ELEVENTH WAVE

[astrogate]

CHARACTERS: any and all
LOCATION: Gravity Couches and beyond
WARNINGS: maybe some swearing, or even some violence, and more than likely some implied (and possibly explicit) nakedness.
SUMMARY: Another month, another jump, another round of new faces.
NOTES: Keeping up with the tradition and copy pasted like always from the last one


You wake up in darkness.


There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

You are not alone.


There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. Others have much less amiable plans. Some are merely alien and inexplicable, but there are always those who might mean you harm.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Comments

[the_vishual]

I can handle myself, Asato. You should know! I'm big and strong. Well.. Maybe not big.

[walksonrooftops]

I'd still watch over you. Just in case.

[Because a little girl versus enormous monsters? Not the best odds, in his opinion. Not even when that little girl is Chase.]

Come on, I'll try to make you some food from my world. It can't be that hard.

[the_vishual]

Do you not cook? I mean I don't cook.. Maybe we'll blow up the kitchen.

[ But she's holding onto Asato's hand tightly. It doesn't matter where they go or what happens--it matters that they're together and they care about each other. ]

One day I want you to meet Sizer.

[walksonrooftops]

I can make a fire. And I can hold things over it until they're good to eat.

[And that's all he needs to know if he wants to fill his belly, right?

He carefully picks Chase up off his lap and stands, ready to make his way to the kitchen. She's light, and he'd have no trouble carrying her that far, but he'll put her down if she'd rather walk with him. Either is more than enough for him; he's just happy to be with Chase again, no matter what they get up to, and it shows in his small smile and the easy sway of his tail.]

Who is Sizer?

[the_vishual]

[ Chase feels like rewarding herself, feels like being lazy. So she wraps her arms around the other's neck and grins. ] It's better than I can do. But I'm good at making sandwiches.

Sizer is my brother.

[walksonrooftops]

[That's fine by him. He gives her a nuzzle as they walk, content to let her be as lazy as she feels like being. His hold on her is safe and secure, and he looks ahead as he answers her.]

I didn't know you had a brother. Does he look a lot like you?

[the_vishual]

No. He's very big--big big big. He's four but he's huge, looks about 20. And he's a monster, but I'm very proud of him.

[walksonrooftops]

That's a strange thing to say. That you're proud of a monster.

[Still, he doesn't know who Sizer is, so who is he to judge?]

But if he's your brother and he's important to you, then I want to meet him.

[the_vishual]

When he transforms, he has no flesh. And he gets bigger! Bigger than big, and strong. And has tremendous jaws and tremendous strength. He was built for melee combat, you see. But he's very nice. He acts like a child but he's very nice.

[walksonrooftops]

I'd think I'd like to see that. That he acts like a child doesn't matter a lot. As long as he's nice and took good care of you.

[He opens the kitchen door while he speaks and sets Chase gently down on a chair, moving away to look through the cabinets and refrigerator. This would be much easier if more of the food were fresh, but he'll have to do with the canned and nonperishable alternatives.]

Do you have any other family, Chase?

[the_vishual]

[ It's hard to find the right words--difficult. Very difficult. She quiets but it's not out of sorrow, it's more to attempt to explain the situation. ]

Yes. Though he does not call me daughter and I am not to call him father.

[walksonrooftops]

[He gives her a glance over his shoulder at that, already suspecting this is something he won't fully understand. After a moment, he goes back to his food hunt--nuts, pre-frozen fruit, juice and oil. He scours the freezer for meat someone might not have gotten to yet and finds a vaccuum-sealed packet of chicken thighs. Not the best thing in the world, but it's more than he thought he'd find.]

Even if you don't call him that, do you love him like your father?

[the_vishual]

Despite being told not to, I do. And I think, despite not wanting to, he does.

[walksonrooftops]

That's all you need, right? That's all a family really needs.

[He doesn't stop working while he speaks, trying to figure out how to cook all this stuff into something that makes sense. Well, there's potatoes, and potatoes aren't hard to cook, and he can toss them in with the chicken and some frozen apples and carrots...]

I'd like you to meet Kagari, too. She's not my mother, but she took care of me. She's a fierce woman. But she'd probably like you because you're really smart.

[the_vishual]

Ka...Ga....ri. [ She likes your language, it just takes a while. But Chase nods, looking at all of the stuff. It looks good, even frozen, so she's up on her tip-toes to watch. ] That sounds like a warrior name.

[walksonrooftops]

She is a warrior. Every cat in Kira is a warrior. [He adds some broth from a can to a pot over the stove and drops the chicken in another pan while he speaks. He's never been an extraordinary cook, but he's had to fend for himself for as long as he remembers, so he's sure he can make this into something edible.]

After my mother died, Kagari was the only female cat in our village. But she was stronger than any of the men for sure.

[the_vishual]

The only female?! Oh, wow, that must have been tough! Especially taking care of Asato and asserting her dominance on the rest of Ribika kitties!

[walksonrooftops]

I think it was hard for her. But she was even tougher than that.

[He smiles over his shoulder at her, his tail swaying relaxedly from side to side.] It's because of her that I'm here now. She's the only family I had, at least back home. So I definitely would like it if Chase met her one day. I want to show her all the people I've met here.

[the_vishual]

I want to be like her, then. [ It's firm, her voice confident. ] If she's someone Asato looks up to, than she has to be the best person in the world!

[walksonrooftops]

Yeah, I looked up to her a lot. I hope she's still doing okay.

[He moves back for a moment to let the food simmer, standing beside Chase and leaning down to give her a nuzzle.] You don't have to be like her, though. Chase can just be Chase. Because I look up to you too.

[the_vishual]

You look down on me. You're quite tall, after all.

[walksonrooftops]

It's not in the tall or short way. [If Chase was making a joke, it just went flying right over his head.]

It's in...um. The respect way. Because you're smart and strong, and very kind too.

[And when he's letting her ride on his shoulders, she's the taller one. It counts!

After a moment he pulls back to go check on the food, making sure nothing's burning or otherwise turning into a completely disaster. He hasn't burned the kitchen down, so things are going better than anticipated.]

[the_vishual]

Well you are, too. And taller than me.

[ Asato hasn't burned the kitchen down, it's true--and Chase can't help but wrap her arms around the other in a tight hug while he's cooking. ]

[walksonrooftops]

I don't know about that.

[Strong, maybe. Kind is up for debate, and he doesn't think many people would describe him as smart. Still, he smiles down at her for a moment before his tail curls around her, substituting for a real hug as he keeps most of his attention on the food.]

It'll be done soon.

[the_vishual]

It smells good. [ She's trying to peak over the counter, now, high on her tip-toes. ] Sometimes I wish I would have learned to cook.