Yangfan
Inactive Member
Yangfan
The shuttles were back inside the Celia's docking bay. From the vantage point of the shuttle bay, another shuttle could be seen approaching the ship. It appeared to be a NovaCorp model.
Yuri gathered everyone around her after they have disembarked.
"Kaori, Kaede, take the Mindy armors back to the armory, then take the rest of the day off. Motoyama, go and see if you're needed on the bridge. Kelsey, you've had long day. Get some rest. Ryoko, you take the rest of the day off as well. You should probably take the time to familiarize yourself with the ship. I will stay here and wait for Celia's orders on what to do with these radioactive material. Any questions?"
Meanwhile, in the Taisho's office…
Henry sat at his desk inside his office. His hands were clasped together. Across the desk from him sat Chui Liam Lu, the Power Systems Specialist of the Celia.
"You sure?" asked Henry.
"Yes, sir. I'm sure. I am not joining the Nepleslians. I'd like to stay here, if you'll have me," answered Liam.
"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I'm surprised. You don't seem to like it here very much."
"That's not true, sir. Not true at all," replied Liam.
"I must have been mistaken then…Very well, Chui. Dismissed."
"Thank you, sir."
As Liam left the room, Celia's voice chimed in from the ceiling.
"Taisho?"
"Yes, Celia?"
"The Ayame II and the Hana-Shôbu II battlegroups have arrived in the system, sir. Taisa Jeiriel Kemitha will be overseeing the training of Phodian personnel. Also, the new Jilanth shuttle has arrived safely. Santô Juni Zao-Fe Nei and Santô Hei Drake Starblade were aboard."
"Acknowledged… I'm going to get some sleep. We will set off for the Essia System in 8 hours."
"Aye, sir."
Meanwhile, in the Celia's shuttle bay…
Cora
The small Dy'Unnar Kohanian stood where she was, she was in an unfamiliar ship, the sent alone telling her this. Compounded on that was her inability to see. She was scared, nervous and somewhat sad all at once, her tail whipping back and forth sharply behind her.
"Umm..." She muttered as she moved her head from side to side. "Is there anyone else here with Nei?" She asked.
Tyler
Ryoko was the first off the shuttle and stretched yawning a bit; feeling a bit relieved as her anxiety over her mission dissipated. The interior of the ship was still bleak as ever though and didn't provide much in the way of odors. Ryoko turned toward her after her eyes caught sight of the girl's tail snapping around. The violet-haired Neko realized that the Kohanian must be in some form of distress. But that was an assumption made from her body language, which caused her to walk over intent to see if she could render some friendly aid.
"Excuse me." The Neko said, gently laying her hand on Nei's furry arm to get her attention. "My name's Ryoko and I'm here with you." She said in response to the Kohanian's query. "I can lead you around if you want me to." She offered, having figured out by the girl's question that she couldn't see.
Drake Starblade
As the Elysian stepped off the shuttle, he said to himself, "So this is the YSS Celia." After he made sure that the Kohanian was attended to, he then called up the AI; "Santo Hei Drake Starblade here, where should I report?"
Cora
Nei withdrew slightly when the Neko touched her arm. Raising her paw, Nei felt around till she lightly stroaked the Neko's face, and ears. Nodding slightly, Nei muttered.
"Thank you. Nei needs to go to the medica facilities. Nei's last Taisa said they can help Nei here."
Drake Starblade
Waiting for the AI to come up with an answer, Drake stretched his wings while saying, "I'm here too and my name's Drake."
Tyler
Ryoko blinked as Nei touched her face and ears gently and giggled a little when she did. "So your last Taisa said you could get treatment here hmm?" She said and gently took Nei's hand. "Alright come with me and I'll take you to the medbay and we'll see what they can do for you." Ryoko said and turned to Drake for a moment. "Hello." she said.
Of course in her haste to help a fellow crewmate...Ryoko forgot she didn't know the layout of the ship that well and needed to ask the computer for assistance. "Celia, can you point us in the quickest route to the medbay from here?" she asked.
Drake Starblade
"Hi", Drake replied, "I'll stay here and wait and if anyone comes looking for you I'll tell them that you're headed towards the med bay"
Yangfan
"Of course, Shoi Yamikage," replied Celia to Ryoko's request. A holographic map appeared in front of Ryoko, displaying the shortest route from the shuttle bay to sickbay. "I will summon Shosa Roma to the medical bay. Get well soon, Santô Juni Zao-Fe."
"Santô Hei Starblade," added Celia, "welcome aboard. There will be a possible away mission when we reach the next system. You will be a part of the away team. You have the next few hours free however. Feel free to get some rest or familiarize yourself with the ship. I can arrange for someone to show you to your room. Otherwise, you can ask me for directions to points of interest within the ship."
A large troll could be seen hauling away the containment chamber that contained the radioactive rods, with Yuri following behind him. Most of the other personnel had left the shuttle bay.
Tyler
Ryoko nodded as she looked at the map and gently began to lead Nei toward the sickbay. "What happened? I mean...to your eyes." Ryoko asked Nei curiously. She was going slow and staying in physical contact with the Kohanian to show her were to go. "You don't have to tell if you don't want to though."
Drake Starblade
“I think I’ll go to my room and get set up and then I’ll look around the ship. So please get someone to show me to my room.”
Cora
Nei walked along with Ryoko. keeping pace as best she could, when he ears perked slightly at the question.
"All... All Nei remembers seeing was white, then black."
Tyler
"That stinks." Ryoko said keeping a slow pace to make it easy on Nei. "Sounds like you were exposed to either a sudden bright light at close range in a dark area or grenade of some kind, I've seen it happen before." she said. "Well hopefully we can repair the damage done." she said reassuringly.
Yangfan
A sleepy-looking Neko in a gray officer's uniform walked up to Drake. "Are you Santô Hei Starblade? You asked to see your room?" She asked.
Drake Starblade
"Yes I am," said Drake, "I'm sorry if I woke you but I'm new here and I need to get some sleep."
Yangfan
"Don't worry about it," said the Neko to Drake, yawning. "Follow me."
Drake followed the Neko out of the shuttle bay and down the corridor. They eventually came to upon a lift system and stepped in. The elevator began to descend.
"I'm taking you to the dormitories for enlisted soldiers," said the Neko. "You'll be getting your own room. There is another Elysian in the room next to yours. He's fairly new as well."
Soon, the elevator doors opened again. Drake and the Neko stepped into a dimly lit hallway. The Neko led Drake up to one of the doors, which slid open upon their approach. The room contained a sunken in Yamataian-style bed, also known as a "nest", some clear plastic containers, a beanbag chair, and nothing much more.
"The bathroom is down the hall. There is a data pad in your nest containing a map of the ship and your duty schedule. You can contact Chusa Celia Megami if you need more furniture in your room. Oh, and the other Elysian is in the room to your right. I think he's sleeping right now though. Any questions, Santô Hei?"
Drake Starblade
"Not really," said the Elysian, "I’m sorry if I haven’t been very talkative but I’m really tired. Thanks again and now I’m going to get some sleep now." The sleepy Elysian walked slowly into the room, threw his stuff into its proper spot, and then fell into the "nest".
Yangfan
"Good night, then," said the Neko. The door to Drake's room automatically slid shut as she turned to leave.
Meanwhile, in sickbay…
Leading Nei by the arm, Ryoko managed to find her way to sickbay. The Celia's sickbay, like that of any Ayame-class cruiser, was large, brightly lit, and well equipped. Numerous examination tables, computer terminals, and machines with mysterious functions, were arrayed along the walls. Shosa Abriel Roma and Taii Meemeel Yuan appeared to be on duty.
Abriel was an Elysian of the Patrician caste. Like all female Patricians, she was broad-shouldered and well built, yet at the same time feminine, graceful, and beautiful. Her silvery white hair was tied into a short ponytail. Her face wore the expression of detachment carried by all physicians. Her wings were two giant contraptions of bone and muscle and skin and white feathers, which folded neatly behind her. Abriel wore a skirt variant of the Star Army uniform, with green panels, and was sitting behind a computer terminal on the far side of the room.
Meemeel looked her usual, shy, self. The Chinese-Vietnamese Geshrin girl kept her jet-black hair at shoulder length. Her face was reserved but kind. She looked a bit self-conscious in her standard-issue Star Army uniform, with green panels. Meemeel was kneeling beside one of the examination tables. She appeared to be calibrating some equipment that was underneath the table.
They looked up expectantly as Ryoko and Nei walked inside.
Tyler
The purple-haired Neko led the blinded Kohanians into the sickbay and saw the crewmembers on staff as they looked up at them expectantly. "We've got someone here who needs to be examined, I think she's suffered exposure to blinding element." She said guiding Nei to sit on a cleared off examining table. "Can you help her?" Ryoko asked.
Yangfan
"I don't know," replied Abriel, walking up to the examination table. "I've never treated a Kohanians before." She gently placed her hand on Nei's chin, tilting Nei's head up slightly to examine her eyes. "Meemeel, bring up all the files that we have on the Fenyaros."
"Yes, ma'am," answered Meemeel, who immediately went to a computer terminal and started typing.
"Now, Santô Juni, tell me how your eyes got injured," said Abriel.
Cora
"Nei was on a boarding party with Nei's last crew. We encountered Nekos on a ship in SMX space and combat ensued. Nei was the target of some thing that exploded into a bright, bright white. Then Nei saw only black."
The Kohanian muttered while keeping her eyes open.
Tyler
Ryoko put a hand on Nei's shoulder in a friendly fashion, more to comfort her than anything else. "You poor thing, that's horrible, why would Nekos do that?" she wondered aloud. She sighed and took a seat nearby to watch to see if they could help her new friend, whether Nei knew it or not. She watched the Kohanians for a bit while Meemel researched the species data.
Yangfan
"Hmm," murmured Abriel. "Lie down, please, Santô Juni." After Nei had lied down on the examination table, Abriel pulled out a medical scanner from underneath the table, and adjusted a mechanical arm so that it held the scanner over Nei's eyes. Abriel must have touched some unseen button on the scanner, as the scanner's indicator lights came on.
"I've retrieved the data, ma'am," said Meemeel.
"Let me see," replied Abriel, who went over to the computer terminal and gestured for Meemeel to get up. As soon as Meemeel stood up, Abriel sat down in front of the computer terminal, and pulled up the output of the scanner as well as the scan of a pair of normal Kohanian eyes for comparison.
"Hmm. The corneas are burned and are barely attached, and the aqueous humors are pretty much gone. Both sets of lenses and the irises are badly burned. Vitreous humors are milky. There is extensive damage to the retinas as well… I believe the optic nerves were the only things that weren't damaged." Abriel said calmly.
"Oh dear," murmured Meemeel.
"I see two treatment options for you, Santô Juni," said Abriel. "One is to use nanites to attempt to repair your damaged eyes. It will be a bit tricky, since Kohanian physiology is slightly different from human physiology. So, your vision might not be fully restored immediately after the treatment, but I expect your vision to return fully in a matter of months, if not weeks, with additional nanites treatments. Option two is to replace your damaged eyes with Neko eyes. I can create a pair in my lab in a few hours. Your vision will be fully restored after the treatment, but I'll have to give you some drugs to prevent your body from rejecting the new eyes. The drugs will have some temporary and minor side effects, mostly sleepiness and irritability. After about a week, the Neko eyes will adapt themselves to your immune system, and the drug treatment can stop. Anyway… I leave the choice up to you."
Yangfan
Henry blinked, and the world came into focus.
He could faintly hear the sound of running water, coming from his private restroom.
Groggily, Henry stood up, and walked over to the restroom's door. The sound of water intensified as he pushed the door open.
"Shina?"
"I'm in the shower, Henry."
Faintly, Henry could make out flashes of the color of flesh behind the opaque shower doors. It took some amount of his willpower not to strip off his clothes and jump into the shower with her.
"Okay. I'm… uh… I'm just going to brush my teeth," he replied.
Henry picked up his toothbrush and stared at it. He found it hard to concentrate. He stared at the shower door, and at the toothbrush again.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
"Um… Shina? I'll be in the communal washroom, okay?"
"Whatever floats your doodle, Henry."
"It’s precisely my doodle that I'm worried about," Henry muttered to himself as he picked up his toiletries, slung a towel over his shoulder, and left the restroom.
The officers' washroom, reserved for the lower-ranking officers who might not have their own private restrooms, was only a minute's walk down the corridor. After he entered, Henry headed straight for one of the sinks, bypassing a large communal bathtub on the way.
"Morning, Liam. Morning, Sakai."
"… Morning, sir," replied the Nepleslian and the Neko soaking in the bathtub.
Henry stopped in his tracks. A small voice on the back of his mind told him that his peripheral vision had just seen something interesting.
"This is a communal bathtub… Why are you guys naked?"
Liam was as red as a beet, and remained silent. Sakai giggled as she ducked behind Liam, leaving splashes of water and ripples in her wake. "No one usually comes here at this hour, sir," she said.
"Oh. This… this is awkward," commented Henry. "… I'll go brush my teeth now."
A few moments later, Henry was walking out of the communal washroom, carrying his toiletries and wiping his face with his towel.
"We never saw each other," he said to Liam and Sakai as he left.
"Roger that, sir," shouted Sakai, snuggling up to Liam.
((OOC: With apologies to Mr. Robert Frost.))
Motoyama Kaori
He walked down the hall calmly. This was routine procedures he was witnessing. Though he seemed his head was not completely into much lately. Luckily he was starting to act more like himself, he'd been having nightmares of that day his parents died. He would wake up in a cold sweat kicking and swinging at the air, trying to harm those who harmed his parents. He stepped through the hissing doors, and as per his usual tone, he spoke in that militaristic snap to attention style.
"Motoyama Kaori, reporting for bridge duty as needed."
He snapped a salute and awaited further orders.
Yangfan
In the medical bay…
"All done," said Abriel. Nei had decided to go with the nanites option, and Abriel had just finished the first round of surgical treatments, after many hours. She looked down at the anesthetized Kohanian. "Rest well, Santô Juni. I'll have Meemeel bring some blankets for you."
Meanwhile, on the bridge…
"You're up early, Taii Kaori," said Henry as he walked onto the bridge after Motoyama. "Take your station."
"Taisho on the bridge," said Celia, standing next to the captain's chair. The crewmembers sitting at their stations on the bridge all stood up like clockwork.
Henry looked around. He could see Celia, Sakai, Motoyama, Kioko, Shina, and Kaya, at their respective stations. The two pilots had taken up positions inside the pilot dome as well.
"Taii Kamitaka has plotted a course to the Essia system, sir, per your instructions," said Celia.
"Good," replied Henry, sitting down on the captain's chair. "Alert the rest of the battle-group, and engage the hyperspace drive when ready."
Within seconds, the Celia battle-group, which had been orbiting the main planet of the Ohara system, blinked out of existence, only to reappear seconds later, in the outer fringes of the Essia system.
The shuttles were back inside the Celia's docking bay. From the vantage point of the shuttle bay, another shuttle could be seen approaching the ship. It appeared to be a NovaCorp model.
Yuri gathered everyone around her after they have disembarked.
"Kaori, Kaede, take the Mindy armors back to the armory, then take the rest of the day off. Motoyama, go and see if you're needed on the bridge. Kelsey, you've had long day. Get some rest. Ryoko, you take the rest of the day off as well. You should probably take the time to familiarize yourself with the ship. I will stay here and wait for Celia's orders on what to do with these radioactive material. Any questions?"
Meanwhile, in the Taisho's office…
Henry sat at his desk inside his office. His hands were clasped together. Across the desk from him sat Chui Liam Lu, the Power Systems Specialist of the Celia.
"You sure?" asked Henry.
"Yes, sir. I'm sure. I am not joining the Nepleslians. I'd like to stay here, if you'll have me," answered Liam.
"I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I'm surprised. You don't seem to like it here very much."
"That's not true, sir. Not true at all," replied Liam.
"I must have been mistaken then…Very well, Chui. Dismissed."
"Thank you, sir."
As Liam left the room, Celia's voice chimed in from the ceiling.
"Taisho?"
"Yes, Celia?"
"The Ayame II and the Hana-Shôbu II battlegroups have arrived in the system, sir. Taisa Jeiriel Kemitha will be overseeing the training of Phodian personnel. Also, the new Jilanth shuttle has arrived safely. Santô Juni Zao-Fe Nei and Santô Hei Drake Starblade were aboard."
"Acknowledged… I'm going to get some sleep. We will set off for the Essia System in 8 hours."
"Aye, sir."
Meanwhile, in the Celia's shuttle bay…
Cora
The small Dy'Unnar Kohanian stood where she was, she was in an unfamiliar ship, the sent alone telling her this. Compounded on that was her inability to see. She was scared, nervous and somewhat sad all at once, her tail whipping back and forth sharply behind her.
"Umm..." She muttered as she moved her head from side to side. "Is there anyone else here with Nei?" She asked.
Tyler
Ryoko was the first off the shuttle and stretched yawning a bit; feeling a bit relieved as her anxiety over her mission dissipated. The interior of the ship was still bleak as ever though and didn't provide much in the way of odors. Ryoko turned toward her after her eyes caught sight of the girl's tail snapping around. The violet-haired Neko realized that the Kohanian must be in some form of distress. But that was an assumption made from her body language, which caused her to walk over intent to see if she could render some friendly aid.
"Excuse me." The Neko said, gently laying her hand on Nei's furry arm to get her attention. "My name's Ryoko and I'm here with you." She said in response to the Kohanian's query. "I can lead you around if you want me to." She offered, having figured out by the girl's question that she couldn't see.
Drake Starblade
As the Elysian stepped off the shuttle, he said to himself, "So this is the YSS Celia." After he made sure that the Kohanian was attended to, he then called up the AI; "Santo Hei Drake Starblade here, where should I report?"
Cora
Nei withdrew slightly when the Neko touched her arm. Raising her paw, Nei felt around till she lightly stroaked the Neko's face, and ears. Nodding slightly, Nei muttered.
"Thank you. Nei needs to go to the medica facilities. Nei's last Taisa said they can help Nei here."
Drake Starblade
Waiting for the AI to come up with an answer, Drake stretched his wings while saying, "I'm here too and my name's Drake."
Tyler
Ryoko blinked as Nei touched her face and ears gently and giggled a little when she did. "So your last Taisa said you could get treatment here hmm?" She said and gently took Nei's hand. "Alright come with me and I'll take you to the medbay and we'll see what they can do for you." Ryoko said and turned to Drake for a moment. "Hello." she said.
Of course in her haste to help a fellow crewmate...Ryoko forgot she didn't know the layout of the ship that well and needed to ask the computer for assistance. "Celia, can you point us in the quickest route to the medbay from here?" she asked.
Drake Starblade
"Hi", Drake replied, "I'll stay here and wait and if anyone comes looking for you I'll tell them that you're headed towards the med bay"
Yangfan
"Of course, Shoi Yamikage," replied Celia to Ryoko's request. A holographic map appeared in front of Ryoko, displaying the shortest route from the shuttle bay to sickbay. "I will summon Shosa Roma to the medical bay. Get well soon, Santô Juni Zao-Fe."
"Santô Hei Starblade," added Celia, "welcome aboard. There will be a possible away mission when we reach the next system. You will be a part of the away team. You have the next few hours free however. Feel free to get some rest or familiarize yourself with the ship. I can arrange for someone to show you to your room. Otherwise, you can ask me for directions to points of interest within the ship."
A large troll could be seen hauling away the containment chamber that contained the radioactive rods, with Yuri following behind him. Most of the other personnel had left the shuttle bay.
Tyler
Ryoko nodded as she looked at the map and gently began to lead Nei toward the sickbay. "What happened? I mean...to your eyes." Ryoko asked Nei curiously. She was going slow and staying in physical contact with the Kohanian to show her were to go. "You don't have to tell if you don't want to though."
Drake Starblade
“I think I’ll go to my room and get set up and then I’ll look around the ship. So please get someone to show me to my room.”
Cora
Nei walked along with Ryoko. keeping pace as best she could, when he ears perked slightly at the question.
"All... All Nei remembers seeing was white, then black."
Tyler
"That stinks." Ryoko said keeping a slow pace to make it easy on Nei. "Sounds like you were exposed to either a sudden bright light at close range in a dark area or grenade of some kind, I've seen it happen before." she said. "Well hopefully we can repair the damage done." she said reassuringly.
Yangfan
A sleepy-looking Neko in a gray officer's uniform walked up to Drake. "Are you Santô Hei Starblade? You asked to see your room?" She asked.
Drake Starblade
"Yes I am," said Drake, "I'm sorry if I woke you but I'm new here and I need to get some sleep."
Yangfan
"Don't worry about it," said the Neko to Drake, yawning. "Follow me."
Drake followed the Neko out of the shuttle bay and down the corridor. They eventually came to upon a lift system and stepped in. The elevator began to descend.
"I'm taking you to the dormitories for enlisted soldiers," said the Neko. "You'll be getting your own room. There is another Elysian in the room next to yours. He's fairly new as well."
Soon, the elevator doors opened again. Drake and the Neko stepped into a dimly lit hallway. The Neko led Drake up to one of the doors, which slid open upon their approach. The room contained a sunken in Yamataian-style bed, also known as a "nest", some clear plastic containers, a beanbag chair, and nothing much more.
"The bathroom is down the hall. There is a data pad in your nest containing a map of the ship and your duty schedule. You can contact Chusa Celia Megami if you need more furniture in your room. Oh, and the other Elysian is in the room to your right. I think he's sleeping right now though. Any questions, Santô Hei?"
Drake Starblade
"Not really," said the Elysian, "I’m sorry if I haven’t been very talkative but I’m really tired. Thanks again and now I’m going to get some sleep now." The sleepy Elysian walked slowly into the room, threw his stuff into its proper spot, and then fell into the "nest".
Yangfan
"Good night, then," said the Neko. The door to Drake's room automatically slid shut as she turned to leave.
Meanwhile, in sickbay…
Leading Nei by the arm, Ryoko managed to find her way to sickbay. The Celia's sickbay, like that of any Ayame-class cruiser, was large, brightly lit, and well equipped. Numerous examination tables, computer terminals, and machines with mysterious functions, were arrayed along the walls. Shosa Abriel Roma and Taii Meemeel Yuan appeared to be on duty.
Abriel was an Elysian of the Patrician caste. Like all female Patricians, she was broad-shouldered and well built, yet at the same time feminine, graceful, and beautiful. Her silvery white hair was tied into a short ponytail. Her face wore the expression of detachment carried by all physicians. Her wings were two giant contraptions of bone and muscle and skin and white feathers, which folded neatly behind her. Abriel wore a skirt variant of the Star Army uniform, with green panels, and was sitting behind a computer terminal on the far side of the room.
Meemeel looked her usual, shy, self. The Chinese-Vietnamese Geshrin girl kept her jet-black hair at shoulder length. Her face was reserved but kind. She looked a bit self-conscious in her standard-issue Star Army uniform, with green panels. Meemeel was kneeling beside one of the examination tables. She appeared to be calibrating some equipment that was underneath the table.
They looked up expectantly as Ryoko and Nei walked inside.
Tyler
The purple-haired Neko led the blinded Kohanians into the sickbay and saw the crewmembers on staff as they looked up at them expectantly. "We've got someone here who needs to be examined, I think she's suffered exposure to blinding element." She said guiding Nei to sit on a cleared off examining table. "Can you help her?" Ryoko asked.
Yangfan
"I don't know," replied Abriel, walking up to the examination table. "I've never treated a Kohanians before." She gently placed her hand on Nei's chin, tilting Nei's head up slightly to examine her eyes. "Meemeel, bring up all the files that we have on the Fenyaros."
"Yes, ma'am," answered Meemeel, who immediately went to a computer terminal and started typing.
"Now, Santô Juni, tell me how your eyes got injured," said Abriel.
Cora
"Nei was on a boarding party with Nei's last crew. We encountered Nekos on a ship in SMX space and combat ensued. Nei was the target of some thing that exploded into a bright, bright white. Then Nei saw only black."
The Kohanian muttered while keeping her eyes open.
Tyler
Ryoko put a hand on Nei's shoulder in a friendly fashion, more to comfort her than anything else. "You poor thing, that's horrible, why would Nekos do that?" she wondered aloud. She sighed and took a seat nearby to watch to see if they could help her new friend, whether Nei knew it or not. She watched the Kohanians for a bit while Meemel researched the species data.
Yangfan
"Hmm," murmured Abriel. "Lie down, please, Santô Juni." After Nei had lied down on the examination table, Abriel pulled out a medical scanner from underneath the table, and adjusted a mechanical arm so that it held the scanner over Nei's eyes. Abriel must have touched some unseen button on the scanner, as the scanner's indicator lights came on.
"I've retrieved the data, ma'am," said Meemeel.
"Let me see," replied Abriel, who went over to the computer terminal and gestured for Meemeel to get up. As soon as Meemeel stood up, Abriel sat down in front of the computer terminal, and pulled up the output of the scanner as well as the scan of a pair of normal Kohanian eyes for comparison.
"Hmm. The corneas are burned and are barely attached, and the aqueous humors are pretty much gone. Both sets of lenses and the irises are badly burned. Vitreous humors are milky. There is extensive damage to the retinas as well… I believe the optic nerves were the only things that weren't damaged." Abriel said calmly.
"Oh dear," murmured Meemeel.
"I see two treatment options for you, Santô Juni," said Abriel. "One is to use nanites to attempt to repair your damaged eyes. It will be a bit tricky, since Kohanian physiology is slightly different from human physiology. So, your vision might not be fully restored immediately after the treatment, but I expect your vision to return fully in a matter of months, if not weeks, with additional nanites treatments. Option two is to replace your damaged eyes with Neko eyes. I can create a pair in my lab in a few hours. Your vision will be fully restored after the treatment, but I'll have to give you some drugs to prevent your body from rejecting the new eyes. The drugs will have some temporary and minor side effects, mostly sleepiness and irritability. After about a week, the Neko eyes will adapt themselves to your immune system, and the drug treatment can stop. Anyway… I leave the choice up to you."
Yangfan
Henry blinked, and the world came into focus.
He could faintly hear the sound of running water, coming from his private restroom.
Groggily, Henry stood up, and walked over to the restroom's door. The sound of water intensified as he pushed the door open.
"Shina?"
"I'm in the shower, Henry."
Faintly, Henry could make out flashes of the color of flesh behind the opaque shower doors. It took some amount of his willpower not to strip off his clothes and jump into the shower with her.
"Okay. I'm… uh… I'm just going to brush my teeth," he replied.
Henry picked up his toothbrush and stared at it. He found it hard to concentrate. He stared at the shower door, and at the toothbrush again.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
"Um… Shina? I'll be in the communal washroom, okay?"
"Whatever floats your doodle, Henry."
"It’s precisely my doodle that I'm worried about," Henry muttered to himself as he picked up his toiletries, slung a towel over his shoulder, and left the restroom.
The officers' washroom, reserved for the lower-ranking officers who might not have their own private restrooms, was only a minute's walk down the corridor. After he entered, Henry headed straight for one of the sinks, bypassing a large communal bathtub on the way.
"Morning, Liam. Morning, Sakai."
"… Morning, sir," replied the Nepleslian and the Neko soaking in the bathtub.
Henry stopped in his tracks. A small voice on the back of his mind told him that his peripheral vision had just seen something interesting.
"This is a communal bathtub… Why are you guys naked?"
Liam was as red as a beet, and remained silent. Sakai giggled as she ducked behind Liam, leaving splashes of water and ripples in her wake. "No one usually comes here at this hour, sir," she said.
"Oh. This… this is awkward," commented Henry. "… I'll go brush my teeth now."
A few moments later, Henry was walking out of the communal washroom, carrying his toiletries and wiping his face with his towel.
"We never saw each other," he said to Liam and Sakai as he left.
"Roger that, sir," shouted Sakai, snuggling up to Liam.
((OOC: With apologies to Mr. Robert Frost.))
Motoyama Kaori
He walked down the hall calmly. This was routine procedures he was witnessing. Though he seemed his head was not completely into much lately. Luckily he was starting to act more like himself, he'd been having nightmares of that day his parents died. He would wake up in a cold sweat kicking and swinging at the air, trying to harm those who harmed his parents. He stepped through the hissing doors, and as per his usual tone, he spoke in that militaristic snap to attention style.
"Motoyama Kaori, reporting for bridge duty as needed."
He snapped a salute and awaited further orders.
Yangfan
In the medical bay…
"All done," said Abriel. Nei had decided to go with the nanites option, and Abriel had just finished the first round of surgical treatments, after many hours. She looked down at the anesthetized Kohanian. "Rest well, Santô Juni. I'll have Meemeel bring some blankets for you."
Meanwhile, on the bridge…
"You're up early, Taii Kaori," said Henry as he walked onto the bridge after Motoyama. "Take your station."
"Taisho on the bridge," said Celia, standing next to the captain's chair. The crewmembers sitting at their stations on the bridge all stood up like clockwork.
Henry looked around. He could see Celia, Sakai, Motoyama, Kioko, Shina, and Kaya, at their respective stations. The two pilots had taken up positions inside the pilot dome as well.
"Taii Kamitaka has plotted a course to the Essia system, sir, per your instructions," said Celia.
"Good," replied Henry, sitting down on the captain's chair. "Alert the rest of the battle-group, and engage the hyperspace drive when ready."
Within seconds, the Celia battle-group, which had been orbiting the main planet of the Ohara system, blinked out of existence, only to reappear seconds later, in the outer fringes of the Essia system.
