The Russian-American was determined to at least try, however, but she figured it would be better to built up to it.

“Here goes nothing.” A faint orange hue rimmed Sasha’s green irises, and she held her right hand with the palm outstretched upwards. The same glow washed over the 30lb weight, and it was lifted carefully into the air. And now hold it there… Sasha lowered her hand, though the glow around her eyes and the weight remained, the psion concentrating her mind on suspending the object. She kept her breathing steady, and thus, so did the weight remain in the air without trembling. After about thirty seconds she let it drift down again, not wanting to waste her energy with two more to go.

“Contestant number two,” Sasha muttered, turning to the 50 pound trapezoidal prism. Lifting her hand again, she spun an orange glow around this one, and lifted it as well. After about 15 seconds she felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face, and lowered it again. “And now for the last one.” Sasha closed her eyes for a moment, taking the time to concentrate and steady her breathing once more. Come on. She outstretched her hands, and the orange glow shimmered around the weight.

This time it did not immediately rise into the air. Sasha didn’t falter in her concentration, however, knowing getting irritated would only disrupt her powers. It’s just four pounds over the limit… I can do this. Her determination paid off, and the 70lb weight finally rose off the ground, Sasha able to spin it in the air for a few seconds before gently lowering it back to the earth, or rather, the Einherjar’s floor. Breathing out contently, Sasha went over to a holographically constructed bench and grabbed her water, taking a swig of it, taking no notice of those that had taken an interest in her exercise.

Placing the water bottle back down, Sasha requested of the computer, “Construct some debris. Metal shards, glass pieces, and concrete chunks, to be more specific.” The holodeck acknowledged her command, creating a pile before Sasha. Her eyes taking on the corona of power again, Sasha opened her hand. If this is my first power I should be able to do better with it. I just have to push myself and be confident in my abilities.

A faint swirl of orange energy sparked over the debris, and began to fade in as Sasha put more power into her rift. The psychokinetic storm increased in intensity little by little, first picking up some of the lightweight pieces of glass, and then even some of the metal shards. Try as Sasha might, however, the heavy concrete was too heavy to lift for her rift as it was, and after picking up a substantial amount of glass and metal she let her rift fade, dropping the rubble back to the ground. “Definitely need more practice if that’s going to be useful in combat.”

“I don’t know about that, it looks plenty useful to me as is,” a voice called out from a speaker beside the observation room above, a redheaded woman visible in the box.

Sasha glanced up at the booth curiously. “Uh, thanks… Miss…?” she trailed off, not being familiar with the person there.

“Kirchner. Would you mind if I came down for a few minutes?”

Sasha’s eyes widened a little. “Not at all, sir,” she responded, not having realized she was talking to the third officer.

After a few moments, the doors clicked open and Abigail walked out, carefully stepping over the debris while trying to maintain an “officer-like” stature, something she found out-of-place for her usual style. As she arrived next to the young scion, she leaned down to point out a piece of the glass Sasha had thrown. “I wouldn’t underestimate the effectiveness of those, speaking as someone who’s had to pluck a few out of her recently,” Abigail said with a small smile.

“Right… a sharp object, even one that’s small, would probably be more effective than a large, blunt one,” Sasha surmised. “Sorry about the mess though. Computer, dismiss the debris.” The pieces of glass, metal, and concrete flickered out of existence on her command. “Haven’t had much of a reason to practice my rift before, but now that I’m in the XSDF I’ll make sure I improve it now that I’ll need it.”

“That’s good, I am glad that practice is coming natural to you. You are Private Dragomirov, correct?” Abigail asked.

“Yeah,” Sasha replied, smiling a bit. “The sister, of course. Not to be confused with Private Mikhail Dragomirov.”

“Of course, it is hard to make that mistake at this distance,” she chuckled. “I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you. I haven’t worked too closely with psions in the past, due to not having them myself. Are the training facilities here proving enough for your needs?”

The Dragomirov shrugged. “They’re working alright for now. The holodeck can simulate pretty much anything I need to test out my powers, though I’m sure it’s a little more difficult for someone testing pyro-conjuring or something that requires a special touch.” Sasha waved her hands. “Not that I’m saying that’s a problem, not much that can be done to provide a testing environment for, say, biokinesis.”

“Yes, those that want to be ‘psionic medics’ will have to train with the medical wing, although we can probably allow pyro-conjurers to use the firing range for their talents. It would make the name more literal, anyway.”

She’s a lot more laid-back that the Commander. Thank goodness for that. “Right. Though I doubt I’ll make use of for psionics since I just have telekinesis and rift right now. I tried my hand at psi panic once but I could never really get in the right mindset to use it.” Sasha rubbed the back of his head. “Guess I would feel too sorry for anyone I would use it on. At least, that’s how it was on Earth.”

“I see...perhaps the scientists could provide a solution, or subjects, for this problem,” Abigail said, scratching her chin. “Not that I’m promising anything, but I do want to make things easier for the soldiers if possible.”

Sasha smiled. “Well, I am grateful that you’re being so helpful. It feels good to know that an officer is looking out for us, considering not everyone’s a big fan of psionics.”

“Of course,” Abigail smiled. “How are you finding the rest of the ship? I understand your parents were a big part of XCOM, are you finding the Einherjar to live up to the legend?”

 

[Adrammalech]

The Other Side of the Coin, Part 2

“From what I can tell it might be a little bit bigger than the old base.” Sasha rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “You know about my parents? I get that my mother was a big part of the genetic lab staff, but my dad isn’t as famous as some of the other soldiers.”

“I’ve done my homework for many of our recruits, although not all. I still have quite a bit of reading to do,” she chuckled. “This is actually my first time on a ship, so I want to get to know everyone and everything as best I can.”

Sasha scratched the back of her head. “Really? I guess we’re on the same page to some extent, then. I’ve been in the military for eight years, but I never got to go into space until now. Mikhail probably preferred it that way.”

“Why’s that?”

“He’s a bit of afraid of being in space… don’t ask me why, it’s his phobia.”

“I can understand that, it is pretty empty out here. I find it exciting, at least in equal measure of worrisome.”

“I don’t think anyone wants to get sucked out into the void.” Sasha shook her head, dismissing the thought. “But I’m excited to be going to new places and seeing more of what the galaxy at large has to offer. I may be a soldier, but it’s still an adventure.”

“Of course, that’s a good outlook,” Abigail nodded. “What about me? Do you have any questions about how things are going?”

“Um… I am kind of curious about your service history, if you don’t object to telling a tale or two. From what little I know it sounds like you’ve been in at least twice as much combat as I have, probably way more,” Sasha asked nervously.

“That’s fair, I’ve read yours after all,” she nodded. “I’ve been a peacekeeper for 20 years or so, managing the fallout after the war, delivering aid, fighting holdouts and criminals, more so the latter in the later years. I’ve had the same squad for five years or so, mostly gene-modded humans, and we fought guerilla battles with cartels, Triads, mafias and other such organizations.”

“All I’ve done is deal with criminals that got their hands on basic alien tech, and I was one of the people in the back throwing down smoke cover for the raid on humanity defense HQ. Nothing as illustrious,” Sasha explained.

“I was there as well, leading a fireteam on the outside of the compound, making sure the leaders couldn’t escape. Turns out the primary teams did just fine though, so mainly we just hung around slashing their tires just in case,” Abigail smiled.

“Yeah… though I’d give more credit to everyone else. Biggest thing I did was drop part of a weakened ceiling with my telekinesis to incapacitate a couple of guys.”

“Still, I’m surprised they called me here. I’ve been Earth my whole life, and it’s not like I was lazing about. I was sweeping a Triad hideout when they called me up, in fact. Hence that bit about the glass and such. It’s an opportunity to see something new, at least.”

Sasha shrugged. “Well, I hear the Triads are mostly spacebound now. So you might end up fighting your old enemies again.”

“I heard they were sneaking their people aboard to get into the colonies, but there are still plenty stateside. They’re not quite like any other gang, none of them have such a grip on the local culture, you know? They’re hard to uproot without more of them springing up.”

Sasha nodded. “Kind of makes you wonder if it is possible, even with the technology we have. But we have to keep trying, right?”

“I’m sure there will always be criminals, but at the very least, we can stop the worst of them. Doesn’t look good for our galactic profile if people are still trafficking prostitutes and the like,” she replied.

The Dragomirov raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think there’s much of that on Earth anymore… though meanwhile, space slavery is somehow still a thing.”

“Exactly, it’s like the internet all over again. Fast advances makes more room for people to abuse them. We’re just a lot more well equipped then we were in 2020.”

“And it seems like we’ve got good officers as well,” Sasha said admiringly. “Glad to know I’ll be serving under someone like you, sir.”

“Please, there’s no need to be too formal. I like to be on equal footing with anyone I’m getting shot at with, so long as everyone trusts me to point the guns,” Abigail smiled. “I hope your training continues to go well, Sasha.”

“And I hope we’ll talk again… when you’re not busy of course,” Sasha returned, adding more quietly, “Maybe to… hang out or something?”

“I’d like that, though I can’t make a promise for soon. This ship is sure to keep me busy.”

“Just glad you’d consider it.” Sasha just smiled softly, before turning back to where the rubble had been. “Try the pile with just the glass and metal shards this time.”

Abigail turned and headed back out the doors, thinking about who to check next, wondering about the people in the cybernetics lab or the genetics lab.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Over Some Tea Part One(MarineAvenger and DarkGemini42601)

Earth, Sol System (January 18th, 2044)
The Einherjar (6:15 A.M., GMT)
General Staff Lounge, Upper Decks

Nick walked into the lounge with heavy eyes and slooping shoulders, obviously tired as Glitch lectured him close by. “You need to stop with the late night shifts Mr. Cauthon. Especially because of how early you get up.”

Nick rolled his eyes and sighed. “I know, I know. I just needed to work on Clunker. I am just so close to stopping his joints from locking up all the time. If I need him to be mobile I need to fix that.” Walking over to the refreshments table, Nick looked at the half full coffee pot, freshly heated kettle of water and the assortment of breakfast pastries strewn around. Putting hot water in a styrofoam cup with a flavored tea bag, grabbing a few doughnuts and looking for a place to sit.

Most of the tables were empty at that time of the morning, save for a few staff members finishing up the night shift. One was occupied by an early riser, though. A young woman with short black hair was sitting at one of the round tables, drinking tea as well, though hers was green. Her attire consisted of a simple black shirt, long gray pants, and a fuzzy gray coat, fairly warm but fairly thin, the latter describing her build as well as the coat. Although she was not really wearing any noticeable makeup, her natural beauty seemed to make up for that.

Nick and Glitch looked at one another simultaneously, Nick looking down at his attire of his blue winter coat overtop his white tank top and blue, plaid, fuzzy pants. “Do you think it is bad I am still in my pajamas?”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t wear clothes Mr. Cauthon.” Glitch noted.

“Fair enough...besides, they are comfortable. And fuzzy.” Nick walked over with his tea and two doughnuts in hand. He looked at Irina and asked, “Hi...uh, I know this is probably weird but can I sit with you? The others look...irritated.” He noted about the night staff.

Irina looked up from her tea, seeming a bit surprised. “If you want.” The doctor glanced at the tired XSDF members. “Night shift does that to everyone.”

“Yeah...sorry if I look really bad. I was up later than I should have been.” Nick stated, the urge to yawn only making his statement more obvious. “My name is...Nick by the way. I work in Engineering. This is Glitch, my A.I. assistant.”

“Hello Miss.” The robot said, floating down on the table next to Nick’s cup.

“Hello,” Irina responded casually, before taking another sip of her hot tea. “Remember not to stay up too late. It hinders your ability to function well.”

“I know...my mother tends to tell me the same thing too. Does that mean you're...a doctor?” He asked, trying to make conversation as he took a sip of his own tea and shuddered as he forgot to add sugar to it.

Irina nodded. “Recently joined the XSDF.” She reached up with her right hand, previously hidden at her side, to grab the cup carefully and imbibe a more significant amount of her drink. As she did so the device around her wrist, being a bit clunky with several small rectangular containers attached to the armband, became noticeable.

Nick’s eyes widened a bit in surprise for a moment, knowing full well the design of the armband. “Uh...me too.” He said, trying not to bring attention to what he saw, even though he was probably doing a bad job of doing so.

The doctor coughed a bit, putting the cup back down as that much tea was a little too warm for her fairly weak constitution. “Excuse me,” she mumbled for a moment, letting herself cool down before trying to drink more of the tea. Her gaze did follow his for a moment, and she glanced at the device and him questioningly for a moment, but didn’t say anything.

“S-So...do you...drink tea a lot?” He asked, taking a few packets of sugar out of the container on the middle of the table and pouring it into his still steaming drink.

“It is a more healthy alternative to coffee while providing the proper stimulation,” Irina answered, raising an eyebrow. “Though adding too much sugar easily defeats the purpose of that first part.”

Nick looked at the sugar he poured in and looked at Irina with a half pouting look. “But...I like sweet things…”

“You are still growing so it is fine for now, but there comes a point when you have to cut back,” Irina countered, carefully holding her cup again in preparation to go at it a second time.

Nick looked off to the side and grumbled, “I am fully grown…” Clearing his throat, Nick spoke up. “H-How do you know that? I could be in my thirties for all...you know…”

Irina took a sip of her tea before answering. “The Aeternam Solution does not work that way, Mr. Cauthon.”

Nick grumbled a bit more and he said, “So you do know I am sixteen…thought I may be able to trick at least one person.”

“Anyone without your medical file, I’m sure. By maybe two years,” Irina responded honestly, putting down her cup again.

“So you probably think of me as a kid too, huh?” He asked, taking a large angered sip of his tea before immediately regretting it and coughing as it went down his throat. “Ow…”

Irina shook her head. “I don’t think your age matters if you’re intelligent enough to be on the team. Arguing otherwise is a waste of time.”

“Oh…” Rubbing his hurting throat Nick added, “Well...thank you. That is very nice of you to say. If you don’t mind me asking...how old are you? You don’t look any older than eighteen or twenty.”

“I’m 24,” Irina answered rather plainly, drinking some of the last of her green tea.

“Wow…” Nick said, both a little surprised and disappointed.

“Something wrong?” Irina asked, taking note of his mixed tone ever so slightly. “Why is that surprising?”

Nick coughed into his drink a bit, covering his mouth as his tea nearly went down the wrong pipe. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he said, “Uh...no...no reason.” Nick took a bite of his doughnut and took a sudden interest in what was going on anywhere other than where Irina was.

“Alright,” the doctor said with unusual calm, turning back to her drink and finishing it off.

After a little bit in silence and Nick violently face palming himself in his head, the engineer finally spoke up. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way...it is just...well...you probably don’t want to hear. I am not really good with...uh, small talk.”

“I never understood that phrase. How can words be small?” Irina muttered. “You can speak if you want.”

“It’s really stupid but...you...you look really…” Nick brought his cup to his mouth and spoke incomprehensibly into it, spurting up bubbles.

Irina tilted her head slightly, giving him an uncomprehending expression. “Um… why are you speaking into your drink?”

“Because I think you’re-” Nick bit his doughnut and mumbled with his mouth full.

“I think Mr. Cauthon is trying to say he thinks you are cu-” Nick slapped the A.I. off the table and he went flying away, floating back seconds later.

“That hurt…”

“Shut up, you’re metal.” Nick said.

Irina glanced between the two for a moment. That was… strange. “If you don’t want to say it that’s fine.” Irina got up for a few minutes, walking over to the pot to refill her cup.

 

[MarineAvenger]

Over Some Tea Part Two

Nick and Glitch seemed to get close to one another, Glitch whispering, “Sir, why do you find it so hard to talk her?”

“It’s not hard...I just...don’t want to say it…” He whispered back embarrassed.

“You’re lying.” The A.I. noted.

“Am not!” He said in a low growl, crossing his arms.

“You...do realize I monitor your heartrate at all times.”

“Sh...shut up!” Nick said, waiting for Irina to return.

The doctor finally came back over, drinking from a significantly cooler refilled glass, not wanting a repeat of last time. Warm coffee will have to do.

Nick sat a bit awkwardly, saying nothing as Glitch watched him with his blue eye. The A.I. looked between the engineer and the doctor, coming to a decision on his own. “He thinks you’re cute.” Nick’s eyes widened and he grabbed the A.I., shoving him down his shirt. There was a slight bulge from the tank top with his blue eye glowing through. “You realize this does not hamper my ability to communicate, Mr. Cauthon?”

Irina paused for a moment, glancing over at the odd pair. After a moment of silence, she simply replied, “Um… thank you.” and went back to drinking her tea.

Blushing a bit from both anger and embarrassment, Nick looked down at his shirt. “Tell me one reason I shouldn’t wipe your memory when we get back?”

“I keep you alive Mr. Cauthon.” Glitch said.

Nick opened his mouth to retort but slowly closed it. “Dang it…”

The doctor glanced back over at them curiously. “Your A.I. keeps you alive?” she asked with noticeable confusion. “How?”

Nick felt a lump form in his chest, but he took a deep breath and he turned around, showing the metal implant on the back of his neck. “This is an implant I designed myself that helps me remotely connect to drones using my own head as the controller. Unfortunately...I sort of...didn’t want anyone else to use it so this is the first prototype. With every prototype it has...problems and this one has the potential to...um...kill...me…” Nick said meekly, pressing his index fingers together with a nervous grin.

“That doesn’t sound safe at all.” Irina frowned. “How did you convince whoever operated on you to go through with it?”

“Uh...a lot of begging...and...more begging…” Nick shook his head with a sigh and said, “But I have been relatively fine...only a few close calls and the other times were taken care of, I am fine.” He said, trying to act tough.

“I monitor his health directly as to make sure proper help gets to him before it is too late.” Glitch told Irina.

The doctor rubbed her hair for a moment. “You’re either very brave or foolish, Mr. Cauthon,” Irina decided, looking at the device on her arm. “Feeling as if you’re living on borrowed time isn’t pleasant, as I’m sure you’ve gathered.”

“Well...yeah, I am always worried I might...die. I just…” Nick gave a small smile and said, “I would rather die doing what I love than something uncertain. It also makes small moments like this the ones I will remember...makes my life feel more special in a way...even though my parents thought I was stupid.” Nick chuckled and looked at Irina with a soft look, one that really showed his innocence.

Irina found herself unconsciously smiling for a moment, then winced in pain abruptly, shuddering for a moment. There was a faint hiss as small tubes pressed into her wrist while she tasted a bit of copper, and then as suddenly as the episode had begun it ended. “M-My apologies… condition… makes itself known… without warning.”

“I sort of knew what the device was...just not real familiar with the disease it is supposed to prevent. I am not my mother in that regard.” Rubbing the back of his neck Nick added, “Just...as long as you are alright.” His tone was light, not really wanting to be heard even though it was probably loud enough to be.

Irina nodded slowly, regaining her composure. “Episodes… usually aren’t as bad as Mr. Walker’s. Device works better for me, though I could… do without my body’s cells deciding to attack each-other at random.”

Tilting his head, unfamiliar with the name, he just said, “Were you...born like this? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

“It’s fine.” Irina shook her head. “The symptoms built up gradually, though it wasn’t really apparent I had the disease until a major episode left me hospitalized.” Irina’s expression darkened in sadness as she remembered someone not as lucky as her that had the same disease. “I was… always frail, though.”

“Y-You don’t look frail…” Nick commented, looking down at himself. “I mean...I am the frail one here. Never really got out much. Was always just working on machines and barely went outside. I just...it was hard going out. Not only because of my multiple mental loose screws but…” Nick looked down and gripped hard onto his pants. “I was...bullied a lot. I wanted to do public schooling when I was younger but it was hell...I had a few friends among the other outcasts but even then...I felt like an outcast…sometimes I still do...”

“My friend and I were too,” Irina practically whispered. “Though she got the worse end of it, since I was in the hospital when things started to get… really bad.”

Nick closed his eyes, looking up and wiping his eyes underneath his glasses with a large smile. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to bring down the mood. S-Sorry…”

“I don’t fault you for it. We are both… unused to holding a conversation,” Irina responded, shaking her head idly.

“Even so...I like talking with you. Usually with girls I just clam up with an exception…” The engineer’s smile didn’t go away, even though he did feel a bit shy.

“Who is that?”

“A girl I was friends with when I still lived in London. Her name was Melinda. She was like an older sister to me, even though she was my neighbor. She convinced me to join a band she and a couple of other people did. Those were probably the fondest memories I have of living there…”

“I-I w-was in…” Irina turned away, suddenly rather flustered.

“What?” Nick asked, a little perplexed at her sudden reaction, trying to think if he said something wrong.

“I-It’s nothing…” the doctor was quick to respond. “What… instrument did you play?”

“Uh...two. I play a lot of piano actually. Sort of...really good at remembering sheet music for it. I can play a lot of classical and more modern pieces. O-Oh...and while I was in the band, a couple of the members taught me how to play an acoustic guitar...even though I got sort of used to it...I still preferred the piano.”

Irina nodded. “M…” She got up, still seeming rather out of sorts, and straightened her jacket. “M-Maybe you could p-play a piece or two sometime,” she spoke before rather spontaneously turning to leave.

“W-Wait...where are you going?” He asked a little disappointed.

“I… I have work soon. We can talk another t-time.” Before she ran off, the doctor realized she hadn’t given him her name. “M-My name’s Irina Beaumont, b-by the way.”

“Oh...well you already seem to know mine so...and just so you know...I...do have one of those new portable holographic pianos...I got it last year. I brought it with me so...if you ever actually want to hear…” Nick didn’t finish but he just said in a rushed tone, “It was really nice to meet you...Irina.” The doctor nodded in his direction before vanishing around a corner.

“That went rather well…” Glitch stated, Nick suddenly realizing the A.I. was still down his shirt before removing him.

“I hope…” He asked, looking at the exit and sighing. “I guess after one more cup I should head back. Maybe I can sneak in some more sleep before anyone notices.” He stated hopefully, but probably knew sleep was out of the question after what he went through.

 

[BMPixy]

BMPixy, DarkGemini24601, and Mangrale: “Addressing the Plebeians, Part 1”

Earth, Sol System (January 18th, 2044)
The Einherjar (12:01 P.M., GMT)
Hangar E

In the hangar sheltering most of the dropships attached to the large XSDF battleship, the assorted pilots assigned to the Einherjar had been called up to be introduced to their C.O. Practically all of them were present, from fighter pilots of varying craft, to dropship fliers and the few airmen and airwomen that operated the bombers. Even some of the bridge staff were present, though most of them were just there at Khumalo’s request or to keep order.

“So anyways, there I was, bogeys all over my ass like I just met the wrong end of a port-a-potty an-”

“Vega, is this another simulator story?” Nelson interrupted, resting her arms behind her head.

“No, I swear on my mother’s grave, this one actually happened to me,” Vincent answered, holding one hand over his heart and the other perpendicular to his shoulder. “Anyways, my buddies were all heading back down to Earth the hard wa-”

“Yeah, this is another sim story. There hasn’t been an aerial engagement like that since the Temple Ship.” Hayden shrugged dismissively. “Just because I’m a bit rash doesn’t mean I’m gonna fall for every fishing story you got.”

“Bah, whatever,” Vincent replied. “Here I am, trying to liven up this dull little meeting, and here you people go, inter-”

“Hey, you guys notice that guy over there, over with Penguin?” Lawrence interrupted, gesturing out into the crowd.

Yes, what about him? Jefferson asked.

“He’s cool,” Lawrence answered. Upon seeing the looks from his wingmates, he shook his head and added, “No, not that way. Thermally. Way more than what should be healthy.”

“So what does that mean?” Hayden prompted. “And why were you staring at people with thermal?”

“I was bored,” Lawrence answered. “And it means either one of two things: somebody’s pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s in the middle of an important meeting, or he’s got a few artificial bits.”

“So what does that have to do with anything, LaLa?” Vincent replied. “If the dude has some augs, that’s his life. No need to go pointing that out to everyone just because you were invading his privacy and felt the need to share.”

“Whatever,” Lawrence said, shaking his head, “I’m just gonna go talk to him.” With that, Lawrence nodded briefly at his wingmates, and slowly made his way through the crowd.

“Wonder who he is. 165 cm, kind of cute I suppose,” one of the women standing next to Narcisse muttered.

“Yeah, but he’s bald, Citrus,” Anja Jollenbeck replied with a shrug. “And only you would pick out someone’s specific height at first glance.”

Phoebe raised an eyebrow in return. “I’m fairly certain you could as well if you put your powers to more precise use.”

“You humans find the strangest things to speak of in your idle chatter,” Shepsut remarked, the Seikronyr folding her two pairs of cybernetic arms idly as Lawrence neared.

“It’s how we pass the time,” Laforge said, having only picked up the trail end of the conversation. “Lawrence Laforge, at your service.”

“Anja Jollenbeck,” the brown-haired German replied, motioning over to Citrus. “This is Phoebe Appleton, though you can call her Citrus.”

“I was sarcastic with you once and you insist on that being my callsign,” the Englishwoman responded with a bemused expression. “The Seikronyr is Shepsut cin Menes, and our stoic here is Narcisse Bellrose.”

“Pleasant meeting all of you. I’d introduce you to my wingmates, but…” Lawrence tilted his head in the direction of his comrades, where Vincent was trying to frantically shake an angry Jefferson off of his leg, while Hayden was bent over double laughing at the sight.

“Fair point.” Phoebe shrugged. “So what brings you over to Red Eye?”

Lawrence casually tapped his visor, and replied, “Happened to see a lack of thermal activity over here, decided to investigate. Not often you see somebody whose body temperature is three centigrade below normal and standing around like nothing.”

Narcisse came out of his daze and noticed the visor-clad pilot, “Oh, excuse me?”

“Might want to keep better situational awareness, boy,” Lawrence said, leaning back slightly and folding his arms in front of his chest. “After all, never know when somebody will try to sneak onto your six.”

The frenchman took a step back, embarrassed. “My apologies, I’ve had a lot on my mind. I assure you, I take my missions very seriously.” He regained his footing and stood straight again.

“If you say so,” the Luxembourger replied. “Though remember that ideal flying conditions isn’t just clear skies, but a clear mind as well. But that’s besides the point, just came over here to ask why your thermal profile has more in common with the ship then your wingmates.”

Narcisse narrowed his eyes, thinking of a response, but widened them again, thinking clearer. He lifted and opened his black right hand, palm toward Laforge. “Well, I’ve been this way for most of my life. Nothing special, but it serves well enough.” He hesitated for a second. “What about you? I...If you don’t mind me asking, of course!”

Lawrence shrugged nonchalantly and replied, “Nah, it’s all good. Was doing some work for Dassault a few years back, there was a malfunction with the neurohelmet mid-flight, next thing I know my visual cortex has more in common with an overcooked TV dinner than my brain. But hey, I got the visor now, so all’s good.”

“I see… wait! I mean I understand!… um,” he stopped to gather his thoughts. “My apologies. A...And you can see normally with that… apparatus?”

“Yeah, plus I get a bit of IR and night-vision as well, though I gotta manually switch to those modes,” Lawrence explained. “Probably for the best, would make it quite difficult to sleep otherwise. What about you? Got any nifty toys under the hood there, or is it just factory standard?”

He pondered, looking at his hand. “Well… this one does come with heightened strength and flexibility. Though, it’s not a match for real cybernetics.” A well meaning frown appeared on his face.

“Hey, whatever works, though do keep in mind I might call you up in case I need somebody to break one of my wingmate’s arm wrestling win streak,” Lawrence said. “Seriously, he’s been going at it for forty-two straight wins, need to put him back in his place.”

“Oh… well… okay, I’ll see what I can do…” Narcisse said nervously, unsure whether or not to take him seriously.

“I think he’s trying to be nice,” Phoebe whispered while casually straightening her brown outer jacket.

“I-I knew that…!” he announced, trying to do so whisperingly.

Lawrence raised a curious eyebrow, but shook his head dismissively. “Anyways, been nice speaking to all of you, but I best get back before one of my wingmates kills another. Look forward to seeing you all in the skies,” he said with an appreciative nod, backing off slightly before turning back to walk towards his flight.

As he went, Narcisse whispered to himself in bewilderment, “W-wait, he does know we’re in space… right?”