Super Robot Wars ∀: Deep Space IC Thread - Part 1: The Culmination

[Dandragon]

She had gotten up early that morning. Well, early was relative, considering the time military soldiers usually got up, but it was early nonetheless. 8 o clock, sharp. She had set her alarm for such. She had eaten breakfast fairly quickly, and dressed herself in her civilian clothes. Rather than wear her leather jacket, she carried it in one hand, letting it hang off her back. It was 20 degrees Celsius, a bit too hot to be wearing a jacket, especially when that jacket was entirely black. Regardless, she carried it with her. She was planning to go to the west side of the colony. She had to see the damage done.

She had gone to rent a motorbike for the day, and was soon riding her way to her destination. Her jacket was now tied around her waist, making it easier to carry. She needed both hands on the handles after all. In the distance, she could see the rubble slowly coming in to view, and soon, she arrived. Taking off her riding helmet, she could clearly see that not much was left of the buildings that had once stood in the area. Looking around, she had to wonder; How many people died in that attack? How many innocent lives were destroyed as that terrorist group took over? ...How many more would have been lost had they failed? "Apotheosis..." She said to herself. Seeing all this destruction on heightened her resolve to make them pay for what they did. But for now, her job was to help however she could. Placing the riding helm back on, she drove at a much slower pace, looking around to see if there was anything she could do. Maybe there were even survivors buried under the wreckage that she could help out.

[Ether]

It seemed that the Captain was reluctant to open up, her initial tone flat and uninterested despite the emotions pervading the space about her. Still, it seemed it didn't take much for her to relent at least a bit, the attempt at an affronting video swiftly turned off as the door unlocked, along with an invitation in, though that particular bit was little more than a whisper. Stepping inside after the Captain, Jessica had already buried herself under her blanket on her bed. Closing the door behind her with a sigh, Seung-Min walked over to the bed, taking a seat next to Jessica.

"Normal ask how feel, not point though. So ask why, instead? Understand nervous about mission, but not this bad when came back, no pilots negative enough feeling cause this. What happened at meeting?"

[Sandalphon]

Nikolai blinked into the light, his memories blending together. He'd remembered gnawing on the increasingly stale bread hoard, the small kitchen knife now comfortably in his belt like a lucky talisman, the sounds of strangers and weird chemically clean scent of pinesol and floral soaps. He'd made a small nest in the corner of his room with blankets and pillows, the mattress of the bed stripped bare and lacking indentations or any signs that someone had lived in it.

He was an animal, unsure how to react in this new and strange place. He trusted absolutely no one here, save for Tarquin and perhaps the Captain and her endless softness. It was natural that, once his small pyramid of physiological needs was satisfied, he'd crawled into a pile of blankets and simply slept off the strain of being alive, spending the next period of his life in a foggy dreamlike dissociative state.

But if the Riese was all white surfaces and clean sheets to burrow in, this colony was harsh lights and the scent of gasoline. More dramatic shifts for that poor animal brain to deal with. He heard a familiar but unwelcome click tic tic tic in his ears as he knew the apparatus was reacting to the anxiety of being snapped out of the lavender scented cocoon he'd built.

Disgusting. You've gotten so weak and dull Nikolai. Pampered, like a precious little princess. ублюдок.

He didn't know anything, why they were all here. He'd never bothered to get involved in politics before and he sure as hell wasn't about to now. His current plan was to wander aimlessly into the light until someone shoved another gun into his hands and told him what to point it at...

[SB.]

Lyra left the Riese early the next morning, plugging in her earphones and wandering aimlessly. Donning civilian clothes instead of her military ones, she seemed to blend in just fine - which suited her just fine. She didn't want the attention, even if the civs were glad that they'd showed up in order to help them or something. It was easier to block everything out when you weren't on duty, and the navigator figured they'd earned some peace - even if they hadn't performed their mission by the book.

Somehow, she found herself in front of the colony police station, fighting the urge to continue on walking. I guess I should go in and thank Officer Gray for his help if I'm here... she sighed. It would only take a minute, at least. She quickly tucked her earphones away and stepped inside, unsure of if she should expect the station to be understaffed or completely packed, considering the circumstances.

[Shin]

Scouting out the signs only made things more confusing. There were visual cues on what the various stores stocked, but they weren't enough for Tarquin to comprehend. Did people really take in all this information subconsciously? It was likely people his age would visit stores relatively frequently - perhaps once a year at least. There were only so many pairs of pants one could wear, and even Tarquin knew the golden ones looked horrendous. Would he really have to choose at random? It seemed like a poor choice, but he needed to see how regular people went about their lives.

Adding to the list of poor alternatives, Melissa had somehow managed to find him. Her inane babbling the day before had been almost lethal to his own mind, but perhaps she was more reflective of the typical shopper? The stores appeared to be full of products that Tarquin had no use for, and Melissa's words seemed to be of similar value. Her bizarre greeting aside, it was at least worth trying to use her for something.

"I was curious to learn what the centre had to offer." Tarquin replied, hoping his response wouldn't be met with another barrage of words. "There weren't many shopping areas near the training base, so I wanted to learn about the things teenagers do here."

It was technically true, although Tarquin had rarely ever been more than a mile away from any of the bases he was assigned to. Even then, surely these shopping centres couldn't be absolutely everywhere?

-

With so many members assigned to the custodial team, it was relatively easy to ensure everyone had sufficient time to rest. Bill, however, was not a man who needed nor craved huge amounts of time off. He'd worked the long shift every day since he'd been assigned to the Heion Riese, and had no plans of taking a day off within the next few weeks. Armed with a damp cloth and a bottle of cleaner, Bill had declared war on the cafeteria. However, it was less of a war and more of a preemptive strike. Mess and filth couldn't succeed if they were kept under control.

"There's a dag around with a taste for..." Bill muttered, crouching down to the floor, gentle brushing a gloved finger across a few stray crumbs. "Hm... feels like toast to me, ain't a brekkie that makes crumbs quite like it."

Was there now a Toast Terror as well as an Oily Booted Bandit? In addition to Sir Scuffsalot, the ship appeared to have a great number of threats to its cleanliness. He had a list of likely suspects for both the bandit and the floor scuffer, but this new enemy was engulfed in a smog of mystery.

[scorri]

As Astin pulled into the parking lot for the police headquarters, they spotted someone they recognized heading into the building. Crap what was her name... Eliza? Lily? Ugh... Well, I guess I'll just ask when I get inside... Stepping out of the car, they stretched briefly before making their way into the building. "Hey, uh... You work on the Reise, right? I, err... I'm Astin. I don't really remember your name... I've just met a lot of people and... yeah. Uhm... What are you doing here?" Smooth Astin. Real smooth. "I just... I wanted to talk to them about the attack, you know? Find out more about what happened and if they know what the enemy was looking for or who to talk to about that. ... Yeah."

Val yawned as she slowly woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Right, she was still on the ship that had rescued the colony. After an exhausting night working to stabilize those injured in the attack, she had been offered a room on board for the night. She'd accepted of course, and was definitely glad she had. And she was glad that she had taken the opportunity to help out here. Thinking back, while last night had been hectic, it had been nice actually using her training and helping save people. Her work on the colony, while needed, was, well, boring. She was an assistant in a pediatrics office, and she was honestly not a huge fan of kids. Maybe... An idea forming in her head, she pushed herself up out of bed and went to the chair where she had tossed her clothes from the night before. Picking them up and giving them a quick sniff, she shrugged.

A few minutes later, she emerged from her room, dressed in the same outfit from the previous day. If her plan succeeded, she would need to stop back by her apartment. For now though, she considered her options for a few seconds and then headed over to the elevator. The only place she really knew how to find was the infirmary, so hopefully the Doctor would be there.

Colt was still snoring away in the bedroom he'd been given. He'd been up even later than val, helping Avery and Buck with all the projects in the hangar. His grease streaked clothes had been tossed into the washer, but were pretty much a lost cause. Maybe when he woke up, he would figure out what to do with them.

[Xinnidy]

A Brief Evening

Roxanna wasn't very collaborative as far as telling what had actually happened, but the bruised side of her face was enough to say it wasn't your everyday fall, at least. As far as getting her teeth and jaw checked, she was rather cooperative. Unfortunately, she took quite a hit. Half of her teeth were broken, there was bleeding of her gum, and it wouldn't be a pleasant operation for her. Still, she took what the medic could offer. As much as dental issues were notorious to hurt like a bitch later, the anesthesia and treatment were at least the most efficient she could receive from the ANF.

The injured from colony 1 were brought in a timely manner, halfway through Roxanna's treatment. Despite the awkward to negative mood, the civilians were cooperative, no thanks to the officer's help. In the end, out of the eight injured, three were to remain in the medbay overnight to recuperate --including Makoto's mother, to the youth's chagrin--. With guests leaving to give the patients a safer resting ambient, the rest of the busy night went quickly for the Riese's medbay crew.

---

Lonely Way

That morning felt the most depressing yet to young Makoto Watanabe, waking up alone at his family's apartment. He'd taken his mother's keys and came to check, and thankfully everything was in mostly good order. The building itself wasn't as stable, some balconies were straight up gone, and he was pretty sure the stairs to the third floor were going to break if somebody took them. Mai would give him a mouthful if she knew he went back home to sleep, but with his mother and father away... Makoto just wanted to sleep somewhere that reminded him of them.

Breakfast would be simple, but thankfully he still had some chocolate hero-Os from back when they last did groceries --couldn't go wrong with an energy-and-sugar-packed breakfast! After that, the youth had plans to visit his mom. It shouldn't take long for her to recover... if there was still time to save her leg. No, he shook his head, that had been a bad thought. There was no way that couldn't be handled that day and age. She'd be fine!

Dressing, packing up, and leaving the apartment, Makoto made way towards the ANF's ship. Gravity returned almost to normal as the reconstruction efforts worked on them overnight, which prevented the teen from doing stunts to get over the rubble. So much for a moment of feeling like the coolest, oh well!

Makoto only got a bit farther until he caught the noise of a motorbike coming his way. It seemed to be a lone driver, though he wasn't sure he ever met her before. What was she even doing on her own? It didn't seem like she was with a relief effort group. "Heyyy!" He waved an arm, "Looking for someone?" He gave his best guess, at least.

We've Got 13 Problems and the Station is One

Entering the station, Lyra and Astin were met with a noisy entrance lobby, many civilians sitting around the floor with bread, dairy and fruits. Chatter echoed through the halls, yet there was no officer in sight as they entered. It took a few moments until a young policeman rushed his way from a connecting hallway and stopped in front of them.

"Sorry, how can I help you?" He spoke, voice a bit loud. "Don't mind the noise, it's breakfast time, and we've got a lot of people around. Not many residences were in good shape after yesterday." He yawned, and excused himself. It seemed things were just as hectic here as in the medbay.

A Land With Many Lords

Tarquin's shopping center adventures were definitely one of a kind for the boy. Even without Melissa's help, if he was observant, Tarquin would find out he landed himself in a transition hallway from the clothing and convenience stores section to the dining plaza --a circular, expansive space that was home to many varied stores where one could seemingly buy dishes to go or to eat there, if he was paying attention! Most of them seemed to be fast food branches, but some claimed to be restaurants --whether the quality was up to par would be the consumer's guess.

A few of these dining places that stood out were a rather crowded store with an impossibly long-looking line, its logo seemed to be a capitalized, yellow M. On the other side of the plaza, a chicken-themed restaurant stood out from the rest. If that didn't give away the restaurant's specialty, there was a mascot standing at the door --a costumed man--, the mascot's design was dubious, with its head being... some piece of fried chicken with eyes? Or maybe a cartoony baby face, it was hard to tell.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

The Wheel of Fate is Turning

Rebel 1

Jessica peeked out from her blanket mess, slowly crawling around until she was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at Kim. "I hit Roxanna." She muttered it at first, before rubbing an eye and sighing. "I decked her. Square in the jaw. Pow," she said, mocking the motion with her own face. "Problem is I didn't even know I'd hit her. Or how hard. I confronted her... We argued. She got upset, she slapped me," Jess' cheek was still red, from that, "and then the next thing I remember is... Staring at her back down in her chair, blood trickling out of her mouth. Gave her a nice right hook, it seems. Didn't even know I'd done it. Just did it. Guess I took those ANF CQC lessons too seriously, huh..." She sniffled, but she was out of tears, not sure if she'd be able to cry for a while.

"Thorvald... Came to check on me, last night. So the hysterics have died down some, but... I'm terrified. Hah... I know it was self defense; a motor reaction, but... I hit her so hard... I might've even broken something. Was I that mad at her? She's a rightful bi... B-Bad, person, but did she deserve something like that? I don't think anyone would... All she did was slap me. I barely felt it... Just made my ears ring." Jess had been watching the floor while talking, finally gathering the bravery to stare up at Kim. "There you go. Sorry for the negative waves. Probably causing you all sorts of issues..."

Wha'cha Doin'?

As Hannah walked the halls of the Riese, while he had been doing his best to stay hidden, she had picked up a straggler following her wandering. Buck, an early riser, had started stalking the android, wondering what she had been up to. After she'd done nothing but walk around and sometimes stop for a few minutes, he'd just gotten more suspicious! And he wasn't about to stay hidden for much longer!

"Heyyyy," he called out, jogging quickly up to her pace. Hannah didn't bother stopping, or slowing down. "What're you doing?"

"I am building a map of the ship for my database."

"Oh, cool! Like, in your head and stuff? Nice, nice, uh... How close are you to finished?"

"I am at 87% completion. I have to map out the engine rooms and I will be finished. Is
Avery awake?"

"Naw, she's still conked out in the hangar... Hey, c-can I help? I have access to the engine rooms!"

Hannah finally stopped, pausing to look down at Buck.

"Who are you? We have not met. I am HAn4, Colony One Security Android. You may refer to me
as Hannah."

"Well, I'm Buck! I'm the Vice Head Mechanic, heh~" impressed with his own title, he puffed his chest out some and smiled. "And I've got just as much access on this ship as Avery! Something goes wrong in the engine room, and we've both gotta go in to fix it, y'know? It's not easy work for one person, even someone as skilled as she is."

"Oh. It is a pleasure to meet you, Buck. Would you allow me access to the engine room so
that I may finish mapping the ship?"

"Sure! But only if I get to come with you. I've gotta make sure you aren't some rogue android sent to dismantle the place!"

Hannah's vacant expression curled into the slightest grin.

"Do you believe you would be able to stop me if that were the case?"

Buck's expression faded, and he paled a bit, but quickly started smiling again, adopting a totally fake karate stance. "T-Totally! I'm just as kickass as the rest of the people on this ship! I'd take you out in a New York minute, hwacha!" He chopped the air, and Hannah managed a laugh, continuing her walk.

"It is good to know the Vice Mechanic is also part of the ship's competent
security team."

Buck snickered. "Yeah, yeah. Come on then, Hannah! It's down this way."

Doctor Doctor

"Megumi," Olivia began, having stepped into her office. She quickly approached the doctor, saluted, and sighed. "I want you to let me work on the ship. That man last night, it was obvious he was one of the pilots... Do you not have staff? If not, then hire me on. I'm sure I was competent enough last night to prove I can follow orders."

Olivia had woken up early, exercised, eaten, and then headed straight here without a pause. She'd put on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, a simple white, with the pants being grey. It was incredibly civilian, but she was just that. Without an official uniform to wear, she'd had to go with what was on the ship. "So? What do you say? I'm sure Val will be here in a bit to offer you the same application, and she's certainly got a better pedigree than I do," considering I have none, "but more hands are better than none, I would assume."

Edited January 7, 2017 by Nanami Touko

[Phoenix]

He's intense ... Brant watched briefly as Bill investigated some crumbs on the cafeteria floor, then checked under his own seat to make sure there was nothing that might draw the janitor's attention, whether from his own breakfast or the seat's previous occupant's. Fortunately, he'd settled for some oatmeal, making any spill too obvious to miss. While he thought he'd already been eating carefully and leaving nothing in his wake, he'd subconsciously started putting more effort into it, which slowed him down during the last leg of his morning meal. Still, that was over and done with inside of a few minutes.

"Time to grab a few things and then head out." Brant had made up his mind to go visit the east side residential area, not to browse or shop at the mall, but to attend the memorial walk they had scheduled for later in the afternoon. Before that, however, he was interested in spending his morning at Bismarck Electronics, seeing if he couldn't get a few of his old pet projects up and running, again. He wasn't sure if they'd let him in, but ANF credentials had to be good for something. Now he just needed to make sure he had a couple of things for the trip. He hadn't yet decided whether or not to see if anyone wanted to tag along. Part of him was against bringing others since he wanted to walk the whole way and that was a multi-mile affair. He cleaned up his spot at the table and then made his way out of the cafeteria.

---

Megumi lowered her book slightly, bringing the more casual of last night's minions into view. Her arrival was somewhat of a relief. Having something to do beside slog through a slow point in a novel--which she'd been at for several hours already--was a godsend. "Olivia," Megumi greeted her without missing a beat. What the woman went into next was sad, but obviously true. The Riese didn't have much of a medical staff. It really didn't need one back in Nevada. With more pressing crew assignments to worry about, I.E. the pilots, the infirmary was a low priority. Megumi couldn't fault them for it, really. All ANF personnel had enough medical knowledge to be conscripted as viable assistants at a moment's notice, and they had some serious equipment installed aboard that drastically lowered the number of personnel needed to handle more serious injuries. Nothing truly fell short with the one person infirmary 'team' until traffic got too congested.

All that aside, Olivia asking the doctor rather than the captain was interesting. Not asking the XO either made a lot of sense or very little depending on how you looked at her personal situation. Megumi set down Escaping Tartarus "I can't do much about human resources ... trust me, I checked. However, I don't have a problem with you and Tambre joining the team. You both follow instructions well enough, so If you're serious I'll put in a recommendation for you. I'll wait for word from Tambre before putting in a recommendation for her, though." It wouldn't do for her to be presumptuous. "Do you actually know if she plans on stopping by? There's one more patient I should check on this morning so I'll be heading to the brig, soon."

Edited January 7, 2017 by Phoenix

[SB.]

Seeing so many people inside was certainly a surprise. The police station being busy made sense, but there far more civilians in here than she'd thought there'd be. Lyra didn't have much time to dwell on that thought though, as a voice from over her shoulder caused her to turn and face one of the pilots. His scatterbrained speech made her giggle a little bit, having never really talked to this pilot before. "Don't worry about it." she assured him, although she had to wonder how someone like him could do so well on the battlefield in spite of how he acted. It was confusing.

She nodded along with his reasons for coming, but before the navigator could speak up again, an officer arrived to greet them. "Hey there. We're part of the Riese crew - this is Astin, and I'm Lyra." Perhaps the introduction was a little out of place, but it might look a little dodgy if the pilot didn't even remember her name. "I just wanted to come by and say thank you for yesterday - the volunteers you brought on were a great help." Astin had plenty more questions, but at least this was out of the way. "We were also hoping if we could get any kind of information on the attack or anything," She lowered her voice slightly. It wasn't the kind of conversation the normies needed to listen in on. "Although it looks like you have your hands full already." she stated, nodding to all of the civs eating their breakfasts.

[scorri]

Astin nodded in agreement with Lyra, glad that she had introduced herself. Now they had her name. Right. "Yes, I'm hoping to learn a bit more about what happened... Not with the fight specifically, more just... What were they after? Was there a section they were focusing on specifically? I know you might not know everything, but if you know where I could go to find the information... Who to talk to?"

Val was standing outside of the medbay, having arrived in time to hear the very end of the conversation. She's joining... Maybe I should just stay on the colony. I... no. Come on Val. You're stronger than this. You can work with Olivia, even if you two aren't friends. Now come on! Stepping into the room, she took a deep breath, and quietly commented, "I, uhm, overheard the last bit of the conversation. I do... I want to join up with you. If I'm allowed of course."

[Ether]

"Automate response, feel hit, hit back. Sometimes don't know own strength." Seung-Min replied, pausing for a moment before turning herself around so she could gently wrap her good arm around Jessica, giving her side a light squeeze, gently patting her back.

"Not going say right thing do, obvious not, but... XO ANF military, field deploy. Can't handle one punch at face maybe best retire." Kim replied, sighing as Jessica's apologies came.

"Don't apologize me, had deal with academy dorm. How think feel being telekinetic in tight pack rooms surround with student failing class, binge drug and booze and fucking anything move? This nothing. Should apologize self, green Captain, make mistakes. Could be worse, experience Captains screw up big time, fail missions, lose ships, sometimes keep job anyway. ANF knew profile when made Captain, had record of you from training. You get slap on wrist, training video, token reprimand, worst case short probation." Kim replied, before thinking back to the night before. It had been hazy, but she could remember a few things...

"XO too pride, anyway. Saw infirmary last night. Said fell, hit face. Not elaborate past that. Too ashamed admit you hit harder she did, won't tell anyone what happened."

[Nanami Touko]

Send it in

Olivia saluted, with a small smile. "I would appreciate that greatly. And yes, she'll be here in... Three, two, one..." And the door opened. Maybe it was a lucky guess, maybe it was knowing her schedules too well. Whatever it was, there was Val, and there she was asking to be on board. Olivia almost sighed. "So that's us. Should we see anyone specifically if you can't process our requests personally? The captain or the XO, I would assume... If this ship has those. Not quite sure how Leviathan class models setup their command." It was an interesting thing to inquire about, either way.

Automatic

"But that's... Never happened before. I've never responded like that, not even in training. It was like it wasn't even me..." Jess sighed, letting Kim do what she wanted. And as the girl went to sit down on the opposite side, her sling became apparent "Oh, I didn't even notice... Does it hurt? Are you all better?" Jess attention went away from her and the situation and towards her lieutenant, who could still have been hurting.

That didn't last long, with Kim giving her the pep talk of a lifetime. "Sounds like you've been through a few things... And, hey... You're telling me all of that, while you're so harsh on yourself? Come on, Kim... That's not fair." She finally managed a snicker, though it faded quickly. "I know. It's still... Thorvald spoke to me, too, I know it's not as bad as I'm making it seem. But I'm scared of her. She's been trying so hard to get rid of me... Even if she isn't gonna say anything, she has the perfect fuel to actually start something against me... And that meeting wasn't entirely great for me, in the first place."

Jess gently rested against Kim, closing her eyes. "I wanted this job... But I didn't want any of this drama. It's too much to deal with..."

Edited January 7, 2017 by Nanami Touko

[Ether]

"You never situation like this before, many different thing go through head. I fine, just need let arm rest for now, let SIEG settle and proper heal." Seung-Min replied, shifting just a little bit as the talk made her conscious of her arm once again. Though it didn't last quite so long, as Jessica turned her own words against her.

"Not quite same deal, Captain. Mech combat simulation perfect, aside AI. Pilot can come out academy fully expect perform on battlefield. Go double for telekinetic, command expect stronger outside sim. Different Captain, can't simulate as well. Can do thing like ship to ship or ship to mech, basic command... Captain face situation sim can't prepare for... especially first sortie like this. Far outside anything in command sim." Kim corrected, snickering back at Jessica for a moment, before shaking her head as the Captain continued to worry.

"XO have no fuel. Regardless outcome, she strike superior officer. Retaliation not only self defense, can be consider discipline. Sergeants in academy give insu-insub... bitch student far worse than bleeding gum and broken tooth. See welts last over month, one time. She know if she say anything, she lose job before you do." The pilot affirmed, gently rubbing Jessica's back as she came in closer.

"Don't know detail between you two, but she clearly have service before Riese. Skeptical of Captain straight out of Academy. Drama expect early on, just need push through and show you can do, no?"

[Nanami Touko]

Insubordinate

"Discipline never got that bad where I was taught... Is the TK institute that strict?" It sounded like there was a pretty heavy reason for why Kim was so harsh on herself. Is that what she was going to face if she ever stepped out of line? I didn't know things could get so strict... I can see why everyone was so upset by my rule breach. I wonder if the regular pilot academy is just as harsh. She sighed again, it was so much to wonder about, so much that had already happened. The past was that; Kim was right. Jess was never trained for this. Not for dealing with the colony, not for dealing with an insubordinate XO, and not for picking herself up after.

"She did. A lot. And a lot of mistakes." It was a bit classified, and Jess wasn't feeling spiteful. "I think she's upset because she thinks she was supposed to be captain, but I've conspired against her, or something, to take the position away from her. That's what it seems like... But I don't think we'll ever work together, after last night. I'll have to see." Jess leaned up off of Kim, sighed hard, and stretched, yawning.

"What's your plan for today, Kim? I got the message from the Ensign, so I might as well see what's on the colony. Thank you." The talk with Thorvald had calmed her down enough to not break down into a panic, and Kim's follow up had given her enough will to get out of bed. Just... Try again.

[Xinnidy]

Slow Sunrise

Roxanna wasn't feeling so good when she got to her room that night. Anesthesia worked up to a point, then the relapsing pain reminded her how much a toothache sucked. Thankfully, medical progress meant the area only felt sore, but sleeping with the hit side of her face down was like pushing a needle through her gum --the sharp pain could really be done without. After a long time of messing around for a better position, Roxanna could finally call it a night.

Unfortunately, she didn't get as many hours to sleep as she wished, waking up much earlier than her usual. The soreness wasn't gone, and her nostrils felt particularly dry, great. It wasn't going to be a pleasant day. Sighing, she worked herself off of bed after a dozen minutes of waiting for the stupor to leave her be, starting her morning rituals. At least working on her appearance would never feel bad, not even after that mess of a day. It took the better of an hour and a half to shower, work on her hair, dress, and pretty up, but it was always worth it. Mirror, mirror, on the wall... A grin after she ascertained her appearance's worth, she made it to the cafeteria to grab herself a meal --oatmeal would have to do today, all things considered. Feeling particularly antisocial, Roxanna made it back to her room shortly after being done with breakfast.

Not wanting anything to do with the rest of the crew yet, she sat down on her bed, picking up her trusty tablet. Wonderful, what do I do today... Yesterday was best left forgotten, the more she thought of it, the worse she would feel. Can't believe that pipsqueak... Ahh, it wouldn't do, she needed to think of something else. Anything. Thorvald said he wanted to talk to me, yesterday... In truth, it'd probably be to talk about yesterday's events, which wouldn't help, but on the off chance he could at all... I guess it doesn't hurt to give him the time of the day. Sighing, she wrote a message on her tablet.

"Good morning, Specialist Eriksson.
Yesterday you asked for a meeting with me. 
I am free this morning, I would appreciate if you came to my room to discuss before noon.

Sincerely,
Executive Officer Roxanna Martinson"

Questions unanswered

"Oh..." The officer scratched his cheek, feeling awkward about the compliments. "I wasn't involved with getting the volunteers and all, I'll pass your word to Adam, though." He shook his head, "Nah, I should just take you both to him, I wasn't privy to any details. Spent the day in the station helping around with the refugees. He probably knows, though, he was the one calling the shots yesterday. Come on." He waved and arm signalling them to follow as he brought them further inside the station, opening a door towards what seemed more like a working office. Four police officers were sat on chair, working on their respective desks. Despite how busy they seemed, that was still far less chaotic than outside the room. "Carlson!" The guide spoke up. "People from the ship!"

"Yes we are-- Huh?" Officer Carlson, previously seeming busy on a call, lowered his headset, looking towards the officer and the new faces. "Uh, sorry, I'll get back to you with that in a minute." He spoke to the microphone, putting the accessory down on his desk and standing up. "Hey," He raised an arm, "Riese crew? Is something up?"

"They want to know more about the incident yesterday." The guide explained, "I wasn't following at all, can you handle them?"

"Oh, sure." He clasped his hands, moving towards Astin and Lyra. "Name's Adam Carlson, you can say I'm... the temporary head, here in station 13. I got to say: if it wasn't for you guys, I'd be much, much worse off now." Especially if that kid kicked the bucket... goodness, don't even go there. The officer suppressed a grimace. "Sorry about the noise, we're about one of the only places that could provide shelter this side of colony that didn't get compromised in some way. Anyways, is there something specific you wanted to know?"

"Alright, I'll leave them to you." Their former guide's duty over, the man left and closed the door.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Xinnidy

[Dandragon]

She had only been riding for a little bit before someone tried to wave her down. From the looks of it, it was just some kid, but anything was better than nothing. She slowed down and stopped just beside him. She took her helmet to speak with him, and get a better look at him. There wasn't anything too remarkable about him, other than a pale complexion and a small bit of his hair that stood up on its own. There was, however, something familiar about him; his voice. While she couldn't quite put her finger on it, she could have sworn that she had heard him from somewhere

"'Looking for someone'? Yeah, I guess you could say that." She said. "I was just seeing if there was anybody left. And considering you're here, I guess there are." She chuckled a bit, if only to lighten up the mood. "So...You going somewhere?"

Edited January 9, 2017 by Dandragon

[Phoenix]

Brant made it back to his room in good time, and changed into something a bit more casual. His cargo pants and a form fitting black t-shirt this time. He left his hair loose and untied like usual and started grabbing what he needed for the day, tossing them into a small navy blue duffel bag. While fetching his software and equipment, he gave the matter of company some more thought. It wouldn't hurt to ask one or two people, nor would it set him back to see if his status as an ANF pilot was worth anything on Colony One.

---

"Well," Megumi put a hand on her chin,"the captain's something of a pushover, so I don't see her objecting ... and if the XO isn't keen on having extra medical staff on hand then she's going to have to be much more careful where she treads from now on." She grinned faintly. "You two can track down the captain and get her approval or I can contact her, myself." She'd leave the salary issue to someone who actually cared.

[Ether]

"Most military that strict. If not know, either your branch soft, or class obscenely well behave." Seung-Min replied, letting Jessica disengage and stretch as she so pleased. It seemed this whole thing with the XO was rather deep-seated, after all. Kim frowned a bit, how did it manage to get this bad, this quickly.

"Just need to assert self. If give reason to think she can walk over, will try. What can do if you good Captain, don't take crap?" Kim noted, thinking over Jessica's next question for a minute. She still didn't have any plans, really...

"Nothing come mind. Didn't think would do much since sling."

[Nanami Touko]

Hello World

"Or maybe the TKs are just treated differently. Only you and Brant would know." Jess hopped off the bed, and huffed. "Alright! You're right. Maybe. I just gotta assert myself. And right now! I am ready to assert myself to the world! Here we go!"

Jess stomped out of her room, PJs on, face tired, bed hair present, and stood with her hands on her hips and her chest out. "Alright, Colony One! Time to face the wrath of Jessica Gefalscht!" She blushed a bit after doing that, since... Well, anyone could've been awake or around the rooms to hear her, but that was fine. That was part of stepping out of the shell, right? And no one had heard her, save for Kim, probably. "I've just gotta get myself changed into something proper. Can't go exploring the colony in PJs."

[scorri]

Val let out a quiet sigh of relief. That had been easier than expected. "Uh, I'll letyou take care of it if you don't mind? It will probably seem more official and carry more weight that way... But if you want me to, I can."

Astin nodded. "I'm Sergeant Astin Doyle. I was hoping to talk to you about the attack yesterday. Specifically, if there was a direct area that they were targeting. Or if there was any information that they managed to gain access to. That sort of thing. We didn't know much beyond they were attacking you and any information you could give might help moving forward."

[Nanami Touko]

Seek Out

So the captain would be easier, but the XO would have to be pretty stupid to say no... This feels like it'll be easy. Olivia saluted again, turning to leave. "I'll go and find the XO, then. I'm sure she's intelligent enough to know when something good's fallen into their lap. You're free to join me if you want to, Val." Without missing a beat, Olivia was off to... Well, she didn't know. There was likely a map around here, somewhere. Off to find that, yes.

[Phoenix]

Brant wasn't expecting to see the captain in her pajamas when he came back out, standing prominently in the hallway. The unrealistic looking lion prints on the outfit actually complimented the ridiculous scene quite well and Brant couldn't hide his amusement. Since he couldn't think of a better way to handle this on such short notice, he decided to just run with the first thing that came to mind. "At last, the lioness emerges. Good morning, Captain," he waved to her. There was a hint of emphasis on her rank. He gave her a few moments to compose herself before deciding to ask about Bismarck Electronics.

"I'm heading out into the colony for a while. B.E.'s on my list of places to visit, but after yesterday's fiasco, I'm not sure if they'll even be open." Even if they weren't, Brant still wanted to chat with some of the staff about a few things, but that's where his ANF credentials would either prove useful or useless. "Just so I'm not wasting time on a three mile walk, do you know if there's any restriction on ANF personnel entering the facility at times like this?"

---

"Well," the doctor started, "you are signing on as my help, so I'm not above sticking you with a lot of unimportant work," she admitted to Valerie. Then, Olivia volunteered to find the XO. There was some potential for hilarity there, as well as some irony if the XO said no, but Megumi likely wouldn't see it, as she had other things to take care of. "Well that settles that," she said, as Olivia left the infirmary.

[scorri]

"Ah uhm... Ok. Bye Doctor..." Chasing after Olivia, Val quietly mumbled to herself before finally catching up. "I... So the XO? I guess you did help her yesterday. That might help I guess." Talking about anything was better than silence, right?

Edited January 8, 2017 by scorri

[Nanami Touko]

Rawr!

Fate was cruel. Brant was there. Brant was always there. Maybe he was using his TK powers to show up on these moments just so he could make clever quips. She blushed, and she could get embarrassed about things, but... Today was about turning over a new leaf and trying again, right? So why not try to... You know, turn over dealing with the pilots? Be friendlier! Play along. "Rawwwwwr!" Jess belted, lips quivering after as she tried to hold back a laugh. "Th-The Lioness emerges angry at the, the s-sun for, w-waaaking hehhahahaha!" Yeah. That was it. Have fun with the crew. You're the captain, but you're still a teenager. Don't forget that.

"A-Are you? Wonderful, Kim and I were looking for something to do. Do you mind if we go with you? I don't know if your credentials will get you in, but mine might. If I had any idea where Hannah was, she'd get us in right away, but I don't feel like going searching. If you're fine with it, I'll go put some actual clothes on. You wanna go colony exploring, Kim?" she called back into her room, trying to hold onto that smile.

Jess' loudness had attracted further attention, as a blond tuft of hair wandered up behind Brant. "Uhm... Excuse me? Brant, Jess? Er... C-Can I go too? The cable's still out, and I'll go crazy if you're all gone... I-I know I'm not supposed to leave the room but you're all right here and being so loud, so... I wanted to ask." Christina had been paying attention since Jess belted her first line, hopping out after Brant had. She was still wearing the sweater that Kim had lent her the previous day, washed, of course, and a basic pair of sweatpants.

Jess wasn't particularly pleased that Christina had left her room, but since it was literally just a few rooms down, she let it slide. "Lucky guy, Brant. You get to spend all day with the ship's finest girls." Jess snickered and went back into her room. "I'm gonna get changed anyway, so give your answer to ol' Chrissy there."

Destination Unknown

"Yeah, her. I, uh... Just have no idea where the rooms for staff are located on this boat. Was it the same area we were given rooms last night? If it was, we just head to the bottom deck, but I don't know..." For once, Olivia was stumped, and hoped Val had an answer.