DSE: Chapter 1 | The Beginnings [The Show Hits the Road] [RP]

[lucas marcone]

They couln't quit make out exactly what Ian was saying after he attached the actual breathing apperatus but the got it for the most part. "Offin yew. yew smarf aff baftard!"

[Azlan]

"One can not blame me for wanting to go planet side.  The primitive design of these freighters does not allow for a high amount of comfort or features.  For the past several months, I have had a very needed desire to climb a tree.  I miss the gardens and arboretums found in my people's starcruisers."  Locklear spoke wistfully allowing his eyes to drift off to some point in space not in this reality as his tail, once again with a mind of its own, wrapped itself around Joshua's leg.

He snapped back into reality as his console beeped, "The shuttle will not be comfortable for extended missions and besides myself I am not sure who is a qualified pilot for this type of mission.  As for physical sample collection, I can coax a few fragments that check out into the shuttle's cargo bay or airlock."

[Stygian]

Sebastian chuckled and stepped up behind Joshua and Locklear, looking at the computer over the shoulders of the panther anthromorph and the canid-mustelid-looking Vallalai, whom he had always found quite interesting, and not just because of his race.
   "Yeah, 's all fun an' games 'til someone contracts a virulent space-plague. So please check through any samples with me, if you'd be so kind. Jus' 'cause it looks like a cute an' cuddly li'l koala doesn' mean it's harmless," he said, giving Locklear a meaning look. "Since I'm the resident physician, I'm the one who ge's to scrape the storage rooms clean when it's someone else who di'n check their pockets."

[ITOS]

Angel entered the shuttle and took off her helmet. This made her hair fall out of it's place and into her eyes. Irritated she put down her helmet and tried to gather her hair in a braid.

"I'm bored." She stated, more as an explanation to why she was there than a complaint. Though, it was partially a complaint too since she hated to just wait.  She always had to wait. Wait for a mission, wait for "go", wait for clearance... but it was usually worth the wait. Now she didn't really know what she was waiting for. Hunting wildlife? Didn't sound very rewarding...

[Stygian]

Thinking that the shuttle must be about readied by now, Sebastian wasted no more time with idle chit-chat, but simply made a smile and chuckle to the offed lizardman, and then turned on his heel, stalking back to the entrance lock to it. He got his equipment outside, then boarded and as he sadly had no duties that had anything to do with piloting the craft, proceeded to humorously heckle and exchange the worse kind of jokes with Angel.

[Joshua]

Joshua cocked an eyebrow at Ian but turned and nodded at Locklear's mention of the shuttle's uncomfortable nature. "I wasn't planning on using it for longer then eight hours at a time. I figured eight hours of operation then dock it for eight for maintenance, crew change and such. It would follow our course, only from outside the belt to better scan the outer rocks." The captain rubbed his chin. "Have one of the techs double check the beacon markers. With the shifting nature of the belt just mapping the worthwhile ones won't do. We'll have to tag a few."
"Of course." He said glancing back at Sebastian with a nod before the lizard-man left the bridge. Joshua turned his attention back to the main screen, watching as several larger asteroids floated passed the ship. Following its plotted course automatically the captain still watched the monitors carefully for any deviation that would require correcting input.

[lucas marcone]

Ian removed his mask "I agree let's get planet side get that job done so we can combine man power for the asteroid mapping." He didn't know how well that would work but it sounded good to him.

[ITOS]

Angel tapped with a finger on one of the pockets where she kept her explosives. Sebastian was annoying her but blowing him up probably wasn't worth the hassle. Perhaps she should just tell him that he was annoying and that he should go away... but, she had to admit, he was kind of amusing and at least she wasn't bored any more. Maybe she could find some way to annoy him.

While listening to another bad joke she examined Sebastian. He seemed odd in many ways but there was nothing specific she could use. Her eyes stopped when they met Sebastian's eyes... or where his eyes where supposed to be. In fact, she had never seen his eyes because there were always a pair of sunglasses in the way.

This could be intresting. Angel thought to herself. Without warning she snatched for the glasses, even if she knew she would be quite slow in her armor.

[Boog]

Rickardo, seeing Angel go for Sebastian's glasses, immediatly took a step back from them.
Pure organics. This is only going to get more complicated.

[Azlan]

Locklear acknowledged Joshua's request, he noticed his tail's odd behavior and slowly withdrew it before anyone noticed.  Opening a comm channel he called down to the duty tech, "We need to have the beacon markers checked out and certified for operation.  Please load as many spares as needed for eight hour survey and tagging operations, utilize this formula for your calculations.  Locklear out."

The foxish creature stretched and sighed, the prospect with attunement with a new and wild Nature would have to wait.  He did so hope they had large trees.

"Shall I prep for shuttle operations or will we be sending someone else out there?"

[Stygian]

Stygian might have expected a grenade to roll into the cockpit, or for Angel to pull a pistol on him, or even a horrid creature to crawl in through the air vents over him (something he had experienced, and done himself), but propped forward on his hands and with one of those jagged grins on his face that he was one of the few fortunate people able to pull off, he did not have the time or the mind for the moment to react fast enough, and when he pulled back Angel already had his glasses in a steady grip. He quickly stepped backward into the shadows at the back of the room, but the damage was already done. Though he had immediately started to morph his eyes' appearance, something that would leave his vision blurred in this form when done that fast, she had more than ample time to see his eyes as they were; dark-rimmed and made of some green-tinted black metallic substance, that encapsuled a sickly green glow that reflected the few lights in the cockpit. Knowing from her look and her silence that she had already seen, he stopped changing his eyes and simply gave up.
   The fact that he just stood, keeping to the darkness, made Sebastian's appearance even more inhumane as he now loomed over the shorter, and much, much smaller Angel. The poison green points of his eyes were fixed at her out of a face in shadows whose hard edges, like the rest of him, now appeared inhumane and monstrous, as if some gruesome alien predator had snuck in and masked itself as human, but was now determining how best to eat her.
   "I'm not going to ask you why since I know very well. So instead, my question to you is; what are you going to do?" he said, seriousness and a dangerous chill having entered his voice.

((OOC: When I think of the ships and the environment of this place, I think of the Alien movies.))

[Boog]

Rickardo saw this strange turn of events... but had no clue what to think of them.
His eyes are not that of the average human. Did he purchace different optical parts? No, that wouldn't be any reason for this behaviour. Besides, most purely organic life forms don't modify their original design in any noticable fashion. Meaning that there is something Complicated going on here. Trying to be as silent as possible, he hid behind a nearby chair and hoped nobody had noticed him observing.

OOC: Frig, forgot to mention that he'd actually gone to the shuttle in my last post. Funny what details you forget. He was just hanging around waiting immediatly outside the cockpit.

[bill]

Miles happened to walk in on this series of issues after they unfolded. What he saw was Stygian standing over Angel with a bizarre looking expression on his face, blocking the aisle.

"Right, uh, you's gonna get outta the fucking way anytime soon?" Miles asked rather casually, tossing a screwdriver between his hands. "Diagnostic threw me a fucking wrench on the comms test, gotta see what's wrong."

[ITOS]

Angel shrugged and handed the sunglasses back to Sebastian. What is there to do? She thought and sat down in her chair so that Miles could pass.

Her actions should be consequences of her reactions so what did she feel about this? Scared? Not really, she had been face to face with odd and more hostile creatures before. Disgusted? Maybe a little, those eyes weren't really beautiful. Disappointed? Yeah, probably that. She had expected more of a fight and had not planned what to do if she succeeded so quickly.

Angel also had a lot of questions but she felt that this might not be that best time to push Sebastian. Maybe a less personal question...

"What specie are you anyway?" She asked.

[Stygian]

Sebastian put on the glasses carefully and slid into the seat beside Angel, his face now serious in a way that was not customary for him.
   "None, really" he said, "a'though I used to be human. I guess you coul' call us a synth'. But it's really a bit more complicated than that... In either case, it's noth'n to mind." His words were low and careful. He, or they, knew very well that the others were in the cabin, as well as most of their feelings and their vitals from what their senses told them. The most imminent threat was Angel and her explosives, and the others were just third-rate as far as direct violence went. But they had voices to scream with and comms to scream in. Not to mention they could blow the safety fuse for the airlock if they knew they were dead anyway. They hated having to think about fellow crewmembers that way, but one did what was neccessary...

[Boog]

Rickardo stayed stock still where he was, doing his best to be absolutely quiet. He then, slowly, went over to one of the chairs into the shuttle and buckled himself in as quietly as he could. Just don't attract attention, just sit down and do your job.

[Azlan]

Locklear switched off the video monitor to the shuttle and frowned, Now that is odd.  He finished transfering the mission data and programming the beacon system for the upcoming survey.

Turning towards Joshua, he carefully made his request, "I would like to request a personnel reassignment for the shuttle mission, Angel and Sebastian are to be taken off the current shuttle assignment and removed form its shift rotation as well.  Sebastian is better suited to astrometrics on the ship rather then crewing the shuttle and I am not planning on boarding anyone so there is not a need for Angel."

Locklear now had no desire to be trapped in a small ship with either of them, and especially not with both of them.

[Joshua]

"Hmm?" Joshua turned his attention from the main screen. He furrowed his brow and regarded his personal console. With a frown he nodded at the screen he looked back at Locklear. "That should be fine for now, but I don't want anyone out there alone though." He regarded his personal screens. "Rickardo seems to be down there already, he can go out with you."
Pressing a button Joshua called over the shuttle's intercom. "Angel, Sebastian; please report to the bridge." Joshua leaned back again and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle after closing the line. He noticed the ship was already passing into the belt and made sure the sensors were working properly.
"It seems some of us may be more ready to leave the ship then others. I think, after this, we'll give the crew a short break." He glanced at Locklear. "What do you think? Maybe someplace warm, with long stretches of beach."

[lucas marcone]

They could all tell from his tone Ian had heard enough, but was makeing a joke as well. "listen ya big bucket 'o emo, you aint any uglier 'n me so if we could all get back ta feeling happy again we'd all be the better for it."

[Eibborn]

Miki re-entered the bridge, apparently finding himself devoid of any immediate task and looking for something to entertain himself for a time. He hears the captain's last few lines as the door opens and he begins to enter, saying as he walks on four legs, "A break, capt'n?  Did Oi miss something whoile Oi was out?"
Without waiting for an answer, he continues, "Oi was jus' wondering if Oi could come along on the shuttle. Oi know that oi'm inexperoinced," he seems to stumble over the word, "but Oi think it moight be something to know, if you understand. And Oi'm sure Oi can help out somehow!"

[Stygian]

Sebastian took in the responses of their surroundings, and the ones in it. They grinned. Had his - their - teeth been that sharp before?
   "Ah well... looks like it's a no-go for us then, Angie. Peh. And I was looking forward to it...", he said, and stood up, climbing out of the shuttle and patting Rickardo on his brass-coloured shoulder. "But no matter. We'll get down there anyhow."
   He didn't look back as he made his way to the bridge, and slowly shifted his eyes so that he would pass for human, even if examined close. It would leave his vision horribly blurred for hours, but what was one to do? Was Angel following? He would have trouble enough as it were.

[Boog]

Rickardo shuddered at the contact. Noticed. Unfortunate. His usual jitteryness seemed a bit more so than usual now. Debating what to do, stay in the shuttle alone or go back to the bridge, he opted for the latter, but by a different route than Sebastion. Now seemed like a bad time to be alone.
So, Sebastion has strange eyes for his species. Altering of initial design is uncommon amongst other species, so assume uncommon circumstances. It would probably have been wiser to listen closer to what was said rather than hiding my face in my jacket. Plural pronouns. Strange. We are on the same crew, and must work together, but this issue seems to be a Complication. "Kkkt."

[ITOS]

Angel was still sitting in her chair when Sebastian left. She had heard about these things during her short time in the military and her mother had mentioned it a few times. From what Angel could tell, Sebastian was either some sort of secret super soldier or a runaway. A security threat anyway. She thought.

Angel got up and headed for the bridge. If they were taken off the shuttle mission she would have plenty of time to investigate it. She could try confronting Sebastian again, if she could find a time when they wouldn't be disturbed like they were in the shuttle. If that failed, she knew some people she could contact.

Angel entered the bridge and sat down in a chair. She was still in heavy armor and did not want to tire her self out by standing up all the time. "You called, captain?"

[Boog]

Rickardo arrived at the bridge and went over to wait at his usual console. He'd reached the conclusion that this probably wasn't his business, and should be left well enough alone for the time being. Still, he would act with greater caution around Sebastion now. Unknowns were dangerous.

[Stygian]

Demonstratively, Sebastian carefully removed his glasses and tucked them into the breastpocket of his coat, revealing a pair of now normal, grey-green human eyes. His vision was blurred and the light pained his eyes, but he forced himself not to squint and look directly at Locklear.
   "Your orders?"

[Azlan]

Before Sebastian, Angel and it appears Rickardo's arrival on the bridge, Locklear turned to Joshua with starry eyes at the mention of a short break, "I was thinking of someplace with tttrrreeeessss [trees].  Nice hearty evergreen forest, perhaps a bit of that human activity called skiing!  Beaches are nice, but sand gets in fur and then there are those crabs... always talking about how they like to pinch and stuff.  Then everyone goes surfing and there is always the beach food stands.  I always end up helping my firends with the food stand, cooking, waiting tables, sword fighting with Kylaran assassins and then large sea monsters always attack." 

Locklear stopped and smiled nervously, "Uh, sorry about that... yes, where ever you might like would be good Josh old boy... skipper... Captain... sir!"  The vulpine type creature gave a mock salute and straightened up just in time for the crewmembers the Captain summoned to arrive.

"Your orders?"

"Ah!  Mr. Tycho I would like to shift you into the crew rotation for the asteroid scan from sensors and *ahem* astrometrics.  Ms. Angel I would like on weapons rotation with the other defense officers at the ship board weapon systems.  Rickardo shall be with me and one other, hmmm... any suggestions Captain?"

[Feel free to toss a red shirt in the shuttle with me, the scanning from the shuttle doesn't need to lock up too many players.  Yay, I'm a Riker!]

[Boog]

Rickardo merely stayed in his chair. Rouligus mentality; when on duty, do your job and if you aren't sure what to do someone will eventually tell you. From the sounds of things, most of the crew were to go down to the planets surface soon, but now it appeared that would come later. He was slightly confused as to the plan, but was fairly certain that those making said plan knew what they were doing and merely awaited his orders.

[Joshua]

((I hope everyone enjoyed there holidays. Now back to business.))

Joshua chuckled at Locklear's starry-eyed response. He raised a hand at his apology as Angel, Sebastian, and Rickardo all filed on to the bridge. "That's alright." His smile faded into a neutral expression as he turned to face the two he had called for.
It had been Locklear's suggestion to pull the two from the shuttle rotation so he had no problem letting him answer Sebastian's inquiry. He listened as Locklear addressed and reassigned them both to separate duties without bringing up the reason in front of others. It was, after all, a matter best discussed in a more private forum. At the First Officer's question Joshua nodded his head. "Mister Haynes has mentioned that he would like to be kept involved with the mission. I think we may as well let one of his men go. It'll lessen any chance of his thinking we're going to try to cheat the Athure Corporation." He thought for a moment and nodded. "We can add them to the shuttle rotations, two of ours and one of theirs at a time." He regarded Locklear contact Mr. Hayes and let him know the shuttle scheduling and if he wants to be in on it have him prepare a rotation roster for his men and give it to you."
"Rickardo." He addressed the navigator. "You'll be in the shuttle with Mr. Kodayn for the first trip. Until then you can stay at helm, Miss Foster can take over when you go. Mind you, the shuttle isn't going out until after we launch the probe around the planet. Then we'll head back into the field to start our scanning and begin the new shift rotations."
Joshua looked back at Angel and Sebastian, his tone serious. "Mr. Kodayn and I will speak with you both later in private." He said evenly. "Until then, Miss Angel, you can relieve Mr. Korchev for the remainder of the shift. Mr. Sebastian, you can report to Dr. Glace and aid him for the remainder of the shift." Joshua leaned back in his chair and seemed to relax a bit. "I know this has been a long trip, and it isn't ending soon unfortunately, but we must try to maintain some level of professionalism. Angel, take your position. Sebastian, report to the infirmary. Ian, you're dismissed."
The anthro-panther watched the screen for a moment as the others went about their various tasks. Reaching down to his console he opened a line to the ship's shuttle bay. "Mr Joachim, we'll be clearing the asteroids shortly and we should be in orbit soon, is the probe ready for launch?"

((Boy, when I get started I can be long winded. :p)

[Stygian]

Sebastian made a short bow in the Nithalan fashion, with a simple leg forward, a minimal nod forward and his right hand on his heart.
   "Affirmative", was all he said, and then he slid off in the usual fashion, once again putting his glasses in place. He made a little frown as he strode down the hall toward the infirmary. Glace wasn't his favourite in the crew - too much of a prude, he thought. But at least she could keep her mind in one place. And her fingers too, he added to himself.
   He strode into the infirmary with practiced silence and placed himself just behind the good doctor before making his customary greeting, the just-from-behind one that made people jump.
   "Reporting in, doctor", he said in a low, rumbling tone, making sure to get the vicious edge in. "Inventory? Or are we finally 'examining' something new?"
   As expected, the canine woman jumped, and had to straighten her oval glasses on her muzzle as she turned against him. A german shepherd-like specimen, she was almost as tall as he was and somehow made sure that she didn't have to peer up at him like much of the rest of the crew seemed to do, as she shot him one of her practiced dissaproving looks. He just smiled at this. He thought she looked like an older sister at a messy younger brother, something that amused him highly somehow. She never seemed to notice though.

[ITOS]

"Yes, sir." Angel said and changed chair to the one at the security station.

Guard duty. Angel thought. The fine art of waiting for nothing to happen... or was that meditating? She could never tell those two apart. Good thing she had other things to do while medi... err... guarding. If Joshua wanted to have a private talk with her and Sebastian it was probably about what happened in the shuttle earlier. Angel began to type a mail to her mother, Commander Sandra Ellen Angel. Hopefully she would be able to shed some light over this before the meeting.