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]

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.

[walksonrooftops]

I didn't really learn. I just had to make food if I wanted to eat. [He sticks a fork in one of the pieces of potato, offering it to her to hold her over just a few more minutes.] But here, there's a lot more food. So you can put different things together.

[the_vishual]

I never had to cook. [ Potatoes--yes, good. Excellent, even, and Chase chews thoughtfully. ] It was up to whomever's turn it was in the mess hall.

[walksonrooftops]

I think a mess hall would have been nice sometimes. If it were easier to get food, I would enjoy hunting more. But when there's not enough... If you don't find anything, you're in trouble.

[After offering Chase some, he has a taste for himself. Seems about done, and it doesn't even taste too terrible. He takes the pot off the stove and begins to rifle through the cabinets for some dishes.]

But once the kuims in the gardens are ripe, you can have some of those. That's much easier. You just pick them and eat them.

[the_vishual]

Ooooh~ [ She's bouncing a little--just a little--on her feet, excited. ] what are Kuims?

[walksonrooftops]

They're a fruit that grows in my world. [He scoops up a helping onto a plate and reaches over to put it on the table for her.] They're sweet and sour and a little spicy. They start out green, but when they're good to eat, they're big and purple.

[Cutlery comes next--fork, knife, cup for whatever might be left to drink in the fridge. It's not that he's a stickler for propriety, he's just seen more people use these things than not.] They didn't grow where I lived, though. Not often.

[the_vishual]

Sweet and sour and spicy.. That's a lot of tastes. I don't know if I'd like it. [ Her nose scrunches up, trying to decide whether or not she'd like it as she watches the other put everything on the table ]

I wanna eat it like you'd eat it, Asato.

[walksonrooftops]

They're very delicious. Ribika love to eat them. [Which makes them even more of a special treat if he does happen to find some.

Her question makes him stop and look at his own plate, ears giving a twitch, before he turns to look back to her.] I just eat it with my hands.

[the_vishual]

With your hands? Cute! Asato, you never fail to stop being adorable.

[walksonrooftops]

[He casts a quick glance down at his hands, a perplexed look on his face, but after a moment he smiles gently.]

If you want to eat it like I do, that's with your hands. [And with that, he takes a seat, nodding and flicking his tail to call her over too. The jumps always leave him inexplicably hungry, so he's more than ready to eat.]

Try it. I don't think it looks bad.

[the_vishual]

It looks good. [ So Chase picks up a chicken thigh with her fingers, grinning just because she's not normally supposed to because that's not polite, but she loves it. ]

!!

It tastes good, too!

[walksonrooftops]

[His smile grows brighter and he averts his eyes down to his own plate sheepishly, tail curling around a leg of his chair. He's got no idea how to handle comments like that, knowing only that he needed to be able to do this if he wanted to live, so he murmurs a soft "I see" and begins to eat as well--with his hands, of course.

It's much easier this way, if a little messier, and other cats wouldn't look twice at someone doing this.]

A lot of food from home didn't need all this, [he says between bites, nodding down to the cutlery.] A lot of it was just fruits and nuts, and all kinds of plants. So these things are kind of strange. [Plus, cats are just naturally tidy creatures, so a wash after a meal is practically the norm.]

[the_vishual]

I wish I knew what they were. I'd love to index them--categorize them. Learn from them. The only thing we really ate was fish, because that's in the ocean.

[walksonrooftops]

I wouldn't categorize them. I'd just eat them. [Maybe learn about them, too--if it made them easier to gather up and eat. Simple needs for a simple cat.]

Although... I do wonder about the ocean sometimes.

[the_vishual]

What do you wonder? I can answer many questions. I was partially responsible for harnessing the sea creatures of Donar and turning them into bioweapons.