James They were all set to play card in the lounge in a little while, but before he went, James decided to make a quick stop at the infirmary to check on Four. His first day on the job and he'd gotten himself shot nearly to hell. His enthusiasm was... commendable, James thought. He walked in and saw the Doc, bloodied and weary looking. "Long night?" he asked. All of a sudden from a room down the hall, Four came bursting out screaming in a hospital gown. "Do you know what kind of horrible things go in those? You're not trying to help me, you're trying to kill me! Augh!" "So he's alive I take it?" James said completely deadpan to the doctor and Four went panicking through the hall of the infirmary.
Name's Suzy. You two look like you've been through hell and back." Kate stared at Suzy looking a little over whelmed. She walked to her. "...My god, other females" Kate extended her hand and lightly touched Suzy's cheek. She closed her eyes and smiled as if savoring the moment. Gale scratched his head looking a little embarrassed. "You must forgive her, we haven't seen any other person in a decades time. I fear we'll wake up from this good dream my self." "Right sorry." Kate said suddenly becoming aware of her self, she pulled her hand down and looked off to the side awkwardly. But underneath the shyness, was a smile.
Susy Susy's instincts kicked in as Kate touched her face, but with an amazing amount of self-control she managed not to take the girl's hand and break it. "You must forgive her, we haven't seen any other person in a decades time. I fear we'll wake up from this good dream my self." Gale said. "Decades, huh? Well...welcome back to civilization. Everyone is hanging out in the Rec room if you wanna come by later." Suzy began to walk off and then turned and guestured to the ensign with her licorice. "Oh, and Ensign...if you don't already have orders to, you might wanna take 'em by the med bay and have them checked out." She smiled, waved, stuck the black licorice back in her mouth and continued to the Rec room. ------------------------------ Doc "So he's alive I take it?" James said looking utterly board. Doc sighed and shook his head incredulously, as a couple orderlys ran after him. "Where'd you pick up that guy anyway?" He asked. But before James could answer Doc continued, "So what's this I hear about a game of cards? This 'lowly' Doc allowed to join you folks? I get off duty here in a minute."
James "Where'd you pick up that guy anyway?" He asked. But before James could answer Doc continued, "So what's this I hear about a game of cards? This 'lowly' Doc allowed to join you folks? I get off duty here in a minute." "You know you're always welcome to poker doc," James responded. "And as for where I found mister Four there, I can't rightly say. He just showed up in the database one day, and his flight record caught my eye. He is one hell of a pilot though. He's bat s*** crazy in a fist fight though," he said, shaking his head. "But yeah, come down to the rec room whenever you get a chance. I was gonna check up on Mr. Four there, but... maybe I'll give him some time." He smiled at the Doc then took his leave. Out through the hallways he went, making his way to the sections rec room. The Ecthelion was such a large ship that it was divided into sections. Each section had living quarters, a rec room, and an infirmary. There were 25 sections all told. This was section 8. It was also the section that the docking harness that the Voyager had docked at was located. And as James walked down the hall, he passed the detail sent to escort the new arrivals onto the ship. He nodded at them as he passed, taking in their wide eyed gazes. He'd never seen two people who looked so happy to see, well, everything. But he continued down the hall till he reached the Rec room. Jacob and Suzy were already there. Jacob was shuffling a deck of cards. "So, you two ready to get your butt's kicked yet again?" he asked as he pulled up a chair at the poker table. All around the room, noncoms and officers alike were making use of the rec room. There were pool tables, VR simulators, and a bar. --------------- The Ensign took Gale and Kate down the hall, saluting to James as he passed, and then led them into the infirmary. "Hey Doc! Hope you weren't planning on leaving just yet, I got some newbies who need the once over!" he said, presenting Gale and Kate to Doc Payne.
Essie Truett Essie brushed through her bangs as she stomped through the extensive hallways. Her Arcadian officer hadn't been joking about the rumors spread about this ship. To think she was now on the opposite side of the fence and had managed to find the exact ship spoken of. Fate and irony sure played a good hand. After her first battle as a newbie, she'd been transferred to Section 8. An hour later, she still had no clue where her living quarters were located. Since being used to Arcadian ships, getting lost was probably the norm. But as she confidently strutted through the hallways, no one could tell. She'd already been through several sections; plus the kitchen, a bathroom, infirmary, boiler room, a janitor closet, and had the luck of walking in on someone changing. As she remembered that unfortunate girl's scream, Essie chuckled. Still she asked not one person for directions. She'd find her way on her own...eventually. Walking five miles was good exercise anyway. As she passed through another hall, laughter filtered through a doorway. Essie slowed her step, peering into the room's window. People were huddled around tables. As she squinted, she thought she noticed a pool table and a bar. A rec room...score! Essie boldly entered the room and glided passed tables, not afraid to give her opinion. "I'd bet it all, man." She whispered, patting a bald guy on the shoulder. "Well played, sir, well played." She nodded in approval as another man scooped up his winnings. "Go for the eight ball. Darn, you missed. Too bad." She said to a woman playing pool. As she walked over to a new game of poker, a man was sorting through cards. She tapped lightly on the table. "Knock, knock who's there?" Without being invited, she grabbed an empty seat. "It's me and I do believe I've come to the right place. Finally." She said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.
"How the bloody hell did you manage to, to-" Chief Orderly Brendan Douglas sputtered. "To fall asleep on a drop ship! You a daft ninny?!" Brendan was the chief orderly for section 8 of the Ecthelion, a job he took as seriously as if he were the commander of the ship. "As orderlies on this beautiful ship it is out duty to make to the upkeep! That takes hard work, dedication, and above all, Persistence!" He was pacing around the janitors closet, slapping the back of his hand into the palm of the other to put emphasis on everything he said. He was a plump, red faced man with a thick Irish accent, and a temper to match. "If I had a nickle for every time I had to kick your rear out a deep midday snooze in the power converter chambers, why I'd be richer than all the blasted Admirals in the fleet!" He said, grabbing a mop menacingly, making like he was about to smack Danny with it. Then his better judgement took over and he put it back down, gently. "I have half a mind to toss your sorry posterior out the nearest airlock, but I imagine that the Captain wouldn't like such behavior aboard his ship!" He exclaimed, waving his arms madly. "By god, the staff sergeant told me about the bloody affair! How you stumbled out into the middle of a battle on an enemy ship with not even your broom to defend you! Shameful it is!" He took a deep breath and looked like he was about to start again, but instead he just shook his head. "Aye, what good does it do, it's like kicking a dead dog. Now get out of my sight before I take this broom and-" he stopped himself. "Just get out!" --------------------- "It's me and I do believe I've come to the right place. Finally." Jacob looked the new girl up and down, then whistled. "I believe you are indeed in the right place. I only wish you'd gotten here sooner..." he said. "Jacob Lewandowski, at your service." "Oh god," James shook his head and chuckled. "Don't mind him, he's a bit loose in the head department at times," James said with a smile to the newcomer. "He's mostly harmless though." "Hey now!" Jacob retorted. "There's no need to insult me, especially in front of people who don't know me! They might go and get the wrong idea..." He said indignantly, then winked at Essie. "Right..." James said. "I'm James Aether. Haven't seen you in the section before, you new?"
Kate said still taking everything in, then she saw the instruments and grew a little tense. "Um...what kind of examination is this?" Kate asked looking slightly nervous.
"Fucking asshole." Danny muttered as walked out of the room with the mop slung over his shoulder. It wasn't his fault he went on the battlefield they should have like signs or something that tells you were your not supposed to sleep. Danny yawned he was still tired all of Brendan's yelling had given him such worn out feeling. As Danny kept walking his eyes shut as he took long steps into a new room he slammed his filthy mop into James's face it was an accident of course. But of course Danny didn't even notice he did it. "Watch your going wall." Is all he said. Danny of course would have apologized if he knew he bumped it into a person.
Suzy "Right..." James said. "I'm James Aether. Haven't seen you in the section before, you new?" Suzy looked up from her cards at the new girl. Not many had the gall to just sit at the 501st, especially without an invitation. It was not unlike trying to jump into a game with a bunch of admirals. The 501st was a respected crew and the soldiers treated them as such. Except for apparently this one. Suzy tapped down her annoyance. The girl appeared to be a transfer from another ship. She probably had no idea who they were. Suzy stuck another peice of black licorice in her mouth and waited for the newbie to introduce herself. -------------------------- Doc Payne "Um...what kind of examination is this?" Kate asked looking slightly nervous. "Oh nothing too invasional." Doc said looking at what information he had about them on his electronic tablet. There was next to nothing, except they had been missing for 10 years and were the only survivors of their crew." A physical, checking your weight, height, blood pressure. Draw some blood and make sure you don't have some weird disease from being alone for 10 or so years." He smiled brightly at them and led them to a private exam room. He guestured for Kate to step on an odd looking scale that would measure a number of things about her in a matter of seconds.
Kate nodded. Calm down Kate you are in control of your own body, Breathing deeply she began to summon the eve cells with in her to work, work on fooling pains blood sample that was. they cleared out of the veins in her arms, though she could do nothing if he planned to do an x-ray, if she could just keep the eve cells out of the path of his needle she should be okay. Again she was reminded of how intelligent this infection of hers was, the cells seemed to understand that their survival hinged on no being detected. Such intelligence from single celled organisms fascinated her, and frightened her. Gale too stood ready controlled, they had practiced this many times before. but would it fool Payne?
James He was in the middle or dealing the newcomer in when a wet mop slapped him across the face. He was stunned for a moment, then turned to look, with mouth agape, at the perpetrator. "Oh sweet lord you're the same idiot janitor who fell asleep on the drop ship," he said, looking at Danny flabbergasted. "That was this guy?!" Jacob exclaimed, ripping his has gaze away from Essie. "Bro! You're already like a legend in the fleet! Their calling you," he paused for effect. "The War Janitor!" A few people around the room had stopped what they were doing and looked with ill concealed smirks. The War Janitor was not an honorary title. They had all seen the Dropship's video feed. Ten minutes after the it had docked the video of Danny staggering out of the dropship bay and running around in a panic for a moment had circulated through the whole ship. He really was a legend, but not in a good way.
Four's eyes followed the newcomer as she went past his ward into the rec room. Dyed hair, scars, bruises, and a conspicuously unfitting sleeve, she reeked of suspicious, a scent Four had always been taught to find and remove. Suddenly breaking away from his previously adopted fetal position, Four silently closed the distance between himself and the girl, slipping into a coat he'd pulled off of a nearby chair. "Identify yourself." Four's cold voice slithered its way to the occupants of the table as he arrived unnoticed and gently rested a hand on the girl's neck- around her vagus nerve.
Danny grimaced at all the smirks. Freaking soldiers always a bunch of jerks. Not to mention their attitude like they deserve something for fighting. Danny was out there everyday either sleeping or mopping and he never got any respect. "Who are you calling idiot huh?" Danny asked walking up to James and poking him in the chest. "I was sleeping and you guys with all your noise woke me up. You should learn to check for people before you fly into a battle zone."
James "Who are you calling idiot huh?" Danny asked walking up to James and poking him in the chest. "I was sleeping and you guys with all your noise woke me up. You should learn to check for people before you fly into a battle zone." "And you should learn to not sleep on dropships, they tend to, you know, fly places..." James said, indignant at this janitor's sudden hostility. "Why were you even sleeping in there anyway! Isn't that what your quarters are for?
Essie Truett "I'm James Aether. Haven't seen you in the section before, you new?" Essie was about to respond, when the other guy named Jacob started talking to a...janitor? "If you're mad that I exploded your maintenance closet, I am so sorry!" Essie said. "I wanted to clean up those liquids, I really did, but it was too late. Kaboom." Essie laughed lightly. That had actually been pretty funny. Probably had been in another section and wasn't his though, which just made it that more humorous. "Identify yourself." Her laughter ceased as a hand wrapped around her neck. Essie gasped, as the memories of Arcadian officers gagging her just like this played in her mind. "Essie Truett, sir." She squeaked. Scanning the room for anything in reach, she noticed a glass cup half full of alcohol. With her telepathy she raised the cup in midair, and aimed it for her captor's head.
"Essie Truett, sir." "Rank, serial number, and origin?" No UEC officer would panic this much simply at the presence of a hand on their neck. He'd even seen several other crew members making similar gestures to each other on-board and, while the purpose was a mystery to him, Four could tell that it was apparently a rather normal action. Definitely an Arcadian spy. His hand tightened slightly, but he immediately slackened his grip. Subtlety was his worst subject, but it wasn't like he'd never taken the course.
"Hey I don't need to justify myself buddy. I'm a working man but you wouldn't know anything about that would you mister shoot first ask questions later?" Danny said as he continued jamming his finger in James chest. Danny was pretty pissed now. He didn't like being asked questions. People always tended to want to know stuff when they asked them..............DUH! But still he wasn't about to let the soldier know he was a lazy bum.
Essie Truett "Rank, series number, and origin?" Essie kept her hold on the cup, moving it closer to her as the man spoke. "May I ask why you want to know, Sir? What is your motive?" She asked. She kept still trying to ignore the pressure point the man was close to. What was with the hostility? She had thought all these people would ignore her not threaten her. You've been away from the Arcadians too long if you assumed that, a voice nagged in her mind.
Four "May I ask why you want to know, Sir? What is your motive?" Definitely spy. Four had proof enough. No UEC officer would be so hesitant to answer such standard questions. Those were standard questions, right? Four stepped back a pace, grabbed a pistol from the nearest trooper, and leveled it on 'Essie'. "Don't even try to cover. I know you're a spy. Who do you work for? I swear if you even try to lie I will end your espionage career right here, right now."
James "Hey I don't need to justify myself buddy. I'm a working man but you wouldn't know anything about that would you mister shoot first ask questions later?" "Don't even try to cover. I know you're a spy. Who do you work for? I swear if you even try to lie I will end your espionage career right here, right now." There was too much happening right now, so James decided to prioritize. "Four! Stand down!" James barked, and then grabbed his hand off of Essies neck. "You're obviously in some kind of medicated stupor still, right? Because otherwise, harassment of a fellow servicemen is punishable by a week in the brig... so you're I'm gonna go ahead and say that you're in a medicated stupor and need bed rest." James said with intensity. He didn't want to loose such a valuable asset as Four, but he couldn't let this go unanswered. There was the issue of the Janitor too. Turning to the indignant orderly, James said, "I think you're just lazy. Now get out of here while you still have a chance." James snapped.
That tears it, Danny decided he'd stick around just to piss this guy off. "Who you calling lazy. I been working my ass off all day. I cleaned your face for you a few moments ago didn't I?" Danny asked as he waved his mop in James face. Danny was smiling as if he was invincible. He knew James could kick his ass but that's exactly what he wanted.
James James walked over to the radio pad by the door and tapped a few keys. "I need a few MP's in the rec room," he said. "What's the situation commander?" the voice on the other side asked. "Morons," he replied. "MP's on their way." "Thank you," James said into the radio. "Now you," turning back to Danny. "I hope you enjoy a night in the brig for mouthing off to a superior." A moment later, two MP's, or military police, walked in. They were the peace keepers in the fleet, no nonsense types. "Escort this orderly to the brig for the night." James ordered and the MP's snapped to obey. James then sat back down at the table. "What was his problem?" Jacob asked. James just shook his head. "If I knew, I would tell you." He didn't like having to use his authority like that, but it was either that, or get into a fistfight. No one gets into a fistfight in the rec without a suspension or some kind of disciplinary action. "Anyway, think we can get back to the game now?"
Doc: Something's not Right Half an hour later Doc had finished a thorough examination of Kate and Gale. His eyebrows stitched downward for a moment at the results, but just as quickly his face relaxed into a bright smile. "Well, it looks like you're both in good health. Excellent health in fact. I'd suggest upping your fluid and protien intake for a while. But no health problems to worry about. Now if you'll excuse me...I'm off duty." --------------------- Doc walked with a purpose towards the Rec room, a rarely seen serious expression on his face. He entered the Rec room, passing by two MP's escorting an angry janitor away, and went straight up to James, completly ignoring Four who should have been resting in bed. "James, I need to talk to you. In private please." "Sure, what's up?" They walked into an unoccupied room and Doc shut the door. "I just examined two soldiers who have been alone for the past 10 years. They were part of large exploration crew and they were the only ones to return. Now, that in it's self is odd but that isn't what worries me." Doc showed James his scans and test results of Kate and Gale. Most of the numbers and words were medical terms amounting to gibberish in most soldier's eyes. Doc tapped the tablet, "Aside from being a little dehydrated and underweight...they are in perfect health." "Well, isn't that a good thing?" James replied. Doc looked at James like he couldn't believe he didn't see what Doc was seeing. "How many soldiers do you know to have come off tour completly unscathed? Not to mention that they were alone for 10 years with no civilization, no doctors, no medical supplies...and have returned completly healthy. Now either God himself was protecting them and strangly enough only them...or they are not who they claim to be. My first theory would be that they are Archadian spies...but I'm only a doctor. Something about their test results just doesn't add up." "Have you told anyone else about this?" James asked. "No, Sir. I didn't even let on that I suspected, to Kate and Gale. Those are the names of the soldiers I examined." "I'd show this to the Admiral, see what he thinks. I don't think that we can do anything without more definitive proof, but if there is a threat there, we could monitor them more extensively," James replied. "Anyway, I think we might finally be able to get our card game rolling again, you want in?" Doc nodded and slipped the tablet into a large pocket on the inside of his doctor's coat. His normal smile resumed it's place on his face. "Absolutely!"
Four "Four! Stand down!" James barked, and then grabbed his hand off of Essies neck. "You're obviously in some kind of medicated stupor still, right? Because otherwise, harassment of a fellow servicemen is punishable by a week in the brig... so you're I'm gonna go ahead and say that you're in a medicated stupor and need bed rest." Four immediately stood aside and saluted the commander. "Sorry, sir! However, I cannot help but advise caution, sir! Her behaviors and appearance strongly advocate for suspicion, sir!" Four shut up then and simply stood at attention. Should the commander ask for a further explanation, he would gladly provide a full briefing, but verbosity was a horrible tactical disadvantage.
Susanna Elliot Suzy watched the interaction between Four and Essie with avid curiosity. She didn't approve of the way Four was threatening the new girl like that but something...something about the way Essie responded seemed off. She was beginning to wonder if Four's accusation that she was a spy wasn't too far off from the truth. James commanded Four to stand down, but Suzy hardly noticed as she stared at Essie's head intently, as if she could read her mind by just staring. Because in a sense, she could. As she concentrated the telepath-mod in Suzy's head clicked, and immediatly she could hear the thoughts currently flowing through Essie's mind. That guy sure had a firm grip. A little too firm. Is he on steroids? Probably. Ha, a spy! Well, if he made that educated guess then I should be more careful. Don't wanna come off in a bad way around here. It's time to start over. Forget the past. If I can forget. Hope the next battle I don't get spotted again. If their bodies hadn't exploded mid-speech, that would've been bad for me. Like real bad. Yeah, maybe approaching people here isn't such a great idea. I don't want rumors to spread. I should probably leave now, but d*** those men are hot. But if I leave that man will get more suspicious. I should just hold my tongue. Yeah, that's what *click* Just like that the mental link turned off and Suzy felt the comfort of her own mind again, as well as a minor headache. A usual side effect of using the mod. She wasn't sure what to think of what she'd just heard. More often than not, people's thoughts were extremely confusing and difficult to decipher. Telepathy was not all that it was cracked up to be. She nodded her head in greeting to Doc who'd just sat down with James. He seemed more on edge than usual, his smile less genuine. But she might have just been seeing things. Suzy looked over at James. He too seemed to have something on his mind. Probably the massive loss of people today. Thankfully no one she'd really known, but the presence of a strange and powerful ship was enough to put anyone on edge. She made eye contact with him and offered him a small smile. She would probably share what she'd heard in Essie's mind with him tommorrow. Maybe he could make more sense of it. James, in fact, was the only one who know of her telepath mod. Aside from Doc, who seemed to know every mod in every person. Suzy preferred it that way. When ever people found out she could read their minds at will, they tended to avoid her. Afraid she uncover their deepest darkest secrets by simply looking them in the eyes. No matter how she tried to explain her mod didn't work like that, they still avoided her. And rarely made eye-contact when they did. James was the only one who hadn't treated her like that. He was a good leader that way. Suzy looked down at her cards and ante'd in. "So are we gonna play or what?"
