Izuku looked around in awe as he boarded the large spaceship. Entering the cargo hold, the green-haired teen was surprised to see that everything in the ship was cutting-edge, some of the devices he didn't even have a clue what they were. In the middle of the cargo hold sat a large six-wheeled all-terrain rover, the kind used by explorers and adventurers to cross uncharted landscapes. Beside the truck was a small shuttle, obviously used just to transport people and a small amount of equipment to places where the main ship could not go.
The ship technically had three levels to it. The first and lowest level consisted of just the cargo bay, since that was where access was easiest. The second level above the cargo bay contained the main level of the ship, and was accessed either by ladders on either side of the cargo bay or by an elevator platform towards the back of the ship. The third level at the top was where the crew space was, including a small galley, berths, and the captain's quarters.
Stepping onto the elevator platform with Captain Shimura and Dabi, Izuku kept quiet as he ascended to the main floor of the large starship. Emerging into a long hallway, Izuku was about to ask if there were any other crew members when suddenly the sound of someone singing echoed down the hallway. The song was a popular love song that had just been released, and Izuku was impressed at the accuracy the singer was able to replicate the original sound. A few seconds later, a figure emerged from a closed room and struck a dramatic pose as they continued to sing.
The singer turned out to be an adult man of indiscriminate age, and almost his entire body seemed to be made of cybernetic parts. He wore designer casual clothes, and his metallic skin was mostly a light gray color, but with highlights of gold and silver. His hair was stylishly cut and appeared to consist of hair-thin cables that pulsed softly with the colors of the rainbow. His eyes also appeared to be cybernetic, as his irises slowly went through the entire spectrum of colors. Honestly, he looked like one of the many high-fashion models featured in magazines. Everything about him was perfectly proportioned, and Izuku wondered just how much of the man's original flesh and organs were left.
Locking eyes with Izuku, the (literally) colorful man danced over and paused his song.
"Heya bro!" The man said energetically as his hair and eyes glowed softly. "Looks like the Captain found another stray to join our crew of misfits huh?"
Dabi sighed irritably and walked away, causing the well-dressed man to chuckle.
"Anyways, nice to meet ya Izuku Midoriya!" The energetic man said cheerfully as he extended a metallic hand for Izuku to shake.
Confused at the rapid pace of the conversation, Izuku automatically shook the strange man's hand before realizing something.
"How d-d-did you know my name?" Izuku asked somewhat cautiously.
Captain Shimura rolled her eyes. "Midoriya, meet Slick. Our pilot, information specialist, and all around pain in the ass. He is the one who dug up all your info when I was talking to you outside."
"Yup!" Slick agreed wholeheartedly. "I swear I am the only one on this ship that actually knows how to have fun. No offense captain."
Ignoring Slick's remark, Captain Shimura gently steered Izuku down the main hallway and into a meeting room filled with chairs and a long conference table. Positioning Izuku at the front of the table, Captain Shimura put her finger to her ear and began to speak.
"All crew members report to the meeting room." The black-haired woman commanded authoritatively. "We have something to discuss."
Less than a minute later, people began filing into the meeting room and taking their seats.
The first to arrive was a girl who appeared to be around Izuku's age. She was a girl of medium height, fair skin, and had a slim build. She had teal eyes and long orange hair that she had tied into a high ponytail on the left side of her head. Her bangs were split into three clumps around her eyes, and some of her hair stuck up in large tufts at the top of her head. She wore a standard gray space crew jumpsuit with short sleeves and bright blue sneakers. As soon as she entered the room her curious eyes were locked onto Izuku.
The second person to arrive was another teenager, except this time they were a boy. He was muscular and had chin length, messy gray hair, and black eyes which were tilted dramatically inwards. Lining his eyes appeared to be some kind of thick, jagged, tan-colored substance, which Izuku presumed were his eyelashes. When the boy leaned over to quietly talk to the orange-haired girl, Izuku was surprised to see that he had rows of sharp pointed teeth. He wore half-open orange engineering coveralls, a simple black t-shirt, and a pair of durable-looking work boots.
The next person to enter the meeting room was a tall woman with an hourglass figure. She had fair skin, dark blue and pink two-tone hair, angled eyebrows, as well as purple cybernetic eyes. She wore drab green military-style fatigues and combat boots. Sitting down far away from the two teens, the woman simply glared at Izuku and huffed in apparent annoyance before leaning back and closing her eyes.
Surprisingly, another teenage girl walked into the room. She had chin-length, pale gray hair, parted to the left, hanging down over her eye and obscuring the majority of the left side of her face. She also had dark bags under her blue eyes, and a small mouth with full lips. She wore black nylon pants, purple sneakers, and a white lab coat. Sitting next to the two other teens, the gray-haired girl immediately began whispering to the other girl while examining Izuku with a clinical gaze.
Barging into the meeting room with no pretense of courtesy, Slick moonwalked into the room and struck another pose as he loudly hummed along to music only he could hear. Giving Izuku a friendly wave, Slick did not take a seat. Instead, the exuberant man leaned against the nearest wall and tapped his foot erratically as he continued to hum.
Finally, the last person of the crew entered the room. His face an expressionless mask, Dabi silently walked over to an empty seat away from everyone else and sat down without saying anything.
"Alright everyone, listen up." Captain Shimura commanded loudly. "This here is Izuku Midoriya." She said as she patted Izuku on the back. "He is going to be travelling with us for now. Treat him with respect like you would any member of our crew. He has had first hand experience with the alien crap we have been tasked with investigating, so his input and insight will be invaluable to our expedition. Alright time for introductions."
"That there is Nagant." Captain Shimura said as she gestured to the stern woman in military fatigues. "Quartermaster, gunnery officer, and sniper. If you have any questions about gear or weapons she is the one to talk to."
Captain Shimura then pointed to the girl in the lab coat. "That is Reiko Yanagi. Resident xenobiologist, scientist, and medic. You ever feel under the weather or need an injury healed, she is the most qualified to deal with it."
Next was the boy in orange coveralls.
"His name is Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu." Captain Shimura explained. "He is our engineer, wrench monkey, and resident musclehead."
Next in line was the orange-haired girl.
"She is Itsuka Kendo." Captain Shimura said. "My right hand girl. If you have any questions about our mission or what we are doing she can answer them. My word is law on this ship, but if I am not around her word is the next best thing. Listen to her advice and she will keep you alive."
As the orange-haired girl blushed slightly Captain Shimura pointed at Slick with a knowing grin. "You already met Slick. He is the pilot of this fine ship as well as our information specialist. He is also the resident playboy, so if you ever need advice on picking up girls he is the one to talk to."
Finally, Captain Shimura gestured to the expressionless Dabi.
"Lastly is Dabi. My heavy-hitter, hired gun, and bodyguard. Not much else to say, he is good at what he does."
Captain Shimura then proudly gestured to herself with a confident smile. "And I am Captain Shimura, the leader of this crew of misfits. Don't worry Midoriya, you are in good hands."
Clearing her throat, Captain Shimura nodded to her crew. "Alright everyone, get back to what you were doing."
As the crew all stood up to leave, Captain Shimura called out to the orange-haired girl. "Kendo! Take Midoriya and get him a hot meal. After that, show him to the spare berth and get him settled in."
"You got it Captain!" Kendo replied enthusiastically before motioning for Izuku to follow her. "C'mon Midoriya, let's get you some food."
Nodding slightly, Izuku left Captain Shimura's side and followed the orange-haired girl out the door of the meeting room.
"So what kind of experience do you have with the alien stuff?" Kendo asked curiously as she led Izuku to the main elevator.
"Umm...well I somehow ended up in some kind of dead alien world, then was teleported to this planet." Izuku said truthfully. "Apparently I also time travelled and crossed half the galaxy in a few days...or is it months? I don't know, I am still a little overwhelmed by it all."
Her eyebrows raised in surprise, Kendo guided Izuku back to the elevator. "Wow! That sounds really interesting!"
As the two teens rode the elevator to the top floor of the spaceship, Kendo extended her hand for Izuku to shake.
"I know we were already introduced, but I like to do things myself when possible." Kendo explained with a smile. "Hi, my name is Itsuka Kendo. Nice to meet you."
Quickly shaking Kendo's hand and trying not to focus on how soft her hand was, Izuku stuttered out a reply.
"Umm...m-my name is Izuku Midoriya. Please t-t-take care of me."
Kendo giggled, causing Izuku to blush.
"Wow, I forgot people still greet each other like that. Talk about a blast from the past." Kendo said as the elevator came to a stop.
His blush getting brighter, Izuku tried to act casual. "What d-d-do you m-m-mean? I j-j-just did what my mom t-t-taught me."
Leading Izuku down the hallway and into the galley, Kendo waved away Izuku's embarrassment.
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." The orange-haired girl said placatingly. "I grew up in the Aurelia sector so I still remember being taught the same thing as a little kid. It's just that I have been travelling with the Captain for a while now so I haven't heard that greeting in a while."
"Oh, I see." Izuku said with relief. "I am from the Aurelia sector as well."
Getting a meal packet from a cabinet, Kendo put the food into the food printer and pressed the start button.
"Really?" Kendo said with obvious surprise. "Wow, small galaxy."
As the food printer worked on creating a meal, the conversation between the two teens awkwardly came to a halt. Both teens obviously not knowing what else to talk about.
Finally, Kendo broke the silence.
"So...what is your quirk?" Itsuka asked innocently.
Izuku frowned and stared awkwardly at the floor. "I am quirkless…" He said quietly.
Immediately realizing the landmine she had just stepped on, Kendo frantically tried to apologize.
"Oh god I am so sorry Midoriya." Kendo said with obvious regret on her face. "That was stupid of me, I just didn't know what else to talk about and…"
Izuku sighed heavily and waved away Kendo's concern. "Don't worry about it, I am used to it."
Now it was Kendo's turn to frown, clearly not happy with Izuku's reaction. "Midoriya you should know people are more than their quirk. Trust me, I have met plenty of terrible people who only use their quirk for bad reasons. I would rather be friends with you than a douchebag who has a cool quirk. What I am trying to say is...Sorry...I'm not the best at motivational speeches am I?"
Izuku could not help but smile a tiny bit. "It's okay Kendo, I know you mean it."
The two teens were interrupted by the beeping of the food printer, and Kendo reached into the machine and pulled out a tray of piping hot meatloaf and macaroni and cheese.
"Here you go Midoriya." Kendo said as she handed Izuku the food.
Nodding his thanks, Izuku took the food and sat down at the nearby table and hungrily devoured the meal. A few minutes later, Izuku put the empty tray in the nearby cleaning machine and turned back to face Kendo.
"Thanks, I needed that." Izuku said honestly.
Smiling happily, Kendo nodded and gestured for Izuku to follow her. "Alright let me show you to your room. It's a little small, but that is expected even for a ship this size."
Leading Izuku down the hallway, Kendo came to a stop next to a mechanical sliding door that was part of a row of other doors.
"Alright, here is your room." Kendo said as she gestured to the nondescript door. She then pressed a button on the numerical keypad next to the door and gestured for Izuku to enter as the door slid open with a quiet hiss.
Stepping into the small room, Izuku inspected his new sleeping area. Kendo was not lying when she said it was small. The room was sparsely furnished, featuring only a single twin bed, toilet with a privacy screen, small sink, and small mirror. The only interesting feature of the room was the small circular window on the far wall that offered a view outside of the ship.
"You are free to furnish the room as you see fit." Kendo explained. "You can also set a passcode for the door to keep others from entering, but just be aware that the captain has a master key. The shower room is at the end of the hall. Tetsutetsu is your neighbor, and I am the room across the hall from you. If you need help with anything feel free to ask."
Nodding in understanding, Izuku could not help but sigh softly as memories of his home floated through his brain.
"Sorry Midoriya…" Kendo said quietly. "I know it's not home, but I promise it is not so bad."
Putting on a brave smile, Izuku nodded his thanks. "No problem Kendo, I just have never been this far away from home before. I will get used to it."
Uncertainty clearly on her face, Kendo nodded slightly. "If you say so Midoriya. Get some rest, the captain will call you when you are needed."
Closing the door, Izuku sat down on the bed and stared out the window at the dusty landscape outside.
"While the accommodations are admittedly a little small for someone of your magnificence, they will suffice for now." Artemis said consolingly. "Do not worry Harbinger, I will be with you every step of the way."
Nodding, Izuku laid down on the bed and pulled the thin blanket over himself.
"Thanks Artemis, wake me up if anything happens."
"Of course Harbinger." Artemis said respectfully. "I will keep watch while you rest."
Closing his eyes, Izuku quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Unaware of his changing destiny, Izuku slept quietly as muted voices could be heard outside his room.