RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 1] Welcome to Cloud Nine

Keziah breathed. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath, waiting and listening for Rainbow to respond, but she had been, and it felt good to let go. It felt better to be listened to, too, and to have made the crazed 'Spacer stand down from her tirade. That was good. Everything felt very underwater, and she slid backwards to her bunk and laid down on her side, shutting out everyone else in the barracks.

She gently tugged up the sleeve of her right arm, and slid the synthflesh aside that covered her neural port. It'd be good to lose herself in her PDA's memory banks. She fished the worn, battered thing out of her breast pocket and plugged it into her arm, letting her mind wander across all the information on Cirrus available to her. It'd be good to get to know her new home at least a little bit more, now that she was here.

Through this entire ordeal, from Dream's ranting to the conversations with the SI, James was asleep. By the looks of it, he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. The private hadn't slept in 30 hours and it caught up to him fast. Despite the uncomfortable bedding, James fell asleep in minutes, his last thoughts were of ways to distill alcohol.

There had to be a way....

Mimi and Kess simply stood there. While Kess watched Serra tentatively as she fiddled with the snack machines, Mimi continued to look blissfully unaware of any negative emotion whatsoever.

"As of now, all of Squad 35 is off duty until tomorrow morning, when the Cirrus attempts the first full-station Vogel jump farther into the Colonial Expanse. You are all assigned to patrol and guard the Bio-Organic Research and Containment facility during that time. You'll get to mean Administrator Popjoy! I'm sure you will all like her...I like her a lot!" Mimi squeaked joyfully. "Don't worry...Kess and I will be here whenever you need us. We will be assisting in your suit-up, as well as showing you where you need to patrol. We'll always be around to answer any questions you might have...that's our jobs after all!"

Kess looked a little distant, but nodded regardless. "Yeah."

---

Unfortunately for Lorcan, most of the storage containers in that particular room were loaded with miscellaneous supplies. Boxes of paper, large polished wooden sticks, a box filled with plastic buckets, mop heads, hand troughs, and oodles of cleaning supplies. One enormous box in particular near the back of the room contained what appeared to be heaps upon heaps of false, wax apples.

There was indeed a ventilation shaft over head, an outlet into the storage closet suspended in the corner of the ceiling. The duct itself, however, wasn't exactly spacious, and a heavy metal grate covered the duct's outlet as refreshing air poured out of it.

A small blackened glass dome in the opposite corner of the room, near the doorway, shone in deep obsidian gleam ominously as Lorcan inspected the storage room.

---

Kess merely folded her arms and frowned. Mimi's image faded away behind her, her attention obviously being diverted to another matter. Kess took the opportunity to speak again in a less restrained manner.

"I'm not going to show you that file now. You're not authorized to see it, and I'm not authorized, nor do I want, to show it to you. Just...try and keep your emotions in check. You can have your alone time when you're not on duty...but you should know that Mimi and I are assigned to monitor you and the rest of your squad at all times. But being with one of us is about as alone as you can get on this station, so you'll have to settle for it," Kess spoke expertly and swiftly, her eyes flicking towards the journal as Tweak herself glanced at it. "I won't watch over your shoulder, and Mimi will leave you to me if I ask you. Just make sure you make it back to the bunks tonight and meet up with the rest of your squad. Your work starts tomorrow. I hope you're ready for it."

Tweak just looked at Kess, her expression now unreadable as she tried to stay calm. There were so many reasons why she didn't want to stay, didn't want to do this job, and so many ways this could go wrong starting tomorrow...

"I'll...I'll try. But I can't promise anything," she said with a sigh. "Look, I really need to write this stuff down or we're going to have this same problem tomorrow. Is there an empty room I can use? It's the least I ask of you, please? Even another closet..."

Dream coughed. "Um, about the room I asked you earlier?" She reminded the two AIs.

"...That woman is a bad person." Keid had suddenly appeared next to Tweak, moving silently, if it weren't for the horribly heavy footsteps and mechanical whirring that announced the automata's arrival upon any scene. "That Cassefin lady." In order to pass the time, the automata started to braid Tweak's hair, putting in LED lights according to how nice they looked at every other angle. "...Your hair. You need to grow it long. It makes you look larger if you do, and apparently in the animal world, an animal makes itself look larger to intimidate a foe." The automata was not making much sense, was it? Fair enough.

"You." The Automata pointed to Kess, "Your hair is simply too boring. I suggest highlights or some way to make it not look like ink is spilling out of your head." He then pointed to Mimi, it's LED lights pulsing to an interested orange. "Your hair is like a sun exploding, and when you stand next to her, it is like a burning, beautiful sun within the boring, black void of space. It's true." It then pointed to the both of them...with both of it's arms. "Am I authorized to use the same firearms the more smaller members are using? I assure you all, that my fuzzy wig leaves me a qualified marksman."

The Automata would walk up to the two AIs, brushing a robotic hand through it's hair. "You may prostrate yourselves before it and touch it. Cmon, please. Touch it. For the love of all that is fuzzy and wonderful, just -touch- it. I assure you, it is fuzzy to the touch, and I bet you could even hide small objects in it. Better yet, this one should probably get to know what good hair looks like. She could use the advice." He pointed more to Kess.

Della said:

Dream coughed. "Um, about the room I asked you earlier?" She reminded the two AIs.

Click to expand...

Mimi perked her head sideways slightly as she acknowledged the question. "I'm sorry! There are many, many rooms on this station...what exactly are you looking for?"

---

Mimi merely giggled shortly and curtsied at Keid's unusual compliment. She reached out delicately with a free hand and attempted to pat the frock of fuzzy fro-ness. Kess, however, wasn't so eager to reply or please the 'unique' automata, and held out a hand in front of Mimi to stop her advance.

"Well, we can't change how we look. Our hair isn't real, it's a mass of colored particles. So we can't touch your hair," Kess said, scowling, as she turned to Tweak. "There's a break room right over there," she said, waving a delicate finger over to an open doorway farther down the hallway. "There's nobody in it. Help yourself. And take your friend."

Mimi shrunk her hand back a bit, looking a little disheartened, but perked right back up again as she nodded towards Tweak and Keid in silent agreement.

Ozzrik listened to Mimi and Kess. He admitted to himself the thought of having people watching him all the time troubled him, he was used to his privacy, more so, he was used to being the one who did the surveillance. If he was troubled by it, barely a muscle twitched on his smiling face as he returned to his previous idea.

He gestured to Serra and Cyril to lean closer. Then in a quiet private tone he began, "I know y'all don't know me very well, but they call me Big O or just Ozz. I have admit, I'd like to ring in our night with a bit of festivities. Think we have enough know-how in the squad to rig up a still and get some drinks flowing through here? It might not be my area of expertise, but I can help and I'm sure other will as well."

If there was one thing about Ozz, he wasn't shy. He'd talk to anyone about anything. He just hoped that some of his new squad mates would be up for his idea.

Dream thought about it for a moment. "Any kind of room that's not being used and probably won't be in the future - something that wouldn't impact the efficiency of the station."

She pondered a bit longer. "Let's see. It would be better if it were near this room. Or near the geometrical center of the station. Or near the Temple de Biomechatronics. Or near the reactor, comm array, cloning vats, grinders, or other location of symbolical significance. Or even along the outer hull, with windows on the outside and a nice view."

That wasn't narrowing it down much, was it? "...Look, I just need an empty room no one uses. Bonus points if it's pretty, easily accessible from other parts of the station, or near some spiritually significant place."

Cyril shrugged as the black marine laid out his plan. Booze was good. He had a feeling that stiff drinks were going to be few and far between on this station. But...

"Like you clip, Ozzy. But." Cyril twirled his finger to indicate the black domes of the security cameras at either end of the room. "I think tha' can wait 'till Big Sister ain't watching us no more."

Yeah, setting up a still was out of the question. At least for now. But any crafty station dweller could find ways around with only a minimum of creativity. Like, for instance, every marine's favorite 'Basic Amenities' requisition. Cyril leaned back and broke into a half grin.

"Tha' 'aving been said, I'm sure they got some icca kicking around. An' I don' know 'bout you, but I think this place is filthy."

Mimi looks confused for a moment as Dream explained what she would like for her room. "Spiritual...symbolic...significance...?" She spoke, tilting her head sideways as she let her eyes wander towards the ceiling, giving the appearance of deep thought.

Kess also took a moment to process Dream's request before turning back to the small Freespacer Druidess. "There is a room like that. Sort of. I can safely say it's not going to be used for quite a while," Kess said nonchalantly, bringing up a small volumetric screen in front of her open palm.

The image of the Central Station's lower decks magnified until Dream and the others could see a very familiar layout. A few hallways away from the very room they were standing in, however, a faint yellow glow signified Kess and her suggestion. Extra details for the room were somewhat scarce, but the name under the highlighted section was unmistakable:

ARMORY B

Click to expand...

Dream clapped her hands. "Perfect! I'll start working on that right now!" She said to Kess and Mimi. Then, to all of the other marines: "If you need me, I'll be there until... until I'm needed elsewhere, I suppose. Oh, and if someone wants to come and help me, he's welcome."

She stopped on the door before walking out: "Ah, Mimi, Kess? There are two metallic crates on the Resplendent Herald... can I ask you to send an automata or something to get then and bring them there, please?"

And then, without waiting for a reply, she ran off.

Tweak froze for a moment when Keid started touching her hair...but she relaxed when she realized what he was doing. His comments made her crack a small smile, nonsensical as they were..."Maybe I will," she said in reply to his suggestion that she grow her hair out.

MoonMan said:

"There's a break room right over there," [Kess] said, waving a delicate finger over to an open doorway farther down the hallway. "There's nobody in it. Help yourself. And take your friend."

Click to expand...

The neko watched the Savtechs as Keid started addressing their follicular failures, smiling a little more in amusement. She was starting to like Mimi, despite that construct's almost constant apologetic behavior. But Kess was probably going to be the more useful when it came to getting honest opinions and prompt help.

Tweak nodded to Kess when given the directions to the break room. "Thank you. I'll try to hurry," she said, then tapped Keid's arm. "C'mon, you can finish braiding my hair while I write, okay?" she told the large automata.

Lorcan finished his shifting of crates and rummaging around till he was satisfied with just making something out of crates. Waving a sloppy salute to the camera he wandered back out into the hall and then back to the Pavilion to fetch himself some stuff and with said stuff in his pockets he started back to the bunk rooms. Lorcan minded his own business as he went past other people in the corridors and halls up until he got to the rec room again.

Then it was another round of pickpocketing and trading DA cards among the scientists and the like until he'd made it all the way across the room and down to the shabby halls that housed their drab bunks. He nearly skipped into the room, took a few steps and then launched into a cartwheel, a few back bends and a back flip before striding to his bed and pulling out his PDA. With a soft grumble he turned his head to scowl at Cyril before just up and deleting the message altogether.

Lorcan sighed, sat down on his bunk to pull his boots off, pull his over shirt off over his head and pull his belt off. He set his belt, service pistol and his shirt inside his duffel and then laid down. Lorcan still chewed the gum from earlier as he lay there staring up at nothing and waiting for Fence to get back to him.

Ozzrik chuckled as Cyril spoke. Perhaps a still wasn't going to work, but at the very least it seemed they were on the same wavelength.

"Indeed....very filthy." he agreed with a smile.

Ozz took a moment to take everything in. The people. The station. Overall, not a bad day, but he couldn't help but notice he was markedly different from everyone else.
Most people here and home, Marine or otherwise, had cybernetic enhancements. Hell, everyone in his family had some sort of enhancement. He was used to this.....cybernetics are very common, but for some reason or another.....it just wasn't for him. However, since joining the Marines he felt his obviously inferior left eye as more of a obstacle. Perhaps here, amongst the science of the secretive Cirrus Station, he might be able to finally embrace some sort of enhancement. In the back of his un-enhanced mind, Ozzrik made a mental note to check into it soon.

Lucius had dozed for the moment as he laid back on his claimed bunk. It wasn't too much of a surprise, at least to him. After all, being a marine was his profession; if uncomfortable living quarters bothered him, he would have quit the army like any old wimp would. But no, it was his job, and no matter how much the rec room sucked, or how 'healthy' the food was, he would do his job. He gained a certain satisfaction from defying his personal desires and completing whatever mission he was assigned.

But the sergeant's semi-restful sleep was interrupted by the pansy marines in full protest and tinkering of machines. He started to wake up during the last bit of Dream's speech. He turned on his side and leaned up on his elbow. He tried to voice his desire for the marines to shut the hell up, but it came out as an unintelligible, and inaudible: "Mff... thuu... fuu..."

He was feeling especially slow at this point and shook his head a little to tried to wake up. To what? Talk of insubordination. The odd cycle of rest definitely threw him off. He let out a heavy sigh, looks like people felt like it was necessary to continue to whine about the rules and even defy them. The former he could deal with, in a limited amount, but actually disobeying and breaking rules? Lucius could even understand bending the rules or finding loopholes, but not breaking them.

His voice was still slurred slightly, but still showed his anger and frustration. "Gawd... Yu bunsha fusckin idiots..." He sat up on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his face slightly. "Shut the hell up you bunch of pansies. There will be no stills, and there will be no dismantling of of the food machines. So stop whining like little bitches."

At the sound of the sergeant waking up Lorcan’s head lifted and he watched as Lucius finally woke and started grumbling about the marines, the still – which Lorcan would love – and bitching… which Lorcan didn’t hear anybody doing at the moment, it was more constructively hidden planning. Once the Sergeant started grumbling and growling more Lorcan let out an aggravated sigh, reached over the edge of the bed to pull both knives out into the open. He took one by the tip between thumb and forefinger and threw it.

It hit the wall to the left of the Sgt.’s bed and Lorcan cleared his throat. “With all do respect sir, its constructive thinking and you sound half drunk yourself…” His tone as dull and as flat as it had been the million times before that he had ever talked. Lorcan took in his deep breath, turning his head slightly to Cyril. “I have to agree, even if we’re not thinking the same things… This place is fraggling dirty… I suggest we go show the pea brains up top who has got more brains.” He had a point, instead of living in absolute squalor like a bunch of pigs; they could easily be lounging around in hammocks sipping martinis. But they weren’t because they’d accepted the fact that the scientists were better.

“Now if the pea brains upstairs knows how to stitch up gun shot wounds, pilot power armor and survive a war with the Reds then I’ll give up and go home, but I’m sure only the engineers and maybe a few others would solely know how to pilot a PA and I’m betting none of them had ever been to war. We’re god damned marines for havens sake!” And for the first time there was something more in his voice. He got to his feet and continued his own little rant and rave as he fetched his knife back. He pointed the tip of his knife at the Sgt.

“You of all people show know that marines break the rules all the time if it means we end up alive in the end. In this case I’m sure Montreal wont care if we go off and break every rule in the book, that’s only reason to get rid of us and frankly I’d love not to be here. We have survival skills for a reason… and brains…” He glared at the Sgt. And snorted. “I suggest you use them…” and he was interrupted by his PDA vibrating. Pulling it out of his pocket his expression dropped back to it's neutral look “Ah… right on time Fence…” and then he wandered off nonchalantly like nothing had ever happened.

Slowly, updates were trickling through the datalines into her PDA. A duty roster, the station "rules", shreds of public news on the BBS that sounded more like really, really bad gossip. She mentally switched the PDA off, just as the sound of metal hitting metal sounded through the barracks.

She toppled out of bed, rolling into a crouch on the deck, and watched the marine-baby stalk over to their sergeant and.... No. Oh shit no, he didn't just threaten his commanding officer, did he? That wasn't just insubordination, that was borderline treason.

How the hell was that man still alive?

No, nothing she could do now, the marine-baby was walking away. She stood up and unplugged her PDA, sliding it into her pocket as she walked slowly over to the sergeant, their Captain, not saying anything as she closed the gap, merely staring at him, curious.

Lucius immediately bolted up-right as the knife hit the metal beside his head. It was almost out of reflex memory. His hand slid to his side, and empty hip spot where a service pistol might usually be. He gritted his teeth and started to breath fast. NOW he was pissed off, really pissed off. He stepped in close to Lorcan, bringing the tip of the knife closer. He was almost daring Lorcan to poke him or cut him.

"WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION NUMBNUTS!?" He roared, his neck muscles bulging and strained. "DIDN'T MOMMY AND DADDY SHOW YOU ENOUGH ATTENTION WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD!?" He pointed his finger, his cybernetic one, up at Lorcan. He was obviously not intimidated in the least by the half Id's size. "PUT THAT BUTTER-KNIFE AWAY BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING STUPIDER THAN ALL THE SHIT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE."

He continued to yell at Lorcan, the hard metal resounding and reflecting his voice. "I SHOULD HAVE YOU PUSHED OUT THE NEAREST AIRLOCK JUST TO WEED YOU OUT OF THE GENE POOL. NOW SIT THE FUCK DOWN PRIVATE BEFORE YOU..." Lorcan walked off with his datapad. Lucius' head looked like it was about to explode, his face so red one could be sure his ears were going to start oozing lava.

Lucius stomped after Lorcan and reached to tear the datapad out of the insubordinate's hands and throw it across the floor. "I AM SPEAKING TO YOU MARINE!! I KNOW YOU'RE NOT DEAF BUT YOU SURE AS HELL ARE DUMB. NOW YOU ARE PUSHING MY LAST STRAW; YOU WILL SHAPE UP OR I WILL SURE AS HELL SHIP YOU OUT, STRAIGHT INTO COLD SPACE."

He waved an arm behind him to the rest of the people in the marine quarters. "FROM NOW ON, I WILL HOLD THE ENTIRE SQUAD RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS." Lucius accentuated the 'your' by poking Lorcan's chest, rather hard too. "YOU PISS CASSEFIN OFF, EVERYONE SUFFERS."

Edit: Fixed for possible auto'ing.

The storming sergeant nearly tore Keziah off her feet, she was so close. Too close to him. She could feel the rage as he burst past her. She stayed on her feet, if unsteadily, then quickly straightened herself up. She wouldn't do anything, touch anything, that their sergeant might take offense to. She'd just stand there, at rest, the perfect little soldier--the perfect contrast to the resident knife-thrower.

But, shit, they'd all be responsible for the idiot's actions? She shot a worried look at Cyril. This wasn't good at all.