RP: YSS Goban Episode 02: Human After All

Galar said, "Roken is it? Well, I have no idea where we are off to but you can sure as hell bet on there being fighting! I have some unfinished business with our quarry."

He thought They stole my goddamned stuff! I don't let anyone get away with that. Galar fingered the SMG he had slung around his shoulders with anticipation. They found their way to the medical bay in a short time with Ma'at sitting at some sort of desk on the far wall. He waved a greeting.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Kyosuke snorted. He looked out at the field of stars and sighed.

Their vessel was slow, by modern standards. Not that it mattered much, when they had no place to go. Lucas had naturally angled them toward the Ketsurui Nebula, but "going back to the scene of the crime" wasn't going to get them closer. After all, it was NovaCorp where they'd found the two NH-X to begin with. His head drooped as he considered where the hell to go from here.

" ... " He realized his pants leg was still ripped and stained from where the NH-X had taken a sample of him. Fuck, he thought, examining the quality of everyone's uniforms, we look like a rag-tag bunch of assholes, don't we.

" ... !" A thought captured Kyosuke. The pirates that had attacked them were the one blip in during the whole trip that had not made sense. Perhaps they had something to do with what was going on.

But the pirates had nearly destroyed the NH-X's ride. That didn't make any sense. No, there had to be something else ... could SAINT be doubly involved? It was the last thing Kyosuke wanted, but it wasn't unfeasible --

"Commander," the CIES unit said in a computerized voice that sounded more like telepathy, with its faint electronic hollowness. "A message has arrived for you."

Kyosuke blinked. "From who?"

"A CIES unit named 'Ann."

" ... " Karma had good timing, Kyosuke thought. "Heicho, could you do the honors?"

As soon as they all boarded the very small ship, Ma'at quickly went over to the medical bay. It was the only thing that she could do. She wasn't much of a fighter and she didn't see that she could be of any help anywhere else. But she really didn't mind. She had wanted to be a doctor after all.

Quickly making her way inside, Ma'at started to put away all of her supplies that she had brought with her as well as putting her bag with her things away. Looking around, Ma'at gave a deep sigh. So this is where I'll be spending my time. Better make the best of it.

Seeing that she had nothing better to do, Ma'at took out her favorite book from her bag and sat down at the desk. She was really getting into the book when she heard someone walk in. Looking up, she saw someone new as as well as Galar. Smiling, Ma'at waved back. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Yes, Shoi,â€

Kyosuke snorted as the message came onto the main screen.

"Huh?"

It was simple text, sent on a weak subspace signal, according to Nick's instruments. The only things on the screen were a set of coordinates -- coordinates oddly close to a planet Kyosuke had never heard of -- and a word in Japanese:

"Abunai," he said aloud. "Watch out? What the fuck does that mean? Hanley, find out how long it would take us to be within that set of coordinates ... looks like one light-year galactic northwest of ... that dot." Kyosuke pointed at a dot that had not even been named -- it was a star system east of an unnamed nebula far in the galactic South, an area not yet explored by the Star Army, as far as the records showed.

"You'll have to triangulate the destination -- go out a ways." Kyosuke pointed arbitraily at a black spot on the galactic map -- there was nothing out there, so far as the Star Army knew. It was 60 years straight east from Yamatai, out past the Chen Nebula.

Maximum speed, or whatever this thing can manage."

Kyosuke looked back, then stepped out of his chair. "I'm going to find out what those two new guys think they're here for. Mind the bridge, Heicho."

Galar smiled at Ma'at, "Well, the commander just told me to bring these two new guys here."

He indicated the man to his right, "This is Roken Techard, although I am sure he can introduce himself. This man to my left, I have not yet been introduced to yet. What is your name anyway?"

Lucas placed in the course. It took him a few minutes to do so, due to the fact that they were about to head out into the farfuck-middle-of-nowhere.

"Course laid in, engaging engines." Lucas said quietly, as the small ketsueki winked out of existance near Yamatai and began its long journey. Well...it would take about 14 hours to reach their new destination. Lucas sighed and watched the display screen, as it layed a blue streak from their current position to the "nowhere" area they were headed.

"Hmm..." Lucas wondered out loud as he swiveled in his chair, "I wonder what the hell is out there..."

Kyosuke had taken the short steps to the med bay -- the ship was only 25 meters long, after all -- and approached the two new guys, as well as Galar and Ma'at.

"Alright," he said to the two. "Techard, I don't know how you got assigned to me. I can't care right now. But you -- " he pointed at the man he didn't know -- "You need to explain to me why I should keep you conscious."

Luca overheard Lucas' wondering, "No clue, probably aliens who want to claw our faces off, or those freakin' NH-X," came Luca's response as he leant forward and got himself ready to fire at whatever moved.
"D'you think we'll run into anyone hostile? Because if we do, I'm ready!"

Lucas mused over the question for a moment, then shrugged. "There's no way to know until we get there, I suppose. In any case, we'll just blast it away and take the planet."
He grinned, "Hey, perhaps we can name a new planet or at least a promotion or something. That'd be nice to hear your name in association with a planet." He mimicked a voice, " 'Attention crew, we are now approaching the exotic planet Hanley. Prepare for one week of shore-leave.' Wouldn't that be a little ego boost?"

"Yeah, that'd make my chest swell with pride," Luca replied giving a smile, "I mean, naming a planet is a pretty damn big thing, literally."
Luca leant back in his chair and looked at the starscape for a moment, the colours leaping by.
"For now, let's just watch 'n wait. I'll be ready to fire if you want me to."

Ma'at nodded and stood up. "I see. Well, you're welcome to stay here." Ma'at bowed to the two new men, smiling happily. "It's very nice to meet you both. My name's Ma'at Bolverk and I'll be the medic on this ship."

Kyosuke looked to the medic, who seemed far too kind to be assigned to him. He'd had a girl in his office once that was like her. She'd left a couple weeks later, crying because the Nekos were mean to her. Kyosuke was the only guy she'd had to deal with, and he'd told her to suck it up.

No diplomacy skill for me, he thought.

"Well?" he said to the new guy. "I need a damn reason."

" ... Right." Kyosuke had waited a minute or two for the person to come up with something, but after he stumbled over his words too often, he sighed.

"Alright. Fine. This is a mistake. So what I am going to do is make sure you do not find out just how big a mistake it is." With that, Kyosuke drew his pistol and stunned the hapless crewmember.

"Bolverk-Hei, we've got one containment chamber. Keep him in it," the commander said, holstering his weapon. "And keep him sedated too."

He turned to Roken, looked at him for a second or so, then went to the cargo room just to take a brief glance. He saw no other obvious signs anyone was in there, so he went back up to the bridge.

The picture in front of Luca and Lucas was that of a very large pair of nebulas ... one larger than the other, as they streamed out of FTL travel. A passage was between the nebulas, but it seemed to lack stars -- it was very black. Behind them was Katsuko's Nebula, which they had just flitted across, along with one star system, which had no identification. The colors of the nebulas alone were fantastic, like cosmic spraypaint or something. Kyosuke wanted to appreciate it further, but there was another leg of the journey to be made.

"Get us going galactic southwest," Kyosuke said. "There's one planet, next to ... Tsuya Nebula? Well, whatever -- that's where the coordinates go."

Ma'at nodded as she was told what she had to do with the other man that she didn't know his name. Even though she didn't want to do it, it was an order and she had to follow them. She knew that at times there would be things that she didn't want to do and she still signed up. So she wasn't going to complain about it t o anyone.

"Yes, sir." Walking over to the other man, she lead him over to a cot, sitting him down, getting a needle ready with sedatives.

"Aye, Shoi." Lucas said as the ranking cadet entered the room. Lucas blipped a few buttons and the course altered somewhat.

"Hey, Luca." Lucas said after a moment's pause. "I can't remember if I asked you already, but why'd you join the Star Army?" He asked out loud as he looked up to the shoi.
"I suppose the same question goes for you too Skip." Lucas asked as he popped his knuckles softly. It was an old habit he tended to do when he got bored.

Roken was surprised by how the commander delt with the mystery crewmember, good thing he didnt shoot me Roken thought. Now that the commander left Roken took a quick look at the med bay "so what," Roken asked. "I just sit here and wait?"

Luca pondered for a moment upon Lucas' question, "No, I don't think you've asked me before," Came his reply before he paused for a moment, "One part of me didn't want to join. I was 'refered' to the Army by my old employer."
Luca looked away and sighed, "My employer was some oldie from City Council, a zealous fellow and ex-'starmy personel, he even showed me his medals," He snickered before he continued, "Then again, a part of me wants to join, because I think I'll have a better chance of finding my older brother, where ever he went..."

Luca's arm went for the back of his neck and fiddled for a moment before pulling out an opal ring on a fine chain from under his shirt and showing Lucas.

"This was the last thing my brother gave me before he left."

And he promptly put it back on, hid it and got back to the weapons console.
"Oh, why'd you join anyway, Lucas?"

Slowly sticking the needle of sedatives in the unknown person's arm, Ma'at looked up and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Roken. Just pick a cot or a chair if you'd like. I'm almost done with him." Smiling slightly, Ma'at set the needle down, waiting for the medicine to take effect.

"Just roken you dont have to add the Mr. to it," Roken said with a smile. he found a seat and made himself comfy "so have been with this crew long?" Roken asked, he looked at the sedated crewman why did he just stand there like that? Roken thought.