Andromeda: To Boldly Go... (SciFi Char RP|IC, Open)

[Khasinkonia]

-snip-

Eulli Yitakyeop
More Comrades

Towards the front but near the back of the two columns was where Eulli had taken her spot. At her height, it was certainly better to be in a spot with good sight coverage, lest she find herself suddenly sucked into a particularly deep puddle. As a rather frazzled looking fellow approached her, she soon recognised him as one of her coworkers in engineering.

“Luga!” she exclaimed with a smile much more cheery than most of the others around, “You look so muddy—was it difficult for you to walk as well? The ground is so super sticky here. I wonder how people even move in the swamps for their fishing and their logging on Earth.”

---

Daotraou Inaotoann
More fUn

Inaotoann shot daggers at Violann as the Major commanded that she help lead a column. There was little that Inaotoann enjoyed less than leading a march, for she found long walks through boring scenery to be tedious in their own right, so a long walk through mud was certainly more than unpleasant. With the muggy air and sticky yet also slick ground, it was an experience that one could safely say Inaotoann held in deep contempt. At some point, she got the vague feeling she was being stared at, and glanced over in Gabriel’s general direction, but seemed to jerk her head slightly in some way as if to tell herself she was wrong about the feeling. At the sound of rustling, Inaotoann made perhaps her first quick move of the outing. She whipped to look in the direction of the sound, and then slowly turned her head back, still looking out of the side of her eye.

As they finished assembling into columns, a Japanese voice punctuated the crowd of chatter. She caught a glimpse of the man from whom it came, and only had one response to give. She rolled her neck and then turned her head slightly to look at Aoibheann. With a sigh, she dramatically rolled her eyes as she tilted her head in Takeshi’s general direction as if to say, Great, another hardass.

[Sarderia]

Pierre Tonzi, Marine
The Swamp

---

"Lieutenant Tonzi, I'm in charge of the rear guard. Fall in to my right,"

"Tonzi, Keep an eye on the surroundings, but also make sure you keep an eye on the civilians and naval personnel. Some of them seem... unruly. Make sure they don't do anything stupid like wander off into the swamp. I can't imagine why they would, but you never know what goes on in peoples' minds, especially when they're under stress and somewhere unfamiliar."

"Also, what did you see out there?"

He was quite relieved to have a Human as his commanding officer - though he didn't know Cartia too well, and while probably her command wouldn't fit with him either, but at least a Human is more tolerable than a foreign alien barking orders at him. Although, he'd learned not to judge people by their cover and not to hold prejudices against an Alien partner - his various assignments to Angola and the Congo taught him that. Speaking of the Congo... he found himself to be in a similar situation - walking in the dark, with several civillians (or rather, Navy officers, yet inexperienced in a swamp biome), only that Congo was more grasslands and less muddy and murky waters. "Yes ma'am," he said firmly, answering Cartia. "I've been and will keep an eye on them as long as I'm assigned." To be fair, his whole business since waking up in that mud has been watching over the company of two engineers and a pilot from the back, and pulling out a Te-Gorial. He didn't like it then and he didn't like it now, but he would've gotten berated if they even encountered something, so he did it all the same.

"There was a silhouette... a shadow, ma'am. Something was moving behind those cypress trees," he pointed at a distant group of woods, "but I'm not certainly sure what's exactly that. I only saw a glimpse of a long tail. At first I thought it was only wind and the tree branches snapped, but then I saw the shadow, so I'm alerted now."

---

Hamza Sharaf, Operations Officer
The Swamp

---

""Its not exactly hidden, I got caught in an explosion, a Kiel overloaded his pistol and the blast set off other power cells.  That was... almost twenty years ago now.  Surgeon didn't catch all the nerve damage when removing the bone fragments."

Hamza contemplated Archer's word for a second. It seems that they had quite a lot in common than he originally expected. Reminiscient of his days in the Taremi Industries... bad days he wouldn't want to remember again, the memories rushed again in a moment. "Kiellars, huh? Frick pointy-ear elves." He paused for a moment. "I've lost a job because of them... decades ago, mind you, and not exactly - if I may be frank - not exactly that bad of an experience to me as them with you... but that left me bitter. Then I lost my career again, perhaps the most important event of my life, and frankly I wouldn't be here or bother enlisting to the UNS if it wasn't because of that. I trusted them and they were incompetent." Hamza spared a look at Major Violann. "And now, you see, one Lords upon us like we're her servant. What's that with columns and columns?" He spat at the water, but it was subtle enough that only Archer noticed. "Sharmouta, end this suffering already."

"How could someone be so panicked over a VR simulation? He didn't even report in."

"Whenever you're ready, partner," Nathan gave Hamza a friendly smile.

"We're all panicked fools down here," he told Archer, also referring to himself and the folly he made earlier while with Mac. "I wouldn't blame him, I also suggested that we spread to someone earlier. Dumb, yes, but I'd do everything I can to find others. The case might've been the same for him."

He lifted Archer with all the strength he could muster, and held him so that they can walk faster together. "Let's go. It's a long walk, and I don't want to hear no Kiellar bark anymore, so let's entertain ourselves..."

[Europa Undivided]

Rommel Salazar

All this time, Rommel had been closely following through in the back side of the column, squinting every now and then as the murky waters of the swamp were not exactly something he preferred to wade through. In any case, this was, in his mind, the worst option for a VR simulation that is being intended to build trust and cooperation between the crew members... and also the best. After all, if one is stuck in the darkness in a swampy marsh, with mud and brackish water all around, there would be no other choice but to trust that someone else will come long and help them, no matter what their race is. And now... well, the symptom of the natural urge of humans to think highly of themselves simply because they are human have begun to rear their ugly heads. By the looks of it, people would rather die than accept help from an alien.

And Rommel was a hybrid.

"And now, you see, one Lords upon us like we're her servant. What's that with columns and columns?" He spat at the water, but it was subtle enough that only Archer noticed. "Sharmouta, end this suffering already."

"I heard that.", Rommel spoke to the Brit and the Arabian as he cocked the pistol that he had with him since the beginning of the simulation, scoffing at Sharaf's racism. "She simply outranks the lot of us. Major Violann is not lording over anyone. I think you know how ranks work, right?"

Positioning himself behind them, the hybrid pilot continued. "And I'm a hybrid, but I'm going to stay right here to make sure you two don't get eaten by a crocodile."

---

Finbarr Shanahan

As soon as Takeshi came in, Finbarr rolled his eyes, knowing that from the tone of that voice and the small amount of time he spent looking over the list of future co-workers that this was the disciplinary type that always yelled at everyone. OF COURSE IT'S A BLOODY HARDASS EEJIT!

That wasn't the worst part, though, as he had a... what was it, a MONKEY as his superior. It was very... strange, and for the most part, he was baffled by how a less evolved creature could wield such great intelligence, nor could he place why the langur's name rang so many bells in his mind. He knew that name from when he was taking his Master's, and then when Finbarr was making his thesis dissertation for his Doctorate. Could they be the same person?! Maybe.

Either way, there was only one thing left to do. Move forward, even if it was the knife ear woman that gave the command. No matter. This will end soon enough, and he will have those bottles of whisky...

[Dyelli Beybi]

Lieutenant Cartia

Pierre Tonzi, Marine

"Yes ma'am," he said firmly, answering Cartia. "I've been and will keep an eye on them as long as I'm assigned." To be fair, his whole business since waking up in that mud has been watching over the company of two engineers and a pilot from the back, and pulling out a Te-Gorial. He didn't like it then and he didn't like it now, but he would've gotten berated if they even encountered something, so he did it all the same.

"There was a silhouette... a shadow, ma'am. Something was moving behind those cypress trees," he pointed at a distant group of woods, "but I'm not certainly sure what's exactly that. I only saw a glimpse of a long tail. At first I thought it was only wind and the tree branches snapped, but then I saw the shadow, so I'm alerted now."

As the column started moving forward, Cartia scanned the woods carefully, though there was no sign of whatever it was that Pierre had seen in the trees. She made a small growling noise, her posture never relaxing, "I suspect it will just be the Martians who've been through this kind of training sim," she spoke quietly, "Obviously, they need to be used in conjunction with real training, but the brass can get you fighting somewhere you couldn't in the real world; I doubt the US Government would let us practice storming Washington!" she added the fact that the Martians were prepping for war with the Earth superpowers quite casually. It wasn't particularly surprising: the Martians really wanted the port cities on the red planet.

"... they can also do things that would be illegal or waste a soldier if you tried them in the real world," she continued, keeping her voice low as she scanned the trees, "In here you can have your leg blown off by a mortar shell or lose and eye, and you feel it, but you'll still have your leg or your eye when you wake up. I can promise you this sim will include things that are extremely dangerous. I haven't seen what you saw, but I'm definitely not going to dismiss it."

There were plenty of strange noises as they moved through the swamp with the water occasionally coming waist deep and requiring some effort of navigation to avoid deeper spots, though whatever it was that Pierre had seem didn't reappear. Not yet anyway. Eventually, after what must have seemed an eternity to anyone not used to these conditions, they reached the road. Probably much to the relief of those struggling in the mud, the road was built on an embankment and looked much easier to navigate with the asphalt gleaming in the moonlight. It was also relatively clear of taller trees, though in some areas there were quite substantial patches of lower undergrowth that came right to the edge of the road itself; undergrowth that some of the shorter people could easily get lost in.

[Nachfolgia]

Stella MacKay

Stella had taken her position somewhere in the middle of one of the columns. She was no soldier by any means so being point man and watching the group's six is out of the question. She had no faith her shooting ability to adequately protect them from whatever enemy the simulation would throw at them. So, Stella kept watch in the center, gun in hand. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to fire her weapon at anything.

As the columns moved through the swarm, Stella continued to be her grumpy self. Time and time again, she'd mutter to herself how much of a waste of time the whole training exercise was. She still had lots to do to ensure the ship could lift off the ground. She still needed to check the fins in the internal turbine of the Skrim Drive. It wouldn't be the first time something bad happened in the turbine of a Skrim Drive. Being such a delicate and finicky component, a lot can go wrong so her vigilance was required more than ever.

Stella looks at her robotic arm as she remembered the last time she messed up on a Skrim Drive. She flexed her fingers, the metal joints rubbing and making a faint scrapping sound. Her mind wondered away from such a painful memory to the rest of the crew. What a weird amalgamation of different people the crew was. There were several hand mixed in with aliens of different species. All the Xenos were immigrants in someway, coming for places like Mars and planets beyond. There was also a monkey. A Monkey?! Stella, from the moment she spotted it, couldn't keep her eyes off of it.

Stella had seen some strange things in her life, but never a talking monkey. Apparently, the monkey was a doctor of some kind, but she never heard what kind. Hopefully, it wasn't the surgical kind. Stella shuddered at the thought of monkey hands rummaging around in her body. It almost made her sick, imagining the horrors that would ensue to to contamination.

[The United Federation of Terrans]

Pilot Officer Gabriel Polaki
VR Simulation

Polaski and the Lunar-born Ensign Calhoun had been placed near the front of the column, a preemptive measure to ensure that the column as a whole didn't outrun the more physically challenged members of the group. Something the pilot was grateful for as he pulled the helmsman(woman?) from the latest mud patch she had sunk into. Polaski wasn't sure if her difficulty with the ground was due to her unfamiliarity with this level of gravity or with having to negotiate terrain like this.

Not that it made a difference as Polaski would have to help her all the same. Though as her boot caught a vine and sent her stumbling before she grabbed Polaski's sleeve. The pilot teetered towards her before righting himself and bringing the pair back under control. One thing was sure though, acclimation sessions were a world different from living in 1G, and Polaski felt that truth in his bones. He had caught his stride on the march to Not-Calhoun, but he was feeling the effort of assisting Calhoun through the swamp. The Martian military hadn't trained him for two person events in 1G, those had been reserved for the real-world courses; with the lighter Martian gravity.

Then came wading through the swamp and Gabriel had been half tempted to carry Calhoun on his back, like he had done for his little sisters when they were young. The ensign didn't appear to be used to water, given her over-exaggerated swinging with each stride. It didn't help that Polaski, missing his chest holster, had to hold his blaster above the water with one hand and help Calhoun with the other.

It seemed like a miracle when the column made it to the road cut neatly into the swamp, the paved, grey surface promised no more mud or slipping. Polaski would admit that he may have been a bit eager to be free of the swamp, and may or may not have, almost hurled Calhoun onto the embankment; before clambering up himself.

Though Polaskis did turn around to offer hands to the the rest of the column that was following behind.

[Kylantha]

---

Tebhur of Maemmirdoch

---

Destiny II

---

Tebh had just barely gotten familiar with his quarters when he was summoned away, to the onboard VR suite. So soon? He'd been planning to head straight to the hydroponics bay as well. Well, there was nothing much he could do, especially since the order came straight from the top. Shrugging his shoulders, he nodded dismissively and soon followed after the fortunately Kiel crew member who had come to fetch him. As he was walked through the ship, he carefully observed his surroundings, taking mental notes. But distractions kept coming up in the form of other shipmates, not many of them Kiel. He expected this and prepared for it, but now that he was in deep, he realised how difficult it would be.

Tebhur had been so occupied with uncomfortable thoughts that it took his fellow Kiel crewmember a moment to call him back into reality. They'd arrived at the VR bay.

"A-ah.. Excuse me." he nodded gratefully to her as he stepped inside.

Already there were others hooked up. Tebh grimaced at the sight. It was quite unlucky too that it was a human attendant who approached him, leading him to a vacant spot. He maintained an annoyed look as another human attendant--male this time--appeared. His voice was calm and soothing, but it did nothing for the young Kiel who appeared averse to them both. Then as the man motioned to put the electrode in place, Tebhur flinched rather violently, startling both humans. The male raised an eyebrow, his hand having recoiled so it was behind his head.

"You.. Alright bud?" he asked, relaxing a little bit. He seemed to check the electrode pad for any issues. But there were none.

"Hmph. Just.. Get it over with." Tebh forcefully dropped his head back into the recliner, growing ever more irritated. He felt his face burning with shame.

---

Suddenly, there was peace. Tebh's mind enjoyed the brief feeling. The disappearance of the humans. He'd been so on edge that he forgot how much he enjoyed this technology. Sadly, that joy wouldn't last very long, as when the Kiel came to, he was standing knee deep in a body of foggy water, under a darkened sky. He whipped his head around frantically. Though he could see fairly clearly into the densely wooded environment, he couldn't help but feel tendrils of darkness reaching out to him and his legs began to move, as if themselves aware of the lurking danger..

Alone?! he felt beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. It bothered him somewhat how realistic it felt. What the f**k is this?

The Kiel's breathing began to pick up, and his head began to throb. Need to find someone, quick. There has to be someone. He trudged through the muddy water as best he could, but could only go so fast. Even though he was lightly dressed in what he thought was the Ops uniform, he felt heavy and restricted. At this rate whatever was in the swamp was going to catch up. F**k.. F**K!

Suddenly, three hollow thuds, followed by what looked to be lights flying into the air. Tebhur instinctively dove forwards into the previously stagnant water, now all churned up by his thrashing. Some water had gotten into his mouth, and he spat and coughed miserably. The young Kiel was shaking now. Why hadn't he questioned what this was going to be?! Why was he here?! He took a moment, staring up into the sky as the blaster bolts faded. What now? Should he be going over there? He stood up on trembling knees, turning around briefly. The shock had scared even the demons away, it seemed. Now was his chance to bugger off.

---

Tebh was soon crouched in some reeds, not far from the assembled group. In his hand was a pistol he'd found attached to him. It made him feel safer, though he was never known for being a good shot. Through the foggy haze, he could make out numerous shapes. They seemed to him to be ship's crew, which drew from him a sigh of relief. He didn't even consider the possibility of this being a trap. He just wanted someone. The closer he got though, the less comfort he felt. Lots of humans. Federation-folk. He bent over slightly, wiping his face with his sleeve before climbing up the embankment towards the group. He looked like s**t. He knew it, and absolutely hated it. He scowled as he approached, his pistol hanging limply in his fingers. Don't even look at me you.. Swine!.. Filthy...

The Kiel made no eye contact with anyone as he shambled near the edge of the column, looking like a wet dog. It felt like they were all watching him, mocking him. A thousand curses filled his mind but never left his trembling lips. He looked around with his eyes only when he reached the midst of the group, and upon sighting a Kiel (Violann) towards the front, he shoved his way to her--past Inaotoann whom he had not recognised as a kinsman--gripping himself tightly as his anxiety worsened by the second. The amalgamated look of anger and embarrassment seemed stuck to the young Kiel's face now as he kept his gaze down. He couldn't bring himself to speak up, and it felt disgusting. These crudes really had a way of making him feel the worst, whether they intended to or not.

[Lessoni]

"... they can also do things that would be illegal or waste a soldier if you tried them in the real world," she continued, keeping her voice low as she scanned the trees, "In here you can have your leg blown off by a mortar shell or lose and eye, and you feel it, but you'll still have your leg or your eye when you wake up. I can promise you this sim will include things that are extremely dangerous. I haven't seen what you saw, but I'm definitely not going to dismiss it."

There were plenty of strange noises as they moved through the swamp with the water occasionally coming waist deep and requiring some effort of navigation to avoid deeper spots, though whatever it was that Pierre had seem didn't reappear. Not yet anyway. Eventually, after what must have seemed an eternity to anyone not used to these conditions, they reached the road. Probably much to the relief of those struggling in the mud, the road was built on an embankment and looked much easier to navigate with the asphalt gleaming in the moonlight. It was also relatively clear of taller trees, though in some areas there were quite substantial patches of lower undergrowth that came right to the edge of the road itself; undergrowth that some of the shorter people could easily get lost in.

James Allan

The doctor was glad for the sudden move to the asphalt. His labcoat was already a sodden mess, and his hair... fur, was soaked through with mud. He was only glad it had never been higher than his chest. The Lieutenant's words did nothing to comfort him as he struggled his way through the swamp; he could only imagine that he'd have a harder time than anyone else escaping a potential assailant, though he steadied himself with the realization that no one was going to let him be carried off, and also that being carried off carried no long term consequences. If he were to die, he would simply wake up, worse for the wear but alive.

He managed to get to the road with a single hop, landing squarely and brushing the worst of the mud off himself. He'd noticed stares, of course, but had ignored them. There was no point in snark during a training exercise; he'd save it for the ship, preferably his lab. Standing up straight and straightening his coat, he turned around to those still standing in the swamp.

"Come, compatriots, we've ground to cover yet, and I doubt the way will be free of danger."

He knew he was coming off as pretentious, but that was his plan. Leave his intelligence in no doubt now, tone it down later, and worst come to worst a few members of the crew thought him an ass. To him, that was an acceptable consequence.

[Sarderia]

Hamza Sharaf, Operations Officer
The Swamp

---

"I heard that. She simply outranks the lot of us. Major Violann is not lording over anyone. I think you know how ranks work, right?"

"And I'm a hybrid, but I'm going to stay right here to make sure you two don't get eaten by a crocodile."

Oh, great. Another smart-ass into the fray. At first Hamza wanted to ignore him, but he couldn't, especiallly when Rommel kept following him and Archer. "Yeah, yeah," he answered. "Of course, Flight Lieutenant," he put up a sweet voice, almost - but not condescending in nature. He whispered to Archer, "Looks like we've got to find ourselves another place to talk about sensitive things like that Kiel... can't have the Major's favorite flightboy spilling everything and painting us in a not-so-good light." The fact that Rommel is a hybrid doesn't make it any better, as it only filled up Hamza's mind with prejudice. However, he's doing his best to stay calm and silent - he needs it, after all, supporting a man and finding the tracks in a dark swamp is pretty much exhausting, and he's not in favor of starting new arguments.

Turning to Rommel, he scoffed. "And about crocodiles. I've been adequately experienced with crocodiles... oh, and I certainly don't need being cared by someone if one were to approach me." He paused. "But I appreciate your help." With all the strange noises and sounds, the mud hiding unseen holes under the murky water - however reluctant he might be, working together is the only option now if they want to get out of this hellhole fast. Until they reached the asphalt. He helped Archer adjust himself with the ground, but it was quick, and the asphalt was steady, unlike the ever-moving and soft swamp mud.

---

Pierre Tonzi, Marine
The Swamp

---

"I suspect it will just be the Martians who've been through this kind of training sim," she spoke quietly, "Obviously, they need to be used in conjunction with real training, but the brass can get you fighting somewhere you couldn't in the real world; I doubt the US Government would let us practice storming Washington!"

Pierre watched and walked silently, eyes ever vigilant for any other silhouettes he can detect, and for anyone if they were to lag behind. He shivered a bit when the Lieutenant said that the Martians would be going to war with the Earthen nations casually. Of course, he'd thought that conflict would come sooner than later, but she made it sound like war could happen at any given time.

Cartia's next words wasn't motivating at all, but it made him more cautious than before. He knew the pain of being struck by a shrapnel piece before, in the Congo, and he don't want to experience those things again this soon - even when it's totally safe in a virtual simulation. He sighed deeply when they eventually reached the asphalt. Strapping the rifle into his back, he helped the remaining crew still stuck in the mud to climb into the embankment, before taking it again and following the Lieutenant.

[Grenartia]

Pilot Officer Emily Tushnu

Up to this point, Emily had remained silent and stonefaced throughout the little field trip. She had long ago stopped being green, so there was nothing particularly novel about this experience, except for the people (and the Celtic Contingent)...and talking monkey. But she wasn't paid to talk to strange talking monkeys in VR, or people with ethnicities named after hard liquor. All she cared about was getting out of this fucking sim ASAP so she could inspect her bird.

Hamza Sharaf, Operations Officer
The Swamp

"Yeah, yeah," he answered. "Of course, Flight Lieutenant," he put up a sweet voice, almost - but not condescending in nature. He whispered to Archer, "Looks like we've got to find ourselves another place to talk about sensitive things like that Kiel... can't have the Major's favorite flightboy spilling everything and painting us in a not-so-good light."

Em didn't know Rommel very well. Or really at all. She knew of him, but only by reputation. But she could smell the derision in Hamza's voice. Fucking purebloods. "Apologies, Lieutenant, but I couldn't help overhearing." she mustered in the most professional tone of voice she could. "When us flyboys and flygirls have to save the ship's ass, we'll make sure to let you do your own thing so you can paint yourself in whatever light you'd like."

[Bingellia]

VIolann

---

Stepping onto the road, Violann turned to face the group as they took their time to step onto the paved surface. Even she admitted, if only to herself, that a dry, solid road was a relief after trudging through a swamp even if it was far more obvious of a place to be looking for squad or two of men on the move. Mentally, she took a headcount of the group and, with the arrival Tebhur, they seemed to have everyone that was plugged into the VR at last. That was another relief, though one that she wasn't afraid of letting the group notice if they were paying attention.

The major, however, once again eyed the torch with some scrutiny. The entire group was there and visibility was far better compared to the swamp, so all the light would do is alert whatever opposing force was watching the columns where they were, but the humans probably would be happy with it. "Douse the torch, Lieutenant Inaotoann," she finally ordered after a minute of self-deliberation. Part of her soon expected there to be complaining about the order, given the insubordination so far, but she wouldn't justify it yet.

"As for everyone else," she continued, "we still don't know what's out there, so stay alert!" A few minutes of rest may have been good for moral, but she couldn't escape the feeling that they were being stalked by something as she scanned the comparatively clear land around road. Staying still and letting the guard down was just asking to be ambushed once they started moving again with that high under growth.

[Lessoni]

The major, however, once again eyed the torch with some scrutiny. The entire group was there and visibility was far better compared to the swamp, so all the light would do is alert whatever opposing force was watching the columns where they were, but the humans probably would be happy with it. "Douse the torch, Lieutenant Inaotoann," she finally ordered after a minute of self-deliberation. Part of her soon expected there to be complaining about the order, given the insubordination so far, but she wouldn't justify it yet.

"As for everyone else," she continued, "we still don't know what's out there, so stay alert!" A few minutes of rest may have been good for moral, but she couldn't escape the feeling that they were being stalked by something as she scanned the comparatively clear land around road. Staying still and letting the guard down was just asking to be ambushed once they started moving again with that high under growth.

James Allan

It was here James found his first worry, rather than mere annoyance. At this point there was no point in extinguishing the light, unless the Major intended to add an unnecessary level of stress to everyone present who didn't share her gift of sight. He knew her motive, or at least he thought; detection. But it was folly, and he intended to let her know.

"Hold for a moment, Lieutenant. If I may interject, Major, there serves no benefit in removing the torch from the equation. Anything more animalistic hunting us has already found us, or doesn't need a torch to look for, and anything more humanoid will see us with or without it. Fire is a powerful tool, in either case, and may I remind you that the majority of us don't share your... gifts."

He wondered for a moment how the Major would take to the insubordination, but then realized he didn't care. Light was might, as the saying went, and in this case? Light was peace of mind, something in short supply in a dark, unfamiliar environment.

[Demencia]

Aoibheann Mac Thréinfhir

No one seemed overly thrilled by the tone of the major or the arrival of officer Asshole, which did bring a small smile to Aoibheann's face. She caught Inaotoann's look and just raised her eyebrows, unimpressed by the group. Of course, if she thought she wasn't impressed then she could hardly wait for Violann to have the brilliant idea to put out their only source of light.

"Oh what a plan that is, put out the bloody torch? It's not like we were usin' that or anything." she said. "The buggers already seen us, and I wouldn't be surprised if they could see us without it anyway. But go on, the rest of us didn't need to see anyway. At least this way only a couple have to watch whatever's out there pluck people out of the group." She crossed her arms in front of her, somehow losing an additional bit of hope she didn't know she had left. The monkey shared her sentiments, which Mac wasn't entirely sure wasn't a sign she was going crazy, but it was still a temporary good sign that not everyone was willing to go blind.

"We weren't exactly movin' too efficiently to start with, since some people are limping along, so we're not gonna get anything close to stealth goin'. Any other ideas to handicap ourselves? Maybe you want I should shoot Inaotoann here in the leg for good measure?"

[Europa Undivided]

Finbarr Shanahan

After many minutes of wading through the filthy swamp water, the group had finally reached solid ground, much to Finbarr's relief as sloughing through the muddy bog had been some of the worst moments of his life so far. Taking a minute to catch some breath, he would soon hear what he thought was the worst idea for a group of people that mostly lacked night vision in the middle of a dark swamp: take out the light. Once the... monkey scientist and the Irish lady had voiced out their disagreement with the plan, FInbarr would contribute his own dissenting opinion to the pile.

"I add to the notion that putting out the light is a fecking mistake.", the Irishman began as he waved his hands in a bunch of gestures to further prove his point. "Any creature that could be hunting us right here probably has either excellent hearing or dark vision or both, meaning that with or without a torch, it will still find us. I for one would rather be able to see where I am going."

Rommel Salazar

"We weren't exactly movin' too efficiently to start with, since some people are limping along, so we're not gonna get anything close to stealth goin'. Any other ideas to handicap ourselves? Maybe you want I should shoot Inaotoann here in the leg for good measure?"

Rommel scoffed. "Shush, you. Not helping." Sure, this could just be a symptom of everyone's unwillingness to trust the Kiels in the crew to be their eyes in the dark, but those that were dissenting with the Major's order did have a valid point. Humans and Gorials of both variants lacked the night vision that Kiellar naturally had, and the monkey sure as hell wasn't nocturnal. "Hate to say this, Major, but they have a point. Most of us don't have natural night vision, not like you. I would not mind trusting you to be our eyes, but most don't seem to be. And I'm no zoologist, but I'm sure that most nocturnal swamp creatures on Earth don't really rely on their sight either way..."

[The Imarian Monarchy]

"Douse the torch, Lieutenant Inaotoann,"

Dissenting Crew

Sofia Calhoun

Listening to the dissenters slowly gain a vocal amount of the crew, Calhoun decided to back Violann.

"I'm with the Major on this one. I think we should douse the torch, only because I'm being meta here, but this is a simulation. I personally have doubt that there are wild animals. We are in simulated military combat, not a hunting trip... And even if they are, I'd rather deal with an animal then an armed ambush. The main things we need to minimize against any opposing force is noise, and visibility. First that torch is making us highly visible and this bickering is not quiet."

[Theyra]

Hyon Kyong-Su
Hyon breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the road. Finally, on solid dry ground and out of the damp swamp mud. A nice change of pace to wandering around in the muck, which Hyon thought might have been most of the experience. Nice to see him wrong about that, and felt better now he was with his brother. Though, he wonders how he feels about Violann. Hyon knows about his brother's dislike of Kiels, and now he has to serve under one. So far, Ru has not voiced a complaint or shown any hostility towards her. So that is good though he should talk with him after this simulation is done with since Ru is bound to have some caged anger about this.

As they walked, Hyon listened to what the others discussed why not having lights is a bad idea. He felt he needed to add to that. "He does have a point," Hyon added. "If some creatures start to hunt us, then they probably can already see us. So if they attack, we would be at a disadvantage since we can't see anything. It would at least give us a chance to fight back effectively and be able to see where we are going". Looking around and seeing only a dark swamp. Only serving to make his thoughts about it stronger. "We can't fight what we can't see."

Ru Kyong-Su

So far, things seem to be good, Ru thought as he was ever watchful of their surroundings. They had found everyone, it seemed, and were en route to the evac point. Still, nothing so far has threatened them besides some annoying insects.

Ru decided to keep quiet while the others talked about the light situation. He could see the logic that Violann has about such an order, even if he hates to admit it. Not wanting to attract what could be lurking in this swamp but, the others had good points. If whatever the Captain had in store for them had already found them and is stalking them. Then there would be no point in working on going without light like he heard his brother said. We can't fight what he can't see, and Ru would preferably want to see whatever is going to attack them. Who knows when that is going to happen before they reach evac.

[Dyelli Beybi]

Lieutenant Aula Cartia

Aula was similarly unimpressed by the light incident, though it wasn't at the fact the light had gone out, it was at the fact that so many of the crew seemed to think that moaning at their commanding officer in the middle of a field exercise was appropriate, "This isn't a fucking high school debating club, you ill disciplined rabble," her voice was raised above the griping and groaning of the crew, "You do not second guess your CO's orders while on operation. You'd think this was the first time any of you assholes has been on a training exercise."

She wanted to leave it there, but she couldn't help herself, "On top of which, we have one torch between us. You spend your whole time staring into the beam and your eyes will never adjust to the darkness then, when something does attack, you won't be able to see a bloody thing that isn't in the beam. Give it ten minutes and you'll be able to see again.

"I've heard, more complaints in the last five minutes from this sorry excuse for a crew than I get in an evening at my grandmother's retirement village. Stop standing around moaning and follow your orders. Now, get into line you sniveling troop of rock apes!"

[Sarderia]

Pierre Tonzi, Marine
The Swamp

---

To be honest, Pierre preferred if the Major hadn't ordered Inaotoann to extinguish the flame. From what he knew, most swamp-dwellers are not particularly light-sensitive either; reptillians can sniff and detect heat, fishes - piranhas, for example, smells blood, and the most notorious of all swamp residents - the crocodile - utilizes night vision and olfaction as their primary weapon. And since this virtual simulation is supposed to simulate Earth's enviroment, he would have guessed that Earthen animals with all their characteristics would appear here as well.

Everyone seemed so keen to dissent against the Major - not that it would made any significant effect to make her re-consider, of course, but still, they had a valid point. Perhaps it's just Major Violann being a Kiel that motivated them to speak. If that was the case... then Pierre figured he would probably be cautious when treading with these crewmembers. He was a hybrid, after all, and his experience with being that freak in the streets of Johannesburg wasn't pleasant. He could not help but think what would happen next, but he's still a Marine lieutenant, and he had orders to follow. While the others bickered among themselves, Pierre stayed silent, instead opting to observe the surroundings.

"I've heard, more complaints in the last five minutes from this sorry excuse for a crew than I get in an evening at my grandmother's retirement village. Stop standing around moaning and follow your orders. Now, get into line you sniveling troop of rock apes!"

Funny you should say that, he thought, since one of the crew is a literal ape. As everyone was forming the column again, this time on a proper road, he approached Lieutenant Cartia again. "Regarding what's out there, ma'am..." he started, "should I inform of what I saw earlier?"

[Khasinkonia]

Daotraou Inaotoann
Throwing Fire

Inaotoann hissed as Tebh shoved his way past her and broke the organisation of the line. She stood, still holding the torch as Violann made her order to douse the flame, but held off for a moment. Nearly the whole contingent seemed thoroughly committed to insisting otherwise. Inaotoann, as the others attempted to convince Violann to reconsider, remained silent as her brow tensed as if she was glaring at someone, though she was, in reality, only rolling her eyes. After Aula’s outburst, Inaotoann looked in one direction, then the other, and froze for just a second. Quite suddenly, she turned her torso and hurled the torch quite a distance—past the dense undergrowth and back into the swamp proper. Its light faded quickly from the gust of being launched through the air, and then was seemingly extinguished as it made contact with the mud.

“Thank you, Aula,” Inaotoann deadpanned with rather dismissive inflection as she crossed her arms.

[Lessoni]

Lieutenant Aula Cartia

She wanted to leave it there, but she couldn't help herself, "On top of which, we have one torch between us. You spend your whole time staring into the beam and your eyes will never adjust to the darkness then, when something does attack, you won't be able to see a bloody thing that isn't in the beam. Give it ten minutes and you'll be able to see again.

"I've heard, more complaints in the last five minutes from this sorry excuse for a crew than I get in an evening at my grandmother's retirement village. Stop standing around moaning and follow your orders. Now, get into line you sniveling troop of rock apes!"

James Allan

James was skilled in the art of holding the tongue, but at the moment he wished he wasn't. What he wanted to say generally came down to intelligence vs rank, and considering both the Lieutenant and the Major seemed to have the former in short supply, he was amazed they'd acquired the latter, but he held nonetheless. It was only at the words "rock apes" that he took true offense, though the rest of her diatribe elicited another series of snark in his head, and this one he wouldn't hold, except-

Quite suddenly, she turned her torso and hurled the torch quite a distance—past the dense undergrowth and back into the swamp proper. Its light faded quickly from the gust of being launched through the air, and then was seemingly extinguished as it made contact with the mud.

Their torch wielding companion had done the reckless thing, and threw the damn torch, no concern for the pockets of methane that any halfway decent simulation would contain, though he had to remind himself that the coders wouldn't be as smart as him, or perhaps they'd be more practical in use of RAM than to use it for simulation of a swamp gas that would most likely be irrelevant to the sim. He took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and fell into line, now even less eager to share a ship with their military component than ever before.

[Bingellia]

Violann

---

Violann was furious at the undisguised insubordination from the crowd questioning her order, but Aula's own outburst had spared the pathetic group of officers and department managers from her own insult-laden tirade. Did these civilians, naval personal, and colonial marines know a damned thing about fighting? Perhaps they did, but Violann had been doing it longer than some of them had been alive. Still, she knew she wasn't perfect, but time would tell if she had make a mistake. She'd admit it after it happened, if it even would happen, and not a moment before.

"Listen up," she raised her voice over the crowd once again. "This is the one time that I am going to explain myself for giving an order," her tone was still stern, but didn't betray the anger the major had felt in the moment to the group. "The torch was a beacon while we were in the swamp, but we are clearly not in a swamp anymore. If you can't navigate a straight road illuminated by moonlight, I question your ability to lead your department, and, as Lieutenant Cartia has pointed out, we all will get more out of acclimatizing our eyes to the natural light."

"There is something out there," she added, "and that something may have night vision, but we're also marching into a village, which may have armed men there. For the safety of everyone, I need to see any threat at the village before they can see us moving down a road with no cover, and that torch would not help me do that. I hope that I have made myself clear."

"Now, for the love of the gods, cut the crap, stay alert, get moving, and say something if you see something!"

[Dyelli Beybi]

Lieutenant Aula Cartia

Daotraou Inaotoann
Throwing Fire

“Thank you, Aula,” Inaotoann deadpanned with rather dismissive inflection as she crossed her arms.

"That's Lieutenant Cartia to you," Aula snapped, though her attention was caught a moment later by Pierre who actually had something important to say.

Pierre Tonzi, Marine
Funny you should say that, he thought, since one of the crew is a literal ape. As everyone was forming the column again, this time on a proper road, he approached Lieutenant Cartia again. "Regarding what's out there, ma'am..." he started, "should I inform of what I saw earlier?"

She nodded, "I think you should, Tonzi. We should have already, now I think about it, though the fault for not immediately thinking to report it is mine. I don't think it will alter any orders, we expected creatures in this swamp, but it is always best to make sure the CO is making decisions with all the information. I'd say inform the Major," she said, lowering her voice, "But not the others. The Major can decide whether to let them know or not. Given the way some of the people in this column are behaving there is the very real chance of a panic, which would lower our chances of a successful extraction. You'd think we were on a fucking scout jamboree!"

Aula closed her eyes, giving a small irritated sigh. She opened them again then motioned with her head, indicating for Pierre to take a few steps away from the group, "You stay here, I'll get her attention."

As the column began to form up again, she hurried across to Violann, "Begging you pardon Ma'am, but Lieutenant Tonzi has something to report," she said, her eyes roaming the swamplands, searching for any potential sign of trouble (not that she was likely to spot anything Violann hadn't seen herself). She nodded in the direction of Pierre, "We thought it was best to make sure you had all the information."

[Arithia]

Dr. Tita "Tt" Axunei
VR Simulation

---

Tita was not entirely impressed by the ragtag group of individuals she'd assisted in prepping for VR. It is standard procedure for a doctor to be present during use of a VR simulation of Martian military caliber. Though complications with the technology were extremely rare, they tended to require immediate medical attention. Not to mention the fact a monkey was being strapped into one of these devices for perhaps the first time. Tita had heard of James Allen the man. She was familiar with his work on tropical diseases. What she hadn’t expected was to be serving on the same vessel with a primate that seemed to posses the mind of James Allen. Now she was ensuring his brain didn’t liquify while it was uploaded to the VR machine, of course that was never a highly probable outcome.

Tita could certainly understand now why the Captain had ordered this exercise after seeing the first moments of their time in VR. Though she reminded herself that all of these individuals, even the monkey scientist, were technically her patients now so she decided to withhold judgement until the end of the simulation. After all the other crew were safely installed in the simulation, Tita was strapped in next. There wasn't really a need for a doctor once all the individuals had been successfully implanted in the virtual experience. One of her assistants, a crew medic would be monitoring the groups vitals during the remainder of their time in the simulation.

As she was being prepped for the VR machine, Tita thought back to her morning. She'd been briefed by the Captain ahead of time on this exercise, as she'd been requested to oversee implanting the crew in the VR simulation. He hadn't mentioned exactly what was going to take place in this simulation, but she had a few rough guesses. Tita had had little time to settle in before she was expected to begin overseeing the uploading process, she'd only managed to arrange Spot's bed and food and water bowls in her personal quarters. The 20 year old dog was well past his prime. Despite advances in veterinary sciences, and Tita's own treatment, there was only so long science could extend the lifespan of a dog. Tita guessed Spot had a few years left before she'd be forced to say goodbye.

Although pets were not normally allowed on military vessels, Spot also doubled as her personal therapy animal. The Captain had granted her special request to allow her to bring Spot with her once she'd explained that he spent most of the day sleeping in his therapeutic bed anyway and would only require lite exercise in the form of once daily strolls down the crew deck. Thanks to the miracle of modern science, Tita was able to stockpile plenty of special dog food which was specifically designed for longterm space travel for animals. The food was designed to be entirely digested by the dog's digestive track, and so nothing was left to be excreted. For Spot's other bodily functions, Tita had purchased another product designed for longterm space travel, a patch of grass that recycled urine into water which could then be poured safely down the drain, or in desperate situations used to drink. Tita had ensure Spot was comfortable before donning her lab coat and making her way to the VR suite.

Once she was prepped by the technicians, Tita was ready to enter the simulation. She closed her eyes and all of a sudden she was greeted by the group she'd only moments ago assisted in the real world. Tita guessed she'd entered at a bad time as the faces of the crew seemed rather bleak. She glanced at the Major and then introduced herself.

"Hello, I hope you all recognize me for a few minutes ago, but I'll reintroduce myself. I'm Dr. Tita Axunei, I'm a crew doctor, and will be one of your resident physicians on this ship."

Tita kept the introduction, or rather, the reintroduction short. Her purpose here was to ensure these people, and one monkey if a monkey with a man's brain wasn't considered a person, didn't get themselves killed. She would happily follow whatever orders she was given and do her job to the best of her abilities in the meantime.

[Sarderia]

Pierre Tonzi, Marine
The Swamp

---

"Begging you pardon Ma'am, but Lieutenant Tonzi has something to report," she said, her eyes roaming the swamplands, searching for any potential sign of trouble (not that she was likely to spot anything Violann hadn't seen herself). She nodded in the direction of Pierre, "We thought it was best to make sure you had all the information."

Pierre nodded. "Aye, ma'am. Before we left, when we were first gathering and making introductions at that place, I noticed something darted behind a group of cypress trees - probably between nine or ten o'clock from my direction. For further information, I was at the very back when we were first forming the columns." He let himself catch a breath for a second. He never get the time to know his commanding officers in the Destiny II, so this felt rather awkward for him. This may sound ridiculous, but his job is to do whatever Cartia or Violann said, regardless of how he felt. "There was the silhouette of a long tail. It was well above ground, but I cannot identify what it is exactly, since the figure was extremely fast. By the time I clicked my rifle and raised it up, it was gone. Although, originally, I thought that was just the tree branches snapping, or a strong gust of wind, but it was clearly the silhouette of a tail."

[Bingellia]

Violann

---

As the column began to form up again, she hurried across to Violann, "Begging you pardon Ma'am, but Lieutenant Tonzi has something to report," she said, her eyes roaming the swamplands, searching for any potential sign of trouble (not that she was likely to spot anything Violann hadn't seen herself). She nodded in the direction of Pierre, "We thought it was best to make sure you had all the information."

"You made the right choice, First Lieutenant," Violann nodded as she gestured for the hybrid to come foward. "What did you see, Second Lieutenant Tonzi?"

Although, originally, I thought that was just the tree branches snapping, or a strong gust of wind, but it was clearly the silhouette of a tail."

Violann listened to Tonzi's report, crossing her arms in a bit of disappointment as he finished informing her of the tail he may have seen moving in the swamp. "It may have been anything, Lieutenant," she replied lowly with a faint undercurrent of annoyance in her tone. "A vine or a branch, as you said, or even your imagination making a monster, but it is nothing concrete enough to warrant stopping to prepare for it."

Though knowing that the information was likely useless didn't stop Violann from once again scanning the side of the road towards the swamp for any more movement. If something ambushed them now, before everyone's eye's fully adjusted to the natural light, the group would certainly have trouble doing anything about it.

"However, you did well coming forward," she admitted as turned her attention back to the pair. Her tone was surprisingly appreciative as she continued, if only because the two lieutenants had shown at least some initiative in the situation rather than needing their hand held. "I need as much information as possible. So stay alert at the rear, but try not to panic the others over unknown things moving in the dark. Your eyes will adjust in a few minutes."