9:37 AM Tuesday
Inside the brightly lit infirmary on board the Nirvana, a tall man in a floor-length white coat was making his rounds. Slowly, he got up out of the chair he was writing in over to an occupied bed. There, he pulled up a data-slate, which contained the vital information of the patient in the bed. He sighed uneasily at the numerous blank spaces present on it. Glancing back at the patient, he had to wonder exactly who this young man was. He thought back earlier that day...
Flashback
When he was called in around 4:00 AM, all he was told was to set up the infirmary and prepare for a patient.
He took a few guesses at what that could have meant:
"It could be a severe injury inflicted on one of the night crew. Perhaps Meia had pushed herself too far in her early morning simulator trials. Maybe the Captain had suffered another heart attack. Or...maybe something happened to Parfet- - she liked to stay up late sometimes and do regular systems checks across the ship...No, it couldn't be." He shook his head.
Although all were good guesses, he also thought it had something to do with that alarm in the dead of night--about a new male intruder. Regardless of the case, however, Duelo McFile was well aware of his duty as the only doctor on board the Nirvana. So despite the hour, and without Paiway's assistance, he set up shop in the sick bay, like he did everyday. But even the calculating mind of this long-haired him doctor couldn't prepare for the sight that was carried in.
Gascogne's voice was the first he heard approach down the hall, so immediately he readied himself to handle a possible injury to one of her stagehands. But when the doors flew open, in came two girls, still dressed in pajamas, and each held onto a leg, while Gascogne herself was closely behind, holding something at her waist. Duelo couldn't see what it was at first, but nearly gasped when he walked up.
It was a male…a young boy, about his age.
He had shoulder-length black hair and a tanned hue to his skin. The doctor noticed how strangely the boy was dressed. The pants he wore were a strange, faded blue color, made of a material he couldn't identify. His reddish shoes were also strange-looking and well-worn. His shirt had sleeves cut just above his elbows and was also plain red, but darker in some spots...
Then, recognizing what those spots were, Duelo became a doctor again.
"Get him on the observation table!" he ordered. Gascogne nodded.
"All right girls, nice and easy now." As they struggled to lug him across the room, the other two girls holding the young man's legs complained a bit.
"Jeez, this male weighs a ton! Must be a real tubby, eh, Jenna?" joked one of the girls. The other girl would have laughed, but her grip on the leg was failing, so she decided to let the joke slip until she finally heaved him onto the table with a big sigh.
He was heavy all right, but Gascogne knew better. She had been holding up the boy's upper body on the way to the infirmary, and the hard rippling she felt beneath his shirt told of anything but body fat. This was the best conditioned male other than the doctor she had ever seen. A fact that only made her nervousness grow about this boy as she recalled the daring escape he pulled off in the Registry, and how it could have only been possible because of his build. Gascogne was just as curious about this boy as the doctor, especially in terms of where he came from.
Once the young man was on the table, Duelo began his preliminary examination. Amazingly, he was checking vital signs, making notes, and consulting the witnesses all at the same time. Gascogne dismissed the two other girls as the doctor began asking questions.
"What exactly happened?" he asked, while checking the young man's wrist for a pulse.
Gascogne responded, "Barnette says this kid broke into her room, held her at gunpoint, then escaped; while he was wandering around the halls somewhere, probably looking for a place to hide, Barnette sent out an all comm. channels alert to watch out for him… then they woke me up, told me to gather some stagehands at the Registry, and said something about laying a trap for him."
Duelo looked over the boy, and then asked, "I take it the trap was a success, then?" Gascogne pondered awhile then responded.
"Actually, this kid managed to pull off an escape. Get this: before he made his exit, he bowed low, apologized for waking us ladies, then saved Barnette's life in the process of us firing at him," she looked up intently for his reaction. Duelo looked up and asked her quickly.
"He apologized for waking you… then he saves Barnette's life? Why did you shoot at him, did he threaten any of you at all?"
Gascogne sighed. "No, that's what surprises me; there wasn't a hint of hostility in his actions or his apology… itt's almost as if--"
"He isn't like the others?" finished an old voice from the entrance to the infirmary. It seems the Captain was also awakened a bit early as well.
She was greeted warmly by the doctor and Gascogne as she walked in with the immovable Buzam A. Calessa close behind--both, like everyone else awake, were still in their sleepwear. She finished her statement by asking it again.
"Is that what you were thinking, Gascogne?"
Gascogne nodded. "I don't know what it is about him, but this boy is different from the other males; the entire time he spoke to us, there was a different tone he seemed to use, like he felt he had to talk to us differently-- at least differently than any other male ever has," the tall woman answered.
B.C. spoke as well, "Where do you think he might come from, then, if he isn't from Tarak, do you think he came here to escape our enemy?"
Gascogne shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I checked his bag, and it does look like he was prepared to leave somewhere; it was full of spare clothing, some toiletries, a camera-- but that's not what's most alarming: there's something else I found in his bag and in one of his pockets that tell me this kid could mean trouble."
Magno raised her head from the boy, who was now shirtless, as Duelo established an I.V. line to one of his bleeding arms.
"Well, what was it?" the old woman asked.
"Knives, Boss," Gascogne began. "I found at least 10 or so different knives of different lengths in his bag, with quite a nasty-looking one in his front pocket."
At length, B.C. spoke. "What, for self-defense, maybe?"
Magno glared at the boy. "Maybe… but if so, then what would a boy need with so many of them? I think it was right of you to worry Gascogne; this boy could mean trouble… did you make sure no one else saw these knives?"
Gascogne nodded in the affirmative. She was no fool to the gossip that quickly spread amongst a crew of women. The bag was now underneath the boy's bed, sealed up just the way they found it; knives and all, even.
"Good," Magno continued. "It is in everyone's interest that the crew not sees this boy in a negative light. He does seem to be a mystery, but I don't think he was sent here to harm any of us; after all, if he did apologize to the girls and save Barnette then maybe, just maybe, he comes from a society where men and women actually coexist."
Gascogne stared at the old woman-- she hadn't thought of that. Magno nodded back.
"Precisely; and if that is true, there should be no cause for concern. His actions thus far only prove that he is a boy who respects women enough to apologize for inconveniencing them... I'm sure he has a very interesting story to tell." She shifted her attention to Duelo, who was busy making more notes.
"What do you think, doctor?" she started. "When will he be healthy enough to sit down and have a talk with us?"
At this, Duelo looked up from his notes, and answered at length.
"Well, unfortunately, it would seem that this patient won't be talking to anyone anytime soon."
"What do you mean, Duelo," the Captain asked, "are his injuries that serious?" He paused awhile, then expounded, pulling up his observations on the boy from a data-slate.
"It isn't necessarily the injuries that are a problem, although they are, in themselves quite serious: apart from mild external bruising along his back, he also has a few broken ribs, sprained wrists, and his left shoulder is dislocated. Also, there appear to be lacerations on his forearms. I wonder... was he injured this badly when the trap was sprung?" they turned to Gascogne.
"No," she responded. "He couldn't have pulled off the escape if he was injured as badly as you say."
Duelo nodded, cupping his chin in his hand. "Then, that means that most of these injuries were caused some time between when he escaped, and when you brought him in."
Gascogne's eyes went wide with realization. "Dita! When we found him, Dita was lying on his back, sound asleep. He was face down and unconscious, and there was some blood on the floor when we picked him up."
B.C. was in shock. "Are you sure? Our Dita, inflict that kind of damage? She wouldn't even hurt a fly!"
Duelo spoke out of experience. "If these injuries are a result of an encounter with her, then more likely than not, Dita wasn't intending on hurting him. She could have seen him in the hallway, chased him, then probably jumped on him while he was running, and this must have cause him to slide on the ground, and that could have scraped his arms. After all, she has been known to pounce on a certain Vanguard pilot we all know."
Magno nodded. "It would make sense for Dita to chase down something new aboard the ship with such enthusiasm; I just never realized she was so strong." With that, Magno turned her eyes to the boy again, shook her head and continued to query the doctor.
"You said that the injuries themselves weren't the problem, that there was something else more serious?" she asked. Duelo checked his notes again.
"Although it would seem that the injuries this boy sustained from his encounter with Dita are critical, the problem at hand now is how his body is dealing with them." He directed their attentions to the ECG, which monitored the boy's heartbeat.
"His heart?" B.C. asked. Duelo nodded.
"His heartbeat is very irregular… it seems that all of the running and panicking he did all night to try and evade our crew, which he viewed as hostile, severely affected his heart. If we can get him to calm down enough to get his heartbeat to a normal level, then he should recover; but that means no visitations, no disturbances, and unfortunately Captain, no opportunity to talk just yet. This young man needs his rest. His heartbeat is already beginning to stabilize, but if it isn't regulated, he could go degrade as far as cardiac arrest."
Duelo pressed a few switches to adjust Keith's oxygen intake before continuing with his diagnosis.
"Furthermore, we also need to take into consideration the element of what is not known to us: all we can say for sure is that this young male is human, but beyond that we quite literally know nothing about him, much less his medical history-- what this means is that my hands are tied in terms of medical treatment-- apart from rest and regular needs assistance, I cannot, and will not, risk endangering his health through theory or experimentation."
Magno took all of this in carefully. Then she nodded, and replied calmly.
"Very well, Doctor, I place his recovery in your hands; I would hate for this boy to have to suffer so much because of us… keep me informed of his progress, and be sure to alert me the instant he awakens."
"It would probably be best to keep Barnette away from him; she's probably struggling with the new idea of being saved by a male," Gascogne added, grinning.
B.C. added, "Just as well with Dita then; knowing her, she probably wants to try and get to know this young man better, or even apologize if she finds out he's hurt, which would probably end up making his condition worse."
"I'll try and keep them both busy while he heals; good luck to you, Duelo," finished the Captain.
"Thank you, Captain." Duelo bowed his head slightly.With that, the two other women started to leave. Then the captain turned, smiling, and asked,
"By the way Doctor, do we happen to know the name of our new guest? I would like to greet him properly when he awakens."
Gascogne answered for Duelo. "I checked his bag, but the identification tag only listed his first name... It's Keith."
Magno squinted, "Keith... sounds rather old-fashioned, doesn't it?"
Flashback fades
Duelo checked the boy's instruments yet again. Nearly 10:00 and Paiway was late. Other than one big difference, everything was business as usual in the infirmary.
10:45 AM Tuesday
Elsewhere on the ship, news of this new male's exploits buzzed about as weary-eyed girls told largely fictional accounts of the morning's escapades. The captain and the rest of the senior staff were trying their best to keep their young crew's minds occupied by overloading their work schedules. Even still, most girls could see this boost in labor for what it was: a diversionary tactic. Many, of course, were not happy about being lied to.
"What's with all this extra work we gotta do?" complained one.
"Yeah, we took care of this task three days ago, Parfet!" hissed an engineer.
"What? Gascogne said we have to restock all of it?" cried a stagehand.
Every department was the same. Complaints sprang up all across the ship, many even chorused in groups of twenty or more to the captain herself. Magno, on the other hand, knew the level of her crew's intelligence. She simply dismissed each complaint, and took everyone's comments with a grain of salt. Then, when the department heads themselves started coming forward with reports that even the newly expanded work details were getting finished, Magno decided to just tell her crew the truth.
"Ezra," she began, taking a seat in her chair. "Open a channel to all departments across the ship: it's time all of you found out what's going on."
"Right away Captain," replied the pregnant bridge bunny. A few seconds later, the channel was open, and the Captain could see every department on the main screen of the bridge. She cleared her throat, and then spoke.
"Attention all crew! I have some news to inform you of… all of you." Once she paused, everyone paid attention to the live feed, drawing their attentions to the woman they called Captain. When she was sure all of her crew was listening, she resumed her announcement.
"As many of you might be aware, we now have a new passenger onboard the Nirvana," Magno started, "Yes, it is true… this visitor is in fact a male."
At this, many of the crew complained. Barnette tried to join them, but only found herself feeling half-hearted about the sentiment. Meia looked up from her Dread's status screen to listen. Jura was smiling slyly to herself. And Dita turned away from her stir-fry for Hibiki. Magno waited for them to quiet down, and then continued.
"Now, I am well aware of the opinions that many of you may harbor against males; it is the way you were raised, and that is just the truth of the matter." Many girls cheered. Others said for it to remain "that way." A few, however, remained silent.
"But what is also the truth is that, for the past few weeks, we have proven that males and females can not only coexist, but can cooperate." None of the girls spoke. They knew this was true. Bart on the other hand, was grinning his buck-naked ass off inside the cockpit. Even Duelo looked up from his notes. Hibiki paused from maintaining his Vanguard, but only because his nose itched-- he wasn't joining in everyone's break to listen.
Magno continued.
"And since we know little about this male, it is of utmost importance that all of us put our best efforts forward to work efficiently, so that we can get home faster. He was seriously injured last night, while trying to escape capture. Not because he did anything wrong, but simply because he was afraid of being held prisoner. Therefore, we mustn't let our prejudices drive us. If anything these past few weeks have taught us is of any value, then that is the fact that we should at least be willing to give something new a chance...thank you for all of your outstanding efforts in this difficult time. Keep up the good work."
And with that, the captain's face faded from the screens, and the crew went about their daily tasks. Magno leaned back on her chair, her fingers pressed against her forehead. B.C. was nearby, of course, so she spoke her mind.
"You know B.C., everyday I wonder what holds this crew together so well," she started.
B.C. smiled. "It's your leadership, Captain; these girls would follow you anywhere-- now, as for the men,"
Magno interrupted, smiling. "I wouldn't worry about the men, just yet." Then the old woman took a moment to admire her crew, and joined in the rat-race.
And with that, the Nirvana went about its business. Tasks were assigned and performed with quickness and efficiency. Crewmembers buzzed about on all levels in a happy, energetic pace. Parfet lead her team in highly synchronized tasks completed in almost perfect unison. Duelo balanced managing his patients and putting up with Paiway's unusual mannerisms, puppet-related or not. Bart whistled a happy tune as he looked out and saw a clear, smooth stretch of space ahead.
And, in a hallway somewhere, a certain red-head with a covered tray happily bounced her way towards the hangar, and an unsuspecting Vanguard pilot tinkering away within.
11:34 AM Saturday
Duelo was looking over Keith's data yet again, trying to figure out what he had overlooked.
He had thought it fortunate that many of Keith's injuries were healing faster than expected. Not only had his shoulder finally realigned, but most of the bruises had reduced by half, his cuts no longer required as much antiseptic, and his ribs were mending quickly. Moreover, as he had reported to the Captain two nights ago, Keith's heartbeat had finally stabilized to a normal rate.
So why hadn't he come out of unconsciousness yet?
All of the readings Duelo looked over suggested that amazingly, Keith should have gained back enough physical strength to actually stand up and walk around. So why was he still sleeping? Duelo couldn't figure it out. And now his burden of privacy was becoming difficult, as some of the others were starting to grow curious. It took on a new sense of desperation when Ezra Vieil came in for a regular check-up.
Ever since the soft-spoken bridge bunny was pronounced pregnant at the beginning of the voyage, Duelo had done as much studying as he could on the female reproductive process-- at least according to the Mejerrans. The whole endeavor was a new and completely intriguing topic for the young doctor. Although he found the differences between male bodies and female bodies to be fascinating, it was the similarities that held his amazement. Duelo was using every session he had with Ezra to build his own personal knowledge of the process.
Therefore, it was strange to him when she suddenly started asking about Keith.
"Oh, by the way, how is his condition, doctor?" Ezra asked. She was lying down on one of the beds, when Duelo looked up from the ultra-sound machine.
"You mean our visitor?" he looked back at the instruments.
"Yes, several of the girls are becoming rather curious about him," she explained.
"Well," Duelo noted, "his condition has finally stabilized, and his wounds are healing quite nicely."
"Oh," sighed Ezra, "I see." She played with her fingers while the doctor read between the lines.
"But that wasn't what you wanted to know, was it?" he asked. A slight pause followed.
"How long have the others been putting you up to ask me?" Duelo continued.
"It's been rather non-stop, I'm afraid," Ezra began, "Every time I try to get a moment to myself, either Dita or Jura show up and try to convince me to ask you. At first, I thought it best to respect your wishes for privacy, but now even I have to admit that this new passenger is quite an intriguing mystery... but then you don't need to tell me anything, I can understand. It really isn't anyone else's business," she admitted.
Guilt was a weapon Ezra Vieil was unknowingly skilled at using. Duelo could only sigh.
"Now even Ezra was in on it?" he thought. Duelo had to have seen this coming. Not a day had gone by when Dita, Jura, Barnette or some combination of the three wanted to be let in on Keith's condition, his past, his story-- or to just plain be let in to see the boy. Keith was becoming more and more of a burden to care for, and Duelo figured that if anyone deserved a little information, it was someone like Ezra, whom he knew he could count on to deliver the message and then tell the others to stop. She was one of the only women he knew he could trust.
A silent, smiling, diplomat.
"All right, here's what I can tell you so far," Duelo began. Ezra forced herself up on her elbows to try and hear this better, for hers and her friends' sakes.
"To begin with, his name is Keith, and--"
"Oh my God," whispered a voice neither had ever heard before, but knew who it belonged to.
They both turned their eyes to the bed where Keith was supposed to be, but then, after looking across the room, they saw him standing in front of a window. He still wasn't wearing a shirt, since Duelo didn't want to discomfort Keith's healing ribs, so he was quite a sight to behold standing with his left arm holding his torso, while his free hand was spread across the window. They both stared in awe, Ezra with a hand over her mouth as Keith slowly bowed his head low, pressing his forehead against the window.
Then her heart sank, as low, deep sobs came forth from the boy. Slowly, Keith turned around to face them as he slumped into a seated position with his legs out in front of him, tears streaking down his cheeks like cracks in a mirror. He brought his quivering, right hand over his eyes as his sobs became more pronounced. Duelo rose to rush over and help Keith back in his bed, but Ezra kept him in place with a firm, understanding shake of her head.
They both solemnly sat in place as the boy under the starlit window wept with a sorrow Ezra had not thought existed in men...
12:00 PM Friday
Keith was seated in his own bed, and now that he was back to senses, he once again began the common routine of examining everything around him. Although he was sure that room he was in was some kind of medical examination room, it seemed a tad small, closer to a school nurse's office because of the lack of beds. He was still having trouble believing what the doctor (who surprisingly looked to be about his age) was telling him. Thinking of his promise made earlier, Duelo immediately sent a message to the Captain that Keith was already awake and that they would be on their way to the conference room after he was given a few minutes to prepare.
Ever since Keith calmed down enough to think, he was asking questions of everyone in the infirmary. Naturally, they each had questions for him as well, but Keith found himself unable to answer some of the questions he found to be a bit ridiculous. For example, when Keith asked how far along Ezra was in her pregnancy, Duelo immediately asked him how it was that Keith knew Ezra was pregnant-- at which Keith immediately apologized for being a bit too nosy. Eventually, however, he got formally introduced to Duelo, Paiway, and Ezra. He tried to take all of what he was told as rationally as he could, but was naturally having trouble doing so. Finally, Duelo decided that any questions Keith had should be answered by the Captain.
"The Captain?" Keith asked, "Okay, just give me a minute, and I'll go where I need to be taken." Duelo nodded.
"Your clothes are in your bag under the bed; call me when you feel ready… oh, you might need these." The doctor handed Keith his glasses.
Duelo then looked around for Paiway, whom he had sent to get Keith a glass of water. He was pretty sure that his gossipy little nurse was going around spreading the word about Keith even as he was predicting it. Duelo then told Keith to hurry up in his preparations knowing that they might not even make it out the door, much less through the halls to get to the conference room. The wise doctor decided to cut Ezra's checkup a bit short; she kindly understood.
Keith was worried. He knew it only made sense that the Captain wanted to see the person who had caused the crew so much trouble. He thought back to the chase through the halls. All the keypads he damaged, the crewmembers he put in danger. Cautiously Keith looked around the room, and sighed when he saw there were no guards around.
"Maybe they no longer see me as a threat," he thought. "Either way, I think it's time I at least explain myself to my hosts, as well as get some answers."
Keith looked for his red shirt, but strangely realized it was missing. Instead, he looked through his bag and put on a simple white t-shirt over the same pair of denim pants and his trusty red sneakers. He noticed it was a little chilly on board, so over the shirt he painfully slipped on a green sweatshirt and zipped it up halfway, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows as they were always sold in the stores too long-- one of the curses of being short. This allowed Keith to see the light bandaging on his forearms, and he checked them carefully to make sure they were in place. The young man looked around nervously for a mirror, and when none could be found, he decided to just hope for the best. Keith strode up to the door cradling the slight pinch in his ribs whenever he took a step. He found Duelo writing some things down on a notepad, who looked up and nodded when Keith spoke.
"All right doctor, I'm ready," Keith said.
Keith tried to stand tall, but the sting in his ribs forced him to hunch over with an arm covering his midsection. Duelo rushed to his side, helping the shorter boy stand. When Keith was all right to support himself, the doctor gave him a bit of a warning.
"You're going to have to take it easy for a while," Duelo began. "You suffered some injuries your first night aboard… by the way, what exactly happened?"
The doctor and the senior staff already had a pretty good idea, but he needed to have Keith confirm it. The other young man just kept quiet at first, but, trying not to be rude while at the same time trying not to be embarrassed, he just decided to brush the question off.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now..." Keith answered. It was then he remembered his painful first encounter with Dita. He thought about those deep blue eyes, that silky red hair, her gentle pleading voice, the soft curves of her body, and the crushing pressure of her forearms round his jugular... Keith shook his head to forget.
"Very well," said Duelo. The doctor knew he should have pressed for an answer, but he also understood something of the pride of males, and that so many injuries caused by one girl (accidental or not) were still a lot to accept.
Both young men took a deep breath as they faced the door to leave the infirmary. Keith was worried about how the crew would view him after he had caused so much trouble. Duelo was worried about Keith just making it past a hallway full of curious girls-- especially past a certain redhead whom he knew was good friends with his big-mouthed nurse.
12:07 PM Friday
Elsewhere, in the kitchen of the Nirvana, that same redhead was in her favorite outfit of a white skirt with pink trim, matching boots, matching long-sleeved top, and black midriff happily stirring rice porridge when she almost dropped her spoon at the news that Paiway suddenly burst through the door with.
"He's awake! He's awake!" the nurse screamed. "That male you nearly killed just woke up, Dita!"
Dita Liebely stood in bubbly awe for a moment. Then, when she remembered hearing Keith was injured, she timidly questioned Paiway on his condition.
"How is he feeling? I didn't hurt Mr. Other Alien too badly, did I?" Dita asked cautiously.
"Well, of course you hurt him badly, silly," Paiway began, "he was unconscious for a full three weeks, ribbit ribbit." Paiway giggled at Dita's ignorance, but then remembered how easily the redhead got upset, so the nurse regretted her comment. Dita's eyes were already watering.
"Well, I didn't mean to," she apologized, "I was just trying to make sure he didn't get away." Dita sniffled, clutching the spoon tightly as she started sobbing. The redhead then slumped on her knees to the floor.
"Oh no, don't cry Dita," Paiway said. "Anyways, like I said, he is awake now. Maybe you could try and make up for it, ribbit ribbit?" Paiway walked over to try and console her older friend. For someone 16 years old, Dita tended to be a little on the sensitive side, wearing her emotions on her sleeve for the entire world to see. Naturally, that meant everyone around her had to be careful not to upset her too badly.
"There, there Dita," Paiway said, "Hey, I've got an idea! Maybe you could cook something for him! He hasn't eaten anything at all in the last four days. Huh? How 'bout it Dita? Whaddya think?" Dita looked up and wiped her tears.
"That does sound like a good idea," she said. Dita started considering all of the wonderful things Keith might want to eat, but then sadly remembered how he reacted the last time she offered food.
"Oh, but what if Mr. Other Alien just runs away again?" Dita asked. "What if he doesn't like what I cook for him? I've already caused him so much trouble and pain..."
Again, her face broke into a frown, and her eyes watered. Paiway thought quickly, and offered an answer to try and stop the redhead's tears.
"Aw, come on Dita, you know how much everyone on board loves the things you cook," Paiway began. "What makes you think this new male wouldn't love your food just as much? And hey, your cooking has managed to make even the other males happy, right? Why would he be any different?" Paiway looked down to see Dita's reaction, and sighed in relief when she saw the redhead smile.
"Anyways, even if he wouldn't like what you'd make, the fact that you injured him so badly means he has no choice but to sit still and eat," Paiway concluded, biting her lip at mentioning Keith's injuries (which were Dita's fault) again. Luckily, Dita didn't seem to catch it this time.
"You're right!" exclaimed Dita. "I made a mistake and I know that, but now I'll do my best to make up for it!" There was a sparkle in Dita's eyes as she rose up and continued speaking her new mission, the spoon in her hand raised high, like a sword of undying fervor.
"To apologize for any trouble, I'm gonna make Mr. Other Alien the best meal he's ever had! And he's gonna sit down and eat it too!" Dita announced.
Paiway shook her head smiling. She admired how easily Dita could decide on a final solution after so little time to really think on a method of applying that solution. Paiway came to realize long ago that when Dita put her mind to a task, she would stop at nothing to accomplish that task. This was the main reason why even though Dita had a lot of friends on board, she would only consult a few individuals on things of real importance-- like Paiway.
The nurse quietly let herself out of the kitchen as Dita happily went to work, pulling out pots and pans and slamming them onto the burners while at the same time reaching in and out of refrigerators for ingredients to be used the "apology menu" she had devised in the last five seconds. As Paiway left the dining hall, however, she failed to notice the girl who was listening through the kitchen door slip unnoticed back to her own room.
12:20 PM Saturday
Keith was having the absolute worst time as he and Duelo made their way across the hallways of the Nirvana, as he suffered the most suspicious-looking stares he had ever seen on the faces of any girl. Keith was trying his best, of course, to mask his embarrassment with friendliness; nearly every crewmember he passed he greeted with a warm smile and a gentle nod.
Unfortunately, Keith's tactic was not going as easily as he had hoped it would. Every single crewmember he met only greeted him with wary glances. His attempts at trying to be friendly only got him scowls and distressed looks as girls stepped out of his and Duelo's way, whispering into each other's ears what they really thought about him. This did not make Keith feel bad per se, but given his injuries and his situation, it did not make him feel any better either.
When Keith realized that he would not win their trust and good feelings immediately, he decided to let introductions take their due course. Keeping that in mind, he raised his head high but kept a sly, "up-to-something" look on his face. The stares still came, but at least the young man could keep them guessing. Eventually, he and Duelo made their way to a large door. The doctor knocked to see if there was anyone on the other side.
"Come in," spoke an older voice that Keith had never heard before. Duelo pushed the open button on the keypad and the strange door slid open, revealing what Keith figured to be a conference room. As the two young men made their way inside, Keith was astonished at how perfectly white it was. In the center of the room was a large, oblong table. This table held Keith's attention the most because of the people seated at it. At one of the ends of the table was an older woman in a brown, friarly robe; her face partially hidden beneath a hood.
At the left of the old woman, there sat a girl with bright blue hair and blue eyes. Keith did not particularly like the way she used those eyes to stare icicles at him.
'No,' thought Keith, 'she's trying to stare through me… all right then, miss, I'll have to remember that for later."
Next to her sat yet another girl, this one in an orange jumpsuit. Her thick, brown hair braided in two large pigtails on either side of her head with pink bows. She was smiling, but Keith could not tell if it was sincere or not as her huge circular glasses covered her eyes (as well as most of her face) completely. Keith was unsettled by this as he had never seen a pair of glasses opaque enough to actually block a person's features. At the other side of the table was the same tall, muscular woman from the Registry trap. Although she casually leaned back in her chair, Keith could tell she was keeping a close eye on him. Behind her was a new woman, slightly younger in appearance, but with silvery hair. Unlike everyone else present, she chose to stand.
Keith looked around and considered this to be a strange gathering through and through. Considering their different uniforms, ages, and ways of carrying themselves, what Keith noticed to be a consistency was that they were all female.
'Where the fuck am I?" Keith pondered, this being the millionth time at least. He was led to a seat at the opposite end of the table, directly in front of the old woman.
The young man fidgeted for a moment in his chair, trying to find a comfortable way of sitting to ease his ribs, when suddenly the woman across from him spoke and Keith found out who the captain was.
"Well now, despite how you arrived, it's good to see you up and about young man. My name is Magno Vivan, Captain of this ship. Your name is Keith, correct?" Magno asked.
"Yes ma'am. My full name is Keith Riley Greers," Keith replied. He tried to be polite, but held his own before this figure of authority.
"'Ma'am?' My, how strangely polite for a male you are. How very interesting… well, allow me to make introductions," Magno said, leading Keith's attention to the girl in the orange jumpsuit.
"This is Parfet Balblair, chief engineer on board the ship. It's her crew that's been in charge of fixing all of the damage caused during your little escapade," said Magno. Keith smiled to her, but then apologized.
"It's, ah, nice to meet you... I guess you've had your work cut out for you these past few weeks. I'm sorry for any inconvenience I might have caused," he lowered his eyes in genuine bashfulness.
"Oh no, it's no trouble!" Parfet chimed back. "Besides, we were getting a little bored in Engineering. It was nice to work around the ship a bit, and there was nothing really all that badly damaged, so I guess I even owe you some thanks for giving us a chance to stretch our legs!"
"Then I guess I'm glad to be of help," Keith replied, smiling.
"The other young lady is Meia Gisborn," said the Captain. "She is leader of the ship's Dread squadron."
"I see… well Ms. Gisborn, it's nice to meet you as well," Keith, said smiling. 'What the fuck's a Dread?' he thought to himself shortly after.
"We'll see," was Meia's curt reply. Keith stiffened visibly at this and made yet another mental note about the Dread Leader. Magno continued, gesturing to her right.
"This is Buzam Calessa. She is the sub-commander on board the Nirvana; our first mate if you will."
"Hello," greeted Keith. B.C. only nodded back.
"And I believe you have already met Gascogne Rheingau," the Captain concluded, pointing to the familiar woman Keith had met in the Registry. The young man nodded in Gascogne's direction, and was quickly met with stark silence as Gascogne simply waved and continued to chew on what Keith observed to be a stick.
"Well, you've certainly given us quite a few scares, Keith," Magno began, "starting with all of the commotion you caused that first night." Keith timidly looked up and responded.
"Oh, of course… I guess I did cause a bit of trouble around here," Keith began, "Well, I apologize for any damage caused, but I just did what I had to do. No one was hurt, were they?"
Meia raised an eyebrow. "Why would he care?" she thought.
"No, there were no injuries, but you need not concern yourself with the condition of anyone else on board," Magno answered. "What you should be more worried about is your own health at the moment."
"That is true," said B.C. "According to our doctor, the injuries you suffered were quite extensive. It's a wonder that you're even able to talk to us today."
"Well as I'm told, it was thanks to the doctor here that I made such smooth recovery," Keith said. "I have to be honest with you, Captain…everything here is so impressive, so new. It's nothing like back home."
"Where exactly is your home?" Magno asked. "Where do you come from, Keith?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Captain, I thought it'd be obvious. I come from..." Keith's words froze in his mouth as an idea developed. "Mars. I'm from Mars." Keith mentally kicked himself in the head. 'Oh, sure, like they'd believe that...' he mused.
"Mars, really? How terribly interesting," was the Captain's curious yet strangely sarcastic reply.
"Indeed," agreed B.C. "And how did you manage to get on board our ship?"
Keith was momentarily stunned. 'They… they believe me?' he wondered. 'Then that would mean that the other solar system planets have been colonized.'
This realization came as a shock to Keith, but he soon reasoned that it might make some sense, and that began to trouble him in a most uncomfortable way. 'This has to be some kinda joke or dream or movie, right?' he pondered.
"Young man?" prodded the old woman.
"Hm? Oh! I'm sorry," Keith was quick to apologize for zoning out. "Ah, as for how I got here, I can't really say I know, I mean, all I remember is that I was walking home and then it felt as though I was falling from a great height, and the next thing I knew, I was being chased," he glanced at Gascogne, "and shot at."
"You expect us to believe that story?" asked a sharp voice quite suddenly. Keith's head jerked in the direction of the question and found himself pinned to his chair by the ice-cold stare of Meia Gisborn.
'Whoa, that didn't take long,' he thought. "It's as best a story as I can recall, considering the warm welcome you ladies rolled out for me," he retorted, raising a bandaged arm to his sudden interrogator. Meia quickly responded in her usual defensive fashion, standing up in her chair and glaring at Keith as she spoke to the captain.
"He must really be some kind of spy sent here by our enemy," she yelled. "Captain, he's already put the whole crew in danger; he must be detained immediately to prevent any repeat incident!" Keith matched her standing pose as well as Meia's tone of voice.
"Detain me? What, for doing everything in my power not to get shot, only to end up comatose and injured? Where's the logic in your solution!?" he asked.
"My logic is that you are a new male, and as such, we can only approach you by what we know. What we know is that you're a danger to this crew the longer you're allowed to roam free!" was her response.
"For your information, I'm not a new male, whatever that is. Last time I checked, I've been alive and well in this body for near to eighteen years!" he came back. Enraged, Meia stalked around the table until she was within inches of Keith's face. The young man's lack of height meant he could not return the gesture without tilting his head several degrees upward. Although later, he considered this position in between Meia's breasts to have been a fortunate circumstance.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," she seethed, her right index finger pointing accusingly at his nose.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about Gisborn," he responded. "Now please get your damn finger out of my face."
Meia stood unblinking, as the ice in her eyes froze a few more degrees colder. She hadn't confronted anyone so physically since her shouting match with Hibiki. Meia had heard stories about Keith's apparent fighting ability, but right then, a feeling she had struggled to suppress for years suddenly resurfaced. Her free hand clenched tightly into a fist as she shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.
Keith had been watching her breakdown. Although he himself was sufficiently riled up, the change in Meia's demeanor and the obvious shift in her stance sent mental alarm klaxons storming in his mind.
'Okay, if this skinny minx wants some…' he concluded. Slowly, he shifted his weight onto his heels and readied his shoulders to do the work of his injured arms. Not even thirty minutes out of his coma, and Keith was poised to fight Meia Gisborn.
1.) all right, that's four in 12 minutes.
2.) like? dislike? remember? forget?
3.) review to let me know, please.
