%20pngg.png)
"That's what I'm worried about," she muttered, hoping he wouldn't hear. She closed the hatch, trailing after him deeper into the ship. It was a mess, but what can you do. She certainly wasn't here to judge.
The LAIKA's Journey (closed rp)
%20pngg.png)
Treb went to the sleeping quarters, where multiple beds were set into the wall on either side. He hefted the alien into one, trying not to bump its head as he did so, then rummaged in the storage compartment below it until he found some blankets. "I have no idea what temperature this thing is supposed to be at, so I hope it wakes me up and tells me pretty soon. At least it seems to speak a common language, so that's something."
The furry creature leaped to her feet and stretched. "Hey, I gotta apologize for being so pushy out there. I was not quite in my right mind! Thank-you for rescuing me, I wouldn't have made it, pretty sure! Feel better now." She looked around curiously. "Who are you guys? What's the plan? I'm hungry."
Treb had jerked up in surprise when his patient spoke, causing him to hit his head in the top of the storage compartment. "Ow! Jeez!" Stumbling to his feet, he stared at the alien, trying to absorb what she'd said. "Uhhhh. Wow, um, that was quick. Are you sure you're okay?"
"A tad bit hungry, actually." She started sniffing around the room.
"Okay, I guess you said that, didn't you," Treb muttered, starting to close cupboards and drawers protectively. "What do you eat, then? I don't know your race, sorry."
"Oh anything, I've been trying to cut back on meat and dairy, but not gonna be picky, if you'd be kind enough to share something. Hey, this looks good." She picked up something that looked like a sock and tilted her head at Treb.
"THAT–" Treb stopped and forced himself to lower his voice. "…is my sock. Not edible. Now just, uh….just sit tight one sec, and I'll go grab you something." He edged through the doorway, keeping a suspicious eye on her. "Don't touch anything else, please? Okay? Oh, Ba'al! Keep an eye on her for me, yeah?"
"Okay, fine," Ba'al grumbled. "What's your name anyway?"
"Flannery Sy, but everyone calls me Effy. And you're called Ball? You aren't so very round, but okay."
"Ba'al" she corrected. "Like a baleful glare. Nice to meet you, Iffy."
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, name mispronunciation for a name mispronunciation. Ba'al settled back against on of the bunks. "So how'd you end up an Effy-cicle?"
"Well, haha, that's a long story, Ba'al, and I'm real hungry, but suffice it to say I apparently said the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person, and next thing you know I'm out cold and out in the cold, and then you and your boyfriend kicked me and thanks for getting me here, like I said. What's your story?" Effy looked hopefully at the door through which Treb had disappeared. She sighed and visibly positioned herself to wait with seeming composure.
Treb reappeared with an armful of ration packets, just in time to hear the 'boyfriend' remark. He snorted explosively. "We are not in a relationship, pally. We literally just met like fifteen minutes ago." He showed Effy the packets. "Here. The pictures on the front show what's in each one. I have to warm them up before you can eat them, so pick one and I'll go do that."
"Hmm…Call me Effy." She pointed out 4 packets and stopped herself from adding to that number. She sighed again. "Thanks." Then she walked in a tight circle three times, and laid down for a quick nap.
Treb sorted out the ones she picked and ducked over to the tiny kitchen next door. "Righty then. Ba'al, you want anything?"
Ba'al was reeling a little bit with all the information, but managed to keep her wits about her. She glanced questioningly at Treb, as if asking him what the plan was here. "No, thanks."
Treb noticed her look as he was heating up the food and shook his head, as if saying that he was working completely without a script at the moment. "Well," he muttered so that only she could hear, "Looks like our expedition will be postponed until we can drop this kid off somewhere. That applies to your paycheck as well, so that should hopefully motivate you to help me figure out what to do here. Ever met an alien like her before?"
"That's not fair," Ba'al objecte, though her heart wasn't in it. Money wasn't her biggest motivator, but it was the fear of staying in one spot that made her speak up. "No, I haven't. Maybe we can take her with us? You were looking for two crew members originally."
Treb growled and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah….but we have no idea if this person is even vaguely qualified for our work. Between you and me, she doesn't really seem all that….street-smart. Not from what I've seen." The heater pinged and he teased the food out of it, cutting open the packages and pouring the contents into a couple of chipped bowls. "Let's grill her a bit, see if we can find out where she's from and what she's up to."
"You've known her for two minutes," Ba'al scoffed. "But fine. You do what you're gonna do. I'll follow along."
Treb nodded, carrying the food back into the sleeping quarters. "Okay, I got you some supper. Mind if we sit with you and ask you some questions while you eat?"
Effy opened her eyes and sniffed the air, then stood and stretched. "Oh this looks perfect!" She took the bowls and lined them up to admire before settling in to feast.'
"Hey, you two just saved my life. I will gladly answer any question ya got."
She whispered something to herself, picked up the first bowl on the left and hungrily but delicately started to devour it.
She looked remarkably hale and hearty for someone who'd been at death's door less than a half hour ago.
Treb eyed her for a minute grimly, then sat down in the cubby across from her, waving for Ba'al to find a seat as well. "All right. First things first, I guess….. My name's Treb Noke, and I'm the captain of this ship–the LAIKA, it's called. It's a Fringe scavenger ship. I'm a human from a trading colony on Neue. This is Ba'al, my newly-hired crewmate. She can tell you her personal info if she feels like it. But for now, tell us a bit about yourself. What race are you? Where are you from?"
Ba'al gave Effy a salute, settling down as comfortably as she could in the cramped space.
She looked up, then licked her face clean. "Effy Sy here of the Amabelle race, from the planet Gretchen. It's really a joy to meet the two of you formally. My family and I will forever be in your debt. I bow to you, Mr. Noke." She solemnly bowed her head in his direction, then turned towards her other companion and repeated the action. "I bow to you, Ms. Ba'al."
Then, with a slight twinkle in her eye, she continued her meal.
"O…kay." Treb blinked a couple of times, then decided to plow onward. "Great. So, how did you end up here on Dsanti, Effy? Seems like it wasn't something you planned out very carefully f you don't mind my saying."
"Well, now that's a pretty hard thing to explain, and you are very correct to say I didn't plan especially well. I can be a little impulsive. But the basics are… I am a very devoted mother, see? And one of my sons seems to be getting some ideas in his head that make me feel concerned for his future. I learned in a circuitous fashion of a … situation taking place here on Dsanti and felt it a possible aid to my plan to … well, to illustrate a point - try to actually get through to him. He is very willful, maybe you have children of your own, and can understand? Anyway a couple of weeks ago, I hitched a ride from the traders of our city, and did a rather rash thing, which may or may not play out well, and nearly lost my life, as you know. It was a price I was willing to pay. My life is nearing its natural end, and of course I'd do anything for my kids. However, to find myself with a bit more time, and my health intact and a pair of new friends…well, it is just a delightful surprise! I am very happy and … hey, do you want to have a celebration with me?"
"Uh, well, just–just hold on a sec." Treb held up his hands to slow down the chatty alien. That had been a lot of information at once for him, and he was still stuck near the beginning. "You have kids? surely you're planning to head back to them now….right?"
"I guess I didn't mention that they are all grown and flown, so to speak, they don't really need a thing from me, very independent personalities, all six! I guess they probably got that from me. Which is not to say that I wouldn't love to make it home eventually and see them all, and the grand kids again. I have a feeling the … well, I won't bore you with the details, I can see you are a more … methodical type than I am, which I assure you I can appreciate that! Suffice it to say that I am not in a huge hurry to get home as things currently stand." She neatly licked the crumbs from the first bowl, set it down and picked up the second one. "I'll celebrate alone, it's just as fun for me, just thought I'd offer."
She paused, then said quietly, "Isn't it a beautiful life?!"
Treb paused for a long moment, slowly looking over at Ba'al as if silently asking whether they might have brought a lunatic on board. He had met chipper, bouncy, talkative races before, but those encounters had not granted him any confidence when dealing with them. Maybe he should treat her like a little kid?….No, that didn't seem like a good idea. He took a deep breath.
"Welp! Um. I've got some important captain stuff to do up front right about now. Why don't you two settle in and get comfortable? Ba'al, you can have the honor of entertaining our guest for a bit."