RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 7] It's All Fun and Trains

Due to the distances between different modules of the Cirrus Research Station, designers and architects were pressed during development to create a form of mass transportation to facilitate the travel time between different sections of the station. The results were simple enough; between each adjacent module were simple, long bridged that acted as hallways connecting each station module to the other. The long tunnels were tubular, mostly made of transparent durandium to give travelers an excellent view as a series of motorized traction belts moved them along the length of the tunnel. These bridges were usually taken in case the traveler simply needed to visit the adjacent station section and although they were easy enough to traverse, not requiring much in the ways of actual walking due to the large, rapidly-moving belts to stand on, the extended bridges were more of a second choice, rather than the primary means of transportation.

Whenever possible, scientist and security officer alike preferred the use of the inter-station tram system. Connected to the Central Station as well as the four outlying science station modules, the tram system was fast, comfortable and a great place to socialize if one were to get caught during rush hours. Two separate train tracks ran alongside each other, the tram cars moving in opposing directions for efficiencies' sake. The tracks themselves ran in a connected circular loop, the outer walls of the tunnel also made out of the clear, transparent durandium for the extra bit of aesthetic flair. Along both sides of the tram tunnels were short, simple walkways which, in the unlikely event of tram failure, could be used to move to the nearest tram terminal. The insides of each tram car were simple and functional, mostly consisting of a few cushioned benches and handles hanging from the ceiling for those who were too late to catch a seat.

Each station module, as well as four areas on the compass points of the Central Station, connected to the tram with large terminal areas. Designed with nuances borrowed from common Nepleslian subway stations, the Tram Terminals were large areas lined with benches, sparse decorative shrubbery and, of course, the Head Administrator's infamous vending machines. Automated bridges crossing the gap over the tram tracks were lowered after trams left the station, allowing personnel to commute to the other side in order to board the tram that was moving in the opposing direction, retracting when an incoming tram passed a certain point.

It was in one of these particular Tram Terminals where Squad 35 was standing, awaiting the next tram to take them to their security assignments on the opposing station module. Mimi, one of their two squad-assigned Savtechs stood dutifully with them, a smile in her face and a song in her heart as she hummed along with the soft, unremarkable music playing faintly through the terminal.

"Mimi, dear... it's not that catchy." Claire stood a little off to the side of the squad, though about as close to Keziah as she could get without pushing her over. She actually never used a train before, and she kind of viewed it like a sideways elevator, which amused her for some reason.

There was a slight pause before she frowned mildly, "Hey, where's Kess? I haven't seen her since I got back, how is she?" She looked expectantly at Mimi, wanting to see her recently acquired friend again.

No sooner had Claire finished her remark about Mimi's humming than Stovaa started humming along too, arms behind his head as he waited with the rest of his squad.

For some reason, he was in a good mood. He wasn't sure if it was because of what he DID remember of the recent vacation, or because of what he couldn't remember, which was quite a lot of it.

"Anyone want to have a guess as to what our new assignment is gonna be? I think a big-ass space gribbly motherfucker is long overdue," he said before resuming his ever-so-very irritating humming.

Keziah had taken a seat against one of the walls, her shoulder resting against Claire in a very thin attempt at discretion. It was impossible to tell if she was smiling or not or, well, anything, since her helmet was on and closed and she was silent on the comms.

But she was happy, and she was grinning like mad inside her helmet, which was the real reason it was closed. The vacation had been... simply amazing, and her spirits hadn't dampened at all since coming back on the station. Definitely her kitchen had something to do with that, as she had taken very easily to preparing lunches and dinners whenever she could, providing Squad 35 with, perhaps, the best diet on the station.

Her injuries were also completely healed, which was great news.

"I hope you're wrong," she said to Stovaa, breaking her silence. Somehow, she managed to hide the smile in her voice. "I mean, I like it when the station's quiet. It'll probably just be more lab duties."

P3C Himiko Muzai stood quietly amongst Squad 35. It seemed like forever since she had been in Squad 74. It was refreshing to see so many new faces, but the young Yamataian armorer still missed the friends that she had made there. Her CSS Suit should've felt like a second skin by now, but it still seemed like it was too big for her. It didn't help that the suits that were supposed to be her perfect size were tight across the chest... literally.

Her emerald green hair was tied in a small pony tail by a blue ribbon, barely touching the back of her neck and collar. Himiko held her helmet under the crook of her left arm as she waited for the 'train'. Her blue eyes, which seemed to have trapped tiny shards of the sky itself, scanned the rest of her new squad with both curiosity and timidity. Inside of her head, a part of her was screaming to talk to someone, but another part was sobbing at the fact that she was too nervous to do so. The strange music wasn't helping much either.

Noboru scratched the back of his helmetless head, standing towards the front of the group. The music was starting to get on his nerves too. At least the rest of the station didn't play this trance-electronica bullshit over the speakers, because by that point he would have been driven fucking nuts.

"i dunno, Stovaa," the Yamataian said, "giant monsters sound a bit rough. Maybe we should have a nice, easy to solve emergency, like some crazy fucking rip in the time space continuum where we just stand there and gape while Cassifin and friends fix it up."

A rough, low, but feminine voice suddenly rumbled into everyone's hearing from somewhere behind them. Upon further inspection, it belonged to a tall, gangly freespacer girl - what else could she be, with skin patterns like that? - dressed in a leather greatcoat that obscured nearly all her form. A multicolored do-rag adorned her bald head, and a pair of welding goggles were strapped to her face.

"Hi. Where are we going?"

Dragonnova said:

"Mimi, dear... it's not that catchy." Claire stood a little off to the side of the squad, though about as close to Keziah as she could get without pushing her over. She actually never used a train before, and she kind of viewed it like a sideways elevator, which amused her for some reason.

There was a slight pause before she frowned mildly, "Hey, where's Kess? I haven't seen her since I got back, how is she?" She looked expectantly at Mimi, wanting to see her recently acquired friend again.

Click to expand...

The honey-blonde Savtech halted her humming just long enough to turn to Claire with a sweet smile. "Kess has been taken out of the system. For, uh...maintenance, I think. All the Savtechs have scheduled maintenance. I'll probably be next after Kess is back in," Mimi explained cheerfully.

"Also, Mister Stovaa, we have just a simple assignment today to patrol Hallway Corridor complex 1686c in the Chemical Plant," Mimi said, throwing Stovaa a sickeningly sweet grin. "The increased patrol area has warranted a few additions to the team as well...they should be joining us here at the tram station any minute now..." the Savtech let her voice trail off as she swung a sidelong, knowing glance at Himiko and Method as they stood amidst the group.

Claire stared at Mimi with a strong look of disbelief. "Maintenance, Mimi? What could possibly be wrong with her? If you don't know just say so. Even so, I'd still like to see her soon, if possible." Apparently she didn't like being told she couldn't see her friends. In contrast to her time with Kess, Claire's experiences with Mimi never seemed to go too well for some reason. Maybe it was her 'so cheerful it's creepy' demeanor, or the fact that she wouldn't just flat out tell her what little she knew or didn't know.

If Keziah was trying to be discreet, Claire was decidedly less so as she reached back and firmly rubbed Keziah's rear for a couple of seconds before returning her hand to her side like she had done absolutely nothing.

And Keziah acted like Claire had done absolutely nothing. Because, behind her helmet, she was blushing now.

"Well, she's part of a computer system. Maintenance isn't fixing, it's making sure nothing's wrong."

Deacon stood staring out one of the transparent viewing areas, his ears twitching as he listened to the conversations going on nearby. He had decided that it would be best if he didn't get too far away, so he was standing just behind Noburo and Stovaa as the talked about what the next mission might be, knowing that something like a tear in the space time continuum or a massive forty eyed blob that used to be one of the scientists who fell into a slime vat, would be just par for the Cirrus course. It made him smile.

When the new voices rang out, or in Himiko's case, new smell, the Kohanian turned his head and curled a lip like an overly protective guard dog. But no sound came out, Kokuten's admonishing had led to a more subdued attitude from Deacon when it came to letting his more feral, animal side loose. After looking over the new additions, he just shifted his shoulders and went back to staring off into space.

"Hi. Where are we going?"

Click to expand...

"Well that really depends on your moral standings, philosophical and religious beliefs. If you think about it, as soldiers, we're probably going to He-" Noboru cut his speech short. This obviously wasn't what Method had meant in her question, which was more along the lines of "what is our destination" instead of "where are we going, in a universal sense". He scratched his head and briefly consulted his datapad before pocketing it again and nodding at the Freespacer, rubbing a dirty lens of his goggles with his shirt sleeve.

"Chemical Plant, a little piece of heaven on our slice of the galaxy. Smells like a combination of overcooked cabbage and rotting intestinal lining." The Yamataian smiled, and extended a hand to Method. "P3C Akio Noboru, refugee jackass. And you are?"

Noboru's attention finally shifted to the quiet little Yamataian girl withdrawn to herself on the far side of the squad, keeping away from everyone. The soldier sighed, then smiled wearily. At last he had some sort of countryman or woman to speak with. "And who are you, miss? You just got here, otherwise I would have met you by now."

The tall beast that was Deacon was an intimidating figure to Himiko. However, she merely smiled weakly at the alien before turning her attention to Noboru. Looking him up and down, she contemplated how to answer her kinsman. His eyes looked kinda funny, but other then that he seemed nice. "I've been here, ser. I just transferred from Squad 74 today. I'm not surprised that we haven't met. My name is P3C Muzai Himiko, and you are, ser?" She resisted the urge to bow informally for the umpteenth time.

"Akio Noboru, Private Third Class." Noboru scowled a little bit, then his indomitable smile came back again. "Ex-Santo Hei, Ex-Peacekeeper Recruit, face of Squad 35's ground pounders." He extended a hand to Himiko and nodded. "Welcome aboard," he said, then started flagging her over alongside Method. After he finished his little arm-waving display, he strode back over to where Method was and occupied the exact space he had been standing in before.

Himiko smiled back as she took his hand in a firm, yet gentle grip. Afterwards, she walked over with him to where Method was standing. The Yamataian waved politely to the Freespacer, not really sure what to make of the even stranger alien.

In a way, the armorer was reminded of the other Freespacer in Squad 74. The name eluded her for the moment, but Himiko never really was that close to the other girl. This Freespacer seemed extremely different, though. Hopefully, it was a good thing. Ah, that's right... Her name was Dream. What a pretty name. I wonder if this girl's name is just as pretty? she thought to herself.

Method's long, bony hand clasped Noboru's, and she pumped it a few times. She was glad to finally be addressed; she'd been beginning to think that she was only hallucinating actually being there - but of course she should trust her own perceptions more. The man's digression made her smile, though. She was beginning to like it here.

"I like the smell of overcooked cabbage, thank you very much... but why are we going there?" She nodded to him. "I'm Method Nine Five. Nice to meet you, Pee-three."

"Pee-three? What's that supposed to mean?" Noboru wondered out loud, turning back towards the tram tube. Of course it was still unoccupied, the things always seemed to be late no matter where you were on the station. He sighed.

"If the tram ever gets here, it's just a routine patrol." The soldier said in an almost bored tone of voice before turning to Mimi and making a throat-clearing noise. A few awkward second, another noise. A few more seconds, and he said, "Mimi" and addressed her directly by moving in front of her.

"Can you give me an ETA on the tram's arrival?"

"Pee-three will probably refer to 'Private third class,' Nobu," Stovaa said, stopping his contented humming, trite and tenuous as it had become. A gentle breeze blew his hair slightly.

"Tram'll be here soon, don't get your knickers in a twist."

Mimi smiled softly as the two new members began mingling with Noboru before turning towards Stovaa with a single nod. She looked up above him, noticing a single ventilation shaft that was most likely malfunctioning, as it was blowing a little too hard into the tall ID-SOLs face. "The tram should be here any second now, I believe, Mr. Stovaa."

"I am one of Squad 35's Savtech assistants, Mimi," the honey-blonde Savtech smiled as she stepped towards Himiko and Method. "My partner, Kess, is currently having some maintenance done on her unit, so until then I would like to welcome both of you to Squad 35 of the Cirrus Station Security, on both our behalves," Mimi nodded along with her own words, beaming at the two women.

Method grinned lopsidedly, showing her teeth... which seemed to be etched with circuit patterns. She reached out for Mimi's hand. "Nice to see you! I'm Method Five Nine. Or Nine Five. I always get them backward. When's the train coming?"

Himiko smiled back at Mimi, nodding in response to her words. "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mimi. I am Muzai Himiko, newly transferred from Squad 74. I hope that I can serve you and Squad 35 as well as I did my old squad." She hadn't had much experience with Savtech assistants either, but the AIs were a curiosity to her.

Mimi merely gave Method's outstretched hand an odd look before returning her eyes back to the Freespacers', giving both of the women a weak smile as she kept her own hands crossed and clasped in front of her. "Err...it should be here soon enough. Himiko and Method...those are very nice names," the Savtech smiled sweetly before turning to Method. "I tried asking the Robotics Facility SI for a little information on you, Ms. Method, but Convolution is really...hard to talk to?" Mimi finished on a ponderous note, hoping not to offend the Freespacer by speaking ill of the Cirrus Station's only SI unit.

"Oh, right, those guys half the time don't even know what they're talking about," the Freespacer said conversationally, then waved her outstretched hand through Mimi a few times. "...oooh... neat. Anyway! What were you asking about? And it's just Method. Or Nine Five. Or Five Nine. Or Widgethead. Or all of them!"

The smiling Savtech only gave a short laugh as the Freespacer passed her hands through her volumetric form. "Well, I learned that Himiko here has many skills as an armory manager...or something like that," Mimi glanced over to Himiko in hopes of confirming her information. "And I was just wondering what sorts of things you did before Miss Cassefin assinged you to our team, that's all."

Himiko wasn't sure what to make of these two. Everyone knew that Savitechs only appeared as holograms... but this Freespacer was trying to shake its hand. Some food for thought for later, I suppose, Himiko figured to herself. Lost in her own thoughts, the question from Mimi started the Yamataian girl for a moment. Realizing where she was again, the armorer definitely confirmed her skills.

"Yes, I did some bookkeeping for Squad 74.. like their equipment, ammunition, supplies, etc. I only had access to a rather small storage area, but I made the best of it." There were other things that she had been employed to do, but those were things not easily spoken of.. in such company. Himiko glanced at the others momentarily but then focused on Mimi again.

Method kept waving her hand back and forth. "I built robots! Well, worked on building robots. And theory and stuff. Until, you know, the thing."

Himiko blinked at Method's utterance of 'the thing'. "What is 'the thing', Method?" she asked in a purely innocent and oblivious sort of way.

"You know. The incident." She waved her hands dismissively. "It doesn't matter! There was a thing, and it happened, and now I'm here, and everything is great." Method leaned in a little, peering at the hologram. "You're pretty. Wish I could pick how I looked."

Mimi looked between the two hesitantly. "W-well...I'm sure the...'thing' wasn't all that bad. Besides, I'm sure you'll do just fine with us. Both of you. Today is just a simple security detail of one of the main corridors of the Chemical Plant, it'll be over before you know it! So..."

---

Moments before Mimi finished, the rattling sound of the Cirrus Station tram running along the monorail track began to echo into the Tram Terminal, growing louder and louder as the train itself neared. Oddly enough, however, as the large, box-like interconnected tram cars came into distant view from the tunnel's opening, the cars themselves seemed to be making no motions to stop. In fact, the tram itself seemed to speed up as it neared the Tram Terminal, moving at a velocity much faster than one that could be stopped safely.

Finally, as the tram itself bulleting into the Tram Terminal, a most pressing sight was revealed to all present amongst the small crowd. The sides, top and underside of the cars were absolutely covered in Junker drones of various sizes and shapes, the automated Freespacer robots clinging on for dear life as the train itself sped non-stop through the terminal, much to the surprise and chagrin of the Cirrus Station personnel. Seconds after coming into the tram terminal, the train was gone, speeding along the tracks as it continued on through the slowly-turning tunnel.

Squad 35's shock and awe would have to wait, however; almost instantly after the Tram had sped through, a volumetric screen opened up in front of the Squad. This time around it was not the fiery-haired addressing them, but the tiny Freespacer Administrator, Peke Twenty-Two staring agape into the volumetric screen in front of them.

"Hoooooly Matronus!" The little Administrator exclaimed, waving her arms up and down as her single side-way ponytail bobbed up and down with her movements. From the looks of the background in Peke's volumetric image, as well as the loud, clattering din and constantly shaking screen, it would appear that Peke was apparently on the speeding tram that had just passed them by. "You're Dream's old squad, amirite? You godda help me stop this train!"

Serra, who at the time was being Ninja and remaining silent and invisible, groaned and hung her head.

"For a cutting edge science station, this place is utterly crazy." She muttered as she shook her head.