[ORP] Finding the Blackbird

[Cheekiebirdiee]

By the time a second child had showed up Slven's arms were folded over his chest, a clear look of distaste for the situation crossing his features as he listened to the operator and the children go back and forth. This was most annoying. How could he just give in like that....when he had not done so for Slven?

Turning at the sound of Meridian's voice he rolled his eyes and sighed softly in frustration. Luckily his temper still cool at the moment even if it was greatly building within. Inhaling deeply he tuned the others out for a moment coming back in at the end of Ghost's words, his ambers flickered towards the supply bags then up to Ghost. Wearing a look close to emotionless now he moved forward.

Leaning forward he picked up one of the bags of supplies while shifting his gaze to the speaking Argent. He didn't know this child and he didn't care that he to was getting outside the barrier when Slven had been detained when he was a child. Slven responded to the others words though it wasn't with encouragement, " one can only hope." He wasn't convinced either of them were going to be anything but troublesome the entire trip.

"You should try to get any possible survivors back here as soon as possible." The words echoed in his head and spurred him into movement and out of his jealous thoughts. Though not for the most selfless of reasons he should have, no he just wanted to see if he was there. Leaning back up he deposited the book from his own brought bag into the supply bag he had just picked up, merging them so he only had to carry one pack along with his sword. His eyes roamed over the children and very clearly held a look that said if they couldn't make the trip by themselves well they were out of luck with him. Slven wasn't there to babysit if Meridian wanted to that was his business...Slven had more important things to do than play guard for genome's that thought they were big boys and girls.

"If that's it we should be going...what are the ships last known coordinates?" Slvens tone had slid into a much more serious one dipping an octave lower as he spoke at Ghost and not to him, unable to look at the other and not get angry for the disappointment he felt in him at the moment. Slven would most certainly have a talk with him later...later. Slven tilted his head and offered a casual forced smile to the group while he silenced his thoughts and waited for the information.  

[Sen Cross]

Watching as the four picked up the bags of supplies, he handed the small data pad over to Slven.
"This is our last working navigation compass. The coordinates of the ship are unclear, but it should be somewhere in this area ..." he pointed a whide range on the map that flared red to him. "Depending on the damage you should be able to see the ship, the flagship quite tall ... the compass will point you in the right direction. I trust you will take good care of it."
Sensing the boys obvious anger as he childishly refused to look at him, he placed a hand on Slvens shoulder, lowering his voice enough for their conversation to stay private. "Listen, I know that you are not happy about the children tagging along and that it may be a bit unfair as you were not allowed to. But I trust that you understand the urgency of the situation. Sending out a scout team of two only in an emergency like this is unsafe. They can prove to be an asset, and I promise we will talk about this later." He gave Slven an encouraging smile, but there was also something else in his eyes. Worry, hope ... "I'm sure that you have the potential to be a great leader someday, like your father. Once you get past your childish jealousy and anger. Use this mission to prove that you are an adult now in mind as well as in body."  

[Cheekiebirdiee]

Taking the data pad his eyes still refused to meet Ghost, now focused on running the pad over and the coordinates on it. Last working compass? Slven tucked that information away for later but remembered to take good care of the item for now not wanting to get lost in the middle of nowhere and certainly not with two kids. "Yes..rest assured. " He commented absently to Ghost, now looking out towards the direction the compass was already pointing.

The hand on his shoulder caused a narrowing of the young mans amber eyes, the touch successful in catching his attention. A bit unfair ? Slven blinked softly, his face holding no emotion to give away the conversation the two were sharing however inwardly he was growing unstable. How dare Ghost...

He turned to the other face to face and given Ghost closeness to whisper almost brushing his skin with his own as he turned to speak, calmly but almost warningly in the same low tone to keep the talk private, " I know the urgency of the situation all to well...which is why I find it amusing that you choose now to attempt a 'pep' talk." Slven's eyes turned cold and he added, "I suppose this means however we are both disappointed in each other..." Slven felt no need to prove himself to someone who let children get the better of them.

He all but ignored the encouraging smile along with the look in Ghost eyes as he moved ahead breaking their contact. Tilting his head to Argent as the boy cleared his throat, communication was key but they didn't know if there were survivors which likely meant they had no way to contact Ghost in turn they wouldn't be able to contact them. Slven placed two fingers in front of his face before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, inhaling for a moment before moving a head of them. "Let's get going..we need to move out."  

[Sen Cross]

He frowned upon Slvens words, his voice taking on a harder edge, but still far from loosing it's calm and somewhat gentle tone. "I'm not disappointed in you." And he kept it at that, as there was no time for discussions.
Breathing out an unaudible sigh as Slven turned away, he faced the group again.

"You will be able to communicate with me as long as I'm on the bridge through the navigation compass. I doubt you will be able to reach any survivors. If they still had a functioning long range communication, we would know by now."
He let his eyes wander over the four again before nodding.
"To pass the shield dome, Amber, Argent ... you will need to keep physical contact with either Meridian or Slven. A child can only pass alongside an adult."
Let them make of it what they wished. This information would probably either spur Slvens anger further or dimish it, as the young man had never asked one of the older to accompany him outside. Had he done so ... passing the shield dome alongside adults had always been possible. Had any of the children asked, he wouldn't have lied. But as it was, Ghost had never been eager to make that fact known unless absolutely necessary.

"As that's settled ... I wish you all the best of luck. Move out."  

[elfgurl1234]

Oh-ho-ho~ Slven was nooooot happy. Amber could probably deal with that; so long as he didn't grump too openly at them along the way she'd refrain from rubbing anything in his face. As it was, she really was only interested in leaving the shield dome to try to find any survivors, but how much the older Genome would believe that she was unsure. Ah well, no time to worry about him when they needed to get going.

Ah, so they had to keep in contact with an adult to pass through the shield dome. Easy enough; she'd take Meri's side. "Yes, sir. We will move quickly." Now it was time for them to finally get going. Trusting the others to catch up, Amber started off in the direction that Ghost had indicated on the navigation compass. There wasn't time to waste.  

[AnimeEyeshime]

Ghost's conditions for Amber and Argent's accompaniment were fair...if perhaps not ideal for Slven. Meridian could already feel the stress of likely ending up responsible for both youths, if Slven wanted nothing to do with them - or worse, gave them orders that didn't take what they could do into account. Though Meridian himself didn't mind deferring command of the party to the other adult Genome, it was the peacemaking he was almost dreading. Not to mention getting whatever survivors there might be back in one piece...

A few hours to two days, was what Ghost said. Two days meant two days there and two days back... Meridian really hoped it wasn't that far. He took what he could of the supply bags to carry, sneaking a glance at Ghost and Slven. That private conversation looked pretty serious. He occupied himself instead with studying the other young Genome; Argent, the one he did not know well. His query on communications was a good one, and one Meri was glad to hear the answer to--at least, the part where they would be able to reach Ghost. Perhaps if the survivors were too badly wounded to move, by contacting Ghost, they could get Alery to come to them...

Nor was Meridian surprised the "trick" of passing through the dome was so simple. Before he and the others had become adults, there hadn't been anyone but Ghost to attempt to cajole to accompany them, and Ghost's place was with the ship. "We'll do our best," Meridian agreed. He was already thinking through the direction the compass had set, and that Slven had already indicated. The way to the edge of the dome should be easy enough. The hard part came after. "Let's go." Echoing Ghost's command, Meri moved forward on the path before them, into the forest and closer towards...well, whatever they'd find at their destination.  

[Cheekiebirdiee]

At this point the raven haired Genome made no attempt to keep the conversation private adding in, "then learn to choose your words more carefully... Operator" With those last words, he started ahead of the group towards the edge of the dome. Slven wasn't in the mood for physical contact or much of anything really so pressing on he left that up to Meridian for now. Besides he highly doubted Amber wanted to touch him just to get outside of the dome and he didn't know the other child but really again couldn't care less about him. If they couldn't get through on their own they didn't need to follow now did they.

...Physical contact to get past. Slven was indeed burnt to hear that information mostly because all the adults that were around when he was a child never seemed to well be around. The only adult he remembered was Ghost and Ghost had lied to him. He had said children could not get outside.. Slven's amber orbs narrowed as he approached the shield, taking a breath and holding it he stepped on out into the unknown.

"Hurry up.." He called without so much as a look behind him. Staring out into the unknown helped quell his raising temper slightly.....  

[elfgurl1234]

"Impatient much, Slven?" Amber chimed 'innocently', taking Meridian's other arm so that she and Argent could pass the barrier. Once through, she let go of the older Genome, holding her bow at the ready now that they were past the safety of the dome. "Let's move on then, before somebody loses their top." At least with the Operator not immediate around she could speak more freely, though occasional sarcasm aside she didn't actually have much intent to harass the older Genome. She'd get in a shot here or there when he deserved it, but otherwise she'd been to keep paying close attention to the world around them. Who new what sort of wild animals they might come across out here... even if they were in a field now and could pretty clearly see what was around them.  

[Sen Cross]

Ghost watched them leave with mixed feelings before returning to the ship. He would stay on the bridge to keep in contact with the scouting team, and he hoped that he had made the right choice in allowing them go in that constellation.
Slven was so ... impatient. Agressive, even. But Ghost felt that he had the potential to be a leader. Not only because of who his parents were, or because somewhere inside Ghost had to admit to himself that he favored the boy. It was something Mother had told him, and Mother had never been wrong about something like that before. Still, they had to do something about the boys attitude, even if that would ruin their - friendship? brotherly relationship? whatever it was - completely.
It was his responsibility as Operator to secure the peace of the settlement and the rightful education of those younger than him. But why did his heart ache so much from Slvens words?
Those past centuries of soltitude Ghost had gotten used to being alone, and he had always felt detached from the children in some way, even as they grew. He knew that he could never possibly relate to them in a way he had with the others back on their old homeland, the ones that had fought alongside him, his companions - as there had barely been any time for friendship. And he also knew why. Because the children of Utopia could never understand him fully, could never even guess the way of his thoughts and mind.
And Ghost longed for it, longed for someone, anyone, like him. Someone that knew their past not only from stories, someone who had been there. And that was why he felt hope that someone had survived on the colony ship, that the other Operator or someone else who had been guarding the ship was alive.
Reaching the bridge, he dropped into the seat in front of the still working main computer and watched the signal of the compass Slven was carrying. Waiting.

----

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Zephyr was pacing frantically between the two makeshift tents and campfire that made their small 'basecamp'.
She had been thinking for the last hour about what she should do with the current situation. But there weren't much options to take. Or rather, no options at all.
She could not leave the children alone, much less the Operator in his current state. But she could do nothing for him either.
Hope was the only thing that she could latch herself on at the moment. Hope, that their distress signal had reached the other ship. That there were even survivors to listen to it. Hope, that they were on their way here with help.
She stopped pacing for a moment and her gaze turned to one of the small tents - that she had build from wood and the huge leaves of some of the plants around the crash site - where the two boys had fallen asleep, exhausted and huddled close to each other in fear. And they had every right to be scared. Zephyr was, too.
Slowly, her steps picked up again, not pacing this time but carrying her over to the other tent, dropping to the ground beside the still unconscious Operator. He had not regained consciousness at all over the last hour, what didn't surprise her. But to say that she was worried was an understatement.
She was neither a healer nor knowledgeable in anything above basic first aid, but she knew for certain that he would most likely not survive the night without proper medical attention.
Placing her hand on his forehead gently, her fingers frightening cold against his feverish skin. The injuries he had received during the explosion that she could only guess about, aside from the obvious cuts and scapes, she did not know if any of those were life-threatening. But the wound she herself had inflicted when cutting off his leg - and she still felt sickened from just the thought of that - that still refused to stop bleeding completely certainly was. Good thing that she carried a beam saber ... at least that had cauterized the wound or he would probably be dead already.
Surpressing a sob, she let out a sigh instead. No, she was a warrior, she would not cry or show weakness, not in front of the kids she would have to protect should he ... Zephyr found herself unable to continue the thought. She didn't want to.
Turning her gaze away from the poorly threated injuries - she could do no more without supplies of any sort - to the Operators handsome face and letting it rest there, somehow transfixed by the unnatural palor of his usually tanned skin, ghostly against the long, ebony hair. He was a fighter, she knew as much. His resilience was legendary, and he surely had survived far worse. Then again, who was she kidding ... there had always been medical teams waiting when he had returned from battle, bloodstrained, still full of either rage or glee, but always proud, never before had she seen him so ... weak, almost fragile.
And she was scared. Scared what she would do without him. With Mother gone ... He was the leader, she was just an assassin once that had been assigned to the ship as one of the Operators protectors. The words sounded hollow in her mind. Never before had he been one to need protection, it had always been him that looked after all of them. And in that one moment he would have needed it, she had failed.
Zepyr drew her knees up to her chest and hid her face with both arms, no longer resisting the angry tears.
'please ...' she whispered to the flames of the campfire, the sun, the wind and the bright blue sky above, to any and every deity this world may be home to. 'don't let him die ... don't let our hope fade to nothing.'  

[Cheekiebirdiee]

Slven wasn't as much unhappy about the orders as he was the fact that the children got to go as well coupled with Ghost's little pep talk.To which he still felt no remorse for his reply to the Operator and likely would never. Apparently looks could be deceiving, if this was how he was coming off. Clearly this was a case of just that considering all were assuming that Slven was simply being impatient, while that was part of the case who could blame one such as himself for being so, when there was a high probability that his father could be out there but more than that, another fine reason for him to get them moving was they were burning daylight which could be bad in a few ways; one being him wanting to get started scouting the area for later usage and two they didn't know what was facing them and Slven would rather not face the unknown in the later hours of the day where things could become even more dangerous,stupid children; while there wasn't truly a night on Utopia, it was hard telling if they would have to trudge through heavily wooden areas much like the forest within the dome, which if that was the case it could become troublesome.

The raven haired genome paused at hearing Amber's comment; for one so previously eager he felt she had a lot of nerve to even speak about such a thing of impatience, his features slowly twisting into a look that was highly unamused with the girl before he replied, "that's a way to put it however if you had been paying attention you would know there could be casualties as such we should start out as soon as possibly to cut time and increase chances of survival. " Pausing he added, making a mental reminder to bring up her disrespect with Ghost later, "if you are to be nothing more than a disrespectful child, Amber I suggest you fall back now." With the verbal slap delivered in his opinion the raven turned and started to move again, trudging through the forest that hid the edge of the dome just beyond it.

This was already going to be a hell of a headache, heaven help them all if Slven lost it in the middle of nowhere, he knew his own attitude all to well which is why he was severely trying to keep it in check as he moved out of the dome and into an open green field. Not exactly what he expected to lie beyond the forest and the dome but at least it wasn't more forest.

Pulling at the supplies he carried Slven gave a soft sigh, his feet making a heavy thump as he headed them right through the field; Slven shielded his eyes and peered at the compass yes they were heading in the right direction. His amber eyes scanned their surroundings as they started moved along. Slven glanced over his shoulder for the three that followed him before turning back and picking his pace up a little perhaps this a more childish reply to Amber in wanting to see if she could keep up.  

[elfgurl1234]

'Paying attention'? Oh she'd been playing plenty of attention, thank you very much. She knew well of their need to hurry. She just didn't believe that Slven's previous remark to 'hurry up' had been born of his benevolent concern for the Genomes that they were currently seeking out. No, he was just being the stubborn, arrogant butt that he always was. "I'm only as 'respectful' as you've shown me how to be yourself, Slven," she chimed back, following behind the older Genome regardless. Seriously though, the black-haired Genome was the last person to be lecturing anyone on 'respect'. She got alone just fine with Meridian, did she not? He was actually nice and didn't talk down to everyone ever.

When Slven picked up the pace Amber increased her own to keep up. She wasn't about to let the other try to make a mockery of her when they had more important things to be focusing on.