Edgar Chamberlain's Story

Edgar listened to the Captain give his briefing, and had a smile on his face the whole time. It's not that he enjoyed briefings very much, which he didn't, but it was just the circumstances he was to be placed in that made him smile. The first thing that Edgar wasn't used to was simply being in space, as all his years of service in the military had left him on the solid surface of Earth where he was forced to follow it's laws of physics. Granted the same rules applied in space, but they would have to be applied differently and Edgar enjoyed the idea of a challenge. Secondly, Edgar had never had to escort such a dangerous criminal while on board such a confined ship. Lastly, the idea of being on a planet with stronger gravity let Edgar know that a fight on the planet would be quite different experience than a fight on Earth. Edgar found it fascinating how such a small variable could have such a drastic change on so many things. He'd have to be more careful and aware of his physical state so that he wouldn't over exert himself by accident. Even with that thought in mind, Edgar couldn't stop from smiling at the idea of fighting on a planet that might make his belt buckle weigh a whole pound.

Edgar's smile dropped when the Captain told them they were dismissed and ordered them to return to their posts. As others moved to leave the room, Edgar just remain seated in his chair and turned his gaze to the window. He had a curious look on his face as he tried to think about what exactly was "his post" on the ship. Did he actually have a placed he needed to be, or was he just simply the errand boy for the rest of the crew? Was he just here so that when something needed to be done and no one else wanted to do it, they would could call on the rookie to do the dirty work? Regardless, he just relaxed more into his chair and crossed his legs as he gazed out the window. If they needed him, they would get hold of him in some way or another; the manner in which they would do it was up in the air, but whatever method they would choose didn't really bother Edgar.

He was happy enough to be off Earth though and to be engaging in a whole new (well, new for him) experience in space travel and whatever it entailed. Things on Earth had become to routine for him, not even combat could invigorate him. It was all just the same thing for him, regardless of how drastic one engagement was from another it never really felt any different to him. When he heard of Thrasos and found out their work involved traveling to the unknown he quickly dropped in a request to join the company. A few weeks of waiting for the confirmation of his request and after a whole year of training he was finally on board the TCS Mercury with what apparently was the cream-of-the-crop this company could dish out in personnel. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how much he must seem like a moron for having no idea what his job really entailed and not knowing where he was suppose to go or what he was suppose to do. That's why I joined though, he thought.

"Least it's something new, right Ed?" He quietly said to himself as he watched the stars through the window.

Edgar blinked a few times and looked around the briefing room where he still sat, wondering how long he had been staring out the window. He noticed that it was empty at this point as everyone had left to wherever they were needed. Edgar let out a sigh of boredom and felt the distinct pain of hunger; the captain had mentioned something about food before, so Edgar decided he might as well head to the kitchen. He raised his arms up over his head as he stretched before leaning back to stretch out his aching and stiff back muscles. He winced when he felt, and heard, a loud pop from his back which was followed by a slight groan of pain and him placing his hands where it had cracked.

"That felt wonderful." Edgar said sarcastically. He lowered his hands, flexing his neck some before leaving the briefing room and into the hallway beyond it. As he made his way towards the kitchen, he looked around at the hallway he was walking through. It wasn't the first metal hallway Edgar had walked through, but the fact it was a hallway within a spacecraft made it fascinating to him. Course he only felt more idiotic at the fact he was being mesmerized by some plates of metal, probably something as simple as steel or aluminum. Am I so simple minded that a bunch of rivets in the wall leave me awestruck? Edgar just placed his palm against his face, shaking his head at his own lack of maturity as he made his way into the kitchen.

He looked towards the two women who were inside, one of whom was busy with work; hopefully what she making would taste delicious as Edgar hadn't eaten a good tasting meal in quite awhile. The other was sitting patiently, waiting for some food Edgar assumed. While he could make a pretty accurate guess that the woman busy at work was the cook, he honestly had know idea what the woman sitting down specialized in. He couldn't even come up with a name for either of them. The letter "E" came to mind, but he decided against taking shots in the dark at guessing their names as his ignorance would show regardless. If he didn't try guessing it meant he could avoid an awkward moment and at least keep some sense of dignity. So Edgar kept his trap shut as he sat down a couple seats away and brought his elbow up onto the counter and rested his chin in his hand as he began staring at a wall, quickly getting lost in thoughts which consisted of him trying to remember their damn names.

Edgar was pulled from his thought when he heard the woman sitting nearby speak. "Edgar, right? I'm Elenna, Medic." He looked over at her to see her smiling and offering her hand to shake. Well it saved him the trouble of having to remember who she was.

He returned the smile and shook her hand as he spoke, "Yep, that's me." He was about to say more when he heard the cook pipe up.

"Elenna and Edgar is it?" snapped the cook over her shoulder "I'll bring the food to you all when its ready, if you could please leave me to my work I'd be most grateful".

He pulled his hand back from Elenna as he looked at the cook. A rather grumpy person, huh? He felt rather compelled to stay giving the way she asked him to leave, but then he thought about it and realized it would only end up backfiring on him. He'd probably end up being scolded, being the rookie of the vessel, which wasn't really the problem. He'd been on the bad end of a great many things and being reprimanded wasn't something that ever worried him. The only thing that concerned him was the possibility of once more being left doing some menial and lousy task.

So, he kept his ego in check this time around as he stood up, looking at the cook. "Alright then, but only because you said please." He said with a smile. He then looked at Elenna, nodding his head. "Well, I enjoyed the talk, even if it was limited to a simple "hello". Probably end up running into you at some point or another." He then turned and went towards the door. "Have fun." He said with a wave as he left.

The only problem he had once he started walking was figuring out where else he could go. Going near the prisoner would probably not be happening, and he didn't feel like bugging anybody at their posts, so at this point he decided he'd just head to his bunk and wait for food to be ready.

Edgar had managed to end up getting himself distracted on his way to his bunk, just observing all the various details of the ship, even the small ones. He remembered having teased himself earlier about how immature he must appear when he's staring blankly at the metal hallways. He couldn't help it though, as space travel was something brand new to him and he understood just how harsh and hostile an environment space was. The only thing protecting him was this ship he was walking through, with it's life support systems, heating, and even artificial gravity that prevented him from whacking his head on the ceiling. It was just something that amazed him, and he'd never understand why such small things did so. "Guess simple things amuse simple minds then." He said before chuckling at himself.

He decided he'd head towards the cafeteria, hoping that the cook might have finished preparing the food. He began making his way down the hallway and towards where he though the cafeteria was. He was once again lost in his own thoughts as he stared blankly forwards, one hand resting in his pocket, his other hand just hanging down at his side.

His eyes then fell upon Elenna as he saw her staring out the window and into space. He felt slightly better knowing he wasn't the only one who stared at a bunch of really bright dots. "See, told you that we'd run into one another again." He said as he walked up near her to the window, placing his forehead against the window and looked out at the stars. He frowned some before he spoke again. "I wonder if Orion can be viewed from here. Was the only damned constellation I could ever make out." He then began searching for the constellation out of habit, something he had picked up on in his life. "Orion the hunter." He quietly said to himself.

It was one of the few things that he ever felt a real connection to as he considered himself to be a hunter. Certainly not a good hunter by ethical terms, but a hunter none the less.

"We can't see Orion from here. It's in our galaxy. We aren't in our galaxy anymore." Elenna said and then rubbed her arms. Edgar frowned when she said that. He was hoping he'd manage to see the constellation, but it turned out he'd be outta luck for that. "I was just on my way to the cafeteria when i kinda got side tracked and well... i don't actually know where it is." Elenna spoke as she glanced down the hallway. Edgar assumed she was looking in the direction she was guessing the cafeteria was towards.

Edgar chuckled when she mentioned her lack of knowledge when it came to the cafeteria's location, mostly because he felt better knowing he wasn't the only one who didn't know the layout of the ship. "Was hoping you'd know the direction honestly, because I sure as hell have no idea where to go."

"Hey there!" came a voice from down the hallway.

"Gah!" Edgar jumped and quickly looked in the direction of the voice, noticing a man walking towards them, his hands in his coat pockets. I really just got startled? Edgar thought to himself. Why the hell was I just startled?! Edgar decided he'd slap himself later for it as he attempted, then immediately gave up trying to guess his name as well. "Well uh, hiya. I'm not gonna lie, I have no idea what your name is, sorry. However, I do hope you might now which way to the cafeteria because..." Edgar paused," Well because I have no idea where that is either!"

"Well I'm glad you do, means I have less of a chance getting lost." Edgar grabbed Alex's hand and shook it. " My name is Edgar, I'm the retard of this ship and the person you all will be laughing at because he has no idea what he is doing." Edgar smiled as he pulled his hand back.

Edgar wasn't going to try and feign any intelligence at this point, as it was pretty clear to people he was quite clueless about whatever they were doing. So he decided he might as well poke fun at himself for his own enjoyment. Plus, as much as people's opinion of him didn't matter, it still irritated him if he kept hearing insults repeatedly and he found making fun of himself an easy way to limit the number of insults that would come his way. It also meant people would be laughing and be less inclined to insult him.

"Well since you do know the way to the mess hall Alex, you can lead us there! Would do Elenna and I a wonder of good considering I'm starving and she probably is too. Also I probably won't get distracted by the flooring and then find myself back in the briefing room." Which was something he wouldn't actually be surprised at if he managed it.

Edgar saw Alex and Elenna sitting down at a table nearby, talking between one another. He had seen the captain leave the table earlier, so Edgar decided he might as well make himself a part of their conversation. As he walked over, he heard Alex speak up to Elenna. "Captain sort of deflated my enthusiasm about this trip, deserts are depressing...and hot."

Edgar smiled before he spoke as he sat down next to them, "I would use the term exciting, after all it's a very different environment to work in. It's a whole new set of variables to take into account and it's just....well it makes it so much more exciting!" Edgar did have a large grin as he thought about possibly fighting in a desert. It was something he'd never done before despite his years of service. Honestly, he'd only fought in urban environments, forests, and the occasional jungle. So to him, the prospect of being in a jungle just filled him with glee.

His smile did falter though when the word "hot" sunk in, guess he my have failed to properly process the word before he opened his big mouth as hot places were places Edgar never, ever enjoyed. His smile vanished entirely as he slowly glanced at the table. "Ok, well you may have a point on the "hot" thing...hot is not one of those variables that I enjoy very much at all." It was at this point Edgar figured he should probably just stop sounding arrogant. "Ok....well you do have me beat now that I think about the "hot" thing..."

WARNING! WARNING! EMERGENCY JUMP PROCEDURE INITIATED! PLEASE PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY JUMP!

Edgar blinked and looked up from his conversation, letting the words sink in. "We need to move!" Elenna said as she made her way towards the door. He didn't need experience in space traveling to know that something rather bad was occurring, and a metal door slamming shut and locking them in the mess hall confirmed that for him.

Edgar was on his feet, but only for a moment as he felt himself get slammed into a table, only to be flipped over it before falling to the floor. Once there he proceeded to slide across the floor before smacking into a wall quite harshly. He felt the wind get knocked out of him, followed by his head smacking into the wall as well. A moment later he opened up his eyes, realizing he had blacked out for a few seconds, and looked around for the other two.

He then took notice of a sharp pain in his lower back, and was able to glance back enough to notice he had managed to get himself impaled with a fork. Boy he was getting lost in his childhood days once more....

"Sound off! Who needs Medical Attention?!" He heard Elenna shout. Everything felt fine with his body (excluding the fork), so he simply responded with, "I'm good!! All good! ow...."

His head was throbbing from when he had smacked it against the wall, so he figured he may have received a concussion. He wasn't to concerned though as he managed to get himself to his feet, keeping a hand to his head while leaning against the wall. Edgar was able to look at Elenna, noticing the small amount of blood on her head. The fact she was on her feet and even responding was a good indicator she wasn't badly injured, plus the wound didn't appear to be gushing blood so he turned his attention towards Alex.

Edgar noticed the lovely paint job Alex had left on the table with his blood, but he was standing and when he shouted "You alright, Elenna? Where's Edgar?", Edgar knew he was doing....Edgar had to think of the correct term. "Alright" was the best he could come up with at the moment.

"Over here." Edgar called out back to Alex before he reached back and took hold of the forks handle. He could feel how the metal had been warped from the impact, and judging by the fact Edgar could only grab a little bit of the handle, he assumed it got dug in a decent amount. Edgar took a deep breath, knowing that what he was about to was stupid, then yanked the fork from his back. Pain shot through his lower back and he just shouted in pain, his knees slightly giving out before catching himself on the wall.

Then, he began to laugh in an exasperated tone. It wasn't the first time he had managed an injury as such, so Edgar had learned to cope with the pain through laughing. It was an odd thing, but it really did help him focus on other things besides the pain. "Great way to end a good meal, right guys?!"

"Is everyone alright?" Mike asked as he looked around at them. Edgar watched him calmly look around as Elenna came up to him and began fixing up his wounds.

"As Elenna said, we are all good. I learned once more how cruel forks can be when rammed into soft tissue with sufficient force.....but we're good." Edgar said as he placed a hand over the wound on his back. Edgar looked back towards Alex before looking back towards Mike and Elenna.
Edgar was wondering what the rest of the crew was up to and how they were doing. Figuring he might as well make himself useful, he looked at the two."Well, we should probably get checking on the rest of the crew. I would go on ahead but the rest of the ship is probably locked up and I'd only get myself lost and stuck somewhere."

He walked past them and patted Mike on the back as he walked out into the hallway, then stopped before looking down it. He then turned back to them. "So, going to watch me make a fool of myself or going to join me?" Edgar said with a grin.

"Where the hell is the bridge on this ship?" Elenna said with a loud sigh.

Edgar was looking over the walls and metal work of the ship. He figured her question was rhetorical, as he had no idea where the hell he was going or even the layout of the ship. Truthfully, Edgar was hoping either Alex or Mike would have accompanied that. Not that he didn't appreciate Elenna's company, but more so because neither of the two had any idea where they were going.

He looked over at Elenna, who he could see was clearly tense. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing given the situation, in fact Edgar would be more worried if she was relaxed. She was at the right balance of emotional state, alert and aware of her surroundings without it turning into panic. She certainly was no new blood to the life of a medic. He couldn't help but smile, remembering her quickly and efficiently fixing up his fork wound.

He began to chuckle as he thought about it, as it meant he'd have to worry even less about getting himself injured. His chuckle became mixed in with a slight groan of pain as he placed his hand over his wound once more, his laughing causing the wound to hurt. "Oh dear, I can't remember the last time I had been stabbed by my kitchen utensils. Somewhere in my teenage days I think." His features turned to confusion as he put a hand to his chin thinking. "Was it before or after the shopping cart....?"

Edgar shrugged before placing one hand in his pocket, the other resting on the handle to his pistol. "Ah well. They were good times though." He said with a smile.

Edgar watched Elenna get to work on Patton, who was quick to get back up into his seat and go over the condition of the ship. Edgar's attention however then turned to the planet sitting on the view screen in front of them. He was quite taken in by the sight of it, as it had been the first time he'd seen another planet besides Earth. So this was Caerus, the planet Thrasos had decided to send their best operatives to investigate.

Edgar could feel the excitement surging through him, a smile forming on his features as he watched it. He still had one hand in his pants pocket, the other still resting on the handle of his pistol as he simply stared at Caerus. Desert planet, meaning hot, arid climate with even greater gravity than Earth. What made his adrenaline surge was his curiosity as to what the planet held on it's surface and in it's depths. This crew was the best Thrasos had (excluding the two rookies) and so there was something about this planet that was being kept from them.

Edgar turned his gaze towards Lucas, narrowing his eyes some as he watched the captain wait for the rest of the crew to arrive. Maybe everyone else was ignorant to the secrets that planet was holding, but Edgar couldn't help but wonder if Captain Payne had a better understanding of what they were being led to. It's not something that necessarily bother Edgar, while it was nice to know what he was going up against, it was the mystery that excited him most. Edgar lived for those moments where one was forced to react on the spot, where everything came down to mere split-second decisions.

So Edgar just kept his gaze on the captain before chuckling softly, turning his eyes back to the foreboding Caerus that rested eerily in front of them. "Oh I am going to love this." He said with a smile.