Worst Space Road Trip Ever IC

[roko10]

It's been a few weeks since your impromptu assignment to the Odyssey and your successful escape from the Veidra, and for most of your classmates, the stakes of their new mission and what's at risk -the fate of humanity- have more-or-less sunk in, compounded with the fact that there's only radio silence on the comms so far and there not being a single ship in sight. There's a somewhat downcast attitude most of the days, as some doubt their ability to successfully fulfill this task even with the aid of Ai, the ship's kindly Artificial Intelligence , and others yearn for the days where their only problems were schoolyard drama, not... all of this.

Still, however, even with the incredibly hefty task weighing down on everyone's heads, life still goes on. For the most part, people are trying to find some semblance of normalcy, even if it's just a little, to both anchor them to their life before this and to remind themselves what they're fighting for.
Including right now.

---

Happy birthday, dear Anna~! Happy birthday, to you!

Despite the protest of some, most notably the "Vice-Captain" Einar Auflage, most of the crew have been gathered in the commons room to celebrate the birthday of Anatasia "Anna" Hewenna, as a measure by the class representative turned acting captain Emi Amano.

"E-Everyone, thank you very much!" the birthday girl says after the initial bout of singing. "I'm sorry that it can't happen when things are going better, but I swear I'll do my best to help us win!"

After that small impromptu speech of sorts, the celebrations proceeds in full spring. Granted, it's fairly lowkey as birthdays go considering the circumstances, but gifts such as drawings & poetry are still being exchanged, there's still a cake present (not a very big or well-made one, but still), and birthday music is provided by a student's holodrive. As a result the mood still manages to be somewhat festive, perhaps compounded by the fact that you have yet to encounter a greater Veidra after your flight from the space station the Odyssey was stationed in.

You can see a group form around Anna, giving her their gifts or favors, as well as just in general chatting with her and/or enjoying a slice of the cake. There's also a group that forms around the captain and vice-captain, asking them about their next move, as well as a few that decide to retire early to their rooms for the day.

Seems like the party, if you can call it that, is in full swing.

[Elfbird]

Tanis Rotolo is a very strange girl, who only recognizes perhaps half of her own strangeness.

Her gravity pulls inward, holding her fragile existence together when she looks about to fall apart. Her gravity pushes outward, driving people away except where their own gravity keeps them linked together around her.

The scientists who raised and cared for her tried to explain it. "It's not a gravitational phenomenon, but a social one," they said. How Tanis's prosthetics make people instinctively uncomfortable because she appears as something other than human attempting to imitate human form.
Her lanky, frail body and quiet, serene atmosphere give the impression of a faint existence, as if she would waver and vanish if disturbed. Her presence is uncanny; people know without looking or hearing when she's entered the room, because a chill runs down their spine and the electricity flickers in concern.

She tried hiding her legs and her right arm behind clothing, when she first came to the Academy. That failed when she tripped and her body fell apart beneath her clothes and the gravity she had been bottling up exploded in a wave that rendered her untouchable to all but the most massive bodies in her social sphere. She decided to stop pretending to be what she is not, and instead let people see what she is and decide for themselves how to navigate around her.

Besides,
The scientists claimed gravity had nothing to do with her observations,
But they never could explain
Why light bends around her, or why the apple she dropped
Fell more slowly than the others.

. . .

Thus far, Tanis has been coping with the situation aboard the Odyssey better than most. She's accustomed to isolation in a hostile environment, enough to be comfortable with living around life support systems and the awareness that any one of them being damaged or malfunctioning could mean death for everyone dependent on them. To her, it's not really any more salient than the fact that she must keep breathing at all times, and eat three meals a day, and keep her prosthetics clean and maintained every night before bed. Existing is hard.

She spends her days in a comfortable routine: self care in the morning, people-watching during lunch, touring the ship in the afternoon to check on maintenance and supplies and keep her muscles conditioned (the gravity aboard the Odyssey is not enough to break her, but it's enough for a leisurely walk to leave her winded, and the exercise equipment meant for humans raised in Earthlike gravity impossible for her), socializing over dinner with the few people who are themselves strange enough to consider her a friend, chatting with Ai for an hour or two to reinforce their respective sanity, then personal maintenance and as much sleep as she can get before doing it all again.
Overall, she finds it very peaceful and fulfilling, especially compared to her life in the lab she called home, or the academy where where she served no necessary functions beyond herself, and most everyone consequently had the luxury of avoiding her at all times.

After all, she adores humans. This chance to observe and interact with them so closely - to see for herself the full breadth of their existence, and peek at their inner lives - is nothing less than a miracle to the girl who used to gaze longingly at the planet hanging in the sky.

. . .

This party is very much a new experience for Tanis - she knows what a birthday party is, more or less, and has had simple acknowledgements of her own from the scientists, but being involved in such a party is a first. She spends much of it drifting around the periphery, taking in the sights and sounds and social behaviors that aren't present in day to day life. She feels a certain kinship with the other wallflowers of the group, and finds herself gravitating toward Abigail more often than others. She enjoys observing the shy girl from different distances, seeing what kind of expressions she will make and how close she allows Tanis to come before expressing displeasure or moving away.

It takes Tanis a bit longer to decide on what would be an appropriate gift for the birthday girl. Once she does, and feels satisfied with her idea, she gives herself over to the gravity of the crowd around Anastasia. When they realize who's among them, they quickly part and leave Anna exposed but still surrounded, completely at Tanis's mercy.

Tanis approaches, her expression neutral; a little kind, a little reverent. She reaches out her good left hand toward Anna...
"This pain,"
She flicks Anna's nose, hard.
"And this warmth..."
She rests her palm gently on Anna's collarbone.
"Are your proof of life. The life that is worthy of celebration right now, in spite of everything that's happened. Remember that, in the depths of despair and the height of bliss: as long as you can feel warmth and pain, you have a right to the life that everyone here has declared more precious than anything at this moment. Consider that my gift; I hope you will keep it close."

Tanis slowly withdraws her hand, letting her fingertips linger, and tilts her head with a genuine smile. To think that she was able to get this close to one of those humans she so admires, to influence that person with a projection of her own existence... It's so easy to get caught up in the gravity of this moment, making the time stretch on in her perception.

...Or maybe the weird lunarian is just making things awkward?

[aturtledoesbite]

Kalyani flits about the party, sort of lightly dancing to the music, completely oblivious to those around her. The inevitable light bumpings into other students is typically followed by an "Oh, dearie me, sorry~" as she moves on. The rose 'headband' of sorts holds on surprisingly well; most people don't inspect her enough to see the hairpins that keep it in place, after all.

She takes a moment to examine at the star of the show after her speech.
Such a cute girl, in looks and personality~
I wonder what it'd take to grow her thorns...
No, none of that. I'm not going to give in this time...!
...but, a startling enough present and I could have her eating out of my hand.
I should just give her what I have now and be on my way.

Kalyani strides up to Anna. "A beautiful crown for a beautiful girl~" She takes her present which is, sure enough, a flower crown, and places it on Anna's head. The crown appears to be primarily made of amaryllis flowers, but there are a few azaleas and camellia flowers mixed in for variety. She gives Anna an airy smile, before stepping back and allowing the next student to give their gift.

[snakeobsidian]

Frieda was one of the ones coerced to attend the party, with cake. She had been one of the few to order a random set of schoolboys into a ship crew, but she preferred to spend her time on the head of her brand new Aestal, than on a bridge.

Currently, she enjoyed cake, while she leered at any males attempting to get near her.

[fibericon]

Kenji leans against a wall, arms crossed. Well away from the action, he considers how he should be here. The party, the center of attention, it really isn't his concern, is it?

They make a show of giving. That's...

He's much more comfortable hustling. Waiting in a dingy alley for someone to cross the line, ducking behind trash cans when the cops show up.

I hate this. I hate feeling like this.

As much as he hates to admit it, being left out all the time was a major downer. He sniffs and grunts, then walks over to the birthday girl and reaches into his pocket. He produces a token from an arcade game and places it on the table in front of her. Giving away something for free made him cringe, but...

"You get one freebie. Happy birthday."

He turns around, already uncomfortable. His reputation will hopefully be enough for her to understand what she just received.

[snakeobsidian]

Frieda wiped the scarce frosting from her mouth and watched as people approached the birthday girl.

"Ah, You have to give something?" She exclaimed out loud.

"SOOOOOOOORRRYYY!!" She said, as she crash-glomped Anna. "Here! If a boy tries to give you "love", just wrap this over your fingers, and let it fly!"

She handed the girl a brass knuckle.

"I`ve done the birthday thing now! Is there more cake?"

[BaratheonFury]

Abigail fidgeted nervously around the edge of the party. She remembered parties being fun. Exchanging gifts, eating cake, dancing with friends, but there were so many people. One wrong move and they'll all... Abigail gives her head a furious shake; This wasn't the lab, This wasn't the lab, This wasn't the lab. Emi was nice, not at all like the director; she didn't yell and holler at least not at her, not yet. she hadn't...

Her thoughts were interrupted, as she noticed an uncomfortably close Tanis staring at her. Don't stare, Don't stare, too late a glint of metal off the prosthetics caught her eye. "S-s-s-sorry! I didn't mean to-to-to stare!" and with that apology Abigail made a hasty retreat towards the cake. Perhaps some cake could calm her nerves? She felt like a rat in a maze for some reason.

[roko10]

Spoiler: Abigail

Show

Alas, as you arrive at the cake, you find out too late that it has all been eaten, as most everyone has already walked away with a slice or two. To make matters worse, there's a fight going on between the baker/ship cook Rashid Eldarn and spoiled rich kid/deadweight Xia Leung, currently on her fourth slice of cake.

"Look, listen, I'm just saying that some people haven't eaten the cake yet, and you already have one slice too many, so..." Rashid tries to persuade Xia, who's blissfully tuning out anything the beleagured cook says. Maybe fight was a bit of an overstatement, it's more like someone trying to argue with the hull of a starship.

Before she can plunge a fork into the cake, however, Rashid notices you and swiftly approaches you, taking the board with the cake with him, whilst Xia looks at you both in annoyance. "Hey, you're just in time. Have you already had a slice of cake?"

Spoiler: Tanis, Kenji, Kalyani (& maybe Frieda)

Show

Anna seems a bit caught off-guard by Tanis' actions, though as she understood the meaning of her words, a smile begins to form on her face. Just before she can thank her, however, Kalyani puts on the rose headband and Kenji offers her a favor token, and before she could even thank all of you for being so kind, Frieda barges in and hands her a brass knuckle, leaving her completely speechless and a tad bit overwhelmed.

This silence continues on for a bit, before a certain notorious someone walks into the crowd -Jason Siegel, self-proclaimed notorious playboy. Swaggering up to Anna, he begins speaking; "Honestly, Anna, I wished that your birthday party could've happened when things went better, as I could've given you a better gift. But alas, this has to do for now."

He pulls out something out of his pocket; a (somewhat obviously- how could Golden Age craftsmanship even result in something so tacky?) fake red rose, with a note and a suspicious-looking pill package attached to it with a bit of loose string. The more... worldy of you may recognize this packages as the pills responsible from turning a woman's fertility on and off. As Anna reads the note, she immediately turns into an enviable shade of red as you can hear her emit noises from her mouth that kind of vaguely resemble words.

The implications are... obvious, to say the least, not helped at all by the fact how Jason offers a none-too-subtle wink as he walks away.

[Elfbird]

This situation suddenly became very complicated. Tanis drifts in the middle distance, caught between the group immediately surrounding Anatasia and the group she herself had pushed away to gain access. She needs to think through this carefully before responding.

She recognizes the pill package as medicine - she's used plenty of those in her time at the lab. Any and all medicine they have available belongs in the common supply, yet this particular kind she doesn't remember from when she took inventory yesterday. Furthermore, she's not aware of any conditions Anna has that require treatment - not that she's privy to such information, these sorts of things just become obvious when thirty-odd people are forced to live in the same space - nor has Jason Siegel revealed any medical experience or credentials, which would be very valuable for the crew to know about.

Then there's Anna's reaction to receiving that medicine, whatever it is. Sudden flushing and difficulty vocalizing... Any fever that rises so quickly is life-threatening, not to mention the risk of contagion. A number of scenarios flip through Tanis's mind: poison in the cake, poison on the fake flower, coincidence that Mr. Siegel was aware of Anna's condition and gave her the medicine right before a flare-up... It could also be related to brain trauma, rather than a virus - a stroke or seizure? Tanis is no expert, with enough peripheral exposure to medical science to theorize but not respond appropriately.

There's a limit to how many of those possible situations the crew can deal with. If Anna has a fatal illness or brain injury, there's nothing they can do for her, and she deserves to die as peacefully as possible with dignity. If the whole crew has been exposed, whether to a virus or poison in the cake, they will all die together - very soon, based on the suddenness and intensity of Anna's symptoms. Therefore, in terms of manageable situations, it only makes sense to act based on the assumption that the medicine Mr. Siegel gave her is relevant to her condition, and that it's non-transmittable and treatable. Why he possessed such medicine in secret, and how he knew about Anna's condition, are irrelevant until the immediate danger has passed.

Tanis adjusts her orbit to approach Anna again. She speaks calmly and firmly, to be heard clearly by the immediate group.
"We must get Anna to the infirmary. Frieda, please let her lean on you. Kalyani, bring a trash can in case she vomits. Kenji, bring a cup of clean water from the kitchen so she can take her medicine; let's not take the chance that the beverages here are already contaminated. We can discuss your fee after the situation is stable. Anatasia, no arguments; even if you think you feel okay, this could be a serious but preventable illness. I'll join you shortly."

Come to think of it, Abigail had been similarly flushed just a bit ago. Tanis hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but under the circumstances, there's no sense leaving it alone when they have medicine available. She scans the hall for where Abigail went, then approaches at a brisk walk, ignoring the people she's presently engaged with. Those two aren't expressing any symptoms, even after how much cake Xia has apparently consumed, so that rules out most of the possibility of poison, meaning it's all the more important to address the potential disease before it spreads.

"Abigail, you're needed in the infirmary immediately. You and Anna both displayed signs of a possible virus; we have medicine, so there's no problem as long as we treat it quickly. Please let me escort you; no arguments."

The "no problem" part is a lie - if a majority of the crew is already infected, they're finished - but Tanis figured a mix of fear and hope would prompt compliance and not panic.
She moves shoulder-to-shoulder with Abigail - more like shoulder-to-hip with their height difference - and presses her good arm gently but firmly against Abigail's back to support her and spur her forward.

[BaratheonFury]

Abigail visibly wilts under the gaze of Rashid and Xia. "W-well I umm... no! But I'm f-f-fine. Really!" She manages to eventually squeak out. Rashid was giving her a skeptical look. "Sorry" She added hastily giving him her best reassuring smile. It didn't seem to work, it rarely did.

It wasn't entirely a lie. Cake or no cake she was feeling better, perhaps all she'd needed was to get away from Tanis.... "W-w-what!?" Tanis was back and coming straight at her! She tried to dodge behind Rashid but the lunarian was faster than she looked. "Infirmary? B-b-but I'm not..." Abigail's protests grew quiet as she became more and more aware of the attention Tanis's actions had gathered around them. Maybe the infirmary wasn't such a bad idea after all.

[snakeobsidian]

"L-l-l-lean on me? W-w-why?" Frieda said, as she watched the situation unfold, and her face lighted up as much as her flame hair. "A-Are you saying I should get "close" to her? Awawa-I don´t go like that... Ah! Look at the time! I have to go... Name my Aestal! Bye!"

She bolted to the room exit.

[aturtledoesbite]

Kalyani watches the events with bemusement. This "Tanis" girl was... interesting, to say the least. Now she would be a challenge...

For now, though... "Oh, of course~ Jason, would you be a dear and lend us your body? I can think of no better place to dump dear Anna's vomit~" The worried look on her face when watching Anna has no hint of malice or humor; it looks a lot like she wasn't joking at all... was she?

[Anti-Eagle]

Mont looked happily on the party, it was like before for a brief moment... He looked a bit more serious when he heard something about illness and saw Frieda bolt. So he walked towards thr group and asked, "Do you need help?"

It was his nature to help, so he would.

[fibericon]

Kenji recognized the pills. Hell, he probably supplied them in the first place, though he didn't remember dealing with Jason.

Nah, not directly at least. Probably got it from a reseller.

And the group devolves into insanity. Just like always. At least he has an excuse to bail, if only briefly.

That's my cue to leave. Don't mind if I snatch a little cake on the way out, though.

He chuckles, muttering to himself as he wanders off, "I guess if you're good enough at laying pipe, might as well treat it like a service."

Clean water from the kitchen. Eh. I'm not a gopher. Well, okay, I guess I am, but this is a little mundane.

He sighs, filling up a glass. It's a lame task, but he takes it seriously. Grabbing a spoon, he skims a little off the top and sips it to test without contaminating the drink.

Yeah, that'll do. Here ya go, nutjob.

He hands his 'client' the glass.

"Verified potable."

[roko10]

Due to Tanis' actions, many of the crewmembers still around stopped whatever they were doing and gathered around you, paying careful attention to what she says (with the exception of Xia, who reclaimed her plate of cake and is now munching on it happily). As soon as Tanis claims that Anatasia may have a serious sickness, unrest begins to brew; as medical advances has eliminated most diseases, anything that may have infected Anna is most likely to be incredibly serious.

This is not helped at all by Anna still being too flustered to speak up and Jason deciding to simply fill in Frieda's role and let Anna lean on him rather than explain that he was, in fact, just hitting on her.

"Oh no, is she really sick?"

"What could it be?" "I dunno, the Javorian Pox, maybe?"

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted that cake..."


Before the murmurings and unrest of the crowd can turn into full-blown hysterics, however, a voice cuts through.

"Everybody CALM THE HELL DOWN!"

The crowd falls deathly silent and turns to face Einar, who's glaring angrily at the entire crew. Before he can speak up again, however, Emi whispers something into his ear, and he instead leaves the room through the same exit as the one Frieda used to leave, still silently fuming. The captain then turns around, before addressing the crowd.

"Guys, calm down. Anna's most likely not sick, and even if she is, panicking like this is the worst thing we can do in this kind of situation. Rest assured, none of us were sick when we entered the ship, nothing in this ship can make you sick -Ai, can you run a scan to prove that?- and the cake's not poisoned or poorly baked and you guys are really hurting Rashid's feelings right now. Still, even if she's not sick sick, she's definitely feeling a bit under the weather, so it's probably for the best that we end this party early and have everyone rest for a bit. Does that sound like a good plan?"

"Scan completed. There's a 00.000046% chance of anything on this ship being contaminated by disease, and a 0.1*10^-19% chance of anything being contaminated with a potentially fatal disease" There are a few murmurs and sighs of relief from the crowd as they here both the new information and Emi's words, and most of them leave the room calmly, if somewhat uneasily. Taking another breath, Emi turns towards the whole of you, a slightly exasperated expression on her face as she sees the pills bound by the rose.

"So, Tanis dear, can you please explain why you decided to stir up a panic, out of the fact that Jason slipped a bunch of contraceptive pills to poor Anatasia?" At this point, Anna resembles a red giant star more than anything, and Jason seemed ready to book, only for the playboy to be grabbed by the collar by the captain.

[Elfbird]

Tanis straightens her spine. She has no problem taking responsibility for the situation, and she's not wholly convinced it's nothing. At the very least, ending the party was a prudent measure. She's brought Abigail to the group with Anna, still hoping to get all of them to the infirmary before symptoms worsen. And... had she seen Freida exhibiting the same symptoms just now, as she ran out of the hall?

"Captain Amano. Upon Ms. Hewenna's receipt of Mr. Siegel's gift, I observed her face flush with a sudden fever and she exhibited severe difficulty vocalizing, including slurring and stuttering to the point of being unintelligible, mere moments after she spoke normally. Any fever that spikes so quickly is extremely dangerous, and the vocal impediment may indicate brain trauma, including a seizure, stroke, or hemorrhage. Furthermore, I observed the same symptoms in Ms. Albrecht and Ms. Flamberge within minutes of Ms. Hewenna's change in condition. Out of the numerous possible causes, we only possess the capabilities to manage a scant few, so under the high-risk and rapidly-changing circumstances, I deemed it best to act in accordance with a scenario we can handle - that is, that Ms. Hewenna, Ms. Albrecht, and Ms. Flamberge are suffering a treatable condition which can be contained and annihilated before it spreads to more people than we have medicine to treat. Accordingly, I interpreted the medicine Mr. Siegel gave to Ms. Hewenna as relevant to her condition, right before it flared up. I would like to know how he came to possess this medical knowledge and medicine supply in secret from the common stash, but that line of questioning can wait until the patients are stabilized."

She takes a deep breath and nods to acknowledge Kenji's return with the water.

"Thank you, Mr. Sato. I'd like to get the afflicted to a sanitary place to rest, but for now - Anatasia, Abigail, are you willing and able to swallow the medicine with the water Mr. Sato brought?"

She watches the two furiously blushing girls carefully. If they have any difficulty responding, or signs of increased confusion, or their balance worsens, she'll know more drastic measures are required.

There was a clue in Captain Amano's speech too...

"Contraceptives... Contra means 'against', ceptive is... septic? Antiseptic? If they somehow came into contact with harmful bacteria - waste products or biohazardous material - an acute bacterial infection could cause these symptoms, in which case we can argue specifics after responding as thoroughly as we are capable. Ai says the chance, while slight, is nonzero - in the event of that nonzero chance, we cannot allow this to go unchecked, and if it's a false alarm, we'll have prepared ourselves to respond to a true emergency later on. Mr... Mont? please chase after Ms. Flamberge and escort her to the infirmary, where we'll meet her with the medicine. If we're not there, assume something happened and find us on the way here."

Given the acting captain's and vice-captain's tones, Tanis is fully aware that she could be punished if her assessment is incorrect, moreover for giving directions right under their noses. However, she's willing to accept those consequences if it means even a chance of saving her classmates.
It's not that she's specifically attached to survival - there's any number of unpreventable situations that could kill every one of them, the Veidra least of all.

Rather,
Taking risks to help others
Is one of the most human acts she can imagine.

[roko10]

Emi's face softens as she realizes that what Tanis is doing is rooted completely in ignorance rather than actual malice or mischief; the actions of someone who browsed the hypernet for symptoms and winding up diagnosing herself or someone else with a particularly nasty strain of supercancer. Still, she furrows her brow at what the girl was saying; how sheltered was the poor girl, really?

"Tanis, that's... that's not it. Trust me, the pills there aren't meant to cure or prevent anything, but for not getting pregnant after... you know, doing the do. Having sex, I mean."

She picks up the note attached to the tacky rose and reads it, shuddering a bit while she does so. Eventually, she puts it away, and continues talking, albeit in a slightly more shaken tone than before.

Yep, I see the problem here. Poor Anna here's not sick, she's just really, really embarrassed by what's written here. Seriously, I feel dirty just having read the thing. As for Frieda and Abigail... well, those two were always really easy to fluster, so that's probably it. Not sickness, in any case; we probably would've noticed that beforehand."

[BaratheonFury]

Abigail's gaze longingly follows the departing crew. The day had been going so well, How had she gotten herself entangled in this?

"Thank you, Mr. Sato. I'd like to get the afflicted to a sanitary place to rest, but for now - Anatasia, Abigail, are you willing and able to swallow the medicine with the water Mr. Sato brought?"

Abigail nods glumly but after seeing the contraceptives that lay at the heart of the current fiasco begins to object.

"W-w-what?! That's just... Why would I... I m-mean I don't..." Her voice trails off once more as her face begins to match Anna's. She wasn't sure she could have been more confused, but here she was. She gives Emi a pleading look as if to say Please explain this.

[roko10]

Spoiler: Everyone (sans Frieda & Mont)

Show

Seeing Tanis still not fully understanding what the pills are, as well as Abigail mentally shutting down, Emi pats Abigail comfortingly on her shoulder, than turns to Tanis. "Tanis, I swear, whatever you do, do not feed anyone those pills. If someone who isn't ill takes them, they can have some very nasty side-effects, making them actually sick."

It's a fairly transparent white lie for anyone who knows the true purpose of the pills, but that's not the goal here; Emi's banking on the obviously sheltered Tanis taking her word for it and ceasing her well-intentioned but disruptive & intrusive meddling.

Spoiler: Frieda & Mont

Show

Einar, after chasing after you for a bit, has finally caught up with you. Giving a curt nod to Mont, he then turns to face Frieda. "So... naming your Aestal, huh? Look, the pre- captain sent me here to inform you two that no, nobody's sick on board, and to check if you, Frieda in particular, are feeling okay. Why did you run away so urgently?"

[snakeobsidian]

"So... naming your Aestal, huh? Look, the pre- captain sent me here to inform you two that no, nobody's sick on board, and to check if you, Frieda in particular, are feeling okay. Why did you run away so urgently?"

"Eehh? Run away? I don`t know what are you talking about..." Mumbled Frieda. "I`ve merely fullfilled my birthday duties, and I`m going back to guard my TRAJAN unit... And! I didn`t just come up with the name just now!"

She stopped to strike a proud pose.

So, you should be grateful to have the highest ranked individual to be so dedicated with her job!"

[Elfbird]

Emi's initial explanation mostly serves to confuse Tanis, though it at least disarms her emergency response. The command, however, reads loud and clear. Tanis's expression changes from confusion to shock and alarm.

She recognizes that, while she overreacted based on ignorance and misunderstanding, the blame doesn't lie with her. Even so, she dips her head briefly to acknowledge her error.

Then she turns to Jason with a cold glint in her eye. Inwardly, she wills her gravity to pull him in, to trap him until she's satisfied - but obviously willpower has nothing to do with mass, which she possesses far too little of.

"Mister Siegel, explain yourself. Why did you possess such a dangerous medication, keep it secret from our common medicine supply, and then give it to Ms. Hewenna, who would be both wasting it and risking her health by taking it unnecessarily? Furthermore, if she does have a condition that requires medicine like this, why did you withhold both that crucial information and your own medical knowledge that lead to identifying the treatment? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Tanis is mad, for just the reasons she said. But behind it, she's actually a little happy.
Keeping secrets is a very human thing.
She wants to know those secrets,
For her own curiosity
And for the crew's well-being,
But it's hard to begrudge a human for acting so wonderfully true to themselves.

[fibericon]

Kenji is trying his absolute hardest to not laugh, and it shows.

"Yeah, what kind of scumbag would supply such an illicit substance, anyway? Luckily for everyone involved, it's in limited supply, and certainly can't be resupplied."

[roko10]

Spoiler: Everyone (sans Frieda & Mont)

Show

Jason's expression is much like a deer caught in the headlights. He's completely speechless, and who can blame him? The Lunarian has proven herself to be completely oblivious to his true intentions, so he can't even confess that and slink away relatively unscathed, and there's no telling what Tanis would do if he actually responds to her question. Emi, meanwhile, is visibly struggling to stifle a chuckle, and Anna's expression turns from one of complete embarrassment to slight confusion.

"Uh, well... sorry?" Jason lamely apologized after a period of stammering.

Spoiler: Frieda & Mont

Show

Einar stares at you and sighs. Seems like he doesn't buy your excuse for a second. "Uh huh. Sure. You ran all the way from the commons room... all the way to the hangar... to guard 'Trajan'... your Aestal. I doubt you thought this through, you could've come up with a name for your Aestal anywhere, and there's literally nobody here on this ship who wants to hijack your death-trap of a giant robot. Not to mention that you didn't even have to come up with an excuse, but you did, anyway." He shakes his head. "Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed."

[snakeobsidian]

"I-What do you know?" Lashed Frieda. "My Aestal is not a death trap! It´s not my fault if you´re too much of a coward to ride one!"

She stomped her feet, and fumed away.

[Anti-Eagle]

Mont looked at Einar with annoyance, "Who are you to be 'disappointed'? You're not putting your life down. The captain said to inform us nothing was wrong, not criticize her right?"

Mont himself wasn't sure what he was doing here. But Einar annoyed him. Eh. He'd check on Atlas while he was here, after Einar was gone.

[fibericon]

Kenji glances over to Tanis. This whole situation has become a pain. It's time to get his and get out.

"Alright. I did your emergency request in good time. I verified the integrity of the goods before delivery. What's it worth to you?"

I really should have done this part upfront. Emergencies are for suckers.

[Elfbird]

Tanis sighs and pulls herself away from the situation with Jason to focus on Kenji instead. The acting captain can handle the rest there; Tanis senses that she doesn't know enough of the specifics to be of help.

Kenji. A wandering comet who got pulled into the gravity of the Odyssey's situation. Now he hides in shadows and selfishness to save himself from being shattered or melted by the three dozen bodies he finds himself among.
In short: wonderfully, absolutely human.

Tanis can't help but smile as she addresses him. What will he try to take from her? What can she take from him? What will they make each other feel? Will he make her more human, or will she make him less?
As she considers her offer, she realizes that she doesn't want their orbit to end. She wants to shelter him, the fragile and precious comet. She wants to keep him all to herself, to see all that he is laid bare for her alone to know. She wants to be close enough to see his ice crack, then shatter into beautiful stardust. To be the closest and first to hear when he uses his whole heart to tell the universe what he is.

It's been a long time since she's felt this kind of excitement. Maybe not since the planet in her childhood sky took her in its hands and crushed her and threw her back to where she belongs. This tiny little comet - is she big enough to grasp it with her own fragile gravity? Will she crush it, like humanity did her? Or is his humanity dense enough to break her again? Or will they collide and scar each other, turning their dust into rings small enough for even bodies like theirs to hold?

Right. She needs to actually answer him. She places her left hand on her chest to calm her racing heart, and takes a deep breath before she begins.

"Mr. Sato... You acted quickly and thoughtfully to save a life, going beyond the bare request to ensure it would answer the client's needs, not just their stated wish. Even if the situation turned out less dire than it seemed, that was the job you were given and the one you fulfilled, and you deserve payment in kind. In exchange for the life you would have saved, I will take a hit for you myself at the next opportunity. If you'll accept it, then stay close enough that I can deliver..."

[fibericon]

There were certainly times Kenji had considered whether it was really worth it to pilot. After all, he'd be setting himself up to die first. The only reason he bothered was that the alternative was getting spaced and not having a chance to stop it. So when Tanis offers to take the first blow for him, it pretty much removes any trepidation.

If she wants to take the next blow for me, I'm gonna let her.

He tilts his head to the side and offers a smug smirk. "Not gonna say no to that. A pleasure doing business with you."

[BaratheonFury]

With Everyone's attention focused on Jason and Tanis distracted, Abigail looks to have recovered a degree of composure as she stares dumbly at the shoulder Emi had patted. Emi was so nice, Maybe too nice? She gave her head another furious shake. This wasn't the lab. This wasn't the lab. This wasn't the lab.

She should go, she'd caused Miss Emi enough trouble for today. It'd be easy to slink away but... Abigail Hesitantly reaches towards Emi, giving her uniform's sleeve a slight tug to get her attention. "I-I'm just going to go...Sorry." She wasn't entirely sure exactly what the apology was for, but it seemed appropriate.

[roko10]

Spoiler: Mont

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"Frieda, wait-!" Einar spoke out as she stormed away. Sighing, he turns towards the very clearly annoyed Mont and prepared to defend himself.

"...I think you misunderstood. I appreciate the service of all the Aestal pilots; you risk your lives for ours, for God's sake. It's just that I'm a bit hurt moreso at her lack of trust in me. Her storming off clearly wasn't just because of her wanting to keep guard to 'TRAJAN' over here, and I doubt that the captain would simply accept such an explanation, worrywart that she is." He sighs. "Then again, it may be better to let her be for now and ask her later."

Before he can speak further, however, the Odyssey shakes, as if reeling from an impact. Sirens ring, and Ai's voice cuts through the comms. "Warning, Warning. Greater Veidra attacking the ship; shield integrity at 96.543% and dropping. All crew-members, assume stations effective immediately."

Einar sighs. "Wonderful, really. At least we've got two pilots nearby their Aestals right now, so it isn't like we're caught completely with our pants down." He turns towards Mont. "The fate of the Odyssey lies in your and your fellow pilot's hands. Good luck and godspeed."

Spoiler: Abigail (& everyone else)

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Emi smiles gently at Abigail. "It's okay, you don't have to apologize. Where do you want to go? I can tag along, if it makes you feel any better."

Meanwhile, as all this is going on, Jason's trying -and failing- to slip away from the table unnoticed.

Suddenly, however, the Odyssey shakes, as if reeling from an impact. Sirens ring, and Ai's voice cuts through the comms. "Warning, Warning. Greater Veidra attacking the ship; shield integrity at 96.543% and dropping. All crew-members, assume stations effective immediately."

Emi turns to the rest of you, face deathly serious. "Well, you heard what Ai said. Abigail, Tanis, Kenji & Kalyani, go to the hangar as soon as you can, and prepare for launch. Anna, I'm sorry that your birthday wound up this way, and Jason, don't you dare think this is over yet. Both of you, come with me to the bridge." As she walks away with both Anna and Jason, she turns towards you, the pilots; "Good luck out there! I know you'll win!"

Spoiler: Session 1 COMPLETE!

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Session 1 complete! Everyone, take 20xp and 2e.