★ ══ out of orbit

[sybilss]

Helena Sahni had seen some crazy things in her first nineteen months as commander of the Hera-J9. None of it too terribly dangerous, of course. She'd been thrown a solid underhand with this one. Diplomatic missions, all of it soft around the edges. Transporting well-to-do politicians and their families. Discretion advised. Whatever they asked her to do, Sahni did. She had worked had to get here, and she wasn't going to waste the opportunity that had been afforded her. She would do absolutely anything, go anywhere her little ship could take her. And she'd do it happily, with a smile on her face, no matter how she really felt about it.

Today was one of those "smile through it," kind of days. Definitely one of those days. Their orders were cut and dry -- pick up the orphans, transport the orphans. Point A to Point B. The Hera could do that. Her crew could do that. Sahni could do that. And then she went into the mess at seven this morning, saw an uncountable number of children sitting at the tables, and had asked Soon-Bae to have her breakfast delivered to her quarters. It was too early for this.

Is it too early for a drink? she thought to herself, sitting back in her chair on the upper deck. There were even children here, watching her crew with a strange sort of curiousity, their faces almost expressionless. They were so quiet -- Sahni knew from memory and stories from her parents that she had not been a quiet child. Not even a little. Nor had most of the children she'd come into contact with. She watched like she'd watched her first interspecies diplomacy summit. She inspected their posture and their hands and then one of them realized she was staring and began to stare back. Sahni looked away. Quietly, she got up from her chair and informed Kennedy that she was heading down below to engineering.

They were a few of the children with some of the crew in the elevator. Her crew stood at attention as she followed them in, but the children just stared at her. One of the little girls reached up and touched the hem of her jacket, then smiled. "Pretty," she said, and then stepped off the elevator as the doors opened to the crew quarters. Alone, Sahni leaned back against the wall. Orders, orders, orders -- whether she liked them or not.

One of the crew told her where Anders was hiding in the engine room -- a perfect room, really. Mostly because access was restricted to high ranking members, children and their escorts not being one of them. She keyed herself in, and of course he was there, busy as usual. She moved to his right side, just a few feet from his good ear.

"There are children on my ship."

[pure ace nonsense]

xxthe. t e c h n i c i a nxx
anders mccoven



For as long as Anders could remember, he's wanted kids. He's wanted a long, happy marriage and children to raise. So far, neither of those dreams have come true. It's one of the universe's great mysteries to him and all his friends, how he is still single and childless. He could technically raise a kid alone, but he knows he's unfit alone and wants a partner to be his anchor. So having a small colony of children here remind Anders of all those wants. And with about sixty-percent of them orphans, it brings back the feelings of childhood to him. How he lost his parents, and was raised by odd-looking alien families as a reckless youth. It was a lot to handle for him, and as usual when it came to strong emotions, Anders put on a smile and made jokes.

His job kept him in the engine room, which he's aware he can't let any of the children into. Even though they're adorable and he wants to show them around his favorite part of the ship. It's also radiated, meaning those authorized to be inside the engine room need annual inoculations to prevent sickness. One of those people is obviously their commander. Anders didn't see or hear her enter, with his bad ear, and goggles suctioned to his face. But he's well-experienced not to be startled at people appearing next to him. He smiles, switching off his small laser in his hand.

"Yes there are!" Anders lifts off his goggles, new marks around his eyes after hours of uninterrupted work, and turns to Sahni. "And you're doing a wonderful thing for them, ma'am." Though she's half his age, Anders has high respect for his commander. As far as he's concerned, she's well on her way to running the galaxy. "I wish someone had done this for me when I was a kid." His mouth drops for a second as he recalls the broken foster system on L'Twillx and several outlying planets. "This is so much better than shipping them to another planet. The Federation's good at taking care of kids these days." He pulls the smile back on his face and removes his gloves.

"But I know this isn't what you were hoping for when they said we got a new assignment." Anders glances to his small desk area, where he sends the occasional message or two. "Want something to drink?" He's not entirely sure how early or late it is. Even if it wasn't technically too early, they were both on shift. "Non-intoxicating, I mean!" He makes sure to point it out, avoiding anything stern from his commander.

#8D1925

[exquisite virus]

KENNEDY -- FIRST OFFICER

Kennedy Thomas, First Officer of the Hera, had panic written all over her face. The soft whispered words of her commander had left her in a cold sweat. Sahni was leaving her on deck, with these…these little monsters. Eye’s scanning the room Kennedy could see the little faces watching her from every corner. At least the ones brave enough to come to their main command deck knew to stay out of everyone’s ways. ”Gorramit.” Kennedy swore softly under her breath. She had been planning her own escape and had just been waiting for the right moment, but the commander had beaten her too it. There had been no children on the military carrier Kennedy had grown up on. Once or twice maybe she had seen children her own age other than her own much older brothers. Kennedy just didn’t know what to do with them. She knew what her father would have done, what he would have said to her if he had ever caught her on his bridge without permission. She couldn’t however bring herself to be that cold to these orphaned children. They were scared, and she couldn’t fault them for that. There was still a few minor things to oversee on the bridge, and then Kennedy could run away to the solitude of her room where there were certainly no children hiding.


A strange clicking sound made Kennedy turn her head to stare at a mechanical panel against a back wall. She knew almost every sound this ship made, and this new sound was most certainly not one of them. She wondered briefly if any of the children had been playing with it, but could see none in sight. Walking over to the panel, her boots clanking against the floor, Kennedy crouched down and opened the panel in question. The strange sound was now accompanied by a loud whirring. For a moment she considered radioing for Andy to come take a look, but she assumed by now that the commander was there hiding with Andy. She didn’t want to disturb them for something small. With a sigh she shrugged out of buttoned officer’s coat revealing the simple grey tank top that clad her upper half. Kennedy lay down on her back and slowly pulled herself in as far as she could go into small hole that housed pipes and electronics. The soft glow of console lights showed her the way as she listened again for the sounds. Eventually she found where she thought they were coming from, and with some soft probing with her hands she discovered it was simply a bolt come a little loose. Twisting with her hands the clicking sound stopped, at least for now. Kennedy had grown up like a sponge, learning everything she could from every crew member she encountered. She had learned a little mechanical, and could probably keep things from blowing up, but she still left the tricky stuff for Andy. Pulling herself back out of the hole she called out for one of the officers. ”Becan, can you please go inform Anders that I tightened the port five valve, but it probably needs looking at.” It was all well and could that she could fix something if need be, but in the long term Andy still had to know about it.


Kennedy shrugged her coat back on and slowly gazed about the bridge. Everything was running smoothly, and there was little left for her to do at the moment and her time was better spent else were. ”Tobin, you have the conn.” Kennedy nodded to the crew still on the bridge as she ducked out. She wasn’t entirely sure what she where she was going, so she started off towards the crew quarters and her own cabin where she could at least change into the less formal version of her officer’s jacket. A simple blue long sleeved shirt with the Hera’s insignia and her own officer ranking. A quick glance in the small mirror she had in her room showed her that her loose wavy brown hair was as tidy as it was going to get. Kennedy stood in the middle of her room, hands on her hips. She looked over at her little desk which had linguistic text books scattered across it and grimaced. She’d had enough studying for a little while. It looked like she wouldn’t be hiding in her room after all. Stepping out of her quarters she began to wander down the hall aimlessly.





-- SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER

[lumineerpioneer]

❦ Working side by side with her father from a going age, Soon-Bae knew how hectic the kitchens could be, especially when you're head chef. Orders would shoot out like bullets from the counter, dishes were prepared at lightning speed with the prayer none of them would get messed up, and the whole time, you had a crew full of people looking to you for guidance. But her father never got stressed. He took it all in stride and worked with the efficiency and grace that landed him the title as one of the best cruise liner chefs in the galaxy. Watching him, she learned to handle almost any stressful situation in the same way, with a clear mind and a smile on her face.

She had that same smile on her face as she quickly handed out breakfast to the children in the mess hall. With them being so quiet, the sound of clattering plates and her voice echoed throughout the mess hall, filling the silence. She had felt sorry for the children the minute they stepped aboard the ship that morning seeing their faces emotionless and worn by god knows how many years of being alone and surviving on the streets. And so, she had worked to get at least a few, if not all of them, in a brighter mood and to make their time aboard a happy experience. She made their breakfasts in fun shapes, from animals to stars to even themselves to get a few smiles out of them, and it worked. She happily bristled seeing their faces brighten up at the sight of her creations and grinned herself seeing them enjoy the food.

Out of the corner of her, she saw Sanhi walk towards the mess hall and unconsciously straightened her back as she served the rest of the plates. After 19 months of working together, Soon-Bae still felt a little on edge around the Commander. She was just so amazing! A female Commander was un heard of, and now, she was her boss! This caused a few mishaps in the beginning, mostly Soon-Bae acting like a big fool around her. Although she later learned that Sanhi was just another person, that didn't stop Soon-Bae from being intimidated by her. After making sure everyone had a plate, she walked towards Sanhi and greeted her. She followed her gaze to the children and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but was then interrupted by Sanhi asking to be served in her room. Soon-Bae nodded and watched her leave before visibly relaxing and turning around to head back to the kitchen.

After whipping up some chocolate chip waffles, eggs, and cup of coffee, she set it all on a tray and carried it out of the kitchen towards the crew quarters. Walking down the winding hallways, she smiled at the children she passed and wiggled her fingertips at them since her hands were occupied. The children, in turn, tentatively smiled back at her and scurried away. She then went on her merry way until she saw Kennedy walking ahead of her. Soon-Bae picked up her pass and soon caught up with her, walking alongside her. "Good morning, Kennedy," she chirped. "How's everything with the mission? Running well?"


THE CHEF

#AB615E || #C4BB9C || #A1D6A2


Quote:

hope it isn't too bad

[ezranine]

"Chin up please."

Lillie motioned with her hand as the child's bright eyes stared back in question. As the brunette pointed to the ceiling and motioned her own chin upwards, the child followed suit slowly. Soon-Bae had outdone herself with breakfast, unfortunately most of it was now on the face's of the children surrounding her, including the small girl she was currently trying to tidy up. The child's giggles hit her ears as Lillie wiped her face and neck. However did she get it that close to her ear? "There now. Perfect." She punctuated her observation with a tap to the youngster's nose. The increasing chatter across the table captured her attention. A girl around the age of ten was arguing with a younger boy, similar in features, in a language that Lillie did not understand. She never fancied herself a linguist, making due with just a few. Maybe she'd have a chat soon with Maz. But something about the two reminded her of the past, arguing with her younger brother Mikael. When the two were together it always seemed like he did everything he could to annoy her - she learned a lot about patience from him.

Soon enough the young boy began to quiet down as presumably his sister moved her plate towards him. He didn't notice the gentle smile adorning the girl's face, he was too busy stuffing his own. Lillie did however and caught the girl's gaze long enough to give her an encouraging smile. She made sure each of them had had their fill before helping them dispense of their plates. Pausing to lean through one of the doors she lifted her voice over the noise of the kitchen. " Great job on breakfast Soon-Bae! I'll catch you later when you aren't as busy." Without waiting for a response she turned back towards the mess hall. The few that had been sat near her were now just waiting patiently, if not a bit anxiously, glancing between her and the others in the room. If she remembered correctly they were given free range of the ship, save for a few 'out-of-limits' areas. Her heart clenched at the way they just stood there as if they didn't know what to do next. One of them was a small Sahiban boy who she learned was called Petre. His thick dark hair and native tongue had been what drew her to him, it was what urged her to sit next to him in the mess hall. He couldn't have been more than four. As she had been catering to the other children he sat quietly next to her, only answering her questions when she spoke directly to him. Most likely because he couldn't understand anyone else. That thought gave her an idea and as she gently took hold of his hand she smiled at the others. She motioned for them to follow and as they began to catch on she led them through the mess hall doors and towards her lab. Hopefully this would keep them distracted for at least a few hours.

Having children had never been a question for Lillie. She was caring in nature and her temperament made her an ideal candidate to take care of someone. Even though she had two brothers she had always wanted a larger family; one of her own that she could care for. Of course she had other hobbies and interests, one of them being science, but her number one was to be a mother. Lillie adored her's, but surprisingly was more of her father's shadow. It seemed idyllic in the old films she watched and as she aged the yearning never ceased. Knowing her luck she'd be one of those people who couldn't bear her own child. Science had fortunately come a long way so there were other options, and of course there was always adoption. At the thought of the boy who was clinging to her hand she sighed. Although she had heard the commander's muttered curses, it wasn't all bad having the children on board. With the sound of their laughter behind her, a smile rose on her face. No, not bad at all.

The small party that followed to the lab were now occupied by an old children's film Lillie had found in the archives. Soft instrumental music played just loud enough to be heard in the background. She had instructed them with hand gestures and non-translatable noises to stay put and that she would be just through that door. The door in question was open just enough to hear the lulls of the movie. Most of the materials, if not all, present in her lab would obviously not mix well with small children so she stationed them in her office, safely separated by a glass wall and easily seen from her position nearby. Every so often she would hear a giggle or two and she'd glance up, making sure they were okay and hadn't moved. Upon one check up she noticed the young Petre had fallen asleep. Without a second thought she quickly moved to wash her hands at the sink and then made her way into the office. The girls piped up animatedly and Lillie made a shusing motion with finger as she smiled secretly. They quieted when the brunette grabbed the throw blanket off her arm chair, thankful for the first time that the lab tended to be colder on average, instigating the need for an alternate heat source. Petre clutched to the quilt's edge when she laid it over him, but otherwise continued to snooze.

The Sahiban orphan had already begun to burrow his way into her heart and she had just met him that morning. Perhaps the soft spot was because they shared a heritage, or maybe because he was one of the few children on the ship that she could converse with. She pondered that only for a minute before heading back to the plates she had been observing moments prior. It dawned on her that she had just left them there without thinking. Luckily the bacteria wasn't growing on the plates and they presented no real danger, but she was extremely organized and methodical on the other hand and usually never did something without thinking it through. She stood staring at the plate for a few moments more, lost in thought. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe there was such thing as a biological clock and it was something that she had no control over. Images of Petre and the sounds of wailing children raced through her mind as she clutched to the lab bench with her hands. The ringing in her ears intensified and she took in a few deep breaths to calm herself. Was it fear coming from the thought of being a mother, or was she perhaps surprised by how much she actually coveted the idea? A shrill shriek followed by laughter caused her to jump back from the table. Her eyes focusing in on the children behind her glasses. Everything seemed fine. If she remembered correctly this film had a particularly nasty wolf character that would no doubt cause the young girl to be frightened. Lillie observed her for a moment and within seconds she was laughing at something else. No harm done it seemed. Returning to her work she pushed all thoughts of worry to some far corner in her mind, proceeding on with her work, a smile on her face as she hummed to the sounds of the old days.


most definitely more than i wanted it to be. sorry!
outfit unless she's in the lab.

[foxydadsfan420]

ᴊᴀᴍᴇsᴏɴ v s. v ᴄᴀʟʜᴏᴜɴ
❝ ᴡᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ
'ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙᴏɴᴇs
ᴏғ ᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀs,

indent After hearing the news of young children on the ship, Jameson instantly perked up. Constantly writing stories about the same elderly, rich, and important people who come and go on a ship like this was, well-- boring. For once the Hera was carrying much more interesting cargo, and Jameson loved playing with children. He felt that talking to children really took the edge off, there was never any political agenda he had to discuss with them or any serious financial questions he had to ask them, because even if he wanted to give them a hard interview he knows they're just kids and they wouldn't know how to answer. As much as he loves writing he has never really loved his job- journalism is hard for an introvert, especially one as nice as him. He reminds himself of Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."

indentJameson was lucky enough to have two sets of parents but he truly felt so sorry for these kids. As well behaved as they are they really are just children- who are most likely only well behaved due to the horrors they must have been through. Jameson was smart enough to get scholarships to attend special private schools, and fortunate enough to have a father and stepmother on a wealthy planet, but at the same time his very first memories were memories of having nothing. But even when he had nothing he had a mother a father and a sister, and there are people who don't even have that. He thinks about how his mother had nothing a lot. Maybe I can get an interesting story out of this, I've been in such a slump. he thinks with his eyes locked on the floor as he tries to tie his shoes without depressing himself further.

indentJameson pulls himself off the edge of his bed and out of his sleeping quarters and walks to the mess hall with his notebook in hand and a steady pace, hopeful, and slightly more enthused than usual. Without even first acquiring food, he seats himself at the end of a mostly empty table and begins writing. His notebook is a small, brown, soft leather bound and un-lined sketch book in reality- both much smaller than standard paper size and much thinner- he goes through pages quickly and often has to re-bind the book himself with new ones. Most people find it unorthadox of a journalist these days not to be fully digital, but the book was a Christmas gift from his sister when he was 12, after she had gotten her first job, and he treasured it very much.

whiteAs he begins to write what he hopes will be a story worthy of publishing, he notices a small boy tug on his sleeve and ask what grade he's in because he's "too big". Jameson smiles warmly. "Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions, kiddo? Whats your name? Where are you from?" He's so lucky that being a journalist requires so many different language studies because it's hard enough interviewing someone who speaks a different dialect, even harder a child who's speech is often slurred and lacks precision. The two begin talking sweetly as Jameson jots down his notes- getting lost in the discussion and smiling much more widely than he has in an interview before.

& ɪ ᴘʀᴀʏ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ
& ɪ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴏᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ❞
-ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ
wearing this // listening to this // ooc: i hope this is enough, its hard with a first post!

[sybilss]

She scrubbed a hand over her face and shook her head. "I think you and I are past this, don't you think?" Anders was always trying to play it safe around her -- Sahni wasn't in the mood for it today. Endearing as it may have been on her old friend, she didn't have the patience. "You're busy, we'll make plans for the harder stuff later. I didn't come down to take you away from work anyway," she added hastily. Anders was dedicated to the work he did, and she didn't like to distract him any more than he liked to be distracted -- she assumed, anyway. "I'm just...being around so many kids, I don't know." It had always been a source of contention between herself and her parents. She was their only child, she was the only way they were ever going to carry on their family name -- and she had dedicated herself to this life. It was fair to say that her mother had been less than pleased with the decision way back when. Now, communication was spotty -- who was Helen to say what her mother did and didn't care about anymore? She knew how Anders felt about children -- and God knew he was well aware of her own personal stance -- but the idea of kids who didn't have families, just close enough for her to touch, to talk to, to bring into her space, onto her ship. It was unsettling. What law or custom dictated that she couldn't keep one to herself? What law or custom said she was unfit to be a mother?

My law, she reminded herself. The heat of the engine room pressed angrily against her thought, giving them life and spark and she knew that she would be happier when this mission was over, but missing just a little bit more. "This isn't what I signed up for," she decided on. Which was pathetic. Because this is actually exactly what she signed up for -- to do what was asked of her. "Ignore me," she said quickly, straightening up.



nerdbutt elmo