The boarding party for Ajax was the largest yet for the J.E.F. Aside from Tasha, Liza, Gabriel and Remiel there was Hakeber, the new recruit candidates (Shojo, Celeste, Joachim and Digger-of-Ancients) and Katherine Vesuvius and her entourage of Mr. Invention and Miss Necessity. Boarding separately was Dr. Yue Sen. There were no reporters or other news-folk this evening, since the 'test flight' of Bellerophon was being kept secret, due to it's rather sensitive missions.
Mage Neesa kisses Remiel, but doesn't board with the others. She still has duties of her own to tend to. Colonel Rapatia and Riddle Smith were also there to send them off.. and it's possible that Raehab was lurking nearby as well.
"I wonder if there will be a dinner service," Hakeber whispers to Tasha. "I didn't think to pack anything to eat."
"There's a huge dining room on the Ajax, and the best cooks, don't worry," Tasha whispers back. Not wanting to show any particular favortisim as she continues to struggle with how to deal with love triangles, squares, and other love geometery she's tried to keep accessible to the people close to her and that has meant remaining in the center of the group. "The cabins are nice too; It's the most amazing airship I've ever seen. You'll like it."
The cadet-candidates look a bit nervous. Templars are used to the Titan Carriers, if any airships. And since this bunch are without wings, it may be that they've never flown at all before. Digger-of-Ancients, the Silent-Ones archaeologist, actually lets out a short bark when the cargo elevator begins to lift them into the giant airship.
Tasha glances aside to Hakeber after watching the cadets for a moment, then leans in to whisper to her, "I'd better go talk to them, they look nervous," before she steps away and approaches the group of newcomers.
Standing in front of them, she spreads her hands, then thumbs up. "How are you all doing? Some of you," she looks between them but specificlaly not at Shojo, "look like this might be your first flight."
"I've been up in a hot-air balloon once, as a child," Celeste says. The human is probably from New Zion.
"I've seen those. We don't have many of them on Sinai, but we do have a few." The JEF's first cadet nods, then turns to whole group and asks, "Do you have any questions? This is a bit new for me too," she notes, gesturing to the group before her and trying the tact of empathy by situational unfamiliarity, "as until recently I was the only cadet. If I can be of help, let me know. I know it can all be overwhelming. It was for me."
"Will we get uniforms?" Celeste asks, and immediately follows up with, "are there uniforms?"
"Probably and yes," answers Tasha, who while being in something uniform-esque is not actually in an official uniform. In the past as well as present this has been an issue for all members of the JEF, as their actual uniforms are precious and difficult to replace while their available clothes have mostly consisted of what's available locally. Of the local items they've made due with what they can to look official outside of 'dress uniform' situations and Tasha has been no exception. "Currently we're working on having uniforms fabricated, as our original uniforms are actually archaelogical and historical relics and can't be easily replicated with current technologies. We've approached local manufacturers for both day-to-day uniforms and dress uniforms. They may be similiar to what I'm wearing now, or else use Abaddonian designs. You will be fitted for an undersuit, however."
"All of us?" Joachim asks. The Karnor is in his forties. "Even those of us not likely to be out in the field?" As an administrator, he's likely more comfortable behind a desk.
"You probably won't need to wear yours day to day, and you may not even have one fabricated, but you'll need to have your measurements taken regardless as a precaution. I can tell you from experience that it's better to be prepared," answers the hybrid, who reaches up and taps the avian side of her face with her Karnor hand. "Besides, we're a small group. You never know when you might have to 'wear another hat,' as Doctor Zerachiel likes to day."
"Of course, you will all be getting a medical scan," Remiel notes. "It should be fairly painless."
"We'll use the robot of course," Gabriel asides to Tasha.
"I can back up the 'mostly painless' part," Tasha remarks with a grin, glancing over at Remiel. "I'm Doctor Zerachiel's favorite patient, after all!" She then swivels her head Gabriel-ward and nods, "The robots are the best. I still remember the time when I thought they were magical monsters trying to kill me and steal my body. That was fun!"
"What's a robot?" Liza asks.
With the cargo elevator secured, a few crewmen wait to take the travelers to their rooms.
Tasha turns to Liza now, looking down and holding her hand flat at about half her height. "A robot is a complex machine built for certain tasks. Advanced robotics can be very complex and meet or exceed what life like us can do. My Melchior is a robot, for exampe. Most robots aren't sentient or aware, but are directed by other technology to perform tasks. Advanced robots may be animal-like, or even sentient like Mel is. They're not all made of metal either, some are made of plastic, or organic like you saw with the Confederacy, and they can even be extremely tiny or gigantic depending on what they're made for. You'll see a lot of them soon."
With her explaination done, Tasha looks up and glances between the Elites and the recruits. "Would you like me to take care of the cadets, Captain?"
"As the head cadet, I leave them in your hands," Gabriel says, and even salutes.
Tasha immediately returns the salute, grinning all the more, then turns to the group and nods to them. "Looks like you're with me, cadets. Lets follow this nice gentleman and see where you'll be staying. After you sir," she says, at last turning to gesture the crewman to lead the way.
As the four recruits (and Liza) follow, it isn't long before Digger-of-Ancients' glove says, "Does anyone else see the long-eared alien following us?"
Liza makes a show of looking behind herself, and says, "I don't see any."
"She's a Lapi, from Sinai," Joachim says. "We all see her. My family ran a rabbit ranch."
"She does that, mostly because I pay her to," the hybrid woman replies with a laugh. She glances back and waves Liza forward, gesturing to her after. "This is Liza, my personal assistant. While she can't help you with JEF matters or the advanced concepts you'll soon encounter, she can be used to reach me and if needed you can arrange to speak with me through her if I'm not around. She mostly handles my internal affairs so I can focus on what I need to do."
"Do we all get one?" Celeste asks eagerly.
The crewmen stops at a door, and says, "We have a suite prepared that they can share." He produces a key and unlocks the door to let them in. "Your luggage will be delivered shortly."
"Of course!" Tasha then tilts her head, smirking. "If you can pay for one, of course. Liza is my personal employee, not a JEF employee. That's not to say we won't be hiring personal assistants for people a flight away, but we don't have any currently."
Like the others, Tasha stops once they reach the cadet's room and steps aside so they can file in, only glancing inside to see what it's like. "If you need any special assistance Liza might be able to provide -- hair care, fur care, and things like that -- don't be afraid to ask," she notes as they head inside.
The recruits file and and explore. There are bunk beds. "Top Bunk!" Digger-of-Ancients calls electronically, and leaps up to claim his mattress. Celeste and Joachim, unsurprisingly, take the bottom bunks.
"Will I be working with your doctor?" Shojo asks Tasha.
As she watches, Tasha's tail wags. She's so caught in the moment and ethusiastic about seeing this enw addition to the JEF family she almost misses Shojo's question. "Hmm?" The young woman goes, looking over and blinking. "Remy?" Her ears flick as she considers, then she nods slowly. "You will be, at least for a while. You'll be working under Mr. Knight later."
"I've brought my medical kit with me," Shojo notes, standing still as a statue. This seems to disturb Liza, who moves to put Tasha between herself and the Vartan. "Is there anything I should be studying before we arrive?"
Used to both robots and Shojo, Tasha appears unpreturbed by the unmoving Vartan. "Just watch how we do things, try and get a feel for life in the JEF. We can be less formal, but there is a formal structure, and because we're a small organization we often have to take the initive and handle things on our own. You'll also want to have Doctor Zerachiel introduce you to Expedition Era medicine, but keep in mind you'll be exposed to even more advanced medicien soon."
"I hope I will be able to keep up," Shojo says, and goes to test his upper bunk.
Tasha smiles encouragingly, even if Shojo can't see it walking away. "That's the JEF cadet motto," she murmurs to herself, then turns and heads out with Liza leaving the cadets to settle in and relax without a 'senior' member floating around to make them nervous.
"There is something wrong with the Vartan, or else he is a hunter," Liza says to Tasha.
"Shojo contracted a disease early in life that left him without certain reflexive muscle movements," Tasha explains as they walk along, her eyes forward. "It's not fair or polite to say something is wrong with him. He's had to deal with that all his life, it's not his fault. He's actually very kind. Please treat him like you would anyone else."
"What did the old Jupani mean about running a rabbit ranch?" Liza asks next. "How are rabbits related to Lapi?"
Tasha pauses. She stares forward for a long time, then glances in to an empty supply area before gesturing to it. "Well," she begins as she waits for Liza to head inside, "this is probably as good a a time as any and you should know the truth. It's not a pleasant truth, Liza, you might want to steel yourself."
"Steel? What does that mean?" the Lapi asks. Despite working in Titania, she apparently isn't aware of the various metal alloys.
"Oh, it's just an Abaddonian saying. It means prepare yourself." Tasha steps inside too, closing the door until it's just a crack. She then turns to Liza and says, "I'm going to tell you the origin of the Lapi people now, you'll figure it out sooner or later and it's important to explaining why Lapi and rabbits are related. Are you ready?"
"Yes?" Liza replies, a bit uncertainly.
Tasha studies Liza's face for a long moment and decides that nervousness is appropriate; she also thinks she might be even more worried if there wasn't any. To her, having learned so many secrets about the world, she knows how far a little anxiety ca go in enduring them. "You've probably heard of the Ark. The Ark is Rephidim Temple, the remains of a great ship that once traveled between the stars and the origin of many of the people who now live on Sinai -- in more ways than one. Some were brought to Sinai, like my people the Vartans and the Karnor, but others were made. And before them, before the Expedition, the Karnors were made in the same way. We Karnors, and you, Lapi, are beings created by Human technology. Human science. The Lapi were created along with many others to fill the world of Sinai with sentient life that could adapt to our home."
After pausing to let that sink in, Tasha continues, turning off to stare in to space as she recalls and reminises. "We weren't craeted from nothing, however. The Karnor were created from animals called 'wolves,' who were given Human traits and sentience. In the same way, Lapi were created from animals called rabbits, and others from other animals. These animals had different uses and roles before they were made sentient, and it can be hard to reconcile that. Karnors were pack hunters, and later, Human pets. Rabbits were also Human pets, but also ... " The woman pauses, scratching her nose as she bites her lip. At length she pushes herself to say what she wish she didn't have to.
"They were food and clothes, Liza. They still are, on Abaddon. That's why your joke about my eating you made those peopel so uncomfortable. What's worse, during the tie when the Pit had just arrived, the people brought to Abaddon had nothing to eat. They were desperate. They ... " The cadet's eyes trail over, finally looking back. "They ate what they could."
The doe's nose gets twitchier and twitchier as the explanation progresses. "So.. I look like somebody's dinner? Or.. pet?" she asks. "I thought some of the folk here seemed uncomfortable around me, which.. never happened before. What did the Humans come from then? Who made them?"
"That's it exactly," Tasha confirms, ears canting back but her voice steady, almost relentless. She wonders if she's being too hard, or not hard enough. After all the uncomfortable truths she's learned, she realizes she still isn't quite sure how to deliver them to others. "The Humans come from a world called Terra, which still exists. It is he capital planet of the TerraGens, the intergalactic power that rules a great many worlds. They are joined by other Galactics, other, older species who have their own creations or aliens they have conquered. But they're not the oldest; before them, the First Ones. Before them, the Old Ones. And before them, well ... " The cadet takes a deep breath, exhales, tehn shakes her head. "Well, that's a story for later. As for who created the Humans, that's actaully what I've been trying to find out. We think we know who, and we call them the Proegnitors."
"So they might have been pets or prey too, originally?" Liza asks.
"There's some thought we Vartans were pets of an even older species, a First Ones species, that died out and were created from them -- which we call 'uplifting.'" Tasha reaches out and opens the door, letting the light and the normal, endurable world come back in to focus. She waits for Liza to exit and then walks with her down the corridor. "That these beings found us abandoned and liked us enough to uplift. The species that had us as pets may be the 'Qwakoo,' while the being who uplifted us is known as 'Horus.'"
"You seem confused about wether you are Karnor or Vartan," Liza notes. "You include yourself when speaking of both."
The hull shakes as the engines start up, and the mighty airship begins its journey towards Tartarus Base. "Where are we bunked?" Liza asks.
"I am both," Tasha notes, glancing back to her assistant. "But I'm also neither, because I am both -- does that make sense? I grew up Vartan but now I mostly live as a Karnor, but other people see more or less of one of the two species I'm made of, so I'm never completely either one. It makes sense then that I talk about myself like that, don't you think?" She then reaches in to her coat and pulls out a scrap of paper. "VIP cabin 15A, that puts us port side and if I rememebr right, closer to midship. The VIP decks are on the outter areas of the hull, lower decks, near the overlook dining room."
"I will follow," Liza notes. "I imagine I am safe so long as I wear clothes. Nobody will try to put me into a pot if I have pockets."
The red woman grins at that. "I think that's a sound strategy," she agrees, the two heading deeper in to the ship.
Finding the cabin is easy. Finding it crowded is a surprise though. Gabriel, Remiel, Hakeber and Katie are all inside at the small table, drinking coffee. "There you are," Gabriel says. "The kids all taken care of?"
"All tucked in their bunk," says an unabashedly surprised Tasha, who is still looking at all the faces when she steps inside. "Did something happen? Did I not get invited to a party in my own quarters? Liza, you're supposed to tell me about these things."
"We were just trying to sort out the sleeping arrangements," Remiel says. "Apparently it was me and Gabe in one, and you and Hakeber in the next cabin."
"Abaddonian modesty," Tasha remarks in a tone of knowing, the young woman walking over and having a seat on an unoccupied bunk. "I'm sorry I was delayed, I stopped to tell poor Liza about the 'rabbit problem' on Abaddon, which ended up including the history of the Expedition and sentient generations back to the Old Ones. So," she glances between the peope gathered, "how are we going to handle things? If we switch around they may know something is up."
"Well, you and Gabriel can stay in my suite," Katie offers. "That way Remiel and Hakeber can have their privacy. And.. I assume Liza would stay with Hakeber too?"
"That's probably best, Liza can counter Hake-bear's inevitable destruction and burial of the room from books and pizza boxes," Tasha confirms, grinning widely. "You have the largest suite, so we should defintely stay with you."
"I don't mind bunnies," Hakeber says. "They're cuddly."
"A whole room to myself," Remiel says. "I can probably handle that. Do any of the newbies play cards?"
"I specifically chose Liza for her cuddiliness," the cadet confirms, managing to keep a straight face. She then lifts her hands and waves people on out. "We have a lot to do, and a lot to prepare for! Out we go! You can decide who plays cards later."
"We can sort it out after dinner," Katie says with a smile (maybe a slightly nervous smile though). "I can smell it from here."
Tasha pauses ehr waving and scooting to nod. "Dinner it is then," she adjusts, instead waving and scooting people towards food, and thus completely needlessly yet increasingly melodramatically.
Liza lingers back. "Will you check to see that they aren't serving rabbit?" she whispers to Tasha. "Or you could bring me something back if they are."
"I'll see if they have vegetarians meals then," agrees the red woman, who then gives Liza a thumbs up. "It'll be okay. You learn to live with the nastier secrets and get used to them, and then there are the beautiful ones that make you forget all about the darkness -- which isn't the same as the dark." She winks, then steps back to follow the others out. "Just wait," she promises, and then she's gone too.
After dinner (which Liza was able to attend afterall) people began to relax around each other a bit more. At least until it was time to retire. Katie's nervousness was solved by Gabriel's suggestion that they just take turns with Tasha while the other watched. This meant Tasha got a lot of attention, but also had the pressure of not seeming to enjoy one partner over the other, along with some slight performance anxiety (she might have a lurid past, but it generally didn't involve voyeurism). But by breakfast, Katie did seem a lot more comfortable around Gabriel.
The next few days involved a lot of party games, and Remiel hosting one game that was probably a personality assessment test in disguise. The crew also made sure to cater to Liza - no rabbit was served, and since they'd stocked up at the Pit there were actual fresh vegetables available. Katie commented on how 'fresh veggies' were generally a luxury item anywhere else.
Soon enough, Tartarus was in sight. This meant the end of luxury travel for the more high-tech but cramped travel to come.
Steel shutters cover the windows that normally look into the hangar, as a safety measure. Utility trucks hauling tanks of purified water are lined up to fuel the rocket engines, and other crews work to secure the rest of the hangar, moving out anything that can be moved.
Standing before a mix of people including Katie, Hakeber, Liza and the entire forec of new cadets Tasha spreads her hands as if to enompass the majesty of the spacecraft behind her. "The joint-operations exploratory and survey vessel, class of the same name, JEF Bellerophon. Large than the Terran light survey vessel JEF Fenris, the Bellerophon was envisoned as a cooperative between the Expedition Fleet nations and to serve a crew of diverse species. Today, it lives the role that it was never used for."
Turning, the First Cadet then begins gesturing to various parts of the vessel itself indicating the disconnecting bridge section, the area of the cerw quarters, storage areas, the engines, the loading and boarding hatches, and the stator systems. The stator systems get a review, being rare technology on modern Abaddon, as does the contents of the upper bay which now houses the shuttle -- mostly to explain it can carry a large array of smaller craft. "The JEF Bellerophon is the true headquarters of the JEF as it stands," she concludes with, turning back to the others, "and the ship by which we will explore the Primus System. You will all get a chance to have a role on board, even if it's just to learn. If you're interested in serving aboard the ship on a more permanent basis, the Captain is the one to talk to." The last mainly aimed at the cadets. "You will also be introduced to Commander Argentine and Chief Engineer Kholer, and SAINA, a special representative."
In the wings is Dr. Yue Sen, who has by necessity kept to the periphery.
"Are those the cannons that destroyed Tesla?" Digger-of-Ancients asks via his glove.
"Yep, those are the ones. Well, one," Tasha confirms, pointing at one of the two cannons as she looks back at the ship. "They're actually not supposed to be fired in an atmosphere due to atmospheric breaking and all the problems that causes, but it worked out. Any other questions?" She glances back over her shoulder.
"Is there anything that doesn't work on it?" Joachim asks, perhaps out of caution.
"The ships of the Fleet were older ships designed to handle the Sifran Probability Matrix, or reality-altering field as you might know of it. As such most of the ship works and what doesn't work is under repairs or has been removed. That said, don't go around touching things unless you specifically know what it does or were asked or told to do so. It is a starship, and like an airship it doesn't forgive serious mistakes," Tasha answers, but also warns. There's no malice in her voice though, just the stern voice of caution. "Believe me, care goes a long ways! Anything else?"
"Will we be on military rations for food?" Celeste asks. She seemed to really enjoy the food on the Ajax.
Hakeber makes a face at the very suggestion. But then, she also went through pizza withdrawal on Sinai.
"Reduced, but it won't be that bad. Still, don't expect the Ajax," Tasha replies, her muzzle curling as she realizes that she won't be seeing quality food for a while. "Water is also rationed, but because we draw from the canal it's not that bad. You'll all have your own quarters for now due to the amount of empty quarters we have, so that's a plus."
At least everyone is easy to accommodate, being bipedal mammals. There was just one cabin set up for Nagas, after all. "First, you'll all need to get a physical. Dr. Caravelli will handle that. This includes Hakeber and Liza as well," Gabriel explains.
"Right, one at a time in to the med bay. Shojo, you might as well head down there now and get comfortable, since you'll be spending a lot of time there and seeing how the physicals are done would be helpful," says Tasha, who ends looking squarely at the big Vartan. "The rest of you will be called in one at the time. If you don't want to wait in your quarters, the enlisted galley is open to you as is the officers' meeting area, to eat, relax, and talk. Alternatively you can see if one of the senior personnel has something you can join in on or observe."
"The countdown is both exciting and boring," Gabriel notes. "And you can't actually be on the bridge for launch, but we can show it to you now." Presumably, Gabriel and Remiel have arranged things so that they don't appear in the same place as their Persocom projections.. at least until the recruits can be eased into the knowledge that some of the crew are literally part of the ship itself.
Tasha considers this as she says, "Maybe we can set up for some sort of recreational event inside the lower bay," having wondered what her sister was doing and if she'd see firsthand her dislike for her new friends. "That'd be a nice way to help us all get used to each other. Well," she glances down the main corridor, "lets get those physicals started, if there's nothing else? I'm sure the Doctor is excited to se someone who isn't me in the medbay, for once."
Remiel takes over, leading the trainees. Gabriel holds Tasha back until they've all boarded. "Alright, time for the other passenger," he notes. "I'll distract Katie. You take Yue up to the Titan hangar, it should be open. She's going to be bunking in the shuttle for now."
"You can count on me sir. I have heavy experience sneaking in and hiding strange women," Tasha insists withmostly mock, but some actual, pride in her voice. And with that she's off, appearing to be inspecting the large amount of crates, machines, and finished parts now arrayed throughout the hangar but in reality waiting for Yue to intercept her. Given the spy's training, she figures it'll be easier for Yue to sneak to her than the other way around.
Gabriel leads Katie over to something she's more familiar with: cameras. There are several set up to record the launch, and use some sort of remote control system that the Chief rigged up. Tasha soon finds Yue, dressed in a jumpsuit and carrying a small duffel bag. "Here to pick me up?" she asks.
Tasha holds out her hands in response. "Literally and figuratively!" She makes 'come here' gesturing with her hands, curling her fingers inward. "Holding up okay?"
"The airship was nice," Yue says, slinging the duffel around her back by putting her arms through the handle straps. "Up, up and away!"
Yue gets scooped up, then Tasha makes her way around a large array of foodstuff crates before putting her back to the hangar at large and sprinting in to flight. From the air she makes a hard turn around, landing roughly atop the Titan hangar bay and needing a moment to recover.
"Ow," she complains, letting Yue down and then slowly rising herself, rubbing her legs. "Better to be fast though, right..?" After giving a wince, she straightens fully and begins walking, albiet stiffly, towards the opened hangar doors. "We'll just climb down. You'll be bunking inside the shuttlecraft."
"How much effort was that?" Yue says, as she hops from the hull down to the top of the shuttle, landing on all fours. "Will there be any problem doing that in your armor?"
"The, uh, 'high-g' turn and the landing was too short by far. I had to use the airflow off the hangar walls and, um, deflect off it then make sure I didn't create noise on landing, which meant a dead stop, which hurts a lot. All my weight and my momentum on my legs, only," the younger woman explains as they walk along. When they reach the exposed ladder, which has been extended in to the rift created by the opened hangar doors, she starts down first to further shield Yue from view. "The armor will absorb all the shock, so it won't break my legs as that almost did. I'll need a surface that has an updraft to bank off of, um, it's a hard 'angle-of-attack' lift in to the air current which is what's needed -- that migth be slower and harder to do in armor. I'll need powered assist and the weight will make things complicated. I'll practice it if you want." And then she's climbing down.
"I don't know how you'd practice it," Yue notes, and slides down the curved side of the shuttle. "And no idea of the air conditions at the drop site."
"We'll just have to use our nose then," Tasha agrees, pausing part way down the ladder to look up at Yue. "Will you be alright? I need to get back before they notice I've vanished, but I have a moment."
After stowing her back in the shuttle, Yue notes, "I heard you had a bunch of military defectors camping out in here for awhile. If a dozen men can do it, I'm sure I can. Plus the shuttle has a toilet."
"It did get a bit, as Gabriel would put it, 'ripe' in here for a while. I'm glad you'll be comfortable; I try to take care of the people on my ship -- even if we're here on another ship. Have fun, Miss TerraGens Spy!" Tasha gives mock-salute, grinning, and then she's heading down again.
Through the Titan Bay doors is the main upper corridor, and just to the left is the Med Bay. Of course, Shojo is the first one to get examined, since he won't show any outward signs of distress at the ordeal. When Tasha pokes her head in, the Vartan is stripped to his shorts and lying on one of the beds, while the medibot takes samples and applies the tissue scanner. Despite supposedly being called one at a time.. everyone else is in there as well to watch and see what they're in for.
"My home away, how I haven't really missed you," Tasha says as she enters, both to put the newcomers and ease and also to put herself there as well. It's still hard to believe I lived here for three months, I spent most of my career in here, she muses as she makes her way over and watch, arms folded behind her back and leaning forward.
The examination is over relatively quickly, even though the results will take a bit longer. "There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Remiel asks. "I don't think it was," Shojo replies as he gets up.
"I'm sure you still have all your organs. Remy only keeps a few; he's been scaling back," quips the senior cadet, who finds teasing cadets just as much fun as the people above her seemed to have at her expense. "Don't make him mad though! Otherwise you'll end up looking like me."
"None of you will be as difficult as Tasha, I'm sure," Remiel notes. "I have baselines for Human, Karnor, Silent-One, Vartan and even Lapi on file." He then points to Liza. "Speaking of.. you're next, Liza."
For the doe, stripping to her underwear was the easy part. Lying still while needles and strange glowing things moved by themselves was another.
Tasha pats Liza as she walks by. "I need her mostly intact," the cadets insists, stepping back to let her assistant through. As she waits, she glances off towards the medical tubes, spotting her old, familiar recovery spot -- tube 8, which was mainly to be used for Naga and accomodated her wings. Her gaze lingers there a moment.
One of the tubes is missing, relocated to the lower deck Bio Lab, where a puppy is gestating. That room will likely be declared off limits to the visitors. Techno-ghosts are one thing, but a resurrection machine is a whole other can of worms.
I wonder what the world would think if they knew we had the technology to bring people back from the dead, Sifran-clones, gravity-ghosts, or otherwise. Tasha isn't sure what would happen, but she has a sinking feeling it wouldn't be good. The struggle of how to use power has haunted her ever since she gained a measure of it herself, and 'who lives and who dies' is a burden she'd just as well not have to deal with on a global scale. Turning away from the tubes and darker thoughts, she walks over to Katie and asks, "Having fun? Everything is so sparkily and technologically!"
"I know I'm not going on this trip, but I still want my turn in the machine-bed," Katie notes. "When you were in the tube.. I wanted to try that too. Being plugged in with the collar was alright, but not really... all it could be, you know?"
"It's interesting," Tasha agrees, yet to her surprise she finds she doesn't have as much to say about as she would have thought. She hesitates a moment, realizing her time in the tube and her own, long look in to simulated environments has given her a respectful distance in liking VR too much. She still likes it, she knows, but she also knows it can put a strain on sanity and become addictive -- and yet she couldn't imagine piloting the Melchior without it. A double-edged sword. "Just be careful, it can be addicting -- and disorienting. I know how much you love technology, but be careful okay?"
"Oh, it's not like I'll be doing it again," Katie claims, and taps Tasha on the nose with a finger. "Because you are not going to end up in a tube again, are you?"
"Ummmm," goes Tasha, who holds her hands up, "I can't promise anything when it comes to not hurting myself, you know! It's one of my specialities as an officer!" She then rubs her nose, with both hands in what she hopes is a cutsey way, then insists, "Besides it's not like I try to get injured, and the alternative was a lot worse. You don't want 'evil, city destroying me' around, no matter how 'fun' it sounds."
"I will be very cross with you if you hurt yourself that badly again," Katie warns. "So when you're about to so something dangerous, I want you to think about that."
"Now I'm even more scared of being injured. I may need a desk job," Tasha complains, and even whines a little. "I'll tackle mail or filing. 'Winged-Gift Versus Document-Mountain.'" So absorbed is she by Katie, she completely forgets Joachim might be listening -- or for that matter anyone else is around.
The others are still absorbed by the testing, it seems. Aside from the fascination of seeing a bipedal rabbit, there are the other issues - like Remiel asking Digger-of-Ancients to remove any metal, and the Silent-One suddenly getting very shy about having to take off his mask. There's also the fact that Celeste's human underwear uses metal in the brassiere, which seems.. just odd.
As time passes, tasha switches to more casual conversation with Katie, explaining some facets of VR, more about her interface with the Melchior, basic ship day-to-day life and even a description of her quarters which used to contain a lot of her personal items but ahve since been moved "Elsewhere." Eventually she gets to careers, and asks, "So, have you thought more about what I offered? Is First Officer what you'd like to be? Now's the time to explore different options, while you're here you can talk to the crew and see the jobs firsthand."
"Actual command.." Katie says quietly. "I'll have to plan things out a bit. I'm not one to burn bridges, but I do have a lot of vacation time accumulated."
"My sister has a lot of experience as a first officer, you should talk to her. She was about to become a captain when things, um, went ... poorly." Tasha bites her lip, glancing towards the door in case she's about to recieve a death glare from the aforementioned officer, then she looks back. "I know she's a bit standoffish, but try to talk to her. If you can't I'll talk her myself, or, we can talk to her together." The younger woman then tilts her head, asking, "I'm sorry to make this complicated, I forget sometimes that other people have long careers they can't just walk away from. I'm new to mine, after all, and I was always eager to leave my last one."
The last of the recruits is scanned, and everyone is getting their clothes back on, with the Silent-One and the Human showing signs of embarrassment. "Alright Katie, if you really want to go through with it, you can take your turn," Remiel says.
If she didn't have the Templars' attention on the journey out, the celebrity certainly has it now. Her underwear is fancy and lacy and largely see-through if one really stares.
"It's not a true space adventure without embarassment!" Tasha insist, nudging Katie forward in what she hopes is an encouraging way. "Or for that matter any adventure. I shoudl tell you all stories, some time. Besides it's the best medical assessment available!"
After several seconds of staring and watching staring, Tasha walks over, waving her hands. "Hokay, enough gawking at Miss Kaboom," she insists, adding a little edge to ensure people don't think she's just joking. She then turns to face the cadets and spreads her wings, blocking all view. "We might like to embarss each other, but there's a line. Now, scoot," she waves the group towards the door, "go get something to eat or look at your cabins, we'll pick up again in a few minutes."
And with that Tasha goes from guide, to revealer of mysteries, to historian, spy infilratior, and finally modesty curtain. All in a days work.