[IC] The Galactic Ocean

[Heat]

Roosevelt Space Station orbits high above the human colony of Minerva, a far off small world which rarely sees visitors. The planet is covered in thick deserts accompanied by blistering temperatures during the day and bone chilling ones at night. However, the world when it was colonized did have oxygen in the atmosphere, enough that with some terraformation it could be turned into a livable world which it is now. Though the only people that live on it are miners. Normally it is quiet on Minerva and the space station which orbits the world, but all the talk of the station is the rumored arrival of several high profile criminals, rumored to be joining some odd, expendable task force. However, any questions asked of this are quickly shot down. To the public, the squad doesn't exist, it's just an absurd rumor. It's not actually. A ship docks at the far end of the station, then departs. Tucked away from the others is a strange, advanced vessel, it's maiden voyage soon to be taken as its crew is assembled. A man in handcuffs exits the docked ship, three armed figures behind him, each of them in advanced suits of armor, all of them covered, helmets hiding their identities. The group heads down a hallway away from the hangars, the handcuffed one stopping to glance at a pretty secretary at her desk, before he can say a word to her one of the armed men escorting him shoves him forward with the butt of his rifle. "What? I didn't do anything." Lex Hargrave asked, his eyes wide open in a look of faked innocence. "Keep moving, scum." The guard which pushed him says. "For the record, I agreed to joining your fancy crew, you should treat me nicer. What happens if after you push me, I fall and break my arm? That'd probably piss off your superiors." "They have cybernetics for that stuff, idiot." One of the other guards says as Lex shakes his head, moving down the hallway. The station was always quiet, it's only use as a clearance area for anyone coming to the planet and as a first response to any attacks on the world. It was in other words, the perfect place to gather the criminal crew. "How much do they pay you to do this crap? Y'know, the dirty work like pushing around convicted criminals?" "Enough." One of the guards muttered. "Doesn't sound like it..." Lex mumbled, the guard not hearing him. Soon enough the group came to another hallway, next to the door at the end stood two more armed guards, identical in appearance to the one's escorting Lex. Lex's handcuffs were undone as one of the doormen nodded at the escort guards as the door came open. Lex was pushed inside, the door shutting behind him. He regained his footing to find himself in a large conference type room, a long table in the middle, chairs all around it, many filled with his other fellow criminals turned expendable heroes of the galaxy. "Good to see the captain of the S.S. Vigilance finally graced us with his presence," A man in the corner of the room said to Lex, his arms folded, his clothing that of a military man. A service dress uniform, several gold stars on his chest signifying that he was of high rank and importance. "Please take a seat next to your crewmen." The man added as Lex moved towards the end of the table, taking his seat at the far end. The uniformed figure then looked around the table, his eyes scanning the seated criminals. Behind them near the walls of the room were more guards, rifles in their hands. The man at the front of the room spoke in a deep weathered voice akin to that of someone who had been in military service for many years and had given many speeches before. "My name is Vice Admiral Johannsen, I am in the charge of gathering the crew of the S.S. Vigilance, which you all are a part of. Now that the crew has been fully gathered, I feel I should brief you quickly before you all head onto your ship and depart for your first destination." The vice admiral said, then cleared his throat. "You have all been selected because you possess invaluable sets of skills that would be of great use to the well-being of the galactic community. Unfortunately, you all have commited and been convicted of various crimes which would ordinarily have you imprisoned, executed or exiled. This is not an ordinary case, in exchange for your service, you have all been promised various things, most often your freedom. This freedom does not come easily, though." He paused for a moment. "You have all been fitted with ankle monitors which will serve as a means to keep you from attempting anything rash such as deserting your service. Any tinkering of these devices will not be accepted. In the event of the activation of them, which you do not want to happen, your life will be prematurely ended. Of course that will not happen, I am sure of it." "Your first mission in service shall be a visit to the world of Ecscarvis, whose inhabitants have reported being troubled by a terrorist cell. Those reports have since been confirmed. I trust you will take care of the issue with delicate and appropriate manners." The vice admiral said, then looked at one of the guards. "I shall now take my leave, you will shortly all be escorted to your new vessel." He added then turned and left the room, two of the guards following him out, still leaving several more in the room with the new crew of the Vigilance. "So I'm your captain, though you don't need to call me that, Lex is just fine." Lex said as looked around at the others, quietly cautious of his new crewmen.

[RumikoOhara]

Ro'Essel sat feeling insulted that after she'd been delivered the humans had demanded she be fitted with an ankle monitor, her honor had be questioned. Of course she was one of the dammed now but that only meant that she was to die in combat which was her only chance for redemption in the eyes of the goddess. The very fact that they needed to put such devices on their own spoke volumes of the honor of those humans she'd have to serve beside. ("It is in hardship that is found the true worth of the soul") she thought as she remembered the words of the Longwalker. She touched the curse mark that condemned her to death should she ever set foot once more on the Holy world of Ko'sect.. Ro'Essel was dead already and only the circumstances of her death needed to be made. She understood that those not born under the sign of war feared death but since her mind had been opened she'd been prepared to die as were all of her caste. As she sat among them she thought of doing a surface scan of those assembled but knew that to touch their thoughts was to expose herself to the cesspool of dishonor that likely lay hidden there so Ro'Essel sealed her mind away behind her shields. She heard the one called Lex be made her commander an had she been of lesser spirit would have moaned in despair to deserve such a human as had to be escorted to his command in chains. Vice Admiral Johannsen was the chief human officer and the ship they were assigned to was the S.S. Vigilance. He said they were all to be offered freedom and then reminded her of how little they trusted her honor by calling attention the ankle shackle. He then told them of their first assignment; Ecscarvis a world ravaged by those dishonorable the other races called terrorists. These scum were known to Ro'Essel and the fact that they weren't picky about their targets sickening, she would enjoy as any of her race would killing those who included children as targets. Ecscarvis wouldn't provide Ro'Essel the death with honor that she sought for to die by their hands would be a disgrace she couldn't bare which meant she had no need to meet them in honorable combat but instead had the distasteful duty of their extermination.

[Empty Fate]

Drew sat among the rest of the criminals chosen for Oblivion Squad in relative silence. He'd thought of trying to break the ice, but the stern look on the guard's faces as well as that of the Admiral made him rethink the idea. Instead, he looked around at everyone, surveying the men and women who were essentially condemned to death with him, most of whom held fairly empty expressions. The stillness of the room was incredibly intimidating to think about, so he quickly shifted his thoughts back to his brother. I hope you're doing well enough, Paul, he thought to himself. It didn't really bother Drew that he was now on a pseudo-death sentence. In fact, the idea of working on an alliance starship was more exciting to him than it should have been, imminent death and all. What bothered him was that he'd dragged his brother into his stupid game. The guy was extremely talented, had the rest of his life ahead of him, and Drew pulled that away over the course of ten years. As much as they promised a full pardon, Drew was sure that his brother was going to have a tough time getting his life en course to something respectable. Drew had been an idiot, and he knew that. He shook his head as he tried to get the thoughts out of his mind. After all, why wallow in the past when it was already over with? Today was a new day and the start of what was sure to be an interesting chapter of his life, if not the last. He may as well own it. He looked down at the crude device strapped to his ankle. Definitely not attractive, but he was sure he'd cover it most of the time with his boots. When they came off, though, he probably wasn't going to be able to make it look fashionable. The sound of the door opening caused Drew's head to snap back up. Two guards walked in accompanying another man who looked to be around the same age as Drew. The Admiral stood up and broke the silence by explaining the ankle bracelets and introducing the man who'd walked in the door as their captain. Drew smirked, well, at least they picked some good looking people, he thought as the Admiral turned and left the room leaving behind another awkward silence. The captain was the first to speak up, introducing himself as Lex. Drew looked around, and it seemed nobody was completely ready to answer, so he decided to continue the conversation himself. "Well, let's hope to god your piloting is better than that icebreaker." He chuckled to himself, "I'm Drew Knight, I suppose I'm an engineer. Really, I'm more of a tech expert. If something's broken, or you want it modded, you're probably gonna bring it to me. So long as it's not biologically part of you, that is." He leaned back, his piece over, and waited for the rest of the crew to speak up.

[SillyGoy]

The chair creaked, its plastic bent taut as a large man in a rather old-fashioned greatcoat folded his wide arms and leaned against the backrest. Scars ran down his face in grooves like branching rivers down a mountain, with a stark line cutting his upper lip as it veered towards the left. His eyes, relatively small to the wideness of his face, were of a light blue, and gazed at Lex unwaveringly, analytically, as he judged his new commanding officer in solemn silence. A moment hung still in the air, before his chest heaved and his lips parted to a moderate, but rough baritone, one that, perhaps, could have been polished into something musical had its owner's calling in life been different, peaceful. "Lieutenant Jorman Pask," he said simply, opting for a short but workable introduction with a shallow nod out of pleasantry. "Had been piloting starfighters for nearly two decades in the Navy. I'm here because I have no other choice." Having said that, he allowed his eyes to wander about, taking in the faces and figures of his new team, both human and xeno, before returning his gaze to Lex. He was honestly surprised to find aliens being part of this whole sorry gig , given that the person who offered him a place in it was from the ESA. Sitting next to Ro'Essel, he found her species' superficial similarities to the human master race to be uncomfortable, ironically. Though the Ko'Secti did not stray overmuch from the human form, they did have a few minor physicalities that, in Pask's eyes, simply did not belong: for example, a flash of a second eyelid whenever Ro'Essel blinked. At least he wasn't sitting next to the abomination across and towards the right of the table. It was horrid to look at, an intelligence that looked inhuman beyond pardon. And so he didn't, simply; he made a blind spot of where the creature was, taking care not to glance upon it.

[Avanhelsing]

The young man looked over at the motley crew gathered around the table. He had expected a lot of different folks. It was lucky for him that there were a few different species here. He was not an expert on non human species but he could tell there was enough for him to have a few interesting expirements. He was especially interested in the furred one sitting next to him. It would be interesting to see the different creations he could make with just a single drop of blood. One of his creations was sitting next to him currently. The chimera was glaring at the group and the guards watching them. His haunches were raised but he stayed quiet. Jack looked down at him and scratched him right above one of ridges above his eyes. "Hush, Ernie. It's fine. "He whispered to the thing kindly. He ignored the admiral and his rambling. He focused on his data pad attached to his arm. "Subject Ernie shows increased defense responses but stays in place awaiting orders. He is holding to training. Good boy Ernie. "He said softly into the pad still scratching his friend. Jack's finger rubbed a ring on his ring finger as he listened. This ring did not hold a gem in the center. It held dirt from two different sources in two different parts. On the left there was soil from the Hellas Basin or the lowest point on Mars. In the right part there was soil from the summit of Olympus Mons. The ring had been a gift from his parents when he was accepted into the Academy of the Sciences. His mother had wanted him to always have a piece of Mars close by to remember where he had come from. He always kept that ring on his person. "Dr. Jack Thomas. Call me Jack or Doctor Victor Frankenstein as the courts seem to call me. "He said trying to add a bit of humor to his actions. " I'm here for breaking the Genetic Laws. All because I had the gall to use my training to try and save someone I loved. The laws declared that I had commit a crime so he died twice. "He said just letting out what he had done. He preferred honesty. "I'm a trained geneticist so if you have any issues with your bodies I might be able to fix it. Course I can't repair my own equipment so I'll need help with that. "He said sitting down. "Oh! The dog next to me is Ernie. He only bites when I tell him to. "He said petting the dog.

[Cath]

Amelia hated guards, as a rule of thumb. It didn't matter which side they were on, whether they were protecting her or incarcerating her. When she'd served aboard the Changde and later the Donetsk as the lead navigator, she'd dismissed the guards around her at every available opportunity. Soldiers were a different matter of course; they risked their lives to accomplish a goal, but guards... They just held put most of the time, not really doing anything. They were a deterrent, put there just in case something might happen. This obsession got to such an extreme that some of the guards on the bridge actually left as soon as she arrived, without being asked. This might have been because they liked her and she liked them when they were off duty, or maybe because they were sick and tired of being yelled at. Either way it made no odds because during a pricey naval engagement with a trio of heavily armed pirates Amelia killed the Captain during an argument and more of the crew were loyal to her than to his corpse. They destroyed the pirates and proceeded with the mission. They completed their objective with finesse, but then it was truly time to return home. Home to the court martial and now this forsaken space station. Amelia hadn't been in control at that point, there was only so much she could do and eventually the Donetsk's chief of security locked her up in the brig for the return journey to Earth. The following months had flown by in a blur: twenty five years in prison and banned from ever serving on an Alliance vessel again. What a bummer. She'd wanted to fly with the navy since her mother had died. That was until she got a video call from her father in his fancy ESA office, one year into her sentence. "Amy, I've wrangled you something." When she didn't answer straight away he continued: "You've been assigned to Oblivion Squad! Flight privileges are restored and you start monday. "What's Oblivion Squad?" she'd asked, a little excited. "It's a crack team of convicts like you who've been picked because of their excellent skill sets to go out on clandestine missions. Gerry from ONI put me in touch with the project leader." She'd complained a little to begin with, but when he explained that her complete pardon was offered in exchange for her expertise she could hardly decline. She hadn't planned on saying much to begin with when she was sat down at a conference table and one at a time her future crew mates were pushed inside, however she felt the spotlight turn on her and faces looked round to examine her in full. She looked up hesitantly at Lex who seemed to be silently encouraging her. "I'm Amelia Dupont. I was head navigator on my previous vessels...i can handle combat, hyperjumps, regular sailing etcetera." Was all that came out. Against her better judgement she smiled the smile which had afforded her the chance to mutiny against an unpopular captain without any prior planning or forewarning. It showcased lips and teeth.

[TheYouthPastor]

Oliveia was completely entranced by the scene unfolding in front of her. This was only the third time she had been exposed to so many people. The first had been when she was removed from her home and the second at her "Trial" though, not being recognized as a lifeform at that point had made it a trial in name only. She remembered her fathers last words before he was taken away from her "My darling, Oleander. This world you are about to enter is going to be a dark place. Do not let it color your spirit. This place you are going is nothing like actual life. I love you, my darling girl" And she had remembered loving him too, with all of the artificial emotion she could muster. She really tried. His words, however had been a confusion to her, as they often were. Logically this was exactly like actual life. She ate, breathed, slept, all the things she had done in the lab. She had also learned more about human interaction here than anywhere before. She had observed guards joke and jostle each other, enjoying the jeers. In trying it herself she found that they did not appreciate her criticisms like they did their colleagues. She was convinced that he still did not understand the intricacies of humor, but vowed to learn. She was lost in thought now. The door opened and another lifeform was brought in, and introduced as their superior. Oleander hung on the vice admirals every word naturally seeing him as the authority figure and concluding that his information would be superior to those around her. She had studied ancient right of passage among species with her father and without guidance concluded that this was what was happening. She was to prove herself an adult woman and capable of contributing to society. There was apprehension in her heart, but a hint of something else. excitement? She had studied terrorism. Her father had condemned it, and though ethics were still a foreign idea to her she had listened. Logically the use of fear among organics was effective. She had remembered that. This organics designation was lex. He was to be her new proxy. As captain her thoughts would be relayed up the chain of command to her superiors. Oleander accessed every naval data file she had on record, trying to understand the hierarchy she was becoming a part of. The other members of her network, (no that's not the word) "Team" she corrected herself, they each spoke in turn. They introduced themselves and volunteered seemingly random information. It suddenly occurred to her that she too would be expected to do this. What to say? Standing quickly in unintentionally dramatic flair she spoke clearly "I am Oleander Oliveia, daughter of Charles Olivea. My serial number is 598754, I am made of an organic/silicone composite and I am 2 years old as of yesterday" She mimicked the smile that her father had shown in his moments of pride, as she too now felt proud of herself for participating.

[orichalk]

Suno watched with a good deal of curiosity as Lex was shoved into the room. He’d figured the last seat was for someone important, but, now that he got a look at the guy, he couldn’t help but laugh a little to himself and wonder who made a captain out of him. There had to be some reason, even if it was just some military planner looking at a list and rolling some dice. Actually, that was probably it. He decided to stop zoning out and listened to the military guy give his little talk. He couldn’t really see him, though, because his head was hardly above the level of the table. Also among the group were quite a few femmes fatales, which held no sway over Suno, although he was looking forward to seeing what they might effect among the other members of their species. Speaking of which, they were about the Captain’s age and should be in their prime. Nope, he thought to himself, following the hulking military type’s gaze. That one’s definitely not human. And what has she been thinking about this whole time? Better not to be counting on someone who does that much daydreaming. He’d all but forgotten the anklets. That brought him back to the fact that his feet didn’t touch the floor, which was sort of annoying him. Oftentimes, he’d just stand or kneel in chairs, but the guards seemed a little too gruff to warrant asking if that was alright, let alone just doing it. The mission really wasn’t that important to him, just as it wasn’t to the man who described it. He’d already concluded that the only kinds of missions they were going to be on were ones too risky for any normal unit. Really, it was kind of tame. They could’ve just been told to “invade a star” or something just as blatantly suicidal. And now everyone was going around introducing themselves. Suno tried to make a note of each name, but he didn’t expect much of himself. The captain was Lex, who seemed like a pretty nice guy, though absolutely not what he was expecting. Drew seemed likeable and maybe even someone worth depending on. The military-type prick who, by the looks of him, had something small and worth hiding in his pants, turned out to be called Jorman. Suno decided “Mr. Overcompensation” fit him better, though. The introductions kept moving around the table. Suno only caught the end of what he said, but that Thomas guy was a certified looney; he must have had some serious skills to get him on here. Either way, Suno wasn’t letting the guy near him. Then the second femme fatale was up, who definitely wasn’t mentally normal. Definitely some sort of empathic disorder, probably at least three homicides. He hadn’t even realized the woman sitting next to him wasn’t, technically speaking, a human. Or at all. He thought she’d just been quiet, not a science project gone wrong. She was kind of endearing, though. The humans probably would be creeped out by how uncanny she was, but he didn’t have the same issue. He was up. He nodded at the android, and looked around the group. “Suno Lisuli.” He said simply and slowly. He smiled and turned to Lex while the introductions continued.

[Mike Wasowski]

Silas sat in his chair next to the pretty blonde who he purposefully chose to sit by. He watched the man who would be his Captain get shoved into the room. Given his military background he wasn't used to seeing superiors getting treated this way, but he knew that this time it was different. This wasn't a group of disciplined military personnel and he would just have to get used to things being different. He listened intently to the Vice Admiral as he gave his speech every now and then glancing at the others in the room to make sure they were paying attention as well. He was trained to always look out his for fellow soldiers and so it was a force of habit for him to pay attention to even the small details in a situation. He waited until after the speech and everyone gave their introductions before he decided to speak up. He was also very surprised to find that the blonde he sat by was not human. She just seemed lost in thought. He didn't think anything else about her blank look. Silas not one for introductions stood up and introduced himself. "Hello everyone. My name is Silas Shaw. I am looking forward to working with everyone here." He returned to sitting. His introduction a bit bland but it was simple. He didn't feel the need to flaunt his background or brag about his abilities. He assumed most of everyone will probably read up on each other as he intended to do as well. His mind was on the mission. And he was excited to be back to doing something. Being a civilian again was killing him anyways. He took one more look at everyone in the room with him and then down at his ankle bracelet. Maybe being framed wasn't such a bad thing. It got him back into doing what he does best. This is home now. And strangely he was no longer apprehensive about being here anymore.

[Zlatan Criceto]

Humans. Disgusting. Perverted. Oppressive. Magnus chewed quietly on a salad-serving of 3 Tier anti-depressants; a medical must for the Mesocricetian with a few identity issues. His pupils, camouflaged by the overall blackness of his eyes, darted from one "colleague" to the next, all the while the human Vice Admiral carried on with his dramatics. A brief thought entered Magnus' mind to kill them all - he could do it! It'd be easy. Chomp on the grizzled little man next to him, who was doing everything he could to avoid the Mesocricetian's gaze, bound over the table and chew a guard to death. He'd get shot a bit, sure, but he'd have time to grab a - The thought was struck from his mind like a rogue card from a deck. Courtesy of his beloved Behavioural Inhibitor, and the defacto cause of his current nightmare. It was a tough life to live; being born to be something, only to have some piece of finite alien technology cancel out any instinctual endeavours at every turn. After his rampage on Meso, Magnus had come to understand the dreaded "10%" - the Mesocricetians who refused the behavioural inhibitors, and lived on the far fringes of society under careful observation from Meso's security forces. Sure their lifespan was about 5 years or so, owing to the high fatality rate of a never ending death match, but at least they were free. How he lon- His mind ran blank again, and he silently cursed the void in his thoughts. During his reverie, it appeared that the old bastard had departed. Magnus hoped his words weren't of importance, and were only confined to drama, because he'd taken none of it in. There was talk of terrorists, and a planet he hadn't heard of - that was when he zoned out. What else was there to know? He and his "colleagues" would be thrown into some asshat of a situation, with gun in hand, and told to kill or be killed. Magnus had no trouble with killing, in fact, one of the guards' pistol holsters was undone. If Magnus could get to him, in one fluid movement, he co- Nothing. "Urgh," Magnus grunted, unaware he had made his displeasure audible. He quickly worked his blunder into an intelligent statement. "Magnus Blackclaw. Systems Engineer, specialising in robotics; I'm the mindless drone that programmes and maintains a dockyard's conveyor and automated systems. That's all you get to know. Now when do we get this shit over with?"

[Inuyasha]

With skewed eyes, Rose surveyed the room. The room had such a clean feel to it, everything was white and clean cut. Not a single jagged or squiggly line was to be found in this room; they were all sharp edges and straight lines. The pristine perfectness of the conference room left him slightly perturbed. He was used to the musty and dirty cement jail cells and the fumes and fervor of the Iron Jungle, this bright white perfect conference room was an unwelcome change. Rose glanced to his left, and then to his right. On his left was some broad with silky blonde hair and silky smooth skin. To his right he found a man with scars jutting through his face, running deeper than rivers. Alas, it was his turn to give his introductory speech so he stood up and took a good look at everyone in the room. He was taking them in, analyzing their worth, in the way that only he did. "My name is Jack Rose, but, please, call me Rose. I have an extensive knowledge of chemicals because I slung dope back in the day. I'm here because some asshole in command thought it would be a good idea to give me a gun and free reign," he said adamantly, and proceeded to sit down.

[Heat]

Lex looked over the crew members as they spoke, he had been given very brief details on each one of them, though he had never met any of them until now. He was kind of thrust into the position as the captain of the crew, but it was a better alternative to prison, plus he could make some friends with this group, just with a sense of cautiousness as they all, including him were technically criminals. "Happy to meet you all, wish it wasn't under such circumstances, though this is much better to imprisonment." Lex said to his new crew, then looked at his ankle monitor before glancing at one of the guards, a look of disappointment on his face, he honestly felt like a leashed pet, but he figured that the people putting them all up to this would have failsafes in case someone tried to bolt. His gaze turned back to the crew, a grin on his face. "I'm quite relieved you all are skilled in different areas, I'm a decent pilot but I doubt I could fly the ship they're giving us, or patch up a serious wound or repair an engine," He said, then reached into the pocket of his shirt, pulling out a small device that his captors had given him. He slid it out to the middle of the table where it beeped, a hologram of the ship emitting from it. "As you can see, it's a newer vessel, like a hybrid between a gunship and a frigate. All kinds of fancy equipment inside of it, a solid weapons setup outside of it. We should decide who will pilot the ship. From what I've been briskly briefed on, Amelia or Rose seem be the ones best suited for the job, no offense to anyone else." Lex said, now out of his seat, his eyes on the group as he put on his best attempt at being a leader, it had been a couple years, reminded him of his military service. "Though if anyone else would like to add their opinion then that is welcome."

[TheYouthPastor]

Oliveia listened intently to her new Alpha. He was naturally given to leadership. On paper he had all the desirable traits. Data was flooding into Oleanders mind and she was having trouble discerning what were her own observations or something else. She had information suddenly about her crewmates that she herself had not gathered. She could only logically conclude that she was being given this information via a secure download, most likely from her superiors. Bits of information were missing but she was able to form files on each person. Reviewing the available data she spoke aloud to Lex. "While both would prove adequate, previous flight data points toward the being designated as Rose being A more qualified pilot. I can sight 23 instances where he displayed above average reaction time and twelve in which he" She paused for a second to formulate a human analogy "Thought on his feet. Amelia's Dossier accounts several instances where-in she bucked authority. This being said, her military bearing might make her more suitably reliable in conventional terms" Oliveia Scanned the room trying to discern whether her input was well received. She was trying to be helpful to her unit. "I can sight these references on a case by case basis if you would like, Sir" She added, suddenly feeling embarrassed though she was not sure why. Sometimes her body felt the emotions before she had context in which to understand them.

[Mike Wasowski]

Silas listened to what his superior officer had to say and decided his judgement was pretty sound on his choice of pilots. Having done a bit of reading up on a few of his squadmates he could only think of one other besides himself who could fly. That scar face fellow named Pask. Just then Oliveia spoke up and she - or "it" decided that Rose would be best suited to piloting the ship. Silas grinned when she mentioned sighting off each reference but held back any laughter. He stood up from his chair and moved to the position of parade rest before speaking as was common courtesy to do before speaking to a superior officer. "Sir, I am in agreement with Oliveia. She seems to have all the information we need in terms of who should be chosen." Silas put special emphasis on the word she. He didn't mean to say it that way. He doesn't want to insult anyone. He returned his gaze to Lex. "I'd be more than capable of providing assistance with the ships weapon systems. Although, I strongly prefer combat to remain on the ground sir." Silas remained standing awaiting his squads reaction to what has been said. He kept trying to convince himself that working with a group wouldn't be so bad. He would just have to adapt. Realizing he was still standing at parade rest he snapped back to attention just as he had done so many times before and returned to sitting.

[orichalk]

Suno stared at each of the speakers while they wrapped up their introductions. He wasn't sure what to make of the Mesocretian -- he seemed physically pained to be here. Suno would have liked to be sympathetic about such a condition, but in this case he was just worried about what it meant for him. That Rose guy was a similar case: Suno thought he was capable but corky. He wasn't really sure he could rely on any of these people. That was the issue. It would take a lot for him to feel safe with any of these people watching his back. He wasn't looking forward to relying on them. The ship certainly looked good. In his old days, he would've been pretty careful around such a craft. Of course a lot depended on specifications and what-not, but as far as he could tell they were going to be operating out of a top-of-the-line craft. That was reassuring enough. And then came the matter of steering the ship. That frightened him a bit, because he hadn't gotten a great impression from either candidate. Rose was definitely a but stuck-up, possibly enough to get them killed. That being said, Amelia seemed more likely to intentionally kill them. He made his decision based on that, not really paying attention to the android. He waited for a chance to speak. "I vote for Rose," he said.

[orichalk]

.

[Inuyasha]

Rose suddenly perked up when he heard his name. They wanted him to steer the ship? It was an interesting decision, albeit not a smart one. Or at least Rose considered it idiotic. He didn't really know what the other people thought, but if he was alone up there in the sky in that big metal tin can, he'd find a way to get that damn anklet off and bolt. The idea was enticing, but Rose was no genius, there was no way he was going to get the anklet off without tripping ten alarms in the process. "I'm touched and all that you guys would consider me to fly your ship and all, and I'm sure I'd do a great job. I've got a lot of experience with freight ships and all that, and heck I think I even flew this model once in one of my... erm.." he paused for a second and looked around at their attentive eyes. "... excursions if you will. The ship handles well and all that, but I don't think I'm the guy for the job. I know how to steer and maneuver a ship, but I probably wouldn't be able to do much when it requires me to improvise is all. I guess I could co-pilot when we're going from mission to mission, but I myself prefer to be grounded. Sorry to let you gents down."

[RumikoOhara]

Ro'Essel listened as her new war cadre spoke to each other ot their skills, names and such. It was fascinating to watch them take so laborious a method to supply each other with information that among her own kind would have occurred in moments as she gestalted with them. It was as she considered their situation that she realized that without meaning to she'd shown them discourtesy and made sure to apologize as soon as there was time to do so. Captain Lex set a holoplate on the table that contained images of the ship that she would call her home. It appeared to be in part a design of the Sa'Essel her sisters in space along with contributions from others.. Then after a brief explanation of the ship he asked people's opinions on who'd make the best pilot which brought forth two names that she identified with their owners. She waited till the one called Rose finished speaking then she herself took the novel approach of standing and speaking at war council. I am Ro'Essel; The Star of Death in your primary language and it is a title not name as are you aural names for my true name is sealed now away never to be uttered so long as she the Goddess Mortal Lives She says after standing to her full six foot plus height her hands held palms forward an spread fingers to show she holds no weapons. It is my shame that I did not fully understand the necessity of introduction which you my swordmates did offer me. I am Blue she says her exposed skin now a light blue covered by broad jagged turquoise stripes that quickly appear. I was breed in the creche of the house of Dreamers to be a tool of war. Trained since birth in the goddesses arts I am a warrior though of small experience. By blood, bone an marking I am know as second in birth to my sister the present as you'd call her Empress. For this I am seeking the forgiveness of a glorious death so that I not be damned. I am gifted as are all my kind with telepathy and the ability to teleport myself and a mass of 0.347 kilos displacement to any location which I can see. she says to the assembled Then turning to the Captain she adds As to the question of who should be the better pilot of the ship I would offer that they both be put to a test of skills. Without such proof speculation can only offer the chance of failure in critical juncture of destiny, it is my hope that I have made no mistake but stand by my words Captain Lex She returns to her seat amused by the exchange of words

[Heat]

"I understand Rose, if you don't want the position then you don't have to take it. Also, you all don't need to call me 'sir', we're not really enlisted soldiers in the military. You can just call me Lex, no need to be that formal." He said to the group with a smile. "Thanks for the input as well. Makes my job easier when the people I'm supposed to captain give honest opinions," He said, scratching his head before glancing at Oliveia. "You know the ship has its own personal AI, Oliveia? I don't know how advanced it is but I figured I should bring it up to you since you are one as well, though when I walked into the room I thought you were a human." He said with a grin before he looked at Amelia. His attention turned to Ro'Essel as she popped out of her seat and introduced herself and more. He rose his eyebrows in curiosity at the gesture, but a smile appeared on his face as he spoke towards her. "You sound like your skills will fit in great with the crew, Ro'Essel. I'm not really sure if we can do a skills test though, I don't know if we have the time nor means to properly do that. I appreciate the honesty in bringing up the idea, though." He said then looked at Amelia. "The position is yours if you'll have it." He said to her.

[Cath]

Amelia watched the exchange with some interest. Her father had always taught her to take note of everything people said because in his own words: 'It is their thoughts, and how you interpret them, rather than your own that win battles, favor and lead to advancement in body, soul and career. This has led to her strategy and overall outlook in life being a particularly effective type of reactionism. It paid dividends aboard her first vessel when she managed to gain control of the captain by conditioning his mind to be subconsciously cautious of her response to his commands. He finally got her transferred off his craft to a frankly much nicer Naval cutter with a very tenuous command structure and disliked Commander. Amelia had started to gain a mental picture of what she was up against as her now crew mates discussed who would fly the SS Vigilance. Lex produced a hologram which displayed a very fine craft indeed. Larger than the Donetsk, but it also looked like it was easier to fly. Her nominated rival, Rose, voluntarily stepped down and the captain's gaze subsequently fell upon her. Wow, a promotion. She'd played second fiddle until now. The helmsmen on the Changde and the Donetsk had both been wonder boys who could jump the ships through a pin head, she'd been there to temper their raw talent and handle the combat and managerial side of things. Wasn't it ironic that she'd been offered her largest career opportunity once her career was effectively over. She stood up slowly and reluctantly saluted before looking quickly at Rose, who sat a few places down from her. "I'll need a co-helm to manage auxiliary navigation systems and produce trajectory algorithms, but apart from that i'll have him singing." Her deliberate bucking of the Naval trend of feminizing spaceships had very nearly got her kicked out of the Academy for insubordinate behavior. This had only served to encourage her to bring it up at every possible opportunity. She directed the same intoxicating smile at the captain for a split second before sitting back down again. In the back of her mind she'd had no doubt she was would land the responsibility of Helm. It was as if she'd been born for this role. The Vigilance itself was practically her dream vessel, right down to the (what looked like from the hologram) Rolls Royce Tamerlane thrusters.