Description
Exburnans (ekss-BRRN-nin) are creatures, that though may share a humanoid structure, certainly aren't humanoid. They have certain powers. They are able to generate electricity, but in return, they have to drain energy from external forces every so often, whether that means eating or draining electricity. They also have the ability to read the memories of any creature, including language, yet they cannot read a man's conscience or what he is thinking about. Also, it is rumored that in some rare cases, some Exburnans have highly telekinetic powers, a trait picked up by fault of a highly telekinetic and in no way humanoid known as Drakathons (dru-KAH-thon) of which are now extinct. Though, these rare cases are of legendary status, and if one were to exist, it would be exiled.
Rokunam is the average kind, same powers that all of his kind share, and has the same average appearance. He'll wear a Federation Uniform to show his loyalty, but rarely wears any type of armor or gadgets unless it's part of the mission. His eyes are Red, but they may sometimes turn a gold or blue depending on certain things, not exactly emotions, more like things involving powers, like encountering a power source or using a lot of powers or whatever.
Personality
Many Exburnans are wise and often can be very crafty. Due to their abilities, many will very rarely tell lies to each other, nor to others. Though they once used a lot more technology, now they are highly religious, and often describe certain intelligent powers as 'gods' such as their own deity, Mykeishah (maie-KEE-SHAH). Also, they have a word in their language which very rarely is translatable into other languages, the word being "Shaah". Few people now what it means, but the Exburnans use it often, and usually by itself.
Rokunam is much like that. He is always interested in humans, like how they are quite similar to his own race in structure (a detail which wouldn't be pointed out very often) as in how they both have similar things, like a pair of arms, a pair of legs, a mouth with teeth, eye(s) of some sort, muscles, bones, necks, even fingers. He's also interested with human memories, of which he is able to read, and he likes to hear the explanations behind human reasoning. Although he seems very accepting and believes in fairness and understanding between any race that is willing to make peace, he isn't opposed to the slavery that takes place on his planet. He is very loyal to his superiors, however, it's not like he doesn't have his own opinion, and of course he has common sense. He does have a sense of fear, though it's not easy for him to show it, considering he never let's his voice sound nervous. He'd have to tell you that he's afraid for you to tell. By himself, his bravery isn't strong, however, as long as he is working in a team, he can feel more comfortable. If he suffers a great lost, he doesn't respond in anger, or rather in sadness or depression, being the strongest possible reaction for him. He often speaks as if he's been expecting whatever is happening to happen. The only thing that would make him angry is basically anything that would make a person angry when he is in the intensity of battle. When idle, he doesn't speak with many people, mostly because they don't speak to him. He does follow orders and gives suggestions and tell situations and stuff like that. Occasionally, out of the blue, he may ask a person something, usually concerning something in their memories. If someone wants to stir up a conversation with him, he'll gladly be involved with it, however, he's not always the best at conversations. Otherwise, he is quite quiet when idle. Some people think he gives off either a scary feel or a gloomy, possibly depressed feel. Oh, and he can speak English.
Equipment
They're technology is not very advanced machinery-wise, often relying on Human Technology, however, they have proven to be good engineers. They also specialize in bio-logical creations as weapons.
Rokunam isn't exactly fan of using mechanical weapons such as machines guns, and in fact isn't fond of using weapons of any kind, however, if he has to, he will use weapons. He also isn't much of a fan of gadgets, however, he will once again use them if he needs to or it's part of his mission.
Rokunam does have a lot of field skills. He is wise, like most of his kin, but not super intelligent, like scientist smart. Well, he is willing to work with scientists anyway. He's good with team combat, and also has a lot of field knowledge, as he has experience with how to deal with many types of unknown terrain.
History
There is also a race related to the Exburnans, known as the Sozards. Sozards are quite similar, except they are taller, stronger, have green skin, and have four arms. This race is treated as a slave race for Exburnans. You'll often see them as personal servants, or workers or assistants. They do not have powers like the Exburnans do, however, they do have very fast minds, and are stronger and more resistant that Exburnans. They are often quiet, but they are very organized and have strong memory. They don't speak other languages than their own, the Exburnan language, likely because they cannot read memories like their master cousins do. However, though they are slaves, it's no uncommon to see Sozards and Exburnans working on certain tasks as equals.
The reason the Exburnans have these powers is because of the war they once had with the Drakathons. In an attempt to flush the Exburnans out, they had, through some unknown source, had acquired a nuclear type of bomb, a few actually. Upon detonation upon the Exburnan land, it had killed many of their population, almost all of it, however, there were a number that didn't die. Some of them were normal, others became mutants. Thus, creating the Exburnans. Though they had won the war, there became major conflict in between the originals and the growing numbers of mutants. The originals, however, grew to become what is now known as the Sozard.
Ever since the Exburnans joined the Federation's rule and have become friendly, their planet, named Exburna, is one that provides many things. Though many of their natural resources still have yet to go through more half-lifes (how radiation amounts and the time spans it takes to go through are measured) so those may not be safe, However, they create a lot of Bio-Weaponry. They are continuing to develop more human compatible weaponry, but have still become very helpful. They also make good soldiers, engineers and medics, though many prefer to stay on their home planet. Also, the planet's known for farming with creatures known as the K'siel, aggressive insect-like creatures that live underground. They live in "the Mines", a large mine once used by Humans and Exburnans to dig up things like Oil (which seemed unusable) and Precious Metals and Diamonds. It still is being used for that, however, a large portion of it has been overrun by the K'siel. However, it turns out that the K'siel can collect the native oil and somehow use it to create a substance that can be used to generate as much power with a jar, as a small nuclear power cell, which is very valuable for some Federation ships. Nobody knows what the bugs use it for, but there are many supported theories. Of course, getting it is the hard part, and so, a lot of outside help is used. The Mines can be threatening, but it's a popular place for work for the Exburnans, both workers and soldiers.
Though they say that Exburnans never lie, out of habit being that on their planet, having the ability to read others minds (or memories rather) lying to each other is pretty much useless, though, Rokunam's past isn't exactly brought up a lot, so it's not like a ton is known much about him, but really, nobody bothers to ask.
Well, Rokunam's lived a mostly normal life, on his home planet. Born there, raised there, got soldier training there. Simple life it seems, for someone of his race. Well, other than the fact he was interested in serving on ships. The Nightwing was his first opportunity.
Well, there are some things in between all this, right? Well, originally, he wanted to work in the Mines. Many who worked in the Mines had to be trained soldiers, for the K'siel, though were described as bugs are five feet tall and deadly when they come in numbers, and the Mines held many, many bugs. Rokunam, after his training, had worked in the Mines for about a human month. Of course, he had been used to having to fight swarms of bugs, and casualties weren't an uncommon thing, however, there was one certain day, of which he does not talk about. Exburnans, Sozards and Humans often worked together in the Mines, and maybe any other Federation races that volunteer to work there. His group was to collect some of the K'siel Extract, the substance the bugs create using the oil. His group consisted of 4 Exburnans, 4 Humans and 2 Sozards, his squad which he had worked with for a while. He had known is group very well. It's not exactly known what kind of events happened that day, but, not everybody on the squad had made it back. Rokunam was the last of the still living people who managed to escape, with only a gallon of the extract. Rokunam quit some time later. Of coursed not very many people except those who worked at the Mines and people he is close to know about this incident, so, obviously, nobody really asks, because they obviously don't know about it.
So begins...
Uney
Thinking quickly, Uney worked with what he got. “Aha, a doctor, that’s good. You’ll know... how to handle delicate things. I’ve been instructed to offer Saein her old job with a twenty percent raise, but I don’t know where to find her. If you could tell me...” One look at Alex’ face told him he would have no such luck. “...or perhaps you could forward the message to her. She’ll know where to find me.” Uney didn’t mention that instruction had come from his own mind right then and there. Nothing wrong with bending the truth a little, right?
He pointed at the empty glass. “Would you like another? I believe you when you say it’s good, so I’ll have one too.”
Saein
It was difficult to follow what Rokunam was saying. Something new appearing in Minn’s mind? This was alarming. Pushing her friend out of the hug for a moment and holding her by the shoulders, she studied Minn’s face. Were her pupils a normal size? Was her facial expression symmetrical? She also asked questions: “Minn, do you feel dizzy, or have a headache, or anything like that? What day is it? Can you count back from ten?”
Then she remembered reading memories was different from seeing tumors or brain hemorrhages, and that Minn was a confused and traumatized person, so her worry about anything lethal was probably silly. Saein wrapped her arms around Minn once more, the best way to help that she knew.
Tom was having a hard time deciphering Rokunam's words, but it seemed he'd have to get used to it, because they would be working together.
He was about to introduce himself before he realised that the Exburnan already knew his name... which was odd, since he hadn't even told anyone else his full name yet (which in hindsight, he thought, he should've done).
Saein frowned, and confused little dots flew over her face in all directions. What in space was Rokunam talking about? It was good these things were incomprehensible, emotional memories shouldn’t be shared with random passers-by. They shouldn’t even be shared with friends without permission, at least not with friends who might understand their emotional meaning. Since in her opinion she wasn’t supposed to know the memories Rokunam tried to dig up from Minn’s mind, she gave up on trying to make sense of them.
“Minn -” she said, pulling the girl closer again with one arm, speaking in a near-whisper they hadn’t heard her use before, “Minn, I really admire you for confronting the problem head-on. But if you’re going to dig into lost memories, you may want to do that in private, and with the doctor nearby, cause what you’ll find may be shocking.”
Saein had of course always felt respect for Minn and her other crewmates (even though her tendency to call younger women she didn’t know well “hon” might be considered disrespectful), but the way Minn had just responded to something that must feel immensely threatening, that was truly brave. She hadn’t thought Minn had that in her. If it were up to Saein, she would k... No, that would be inappropriate, and it would hurt herself too. She sighed. Maybe someday...
Bond
He hadn't encountered Rokunam directly, or at least he couldn't remember doing so. Shrugging, he watched him read Minn's memories, the Shariva standing stock still like her spine had solidified into one pole-like bone. Her pinks fingers clutched at each other tight.
Saein gave her advice afterward, holding Minn gently, an action that seemed overly considerate compared to Bond's experience with the mechanic. He smirked a little, before stepping forward with his own input. "I agree with Saein," he said. "Let's get the doc, and probably get back on board. Just in case. If you do need time, you won't have to move anywhere. We'll already be on board."
Minn's pink lips pressed together briefly. Bond knew the motion meant she was uncertain, debating, her fear coiling around her head. Somehow he knew, and hated seeing such a tiny being struggling. Saein's face revealed her worry and confusion as well, dots flitting this way and that curiously. Bond noted that.
"Besides," he went on with a smile. "Minn's dinner for everyone is getting cold. We shouldn't let such a thing happen."
Eyeing Saein, he wondered if it would be okay if he led Minn out or if he should allow her to do it. The crew had been together a day and the mechanic clearly already had an affinity for the Shariva. So he decided to ask Minn her thoughts. "What do you say, Minerva?"
Her full name caught her attention, green eyes flickering up to his, expression contorting slightly between confusion and fear. Bond's smile slipped. Something about her gaze...it reminded him...
He shook out of it. "Let's head back," he said decidedly, not waiting for her words.
Bond agreed with Saein and suggested looking for the doctor and getting back on board. She was probably the one in the group who had seen Alex most recently, so she helfully started “If we’re going to fetch the doctor before going back to the ship, I last saw him at...” That had been a restaurant. Maybe not such a good thing to mention in front of Minn. “Um. Some place in that direction.” She pointed where she had come from. “Then again, if we go look for him, we might miss him and he’ll already be back on the ship while we’re still searching.” Saein hoped Rokunam wouldn’t add the information she decided to keep to herself.
Saein’s stomach voiced its agreement when not letting food get cold was mentioned. Bond studied her face, trying to figure out things he might as well just ask. He also seemed to have some other thoughts, Saein felt clueless about what those might be. Being the only one with informative skin was inconvenient.
Glad that Bond had taken the lead and decided not to go looking for the doctor, Saein nodded emphatically. “Yeah, let’s head back. Right, Minn?”
Before the group started moving (if it would), Saein let go of Minn and offered to shake Thomas’ hand. “Hi. Sorry I was distracted. I’m Saein.” Her greeting was awkward, her instincts had a difficult time figuring out how she felt about this new kind of human/robot mixture, but as a person he deserved a handshake like anyone else.
Tom accepted the handshake happily. "Hi Saein, nice to meet you. By the looks of your clothes, you're the... mechanic? Cool!"
Well, at least someone would be able to fix him if he got in trouble. Assuming she was familiar with old-fashioned robotics, that is. Saein's dancing freckles caught his eye. He watched for a split second, then realised everyone else would see that as staring, so he averted his gaze to Bond, who was now striding purposefully toward the docks. Someone was hungry.
This thought reminded him of his own hunger, he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Part of that was to do with being unconscious in the hangar for most of the journey here. He was actually still a little unsure of what the time really was, seeing as they were on a space station with no day or night.
His mind wandered back to food. Seeing as the pink girl - Minerva was her name, according to Rokunam - and the pilot had been perusing the cooking store earlier, he decided that she was the cook. He wondered if she was good at it, and whether she took requests or not. It had been ages since he'd tasted his favourite food, and it was an obscure and strange concoction: whipped cream, yoghurt and dark sugar all mixed in a bowl. The simplest recipe for happiness he knew.
In this orgy of newcomers and other crewman, Eddie was at least happy to see that Minn had found Saein. Saien would comfort her and help her get through..... whatever that was. Then came one of the newer crewmembers, or maybe it was a random alien of sorts. Edide hadn't seen whatever this was, so he couldn't exactly tell what it was capable of, but apparently, confusing the shit out of Eddie was one of its fortes. When it began its tale of what had happened with Minerva, it mad a bit of sense - he could make out some of what they were doing earlier, but then it just got weird and incomprehensible. Edward didn't really understand what happened after that point.
So now it seemed that they were going to find their doctor. Well that ought to be as simple as finding a turd in a group of politicions, considering all the people stumbling around like they had something to do, which was made evident by their bored expressions that that was not the case. He sighed, knowing that this doctor might not be the easiest person to find, and that they were going to have to really keep their eyes out if they wanted--
*Beep.*
Eddie noticed a small vibration in his pocket, as well as the beeping of his mobile datapad. He read what it said with a small smile.
Heyyyyy guize! Git 2 da ship, kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay? Aight, im owt!
It told him that they were supposed to be heading back to the ship because they would be departing quite soon. That was perfect, actually, now they didn't have to go searching for their doc. Eddie smiled towards the group. "Hey, guess we don't have to look for him. Lets head to the ship and wait for him there." he spoke with a bit of enthusiasm in his voice. If anyone could find out what was happening to Minn, it was him, right? She'd get fixed.
Tom noticed everyone suddenly looking at their datapads at once - he assumed they'd all received a message from someone, presumably the captain. He didn't need to ask what it was, since everyone gradually turned and began making their way towards the waiting ship.
"I wish I had one of those," he thought, before remembering that he had his own system built in. This wasn't as much of an advantage as it might seem, since one of his internet friends, who he hadn't got round to deleting yet, kept spamming him with endless messages about his various obsessions that Tom had never bothered to explore. It was incredibly distracting having an email about flying ponies popping up in your peripheral vision whilst in the middle of a scouting assignment.
Tom turned to Saein and asked for the Regina's datapad address, and proceeded to send her a message with his credentials attatched (these being constructed from memory after his hasty exit from the academy), so that she could contact him at any time.
As they neared the ship, he couldn't help but marvel at its design. It really was a beauty. He was glad to be on this job.
Regina
Reggie had barely noticed the message on her datapad. She skimmed through it as she chugged yet another drink, and slipped back into her coat pocket. She rubber her head with her hands, taking in deep breaths. She was startled, slightly, when she felt Rokunam sit down beside her.
He went on and on about how drinking would probably hinder her decision making. The alcohol was already taking effect and she could barely keep up with the alien's words. "On the contrary," She began finishing the rest of her drink and gesturing for another. "Alcohol makes me think much clearer."
She sipped at her new drink when another figure appeared, this time next time Rokunam. She was blonde, and was wearing a...witch's hat? Interesting decision. Reggie shrugged it off and continued to drink. The blonde and Rokunam bantered on and on. And the Exburnan begged for Reggie to not allow the woman onto the ship.
Reggie rubbed her head again, running a hand through her hair. Another figure moved to the bar, sitting down next to her. He scrunched down, as if trying to disappear from sight. Reggie rolled her eyes, her head pounding. From the alcohol or the blonde's constant jabbering, she wasn't sure. Probably both.
Finally, out of annoyance, Reggie stood, kicking back her stool. "Okay, cool it!" She shouted. "Rokunam, I understand your concerns, but right now, we could use all the help we can get. Especially if military men are hunting us down."
She stepped around the Exburnan and up to the blonde. "And if you want to be apart of my crew, you better learn to shut your mouth! And believe me when I say I'll screw your mouth shut if you cross me the wrong way."
She grabbed her drink that she had briefly abandoned and decided to retreat to the back of the bar, to think through her next course of action.
Dia woke up drooling on his Sfair. His eyes open with a fuzzy slit of vision showing through, his brain trying so desperately to dim the surrounding lights. He looked to his left to find a new patron in the process of sitting right next to him... Dia saw him eying a small group of people a bit further down the bar as he downed a drink. He pulled on his jacket in a weird way before resting on the bar...
"This poor fellow..." he drunkenly thought to himself, "He must be cold!"
Dia sat up and gained his footing between his stool and the possibly shivering stalker.
"You know what you need fellow?!" He slurred as he draped his arm daintily over his shoulder, "You need a partner!"
Dia didn't wait for a response, as he dribbled on and on.
"Stakeouts can be a lonely business, and business isn't lonely! You've got to nurture a relationship with another businessman like myself... juess... *hiccup* ...just take a look at them over there plotting against us already..."
He let go of his cold lonely stalker business partner, and stumbled over to their stalkees to confront any possible merger in person...
"Overtaking our enterprise will take some cunning fem-fatal," Dia stammered, "or a master chess player, cause... well cause... cause we run a tight ship you see..."
Dia sort of lost his train of thought the moment he got to them. He noticed that they were sort of staring at him at this point... and as this realization sunk in, a wave of bashfulness washed over him and his hands began to glow a little brighter... He tucked his hands into his pockets and just stood there awkwardly...
“There’re a lot of bullet holes, but nothing dangerous. What do you know about who attacked us? Who is down? Who did we lose?”
Dedrik nodded, then glanced to his datapad for a moment. Accessing security cameras that governed the hangar doors wasn't a hard task, and even if it was something secret, he knew that his purpose wasn't anything nefarious. As far as the size of the attackers, he was correct in his assumption. The numbers were surprising and no doubt overwhelming, in fact he was surprised more people weren't lost or harmed, though he attributed that to the spray and pray method the troops were using. Even more intriguing though than the lack of accuracy of these men, was their origins.
"Council guards," Dedrik stated flatly. He was more shocked in his own words, but he was trained not to show it. "Interesting." More questions were arising with each moment, and if the Intergalactic Council were sending their elites after the ship, there must be something that Dedrik wasn't informed about. As far as who was lost in the barrage of bullets, the man could check their profiles later, but instead allowed any other crew member to inform the woman. "Apologies, I must attend to some other matters," he said finally before retreating to a corner of the hangar. He wasn't talking to anyone, and simply said it in case someone was listening. That didn't seem like too much the case though, but it didn't matter.
He'd seen the Captain leave first, and judging by the state in which he'd found her in the hangar, she was sorting through some pretty shattered emotions. No doubt, because this station probably had a bar, she'd be there. The Exburnan left next, and the man only assumed it would be to find her. He trusted the creature from the IDA to have that sense to stay with her, and thus he made quick to contact him. Besides, who better to be with her currently than a creature who could sort through the minds of anyone that could be of any possible harm?
Dedrik was sure the datapads had some sort of comm system, and the man waited a moment for the transmission to go through. If it wasn't the Intergalactic Council who'd attacked them prior, perhaps the man wouldn't have made the call, and though he doubted that any danger was imminent here, he still was trained to go through the same mandatory routine checks in every situation, to gather all information he could before acting. "What's your sitrep?" he questioned. Looking up from the datapad, he noticed that the woman he'd spoken to earlier was gone, as were several others. A few others from the IDA were still present, and thus he gave the order to them. "Stay here and make sure the perimeter is secured, full eyes and checks. I'll be back."
With that, the man exited the ship, still speaking, hopefully, with the Exburnan. Once he had his answer, he simply told the creature to stay with her, and he'd be there shortly. It probably wasn't what the Captain wished, especially considering the circumstances, but again when considering them fully, it was simply logical. Dedrik was only doing what he was trained to do in these situations.
As Eddie left the room, Tom looked up from his daydreaming. He wondered how long he'd been sitting there, just thinking.
He'd heard others talking to something called MAK, so he thought he'd give it a try.
"MAK, would you please tell me Rina's current position? I'd like to go find her."
MAK replied without a second's delay and it made Tom jump. "Thomas, Rina is currently in her quarters, asleep. I could wake her up for you, but I suspect she is still suffering from the ordeal at our previous location."
"Don't worry about that, then. I think I'll go take a wander," said Tom, standing and making for the door. He caught Alex's attention as he left. "Alex? I'm popping out to explore for a bit. If Rina turns up, could you tell her where I've gone? Thanks."
He left then, wandering through the ship's corridors until he came to the exit hangar.
As he walked out, he couldn't help but think how much this station looked like the previous one. Space was so boring sometimes. He hoped they'd land on a planet soon.
A short look around and he realised that Dedrik was currently making his way towards the nearest bar. From what he'd seen, that didn't seem like the sort of thing the guard would be into, but he decided that everyone had their little secrets. He quickened his pace, running for a bit, then slowing to a jog, and finally falling into step with the stern-faced man. Dedrik had noticed him as he approached, and given him a curt nod of greeting. Tom returned the gesture, and attempted to make conversation as they walked.
"Hi, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Tom. Nice to meet you."
He extended a hand, and when it wasn't shaken, he let it fall by his side and continued walking in silence. It seemed Dedrik was concentrating on something. Tom followed his eyes to the bar, where the captain was just walking out of sight into a more secluded corner of the establishment. The Exburnan, Rokunam, had just left, along with a small lively girl in ...a witch's hat... ?
Well, now he'd seen everything.
Except, he hadn't, seeing as he didn't notice the hulking bot sitting hunched just outside the bar, watching the girl. Only when it moved did he see it, and made a beeline for it, having a familiarity with robots.
He walked up to the great big thing and looked at it. It was a bit odd, made up of random bits of robots, some of which he even recognised. It turned its massive head to look at him with its single eye, the lenses inside visibly adjusting to focus on Tom. It seemed unintelligent, just sitting there.
Tom lost interest and decided to enter the bar, sitting himself down on a chair in a corner, watching the events unfold before him. He wasn't one for alcohol. Even though he'd been legally allowed to drink since the age of 13, he never really liked it, and he found that it mucked up his proximity sensors, making him incredibly clumsy. He sighed, and raised a hand, to gain the barkeeper's attention.
"What can I do for you, sir?" The bartender asked, not quite managing to keep the look of curiosity from his face as he addressed the robot.
"I'd like glass of water please. No, make that lemonade."
"Lemonade, sir?" Damn. It appears this was not a universally recognised beverage.
"It's water and lemon juice, with sweeteners, and carbonic acid to add a fizzy sensation." Tom probably over-elaborated his description, but he wasn't taking any chances. Now the thought had crossed his mind, he really wanted that lemonade.
"I'll do my best, sir."
A few minutes later the barkeeper returned with a pint glass full of slightly yellow. bubbling liquid. It was a start.
Tom thanked the man, and rested the glass on the table, waiting for him to leave. If it was bad, he didn't want to make a show of it.
He took a sip, and promptly spat it out again.
"PPPFFFF!!"
What was that?! Wait... he recognised that taste from somewhere... it tasted rotten. Oh. Huh. Carbolic acid. Easy mistake. Tom discreetly poured the remainder of his drink into the base of a pot plant.
"That's the last time I'm asking for lemonade," He thought. He slouched in his seat and gazed out the window.
Austin was approached by a very formally speaking creature, quite ugly too fro the looks. His look was that of disgust, until it spoke to him.
"That would not be wise for the Austin Albarn to be doing for first impressions, although, it is an interesting way to do it. You would be able know who I am by now, by checking the Nightwing. As for what... I am, I would be offended if someone of your age and... access had not heard of my kind. I suggest you take that message back, which I know you can do, and I can tell you all you need to know. And I can act in place of the Captain, or even escourt you too her. I know more about the crew than you could ever find out anyhow..."
He looked with a raised eyebrow at the creature. He realized what had happened. It had managed to access his mind, something he'd never been able to fix about the chips in his head. He quickly did the same and checked out the creature.
He realized quickly, the creature hadn't accessed his chips, this creature could do this with anybody. He was an Exburnans named Rokunam. Exburnans, something unique. He smiled now, realizing what he'd found. This creature already knew everything about him. He didn't get a chance to respond, before the captain had walked over and grabbed him quite violently. She began pulling him away. "You're coming with me, you little ingrate." As much as he struggled he couldn't get away. It looked like he was getting onto the Nightwing, although not how had originally expected. He struggled some, trying to get away so he could just talk to her, but she wouldn't have any of it. He hated his body. Another disadvantage of being a child.
As they made the hanger, Regina yelled at something called MAK, probably the on board A.I, and told it to put him on lockdown. She then threw him into a small empty room that had opened on the side of the hanger. He yelled "Hey!' as the door closed on him. He huffed, and sat down, legs crossed on the floor. He set his keyboard on his lap, and went to work. He thought about going for MAK, but in addition to taking some time, he also didn't want to piss off the captain more. He decided to contact the Exburnan from the bar, the one named Rokunam. They fed off of electricity, between that and the telekenesis, he was sure he could communicate from just about any distance. After a little searching, he found it.
"Hey, Rokunam. It's Austin. Regina threw me into some room in the Hanger. I think you were right, I pissed her off. Don't say anyhting about me quite yet alright? I know you know quite a bit about me. Don't say anything without my permission. If you want to speak, eat up a little electricity. I've got eyes all over this place, I'll know it's you."
"Currently, I had just left the Captain at the bar. I suggested she should not be drinking. I apologise for attempting to leave her. Of note, we will be expecting new members aboard the ship, some of which I do not think will benefit us fully, however, that is ownly my humble opinion... I apologise again, but it seems the Captain is headed back to the ship, accompanied by the Steelbeam. I, however, have to deal with something possibly troubling toward the Captain and the ship. I will disconnect now."
Dedrik raises an eyebrow at the Exburnan's words, but didn't question. Although he didn't particularly enjoy the idea of more members, if the Captain thought it was necessary, then so be it. Besides, young or not she wasn't stupid. He trusted her as she trusts her crew, despite, but not totally disregarding, Rokunam's advice. Even so, he'd keep an eye on them, it was his job.
Onto another matter however, before he could say anything the creature had ended the call, just after saying he'd deal with something that may be troubling to the Captain and ship. That made Dedrik frown, but he assumed that the Exburnan could handle himself and call if any trouble arose. Other than that, it seemed the situation was under control, and it was just then that Dedrik saw the her. Snapping to attention, the Vasparti noted the young child it seemed that she was dragging along with her, as well as the humanoid robot. The boy didn't look at all please, and neither did she. Without speaking, Dedrik simply fell into line behind the party of three and accompanied them back to the ship.
Stopping in the hangar, Dedrik watched as the Captain spoke to the AI, then threw the boy into a small room occupying the side of the hangar. She then proceeded to begin work on the humanoid like robot, and though he had questions, they could wait until she wasn't as busy. His primary objective to ensure that the Captain was returned to the ship safely was accomplished, and thus the man turned to his own leadership training to handle any other small situations that may occur. Glancing around, he really had no other tasks. Being only military support, useful only in that field, being if and when combat was imminent, the man would be otherwise incompetent as far as helping to fix the hangar or whatever else. Instead Dedrik decided he'd do one thing he knew how to do in order to ensure safety and maintain a neutralized situation.
Looking down to his datapad, Dedrik took up positions by the hangar door. If new crew members were to be expected, old friend or not, and consent of the Captain or not, he'd simply feel better if he could at least get a glance at who boarded. Accessing the exterior cameras again, Dedrik didn't expect to find much but was simply following as usual, mandatory procedures. Golden eyes on the little screen, the man watched a woman walk up the ramp, then glanced up towards the door as she left view of the camera, and came onto the ship.
Turning just slightly, he took in her full figure, all accessories, identifying markings, etc, and nodded. Clearing his throat and moving his staff so that it wasn't in too much a menacing position, the man spoke, though his voice was devoid of all emotions. "Welcome to the Nightwing, name and business?"
Austin continued his work in solitude, other then the occasional help from MAK. He began looking around for any information concerning the Nightwing's crew. He looked in the Intergalactic Counsels records. He really would like to wipe them from every system entirely, but that was far to much work to make just one person disappear. He had to constantly clear his own information from any database. It had taken him decades to disappear completely, and keeping on it was already annoying. Doing the same thing for the entire crew would be nearly impossible. Sure he could write a program, but it was impossible for the program to look everywhere. He had to look manually for a lot of the information he deleted about himself.
He decided the Intergalactic Counsel records would have to do. He prepared to clear everyone's names. But he had to make some quick preparations first. He quickly made some blind transfers and transactions of everybody's belongings. That way they wouldn't be traced back. He then put them all under one of his many account's under an assumed name. He made sure to use a few accounts to draw less suspicion. Not that any of that mattered much considering they were all off the record. He then made fake identity for the crew, and put everyone's belongings under new names. He opened up his backpack to check. He had a large amount of blank money cards and identification cards. He needed to get every body a new ID and such.
He unhooked from MAK, deciding to make the alterations he had decided on later. He searched the ship for a scanner, and promptly went to it. He pulled out all the cards he needed, a good stack of each type, and went to work authorizing them all. He hooked up all of the money cards to his private account, which held very large amounts of funds. He decided he was going to stick around for a while, and that this might help everyone out.
After the long process was complete, Austin sent another message to Regina.
It's Austin. I've taken some steps to hide the crew of the Nightwing. But I need to speak to the entire crew in person. Could you arrange this for me please? I'm unsure if they will listen to me. Also I've got a present for everybody. I'm sure it is something you will all enjoy.
OOC: I just tagged as many people as I could. This pretty much involves the whole crew.
Alexander
Alex was startled by the sudden appearance of Rokunam. He had long since returned to the infirmary, with Minn in tow, and began working on cleaning the Shariva's wounds. He turned away from her to face the alien who stated that someone was in need of medical assistance? It was hard to understand the way he talked.
"It's... health related, however, I have some concern, a trait that is far more human than I am, for themself and the entire crew. Would the Doctor hear my request out, or does he think I should bring it up to the attention of the Captain?"
"No, no, let me know, and then I'll decide if it is drastic enough to tell the captain." Alex cut off. "Give me a second to patch up Minn, okay?" The doctor turned on his heel, back to Minn, with a soft smile.
He easily got to work setting Minn up on the machine. He gave her a reassuring smile and then quickly hooked up the few others that had wondered in for attention. There weren't any serious injuries, but Alex had the machines do a full check through their systems just to be sure. Finally, he turned back to Rokunam. "As you were saying?"
Regina
Reggie and Dia arrived in the hangar, and the captain's frustrations immediately cut off their conversation. "I told everyone to meet in the hangar!" She chimed. A few people were scattered about, busying themselves. Saein and Thomas were speaking whiling fixing holes in the wall. Other than that, it was empty.
"MAK! Where is everyone?" She called.
"It seems they are still recovering from your driving skills." Reggie glared up at the ceiling as if MAK could see her. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Of course, some people would still be a little shaken up after what just happened.
She had just rapidly jumped through three galaxies, anyone not prepared for it would feel a little shaken. Unless, they were used to it. Reggie could only imagine how Minn was doing. She freaked out during a smooth blast off, Reggie could only wonder how shaken up she was now.
"MAK, notify the crew that I will be taking the land cruiser down to the planet shortly. Anyone who wants to come is to meet in the hangar. They are welcome to stay on the ship if they want."
"Right away, captain."
Narration
MAK's voice rang through the ship, notifying all crew members of Regina's plan. Anyone who wanted to, made their way to the hangar to be transported down to the planet. After those who wanted to arrived, they piled into the cruiser.
It didn't take long to get down to the small planet. After landing, they all piled out, and wondered off to whatever direction they chose.
Regina
Climbing out of the cruiser, Reggie immediately made her way to the small inn located nearby. The ground crunched beneath her boots, and the sky had sunken into a deep bloody red, slowly transitioning into a dark blue. The planet had settled into late afternoon.
She pushed open the door of the Inn, the smell of baking bread immediately hitting her nostrils. Inasri was not unfamiliar to her. She had been here long ago, back when her parents were still alive and she was still a youngling. She was, perhaps, 15, the last time she had been here.
"Well, well, well, look who decided to drag her raggedy bones back through my door."
A smile stretched across Reggie's face, as she spotted a man sitting in the corner, boots propped up onto the table, and a datapad in his hand. "Well, if I'm going to be treated with this kind of hospitality, I would rather spend my evening at the Nanchester Inn." Reggie quipped crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nanchester?! That's no place for a respectable captain such as yourself." The man said standing quickly, he held his arms out towards Reggie as if throwing the compliment towards her.
"Ah, I see." Reggie mused. "I'm respectable now?"
"You'll always be respectable here." The man made a gesture and Reggie stepped forward into the man's embrace. "It's been too long."
"Much too long indeed, Vic." Reggie agreed taking in the large man's embrace. "Where's Nelly?"
"Oh, she's mucking about somewhere." Vic stated. "Probably cleaning something. Speaking of which, you better do so yourself before she finds you. She'll-"
"Is that my Regina I hear?!"
"She was never yours to begin with, you wench!" Vic yelled to the disembodied voice.
"I swear! One day, I am going to beat the living pulp out of you!" A figure burst through the doorway, long red hair braided down her back flopping wildly behind her like a tail. "Reggie! You're home! And you look terrible!"
"Oh, thanks Nell, you look fantastic." Reggie quipped.
"Hush!" Nelly chastised pushing between the captain and Vic to properly hug the young girl. "Come upstairs. We'll get you cleaned up."
Alexander
"Ah yes. One of the new recruits, Miss Caroline-Marie Shirokuromahotsukai, or as she often refers to herself as, 'Maria', well, I am concerned she may effect our entire crew. She is a Genkshi, so naturally, the Doctor may have to tend to her at some point. She is constantly ingesting alcohol and vitamin C, far beyond any of our capabilities, and her behavior is rather, how is the way to describe, different. Alien, if the Human wills. She is overly naive and reckless, and is highly ignorant as well. Though, I personally see her in negative light. And also, a more concerning issue, is that she is highly ill, with a non-lethal disease the Doctor would be able to recognize. I know nothing of social manners, but I am to hope that someone is to look after her and manage her behavior. I personally do not want such a scarred past in my sight, however, I hope a more social Human, may understand."
Alex blinked several times, taking in Rokunam's words. "That is all," He added, finalizing his point and letting the doctor know that he was done.
"Um..." He began, unsure of where to start. "If you believe so strongly that Maria is as ill as you say, then I will do a check up on her." He turned back to Minn, but then turned back to the Exburnan. "I'm to assume that you're doing this for Maria's sake, and not because the Genkshi are ill reputed?" He questioned.
The Genkshi weren't exactly the most favorable of alien races, even humans were liked more, and that was saying something. They were a bit all over the place, as one could see from Maria, but many knew what they were doing, and could be very valuable assets. "Whether she has this disease or not, if Regina wants her on the ship, she will be."
Regina
"I don't know, Reggie." Vic said pacing the bedroom floor. "Sounds suspicious to me."
Reggie nodded, understanding where Vic was coming from. "The Council granted me permission to go on this mission. There's noway I would've gotten the funding without them. "
"So, why would they send the Guard after ya?" He finished for her.
"Exactly. I need to speak with them. That's the only way." Reggie decided. She adjusted the shirt around her shoulders. Nelly had insisted on cleaning the captain's outfit, stating that a good captain should always present themselves in good clothing. She was forced into wearing some of Nelly's things. A white crochet top that was slightly too big, constantly slipping down her shoulder.
And a pair of old shorts that had been buried underneath piles of fabric in a small box in the corner. They were a little snug on the captain, but they would do for now. Reggie ran a hand through her hair, letting a sigh escape her lips.
"I need a drink."
Vic laughed, his hearty bellow filling the room. "I agree with ya there." He stated. "C'mon, first one's on the house."
"The first one? I'm practically family!"
"Yeah, so the first one's free. Good family pays for the rest."
Reggie rolled her eyes, but followed Vic back downstairs into the bar. Several crew members were already there, making themselves comfortable. The captain immediately took a seat while Vic grabbed drinks from the back.
"I did give candy earlier, only Dlew the android seemed to really like it, anyway no candy this time, just chess pieces in a candy tin. I imagine they're even less tasty" Saein explained to her sister, who had some difficulty keeping her food inside her mouth at the amusing thought of chewing on metal chess pieces.
Saein watched Eddie examine his present. "You're welcome, a birthday smile like that is more than worth the effort" she replied when he thanked her and told her a present wasn't necessary. She was glad it seemed to have made him forget the pain for a while. Saein couldn't allow herself to eat much, but she could still recharge by making her friends laugh or smile. She turned to Minn. "The food is delicious again! Shall I help you clean up later, so you get to sleep a little sooner?"
Rokunam entered the cafeteria, as usual he used a lot of words and Saein wasn't quite sure what he was going on about. Moments after he appeared to have finished his speech, the Genkshi who had joined them on the trip to the planet ran in. "HOWDY!" Saein shouted back at her.
Ann told Saein "Behave." Saein could tell from her tone she didn't really mean that. "Minn," Ann continued speaking now she had taken her turn anyway, "I'll bet there won't be any leftovers from food this great. But I'll need to feed my seeing-eye furnak something. He eats mostly anything."
Bond
Disoriented when they arrived back on the ship, Bond jumped a little at Tom's request. His eyes scanned the robot-like humanoid thing...thing...he ...he couldn't think straight, but gave a nod. He thought he remembered where they were and without a word, started down the hallway.
His thumb grazed his pocket. Somehow the screwdriver had returned there.
"Here...we are," he sighed, seeing the beds and nearly collapsing with happiness. "Kinda far from everything...but...looks comfy."
Laying back on the bottom bunk of the closest beds, he smiled a little. "Oh yeah. Comfy."
Minn
Busying herself with the food, Minn was happy more crew members had arrived to eat this time, even if they were a little rude. Well, the girl was. "I'm the cook," she answered her and then turned to Ann and Eddie. The chess set was beautiful and Minn glanced sideways at Saein with a smile. Eddie definitely liked it.
"Furnak?" she inquired, tilting her head at Ann's question. "There should be plenty if he gets in here now," she giggled, hoping that a furnak wasn't too large for the kitchen. She couldn't quite put her finger on what they looked like from memory.
Facing Rokunam, she handed him a plate and bowl with yet another smile. She was just happy she was working with food. "You can help yourself," she assured. "But I like serving too. Have a seat!"
With everyone seated and with food, she sighed and leaned against the counter. "It's mostly done," she replied to Saein's request to help her clean up. "Just what has food in it."
Eye lids drooping a little, she focused on Eddie, examining the pieces of his present happily. Part of her felt bad, but didn't know what to make him for his birthday either. Her cheeks grew hot at the memory of strawberries and she had to shake her head and face Ann again to concentrate fully. "What's your furnak's name?"
Minn told Ann “There should be plenty if he gets in here now”, so apparently animals were allowed in the kitchen. Ann whistled.
“Geez, he’s not THAT far away” Saein complained, rubbing her ear.
After some scratching noises, the door opened and Ip walked in. The animal was about the size of a great dane, so it did fit inside the kitchen. Its legs seemed a bit too long, and its shape was similar to that of a hyena (though that would have been an even less familiar animal to anyone who was there). It had thick soft wine red fur with white stripes, and a black bald stripe around its neck. With its round ears and its sharp teeth neatly folded back, it was a friendly looking animal, though not exactly pretty.
Saein, having finished the little bit she was going to eat, refilled her plate with stew and placed it on the floor. Ip looked up at her in confusion. “Yes, that’s for you, aren’t you lucky?” Saein touched him on the neck to confirm that he was allowed to eat this nice food. Ip emptied the plate in less than a minute, after which he spent a lot of time cleaning his face with his front paws.
Saein picked up the empty plate. “Looks clean, but I guess I’ll wash it anyway” she laughed. She was glad there wouldn’t be much cleaning to do, Minn looked like she needed sleep as much as she did.
“His name is Ip” Ann replied when asked. The question seemed to have come out of the blue, maybe Minn was trying to distract herself from something, or just trying to stay awake. “It means star. He wasn’t always a helper animal, he was born to one of our pets when I was five.”
“You were always carrying him around when he still fit on your hand” Saein reminisced. “It was cute.”
“I don’t really remember. That can’t have lasted for a very long time” Ann furrowed her brow and her freckles moved in circles. “Do you remember if it was Son or Lav who was the mom?”
“Definitely not Lav, she’s the pink one. And Son was already too old. I think it was Onni... or Hae.” Saein wasn’t sure either.
“Onni is a boy! And Hae is only three years older than Ip. Maybe you mean Hatti?”
“Ah yes, it definitely was Hatti” Saein nodded.
Ann asked “Did you have any pets, Minn?”
Saein cringed. She was pretty sure Minn’s youth hadn’t been filled with fun and pets like theirs.
RPG
