Furry-Within

Conflicted would hardly begin to describe the maelstrom of emotions battering inside of the feline as she waited to board the shuttle that would transport her to the Aegis. Anxiously her tail twitched behind her, jerking first to the left then back to the right. She carried no bags except for a thin metal case that carried her PWS (portable work station) all of her personal effects, luggage and experiments were already on their way to the ship. That was the easy part. Now she had to wait, and that was something that the feline didn't do very well.

Without realizing it a paw lifted to her blouse and swiped at the invisible lint and wrinkles, that same paw lowered and tugged at the crease of her pants. She looked impeccable in her uniform the colors suited her well. Her feet were adorned in standard Alliance issue boots. They were versatile and rather comfortable, at least more so than the dress shoes she would have to wear at more formal occasions. The slacks she wore were identical in color and appearance to every other uniform worn on the ship. The majority of the pants was black, almost dull with a matte like finish. On the outer part of the leg going from the waistband to the ankle cuff was a black stripe, however this shade of black appeared glossed and shiny. Indigo was the color of her top, button down and long sleeve. The epaulette covers were black with silver clusters to signify her rank.

After what seemed like an eternity, the line moved forward and Alina found herself facing a daunting looking ursine that was asking for her papers. Quickly she reached into her case and retrieved the items he requested. She looked up and extended the papers towards him. He scanned her transfer request and then checked it against the ships records. The green light came on and he waved her through.

The inside of the shuttle was a veritable rainbow of colors. She didn't see anyone that she recognized, but she hadn't expected to anyway. She grabbed a vacant seat near the back of the shuttle and settled in between a sea of red, with a wave of green striped though it. Even though she knew that the shuttle wasn't ready to depart, a silver peppered paw lifted the safety harness and buckled it in place. Her PWS was placed neatly on her lap and opened. The shuttle trip would take about 20 minutes once all the passengers boarded.

Alina flipped her wrist over. Her PMD, currently set as a chronometer clearly displayed the time as 08:17. She had plenty of time before her meeting with the Captain at 10:00. Briefly her cerulean eyes danced from one side of the ship to the other, but nothing of importance caught her eye. So the snow leopardess would do, what any lab rat would do, she played on her computer until the shuttle docked. Occasionally lifting a finger to raise her glasses that always seemed to want to creep down her nose.

The feline had to admit though that her computer held little interest for the remaining moments of the trip. As soon as she looked out of her window and gazed at the enormity of the Aegis, Alina felt her pulse quicken, laced with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

"Shuttle 214, Shuttle 214. This is Ægis command comm over."

"Roger command comm, this is shuttle 214. We are scheduled for arrival at oh-eight-forty-five, please confirm."

In the same bored and neutral tone, Bishop replied after briefly checking the incoming ship roster. "Ægis confirms, shuttle 214 UGA Babbage to arrive at 0845 with crew compliment and supplementary materials."

"Roger command comm." The officious and similarly neutral voice became slightly more relaxed as they broke away from the standard script. "We may be a couple of minutes behind schedule, and I got the usual couple of greenies who think they can slip a few sundries into their mass allotments. We're sorting it out now, shouldn't take long. I still have a couple of missing heads, but we'll be there shortly."

"Understood. You have my permission to leave any non-compliants on the dock to wait for the next shuttle. They can take it up with their department heads. Command comm out."

Bishop did not usually oversee docking operations, but he was a little shorthanded until the rest of the crew compliment filled out. He'd been on board for some time now, double-checking the systems, triple checking all of the spares, and working with the systems engineers to make sure that their hot-swap backup system was in working order and stored in the grounded area under the bridge. You could never be too careful when it came to the sophisticated equipment and components that so many creatures' lives depended upon from day to day. Getting out to push if the engines died was not a viable option.

Though only the in-dock skeleton crew was standing bridge watch at the moment, the bustle was still invigorating as everyone prepared to get underway. As he turned to head down to medical for a mild pain reliever, a young woman of some indeterminate racial background bumped his shoulder. She clearly had not been expecting him to move so suddenly, and she mumbled an apology without looking him in the eyes. Or rather, in the Eye.

Back in his crisp purples, what he still thought of privately as the "royal" bridge colors, and his hair and ears tied back in what was considered an aristocratic fashion on his home world, he was ready to get out of dock. He had no illusions of grandeur or nobility, but his position and anatomy allowed him to eschew the buzz-cut of his infantry days. It made him stand out more than he already did, but that was of no concern. After they got underway a smooth routine would set in, a rhythm and flow that was soothing in a profound way. The rest of the bridge would hopefully become less aware of his augmentation and relax around him, and the music of the universe would again be his to explore. But first he had to be certain the I's were dotted, the T's crossed. And so, back to work.

   The port was a hustle and bustle as always. Hundreds and thousands passed through those gates heading for unknown parts of space.  He sat there watching them move like so much cattle. From across the way.  But then again he was afforded all the time in the world to be here, in fact he was way to early for his flight.
     The huge panther sat across the street, his two massive bags sitting on either side of him. Those lightning eyes scanned the port as he ate street vendor food. His long thick Crimson hair tied none to neatly into a pony tail.

You look like an idiot wearing Red, what where they thinking? they might as well put a huge target sign over your chest. might as well wave your arms like "hey guys!! over here!!"

A low growl escaped his massive lips as he chewed through his food not really tasting it. His uniform consisting of a red shirt, Black slacks matching Epaulet. In fact the only thing that felt comfortable where his boots. Everything felt to tight against his massive form.
 
  Come on lets get going already you've been moping all day? you evening listening to me anymore buddy?

The panther sighed as he got up, putting in his ear buds. and turning up the music.  he mumbled softly under his breath.
  "Shut up..."
Grasping his bags he began to make his way through the crowd. Drawing more than one set of eyes.  He ignored them the best he could. Standing at 7 feet tends to do that.
        You know you could easily clear space, just light of a couple of rounds. Scare the civ's into making room. Just pull that bad motherfucker out, you know you wanna do it.

Another little growl escaped his lips as he stood in front of his first check point, making the checker nervous. He could smell his stench lingering with over a thousand other bodies that moved almost claustrophobicly close. without a word he handed him his papers. letting him scan it through. Stepping through the metal detectors he sent them blaring. But the man just handed him back his papers and pointed him to his gate.
Again he sat down checking his PMD for time,  as well as checking his vital signs. All seemed to be going well. This shuttle would hold most of the crew. Taking note as they passed. Most  wearing the colors that dictated there station.
    you already know all this why are you reviewing them? Red is all you need to worry about.

  And indeed there was a lot of them, All the security staff under his command. Most saluted him as they passed. But the huge panther nodded his head in respects in return. Occasionally Returning the salute.
Look at all these lambs to send to the slaughter, i look forward to sending them to worthy deaths.
   He took one more deep breath closing his eyes a moment.  and again said under his breath.
  "shut the fuck up..."
Luckily no one seemed to notice. and he was finally greeted with blissful silence. Getting up he picked up his bag handing his papers once more to be checked.
   The attendant looked up "Urgh?, Sir Your only allowed one bag, i can take your other one for you. I'll make sure it gets through".
   A lopsided smile grew across his lips. "Ah, thanks I'd really appreciate that. " his eyes almost twinkled with mischief.  "Wish there were more nice and gorgeous staff like you" He gave her a playful wink that only made her roll her eyes.
   "Please go in and find a seat sir.."
"Yeah OK, thanks again.."
With that he made his way inside, checking his PMD again, he found a comfortable seat among those wearing green. he let out a deep breath as curious eyes fallowed him. So far he was the tallest thing here. Strapping himself in he closed his eyes.
  "Just gotta meet the captain and I'm home free..."

Ivan sighed softly as he washed his face in his personal washroom. This was it, he was either going to prove he had what it took to run a ship, or crumble and be lost. He happened to look into the small mirror above his sink, his white furred face matted in places from where he had splashed his face, his light blue eyes gleaming a bit from the light overhead. He leaned back from the sink and ruffled his all white fur, he wasn't dressed in his alliance wear, actually...he wasn't really dressed in anything at all. You see the white vulpine had just gotten out of his personal shower and only had the white towel covering his waist, the steam in the air was thin as his damp tail kinda just hung in a semi casual way and his well toned chest rose and fell with each breath he took. The Vulpine was nervous, put anyone in the same situation and they would be just as nervous, he had a lot of responsibilities now, a crew that would be looking up to him for guidance in times of crisis, a crew that had a family waiting for them back home.

He shook the nagging thoughts away from his head and let the towel fall, the steam in the air obscuring his nether regions as he walked over to where he had carefully laid out his clothes, a semi formal attire he had taken from his closet. It seemed suitable given he would have to meet his new section heads and go over the mission plan along with emergency procedures, blah blah blah. The main reason he wanted to wear his semi formal attire was more of a personal reason, personally he liked the way it felt against his fur. It was a bit tight but not enough to strain against his body causing discomfort. Slowly he sang an old Russian folk song as he got dressed in the uniform.

A simple pair of black slacks covered his bottom half, the top consisted of a long sleeve black top with white trim. The chosen outfit was clean cut and fit his form rather perfectly seeing as how all of his clothes were custom fit for him on this long mission. He took his PMD and strapped it around his wrist which it soon kicked on and started blinking as it ran it's normal system scan.

"Alright Ivan, show them how Mother Russia raised her kit" He grins to himself as he left his room and walked down the corridor on the first level connecting his private room, the bridge and the conference room. His choice of destination was not the bridge just yet, but the conference room where he would wait for the section heads to report for the mission briefing. He entered the room and looked around, simple design of a room large enough to hold a circular table with enough chairs for each person, a large Alliance insignia dawned on the back wall and a small projector like mechanism toward the center of the table. A smile crept along his muzzle as he made his way over to his chair and sat down, one leg crossing over the other.

There he would sit and wait, His light blue eyes locked onto the door as he leaned back and his paws moving into a triangle like shape under his chin. Though, he blinked a bit, something was off....something, not right. He closed his eyes and brought up a paw to rub at his eyes when he came to his conclusion of what was off. He lowered his right paw into his pocket and pulled out a simple wire rimmed pair of glasses, his vision able to go with out them, but for presentation wise he thought it best to set them upon his face.

At 0830, the only sound in the fennec's office was the steady ticking of his wristwatch.  He sat in staunch silence, reviewing the medical files of every crewmember on board.  As Chief Medical Officer, he felt it was his responsibility to know as much about the crew medically as possible.  He would be serving as Medical Director for the EMS personnel on board as well, which meant that he needed to review their protocol.  Of course, he'd been planning ever since he'd received orders to work aboard this ship.

He'd woken up at precisely 0400, dressed himself in a pair of light athletic shorts and a plain white T-shirt and headed down to the fitness center.  There, he'd jogged for approximately 3 miles on the treadmill, which he sourly noted was starting to become a bit more taxing on him.  He was getting old, and he knew it.  For years he'd prided himself on his physical condition, making a vow to himself that he wouldn't become complacent and lazy as most doctors were wont to do.  But as of late, he was starting to slowly come to realize that it would require much more time and effort to stay in top physical shape.  Possibly much more effort than he could realistically afford.  In addition to being somewhat vain, he was also very practical.  His job as a doctor and Chief Medical Officer took precedence over anything else, and patient care was definitely top priority.

Ignoring the slight ache in his joints that had come from too many years of running, he returned to his bunk room.  Once he returned, he threw his clothing off and into a plastic bag that held all of his dirty laundry from the past couple days.  With his deployment being so close, there was no sense in doing laundry here.  He could simply have it done on the ship.  He stepped into the bathroom and set his rectangular glasses on the counter next to the sink.  He took a long shower, letting the hot water dull the ache in his knees and lower back before twisting the temperature knob all the way to cold.  He set about cleaning himself as the frigid water washed over him, an old German folk song coming to his mind.

"Bei der stillen Mondeshelle
Treiben wir mit frohem Sinn
Auf dem Bächlein ohne Welle
Hin und her und her und hin."

It was oddly fitting to the situation, as the Aegis was sent to explore the deep reaches of space.  The irony of the song made him chuckle a bit.  The song was called "Bei der stillen Mondeshelle" and for some reason, gave the fennec mixed feelings about this voyage.  The song cheered him up at the same time it gave him a bit of a dark thought mixed in.  He shook it off, drying himself with a large towel that was hanging just beside the shower stall.  He finished cleaning himself, brushing his teeth and making sure his short mane was in place.  As he went about his morning routine, he continued singing the song to himself.

"Schifflein gehst und kehrest wieder
Ohne Segel, ohne Mast.
Bächlein trägt uns auf und nieder,
Spielend mit der kleinsten Last."

He dressed himself in his uniform, which was cleaned and neatly ironed.  The creases were sharp and crisp, which was exactly how he liked them.  He took great pride in maintaining a neat and professional appearance-- after all, people tended to trust doctors (or any health-care professional) more when they looked fit for the part.  As he packed his tablet computer, files, and his old H&K USP that he'd bought while he was in college.  His dorm was a rather nasty place, and he'd decided that a handgun would be a necessity.  He'd gotten so used to carrying it around during school that he'd simply grown used to it.  He still used and cleaned it regularly, making sure it was in top working condition.  As a medical officer, he'd never needed to use it, but it was a comfort to have in his possession at times.  He'd then boarded the ship at 0815, heading straight for his office, where he'd spent the rest of his morning.

His wristwatch beeped at 0945, signaling to him that he had to leave for the meeting with the ship's captain.  He was a bit apprehensive about working under a Russian (old rivalries still brewed with some), but he pushed these thoughts out of his mind as he slid his tablet computer into its spot inside of his briefcase.  He kept two copies of the medical files with him at all times-- one electronic, and the other in paper.  Of course, they were condensed enough so that they would all fit inside the neat and shined black case.  This made the font small, but that was alright with him.  Despite aging slowly, his eyes were still as sharp as ever.

He caught glimpses of himself in his dark green uniform shirt and jacket, and the polished pin that signified his rank on board the ship.  His boots clicked on the floor as he walked through the halls, echoing down the corridor.  He stopped to gaze out of one of the portholes that lined the wall, his attention captivated for a moment by the white glow of the stars in the distance.  He dawdled for a moment or two before finally resuming his short journey.  He went straight for the conference room-- after all, logic would dictate that a room meant for conferences and officers' meetings would be used for that exact purpose.  But with a Russian, one could never be quite sure.

He was mildly surprised to see Ivan already sitting at the head of the table, but managed to hide it.  "Guten Morgen, Mein Kapitän," he said, keeping his greeting brief.  He took his position that he'd seen his superior on the UGA Lacrosse take, sitting two seats down on the Captain's left side.  <Ein Reußerer Kapitän,> he thought dryly to himself.  <Gott hilf uns mit dieser Belastung.>

It was 0800 precisely when he arrived at dock not a moment before or after. He stood with a proud and elegant grace that demanded attention and respect. Both he got in equal portions. Turians technicians gasped at the sight of them suddenly quickening their pace to move away from him. This brought a slow and cruel smile to his lips as he stalked into the station with a powerful gait. His every step spoke volumes in his training and grace. Power rippled through his perfectly sculpted body his tail swaying left and right with each step keeping him perfectly balanced as he marched through the deck towards the shuttle. His transfer orders had come later then he had expected but military bureaucracy had its place as any other form of control.

His uniform was flawless, not a single thread out of place as he moved with a steady but brisk speed. Everything from his rank insignia to his belt buckle were in perfect alignment. No detail left undone however his blond mane and bare feet seemed out of place. His mane seemed to writhe and move with a will of its own each strand seeming both completely out of place and yet paradoxically in perfect order. And his bare pawed-feet seemed incapable of boots that would fit his digi legs which only gave him more strength with each step he took. The White lion had a body for running down and pouncing his target, the claws hidden within each of his paws sharp enough to rend solid steel. He wore the faintest of grins as he walked to the guard checking paperwork for the shuttle to the Aegis. His right paw held the straps to the duffel bag hefting its weight effortlessly. The bag, which contained his clothing and personal effects, was flawlessly packed so that nothing would be out of place thus still retaining its shape. In his left paw he clasped a delicate cord that ran over his shoulder to an elegantly carved scabbard. The Katana style blade hilt the only visible thing protruding over his left shoulder was that of a deep black pearl dragon carved painstakingly leaving no detail unattended. He stood before the officer towering over the smaller person looking down to his outstretched hand with a quirked eyebrow.
"Papers" he said with a bored and slightly annoyed tone not bothering to look up. However when nothing fell into his hand to look at he changed his stance to move annoyance. and started again before looking up "Pap....!" the word caught in his throat as he stared up at the imposing figure before him who was at  this moment scowling back with an displeased look
"you don't need my papers to confirm my orders. As you no doubt already know." he nodded to the pad in his hand.
In a trembling voice the officer started "Y-yes sir but... you know... its procee..." a sharp frown from Sirus caused the man to gulp and start again "Y-yes sir..." he waived him through without even looking up again pretending to bury his nose in a report or two till the large white lion was out of sight and safely on-board the ship.

Sirus moved onto the ship as others moved out of his way making his way to the bow standing as far forward as he could and looking out the window into space. He never once let his vision dip from the stars as he placed his duffel on the deck. His paws both moved to his the small of his back. His blade cord still clutched into his left paw the sword and scabbard dangling at his calf's as he stood in a parade rest fashion seeming more machine then person seemingly lost in his own world though his cold icy blue eyes flicked left and right keeping track of everything in front of him as well as every movement in the shuttle never once speaking a word.

It was with a scowl that the wolverine weaved through the swarm of crewmembers waiting to board the shuttles. She shook her head, clutched the handle of her bag tighter and moved pass the crowd. Felicia's eyes squinted against the morning sun, a paw lifted to block out the rays. Towards the end of the strip is where she found her ride. Nothing special or elaborate, actually it was meager if anything, much smaller than the transport taking the crew to the Aegis. This craft was built for one.

At the gate a security guard was stationed, his bright red uniform dazzling her eyes for a moment. He raised a paw in salute, which she promptly returned. Without being asked Felicia gave the guard her orders. He scanned her documents then waited...

The only response he received was cleared. There was no accompanying personnel record, or even a side note saying where she was last stationed. A bit confused he waved her though.

Felicia passed through the gate and grabbed the closest pod she saw. Her gear was stowed in a forward compartment before she climbed into the cockpit. The headset was lying across the controls so she hurriedly lifted the set and fastened it to her head. Without thinking about it her paws quickly fastened the restraints and flipped on the onboard systems.

"Ground control, this is Aegis pod 02 requesting permission for take off"

After a few seconds a raspy voice responded. "Pod 02 this is ground control, you're clear for take off. Have a safe flight."

Felicia lifted the two switches on her left and the engines came to life. "Clear." She looked down at her watch, it displayed the time as 0:822. She wasn't in danger of being late by any means. The ship wasn't scheduled to depart from Slova until 11:00 and she had nowhere special to be. But she did want to run some systems checks prior to departure.

The main control was pulled backwards towards her chest; it caused the pod to lift straight up and hover. Her left paw stretched forward and pushed the secondary control forward. The ship lurched ahead and sailed towards it destination. The trip was supposed to take 20 minutes, but she could easily pull it off in 12. With a smirk playing at the corners of her lips the wolverine piloted her pod until she got within 5 km of the ship.

"Aegis control this is Pod 02 requesting permission to dock."

She knew it would take a minute for him to locate this particular vessel and its dock location, so she eased the secondary back and returned the main control to idle near center point.

A few minutes passed before she received a response. "Pod 02 this is Aegis control, proceed to the forward docking station under the ship, and switch off manual control. We'll take it from there."

The wolverine had already positioned herself directly below her destination. "Clear." Was her only reply. Two buttons were pushed and another was turned counterclockwise before she removed her paws from the controls. "Aegis control, this is Pod 02 coming in on auto."

She had to admit that the person at the controls was well practiced. The pod made hardly a sound when it docked. Felicia glanced down at her watch again, its mechanical face looked back at her showing 8:35. She waited for the pressure to be just right and the green light to flash before she opened the lid on the pod and stepped out, grabbing her bag and taking it with her.

It had been an hour since their shuttle docked and Kyle was working feverishly to put the spices exactly where he wanted them, as well as most of the other dry ingredients. He had left his outer jacket on the bar, the silver gray with silver trim on the collar that signified his rank. The white feline skittered about making sure things were ready, occasionally tripping on his laces because he neglected to tie them, catching himself on a counter and cursing. The male would dust off the black pants that matched those every other crewmember wore then shake himself and get back to work. Occasionally snickering at the bossy rat that was yelling at RJ because he was doing something wrong.

Amber eyes lighting up as he spotted the cinnamon and places it between the Garlic Salt and the Parsley Flakes. He knew that fresh was better, but he had no idea where or how to grow an herb garden on a ship, much less any others foods. Which brought up an interesting thought, 'What if we run out of meat? I know we can restock at certain stations, but what if...' he trailed off as Strawberry yelled at RJ once more and turned to watch for a moment.

"No! I want the pasta in that cabinet dammit! Listen to me, follow my finger and my eyes! That cabinet!" Madina, commonly called Strawberry, exclaimed while pointing to the cabinet closest to the sink but not over it.

"Why?" came the male robotic voice of the Janitor.

"Gah! Because that is where I get the water to boil it! It helps me remember, even if it is far away from the stove. Geeze!" the rat said and ran a dainty paw through her 4 inch tall mohawk that was colored a strawberry blond. This is of course how she got her nickname when she worked as a waitress a few years prior. Her clothing was similar to that of Kyle's save for the trim and the shoulder badge.

RJ just sighed and did as he was told, his blue eyes emotionless as always. He didn't understand these creatures at all. So demanding and placing things in weird areas that made no sense to his electronic mind. To him it would be smarter to put the pasta closer to the stoves, but he paid no mind and did as he was told because he knew this needed to be done before the meeting, well at least all the dry goods and the stuff for the Deep Freeze.

Kyle snickered and said, "Calm down Strawberry. Yer about to bust a vein, girl." The fiery haired feline was of course teasing the hairless rat as always. He just smiled and went about putting things into the fridge. Coming across the alcohol he shook his head, leaned down and tied his laces, after which the cat hefted the first box up and took out into the bar area where he began to stock the fridge.

"Hardy har har," Strawberry shot back with a grin and sighed before picking up a meat box and taking it into the Deep Freeze, RJ picking up the other and following her. They placed the meats on the shelves. Strawberry grabbed a bunch of the steaks and walked over to put them in the kitchen fridge. That would be part of dinner for tonight, nothing like steak for the first night on a new vessel.

She then went back to tell RJ where to put the dry goods. "No! Over there!" she screeched at him and he seemed to wince a little.

Kyle finished stocking the alcoholic fridge with the various beers and other drinks. Going back in and bringing out the box that contained the specialty glasses he had gotten for some of the out of the ordinary drinks he mixed and placed them in their respective spots.

Another screech from the kitchen and the sound of metal clanging on metal echoed from the kitchen into the dining area. Strawberry had thrown a spoon at the AI for not listening to her again.

Kyle had to chuckle and shake his head some. He checked his PMD again for the time, 8:25 it read. 'Why am I so worried? I'm sure they won't mind if I'm only 2 minutes late... I always seem to be two minutes late for everything," he thought as he put up the last of the glasses. He went back and pulled out the wines and various others alcoholic beverages that could be kept warm and stocked the shelves.

Strawberry and RJ stocked the cabinets and the Deep Freeze with some things. And once Kyle finished with the bar the three began to stock the kitchen fridge. That done they made sure all the pots, pans, and other things for cooking the food were in place on the lower sets of cabinets.

After putting everything up Kyle started making scrambled eggs and bacon while Strawberry put out a fruit salad and RJ put out the clean plates and utensils. Kyle didn't expect too many to come for breakfast, however he sure was hungry and he knew Strawberry was too. "Perhaps we should put out milk and juice too." Strawberry said as she came back into the kitchen. Kyle nodded and pointed to the fridge with his tail.

By about 8:45 breakfast was done. Kyle and Strawberry were sitting at the round table closest to the kitchen, eating their breakfast quietly. Strawberry with some fruit salad, eggs and cranberry/apple juice, while Kyle had his eggs and bacon with some milk.

RJ meanwhile was cleaning up the kitchen as he was programmed to do. He took note of an odd addition to the kitchen off to the left side of the stoves. A door, curious he opened it and noticed it was a dumbwaiter. He shrugged and closed it then looked around making sure everything was clean.

Kyle looked to his PMD again it read 9:05. He took his empty plate and glass into the kitchen, rinsed them off then put then in the dishwasher and looked to RJ was still oddly fascinated with the dumbwaiter. "Why don't you marry it?" he teased. RJ turned around and flipped him the bird. "Very funny K Cat," he said then went back to work.

After the group went about doing more tasks and waking sure the kitchen and the dining area were ready. Kyle checked his PMD again and noted it was 9:45 now. He slipped on his jacket, buttoned it up and then turned looking to Strawberry. He let Strawberry take over the kitchen duties and meandered his way to head up to the meeting area. Taking his time because he had plenty of it. Staring out a window or waving to another person on the ship, getting a few waves and nods in return mixed in with a scowl every so often. 'Maybe it's my hair,' he thought and brushed it back.

*THUMP* "WHAAAAA!!!!" papers flew everywhere along with her glasses. She didn't need them to see only to read and they were
very expensive. The blue fox sat on her knees blinking a time or two before quickly gathering her papers and setting her glasses back on the bridge of her nose before running off to the transport. "Waiiiiiiiiiit!!" she cryed out as they looked ready to depart. Her uniform was standard issue though much of it was obscured by her stark white lab coat.

She had been packed and ready to leave for her transfer two nights about however the night before she got inspired and in her inspiration she went digging through her packed notes searching for her research. She spent much of the night working on it at a fevorish pace and in the morning was suprised when she saw the time. Now she ran for the shuttle running head long into the guard that stepped out in front of her causing her to fall back and land with a thud on her rear.
"Ow..." she said falling back and pouting. She looked and he frowned looking down to her "papers?"
in a rather grumpy tone she started "what? ...oh... right hang on they are around here somewhere" she fumbled with the papers in her paws finding her transfer orders and offering them to him. He checked them then helped her to her feet "Your clear to go" he stepped aside.

She resettled the glasses on the bridge of her nose marching in with a more then grumpy attitude and plopped down on a bench beside a feline absorbed in her PMD. She looked to her own checking over her notes and starting to review all she had done the night before when a large yawn escaped her lips. She blinked in suprise covering her mouth. "ooo.. right.. I forgot to sleep..."

"Purple.. Why did it have to be purple..." The wolf kept muttering the same line as he waited for the shuttle to land. He'd gotten more than a few looks and could hear people talking about him. A black wolf, wearing a purple shirt with only the epaulette giving a pause to that color. Once docked he quickly made his way to the bridge, weaving through the crowd with little or no effort. He'd been told all his things would be taken to his quarters for him, since he wanted to stay on the bridge for the entire time until they were in the air and the auto-pilot could run them for a while. He also wanted to make sure the pre-flight checks went smooth. And several times. He'd probably run a full check two or three times before spending the rest of the time before lift-off doing minor checks between the meet-and-greets he'd probably be put through. Once he was there he would move straight to his station and begin the checks if they hadn't started already. He'd make sure they were done right and thorough, nothing would go wrong while he flew this ship.

It wasn't until the shuttle was inside the cargo bay that Alina actually turned to look at the person sitting next to her. A small smile spread across her lips as she noticed the color of the other females uniform. She hadn't seen anyone else in blue on the shuttle, until now.

Alina flipped her PWS closed, placed it back in the case that carried it, and then unsnapped her safety harness. It was of course at that moment that her stomach decided to remind her that she had neglect to feed it.  Awkwardly she glanced down at her belly, uncertain whether to feed it or allow it to rumble and keep the butterflies that were dancing around in there company.

Since the feline had chosen to take a seat towards the rear of the shuttle she paid the consequences in waiting as everyone else rose and filed out. Once the forward section of the shuttle was cleared Alina stood and moved towards the center aisle. She paused in front of the passenger next to her, hoping that she didn't sound invasive or nosey she cleared her throat and spoke.

"I heard you didn't get any sleep, I'll bet you didn't eat either..." She paused looking down at her feet then back to Alexia as she moved from in front of the vixen to stand at her side in the aisle. "I'm going up to the mess hall to grab a bite, you're welcome to join me if you wish."

Alina lingered in the aisle a moment longer awaiting her response, before moving to the door and exiting. Having just reviewed the blueprints of the ship during her short shuttle trip the feline had no problem ascertaining the most direct route to the mess hall. Quickly she located the turbo lift on the opposite wall and started towards it.

"Here you go, sir"

"Thank you. This is the targeted version, right?" Looking at the two little pills, Bishop squinted with his not-so-good eye, noticing a different shape to the pain relievers than he'd been accustomed to over the last few weeks.  These were ovoid, and looked a bit smaller.

"Yes sir. Came in with the resupply, I think we changed our supplier contract. The chemical composition is very similar." The little medical staffer kept her eyes on her work, maybe a little too carefully. "Your dossier reported no allergies. Is there a concern sir?" She looked at him briefly, and looked away as soon as she'd acknowledged his head-shake.

"No, I'm sure this will be fine. Thanks again." Dry swallowing the little nibs, he did an about face and headed for his quarters in officer country. A quick nap before the captain's briefing would give the meds time to kick in, and he could spend a few moments contemplating astrogation by gamma vectorization and how to write up the possibilities for the science team. The ships sensors handled that kind of thing normally, as well as the complex gravity well equations and particle flows and other mathematically intensive calculations that made piloting a ship so much more than pointing it and pushing the 'Go' button. But to see the forces and flows firsthand, to see how the star ocean ebbed and flowed around them would be like sailing a naval ship by hand like all rockbound races had done for millennia. Pioneering was an ancient and...

Just then one of the bridge watch sent him a message over the ship's system, flagged for immediate attention. Proper Lamprey, how's the water sir?

It was a simple sort of code, and was sent with a string of verification numbers. One eyebrow quirked, but it was not the first time he'd had an unexpected passenger arrive on his watch. "Probably just getting a piggy-back to the matter relay. .." he thought, quickly verifying the number with the most current list of encrypted, approved codes for such occasions. The latest list was only a few hours old, and the numbers tracked perfectly.

Bishop shot back a quick message to the bridge, the water's fine.

Hopefully that would be the last he heard of the matter until their guest decided to leave. When the spooks made themselves known, it was only trouble. Slipping into the lift beside a young yellowjacket, he gave the man a quick nod to acknowledge him before the doors closed.

The shuttle landed smoothly though to her the sudden drop in noise and the landing seemed jarring. She jumped crying out "EEP!" for so lost in her thoughts and so concentrated so narrowminded on her work she didn't understand what had changed. Her eyes flicked up to the people around her as her tired brain struggled to remember where it was. When the feline turned to speak to her she blinked
"heard? heard from who?" she was completly unaware of the world around her as she gathered her scattered things and stood. She blinked again at the offer of food walking out next to the feline
"no... No I've eaten..." she thinks hard "...this morn....? What day is it?" She blinked as her stomach growled angrily finally getting her notice as she held her belly.
"Food sounds good" she walked with her blinking "I'm Alexia"

"Admiral...Excuse me Master chief"?
    That voice woke him up, Somewhere along the ride he must have falling asleep. The panther rubbed his eyes yawning and stretching. Checking the time.
Those lightning blue orbs focused on the man that broke his sleep.
            What do you want douche bag?
   He looked the man over searching for an insignia of rank.
      "Yes Commander? What can I do for you"?
The man smiled almost ear to ear sort of sitting back.
    "Well sir, I thought you might like to get to know your staff. And perhaps share some of your exploits. Your file seems somewhat...Empty"?
Great, ass kisser just what i need first thing in the morning.
A soft little sigh escaped the panthers lips as he leaned back rubbing his temples.
The panthers voice was soft and somewhat strained as he spoke
"..And"? * He looked out the port window into space itself.
The commander smiled at the panther. "Well Sir I was just wondering what kind of battle you've been in. I'm sure you got some great story's."
  The panther sighed rubbing his eyes before sitting out. "It's the same no matter where you go Commander. There are things to kill before they kill you. People die, And death fallows until you are either dead or alive.  Until you can drag what left of your humanity home. "
The commander frowned " But sir, Isn't there some satisfaction you get from war? Perhaps knowing you defended your home"?
He looked straight into the commander's eyes. "There are more way's then one way to stop a war, To defend your home. But  it really comes to this, Commander.  The one question, Is it worth letting you die so others can live? Now if you will our shuttle will be arriving soon and I have a meeting to go to. Good day commander."

Take a breath Astara. This is your first step to bigger things. Just on the other side of the relay.

Astara let out a long cool breath having boarded the ship, only minutes before they shut the doors. She squeezed her way through the crowds, her guitar case and large duffel bag making it just a bit harder to find a spot to sit. Her eyes scanned the aisles for the citizen passengers before finally finding a spot large enough for her and her guitar. A relieved face was what she wore when she finally sat with a huff. She set her guitar near the wall and leaned back in her seat with a thud. Her ears swiveled some and she readjusted the flower on her ear. She was the last person to look nervous about this flight, she had a lot to look forward to and nothing to be nervous about. She was only filled with hope that her trip ended happily seeing her fellow band mates at the docking.

She looked toward the wall and her guitar case, she put on a wide smile and ran her fingers along its thick case. A long sigh escaping her lips as she turned her focus back in front of her. She kicked her duffel under her seat and started to relax waiting for the take off. She closed her eyes and simply waited, finding herself dozing off to her in depth thoughts.

~-"Astara! Astara! Astara!" The crowd roared her name, a wide smile spreading across her lips as she took her stool. "Oooooh Oooh Ooooh Oooh." The words were a blurr as she started out. Only chords written across her mind as the song continued. When she was done with those chords of pure harmony the crowd lifted their arms over their heads, clapping and stood on their feet clapping shouting her name. She was filled with so much excitement, she stepped off stage and the drema faded away.-~

She shook her head some looking around having been bumped by one of the plentiful passengers, waking her from the most joyous of short slumbers. When she awoke the ship was moving. The adrenaline pushed through her veins like water through a narrow stream. She pulled her denim jacked back over her shoulder and sat up straight in her seat.

"Excuse me.." She said to a passing crew member, the only people wearing the same uniform amongst the ship. "Would you happen to know when we will be reaching our destination?" She asked with a raised brow, a subtle shyness about her tone. Having fallen asleep she didn't know how long she was out. "I am not entirely sure, we just started moving a few minutes go, but I will go ask some one who might now okay miss?" the man had replied. She gave a gentle nod, she knew how these things worked, she wouldnt see that person again and she shook her head. She reached over to her guitar case and clicked it open.

She took out her midnight sky blue guitar and put it across her lap. She strummed a couple of smooth chords that she heard in her brief dream. The words had not come to her yet. But the chords were very present and she tuned her guitar to her ears pleasure. She then began to strum the chords she heard that continued to ring in her ears even when the dream was over. She crossed her ankles, the pink dress fabric scratched against each other as  the hems tickled the inside of her knees. She widened a smile and began to relax playing the chords over...and over again, hoping that the ones around her might enjoy it, lest she got in trouble. But at least she could enjoy herself...for now.