Dia Fora's Story

"Another drink barkeep," Dia said not looking up from where he sat.

The bar tender placed another glass in front of him, and Dia slid it closer to himself. He looked a bit worse for wear, not considering he was recently beaten to all hell, and definitely not considering he was stranded here.

"Damn this orthran... orthin... orte.. er.. ...damn this station," He thought to himself.
"I don't even remember what this damn place is called"

He twiddled with his glass and thought about his life a bit. He thought of his lack of money, and his lack of a ship... and how it was stolen not 5 hours ago. He thought about what to do next and what way to go about that. He had never considered robbing any place before but it crossed his mind just momentarily, and as it did he drunkenly swiped his hand through the air as if to push the thought along. He was unaware of all the stares he received. He started to lose what hope he had left, because usually it takes a drunken stupor and a few hours for him to realize how lucky he is to be alive biased on what he's been through.

Orthra was a relatively small station with not a whole lot to offer, but it was a decently busy stop for many a ship and it's crew. Dia was seated at the bar nearest the docking platform, truly a testament to how long he waited to "drink up." If he bothered to investigate the place a little further he might find that this place has a little hovel of a stay over with a lovely planetary feel, most of which seem to shoot for that vibe it seems. It also contained a couple of small restaurants one of which seeming to specialize in "Home cooked" meals, whatever that may mean. The only other establishments were the seemingly necessary repair shop and the shuttle cleaning service.

Dia continued to mole over his drink and thoughts mostly oblivious to the things going on around him. No ship and very little money, its no wonder he's ignoring the world around him. A ship recently docked here, the little spinning yellow lights can be seen from the hall way Dia's back is facing.

"This will be my last drink," He thought to himself.
"Another drink Barkeep!" He called out obnoxiously.

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...

Unfortunately, Reggie didn't make it far, when a strange man fumbled his way in front of her. A Fotiss, a drunk one at that. He looked familiar, like she had seen him before, but that could be the alcohol talking. She held her drink high, in fear that the man would stumble into her and spill it. That would be awful waste of alcohol.

Suddenly, as if finally aware of what he was doing, his hands began to glow brighter, and shoved them in his pockets to hide them. Reggie tilted her head, trying to grasp where she'd seen him before. Maybe she should stop drinking.

She remembered her times in the academy, they would visit the planets of the Fotiss often to try and recruit people. They would visit many planets, but Reggie enjoyed the Fotiss. They were a strangely beautiful creature that intrigued the young human.

The captain quickly turned, placing her drink on the bar, deciding that maybe she shouldn't drink for the rest of the night. She turned back to the Fotiss and smiled kindly. "You seem a little tipsy there." She laughed. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, steering him towards a chair.

"Maybe you should sit down," She suggested. "Before you start singing the Jillis National Anthem in Cradish." She didn't have to explain to anyone why that was bad. The Jilli had started a war with the Council many centuries ago, everyone was still relatively upset about it. And to sing in Cradish, the language of the language of the Jillian Slaves? Well, that was just cruel.

"I'm Regina."

Alexander

Alex was busy tended to more wounded that he didn't notice Eddie and the robot leave the infirmary. Fear gripped his heart, but he easily located them on his datapad. He sighed with relief, although he wasn't sure Eddie should be up and moving around quite yet. Even if he wasn't. The pilot was a stubborn man, and judging from the datapad was heading to his bedroom.

Good. A nice rest in his own bed will do him good.

Alex's mind trailed back to the robot. He was asking MAK about Rina, the woman who helped fix up Dlew and Regina's leg. She must have gone to the barracks afterwards and nodded off. It happens. Still, the robot was a concern for the doctor. He shouldn't be wondering around with the dents in his body. That could lead to serious malfunctions later. He pulled out his datapad once more, and this time, sent a message to Regina.

The doctor understood her sudden depression, part of it was his fault, well, all of it was his fault. But maybe something like fixing up the robot would help get her mind off things. Alcohol wasn't going to solve her problems.

After sending the message, Alex turned back to the few crew members who still needed attending to.

Regina

Reggie was startled out of her conversation with Fotiss when she felt someone tugging on her pants leg. She looked down to see a small child smiling up at her. She stared at him bewildered. "Regina Oris? The child asked.

"Who wants to know?" She asked playfully.

Before the boy could respond, her datapad beeped and she quickly pulled it out of her pocket. She smiled down at the child once more. "This is important, give me one second." She flicked through a few items before finally getting to her inbox.

Regina,

I'm sorry about what I did, and I hope that you won't remain upset with me forever. I understand your pain right now, but we still have many crew members to attend to. One of them being that robot that you brought on. He was waiting for Rina, but she muse have dozed off in the barracks, at least that is what MAK is telling me. He left the ship a short while ago; I was hoping you could find him and help him out. I don't want him wondering around the station with those dents.

Thank You,

Dr. Alexander Greenhaven

Reggie sighed. She wanted to be mad at Alex for the rest of eternity, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He was right, the crew had to come first. She could deal with her spiraling alcoholism later. She turned to the child and then the Fotiss. "I'm sorry, but I have a crew to attend to."

She spun, shocked to see the robot already seating in the bar. Oh, how convenient. She stepped over to him, and held out her hand. "C'mon, let's go fix ya up."

Dia stood up from the bar slowly feeling a little light, a bit floosie... A bit loose. He wobbled along with the crowd he felt injunctiated into. He stood behind a few folks looking over their shoulders as he attempted to price together the recent past. Business... New friends... Old friends... Embarrassment...

"Hmmm what have I made my way through," he thought to himself.

He quietly chucked to himself as he heard a low murmur about the place. He found it silly... And then he thought of the word murmur and chuckled again.

He stood their at the back of the group trying hard to maintain cohesive thought. Just then he heard a familiar voice, slightly disembodied, with only a direction of sound to go on. Past the group he found himself with, he heard a woman say, "My name is Captain Regina Oris, and this is the Nightwing."

He found emotions within this voice, he found himself feeling strong enough for anything... Strong enough to lose worry and strong enough to act, he felt empowered to take action and take charge! He felt the need to say something to usher in this new feeling?

"I'd love to go first!" He sort of shouted.

Valerio had finished his drink a little while after the woman and the robot had wandered off. After throwing some coin onto the bar and heading out into the crowd a thought began to nag at him repeatedly until he gave it his full attention.

"Anyone looking for a job, please meet me at my ship, the Nightwing." she'd said before leaving and he had to admit that joining up with a crew like that... well it would be a fresh start, and he wouldn't let his past happen again.

He started to make his way through the crowds for awhile before cursing the packed mass and ducking into one of the side streets of the station. As he wandered down the small alley he came to a security outpost, with a security check that he unlocked and passed straight through into the catacomb-like labyrinth of the station. A network of tunnels and passageways that linked every section together and allowed him and his fellows access to where they were needed without hindrance. While passing through one of the alcoves he paused by a data console and brought up his VDI system, submitting a formal leave of service for the next few weeks and transferring his equipment and all possessions aboard the Nightwing, hopefully it wouldn't be a futile exercise. After logging out he continued on his way throughout the winding tunnels.

After a several minutes he came out near where the Nightwing was docked, chuckling to himself at the fact it would have taken the better part of an hour to get here through the crowds that had been pressed in around the pub. Making his way towards the ship he had to admit she was a beauty, and her weapons systems looked to be something from a dream; state of the art and experimental in some cases from what he'd seen during the audit as well as complete array's worth of conventional firepower.

A long drawn out whistle escaped his lips as he continued to inspect the ship, his feet leading him towards the nearest boarding point. He noted with interest that a few other members of the station were present, including one or two he'd seen in the pub during the captains recruitment. Clearly he wasn't the only person tempted by employment. As he made his way onto the cargo deck he heard a voice echo over the heads of those around him. It was obvious who it was.

"My name is Captain Regina Oris, and this is the Nightwing."

((OOC: Life had to be handled. I am, so sorry. I really am.))

Pale blue eyes analysed the current of people. Each with a different destination in mind. Some held data pads, stooping at random times to read a few words. Others held supplies ranging from tools to medical supplies. It was one organized cluster of disaster. She could see the roots one would take to avoid another. The tension in the air was almost impossible to not to notice. Of course, she didn't expect much else, the crew had lots friends, family. It was always hard to bounce back from that. They seemed to be holdin-

"Welcome to the Nightwing, name and business?"

Swiftly turning on her foot, Mercia stuttered incoherent words. The man in front of her stood proud, no emotion crossing the Vasparti's face. She opened her mouth to answer him. Her voice, though, got caught in her throat when his attention was broken away from her. It was then that she noticed a few others standing with her. All of which she had seen at the bar.

"My name is Captain Regina Oris, and this is the Nightwing." Blinking at the Captain, Mercia smiled slightly. So she was the Captain of this ship.

"I'd love to go first!" A man shouted from the small crowd. His voice was very, enthusiastic. Looking back, the brunettes eyes found there way to a Fotiss. His voice not quite matching his sophisticated attire.

[Ignore please]

Regina

There was so much happening, Reggie wasn't sure where to begin. Thomas pretty much went into depressed mode. The boy she had locked into the chamber had managed to escape. And many questions kept bouncing around the room in rapid succession. It took all of her self control to not scream for everyone to shut up. Thankfully, someone chimed up loudly, stepping forward with excitement.

"I'd love to go first!"

Reggie blinked several times at the sudden outburst from the Fotiss. Still drunk, I see. The captain couldn't help but smile in amusement. "Yes, why don't you go first. Introduce yourself to everyone, please. I'll be just a moment." She made a grand gesture, for the alien to take the floor, and then rushed off to the exit of the hangar. She grabbed Thomas, who was waiting patiently, by the arm and pulled him inside.

She placed him at the edge of the group, and gave him a look to stay, then turned to the boy standing proudly outside his once prison. She grabbed his arm, but not before giving him an annoyed glare, and dragged him next to another recruit.

"Congratulations! You're all hired!" She stated grandly. She stepped next to the Fotiss and smiled apologetically for interrupting. "Sorry for the informality, but we're in a bit of a hurry and I'm going to need as much help as I can get." She pressed a few buttons on her datapad and made a grimacing sound. "We're in an extreme hurry, actually." If she was correct, the Guard was practically here, and there lives in mortal danger.

"MAK, get us out of here!" She called.

"Right away, captain."

The hangar doors raised and the Nightwing shot off quickly. Once the ship settled into a smoother ride, Reggie turned back to the Fotiss, hands firmly clasped behind her back. "Anyway, continue."

"Yes, why don't you go first. Introduce yourself to everyone, please. I'll be just a moment."

There was a pause in Dia's thought as she gave him the floor. All eyes on him and now he had to bugger up, or bugger off. He looked down at his Sfair and mustered up the courage needed for public speech. He cleared his throat.

"I Am.." He began to say.

"Congratulations! You're all hired!" Regina Interrupted, "Sorry for the informality, but we're in a bit of a hurry and I'm going to need as much help as I can get."

"Oka..." Dia mumbled.

"We're in an extreme hurry, actually," she added whilst looking down at her computer thingy pad.

Dia felt an over whelming sense of tension push down on his shoulders. He began to slouch slightly and lower his eyes.

"MAK, get us out of here!"
"Right away, captain."

Dia perked up immediately as the hangar doors closed and the ship blasted off quite violently. He only perked up because his face might have met the floor if he hadn't. It was mere seconds before the ship steadied with a mostly silent rumbling. Dia felt a bit woozy as he regained himself, it was that moment that he began to realize how tired he was...

"When did I last Slee..." He thought.

"Anyway, continue." She inserted into his mind.

Dia stood up straight as he scratched the back of his head. He looked up at the crowd like a child at his first spelling battle. He then turned an looked at Regina, Her face had a familiar charm about it, she looked on to Dia with expectation. Dia cleared his throat once again unnecessarily.

"Hey... guys... Crazy meeting all you in a place like this," He awkwardly began, "I am called, Dia Fora! I am drunk! ...mostly..."

Dia's eyes perused the crowd to gauge any reactions hoping that his personality came through in all the ways he wanted it to... or cause he's a little crazy.

"I like to think of myself as extremely lucky," He continued, "mostly because I've always been told it's a wonder why I'm still alive."
"I just seem to make it out of any rough thingy I get my self into," an arrogantly confidant tone about his voice, "plus.. and a bonus and an add-on... I'm pretty funny... also I'm pretty funny to boot..."

Dia felt the words failing him, and he felt his eyes drifting toward the captain but knowing he couldn't speak telepathically he just sort of stopped talking.

He bowed as if he had just completed a performance.

Saein

Saein was vaguely aware Eddie had appeared in the room. “Hi Eddie, good to see you’re up” she said, while 99% of her concentration remained on her work.

Minn’s panic drew her out of the task. What was that all about? Oh, Eddie had seen them naked. “Well I guess he is ‘up’ now”, she remarked. Saein didn’t care much, it wasn’t like nobody had seen her like this before. When something made her blush, it usually meant she had contradicting feelings about her own intentions. It was interesting Minn reacted so bashful to being seen in the nude by Eddie by surprise, surely many more men had seen her than had seen Saein. Was this a new thing? If so, it seemed like a positive change that she was acting like a normal girl her age.

The beep of the washing machine interrupted her thoughts. Saein put on the clothes that were clean and dry again, divided her tools, other stuff (among which now also the Shifters) between her pockets, and finished putting the datapad back together without its antenna.

Minn was trying to tell Eddie on the other side of the door off for walking in, and at the same time trying to explain the situation had not been of a sexual nature. It was adorable, which made Saein wish the nature of the situation had been different, minus Eddie walking in of course. Saein gently pushed Minn away from the door, so Eddie wouldn’t get flashed when she would walk out. With her hands still on the girl’s shoulders she looked into those big green eyes and told her “I really want to stay here with you, but I have work that can’t wait if we want to stay okay.” Part of her wanted to add something about how wonderful it was to be near Minn, but she couldn’t find words that were suitable while the girl still felt embarrassed by Eddie. Maybe it wasn’t necessary to find the words, it was visible in her eyes.

Saein opened the door just far enough to step through it sideways. With a cheeky grin, she patted Eddie on the shoulder and said “Happy birthday! I’ll make you a real and intended present when I’m done keeping the ship in one piece!” And off she ran.

The “malfunctioning” part of the communications system was, of course, difficult to access. She had to remove a wall- and a ceiling panel to get to it, and then there were several pipes and cables in front of it. Passenger ship designers were idiots. After a few minutes of manual testing and some more time frowning at the tables of data MAK had put on her datapad, Saein concluded that this was indeed an intentionally caused software problem, not a malfunctioning antenna optimizer. “MAK, switch back to the old configuration of the comms, and see if the problem occurs again. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.” MAK agreed, a little light went on on the part she had tested, and Saein put the wall and ceiling back together. “MAK, where is the captain?” she asked.

“In the hangar.” So that’s where Saein ran to next.

-----

Annarein

"Congratulations! You're all hired!"

Well, that was convenient. And worrying. The captain had hired what might well be a bunch of drunks, without much if anything of interviews. Without even deciding who got what job. Ann had to find a way to claim hers, so she didn’t end up being the toilet cleaning lady or something. With the hangovers some people would soon have, she didn’t fancy that particular job. The Fotiss made something that seemed to be intended as an introduction speech. That could be a way to claim a job, so she went next.

She was able to speak in a calm, kind, almost quiet voice and still be heard by everyone. One of the less obvious things one should train to be a good interpreter. Next to her, Ip tried to look elegant by stretching his legs as long as possible and looking up to the ceiling, which must have looked like a silly pose on an animal built to crush bone. “Hello, everyone. My name is Annarein, I am an interpreter and intelligence specialist. It’s going to be a pleasure wor...”

She was interrupted by a squee, that didn’t end until she was suddenly being hugged and her face was covered in kisses. Confused, she tensed up, until she caught the scent of who was doing this to her. “Saein! What are you doing here?” she hugged back. So that was what that surprise thing was all about.

“What are YOU doing here!” was the reply.

“Saving you, apparently.” She let go of Ip and reached for Saein’s neck. “May I?”

“You know you don’t have to ask.”

Saein’s freckles became a fast moving blur around the spot where Ann put her hand. Ann continued addressing the crowd. “As I was saying, it’s going to be a pleasure working with you. And. Um. It’s good to see you all have faces. Who shall go next? I can’t promise you’ll get a welcome like this too...”

Ann took her sister away from the crowd and embraced her, the two women exchanged feelings between them in the most direct way possible. It didn’t take long for Ann to find something that shocked her. “Saein, you’re on Shifters.”

Saein considered denying it, but didn’t say anything.

“Don’t lie to me! How can you even think of lying to me!” Ann was not pleased. She pushed Saein away, put both of her hands around her sister’s throat, and forced her to feel exactly what Saein’s stupid action did to her. Every day removed from Saein’s life was another one they would be separated forever, it made her heart hurt.

For a second, Saein instinctively tried to resist, her skin getting pure white around Ann’s hands. She couldn’t. Saein started crying.

“Do you have more? You have more. Give it to me.”

Saein handed over the box, and tried to wipe away her tears with her other hand.

Ann took Saein by the hand and led her to Regina. “Captain. Your mechanic has been using Shifters.” She held up the box. Each word hurt herself when she said it. Her hand almost crushed the box, she was scared of this stuff. Scared that someone would try to snatch it from her. Scared that she would get tempted by it herself. “I think we both need to talk with you, soon. For now I just need a way to dispose of this where nobody can take it back out of the trash, and the location of the nearest bathroom.”

After giving Reggie a chance to respond, Ann told Saein “Come on, let’s go put your finger in your throat.” She was worried. Worried sick, and perhaps the universe intended that pun.

"Congratulations! You're all hired!" Regina shouted to them. "Sorry for the informality, but we're in a bit of a hurry and I'm going to need as much help as I can get." She pressed a few buttons on her datapad and grimaced at what she saw. "We're in an extreme hurry, actually."

What, just happened? Putting her finger in the air-looking as if to say some unneeded fact- but all that came out was a quiet 'Mmmmm.' Mercia was finding herself at a loss for words around this crew and their Captain. Did she just honestly hire all of us? She thought, fiddling with her vintage bags strap. Was it on a whim? Or was she just des- Looking towards her bag against her side, the brunette gave herself a small dose of fireworks. That didn't matter at the moment for she had left with the Nightwing. With all of her possessions in her room, on that. Stupid. Station. Groaning in exhaustion, she resisted the urge to stomp her foot like a child.

Looking back towards the Captian, the brunette noticed the Fotiss-now known to her as Dia Fora- make a very bad attempt at an introduction. Mercia could not find it in her to give two shits about what was spewing from his mouth. What she wanted to know was why they had just up and left the station. So abruptly that she was sure they could have possibly left someone behind. What kind of ship is this? Shaking her had, she made her way to Regina. Fora's introduction finished. Coming up beside Oris, she finally spoke.

"Captain, if I may ask a question."

Regina

A lot happened after the ship blasted away from the station. The Fotiss finished his introduction, very awkwardly at that. Dia Fora. Why does that name sound familiar? Reggie's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by another new crew member with Saein. Oh, there she is. Glad to see she's okay. The girl next to the mechanic looked very similar to Saein. They might be sisters. The way she spoke to her made her believe that they might be sisters.

Annarein, was her name, explained that Saein was on Shifters, and asked where they could be disposed of. "Just slide it into that slot." She explained pointing to a hole in the wall. "MAK we'll be able to get rid of it."

She released a breath, causing her loose hair to fly up around her face. She couldn't keep MAK flying the ship like this. The AI was fantastic, but she didn't want it flying her ship for long periods of time. Introductions continued and Reggie pressed a few buttons on her datapad. Eddie was still in no condition to fly, according to the doctor's notes. Damn.

"Captain, if I may ask a question."

Reggie looked up to meet the blue eyes of another recruit. "Yes, go ahead. I just..." She glanced around, meeting the eyes of several new recruits, all looking confused. She bit her lip, she was being so unprofessional. She really didn't have time to be a proper captain, as much as she wanted to be. Right now, she needed to get this ship to safety. She didn't want to abandon the new recruits without answering their questions, but she was running out of time.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Bond working mindlessly in the corner. Reggie bit her lip again and turned back to the brunette. "I'm sorry, but can we walk while we talk? I have an injured pilot, and an AI piloting my ship."

She didn't bother keeping information from them. There was no time for that. She had to get things moving, and quickly. MAK was great when they needed to get away from somewhere or when it was smooth sailing, but if they were attacked, there was noway to survive. She looked back to the recruits. "Okay, everyone, walk and talk please. We are heading to the bridge!"

She turned and called Bond over, she stepped up close to him, so their conversation was just between them. "Bond, I need you to come with me. We have a handful of new recruits, all with questions. I need to pilot, and now. There may or may not be a galactic ship with a giant army on it right on our heels." She bit her lip. "I really need your help. Answer their questions, anything, we just need to get to the bridge."

"I don't care about lying to them about what happens, so just tell them the truth." She added before turning away and leading the group to the elevator. "Everyone this is Bond! He's our engineer!"

Austin was once again grabbed violently grabbed by the captain. He got another scowl on his face. He was thrown violently in line with the group of people now in the hanger. He looked completely out of place. A group of grown men and women, and others. And then him. A small human boy. The sad thing was he was easily 4 times as old as most people currently in the hanger.

He saw a number of them look over at him and give him an equal number of looks. Looks of superiority, confusion, disgust. He didn't care. He'd done and seen more then most of these people would see in a lifetime. He looked forward towards the captain. Everyone was talking. Everyone was trying to get a word in. He waited calmly. He didn't really get the impatience of others. Then again, others aged and died, so he assumed there was a lot he didn't understand. Mortality was a strange concept to him. He had been like this so long, he forgot how anything else felt.

He looked at all the others with a sickened look. The crew she'd hired on so far looked ragtag, but this wasn't ragtag. It was scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

Regina addressed everybody. "Okay, everyone, walk and talk please. We are heading to the bridge!" He assumed he'd been hired, more or less, and joined the walk. She stopped them when they reached a man working in the corner. "Everyone this is Bond! He's our engineer!" Austin loved working with engineers. They made and fix the physical components of the machines he loved. He looked up at the engineer, with an amount of respect. He wanted to stick around, but he heard the captain say something about an A.I flying the ship. He walked up to her, not having to pull her pant leg to get her attention this time.

"I'm aware your pretty mad at me right now, but if getting out of your little prison in no time flat is any indication, I'm good with technology. I've done a scan on all your systems, and If you'd let me acompany you to the bridge, I'd love to get to work optimizing and updating all of your systems. I'll even give MAK a few useful tweaks while I'm at it. Besides. I don't have the stomach for things like this anyways." He stopped talking, but then realized he should try to be a little more formal, hoping to decrease the tension. He added "Oh sorry, Captain."

Dedrik's filling in for the Captain didn't last long. The first line of recruits seemed a bit on edge, confused or nervous and the man did his best to lessen any tension. When a new presence made itself known on the man's shoulder, he turned just slightly, only to find that it was the Captain.

"Thank you Dedrik." She said. "I will take it from here."

Straightening slightly and giving a brisk salute, the Vasparti nodded. "Aye Captain," he said simply before retreating off to the side. From here Dedrik took silent stock of everyone present, memorizing faces, noting how people held themselves or acted near others; not a detail was missed in the man's analysis. The only thing that bothered him was the way the Captain had so readily accepted the rag-tag group before her, as well as the hasty departure from the station. Making a mental note to gather more information later, he then returned his attention to those trying for their interview. The Fotiss' show was embarrassing to say the least, and the other woman's ended in a less than appeasing display, some sort of reunion with her apparent sister, Saein.

The man was trained for a more professional demeanor in public, and to keep emotions and personal relationships out of his work for the best mission results. That and of course to not take drugs, a piece of the conversation between the two women and the Captain that he'd just caught. Though, considering the current situation, he supposed the precursor wasn't so terrible.

The Captain however, it seemed, was becoming overwhelmed. Dedrik knew it, and he was sure that she was well aware too that there was just too much to do. He nodded silent approval when she finally decided to hand over the reigns to Bond, the engineer.

When the small... child, approached the Captain though, is when Dedrik stepped forward to offer assistance. He knew that Regina had locked him up purposely, and actually found it surprising when he escaped. The duration of which it took him to complete the task wasn't too bad either, but now wasn't the time for admiration over minor details, especially considering the circumstances in which the boy was detained in the first place.

"Captain," he began, "Is there any way I could help in the current situation? Perhaps keeping this miscreant from further trouble?" Nodding to the boy, he was simply doing what he was trained for: to try to fix the most immediate hindrance. Because he knew it wasn't attending to new recruits now, Dedrik found the title belonging to the one person stopping the Captain from proceeding with piloting her ship. Waiting for a response, he'd accept any other duty given to him too, of course.

The captain had directed the prospective hirelings to introduce one another but just as the first one began to speak her voice echoed through the hanger.
"Congratulations! You're all hired!" Regina Interrupted, "Sorry for the informality, but we're in a bit of a hurry and I'm going to need as much help as I can get"
Well that was simple enough he thought as she went off and ordered for the ship to leave dock. Having been a little surprised at the ease with which he had acquired a new job he'd zoned out of the introductions, having just caught the name of the one currently speaking; Dia Fora he believed is what they’d said.
"Okay, everyone, walk and talk please. We are heading to the bridge!"
As the captain hurried off and shouted for the new recruits to follow Valerio had shrugged and thumbs hooked into the front pockets of his jeans wandered with the group, taking in the details of the ship as he did so. The small lass from the pub was busy chittering at the captain again but oddly enough her voice wasn’t as unbearable as it had been earlier. A fact for which Valerio was immensely grateful.
The party continued till they reached an elevator where they met another member of the c- their crew now he supposed, who the captain introduced them too.
"Everyone this is Bond! He's our engineer!" she called out as they got into the elevator for the bridge. As the elevator rose he turned towards the Engineer, and held out his hand to the man, intending to give him a strong warm handshake ”Evenin’ Bond, pleasure to meet ya, the names Valerio Vimes. Mighty fine ship you have here.”

Bond

So he was in charge of the recruits. Well, that beat fixing bullet holes.

Standing taller, he scanned the group, accepting a warm hand from Valerio Vines. Bond chuckled, "Not my ship Valerio," he answered, eyes trailing over to Regina where a shorter guy was speaking with her, Dedrik for some reason stepping in. He didn't worry too much about it though. He had recruits to impress.

Slipping his yellow handled screwdriver from his back pocket, he flipped it once in the air with a grin. "Welcome to the Nightwing. I've been on this crew since our grand voyage began...yesterday." He coughed. "But! I know a thing or two about her already and the food...is sublime. In fact, we should head to the kitchen now. Much better to answer questions around a table of food."

Turning his back, he led the group down the hall a ways, hoping Regina wouldn't mind the relocation. His smile faltered as no one could see. Just hours ago, his crew mates were shot down. What better chance did these recruits have? Or any of them? He had to speak with Regina for specifics on what was actually going on, but not before she got some rest. That girl needed to slow down. She was the Captain after all. She could divvy all the work to others and crash on her own mattress.

Reaching the kitchen, scents of previous meals wafted through the air, but the light was off. Flipping a switch, he squinted in confusion, Minn nowhere to be found.

"Sit tight here, get acquainted, I'll find our lovely cook."

Ducking out of the kitchen, he tried to remember if Minn was rooming with Saein or not...and where Saein said her room was.

Eventually he found Eddie in the hall, blood dripping from his nose and a pale anxiety taking over his face. "You okay?" Bond asked, not liking the sight of blood on this ship anymore. Not that he liked it ever before. Bond's eyes flicked to the door the pilot stood outside of and squinted, realizing this was the room he was looking for. "Minn inside?" he asked, hand on the door handle before receiving an answer.

Pushing the door open, he paused, seeing Minn half wrapped in a sheet, leaning over a small pile of garments and clothes. Her pink back was exposed to him and she turned slightly, eyebrows pulled together in panic. "What are you doing?!" she cried, pulling the sheet higher, all the way up to her chin and slipping to fall backwards onto the low mattress. The sheet fluttered, a momentary view given to Bond, but he only smiled, shaking his head with laughter. Now he understood Eddie's plight.

Facing the pilot, he clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said and stepped inside the bedroom. "Minn, we have new recruits that need food. Get dressed."

She sat up roughly, puffing out to blow some of her pink strands of hair out of her face. "Get out!"

Bond laughed again, but complied. "Hurry up!"

He closed the door and stood beside Eddie in the hallway. Crossing his arms, and leaning on the wall, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Good choice, Ed." Lifting on eyelid, he grinned toothily.

Moments later, Minn ripped open the door in a flustered manner as she pushed her semi-wet strands of hair back and tugged the waistband of her previous black low rise pants up over the top of red underwear. Bond's eyebrow rose as she passed them, her back shown. His eyes switched to Eddie, eyebrows raised suggestively.

"Welcome to the Nightwing. I've been on this crew since our grand voyage began...yesterday." Bond coughed. "But! I know a thing or two about her already and the food...is sublime. In fact, we should head to the kitchen now. Much better to answer questions around a table of food."

Pausing in her steps, she couldn't help but stare at Bond. The Mechanic already making his way down the hall to the café. The group obediently followed along. Yesterday?, Mercia thought. Jogging to catch up with the crowd, the brunette never stopped thinking. Did he just say, yesterday? Yesterday, this voyage started. They had already gotten attacked. Had men and women killed, and now they were being chased. By who? Who would do such a thing like start a war with Star Fleet? Are they stupid or something? What did this ship do to upset someone to that length? Or were they just at the wrong place, at the wrong time? Putting her hand to her head in frustration when they stopped in the kitchen, all the brunette wanted to do now is sleep. Her face was contorted in a sort of angry confusion that made her radiate a very unfriendly vibe. Her whole body tense.

"This is just one giant cluster fuck of confusion." Mercia muttered to herself, staring at the door the engineer had exited through. Maybe she should just sit and wait.

With a now growing headache, the blue eyed woman plopped down in a seat. It's sleek design holding not an ounce of warmth. Mercia didn't care at this point in time. She wanted, needed answers. How was she to help at all if she knew nothing? Not a single thing had been explained to her and it made her want to pull her hair out. Grumbling something along the lines of 'Damn ship...', she plunked her head against the cool surface of the table.

Dia awoke in a flailing panic as the ship jerked and sped up. He, still being in the hangar, after having sit down... instead of following the group, had fallen asleep on the floor. He found himself falling towards the wall nearest him at quite a quick pace. His feet were aligned to take the roughness of the impact and from there the ship turned roughly around which caused him to sail across the room. As he headed head first towards the hangar door, he pulled up his arms in preparation and his hands weaved into a cargo net attached to the ceiling. It spun him and his feet in a slight jerking motion. He held on for dear life as the ship whipped around violently for a short while. His grip loosened and his hands were sweating as the ship slowed back down to a steady pace. The ceiling once again felt as though it were above him and the floor below. He let go of the cargo net and landed gracefully on the floor.

"Gracious," He said aloud to himself as he straightened out his jacket, "How long was I out??"

He looked around, vaguely remembering this place. He remembered being in a bar and pretty much new exactly how he got here by putting two and two together.

"What new adventure does this forebode," He chuckled to himself.

He continued on down the hallway in search of sentience.

"Who's in charge around here?!" He boisterously called down the hall.

Alexander

The ship finally settled back within itself, the flashing lights stopped, and MAK's constant warnings finally ceased. Alex let out a long breath, his heart still pounding from the adrenaline. He quickly unbuckled himself and left the infirmary to find the still wounded strapped in the chairs in the corridor. "Are you alright?" He asked helping the few crew members out of their seats.

"Just a little shaken," One remarked. "But I think we're all okay."

Alex shook his head with a sigh as he led them back into the infirmary. One of the men's stitches had come loose and would have to be redone. "Let's get you men patched up." He said to the last three. "Wherever we are, I'm sure you'd love to get off the ship and enjoy it."

The three men laughed, as they took their places on the beds in the sterile space. "Doctor!"

Alex sighed once again as he helped the crew member into a bed. "What is it MAK? I have men to attend to."

"That's just the thing, Dr. Greenhaven, there have been some injuries up by the kitchens."

Alex groaned rubbing his forehead, and then moving his hand up through his puffed hair. "Of course." He grumbled. He quickly set to work, setting up machines to fix up the three men automatically. Pressing a few buttons on a computer monitor, the machine immediately began working on fixing the men's wounds. "I'll be back." He said to them. "Hopefully, when you do, you're all not filled with holes."

Another round of chuckles.

Alex ran quickly down the corridor, and up the elevator to the kitchens. He could hear the grumbles and moans as everyone tried to collect themselves after the captain's erratic driving. He ran past Bond who was moaning on the ground, clutching his stomach. "There's no blood, you're fine." The doctor grumbled as he neared the one in obvious need of his attention.

"You damn fool," He said sliding to Eddie's side. "I just fixed you up! What the hell?" He wrapped his arms around Eddie's front, letting the back of the pilot's head rest against the doctor's chest. He quickly climbed to his feet, pulling the pilot with him. "I swear to all the things, if I patch you up and in the next two hours your back in my infirmary, I will kill you."

Alex dragged Eddie back towards the elevator, kicking Bond's foot as he went. "On your feet, I need your help."

Regina

Reggie had barely stepped foot off the elevator before she was greeted by the hacking child. "Your A.I. said you wanted me. What's up?"

"Ah, yes." She said moving past him. "It looks like I am in need of your skills." She ran a hand through her hair and turned back to the small boy. "The Nightwing is registered under the Intergalactic Council." She looked down at him. "I need you to change that."

She turned and continued walking, but gestured for him to follow. "We will need to still make port, but we can't do that unless we're a registered ship. So, the Nightwing can't exist. And neither can I. But the ship, and it's captain, must."

She stopped and leaned forward, so she was eye level with him. "Does that make sense?" She smiled down at him, hoping to convey that she want the Nightwing to be registered under a different name, and under a different captain. She nodded her head once and then stood straight.

"When you're ready, meet in the hangar. I will be taking us all down to the surface shortly."

She turned and continued on down the corridor. "Who's in charge around here?" Reggie stopped in her tracks, confused by the sudden voice in her ship. She rounded the corner, and rammed straight into another body.

"Ah," She stated seeing Dia a bit more sober than before. "Has someone finally sobered up?" She asked with a smile.