Chapter 10
Getting to know the people Part 3
Disclaimer
I do not own Rio, nor any element inspirited by Battlestar Galactica, Crysis, Mass Effect or any other series.
Blu and Jewel made their way through the crowd, keeping the yellow canary in their sight, making sure he won't fly away while they try to get to him. That outcome was not likely, as Nico was talking with the pelican known as Andrew, who was a part of his team. Andrew caught a glimpse of them from the corner of his eye, after which he directed his eyes towards the blue macaws, waving at them.
The couple waved back, confirming that they intended to join them in their conversation. The pelican moved his body over to give them enough space to form a closed circle. By this time Nico noticed the macaws as well but decided to wait until they get there before greeting as he didn't want to shout. He was a bit sloppy though, as Blu took the initiative once they got within clear hearing range. "Hey Nico, hey Andrew."
"Hey." Both birds greeted the macaws in union upon hearing Blu's voice.
"How is the party?" Jewel asked, observing the reactions from the birds. By the looks of it, Andrew was pretty OK, while Nico still had a mild shock on his face, but it looked like the drink started to loosen him up. The pelican took the lead in responding, expressing his opinion about the party.
"It is great! A chance to really let ourselves go. These past few months were difficult. Not to mention Pedro, he really got us all worried there. And this whole alien thing hit a little too hard. But to be honest, I'm kind of fine with it. At least there will be some excitement." Andrew explained his line of thoughts, after which he took another sip from his drink. Blu chuckled at the response, warning the pelican about his priorities.
"It is nice to know you feel this way, but let's not make assumptions just yet. We didn't even begin what Ripso told us we need to do." The macaw pointed out the facts. Andrew nodded his head in acknowledgement, upon confirming this Blu turned towards the canary, who remained silent until now. "Nico? How you feeling?"
"Ugh, great… I think. Just starting to think through the news and stuff. Cool party by the way. Sorry for not being able to do a live performance, without Pedro it's just not the same you know?... OH! How is Pedro?" It didn't surprise neither macaw that the canary would instantly ask about his best friend. Although he is by no means in a good condition, the fact that he is being cared after should hopefully be enough to calm the already overly stressed bird.
"Doing good. Doctors treated him and woke up a few hours ago. He is resting at the moment." Blu exclaimed, watching the yellow canary's mood changing to a much happier one.
"That reminds me. What about your new song? How is that coming along Nico?" Andrew curiously asked the canary, remembering he mentioned a song he and Pedro was working on for a few months now. The blue macaws remembered it and they had curious looks too. Nico was happy to answer the question.
"We got most of the rhythm and lyrics done. Just need a few more lines and we are golden. You guys will see, it is going to be a blast." The canary reassured the group, proud about his progress with their new song. Now that they were practically out of business for who knows how long, they will have a lot of time to work on their musical career.
Ever since they were chicks, the canary and cardinal were close friends, who both had a passion for music. Due to political and economic problems, the music industry was not enough to provide income to sustain life, so the duo decided to get into the field of ecology, leaving music and dancing as a hobby that they can one day hopefully perfect and achieve their dreams.
"I'm happy to hear that! Don't forget to get us VIP tickets to the concerts and tours when you two hit the big stages." Jewel joked, lightening the mood even more than it was before. Nico laughed at the joke but considered it to actually be a possibility.
"Oh, don't worry Jewel, all of you guys will get the best places… Hey, actually. I heard you sing a few times Jewel, your voice would be an excellent addition to our song!" The canary stated, which surprised the female macaw, while she was not shy like Blu, she didn't prefer to be in the center of attention in such a level like Nico and Pedro.
"Ah. I'm not really that good, my voice is just not up for singing. Sometimes a tune gets stuck in my head that's all." She sheepishly replied but was met with opposition from her love. "Nonsense dear. Your voice is beautiful. If Nico says you'd be perfect he means it. You know he has great hearing for vocals." Blu reassured her, giving Jewel that little boost she needed. He was really curious what role Nico though for her, of course in his head Jewel's voice was perfection itself.
"All right. I'll try it when you two are done with the song." Blu and Nico did a slightly childish high five hearing Jewel's decision, making her chuckle. Boys will be boys. She thought to herself, amused at the sight in front of her. Seeing that both birds are alright and relaxing, she decided it is time for them to move on. "It was nice talking to you two. Happy to see you guys are doing all right. But if you will excuse us, Blu and I should move along now." She excused herself, managing to bring Blu along with her.
"Thanks, and no problem. You two lovebirds have fun now, ya catch me?" Andrew thanked them in the name of Nico too, bidding farewell to the two Spix macaws.
Once the couple left Nico and Andrew, they quickly looked around to find the final set of birds they wanted to talk to. Blu recalled his last exchange with Ripso and remembered where he left him before he went to find Jewel. The blue macaws steered towards the other end of the bar, fully expecting both birds to be somewhere else by now but thought it was worth a try.
Turns out both macaws stayed at the very same spot the blue macaw left them. Jane and Ripso were sitting next to each other at the bar table, seemingly busy in a conversation between one another. Ripso was currently explaining something to the Lear's macaw. Jane periodically spoke for short sentences, probably questions, indicating she was actively following along. They were so involved in the exchange that neither bird realized the Spix macaws walked over to them.
"We thought no one will notice it. That painting on the landing deck was a piece of art. Except there was one small problem. Remember that I mentioned the retrofit that was going on?" Jane nodded her head, sipping from her drink in the process.
"Yeah, turns out the camera system was changed weeks before… Didn't take long for the CAG to get on deck. She was not happy at all. Needless to say, Striker, Hash and I got to know the landing bay up close and personal for the next month to come." Ripso explained, after which he grabbed his glass and drank what was left of his drink in one go. It didn't take Jane long to simply burst out laughing, needing to hold onto something to make sure she won't fall off the chair, which happened to be the bar table.
"Hahaha! W-wait a moment please." She managed to say, stuttering along the way while she tried to control her laughter. After regaining her composure, the laughing managed to calm down to giggles. "You three didn't think a billion-dollar warship in space will have an active security camera network while drydocked?"
"Hey… We were cadets back then. Thought we owned and was immune to everything. Rookie's innocents still applied to us back then." The Spix macaw defended himself, trying to sugarcoat his young self's mistake. It was at this point he looked away from Jane, primarily to find the bartender and to get himself another drink. He noticed the two macaws coming towards them, who turned out to be Blu and Jewel. He moved his head a bit to the right to make sure it really was them. The Lear's macaw saw his head's movement and turned around to check what was he looking at.
"Finally, you guys show up. Ripso and I have been waiting for you two for a good fifteen minutes now." She commented the moment she realized who the two macaws were. They just smiled as a reply, sitting next to the duo at the table. Jewel looked towards the bartender, waiting for him to get to them. Blu answered in return.
"Sorry Jane, we just had to catch up with a few people. And we checked on Nico just to be sure." Blu apologized for making them wait so long but judging from their mood they were not mad at all. He figured her comment was probably sarcasm in that case.
"How is Nico and Andrew holding up?" Jane asked Blu, curious about the yellow canary and the pelican. Blu just shrugged off the answer, not really giving it much thought. From what he could see from the conversation they had a few minutes ago both birds were going to be OK. "They will be fine, just needs a little time off that's all." The macaw replied to the question. Meanwhile Jewel got the attention of the bartender, who signaled her he will be with them shortly.
"How about you two? Seemed like there was an interesting topic before we got here." Jewel directed her attention at Jane and Ripso, hoping they might elaborate on what were they discussing. The blue macaw glanced towards the table, spotting the multiple empty glasses. "And I see both of you got a head start with the drinks." She added, pointing out the empty alcohol glasses, her voice having trace amounts of envy and tease.
"Well, people said it was a party after all. Every party is better if you are tipsy!" Jane exclaimed, moving the empty glass to the side with the others to make space for the future drinks she might or might not order. Once she was done rearranging the glasses, she continued. "Ripso was just telling me about future avian society that's all, but not in the boring way. Before you two got here, he told me stories about when he was still a cadet."
"Dang it, we wanted to hear those stories too." Blu admitted, slightly disappointed about the fact they probably missed stories which were worth gold at this point. Ripso finally spoke up, attempting to cheer up the expedition leader. "Don't worry Blu, the night is still young. I can retell them later if you two really want to hear them. Lots of stupid stuff there though." The pilot warned the blue macaws, who didn't seem to care much about the warning, and immediately agreed for the stories to be retold later.
"I just remembered, is it OK for you to drink alcohol Jane? With your leg and all." Jewel questioned the Lear's macaw, remembering she had difficulties walking after the crash landing. She looked at her with a dismissive look while taking a sip from her drink. "It is OK Jewel, really. Unless I get totally hammered, I'll be fine."
"But alcohol is known to inhibit the immune system as well as the body's ability to naturally heal injuries while it is inside our system no?" Blu chimed in, trying to understand Jane's reasoning behind her choice. She started to look really annoyed and shot a quick glare at the blue macaw, causing him to hold his breath. "I know. It is not serious enough to prohibit moderate alcohol consumption." Blu decided not to question further, and instead directed his attention towards the pilot.
"Hey Ripso, since we actually have some free time now. Can I ask about personal things? So we can get to know you better. Unless that invades your privacy of course. If you want we can start ourselves." The blue macaw nodded his head calmly, agreeing with Blu's proposal.
"Sure thing Blu. Although I've been pretty much in the center of attention this whole time. I think it is fair that is should be your turn now. First off, you never really specified what this whole expedition was about." The pilot started by asking their purpose, as that was never really cleared when they discussed anything. Blu understood the question's reason and thought he might as well tell him whatever he wants to know. After all, it's not like he will tell a foreign country any secrets, with the whole world unified and such.
"Well, as you probably know, right now our primary source of energy is fossil fuels. Electric transportation exists, but the transition is too slow. But we may have found something that can revolutionize our society. A new element which is labeled as TI44." The blue macaw explained, thankfully he did not have to go too in dept about the topic since this was basically history for the pilot. Ripso knew the term will come up in the future, so he decided to reveal the name to the group. "Tylium." He corrected, confusing Blu for a moment.
"Tylium? What is that again?" The pilot took a small sip from his drink, collecting his thoughts in the meantime. "What you label as TI44 will be dubbed Tylium in the future. As I said earlier, that stuff is almost like a magic element." He elaborated further, allowing the others to piece the parts together and understand. Blu recollected himself quickly, as he still had explaining to do.
"Oh. I remember now. That's great news then! But anyways, back to my explanation. My father was part of a chemist team who accidentally discovered it. They were the ones who originally worked on it until it's close. After a series of failed tests, the US government stopped the research."
"After that, they continued their tests from crowd funding for a decade at least. I was born a little bit before the project was picked up by the Brazilian government. He retired early about five years ago due to health problems."
"Even though I always exceeded in science, I wanted to become a pilot. Even got through basic flight training. But while I could manage it, I was far from being the best. So it became something of a very expensive hobby."
"When my father was still working, I got involved at a young age with his work, being curious and all. After his retirement, and my failed pilot career, I decided to take on his field and enrolled in university as a chemical engineer. Eventually, I ended up here. We are supposed to find and bring back a bigger sample so my father's colleagues can proceed with their research and hopefully finish it." Blu shared his origin story, which Ripso followed very carefully. For him, this was basically watching history unfold itself in some sense. By now, he was curious what role Blu might take on later in his life. He will have to check that out once he and CASSIDY get back to their original reality.
"Wow, that is dedication right there. But I don't get something. If the Brazilian government funded the research later on, how come you were American? At least that is what I would guess judging by your accent." The pilot commented on his accent, followed by a simple nod from the expedition leader.
"Well, my mother and I stayed back in the US, so I grew up there. It was hard, because he spent most of his time in Brazil. But to be honest, it just made our bonding that much better when he was actually home. I remember watching a documentary about our pollution and what it is doing to our planet, and I got really sad."
"I don't know why, but I just got this overwhelming feeling of determination to do something about it. So the next time my dad came back, I showed interest in his work and started to help him with more and more complicated tasks. By the end, I was basically his assistant at home. It was only a matter of time until I could finally join them and take his place finishing the first part of the research." Blu finished, clearing up any questions the pilot might have. Now knowing the history, he turned towards Jewel, who figured it was her turn.
"I'm afraid my story is not all that fascinating as Blu's. Unlike him, I was born and raised in Brazil, my family are higher class citizens. My father is an athlete while my mother is a secretary at a traveling agency."
"I'm pretty good at managing people which I probably got from my mom. Dad is much more reserved when it comes to birds but has a great sense of direction. He is actually a professional stuntman. I decided to follow my mother's career and turned out a financial manager. And trust me, this bird right here needs the help with money." She indicated her husband with a wingtip, causing him to shot a small glare towards her. Although he would never admit it, he did have a tendency to spend more on equipment than what his budget allows.
"But I also made my father proud in a way. Up until I was 12 years old I was doing air stunting as a sport. Got more than a dozen shiny medals at home to boast about that." Jewel proudly stated her early life achievements.
"When I finished high school I wanted to start working right away, but my parents forbid it and talked me into going to university with them financing me. Now people say I'm a really independent bird which I guess is true since I was really against it."
"Keep in mind back then the country was going through a smaller economic crisis so while we were nowhere near poor we weren't that rich either. I wanted to hold up my own weight and attend a higher education from my own pockets but boy was I glad my parents talked me out of it. My mother had to do it that way and said she was not going to let that happen to me."
"So I left the country to attend a prestigious university. A university that another bird attended called Tyler Blu Gunderson." She hinted towards Blu, giving the pilot an idea how they met.
"We became friends pretty fast and he helped me finish my degree and also helped me get a scholarship so I didn't have to depend on my parents so much. Things progressed between us and we became a couple shortly before finishing university."
"That's when Blu got seriously into TI44... Tylium research." She corrected herself. "And the Brazilian government needed an expedition in the Amazon. He got his father to recommend us, and since our field of expertise completed each other, we decided to go for it. And now we are here." Ripso just nodded, the explanation was sufficient enough for him. Since he didn't have further questions, he thanked her and turned towards Jane. The Lear's macaw though for a moment, pondering how should she begin.
"My great grandparents emigrated to Canada from Brazil, so I think it is safe to say while I'm part Brazilian I probably have more Canadian blood flowing through my veins by now. I grew up in Vancouver with my parents, a younger sister and an older brother."
"I also had two other girls from school and the three of us were inseparable all throughout our childhoods. They were Anna, who was also Canadian, and Emily who came from the US. Sadly, Emily only stayed with us for about five years before her parents found a much better workplace back in the US, and they moved in our second years of high school, but we kept in touch."
"After graduating I was supposed to find a job in the city and get my own life started. Anna and I both choose a medical profession, so we decided to find a cheap apartment and rent it together. But about a year and a half ago, we got a devastating call from Emily's mother." Her voice started to slightly tremble, which the whole group picked up.
"She was hit by a car when a drunk bastard lost control while speeding. To this day she is in intensive care but her medical bills are slowly sucking her family dry. And the worst part is that she needs a brain surgery but they can't afford it."
"Anna and I started to save up, and while our help meant a lot to her family, it cold barely cause a dent in the bills. Then, I heard about this expedition Blu and Jewel were planning and they needed more medical personnel." She collected herself and calmed down after Jewel put a wing on her shoulder for support.
"So I signed up. If we get paid then the money will be more than enough to pay for the bills and her recovery… There isn't that much more to it." She finished, happy to be through it. To this day she still thinks and worries a lot about her friend, it was one of the reasons why she was so angry when they had to bunker down.
"Wow. That is a very honorable and noble act, she is indeed very lucky to have a friend like you. I'm sure it will work out in the end." Ripso commented, surprised by the selfless goal she had. Since everyone finished, he realized it is probably his turn to share his story, and so he did just that.
"I'm afraid I don't have all that much to say either. I was born shortly after the first Shawax invasion was finally beaten back. I never met my real parents, as they were reportedly killed during an evacuation."
"Apparently I was still just an egg tugged between my mother's lifeless wings when my future foster parents found me. Two scarlet macaws, Ellie and Steven Rogers. They were running from a Shawax infantry squad ravaging the area when Ellie saw me. They ran up and when they confirmed that my parents were dead, they took me to safety."
"Honestly one of the most caring foster parents I could ever dream of. They loved me as their own even though we were not even the same species. When Earth was finally rebuilt to sustain the remaining population on it's own, I got two additional sisters and a brother. I rightfully label them as my parents."
"So we were a rather big family. On that note, I never really told my real name right? Only my callsign. Well, my original name is unknown as you might have guessed, so they named me Maxwell. I'm now known as Maxwell Rogers."
"Even with all the chaos, my childhood was relatively intact. We were not affected by the invasion's aftermath as bad as I though it would. I went normally to elementary and high school. I got accepted into a university to become an astronomer, but didn't finish it. Around halfway I learned exactly what happened to me."
"My parents were reluctant in my youth to tell me the full story. And I got engulfed by rage and hatred I never though was possible towards these aliens. So I enrolled in the academy first chance I got. They were not exactly happy about my decision but understood it and supported me non the less."
"I enrolled, realized I can fly vipers and raptors pretty good, and two years later here I am." He finished, pondering if he covered every major point in his life. He concluded yes, and waited for any questions the group might have. Blu spoke up after a few seconds.
"Wow. Avianity must be very resilient if we got back on our feet that fast. As someone who was fortunate enough to grow up in a 'war free' world, after comparing I'd say you seem to have had a pretty normal life Ripso… Or Maxwell, Max? What should we call you now?" Blu commented, but got confused by the new naming.
"We don't need to break old habits. If it's easier, just continue with Ripso. I don't mind either." The pilot admitted.