RP: YSS Eucharis [Mission 20] Strangers (Essai Dreamworld)

Dreamworld Market

When the Shosho bowed in response, it gave Akane a sense of ease to her actions. She'd done what was necessary, owning to her shortcomings and inexperience. Her commanding officer still accepted her.

With the command to return to the ship, Akane fell in behind the truck, making her way to the Eucharis--making her way home.

Med-Lab (Just Inside Entrance)

Upon hearing Sienna wake Kale tried to stay unobtrusive and out of sight of the Nepleslian woman. It wouldn't be good to have the medical staff calm her down just to have her lose it at seeing her previous attacker. He would make it up to her somehow later after all of this was said and done. not that he could think of anything he could do for the normally stoic woman.

He also had to thank Izokia, for stopping him where she had. She had probably saved everyone a lot of trouble and stopped a somewhat dangerous situation. Had that pistol been set to "kill" and hit someone he could never have forgiven himself. He closed his eyes and his breathing slowed as he settled down to wait his turn for medical attention.

YSS Eucharis

Hanako's group made it back to the ship at just around lunch time. Knowing the crew would expect something soon, Lime flew into the ship, leaving a brief blue aura in the atmospheric containment field as she passed through it and zipped across the cargo bay. Shortly afterwards, an announcement played throughout the ship: "Attention crew: Lunch will be delayed by fifteen minutes today. We will be serving hamburgers and also sushi. Thank you."

Victory drove the Light Utility Truck up the ramp and into the ship, parking it next to the "Troll" tank. She began taking inventory of the items Hanako had purchased in the busy market. "I will keep the supply of batteries coming," she told the captain.

As always, Hanako was glad to be back aboard the Eucharis, the ship that was her home. The hum of thousands of kilometers of electrical cabling, the rumble of atmospheric ventilation systems, and even the slight stenches of cargo bay dust and faint seawater were familiar and comforting and made her feel safer as she stepped into her domain. After briefly chatting with Victory, she went to the bridge to check on things.

Bridge

On the bridge, Hanako checked the ship's logs and found that Junko had arrived. She dialed the ship's intercom. "Itto Heisho Takeda, Please report to the bridge."

Medbay

Sienna heard Natsumi's voice to the side and whipped her head that way to look, but could not make her out through her foggy vision. Decontaminating us? she thought frantically. From what?

She had to fight a little to keep her breathing under control and prevent panic from overcoming her. The shock of waking up tied to a table would almost be too much for her to handle even if she wasn't in full-body tingling discomfort, and it was made that much worse by her splitting headache, throbbing knuckles, and barely functional equilibrium. The blurry outline looming over her vision sharpened slowly into the shape of Izokia gazing down on her as if she were a caged and dangerous animal. She yanked hard a couple more times against her restraints, gritting and baring her teeth at the doctor briefly in frustrated anger.

Her struggles only worsened her headache, but her vision continued to clear. A pure white shape took the form of Natsumi's nearly luminescent head of snowy hair, and she saw the rest of her lying there on a bed next to her. And she was also tied down to it.

Sienna's fear and frustration slowly morphed into confusion. A bewildered frown weighed her scowl down heavily, and she looked around at the people she could make out in the medbay through bleary eyes. Why did they have Natsumi tied down, too?

It started to dawn on her that she couldn't clearly remember what she had been doing since breakfast. The last clear memory she had was exiting the ship and heading out into the dreamworld, but even though she knew it had been several hours since then, everything in between was a hazy blur.

Chieko's chiding voice came from seemingly all around her, and she blinked, looking around at the nothing from whence it seemed to come. At first, being blamed for whatever had happened when she had no clear idea of anything that had happened caused her anger to flare up once more, but it stopped short of surfacing. 'We're' like this? she thought. What was she talking about?

She turned her head in Natsumi's direction, closing her eyes and swallowing against the headache that was increasing in severity the more conscious she became. She opened them again, looking at her fellow captive. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

Sune started making his way back to the Eucharis ensuring that Misato stayed with him.

"When we arrive at the ship, you will need to give the merchant back his lizard. Once aboard the ship, if you wish to pursue the matter with the Shôshô. But I would not expect her to change her mind." he said to her.

As they arrived he noted that the Qaktoro stopped short of the Eucharis' landing pad. Sepop was talking with the other crew members getting briefed on what each had seen and learned.

He watched Hanako head into the Eucharis without a word to the visitors. He wondered what had transpired in their absence. He approached Sepop.

"I guess we can try coordinating our exploration with our next foray." he said to her.

Sepop looked at Sune, "I presumed that the situation with your crew reached a critical stage which prompted her rapid return.

My crew and I will be boarding our ship and going through decontamination. I look forward to seeing you and your commander again."

Sune watched as the Qaktoro made their way back to their ship. Then one by one stepped through the mist that covered their airlock entrance.

He walked up the ramp and entered the ship.

Cargo Bay

Mitsuko was startled as yet another new crew member arrived on the ship. She sat up straight, wondering if she should greet her. Before she could make up her mind, Junko had already walked into the ship proper. Murakami was about to settle back in when she heard the truck trundling up the ramp.

She stood up, looking at Riko's NSP she was still holding. Mitsuko set it aside, for now. It should be safe, now that they were back in the ship. She hurried over to meet the returning crew, moving to assist Victory. "I can't believe the captain could shop at a time like this." She shook her head, seeming tired as she helped the other Neko catalog the new items they'd returned with.

Looking up from her work, she was pleased to see Sune and Misato returning together.

Nearing The Ship

As they neared the Ship Misato let the lizard off her shoulder and handed it over. She was a bit sad over the fact she had to hand it over. Then she saw Mitsuko sitting on the ramp with a NSP. Her memory of holding her own on Mimi was still fresh in her mind.

"Sir," She paused and turned to Sune, "Permission to stay out for a bit more, I... I would like to walk around the ship a few times, I'm not really all that hungry."

Medbay

Ayumi stood by silently, accepting what the others said as they spoke, and watching as the Neko in slunk out as if trying to escape. She could hardly blame her, as the medbay currently felt like some sort of party house.

When Kale came in she looked between he and Izokia, both were clearly sorry for... Something. She sighed softly, shaking her head and stepping up next to Izokia. "Orshira-Hei, I must advise against use of physical violence against crew members, patient or no." She stated softly, her tone calm even though it was a stern statement.

Continuing her silence for a few moments, she hovered there, noting that the white haired Neko was most unpleased, and that Sienna appeared to have come to some sort of return of consciousness.

"Chieko," She advised softly, "The blood contaminant readings taken both from Shelton-san and this Itto-Hei have returned, Charisma should have them on log, and you should have access to them should you wish." With the slightest cock of her head she now turned to Sienna. Of course she would be concerned, Ayumi doubted she had any memory of the situation, what with how fuzzily everyone else's memory was.

"I'm sorry, Shelton-san," She started, looking down at the patient, "You were brought to the medical bay previously, but the affects of the drugs in the air outside the ship caused you to become paranoid and you fled. You had to be disabled because you were violent, and you were tied down to ensure ours and your safety if you were to wake in the same condition." She quickly glanced at Izokia, looking up slightly so she could catch the gaze of the white haired Neko.

"I do not know your situation, Itto Hei, though your face does seem to be slightly bruised. When you left the medical bay you were mostly subdued, though I believe you should have stayed here longer." When she finished her explanation, she looked up at Kale.

"Do you require medical attention?" She asked, her tone stern, "I understand that you were also under the influence of the drugs." A short pause and then she continued, "If you do not require immediate medical attention, I would ask that you step out for some time to give us a chance to catch up with those of the crew who are in need of immediate medical attention." She gave a slight nod.

Finally, she stepped over to Bors, giving him a once over and making sure he was free of any injuries that may require serious help. Once she was certain that the man simply needed to "sleep off" his intoxication, she stepped out of the containment cell, and looked over at the recontruction cell Chieko was in.

Medical Lab

"Namach-Hei can come sit next to me," came Chieko's thoughts from the speakers as a wicked grin lazily spread across her otherwise 'sleeping' face, "I really wouldn't mind. He could even rest against the tube if he likes."

"Oh, and I've started to feel the pain from that pinch I gave myself," she continued, "Reminds me of something I was quite glad to leave behind six years ago. It's not bad yet and will be little compared to what I'm dreading once I start feeling my legs again, but it is starting to get troublesome."

Junko almost jumped as she heard the Taisa’s - No, she corrected herself, She’s the Shosho now - voice once again. She’d followed the exploits of her old ship and captain as best she had been able from a distance. Hearing news of Hanako’s promotion had overjoyed her, as had the repeated stories of the Eucharis’s continuing uncanny ability to emerge from the worst battles not only intact, but often having made a crucial difference. That connection to something important, something almost mythical had sustained her during her darkest hours on Nataria, when the interminable and stultifying work of keeping the Fleet Depot’s readiness levels up bore down upon her. She could think back to her old ship - in particular her favorite spot, the cramped and hot Power Systems compartment - and to her old shipmates, and know that somewhere out there great things were happening.

Junko shook her head violently in disbelief; how could she be woolgathering now, of all times? Abandoning her kit without a second thought, she charged off to the Bridge. She barely paused to hit the admittance key before lunging in.

“Ma’am!” she said, perhaps a bit too forcefully, as she inclined her torso in her best formal bow. Straightening up, she felt her face flush from the violence of her emotions, so atypical of her. “Shosho, it is beyond an honor to be accepted back into your crew, ma’am!”

Medical Bay


Natsumi watched Sienna as she struggled a few moments. The other woman seemed to be pretty bad off still, though at least becoming coherent of thought at least as decontamination continued. The neko attempted a smile, a painful one, as Sienna asked what happened.

"Welk, seems the air on this planet is laced full of all kinds of drugs and halucinagens." she said. "It effected most of us pretty bad, some worse than others. You got it really bad and I did too" she went on. " At one point you tried to run off to who knows where while they were making the first decontamination attempt. I went after you to bring you back" she paused, "I'll say, I feel sorry for anyone who tries to back you into a corner" Natsumi winced, her face and head still hurt like hell and she wondered when the medics were going to set her broken nose.

Kale blinked. Well that was unexpected.

Avoiding the gaze of the other two patients in the main bay he got up and walked over to the cell where Chieko was currently recovering. He raised a questioning eyebrow towards the medics before entering. The tube hummed softly and within he could see the recovering science officer. All he could think to say was "Im glad your alive Chieko."

Medbay

"Disabled."

Though the context of Sienna's spoken word in response to Ayumi's explanation would have made it a question, her intonation and inflection, not to mention the grim look of displeasure on her face, made it much more of a stated reaffirmation of what the doctor said had been done to her. Sienna had been tazed before, and the aftereffects of different types of stun guns were all different. However, they all had similar telltale signs, and the unpleasant tingling all over her body was certainly one of them.

She turned her tired-looking but accusing eyes on Ayumi. "Disabled," she repeated. "You frackin' shot me."

Natsumi spoke up next to her before the doctor could reply, and she looked back at the other Neko. Her vision was starting to clear now, and when she finally got a good look at her fellow medical captive a perplexed and mildly concerned look overshadowed her features. Natsumi looked like she had been thrown off of a small building. One of her eyes was very nearly swollen shut, her nose was bent at an abnormal-looking angle, and bluish-black bruises marred her normally snowy skin. Even her cheekbones looked slightly caved in, and there was dried blood everywhere.

She listened to Natsumi's explanation, and absently flexed her fists again, starting to realize just why her hands felt like they'd been repeatedly stomped on. She noticed that her jacket was missing as well. She'd done that to Natsumi. But when? And why?

The news of the drug-laced air on this planet started to sink in, and she allowed it to distract her from the realization that she'd beaten Natsumi into the mess before her with her bare hands and couldn't even remember doing it. Her scrambled sense of time and apparent memory loss made some degree of insane sense with that revelation. She stared blankly across at Natsumi for a few seconds, processing what she'd been told.

Slowly a self-satisfied gallows grin pulled her lips upwards and she started to chuckle softly. Closing her eyes, she laid the back of her head back on the bed and rocked it back and forth as if shaking it in condescending disdain. Her muted chuckle grew into a quiet laugh as she laid there with her eyes closed against the headache and dull pain in the rest of her body, still with the smug grin plastered on her face. Hallucinogens in the air on an artificial world that dealt in dreams. Hardly a coincidence.

"I told y'all something wasn't right about this place," she chided, still laughing.

Medbay

Ayumi set her shoulders back, a hint towards her feeling of slight insult towards how Sienna had turned to her and automatically accused her. How was it she was the one who Sienna assumed had the ability to shoot her few crew, when Izokia was standing right there looking like a guilty puppy?

Even as her mind pouted about the way Sienna had spoken to her, her expression remained impassive. Silently she stepped between the beds Sienna and Natsumi were on, glancing over at Sienna only for a moment before muttering, "I did no such thing," And then turning back to Natsumi.

For all that Izokia was insistent that these two her her patients, the other medic seemed stuck for some sort of reason. Whatever the reason, one which Ayumi silently decided could not be more important than their patients, Natsumi did need medical attention.

"Your body should begin to heal soon," Ayumi explained to Natsumi, "Though Orshira-Hei will need to set your nose quickly so that it does not heal... Incorrectly." She looked over at Izokia as she said the last word, heavily hinting that she should get to work soon if she so wished to maintain these patients as "hers".

It was at this moment that Sienna began to laugh. Ayumi turned to her now, her eyebrows slightly elevated in surprise. She wondered if the hallucinogens in the drugs had taken over again. For a moment she was concerned, at least until Sienna spoke. She tilted her head forward, covering a slight smile with her hand.

"I believed something similar as well, Shelton-san." She admitted, briefly remembering how fidgety she'd been the day before.

Medical Bay

Natsumi turned her gaze back to the ceiling. She wasn't sure what Sienna found so entertaining about the situation to laugh at, but decided not to press the issue.

"Yes, I suppose you were right" she replied. "Hey Doc, that be nice to get my nose se" she glanced at Izokia, "Also something for the pain would be nice too" she went on. "And the restraints, were not going to run anywhere and this is pretty uncomfortable... and we're not prisoners, unless you want to file official charges with the Shosho"

Medical Lab

"I am too," the scientist replied to the doubt stricken technician. A rueful grin crossed her face after that statement, with a playful edge added to it. Chieko then blindly raised a hand and placed it flat on the inside of the tube wall; her grin fading slightly.

"Sounds like everyone is alive enough to argue now - that's good news. How are you holding up, Namach-san?"

Medbay

Ayumi bowed apologetically as Natsumi spoke, "Immediately," She started as she headed over to the cupboards to get some painkillers she could inject into Natsumi, "I must also apologise," She added, "I took the need for you to be restrained at face value, assuming that you and Sienna had both become uncontrollable in some way." Her explanation came as she pulled the injector for the painkillers out of the cupboard and went about preparing it for use.

While in no way trying to decry Izokia, she wanted to make it perfectly clear that she had not been the one who came up with the ideas to apparently shoot either of these women or tie them down. She wondered just how many of Izokia's "in the moment" ideas they would be caught up in. She glanced momentarily over at the containment cell which held the goo from the days before, before injecting Natsumi in the arm with a simple painkiller, and then setting the injector aside.

"I'm sorry." She repeated, undoing the woman's bonds, and then turning to Sienna, "I assume you are in control of yourself now?" Unlike Natsumi, who had simply run out of the med bay before, she had a vivid memory of Sienna wielding a knife and running out, "I want to make sure that you are safe and the drugs out of your system." Her explanation was short, even as she moved to Sienna's side and hovered over her bonds.

Izokia had insisted that these two were her patients, and yet... Ayumi felt her fingers itching to set Natsumi's nose, release Sienna and give her a thorough looking over... Sienna's injured hands for instance. Her stance remained demure, her expression impassable. She wished no issues with Izokia, but she also wished no issue with the others of the crew. Surely disarming a hostile person was alright, but she recognised the signs in Natsumi as well.

What could she have possibly done?

Medical Bay

"Thanks" Natsumi said as she was administered an analgesic for the pain then untied. She just relaxed for a short while, waiting for the painkiller to kick in, which it did fairly quick. "That's much better" she muttered and slowly sat up.

"I ran out to make sure nothing happened to Sienna" she said to the medical Neko and glanced at her friend, who was now also being unrestrained. "Not because of a drug induced need to go gallivanting around the planet" she cast a rather unfriendly glance at Izokia as she said that.

Medbay

Deziarra finished the program she was working on. The program contained a 3-D hologram of each of their brains and the areas that had been infected. It was color coded with gray for the areas with little to no unusual activities, then purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and white for the brain areas with the most unusual activities of all. She had no idea which parts of the brain did what, even for her own species, but the data was gathered and converted into an easily readable format. Looking at some of the white areas, she thought she could guess which parts of the brain were used for dreaming. She gave the others the results.

"I'm heading for the bridge to report my findings to the Shosho," she yelled to the people in the crowded Medbay and then did exactly that.

Medbay

Takeyu sighed, he still didn't understand what the heck was going on, Charisma could only tell him so much and it was obvious things had gotten dicy, considering weapons had been used... what troubled him was that Hanako hadn't come to the medbay, a situation such as this where a weapon is potentially used to subdue either a crewmen or a guest would certainly be reported.

"Someone mind filling me...." said the Taii, authoritively, as he cast a glance about the room and looked over at Sienna. "In detail. Please." It was quite annoying that he'd been kept in the medbay.