Trinity RPG: Back to the Stars - Xiao Dao: Body, Mind, Soul

[Evana]

She about lost the water she was sipping in a sudden attempt to choke back a laugh. Indeed her poise and manners were suddenly marred as she had to rescue a dribble of water as it escaped her perfectly glossed lips. With a swallow that difficult to manage she finally laughed aloud.

"Astrid was it?" She looked at the blonde girl. "Oh, girl... you are in for a treat. Welcome to the team."

[Krul]

The Captain chuckled softly, then nodded to the others present. "I see this is going to interesting, let's all try to enjoy ourselves as we can. In answer to your question, Ambassador, everyone is aboard, for the most part, we have some loading and unloading to do, but not of personnel. It's been a pleasure to meet you all, I need to check the ship over, and properly prepare for departure in another week or so. Things may be a bit cramped, aboard folks, and I may be busy for a while, but if you need to speak with the captain, let me know. " With that he turned to leave, letting the folks in the dinning hall sort things out before they were escorted to their quarters.

Meanwhile, as John walked though the halls of the ship, thinking, trying to find his center, he came up upon a technician working on part of the ship, muttering to themselves a bit as they did.

[Rorx]

George waves Astrid over, pointing to an empty chair at their table, "Gunsou, please come and join us. We were talking earlier about hobbies. Do you have any interests outside of your work?"

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

John slowed to a stop and approached the technicians. He smiled and nodded to them as they looked up from their work but didn't speak merely watching as they did their work, observing as they performed diagnostics on the living systems of the ship.

[Krul]

The technicians continued to work, running diagnostics to insure that everything was running at optimum levels, allowing John to watch as he desired. Everything was in perfect order, as they turned to speak to one another. "A few more diagnostics to complete, but I believe we are ready to begin, the Captain should be ordering the ship out of the docks in the next few days, and the jump should be occurring in the next week."

************

Meanwhile, in the Dinning Hall, the other psions assigned to the Xiao Dao were busy talking and discussing matters between them, as the Ensign spoke up. "When everyone is ready, I can show you to your quarters, where your going to be living the next few years?"

[Rorx]

George finshes what was on his plate and glances around the table before standing, "Well, I'm ready to go get unpacked. Should we arrange a time to meet up back here or is there set meal times on a rota for the crew?"

[z008]

Lien tried to keep the relief from showing. Meeting new people was usually fun, although today it had been a bit trying, but she was tired. Some time to relax and not have to worry about making a good impression was quite inviting. Perhaps she'd be able to meet with people in smaller groups and smooth rustled feathers - but tomorrow. She smiled thankfully at the Ensign and nodded to George.

"Yes, I think I am ready as well."

[Krul]

With a nod to everyone present, the Ensign stood up, and guided them all from the hallway, down several marked hallways, to a series of doors, one right after the other. Each of the various doors down the hallway had the symbol of the various orders on them.

Each of the doors down the hall opened to a room with 4 fold down bunks, wall lockers that were actually part of the wall, next too and a bit larger areas with desk/office areas, with chairs bolted to the floor in front of them, the desk areas have the intercom and ports for access to the ship network as well as inlaid keyboard etc for accessing the ships computer/network directly rather than using a minicomp and data port. There were enough rooms for everyone from each order.

There were two exceptions to this layout, first, was the barracks style room of the legion members, which had four rooms with 8 bunks each, at the end of the hall, on either side of the hallway, for all of the 32 members of the Legion assigned to Astrid’s command.

The other room was the Ambassadors room with more room, possessing only two beds, one for the ambassador and one for her aid, and a larger desk area, with a living room area for receiving guests as well. Several hanging curtains actually split the room into several smaller rooms. Each of the various rooms were connected with a inner door to a bathroom, which was actually a rather large area, shared between the various orders, to save space.

[z008]

Lien sighed in relief at the sight of her room, and the accommodations that had been made for her duties on board and her situation. She bowed in thanks to Ensign and she and Mai disappeared into the room to set up their personal belongings and arrange as much of the room as they could to their desires. Once the decorations were put up and the suitcases emptied into the appropriate furniture and wall storage, Lien set up her terminal and sent personal messages out to the other psions and the officers asking to meet with them at some point of their convenience over tea; the crew also received a general invitation in similar vein. After that she and Mai talked over the evening and their impressions of the others until Lien finally drifted off either for a late nap or for the night if she was not otherwise woken up.

[Rorx]

George found the Orgotek room where his bag had been taken when he arrived and set up his minicomp on the ship's network so that it could start getting some background information on the people he had encountered and the vehicles on the ship. While his agent did that George got on with unpacking his bag and intoducing himself to the other Orgotek guys assigned to the room. Having packed his meager belongings George sat down at the desk and Interfaced with his minicomp.

More at home within the minicomp's system George was able to access the information that his Agent had found, and could assist it in finding the information through the ships Network.

[Hypothetical]

Marvin went into his abode, and began a orderly process of unpacking and preparing his space to live in. After all was set up in a somewhat lengthy effort, he ventured over to the keyboard and began to access the ship's computer, looking for briefings on the Khantze Lu Ge colony, being their destination for the first jump.

[Evana]

Evana stood confused for a moment as she looked into their accommodations. There were only four beds for the Norça to sleep in but five of them had arrived on the ship.

Teasingly Evana wrapped her arm around Angelica. "Looks like we're sharing one." she grinned and winked at her sister Norça.

"Great, can I hold the holo-recorder?" Ramon said jokingly as he stepped past the two women.

"In your wettest dream Ramon." Angelica laughed and flipped him the bird. "I don't get it, how does this work exactly? There are four beds for our order, but five us are stationed here."

Evana crossed her arms and pondered for a moment. "Honestly, I've no clue..."

[Astrid Alfarsdottir]

Astrid thanked the Ensign and, after verifying that those Legionnaires under her command had been directed in similar fashion, returned to her room.

Her quarters, immediately next to the designated "barracks" for her crew, were neither especially spacious nor extravagant. It wasn't very efficient to waste so much space for one Legionnaire, in her opinion, but the decision wasn't hers to make. The three empty bunks would simply remain unused and out of the way. With a brusque nod to the empty room, she set about unpacking and stowing her few personal effects: uniforms, a negligible assortment of civilian clothing, and toiletries. Weapons, apart from her sidearm, were secured in the locker nearest her bunk, while the steel case containing necessities for their maintenance (and other miscellanea, like boot polish and a spare blanket) she stowed inside the large metal crate that would serve as her footlocker; like the chair, it would be bolted to the floor by the time of their departure. Finally, she placed a heavy metal frame on top of the desk, and its magnetized surface adhered to the workspace instantly.

Silently, she ran a calloused thumb along one side, activating the holographic field within. A flat plane of light flickered into view, and the young gunsou smiled as the images of family and home faded in and out in an endless cycle of memories. Only one thing remained.

Activating the touchpad next to her bed lowered the bunk, and Astrid studied it critically before sighing. The ship's crew were nice enough, but they were obviously not accustomed to Legion standards. She stripped it completely down and re-made it properly, then went to check in on her men one last time before lights out.

[Krul]

The Ensign looked over the room for the Norca, and then he blinked, and he opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Umm.. er.." He checked his minicomp a moment, then looked up again. "I'm very sorry, we had five of you coming aboard, but somehow, some sort of computer error, we only set aside one room for you." He paused.

"I don't suppose one of you could be persuaded to room with Gunsou Magunssen?" He seemed rather distressed, but also somehow hopeful that this offer might might be accepted.

[Grim]

Anatole shared a glance with Evana. As the Primos of the Norca contingent, it fell to the Twins to set the example of teamwork and esprit de corps. Despite his apparent lack of care for social niceties, the male twin was well aware of the dangers of seperatist behaviour on this long voyage. He nodded to Evana and shouldered his duffel.

"I shall." he told the Ensign. "Have these bio-habitat cylinders transferred to my new quarters." He started for the door, but a cough from Evana reminded him of something, and he paused, looking at the Ensign once more. "Please."

The Ensign nodded and called for a couple of crewmembers to follow them with the cluster of black-covered cylinders. "This way, sir." the young officer said, not sure what the silent man in dusty black clothing's actual rank was. He wore no insignia but for the Norca symbol on the shoulder of his baggy padded leather jacket. The man repressed a shiver, not at all comfortable with the feel of Anatole behind him. His discomfort was not allayed when he realised he couldn't actually hear the fellow moving, and the ensign kept casting glances back to make sure he was still there. Every time he did, those pale, almost washed-out green eyes were gazing back at him.

Thankfully, it wasn't far to the Gunsou's quarters. "Here we go, sir." the ensign said with unseemly relief, swiping the card lock before handing the key to Anatole. Poking his head into the room, he saw that the Legionaire wasn't currently there and waved Anatole in. "Make yourself at home." he said lightly, then swallowed as the rumpled-looking man gave the place an expressionless once-over before nodding to the corner next to his bunk.

"The cylinders can go there." Anatole said, quietly, followed by "Thank you." as the crewmen carefully pushed the trolleys into place and locked their wheels. Anatole dumped his duffel next to his bunk, then shucked his jacket and boots before sitting down on the bed. Laying back, he clasped his hands behind his head and waited. Very patiently.

[Astrid Alfarsdottir]

The heavy, rhythmic thunk of Astrid's boots on the metal floor as she approached her door was audible all the way down the corridor, and certainly within the room itself. A heartbeat later the door slid open, and the tall, broad-shouldered Legionnaire filled the open portal. She stood there for a long, silent moment, her youthful features surprisingly glacial for all the warmth she'd shown in greeting everyone. Frosty blue eyes flicked rapidly from the large canisters to the figure stretched casually out on one of the lowered bunks.

This was not part of Legion protocol, but as a junior officer she was expected to be capable of making snap decisions and split-second assessments.

She entered the room and approached the Norca agent in brisk strides, her long legs rapidly erasing the distance between them. Allowing just enough space for him to rise if he so chose, she stared Anatole directly in the face and began to speak (politely if tersely) in accented English.

"If you are to be sharing these quarters with me, I would have liked to hear about it before now. Now, it is done. I am not so happy about this, but I expect there is a good reason, ja? If not, it will be... how do you say it? 'Very unfortunate.'" She paused for a moment, unblinking as the Primo himself. "Do not be touching this locker, or this desk, or anything else that belongs to me, and I will not be touching anything of yours," the young soldier added calmly, pointing to each forbidden area without turning to look at them. "This should be the easy agreement to make, ja?"

Despite the lack of overt threats in either her verbiage or posture, there was neither deference nor uncertainty in her cornflower eyes. Still, the stoic agent was more observant than most; the positioning of her feet, the distribution of her weight, and the slight tilt of her shoulders betrayed the defensive tension others might have mistaken for simple indignation at having their private sanctum violated.

[Grim]

Anatole stared unblinking at her for a long moment, relaxed and unmoving where he lay. Without his shapeless jacket cloaking the lines of his body, the Norca's torso and arms betrayed what must be one hell of a workout regimen, but there was no tension, no sign of any emotion in his face or body as Astrid said her piece. When she finished, he spoke without missing a beat, his voice curiously toneless and bland.

"If I have given any offence by being here, then I apologise, Gunsou. None was intended." he stated simply, as though reading from a prompter. "Our party was one greater than the berths prepared, and the ensign supervising the arrangements suggested that one of us share quarters with you." Try as she might, Astrid could detect no dissembling in his face, voice or eyes. The Norca also didn't seem to care that she was practically looming over him, either. There was no sign of intimidation or, for that matter, any facade of contempt in his relaxed mien. He had listened attentively to her and was still watching her intently, she could determine that much.

[Astrid Alfarsdottir]

At that, Astrid simply nodded, apparently satisfied. Some of the tension surrounding her dissipated, an effect that was just short of being clearly visible. It was not unlike the distortions that appear above a very hot surface, or the faint movement the eye perceives when one is very tired.

"Ja. This is good, then." She seemed to consider something in the moments of quiet that followed, chewing thoughtfully at the inside of her cheek. "The day starts for me very early, so I will be going to sleep soon. If your schedule is very different, this will be complicated. Better to know now."

Astrid walked over to her bunk and took a seat, unlacing her boots as she looked inquisitively over at the pale-eyed Norca. If she had any further reservations about the arrangement, she kept them to herself for the time being.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

John got bored of watching the techs do something that he couldn't follow. Quietly he continued on his way, making every effort to keep his mind clear he didn't realize he was headed for the living quarters until he found the others moving about between rooms. It took little time to locate the ISRA quarters and his belongings, meager though they were. He mumbled a greeting to Marvin and sat down on his bunk staring at the wall for a moment before rolling onto his back and closing his eyes. He didn't cast his senses out but he did listen, allowing the absence of sight to bring his hearing to the forefront. He could hear murmured discussion through the walls and out in the corridor. People unpacking or moving items around. Beneath it all he thought he could hear the biologic itself, the living part of the leviathan, and felt oddly content.

[Grim]

"My schedule is malleable. The nature of my function on this mission demands it." He watched Astrid dispassionately as she moved back to her own bunk and began unlacing her boots. "Rest assured that for now, at least, I will synchronise my sleep patterns with yours."

With a single flowing motion he moved from reclining to standing, taking his duffel bag in hand and setting it on the bed before unpacking it. Several sets of clothes were put away, a small, highly expensive handheld computer was set on the shelf of his nightstand along with a couple of boxes of disks, and then the empty duffel was stowed under the bed. The Norca travelled light, it seemed. The cylinders in the corner he looked at and appeared to consider, then apparently dismissed for the moment as he returned to his bunk. Leaving his t-shirt on, he stripped off his black pants, revealing the white shorts beneath. If he felt any inhibition at all, it was not evident. The trousers were tossed carelessly over the back of the chair next to his bed and Anatole lay down again, clasping his hands behind his head and becoming still once more, a relaxed stature but for the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

[Hypothetical]

Marvin turned his head for a moment to acknowledge John, then re-focused on obtaining background information on their destination from the ship's computers. "Feeling better now, John? We can't commit another faux pas like at the meal."

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

...and just like that John's calm came crashing down. She sighed, and sat up, a scowl on his face. "Faux pas my ass. I made a fucking joke. But I decide to apologize, just to cover the graces, and expecting that you know, maybe I'll get one in return. Did I? Of course not. I'm not at fault here, not anymore." He shook his head, a rueful chuckle escaping his lips, "So much for inter-Order cooperation."

[Hypothetical]

"I know. Let's just be more careful next time, both of us. Forgiveness may be strained if it keeps popping up." Marvin assured his fellow clairsentient. "People are people, and they have their faults."

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

John shook his head, "Its not so easy. In combat, in a real fight, when the shit goes down hard, you have to be able to trust the people around you." He looked over at the other man, "There's a reason I became a scout, a point man. Partially, yeah I have the aptitude for it, no pun intended, well, not at first anyways. The other reason, the more important reason, the reason why I don't tolerate being called a coward? Basically I have a bad case of combat paralysis. My reaction time sucks. The bullets, or lasers, or fists, whatever, they start flying and I freeze. I'm not scared , I'm just," he shook his head.

Looking at the bulge of the laser gauntlet he wore he said, "I dunno. I freeze, and then I don't, but I'm slow, I don't make those split second decisions, and that gets people killed. They sorted me out and into recon. That I was good at it was secondary." He lay back down, "That's why this is more than just live and let live or whatever. This matters, to me anyway."

[Hypothetical]

Marvin nodded as he considered that choice bit of information. "I'm sure that, although Evana was being petulant, she won't hold a grudge over this. I doubt Norca lets petty stuff get in the way of their agents cooperating with other orders." He smiled, in a way intended to sooth John.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

John grunted, and rolled to face the wall, "We'll see about that."

[Astrid Alfarsdottir]

Odd as Anatole's "reassurance" sounded, it seemed to satisfy the young gunsou. She nodded wordlessly, stripping out of her work jumpsuit and hanging it neatly in the locker that served as her closet. Dressed only in the standard-issue grey sleeveless shirt and shorts, she arranged the jumpsuit meticulously on the hanger, ensuring that it would remain as immaculate as her dress uniform. Boots went beside the bed, and her sidearm was placed deliberately on the nightstand; either she was incredibly foolish, or immensely confident.

With a touch, the images cycling in the frame on her desk faded from view, and she slid beneath her blanket without further comment as the light overhead dimmed. Only the faint glow of consoles and touchpads scattered throughout the room alleviated the darkness, and as she closed her eyes, the faint hum of machinery droned out a one-note lullaby.