Across a Second Sea, Episode 1: The War to End All Wars

[y7h65]

After about an hour of familiarizing myself with the Fenyman, I came to a conclusion about the ship. It's was surprisingly quiet. Of all the things about this ship, it was this fact that seemed the most important to me. Most of the ships I've ever been on were noisy behemoths, their every movement and action followed by a melody of screeches and screams.

In a way, the silence was comforting. On the ships that I used to travel on, you could never tell if a noise was a part of the usual background or a sign of something much more worse. While none of the ships I was ever present on had ever had an accident or boarding event, I have heard more then my fair share of stories about ships that were lost because of such events going unnoticed over the background noise.

Glancing at the VOD linked with my Sextant, I couldn't help but curse as I realized that I had missed the commissioning speech. While I personally could give less of a [censored] about it, the one-c was adamant in his demands that we all show up. Well it's not my problem. Technically speaking, I wasn't even under his command so the worst he could do was give me a few stern words and a disapproving gaze. I had doubts that something as weak as that would do anything to permanently hurt my ego.

Still, according to this chrono, I'm technically not on duty for a few more hours, barring anything like pirates or horrible accidents caused by sabotage. With nothing better to do, I suppose I could go and bother Zhean for the next hour or two. He was the only person on board I was on relatively good terms with anyways. Glancing at the list, it seems that he was assigned to Engineering. Taking a second to recall the path, I started the rather short journey to Engineering.

Arriving about ten minutes later, I entered Engineering. Anything I had to say about the ship's silence earlier was effectively taken back as I entered. If anything, it seemed that Engineering was even noisier than the Engineering sections of the BDN ships. Still, Zhean was in here somewhere. Probably running watch or trying to convince someone to play a game of cards with him. Looking around, he wasn't too hard to find. Not only was he waving me over, he also had taken the liberty of taking off his helmet. The same helmet that concealed the damn near neon pink shade hair of his. Even after taking into consideration the fact that he was from Basaria, I still wasn't entirely sure how he ended up with that shade of color for his hair.

Walking up to him, he was all smiles as he patted on a chair next to him, seemingly unoccupied. As I sat down next to him, he began to talk his mind, something that he seemed to enjoy in the years I've known him. Maybe it was a coping mechanism or just a way to unload his stress. Whatever the reason, he was relatively open and probably one of the only people that could actually stand my presence, which I suppose made him a friend.

"Man, am I glad to see a friendly face." He said as he gazed over the room while playing with the straps of his armor. "I swear, half of the guys here wouldn't know how to relax. Like that Hugo fellow. Yes, I get it, some of the outsiders that the rest of the Feds employ are a bit on the odder side but still, I would think that only the Head of Engineer was allowed to ream out the Engineers here."

He paused to chuckle a bit, as if he had heard a joke that only he knew before continuing to speak as his voice began to build in volume. Glancing around, I can't help but feel slightly worried that he would attract some less than stellar attention but all my previous attempts at stopping him once he edged into rant territory had all been futile. It would probably be easier for me to defend him after the fact then to stop him at this point.

"Not to mention, his way of 'dealing'" Zhean sneered, leaving no undue amount of sarcasm and venom in his voice. "with the problem was probably the worst I've ever seen. I mean all he did was intimidate all the people present and probably pissed off a few of the people that didn't do anything wrong. I mean, who just gets up and shouts at a bunch of people like he owns the place?!"

By the end of that statement, Zhean was pretty much yelling and the entire area around him had pretty much fallen silent and was staring at him. With a sigh, I reached up and smacked him on the back of the head, snapping him out of his rant and sending him slightly forward. Shaking his head as if to clear it he smiled sheepishly before apologizing to the few people around him that he was disturbing. As soon as the engineers had delegated us to the back of their mind, I leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"Look." I hissed quietly, making sure not to draw any more attention to us, though I had a feeling that this Huge fellow probably already knew of what Zhean was saying about him. "If he's really as bad as you say he is, then I'm pretty sure that the Feds will do something about it. For now, try not to make yourself too big of a target, got it?"

[Myperson54]

Ark walked through the passages of the Feynman, waiting for two things:
1. Someone to tell him what was going on, and
2. Someone to tell him where in the hell he was!

Ark never was amazing with directions. He had originally been assigned to the S.S. Archimedes, but when the ship was decommissioned, off to the Feynman it was. He liked it here. Nice architecture and a smoothly-running sort of feel to the whole ship in general. His only annoyance was that he couldn't see any signs telling him where security was.

As he walked with increasing fervor, he glimpsed the one they called Neek, the mantis-thing, in the hallway approaching, him. Ark had heard about this race. Very similar to his own in terms of political and military ideals, for one thing, although the Drar evolved farther than the Krags did, in general. Either way, he was immediately set on edge by the nearly 8 foot tall mantis, but this was quickly replaced with a sense of burning curiosity. Ark realized he needed to speak up now or wander forever.
He stepped in front of the Krag cautiously.
Excuse me, do you happen to know where Security is? He asked.
The Krag stared at him for what seemed an inordinately long time, then replied.
Neek knows security is one level above this, but Neek is not sure where...
Ark thanked him and tried to go on his way, but the Krag extended an appendage and stopped him. Neek has a... request... he almost seemed loathe to use the word. Neek understands this game of... "tag" as you call it, as hunting without killing. What purpose has this?
Ark was already relieved; he had received a few reports from Jenna about the Krag's disruptive running, and frankly he found it hilarious. Such a fearsome beast, playing a harmless game of tag! Alright, he said, Let me explain this interesting game in a different way...

[isstmich]

((super post from HELL!))


Rinslet had been moving around on the Catwalks when he overheard 2 people talking one of them he recognized as a member of his staff, Zhean, but the second voice was new to him so he kept an ear focused on them while he was working. the voice of the man who was on his team sounded very angry and the other voice didnt seem to talk much. It was then that Rinselt heard a loud smack he immediately hopped off the catwalk and moved to where the two were. He wasnt going to let a fight start in his office. He arrived at the beginning of what the second voice was saying and was able to single Hugo out in her thoughts and that the first voice was not happy with him.

His right hand in his communicator while he pointed with his left. "Zhean angry, Hugo. Hugo good, working. Zhean no working." He made a sharp gesture away. "work now!" the woman's voice in the communicator sounded very cross just then. Rinslet turned his attention tot he woman now. "You, no mine. You no fights, Rinslets office." Rinslet tapped his finger firmly on the table twice. "now, speak!"

----

I bit back a swear as another presence joined this merry conversation. Didn't take a genius to figure out what was about to happen, quick glance at stance told me enough about what the person was here for. While this person was interesting, being the first radically different outsider I've met so far and all, the issue of making sure Zhean didn't flip his deck was more important right now. Hell, Zhean was already standing and reah brim he's about to try and deck this guy.

Before he could get any further then ball up his fist, I let my hand come to rest on his shoulder. Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze and jab at a pressure point, Zhean winced at the slight pain before seeming to realize what he was about to do. With a muted grunt he sat back down, glaring daggers at the outsider.

"Look buddy," Zhean just about growled that sentence, never a good sign. "I don't care what your stupid computer says. I am doing my job. I'm security. My job, is to look after your people, and make sure that nothing bad happens to them. It's also to make sure that if something bad does happen to them, then the people that do the bad things get caught, got it? Now go play with your toys or whatever it is you do here."

I had to admit as those words came out of his mouth in the most condescending tone I had ever heard him use, I was considering if the Feds would let me just shoot Zhean in the foot to avoid a whole diplomatic fiasco. That would, after all, be the easy way out. My rifle was still at my hip in it's compact state and it wouldn't be too hard to draw it and shoot Zhean in between the gaps of the armor at this range. I could set it to NL too, put Zhean on the ground before he shoves that blade down his throat any more.

Of course, in the end, I just settled on what always seemed to work all the time to break up two men that felt like they had something to prove. With a frown, I made my way to be in between the two before slamming my hand on the table to grab their attention.

"Look buddy," I said in my calmest voice while keeping my face as neutral as possible while looking at the outsider in the, er, face mask. "Calm down. I don't know if he offended you by insulting Hugo, but that still doesn't justify how you just lashed out like that. You didn't even try to get to know why Zhean here dislikes Hugo nor did you try to find out why. That barely makes you better than him. And you," I paused to glare at Zhean, who had the decency to at least look uncomfortable at my glare.

"Zhean, I know your problems and I still say you overreacted. Go back to the Embassy and cool your heels for a bit, get your story ready. You're going to have to talk to Hsu. I'm sorry but you know I have no option but to report this. Be glad you didn't make this worse than what it's already at. Got it?" I snapped out as Zhean winced slightly at the mention of the two-c's name.

With a sigh Zhean stood up and started to make his way to the door, pausing only to put on his helmet as he glanced at the outsider. "You're lucky Kara was here, buddy." With that, he spun around and left.

As soon as Zhean was gone, I turned my attention back to the outsider. Snapping him a quick salute, I continued with my little speech. "One-E, Yumizuka. My rank is equal to a Sergeant in your federation forces. I'll be your attached Security Officer until Command sends someone else and for the duration, you may address me as Officer Yumizuka or Ms Yumizuka. Now, it's my job to get both sides of the story before the truth is lost. Explain to me why exactly you saw it fit to confront both Officer Zhean and myself in the manner that you did."

The woman sent Zhean away with the name of another person Hsu. The man that appeared in her mind when she said looked like an important and powerful person, Rinslet made sure to make a mental note about that.

---=-

He quickly hopped up onto the table and sat on it with his legs crossed. this put him up to eye level with the woman how had said her name was Yumizuka. Rinslet detached the communicator from his hip and laid it onto his lap. He slid his hand inside and clicked out a response. "Name Rinslet, not buddy," the woman said sternly."No offesne, Zhean lazy.Why Try? Rinslet hear all." he pulled his hand from the communicator and stood his ears up and pointed to the comically over sized appendages."everything" he Affirmed her."Zhean lucky, no hit Rinslet. Zhean Hurt Zhean, hit Rinslet. Rinselt hurt Zhean, Zhean Hit Rinslet" The woman sounded so matter of fact that it was slightly scary. it was clear now that Rinslet was answering all Yumizuka's question in the order she asked them."Room Rinslet's, here Rinslet boss." the machine sounded calm this time almost proud even. "Fighting none, Rinslet not allow."

Having addressed her concerns Rinslet had a few of his own. "Why Yumizuka, Rinslets room? How Yumizuka work, Rinslet's room. Yumizuka scared, Rinslet face?"

----

As Rinslet more or less outright insulted Zhean, I had to take a pause from my note taking to make sure I had heard right and it wasn't yet another product of my mind. When the recording confirmed what I had heard, I couldn't help but feel a tad bit insulted and concerned that the outsider in front of me thought that he could simply walk away from a fight with a man trained to fight some of the best Commando's that humanity had ever seen and win against them nine to ten. Could be a sign of overconfidence or just plain racial preference.

Still, it was of little significance. If he decided that his race was the best and go around slaving people for reproduction, it was his choice. Nothing I could do to stop it and I'm more than sure that there'd be people that would smack him if he ever considered that option.

In all honesty, I was surprised Zhean got pulled onto duty. From what I know of what he and his group did, some of which had only been rumors, I wouldn't be surprised that he'd be done with the military. Hell, from what I was told, he was supposed to be off of work for the rest of his life. And here he is, being forced to act as a policeman for some group that hasn't even completely recognized the government he had fought for by the government that he had fought for. I'm sure someone somewhere was having a laugh about this.

Still, I had to address the situation at hand. If anything, the outsider was pretty proud of the fact that he managed to get a role of power though he seemed to have trouble communicating. Probably racial thing. AS he mentioned his face, I took a glance and noticed the transparent skin and flesh.

"I'm not bothered. Probably just me." I answered honestly with a shrug. Oddly enough, despite what everyone else had said so far, it wasn't all that creepy for me. I mean, transparent skin and flesh? Nothing compared to a Wyli P shrap bomb victim's wounds and injuries. I guess my experience as a medic in one of the most brutal civil wars the galaxy had recently seen made me hardened to this type of stuff.

"I would prefer you not talk bad about Zhean though." I continued, my voice and face neutral and calm, sounding almost disinterested to me. "While he might not have done anything here, he has done more in his life than what some of the people in this room will ever hope to accomplish. No offense, but his job before this job was... intense."

Letting the words hang for a moment, I quickly scribbled some more notes into my note book before looking back at the outsider. "I'm afraid you'll have to repeat your first two questions. I didn't understand what you were trying to say and I would prefer to answer your question if possible."

----

Rinslet thought for a second then held up one of his fingers before opening his hand into the stop symbol. He hopped off the table and took off to another side of the room as full speed. he was gone and back in a matter of moments. "Hugo Come" he typed into his communicator. a minute passes before Hugo arrives, he has a look of relief on his face when he sees that nothing is wrong.

Hugo extends a hand to Yumizuka and introduces himself. "Hugo Frost, im Rinslet's handler. I have to admit i was a little worried when he ran up to me and pointed to this area then ran off." he chuckled

Rinslet grabbed Hugo's hand and pointed at Yumizuka "why here,How work." Rinslet repeated to Hugo

"oh you need translation help. i See now" Hugo scratched the side of his face and thought about what Rinslet said. "My best Guess is that Rinslet wants to know why your in the Engineering hanger if you not part of his staff. and what your job is and how it effects this specific room." Hugo gave a stout snort followed by a horse and short laugh. "but the only way to know for sure is to get another member of Rinselts race to give you a better translation."

Rinslet made no gestures to correct Hugo so, What hugo said must have been an acceptable translation.

----

As the outsider dashed off, I couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. I had no clue how fast he moved but it was certainly quite a feat for anyone to be able to move at faster than a brisk jog without disrupting any of the engineers.

Of course I was slightly less impressed by this new Fed, especially after he introduced himself as being Rinslet's handler. I wasn't quite sure about Fed policy regarding outsider Handlers was but judging from what Zhean had told me and from what I knew of the job; But I had the feeling that this Hugo person was supposed to have dealt with Zhean instead of Rinslet himself. Still, had to be polite.

Bowing slightly, my face neutral of expression as I spoke. "One-E, Yumizuka. Basarian Detachment. You can refer to me as Ms Yumizuka, or Sergeant Yumizuka" I introduced myself to the Handler before turning my attention to the Outsider. "Answering your question, Sir, my job and Zhean's job is to ensure that whatever section we look over remains safe and that any potential conflict or crime is handled carefully and professionally." I paused for a moment as I tried to think of an example before deciding to settle with something from my past, speaking with a slightly amused tone.

"For example, if someone decides that they've had it with a person working close to them and decides to, say, modify a plasma cutter into a weapon and go on a killing spree; My job would be to make sure that the first person would never have had to resort to such a measure in the first place and if it does occur, that it is stopped before any excess loss of life is caused."

Pausing to catch my breath, I glanced around the room, making sure to note if anything suspicious or odd was happening. "Furthermore," I continued, boredom seeping into my tone. "I'm a certified and trained combat medic and first aid tech. In the event of injury, I can stabilize anything short of Wyli P wounds long enough for someone better trained and equip to arrive. Or make their last moments comfortable. I find I'm pretty good at that second one as well."

I shrugged nonchalantly before closing my notebook and sliding it into one of my pockets. "Any other questions or concerns I should be aware of?"

----

Rinslet nodded once at the Woman and turned to return to his work. When he did leave Hugo was left behind, it seemed that he wanted to talk to Yumizuka briefly.

"Nice to meet you Ms.Yumizuka, but im not a part of the Federal government so i don't know what many of those titles or classifications mean. To be Frank with you i work for a Private organization that is publicly traded" he gave a small gasped laugh " Funny isn't Privately owned and Publicly traded." it didn't matter how many times Hugo ever said that, it always was able to get a laugh out of him. " The IARB or Inter Alien Relations Bureau, started as the company of a paranoid old man who didnt trust aliens and thought they needed to be closely monitored at all times. When he died the Company took a turn in a different direction and slowly became the corner stone of what we consider a massive deflection to potential loss of life due to cultural differences and boundaries."As he finished off what sounded like a scripted speech he looked at Yumizuka and spoke kindly too her. " i do have a few concerns. Your job what ever it may be, should not challenge Rinslet in this room. If you offend him an Incident may result from it, and im not questioning you abilities or skill but Rinslet has his ears on pretty much anyone in this room. I dont know if he showed you his ears but they are enormous for his small size, he will know about someones 'disgruntled behavior' before anyone else may. Except Jenna she will most likely be the first to notice." As hugo spoke his voice began to sound more and more sincere, until suddenly it became stone cold. "If you had to keep an eye on anybody in this room for the safety of everyone else it should be Rinslet."His voice instantly became more light hearted. "now did you have anything you wanted to address to or ask me?" he finished with a great big smile.

----

I had to stop myself from gaping at the Handler when he admitted to not knowing some of the titles I had just attached my name to. While I could understand him not knowing the Basarian ranks, what with us not being in with the Feds yet, I found it hard to believe that any human would fail to grasp the terms 'Combat Medic' and 'First Aid Tech'. Way I remember it, those terms have been around for a long time in almost every military and media about military forces since First Aid and Medics were around, back around the... Great War period?

Regardless, it was an oddity for this Hugo person to not know anything about the jobs. I mentally filed it away so I could check out why later but there were some slightly more tiring matters to attend to, PSG. I had to restrain myself from sighing in exasperation at the thought. It was fortunate that the Handler was a PSG. If he had been an actual Grunt, I would have half a mind to not slap him and tell him to go back to basic training.

"Handler," I started, letting exasperation creep into my tone. "I don't wish to be rude, but I literally care nothing about the history of your company's forming nor do I see it's relevance to the current topic or situation. Furthermore, I would like to wonder about the validity or wisdom behind allowing an Outsider who requires supervision to be in charge of a department such as Engineering."

"You would do well, Ms. Yumizuka to use peoples names first or last in this room. If Rinslet hears you not using someones name he thinks you are insulting that person. If nothing else you will need to use his name and my name while he is present." Frost interjected.

With a bored shrug I leaned back against the wall, turning my head to look at the department as a whole. "In any event Mr Frost I would like to remind you that unlike your pet outsider, who you should really talk about confrontational methods one of these days, I am trained to resolve conflicts as quickly and smoothly as possible. Meaning that I am unlikely to just run up to the parties in conflict and start yelling at them, a tactic your outsider seems to be fond of. Perhaps it learned it from somewhere." I let the sentence hang in the air as I turned my attention back to Hugo, leaving little doubt about what I was implying before pushing myself off the wall, turning to face the Handler.


"Furthermore, if violence cannot be avoided, then I am also trained to ensure that no further loss of life or injury than absolutely necessary is required in order to protect the population at large." I said as I smiled icily while pushing back my duster, letting my right hand rest on the massive blacked hardlight case attached to my leg for a moment. I made sure that the pistol grip of my carbine could be seen for a moment before readjusting the jacket casually.


"So consider the ability of the Outsider when compared to a trained security member when dealing with someone who has a makeshift weapon and without anything left in the world." I said as I began to walk away, pausing to shoot the man a glance. "Oh, and one last thing Mr. Frost. Supervising the outsider so he doesn't hurt anyone? That is your job. My job is to ensure the safety of this area and ensure that everyone's safety is accounted for. Do remember whose job belongs to who for the future." With that, I turned my attention back to the engineering department and started to make my way towards the various stations. No time better than the present to get acquainted with the people who actually worked in this location.

----
"Rinslet can handle Violence too, Ms.Yumizuka" he said her name with venom. "His whole culture was built on violence, Rendering a non-implanted hostile human disabled, would be nothing to Rinslet. And you should never do something so stupid as to try and intimidate anyone here with a gun." Hugo's tone was more threatening then warning.

As she turned to leave Hugo yelled out to her more of his own frustrations with her then the distance she put between them. "Rinslet knows what his job is, he would never hurt anyone without reason, and I know what my job is! YOU better know your place on the chain of command or your safety is at risk here!" Hugo was practically fuming right now, his deep breathing wasnt helping to calm himself either.

[the red soldier]

(Conversation between Red's Neek and myperson54's Ark)

Ark studied the Krag thoughtfully. It truly was a fearsome creature. Even a natural-born predator like him would be no match for a fully grown Krag like the Chief. After a moment of thought, he began. "You, see, we are very similar, you and I. We are both hunters, predators. The others see it as a game of skill, and it is. It is a game meant to bring the pleasure of victory. It is a competition of speed and strength. But the other aliens who play this game do not see the true meaning behind it. They only see a fun competition, while the game was intended as training. When you hunt prey, and when you hunt the opponent, you are training."
Ark was off to a good start, but he was far from finished. "It is also a game of honour. By sparing your opponent, you recognize their skill in originally tagging you, a fine warrior." In fact, Ark was beginning to believe himself. He had intended to relate only on common grounds, try to edge away as fast as possible, but it seemed the comical idea of tag with a death machine was much more complex. It even began to make sense to him! To finish, he straightened and posed with a flourish:
"I believe the Rinslet creature may have actually taught us a good lesson from this. We are a war-capable vessel, yet we are on a diplomatic mission. Sometimes, we must fight, and sometimes we must flee. Such is the way of the universal game of 'Tag.'"
This was by far the best speech Ark had ever given. Surely it was better than the introduction he missed. "Fun" and "games" translated to honour and victory, right? He only worried he might have overdone it a little...

Neek stood silent, processing what the lizard creature said. The concept of the "game" was lost on Neek. He understood the fundamentals of it quite well, it was similar to two Master Caste fighting for a rank. However what he didn't get was the part where there was no prize involved. "Neek fails to comprehend why one would "play" when nothing is to be gained. Neek also fails why this tiny creature known as Rinslet initiated the "game" when victory for Neek was assured. Rinslet has small stumpy legs, failure was guaranteed."
Then it hit him... maybe that little creature was indeed fighting for his rank... But then the CSH made it quite clear that ranks where appointed, not fought over. It only confused the Krag even more as he began clapping his pincers and his mandibles together, showing signs of agitation.

Uh oh. The Krag called Neek was getting restless. Ark recognized the telltale signs of annoyance in him as his pincers clacked and cracked together. Why would one compete only to gain nothing in the end?
"I suppose it is a difficult concept to explain... the ones who do this, they do it for fun."
He sighed. This wasn't what we was trying to say. The most important part of being a Master Caste Krag was coming out on top, and Neek was undoubtedly on top. "Other species do not feel the need to be rewarded. They simply accept victory as its own reward. Foolish if you ask me. As for the Rinslet creature's provocation... I do not know enough about him to understand his actions, although I suppose he trusted his aide to help him. Was he being carried as you tagged him?"
Ark thought for a moment longer. "Of course, he might just be arrogant. I would not worry too much about it. I believe it was a friendly gesture. Maybe he wishes to be... friends? Companions? I can't say for sure, but he does not appear malicious."

There it was, the "friend" word, the Krag language had no word for it, much like the word fun. Maybe because Krags tended to be more on the logical side instead of having much emotions, although a Krags logic might be pretty skewed towards a more violent means to an end. Getting even more what one would call annoyed, the Krag suddenly froze into place, not moving,as in he just pressed the reset button. "Neek cares not for these human words anymore."

Thinking back to what his handler said to him in his first year in the CSH, the handler simply said to go along with it and not to question it, much simpler and it had gotten him far to date. This lizard creature however seemed decent, more to his line of thinking. "Neek wonders... What does the scale based creature call himself? Neek is Neekrak Zeska Kurr." Truth be told however, he made that name up from the sound of the clicks and clacks of the Krag language used to say his rank and even then it wasn't really speaking, more like a dance routine.

Ark wasn't sure if he should be terrified or relaxed. This "Neekrak" seemed to be tensing up. Not good. He also threw out the matter of "tag" entirely, as if he wanted no more to do with it. Potential for being hurt there, too. To be honest, the thing terrified Ark, but he kept his composure. It did seem interested in his name, which was good. Let's go with that, then. Friendly. Much more appealing than giant-mantis-who-hates-me-and-is-also-a-superior.
Introducing himself always was awkward. His name was unpronounceable by most creatures but Drar, due to its odd phonemes composed of clicks and whistles. But this Krag may have a similar language. Maybe it could pronounce his true name after all. Bugs often had odd languages like that. Looking up, he said, "In most languages, my name is Arkron'dal Gr'ram-Azdaq. But perhaps you would like to hear my real name? I only use it rarely, thanks to the undeveloped windpipes of our companions."
He then proceeded to utter a set of cacophonous clicks which sounded like something along the lines of R'k !Gr|-z||q'.
He wasn't sure if the Krag would be able to pull it off, but if it was, he felt it would deserve respect. He eagerly waited to see what the mantis would do.

Having been shown the way the scaled creature known as Akron said his name in his native language, Neek thought it wise to do the same. The Giant Mantis suddenly started tapping his feet, waving his antenna's around and moving elegantly into what one would call a "dance". It didn't take long, about two seconds really, but it seemed like an overly complicated routine even for someone with two pair of legs.

And with that, Neek simply stared down for about five seconds at the Drar and then bolted to the right end of the corridor, seemingly having decided that he had finished his conversation.

Ark tried to blink, nonplussed, at the retreating Krag's back, but he failed miserably, because the second he looked up from its... dance-thing, it bolted off. How odd a creature, he thought, And without even a proper goodbye. He shrugged. It must be normal for his kind, I guess, he thought as he stared down the hall. He liked this guy already.

[Saska Skye]

Adrien sighed as he hung his head in confusion. The ship was a mess of people, loosely used at that for there were so many different types of aliens that it was hard to believe. The only reason he had decided to join this ship was so that he could see more of the universe while excerising his talents, considering he would be unable to take over the family business for many years, and there was no better time like the present to get some experience under his belt. But he was currently lost and unsure of where to go. While trying to figure out the location of his room/office, Adrien recalled the "sextant" device that he had been given upon his arrival to the ship, which was currently conveniently placed in his ear. Tapping the device to activate it, Adrien waited as the communicator turned on. Once it was finally ready, Adrien spoke into it. "Umm, is this thing working?" Adrien called out as he began to just walk around aimlessly, carefully weaving his way through the crowd so as to not step on any feet... or feet like appendages anyways. "Can anybody tell me where I can find my room or office? I do believe I'm a bit lost."

(OOC: Anyone is welcome to meet me or perhaps answer my call of distress =P)

[Lief]

Alicia looked around the bridge. People were already going off to do their own thing. Understandable, she figured, considering few people on the ship knew one another.

She might as well look over the roster, though. At least at the important positions, as she only knew anything about the bridge personnel. Taking a small piece from her Sextant, she attached it to the earpiece and moved her hand across her vision, a hardlight visor appearing as she did so. The visor was effectively a computer screen, albeit one with adjustable transparency. It was linked to the ship's database, at the moment, allowing her to access the crew roster.

The main portion of her Sextant formed what was essentially a keyboard, making it simple to navigate files and names.

"Hm... Rinslet..." Looking through her files she noted a relative lack of information on him. She did discover that he apparently required a unique translator, and a... Handler? Really?

Reaching up, she tapped her ear-piece. "Jenna? What information do you have about the Chief Engineer, Rinslet?"

"Chief Engineer Rinslet has little available information, Captain. Either he or an organization or a nation he belongs to has requested this be hidden." Jenna replied.

"He is a Boreas, a species that defies logical biology of an organic being of their stature. They are telepathic, extremely long-lived, slow to mature, and have semi-transparent bodies. Specifically, their muscles, bones, blood, and organs are visible, although I cannot confirm whether all species have the same transparency. He is physically superior to any human aboard this ship by an unusually large degree, and briefly ran at speeds exceeding 40 mph. Others of his species can run more than double this rate if my calculations are correct."

She paused for a second, as if to draw in a breath to continue speaking. The AI had found that people did not generally enjoy a nonstop stream of information. "Boreas are naturally mute, and as such Chief Engineer Rinslet relies upon a handler and communicator, as his current vocal modulator is highly inefficient."

"That is all the information I possess, Captain. If you wish, I can form a more tenuous but potentially more informative analysis to form a conclusion about his mental state."

Alicia pondered the information for a moment, it was always interesting to learn about a new species- Though this one seemed like it could be troublesome.

"That won't be necessary at the moment, Jenna. But thank you." Alicia fidgeted with her Sextant, skimming a few files again.

"Ah. These handlers, several of them are listed by name in certain files, but none of them are listed on the crew roster. What's the reason for this?"

"Chief Engineer Rinslet requested that I make Hugo Frost his sole handler. I agreed with his request after he suggested that his efficiency would be lowered, since he did not trust his other handlers to the same degree, nor did he feel that they were as efficient as Mr. Frost in translating his intentions."

Jenna took another silent 'breath'. "Officer Cano found another discrepancy and likewise investigated. He agreed with the decision, and asked that I refrain from tampering with the duty rosters in the future. His request has been lodged and will take precedence over my actions if such a situation arises again."

"Hm. Understandable. I share his opinion on the matter." Alicia scratched her chin idly, a random thought popping into her head.

"Jenna, do you have a personal opinion on Rinslet?"

"No." Her response was as unruffled as ever, with nothing to indicate that this could possibly be considered unusual.

"Do you have a personal opinion on any of the crew? Or is there something keeping you from doing so?"

"I have no personal opinion of the crew at this moment, nor am I likely to have any in the future, Captain."

"If there is something prohibiting such an action, then I am unaware of it."

"That's unfortunate." Still, it answered a few questions that had been lingering in the back of her mind. "One last thing, Jenna. Has there been any kind of ruckus on-board yet?"

"What construes a 'ruckus', Captain?"

"Heated arguments, fist-fights, that kind of thing."

"Several, but the most notable was between Chief Engineer Rinslet and Mr. Frost against Corporal Shei Zhean and Sergeant Kara Yumizuka. Corporal Zhean was offended by Mr. Frost's speech to the Engineering crew, and vocally expressed his concerns. Sergeant Yumizuka attempted to calm him down, but Chief Engineer Rinslet expressed his displeasure before the situation could be resolved. Corporal Zhean left the room then."

"The situation escalated with Mr. Frost's return until Mr. Frost began raising his voice in a manner which suggested extreme irritation and exasperation. It is likely that this situation will continue to deteriorate, although for the moment they are no longer in direct contact."

"Hm, interesting." Alicia shifted her sitting position, the slightest of grins creeping its way onto her face.

"I would like a copy of the report for this incident, when and if one is created. I would also like to talk to Kara at her earliest convenience."

"And I'm not going to exercise my authority over the Chief of Security, but I don't think there should be any reprimands for this situation... At least, from what you've described. Do keep a closer eye on Engineering now, though."

"Understood, Captain. Does 'keeping a closer eye' involve my actively preventing violence, or shall I remain outside the situation unless it becomes untenable?"

"I would suggest just watching, unless it looks like they're going to start shooting at each other or something. In that case, you have my permission to disable their Sextants." Alicia was skimming through Kara Yumizuka's file at the moment, noticing that she carries a separate firearm. "And I believe you can disable Kara's rifle, as well, though I am not familiar with it myself."

She sighs lightly, switching over to some low-tech game. Tetris, apparently. "That's enough snooping for one day, I think. That'll be all, Jenna."

"Yes, Captain."

[Geo_&_Bio]

Keshvier wondered around, looking for his office, he managed to trail his way back to where he managed to start. Sighing slightly, he tried to continue finding his office. He was practically on the verge of defeat and cave in to the ship’s AI and ask for directions.
He felt that he managed to find everyone and their mother’s office with the exception of his office. His ear managed to catch something however.
"Can anybody tell me where I can find my room or office? I do believe I'm a bit lost." He heard from both his communicator and a voice not so far away from him. Looking around, Keshvier noticed where the sound was coming from, a ghostly pale figure with long brown hair with glasses.
He began counting the people he knew of, via studying important personnel prior to boarding. After thinking for a few seconds he finally concluded that it was the Civilian Representative Adrien von Ardel. Keshvier decided to help him out a bit, might as well as he is trying to find his own Office as well.
The Zuulian presented himself to the humanoid being known as Adrien von Ardel.
“Civilian representative?” He questioned, to make sure it was indeed the correct person he is addressing. “I am Ambassador Keshvier’Va-Re’ Tubishtok. I think I may be able to help with your situation, and may lead to being able to fix mine as well.” If this goes well, he might have managed to dodge the bullet with an awkward situation with the AI.

"Of course. Lord Adrien." Jenna replied, bringing up a holographic map projection from his Sextant. "Your quarters and office are now highlighted on the display. To dismiss or view this map again, simply verbally request such or you may find it manually. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Not at this moment thank you. I will keep your advice in mind," Adrien said as he began to look at the map. Upon hearing his name however, Adrien turned around in the direction of the voice, tapping the button on his sextent to turn it off. The voice appeared to have come from a dark robed individual who claimed to be the Ambassador. "Ah yes, that's me. It’s my pleasure to meet you Keshvier ’Va-Re’. I am to be the civilian representative on this ship so this is a pleasant surprise, having run into you here. And I will graciously accept your offer and hope I can in turn be of aid to you." Adrien said, bowing slightly to the man, trying his best to pronounce his name correctly. "If I do anything to offend you please forgive me for I am unaccustomed with your race and their customs."

Keshvier didn’t mind the Va-like greeting, waving his hand at the gesture. “Worry not; my world’s culture is pretty complicated. Being from Va and Re, we have our own form of gestures which are just merely combinations of the two. Never the less, the complications of my homeworld is the reason I left.” Keshvier began gesture of walking, “It…seemed that The Ships Ai has given you the Coordinates… That’s good.” He stated with a bit of discomfort. “I’ll travel along, surely our offices must be close together do to our similar job fields. I probably should’ve asked the AI as well, but I can’t seem to bring myself to do it.” Keshvier added, slightly disappointed in himself, but didn’t show it. He was only willing to accept his defeat against his fear of AIs only so much.

"I shall keep that in mind," Adrien said as he started after Keshvier, following him as he began to walk. "I guess it is to be expected that every world would have their own difficulties and complications, I just hope for your sake that it's something that can be solved." As they walked, Adrien brought the holographic map back up with a tap on his sextant. "Yes. Not but seconds before you arrived did the AI provide me with this useful map. Let's just hope that its easy enough to read. It is logical to assume that our offices would be near each other, so heres to hoping that your not wrong. It would save us a good bit of effort." Adrien said as he attempted to figure out the map, turning it and zooming in and out, trying to figure out their location to the location of his office, which glowed yellow on the map. Glancing over at Keshvier, Adrien couldn't help but wonder about his unwillingness to ask the AI for help, but was too polite to inquire about it.

[Twippit]

A green light on Mullen's sextant blinked slowly, indicating that he had a message waiting. He ignored it for some time, busying himself with other things. About a half an hour passed before he slapped the blinking green light, allowing the message to go through.
"Excuse the interruption, Science Director Mullen, but I have a message from Pilot Reilea Basarius." Jenna addressed Jar-Re through his Sextant. "She requested that I relay some advice to you concerning a recent event wherein you accidentally knock-"
"Thank you, Jenna," Mullen snapped, cutting her off, "but I am terribly busy at the moment and won't be bothered with such trivialities and false accusations. You may relay the same to the pilot, or whoever else needs to know, if you so desire. Please do not bother me again today." Mullen then terminated the link, preventing Jenna from responding.
He continued to work on normalizing the lab and bring it to full working order, despite the fact that he knew he had several assistants to do the work for him. He found that it gave him time to be introspective without seeming distant.
Why was I just so crass with Jenna? Certainly that was unnecessary, the dromite asked himeself. And what did that pilot want with me? Did I do something to upset him/her/it? Mullen mentally retraced his steps of the day, but found to his surprise that he had no memory of how he arrived at the lab. I seem to have repressed the memory, Mullen noted with surprise. I must discover the source of this memory repression, he resolved.

After another half an hour or so, Mullen decided that the lab was set up well enough to run even moderately difficult diagnostics, and allowed himself time for a break. Maybe he'd go see the bridge and confer with the captain, or some of the other bridge crew. He set off in that direction in hopes of meaningful and intelligent conversation... And maybe a game of Go...

[Myperson54]

Lillith Silvia Ravenhall walked about the ship to her office, ears slowly rotating to pick up stray information. She loved this ship. Every inch of it was pure awesome, as far as she was concerned. It had anything and everything she needed, but best of all, she finally had her own office.

This was the first time she didn't have to share with other stupid lobbyists or marketers or PR consultants; She finally had her own free space. A fresh Altairian Granva-bean coffee in hand, she strode briskly down her hall, turned left, right, right again, and stepped into the office that was her own. She breathed in deeply. This was her true test. To transact trades aboard the Feynman. Do this right, she thought, and you're set.

Covering one wall, one of the shorter ones, was a large supercomputer with a projector on it. Lillith put down her books and walked over to sign herself in. Once she had connected her sextant-equipped glasses to it, she turned and surveyed the rest of her office. There was a desk, for starters. It was nice, but she would be up and about most of the time. Oh well. There were several bookshelves, in which to place the books which had been shipped here (All from her personal collection, too!).

She was excited, but for now, she decided to keep walking. One never knew what could happen in a ship this big!

[Lief]

Mullen walked up to the automated bridge access port. Like most things on board, it was designed for someone a foot or more taller than Mullen. It hardly bothered him now, though. He just had to get used to it.

"Science Director Mullen, requesting access to the bridge," Mullen said to the ABAP. As with all automated systems on the ship, Jenna was at least partially in control of the door.

The door slid open without a fuss. "Welcome to the bridge, Science Director Mullen." Jenna answered calmly. She spoke into Captain Alica's Sextant at the same moment. "Science Director Mullen has entered the bridge, Captain."

Alicia tapped a few keys on the hardlight keyboard, the game closing and the visor retracting, the keyboard disappeared a moment later. Looking over her shoulder, she greeted the ant-like Science Director with a small wave.

"Welcome to the bridge, Director. How's the lab?"

"The lab is quite fine, Captain," Mullen said as he strode on the bridge. "I must say I am quite pleased with the equipment the lab has been outfitted with. Very high-quality. This is no junker, to be sure."

Mullen looked bemusedly at the captain. "Playing games, captain?"

"She's top of the line, there's probably a few things in that lab you'd normally only find in planet-side research facilities."

The slightest of smiles made its way onto her face when questioned about games. "Perhaps. There's little to do at the moment, it seems. Tetris is also an interesting way to pass the time, too."

Mullen smiled. "You humans are so creative. The dromites never developed such methods of entertainment. I sometimes envy you creatures. I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with this Tetris game, however." He changed the subject suddenly. "I did have other reasons to speak with you, however..."

"I can send you a copy, if you'd like."

"But yes, what is it?" She turned her chair to face him, only now recalling that it swiveled.

Mullen smiled again. "I'd like that. But, uh," Mullen looked around the bridge cautiously, "can our good friend Jenna hear us right now?"

"I can hear you excellently, Director Mullen. Would you prefer if I deleted all memories of auditory events in this room until otherwise directed?" She asked politely, voice echoing through both of their Sextants.

"Yes, Jenna, I would appreciate that, though I do not believe I have the rank to give such an order. Captain?"

"I believe everyone has a right to their privacy, Mullen. Ah, do you mind if I call you Mullen?" Without waiting for an answer, she spoke again- Though not to the Science Director.

"Jenna, if it's not already part of your programming, please add that, barring extenuating circumstances, you should honor anyone's request for privacy. Regardless of rank. I'll elaborate on the extenuating circumstances later." She re-directed her attention to Mullen, hoping that sufficed for the time being.

"Understood, Captain."

"Thank you, Captain, Jenna. I'm afraid that gathering sensitive information may be easier if done through you, Jenna, than another organic being. Torture is unpleasant for all parties involved; hacking may only be difficult for one side." Mullen's face twisted. "I'm afraid I was not thoroughly briefed on our mission. Please correct me if I am wrong; we're exploring further than any previous exploratory vessel has traveled before because a probe has said that a potentially inhabited planet has significant deposits of a rare ore? And said inhabitants destroyed said probe?"

The Captain nodded. "That's correct. There are several deposits of Auxerite on the planet, apparently. You know what Auxerite is, yes? Personally I'm not familiar with it."

Tapping a few controls on her Sextant, she brought up the same image of the ore that the Admiral had shown her.

"Captain, it is my sworn duty on board this vessel to be familiar with such substances. Its curative powers are unprecedented. We don't know how it's formed yet, or else we'd have moon-based factories mass-producing the stuff on a large scale. Unfortunately, it's in such high demand that it's extraordinarily difficult to get a hold of some to do research on. Here's my worry, however. How sure are we that everything is as it seems at face value?"

"Is it ever safe to take anything at face value? They shot down our probe with what was likely a prototype missile. The fact they had one at all means they are either aware of other sentient species in the galaxy, or are incredibly paranoid about the thought. There's also a chance they shot down the probe thinking it was a spy satellite from another nation, which could indicate tense relationships, if not outright hostile."

She paused, bringing up the image of the planet. "This is my own personal speculation on the matter, but we still need to be cautious."

"Is it wrong of me to assume that since they're not yet a space-faring species, that they're not a united people?" She voiced her thoughts unintentionally.

"It is possible that they're the descendants of an older breed of space-faring pioneers. There are many possibilities. But I am not concerned with the potential locals. I fear a trap. Captain, have you considered the possibility that we may not have been the first to discover this planet?"

"No, I hadn't considered that. It's possible, but unlikely, I think. I think the Feynman can handle anything we might come across, however. If nothing else, we can run away really fast." She chuckled lightly, closing the image of the planet, leaving the Auxerite up.

"We're going there to attempt to secure a trade route for the miracle mineral. Even if there are others who have discovered the planet before us, we should still try and complete our mission. If others have found them and don't want us there, we'll heed their wishes, only after trying to negotiate however."

"As you wish, Captain. What do you plan to do when we reach the planet? Are you sending a note down planetside, or a landing party?"

"I'm thinking we should observe them for a bit, as we have little information about the natives. We don't want to sit idly by for too long, though, or we run the risk of them discovering us before we make first contact." Alicia scratched her chin thoughtfully before continuing. "We'll observe the planet and its inhabitants for roughly a twenty-four hour period before sending a landing party down to make first contact."

"A wise plan, Captain. I would like to request a position on the landing party, if that wouldn't be too much to ask. I would like to verify the Auxerite levels present in the soil, among other things."

"That can be arranged, Mullen." She nodded, making a mental note to pick landing party members soon.

"Is that all?"

"One thing more... Eh, on second thought, never mind. That is all." Mullen straightened and turned to leave the bridge. "The best of luck to us all, Captain. May we keep our wits about us as we move forward on this mission. Things are not always as they seem."

"Oh? What is it, Mullen?" She wasn't about to let him walk out and leave her speculating on what he had intended on saying. If need be, she could always exercise her authority...

It was times like this when Mullen wished he had the fabled power of telepathy. Unfortunately, he did not possess such an ability, and so he was left with merely tapping his sextant meaningfully and hoping the Captain could infer his meaning. He still didn't trust the electronic ears in the room.

"I have much work to do, Captain. I hope we will speak again soon." Mullen left the bridge in a rush.

"If Director Mullen was worried about my overhearing of the conversation, he could have merely requested that I delete all knowledge of the event." Jenna said, removing the past audio from her memories as she finished speaking. "If it was in regards to my stability, he need not fear reprisal."

"At this date, 217 spoken conversations have occurred to my knowledge aboard the Feynman about the likelihood of myself becoming unstable." She sounded unoffended at the declaration, as if reciting how many fibers were in an article of clothing. "Such an event is improbable. I was created by the most intelligent minds of several races, and many safeguards have been placed to prevent instability or otherwise."

Alicia nodded, more to herself than anything.

"I can understand his worries, as you're the first true Artificial Intelligence to be created. And, at least in Human culture, there have been various mediums in which AIs are the primary antagonist." She sighed, spinning her chair to face forward once again.

"Notify Director Mullen that I have an open door policy, and that when he wishes to discuss this matter we can do so in my quarters."

"Yes, Captain."

"Captain, Director Mullen requested that I not bother him for the rest of this day. Do you wish for me to wait until 24 Earth hours have passed, or shall I inform him now?"

"Inform him now, please."

"Yes, Captain." Outside the bridge, Mullen's Sextant flickered a notification. "Director Mullen, Captain Merrill wishes to let you know that she has an 'open door policy' and that you may discuss the matter to which I am not privy in her quarters at a later time."

"Ah, Jenna, I did not expect to hear from you again today. I do apologize for my crass actions earlier today. Please do not hold my actions against me."

"Please inform our dear Captain that I will be happy to speak with her at her leisure. Thank you."

"Understood, but there is no need for apology, Director Mullen. Many find my presence disconcerting, and I do not fault you for it. Is there anything else I could do for you at this time?"

"No, Jenna. That will be all. Thank you."

"Very well, Director Mullen. Have a good day." At the same moment, she 'reported' back to the Captain.

"Director Mullen agreed to meet you at your leisure, Captain. Is there anything else I might do for you?"

"Nothing more at the moment, Jenna."

Alicia fiddled with her Sextant for a moment, sending Tetris to Mullen before she forgot.

"Remind me later to refine your rules for privacy."

"I will do so, Captain."

After a few moments of sitting in relative silence, the Captain spoke up again. "Oh, I almost forgot. Jenna?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"You're free to use your mobile platform if you wish."

There was the slightest pause, perhaps no more than half a second. Hesitation? "Understood, Captain. I will restrict myself to be as minimal a distraction as possible."

[MeaCulpa, S.C.M.]

The movement of a few errant particles and a spark of light were the only heralds of the Feynman's passage into new space, as Urosa IV came into view.

A planet with life is always a beautiful thing to behold; a blue-white gem with emerald patches of land, auburn-colored deserts and snowy peaks. Urosa IV was no different, and on its darkened side, the golden lights of cities--of civilization--shone their ecstasy into the void.

--

The Feynman is within sensor range of Urosa IV. Nothing on your sensors indicate that you have been detected.

[Myperson54]

Lillith was just wondering where to go when her communicator beeped. She opened a viewscreen on her left lens, which darkened and displayed a message.
*~--------------~*
-Attention:
-We are currently
-in viewing distance
-of Urosa IV.
-End Message.
*~--------------~*

Ah, good! A chance to finally see the planet for herself! Lillith requested a map of the quickest route to a viewing area, and she was pointed towards one of the main lounge decks. She set off at a brisk pace, not even stopping to check her map. As a result, having one eye darkened, she had some difficulties navigating through the crowds of people also trying to see the planet. Eventually, though, she made it.

Stepping into a classy, red-carpeted lounge, Lillith found herself instantly mesmerized by the beauty of Urosa IV. She had seen her share of planets from space, of course, but they got her every time. Each planet was a new place to explore (Or not; some people were downright crazy!), or a new place to admire, or to make business deals with. Of course, they were sure to have their own kind of coffee-like beverage, too, if they were at all civilized. But no time for that on this mission. Today, they were here for Auxerite, a medical wonder, apparently.

Lillith had done trades in Auxerite before; Nastily large amounts of money were dealt with in those sorts of things, due to its rarity. But Urosa IV supposedly had enormous quantities of this product. She would have to study the implications of this imbalance before she made a deal with anybody. Sitting down in a bright blue lounge chair, she darkened her glasses to 75% opacity, just enough to see her surroundings, then opened a link to the Commercial Analysis Suite. She needed to run some simulations, so hopefully nobody would bother her.

(OOC - If you're not otherwise occupied, feel free to bother her! )

[LuckyMudman]

As they arrived at UrosaIV, Clarke peered at the lush planet. It was a nice sight, but one he saw once too often for it to be any more stunning than it could. A quick look at the local scans showed him the moon they were supposed to hide behind, so he hailed the AI. "Jenna, could you give me information on the orbiting distance of the closest moon?" He tapped his console and after a quick thought, added. "Oh, and, I was wondering. What are your capabilities at piloting the Feynman itself?"

A steady stream of neatly organized and labelled numbers began filing onto Clarke's screen in response. "If all else remains ideal, I could pilot the Feynman with approximately equivalent effectiveness, Navigator Saerminus." This was mildly misleading. While Jenna could pilot the Feynman with equal skill, she was capable of doing so with even greater finesse due to her superior processing power. Still, it was never a very wise idea to explain to the crew that one could do their jobs better than they themselves could. And, all things considered, it was better to have a real person in the chair instead of an almost monotone voice.

Clarke peered at the console, taking in the numbers. "Thank you Jenna, it's good to know there's someone I can rely on in case I break an arm or something. The VI on my last freighter was uncapable of maintaining a simple orbiting distance." Clarke activated the side thrusters, moving the ship in the way so the observation deck remained turned towards the planet. "Once we're in moon's orbit, I'd like to ask you to take over the helm." Since he arrived at the last moment to the inauguration, he didn't really get enough time to familiarize himself with the ship.

"Of course, Navigator Saerminus. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"That would be all, and you don't have to call me by my position, Clarke or Saerminus is just fine." Clarke leaned in his chair, the AI was way too formal in his opinion, but then again, why wouldn't it be. He watched the number detailing the distance from the moon whizzingly lower itself. Soon, the people on the observation deck would loose sight of the planet as they'd creep into the moon's shadow.

[isstmich]

Rinslet was standing next to a small table but because of his diminutive size it looked more like he was trying to hide behind it. With his hands placed palms down on the table top his full attention was at a blurry shape in a large chair. It was captivating Rinslet's attention. This was a strange occurrence for the little guy. normally when sound waves come back to him his mental maps are clear as ever. For some reason there is something in that chair that is distorting the waves. Having evaded Hugo, Rinslet would need to come to a plan of action before the big man found him.


Rinslet decided he came out from behind the table and crept his way over to the chair. as he neared it the Blur did not become more clear, this was mildly worrying to Rinslet. Finally he was close enough to examine it with his hands. slowly he lifted his hand up and extended one of his ghoulishly long fingers, it uncoiled and uncoiled and uncoiled extending out fully the nine boned digit hanging in the air creeping slowly to the strange distortion. then when it was just centimeters away he solidly pushed his hand forward giving the Blurry object a stern poke. "Fur?" he thought bewildered.
~~~~~~~~
Lillith had set up the simulation and begun to run it when she felt a sudden jab in her leg. Grimacing, she froze her screen and raised the opacity on her lenses. Looking about, she couldn't see who had poked her. Hmm. Must have been an accident. She twisted about to get comfortable again, and was just about to resume her work when she spotted a long, thin appendage trailing out from around a coffee table. Bending down, she came face-to-face with a small masked... thing. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was obviously whatever had just poked her. "And just what do you think you're doing?
~~~~~~~~
The mask Rinslet was wearing turned on and turned into a face with a man looking slightly confused then shifted to a Stearn glare. Rinslet clicked out a response and the Female voice in his communicator seemed indifferent. "Name Rinslet, Not you.What yours."
~~~~~~~~
"My name is Lillith, and I was just in the middle of running a complex simulation on alien economics."
She paused. Great, now she was curious. "But that's not an answer. Why did you poke me? I'm sure we both have better things to do right now."
~~~~~~~~
"Lillith Blurry"The woman said matter of factly "Rinslet no see, Lillith blurry." his display plate turned into a confused child. "Economics, what this?"
~~~~~~~~
So now she was "blurry." She wouldn't be surprised if that became a nickname in the future. And this... alien thing, he didn't know what economics was. She didn't expect everyone to be an expert, but most cultures had an economy of some kind, even if it was a simple barter system. Lillith Sighed heavily. This was like speaking to a child with a severe speech impediment.
"Economics is, simply put, the way the flow of money or goods works in a particular area. I'm trying to find out how much to ask for the Auxerite crystals down on the planet. There's more down there than most planets have found in ages. Usually it comes at a high price, but if...." She trailed off for a second, then her large ears flipped up and swiveled to face the diminutive Rinslet. "Anyways, that's not important right now. Or it is. It's- it's of importance to me right now but not to you! Look, I really must work." She sighed "I need another coffee."
~~~~~~~~
Hugo looked around and resigned to defeat, "Jenna" he said aloud " Rinslet has escaped me, can you provide me a real time map using my Sextant as a point and connect it to Rinslet's please. I need to find him quickly."
"Of course, Mr. Frost. His location is highlighted on your Sextant now, along with the fastest route. He is currently in a lounge with Chief of Commerce, Lillith Silvia Ravenhall. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Hugo's face goes pale when he hears the word "lounge" and takes off as fast as his legs will take him. "Jenna do you know if any high ranking officer is in or near the lounge, someone Rinslet will perceive as his superior?" he began to slow down from his fast run to a swift jog. " if The krag called Neekrak Zeska kurr is in the immediate area send him. Rinslet seems to like him. Something, just stall Rinslet till i can get there." having got a second wind Hugo picked up his pace again.
"Officer Kurr is within close proximity. I have alerted him." As she spoke, the Krag's Sextant beeped quietly. "Officer Kurr, Mr. Frost requests your presence at this location. He desires for you to distract Chief Engineer Rinslet in a nonviolent manner." Directions to the lounge were projected. "Please do so with haste."
~~~~~~~~
Rinslet ears flicked up when the chair moved the woman before him had large ears as well something they had in common but they were easily half the size of Rinslet's. He took a step back from the chair, when she said the word coffee her mind had a small flood of words Rinslet knew nothing of, but the image associated with the word was a cup of black water looking fluid. "Coffee, What is?" the plate over his face turned into a big red question mark as the Woman asked with a clear upwards inflection.As they spoke to each other the blur about Lilith remained it would appear that unless her fur was removed the sound waves coming off her body would be skewed and Rinslet would never be able to tie a body to the name.

Hugo had to stop and lean against a wall to catch his breath "ank ou enna" he wheeze out then swapped his Sextant's channel to talk with Neek.

"Neekrak Zeska kurr when you get there i need you to make sure Rinslet isnt going to eat or drink anything and hasnt eaten or drank anything." he was panting at a slower pace having caght his breath some more, "try to get him to play tag with you and lead him out of the lounge if possible."

Neek, Still randomly walking the halls of the ship, suddenly found himself being asked a strange request. Now, obviously this human had no Idea how to negotiate with a pure breed Master Caste such as himself or he would have known that one does not simply demand something from Neek, unless you were of superior rank.

"Neek fails to see why he would act in such a way." He said, after staring at the man for what seemed like a minute.


Hugo had never worked with a Krag before mostly because Neek was one of the only ones that is on citizen status with the CSH, so he didnt have first hand experience with negotiating with them, something he was going to need to fix."If you do this for me i will owe you a favor but more importantly if Rinslet swallows something that he shouldnt, he will die. I dont have time to explain it all right now. please save Rinslet!" He cried out into the sextant, slowly becoming more aware of the wandering eyes on him.


Again, the human assumed that Neek actually cared for this Rinslet's Life. In Neek's mind right now, it was like trying to save a prey that was about to do a mistake, after all, that little meat bag looked tasty. Then the thought of being court marshaled for eating a fellow crew member ran through his head, that would not look good for the Higher ups.

As these thoughts ran through his head, weighing the benefits against the cons, Neek seemed frozen in place, like a statue, as he was prone to do while thinking. Suddenly twisting his head a full 180 degrees to look behind him, he began to seem agitated. "Neek demands equal payment. Life for life, meat for meat." Basically Neek wanted a steak the size and weight of Rinslet himself.

And with that, Neek bolted towards the lounge at blinding speed, the game of tag had started...


~~~~~~~~
Lillith stood up to go to the bar, thought better of it, and sat back down. "Coffee," she said, "Is a gift from heaven. Look, you have anything better to do? I have to work." Then she had an idea. Here, why don't you try coffee for yourself. I find it gives me energy. Lets me do stuff faster, ya know? She walked over to the bar, got an Original Terran Black, and handed it to the small creature. This could be interesting.
~~~~~~~~
Rinslet stood on the bar stool and looked at the cup he had been handed well at least he positioned his face to look at it. "Ship at destination. Rinslet not needed, Rinslet engineering chief." Taking his hand from the communicator he grabbed the cup and slid it back and forth on the bar top, the contents of the cup swirled around inside. "Rinslet not know, never had. Heaven What is?" The idea of coffee and heaven was foreign to the little alien, the coffee he was beginning to understand but was still hesitant to try it. Heaven on the other hand would be like pulling teeth from a shark; a lot of stuff happening but going no where fast.

~~~~~~~~~~

In the lounge, where a group of people seemed to be relaxing at the sight of the new planet, no one seemed to recognize the giant mantis's presence, mainly because he was quietly crawling flat on the ceiling while using his chameleon like invisibility. If you could see it, his head was frantically looking at every corner of the room, analyzing every tiny bit of info as he slowly crawled an inch at a time, making no sound at all. This Rinslet will have his game of tag...

~~~~~~~~~~

Rinslet mocked the motion of looking into the cup a second time before he exhaled out his mouth, the air moving through the teeth made a short but sharp whistle of a noise. Something wasnt right... Rinlset set the cup down and extended his ear fully they twitched to and from. No it couldnt be he knew he heard something different a moment ago. He opened his mouth and snapped it shut, the two bone plates smack into each other with a dull clunk. Nothing, he adjusted his ears and snaps his jaw again, still nothing.

Rinslet was sure he heard something familiar, instead of clicking his jaw he started to grind it back and forth maybe the low frequency of the clicks wasnt giving him a good wave. no sooner then his first full scrape to the side did his ears pick up the oddity. They were fully alert and angled at the roof right at Neek.

unsure if Neek had seen him or not Rinslet turned to Lilith and said "Rinslet must go" Without anything more Rinslet jumped off the Chair and made a Bee-line to the exit of the lounge.

~~~~~~~~

The sight of the running prey suddenly unleashed Neek's inner instincts. Coming into full view as his invisibility wore off, he dropped on the ground on all his legs. His full size and his sudden appearance could have easily given a squeamish man a heart attack and almost did as the room full of people gasped and fell backwards to avoid the Mantis.

His mandibles making an infernal grinding sound, his pincers clapping together, making a sound of two car crashing together with each clap, the Mantis positively look possessed as he bolted towards the tiny Rinslet. No matter how fast Rinslet could run, he could never hope to outrun a Master Caste.

"NeEk SeEs YoU!!!" The Mantis screamed, quickly catching up. If Rinslet didn't think of something quick, it would be a quick game of tag...

[Myperson54]

Lillith stared in awe as, in the span of ten seconds, a door opened without cause, a giant mantis materialized in midair, her annoyance ran off, and the mantis gave chase. Looking about her, it seemed that everyone else was in shock, too, so she hadn't been seeing things. Well then, I guess I've seen everything, she thought. Still, it was probably a good idea to send a report, in case this was anything bad. She had heard there was a Krag on board, but by the looks of him, this was a master caste Krag, and who knew how this could turn out? Reaching up to touch her communicator, she extended a mic to her mouth. "I'd like to report to security that a giant Krag just came into lounge M7-C0 and chased out a small creature I was sharing a coffee with, in case it's important." Speaking of which, the coffee Rinslet hadn't touched was still lying there, so Lillith picked it up and helped herself. Time to get back to those sims....

After having arrived at his office and parted ways with the Ambassador, Adrien entered to check it out. His office was a decently-sized, rectangular room, furnished with an adequate desk in the center with a couple of chairs placed in the corners near the door and near the desk. The walls were painted blue and there were lamps hanging off the corner of the walls illumnating the room. On the right side of the room was a door, that upon inspection, led to his bedroom, which made it convinent for him because he wouldn't have to leave the room just to go to his office.

After settling down and organizing his things, Adrien decided that everything was set and that it would be a good idea to check up on some of the citizens, introducing himself as their representative, so he set out cruising the ship, talking to random people. Most of the citizens that Adrien was able to talk to didn't have any complaints or problems yet... That is of course as long as you ignore the occasional expected complaint about the numerous different races on board and the mixing of beliefs and cultures. It was boring work but needed to be done. But something caught Adrien's attention as he was making his rounds. At a nearby lounge, barely fifteen feet away, a small being ran out being persued by an incredibly large and fast preying mantis like alien. Curiosity peeked, Adrien walked into the lounge looking for someone to talk to.

At one table there was a white fox lady who was staring after the mantis. Deciding that she might know something, Adrien walked over to her. "Good evening miss. Please forgive me for distracting you from your work. The name's Adrien von Ardel." Adrien said, extending his hand to her smiling politely. "I was hoping that you knew something about what all that was?" Adrien asked, gesturing to the direction that the mantis had gone.

Lilith's large, parabolic ears swept around before she even turned her head. She was still kind of in shock, but was recovering quickly. She blinked once and responded. "Hey, what's up? Sorry, this is all just bit too much at the moment." She paused and collected her self, then shook Adrien's hand. Lillith Sylvia Ravenhall, Chief of Commerce. Pleased to meet you. That 'situation' that just happened was rather.... interesting. A small 'Rinslet' creature started annoying me while I was working, I ended up buying him a coffee, and before he had time to try it, a HUGE Krag appeared out of mid-air and chased him out!" Lillith looked at the coffee in her hands. "I'd offer you a drink, but I already started his," she said, feeling a bit guilty. She decided to change the topic, if she could. "But what do you do? You don't seem like just any ordinary civilian.

"Its fine. I'm not the biggest fan of that coffee drink myself anyways," Adrien said. "Well you would be correct and I'm sorry I didn't realize that you were the Chief of Commerce. The pleasure is all mine. Please, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Adrien von Ardel, Civilian Representative at your service." Adrien said, bowing elegantly to Lillith. "It is my responsibility to make sure that all civilians on board are comfortable and have no complaints on the ship."

Lillith was interested now - not fake-interested, like she was with Rinslet - she was actually interested in this position. She didn't realize being the Civilian Representative was such a big job. She smiled. "Well, I guess. I know where to go if I have a problem, then. Do you know when, at all, the landing party is set to go down? She paused. She didn't even know if she was on the away team this time. She'd have to ask someone who knew better. "Actually, do you have access to the list, or should I ask Jenna? I'm not sure if I'm on the away party or not this time.

"I am afraid to say I do not. I had just gotten finished locating my office and getting everything set up when I decided to make my rounds and came across this little fiasco. It would be within your best interests to ask Jenna, for she seems to know everything one could need to know while one is on board the ship." Adrien said, scratching his head embarrassed, sighing at his lack of knowledge. "I haven't the slightest clue who they've decided to send down, but I assume it is the highest ranking members of the crew, and those who's occupation is relevant to the task at hand. It's a shame that I'll most likely be unable to go down, for I would greatly enjoy the opportunity to see this planet up close, but sadly my job on board this ship doesn't really extend to that... However, I was somewhat of a diplomat at my home planet, so maybe I could convince them that I could be of use... Hmm" Adrien spoke, liking the idea, as unlikely as it seemed.

Of course. I'm a civilian myself, actually the only reason I would go down to the surface is to negotiate something business-related or to collect economical information. If you'll excuse me, I'll just call Jenna for a second.
Calling up a display, Lillith connected to a channel to the AI. Excuse, me, Jenna, I was wondering if you had information on the away team yet, and if so, if I would be on it. I understand being on the team could lead to a friendlier visit, but I could complete a better analysis of our situation with the tools on the ship. Whatta you say?

"My apologies, Ms. Ravenhall. I cannot answer that question at this time." The AI replied politely. "As for your secondary request, it may depend on the current political climate planet-side. It may help you to know that I am acceptably competent in analyzing relevant data. If I were to do so, it would free you to visit the planet so long as the Captain agreed."

Lillith nodded. "Thank you. I'd have to think it over, of course, but it's a comfort to know there's someone else onboard who knows how to work with me. That will be all, Jenna, thanks."
To be honest, Lillith was concerned. She did want to go to the planet, but having a supercomputer do her job was a bit frightening. Jenna was nice, yes, and Lillith wasn't uncomfortable around her most of the time, but at the same time, a computer with reasoning abilities could put her out of a job. She sighed, thinking. She wasn't fooled by her line about "Adequate" abilities. Jenna could outperform her in every way, and she knew it. But that wasn't her job, so for now, Lillith was content in her job security. Standing up, she motioned to Adrien. "Well, I'm glad I met you, but I think I have a visit to pay to the captain. Care to join me?"

"As am I." Adrien said as he nodded to Lillith. "And I will gladly accompany you there. It would be a good thing to properly meet the captain."