Thomas Steelbeam's Story

"Then you better run damn quick!"
The Academy headmaster's words screamed in his mind. It wasn't his fault he was late. He was distracted! Thomas Steelbeam ran as fast as his robotic legs could take him to the docks, feeling the motors straining to give him the utmost speed. He saw the ship. The Nightwing. He panicked, seeing the docking clamps slowly being removed and the engines' burners beginning to glow. He screamed in his mind for being so stupid as to even try what his brain was telling him to do. He ran. The edge of the dock sped up to meet him, and continued behind him. He was airborne, hurtling towards the back end of the ship, servos in his arms and legs frantically working to balance his movement. CLANG! - Tom's shoulder collided with the back of the ship, and his hand scrambled for grip on something, anything. Once his head had stopped spinning, he looked to see what he'd grabbed: the rim of one of the thruster exhausts. Tom let out a yelp and threw himself upwards away from the pipe, clinging to the back of the ship with his other hand, and swung away just as the engines kicked into full ignition, sending jets of energized flame straight at where his hand would've been. As the ship moved away from the atmosphere, he mentally thanked his creators for equipping him with the ability to function without respiration. He had a split second to re-orientate himself before he saw the stars around him blur, his perspective stretching as the ship phased out of rest-mass, becoming FTL able. The atoms of his body were stretched to the very limits of the forces holding them together, threatening to tear apart. He screamed through gritted teeth as the sickening force of the take-off ripped through his body, almost dislodging him from the rear end of the ship.

Once the ship had finished accelerating, Tom found it easier to move around, and began crawling his way towards the hangar door. Desperate panic kicked in as he realised the enormity of what he'd done, and frantically began slamming his fist against the hatch, screaming to be let in. Obviously, in the vacuum of space, sound does not travel, but he was not thinking coherently at this point. After about five minutes of slamming, he had almost given up, when a hiss signalled the opening of the hatch and the airlock activating. Tom eased himself inside, and crashed to the hangar floor as soon as the ship's artificial gravity took hold of him. He looked around. "Apologies for the turbulence..." said a voice from nowhere. "There has been a change in course."

You're telling me, thought Tom.

Narration

The ship made it easily to the space station Kittress. After requesting permission to land, the Nightwing docked safely and the crew members made their exit. The space station held many things for visiting crews to do. Several restaurants, training areas, and viewing stations.

Alexander

Alex walked with Saein from the infirmary to the med bay on Kittress. Dlew laid awkwardly on the stretcher, as it slowly moved through the crowds of people to the elevators. It was nice to get off the ship. Although a space station was just a floating ship that didn't move, it still felt more stable. The doctor couldn't help but stretch his arms above his head.

"Ever been to the Kittress before?" He asked Saein who had grown rather quiet. "I've been here once before my time at school. My dad took me here a lot." He laughed trying to remove the awkward tone from his voice. "You want to get something to eat, once we drop Dlew off? The food here isn't as good as Minn's, but you look like you could use some time away from androids."

He smiled hoping he sounded sincere.

Regina

Reggie felt the ship lock into place at the docks and she almost cried with relief. She had spent most of the flight to the station trying to get her leg to work properly. She had made it half way to her quarters before collapsing by the elevator, her nerves below her waist no longer able to properly function. She spent the rest of her time pulling at sprigs and wheels trying to get her nerves to detach from the leg. If she could remove the android piece, well, it would be a lot easier for her to move around.

When she felt the ship dock, she reached up and pressed the down button on the elevator. She refused to use a chair, hated them. Reminded her too much of a time when she couldn't do anything for herself. Doctors told her she may never walk again unless the made her part machine. She wanted to prove them wrong, but clearly that didn't work.

Reggie couldn't help but be once again reminded that without a proper specialist, her entire mission could be completely halted because she couldn't walk.

The doors dinged behind her, and she pulled herself in not bothering to try and stand. "MAK!" She called, already hearing the defeat in her voice. "Make sure there's a chair waiting for me in the hangar."

"Right away, Captain."

Sighing, Reggie enjoyed the ride down to the hangar. When the doors slid open she wasn't surprised to find a hoverchair waiting for her, but was surprised to find a full on robot laying on her hangar floor.

How had no one seen him when they left?

Pulling herself up onto the chair, Reggie moved the contraption over to the robot. He seemed fine, but robots, unlike androids, didn't have the humanistic outer shell. This one was shaped like a human, but was never given the outer skin coating.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Tom had no idea how long he'd been lying there. He must've blacked out or something, because he heard the ship land, and the footsteps of people walking around on the hangar floor. He silently hoped that someone would see him lying there, but the footsteps faded.

"Hey, are you okay?" The voice caught him by surprise, jolting him into full conciousness.
"uuuhhhh...." Tom groaned and rolled onto his back, then unsteadily sat up to look at who was speaking.
"Oh... yeah. Yeah I think so. Just been dragged through hyperspace on the outside of your ship, but I'm ok."
He looked around at the hangar. It was huge. He was gazing around for quite some time before he remembered his manners. The woman staring at him had a look of great concern on her face, so he smiled, to reassure her. "I'm Thomas Steelbeam. You can call me Tom though. It's very kind of you to show such concern over someone who could, for all intents and purposes, be a completely hostile intruder!" He chuckled. "What's your name? ...Also, could you introduce me to the captain? I need to talk to them about recruiting."

The woman on the chair facing Tom spoke. "I'm Regina Oris. Captain to you."
Tom now wished he'd been slightly more serious before. "Of course - uh - Ma'am. I'm sorry."
Seeing three figures wandering out of the hangar, he lost concentration and began to amble towards them, then, remembering his manners, he excused himself from the Captain and went to follow the girl and two men from the hangar. They went past the docks into a market area, and they split at this point, two of them venturing into a cooking shop. Tom never had much interest in shopping. Electronics, however, were an exception. He decided to follow the other man, who was now bartering for a coil of orange wire.
"Hi!"
The man turned around with eyebrows raised.
"I... um. I'm joining your crew! Hi! Uhm... oh! I'm Tom, nice to meet you."

(sorry for the short post, no-one's interacting with me much so I haven't got much to go on...)

Minn

She nodded a bit to Eddie's words and continued pacing the store a bit, walking next door to a different one selling little knick knacks and different clothes from abroad planets. Smiling she held up a turquoise dress up against her body and swayed a little. "What do you think? Bring out my eyes?"

Having no money, she knew she would never be able to own of the strange little trinkets or clothes, but very much enjoyed examining the different artifacts. From school, she loved her history classes and recognized some of the older runes carved into tiny animal figurines. One reading "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" was from some sort of literature many centuries ago. The figurine depicted two boys standing beside one another, both laughing and nearly exact reflections of each other. The book the line came from was supposedly famous, but no one knew what planet it came from or who wrote it. Only a few manuscripts had survived through the years in capsules and were reprinted a couple decades ago.

"Wouldn't it be cool to collect all this stuff?" she asked Eddie, holding up the figurine to him. "It wouldn't really serve a purpose...I guess...but it's so interesting!"

Then she located a set of pieces painted black and white. Something called chess. It was a game apparently, one she didn't quite understand when the salesman tried to show her how to play.

Lapping the shop once more, she decided she had to leave before she was tempted to steal something. Giggling a little, she led Eddie out and wondered where to head to next...

"Ow!"

Holding her head, Minn doubled over as sudden nausea took over her body. Her limbs went weak and she collapsed to her knees as daggers of pain sliced through her thoughts and memories. Whispers crept around like a twisting ribbon in the back of her mind, a linking memory that she had forgotten or...had she? She remembered their names, they were on the tip of her tongue...Ro, Re, Reagan...wasn't that his name? No, Ray. No...R...R something...

Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn't remember. But she had to, she had to fight against it. They had used her too long.

As suddenly as the pain started, it subsided however and she found herself shaking and covered in cold sweat. Raising her head, teeth chattering, she found Eddie's eyes and took comfort in recognizing him. She knew HIS name. She recognized HIS face.

Wait. What was HER name?

Covering her face again, she shook her head muttering, "What is happening?"

Minerva.

That was her name.

"Minerva!" she shouted and looked to Eddie with hysterical relief. "I'm Minerva!" Hugging him close, she breathed heavily and tried to stop her shaking. "I'm Minerva..." she said, softer and nodded. "I'm Minerva."


(It seems random yes. Just go with it. I promise all will make sense...maybe xD)



Bond

"Tom," he repeated. He looked the robot looking thing up and down. "Whatcha up to Tom?"

He wasn't about to shake hands with someone, especially a non-human, who allegedly had joined the crew. Gripping his wires and standing a bit straighter, he eyed this Tom character closely. He seemed equipped. And he had singled him out. Was this a trap? Bond wasn't certain what he should do, but he didn't trust the eager sounding humanoid.

Seeing the man tense, Tom stepped back, realising that he had probably surprised him a little.
"Um... I was just hoping to introduce myself, I saw you and the other two leaving the ship, and ... well, I like electronics better than cooking, let's say."
He looked down, and shuffled his feet awkwardly. "So, might I know your name, now you know mine?"
Looking around, Tom couldn't help but stare at all the useful bits and bobs hung on racks around the stall. He liked to figure out how things work, it was his way of learning. Picking up a little gizmo from one of the racks, he started to twiddle with it, pressing buttons and turning it over in his hands, while he waited for the man to answer.

Bond

He seemed like a flustered type of fella, but posed no threat, that was obvious after a few moments with him. Bond finally did reach out a hand to shake. "Bond," he said firmly. "You like electronics huh? What do you think of this?" Holding up the orange wire, he pointed to the tag on the end. "What Regina's got on board is just about as good, but a bit flimsy. Its the...oh what's it called, the Dalmur Black. You heard of them? Pretty good guys, but nowhere near this."

He watched Tom closely, genuinely curious in his opinion since Saein wasn't around.

Tom shook Bond's hand, relieved that the man had not seen him as a threat. "Bond. Nice to meet you."
"You like electronics huh? What do you think of this?"
Tom peered closely at the tag at the end of the wire. "That's interesting, I've not seen this type before. It looks pretty sophisticated though. I'm sorry, I'm just a scout, I've not got much experience. Electronics is more of a hobby, I suppose."
The thing in his hands bleeped and Tom quickly set it back on its stand in case he'd done something to it that he hadn't intended to, promptly picking up the next thing on the shelf and inspecting it. This was a voice card for an AI. He remembered the voice from the ship, and laughed to himself as he imagined it with various silly voices. He noticed Bond looking at him. "Voice card," he said bluntly, plonking the device back on its stand.
Looking around a bit more he saw the two other crew members emerging onto the street, only for the pink-skinned one to collapse. "Bond! Over there, look!"
Then, seeing that the girl had quickly recovered, he relaxed, and began looking around for something vaguely interesting to talk about, absent-mindedly thinking aloud; "Hmm. Wonder what that was all about."

Bond

Minn seemed fine a second later, but Tom had a good eye. Eddie comforted Minn with an utterly confused expression until Minn simply took off. Her eyes flickered this way and that, as if lost. Bond nudged Tom a bit, which felt weird and didn't comfort him at all, and he led the way to follow them down the narrow lane of shops.

Saein appeared moments later at the same time they reached the shop, trying to be funny and sneaking up on Minn. Bond nearly stopped her, but wasn't there in time.

Hearing the "boo" from Saein, Minn yelped breathlessly, jumping around and hyperventilating at the sight of the mechanic. Hands to her heart, she seemed on the verge of crying when she realized it was only Saein. Arms shooting out, she hugged Saein close and muttered incoherently as Bond and Tom approached Eddie.

"Is she...okay?" he asked, crossing his arms and glancing around the shop. Little knick knack shop. Seemed like every other shop had the same trinkets. "We saw what happened outside? Oh, and this is Tom. Tom, Eddie. Eddie, Tom."

Being nudged was a strange thing. Not many people did this to Tom, and he imagined that Bond probably had a bit of a sore elbow now, metal not being one of the most comfortable things to touch. That's the price you pay for full-time protection.

Following Bond down the street towards the poor girl, he couldn't help but show concern for her. She looked incredibly distressed. He was also about to act on the appearance of a red-haired woman creeping up behind her, but stopped himself when he saw the playful smirk on her face. This turned out to possibly be a bad decision, but the situation righted itself and he found himself being introduced to Eddie.

"Eddie? Hi. I'm going to be a scout on your ship." - then, mumbling - "That is, when I actually remember to give my credentials to the captain..."

He held out a hand for Eddie to shake, waiting for the reaction. Not many people were comfortable shaking hands with robots, but it was worth a try, just for the friendly gesture.

"Don't be alarmed by my appearance. I'm human at heart. Literally. Just with a few... upgrades."

Peering around the small store, Tom noticed something on a shelf that piqued his interest. It was an ancient handheld games console, possibly about 2000 years old, but still in working condition, amazingly. The previous owner had customized it a bit, with hand-painted designs on the inside of the lid. It was brilliant. If only he had some money - Tom sighed. It had been a while since his last job.

Eddie was still concerned with Minn, but since it was Saein who had jumped her, he figured it would be best that he let them talk. Guys needed guy time, girls needed girl time. Maybe Saein could help Minn with whatever it was that was happening. Hopefully it wasn't another one of her 'urges' kicking in, but then he thought that she probably wouldn't just forget doubt her identity because of that.

But now he was being introduced to.... a robot. Why? Did fate just want to see how much he could take? Anytime he looked at a robot, or head an A.I's computerized voice, memories of friends long gone flashed through his head, angering him and this situation was no exception. But he had to be nice, regardless of how much he dispised artificial life, and so he hesitantly shook the scout's hand. Maybe it was a good thing that Bond was there to stop him from doing anything stupid, just with his presence. He only gave a solumn nod in confirmation of Minn's state of health at the moment - he wasn't sure.

"...Right." he said. "Well I am your pilot for the Nightwing's Voyage, currently." his tone wasn't hostile, but it was nowhere near as friendly as Bond might've heard previously. Even when he threatened Bond with the empty gun prior, he still spoke warmly after the act was done. In its simplicity, Eddie's discomfort with Thomas would be noticable to anyone who had been around him for more than three seconds. But he managed to keep from outright showing disgust, simply because this man was somewhat human. He just hoped it wasn't a robot trying to be human, and instead the other way around.

"Welcome aboard."

Saein

Saein was surprised by the extreme reaction from Minn. Had nobody played this universal prank on the girl before? She felt sorry to have scared Minn that much, and glad to be forgiven immediately. Saein liked that her mistake somehow ended in a hug, though she subtly held Minn in such a way their faces wouldn’t touch. Being tired might give her less self control, and now was not a good time for a freak out or fainting.

The group was joined by Bond and a ...robot? Bond asked if Minn was okay, mentioned something had happened outside, and introduced the metal guy as “Tom”.

“Oh... Is something wrong then” Saein said. It wasn’t really a question. She held Minn a bit tighter, feeling extra sorry. “Sorry for my bad timing.”

Being too occupied with hugging Minn, she didn’t wonder why she and Minn weren’t introduced to Tom, while Eddie was. The fact Tom was not entirely mechanical but partially human did surprise her, but no comment about the weird attitude humans had to technology came out. Maybe his body had been replaced because of some extreme illness? Not enough of her mind was available to really think about it.


Uney

"Maybe I do." the human Saein had talked to replied. "Who's asking?"

“Uney Devan is who’s asking!” He grinned, winked and pointed at the human with both hands. “So you do know her, eh? Guess it sucks that firni can only date other firni... sorry I don’t mean to rub it in. And it’s my pleasure to be talking with you, mister...? That drink any good, by the way?”

His intention was to get information, not to share any beyond his name. Well, he might be willing to teach Alex how to talk with a constant unnatural grin.

Tom released Eddie's hand, watching his face carefully. The pilot hated him. Just another one to add to the long list...
He heaved a sigh. "Why are people so quick to judge?" he thought. The fear of the unknown. This was something that Tom had never really understood. Strange things were to be explored, marvelled at, and acknowledged. Not shunned. His face became serious and sincere.
"Eddie. Edward... That was my middle name. Thomas Edward Rule, that was me. I have feelings, like you." Realising he was about to embark on a rant, he stopped, and smiled. "I'm more human than you think," he said, and left it at that.
Moving over to greet the two females, he smiled and raised a hand in greeting, deciding not to offer for a handshake. "I'm Tom. Nice to meet you."

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.