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random_nanorimo_stuff2012-11-27 09:32 pm
random_xtras) wrote in random_nanorimo_stuff2012-11-27 09:32 pm
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Other Trails Chapter 9
Shade dodged a branch in passing, then gathered her legs for a proper landing and came down on another branch that seemed more like a trail in itself with its covering of brightly blooming plants. She didn't have time to sniff and admire though, so she quickly bounded toward the tree that looked like a basket- some sort of ancient strangler fig though she didn't know that. Her leap easily took her across the twelve or so foot of intervening space, and then she was swiftly scrambling down the interwoven prop roots of the fig till she reached the ground. A quick pass with the little gadget that she'd taken from the medical kit, and she was traversing the dark and crowded underbrush as easily as a shifter toff might walk one of the wide, lighted corridors of the upper levels of Hell, her long legs and powerful muscles propelling her in massive leaps as she kept a sharp eye out so as to keep from being hung on some sagging vine loop. The life sign scanner soon brought her to a space where a medium size tree had succumbed to the digging away of its roots by the combined efforts of a stream and some large creature of the rodent family. There, in the shadow of roots that stuck up like rude gestures three tall blond men were holding a fourth man down and pummeling him with fists and words. The man on the ground was doing his best to give as good as he got physically, but the way that he was pinned made this difficult, and Shade could smell the iron tang of human blood.
The black-furred girl didn't think. She responded as she would have if this had been one of her herd members being held down by a family of shadow pumas. More human blood tainted the air with its scent as her fists and hooves and head brought pain and confusion to the three attackers, and soon the men were scrambling to get away with all the fight scared right out of them. Shade grabbed the man they'd been beating and pulled him over her back. "Hold on!"
Strong arms grasped her waist, and legs her lower body as she wheeled and bounded up onto the rotting trunk of the fallen tree, and then tightened their grip as she hurried along it before finding a way up into the canopy.
Then Starfighter was hovering above her with panic on his face before his hands scooped her and the man up. There was a blur and the sound of metal shifting, and she found herself crouching on the rubber covering of the bridge floor with Mist staring down at her in surprise.
She inhaled deeply, then did it again till her hearts had calmed. Then she looked over her shoulder. "You can let go now. I'm not the one carrying us anymore."
The man on her back stared at her with eyes that were a piercing blue that seemed nearly to glow, and which showed no sign of white, then nodded and took his own deep breath. "Right. Yeah. Safe."
He sat up. Turned sideways.
And then those strange eyes slipped shut and he fell over.
* * *
"Right arm broken in two places, right shoulder dislocated, broken fingers on both hands, several cracked ribs, a thankfully minor concussion. And those are just the most recent wounds. This man's body carries so many old break scars and bullet wounds that it nearly makes me sick to see them, and I'm a surgeon who's supposed to be used to guts and pain." Dr. Syrya shook her head and rubbed her temples. "And he is human. But I've never seen this sub-race or blood type before. Thankfully O negative seems to work for him as well as it works for any other human." One hand, scaled but gentle, went down to gently stroke the long golden fur on the man's arm. "I've never seen such a luxurious coat. It's beautiful."
"Everything's beautiful to a JD," said Starfighter's avatar from where he had it standing on the opposite side of the injured man's bed with its arms around Mist and Shade's upper shoulders.
"Don't be silly. I just told you that the poor guy's scars make me want to ralph." The dark-scaled doctor gave him a reproving look from her soft green eyes.
"You know what I mean." He snorted, then looked down at his crew, who were gazing at the injured man with worried eyes. "I guess we're staying here till he wakes up. Can we do that without scaring your little fuzzy guys?"
"Yes. The only ones who come to this part of the compound are Jenny and Sebastian, and Jenny's mother now." Dr. Syrya absently rolled one shoulder, and then responded to a beep and went to the little box-like device on the table in the corner to remove a heated blanket, which she lay over her patient. "I have to admit, I'm really curious about this guy. Some of the genetic damage he shows suggests high exposure to radiation at some point in his peoples' history. But his body shows adaptations that lets it overcome that damage and even thrive despite it."
"He's got extra fingers too," noted Starfighter. "And funny eyes."
"They're probably not funny to him," said Shade absently from where she leaned against the avatar. "Though the guys who were hitting him really didn't seem to like how he looked, if my translator has told me the right meaning for 'freak' and 'abomination'." She looked up. "Just what colour were those League guys?"
"Uh..." Starfighter did a quick check on the data. "White. Not as white as Mist, but they want to be." He stamped with sudden surprise. "How the rust did they get off Earth?"
"I don't know," said Shade, scowling. "But there are Aryan Leaguers on this planet."
Dr. Syrya looked over with alarm. "What? Where?"
"On the other big continent," said Starfighter, then rattled off coordinates.
"That means that this guy's probably from Earth too?" Shade looked at the avatar quizzically, then scowled at his nod.
"Let me tell the gal in charge. Wait right here." Dr. Syrya waved and hurried from the room.
"Are all the planet cop leaders women?" asked Shade, blinking as she watched the JD woman go.
"Nah. They're just more likely to ask for the quiet and boring commands." Starfighter rubbed her back and Mist's, but then stopped and looked at the man on the table with slightly narrowed eyes.
[What?] asked Mist, glancing from the avatar to the man.
Starfighter took his arms from the girls and signed in reply without speaking. [He's awake despite Doc's sleep meds. Laying and listening to us.]
[Sleep meds not work?] Shade studied the injured man, trying to spot signs of wakefulness. [Sure he's awake?]
[Yup. I sense his brain waves.] Starfighter frowned. [He's relaxed, but he's ready to move if he has to. Don't think he thinks we're a threat.]
"We're not going to hurt you. Especially not right after I finished your fight for you," said Shade aloud, her voice holding acerbity.
Mist folded her arms as the man continued to lay still and unresponsive, then glanced at Starfighter and did her eyebrow thing.
He made the avatar nod. [Still awake. Listening.]
The white-furred girl snorted, then tripped lightly over to the table before Starfighter could stop her and poked the man lightly in the side.
"Gah!" His eyes flew open and stared up at her with shock even as Starfighter's avatar pulled her away from him. "What did you do that for?"
Shade laughed even as the avatar grinned, both of them responding to the surprised but surprisingly good-natured protest in the man's voice.
"My sister didn't like you pretending that you were asleep," she said.
"What's it her business if I'm sleeping or pretending to sleep?" He lay his head back against his pillow and wearily rubbed his forehead.
"She can't talk to you when your eyes are closed."
"What?" He turned his head to look at her, and saw the sudden rapid movement of Mist's hands. His slightly bushy eyebrows drew together in a frown as he watched for a moment, but then he shook his head. "Don't understand. Sorry."
"She said that her name's Mist, and we're Shade and Starfighter," said Shade. "And she asked what your name is."
"Shade, huh?" He frowned at her, then sighed. "Joel."
"Joel what?" asked Starfighter, lifting his head in an unconscious gesture of curiosity that he'd picked up from the sisters.
"Joel nothing. My father was Joe. My sisters are Joleen and Joanne, and my brother's Joseph."
"Huh. Haven't heard that naming system before." Starfighter looked at the sisters, who shrugged at him with their lower shoulders.
"Beats people having to add 'Joe's kid' to my name all the time." Joel took in another deep breath. "Eesh. Whatever that doctor pumped into me is strong stuff."
"It's sleeping medicine," said Shade. "Only it doesn't seem be making you sleep."
"Nope. Drug resistant." He opened those strange blue eyes and frowned at her, then glanced toward the avatar.
"I don't know what you're trying to do," said Starfighter helpfully. "But it's not working."
Joel flinched and had the grace to look sheepish. "I was trying to look at your surface thoughts."
"Ohhh. Psy." Starfighter snerked. "This is a hard light hologram, and my brain's all circuits and silicon. And the last psy we ran into couldn't read the Captain and her sister either."
"Captain?" Joel lifted his brows.
Starfighter poked Shade in the top of the head and got swatted for it. "Her. Captain. Runs the good ship Starfighter with an iron hand and hooves. OW!"
Joel winced as the avatar got a balled up fist in the stomach. "I'm really glad that wasn't me. Though I guess it might be eventually. Do you think you can wait till my ribs've knit?"
"Huh?" Shade frowned at him, trying to figure out what he meant as Mist did the same.
"You saved my life," said the golden-furred man. "So now that life's yours."
"No!" She reared slightly with frustrated anger. "I don't own anyone!"
Starfighter rolled his avatar's eyes at her, then gave Joel an apologetic look.
"You too?" asked the human.
"Yup. They both Own me." Starfighter braced himself as Shade gave him a look that promised mayhem. "But it's not the bad thing that I hear it was back on old Earth. Being Owned just means a guy gets enough fuel, and some good steady work. A lot of people go for it."
"Huh. Different from a life debt." Joel studied Shade, who was blinking up at Starfighter's avatar with surprised understanding. "She owns my life now."
"So how do you pay off something like that?"
"I don't know." Joel winced just slightly as Shade turned and frowned at him. "Let me heal first, Captain."
She gave him folded arms and an unimpressed look. "I'm not an Armourclad."
"Ah. Good?" He glanced to the avatar.
"Rust yeah, good!" Starfighter made it grin at him unhelpfully.
"I don't hit people for fun." Shade snorted at her sister as Mist suddenly grabbed her in a giddy, excited headlock, then tickled the lighter-coloured girl gently before leaning against her sister's back and looking at Joel over it. "And I don't hit hurt people."
"What? You're supposed to be sleeping." Dr. Syrya stopped in the door, her expression showing her dismay.
"Sorry." Joel turned his head to look at her, and then studied her with frank wonder and curiosity in which a small bit of delight was mixed.
She quirked a brow ridge at him, then folded her arms over the chest of her medical uniform. "Haven't you ever seen a JD before?"
"No, ma'am. I haven't. Six days ago I'd never been off the planet Earth, and the only different people I ever saw were the ones that wanted to kill me and my family for not looking like them," said Joel. Then he quietly sucked in a deep breath. "Do any of you know where I can find convertors? I need to talk to the President."
Starfighter's avatar blinked. "I'm a convertor. But I can't help you with the talking to the President part. You sure a Major won't do? 'Cause we have one here."
"I don't know," said Joel, and his bright blue eyes were troubled. "All I know is that the records say that the convertors came to Earth a long time ago, and they kept one bunch of people from wiping out another bunch. So I got onto the Nazis' old starship and went into space to see if I could find the President and ask him for help."
"But they found you?" asked Shade, her ears twitching as she frowned. "The Aryan guys?"
"No. Not till I left in the escape pod. My people know how to hide." Joel gave her a tired smile, though the worry continued in his eyes.
"Can the planet cops help him?" Shade turned to look at Dr. Syrya.
"Yup." The doctor was already turning to leave again. "He made it into space, and he's asking. Those are the conditions we need. Now for the love of purple milk will you see if you can't get him to sleep?"
Joel rumbled a weary chuckle, then sighed and closed his eyes. "Sleep doesn't sound like a bad idea. Wake me when it's time to disembark?"
"I don't think Dr. Syrya wants you to go yet," Shade assured him, her hand going out automatically to rest on his chest.
His brows went up, and then he opened his eyes to look from her to the hand.
"It's a reassurance thing," Starfighter told him. "Chill, furball, she's not that kind of girl."
"I didn't think she was, rustbot," came the quiet retort as Joel smirked slightly and let Shade fix his blankets.
"Hey, I am NOT rusty!" Starfighter looked around at the grins on the faces of his crew, and the smile on the now sleeping human and sighed. "I don't get no respect."
"Do you want to play Word War?" Shade came back to the avatar and poked it in the side.
"Ack! Quit that. And only after you two eat. You haven't had anything since this morning."
"Oh right." Shade looked at Mist. "Bark strips in sauce? Number sixes?"
[Like strips and sauce.] Mist smiled. [Cheese is good!]
"I can't believe how fast the rations computer back at the lock base whipped something up just for you guys' people." Starfighter shook his head, then gave Joel a last check before herding the girls out of the infirmary and back to his main body.
"I hope we can get some of the others that Major Secrayis said it'd make. Having cheese and milk in our meals is a lot better than just having plant food," said Shade excitedly. "And having things without salt and sugar will be great. Food tastes kind of funny with those in it."
"What? But you like salt." Starfighter looked at her incredulously as he followed her and Mist through the door, across the passage, and into the hold.
"As candy." She trotted over to the other door and then went into her and Mist's room to take two packages from the stack of rations that stood in a corner. "Not in my food!"
[Bark strips!] Mist stuck her tongue out humorously. [NOM!]
Shade sputtered and laughed, then quickly pressed the heating spots on the ration packages. "Let me get it warmed up! You like the cheese soft, right?"
Mist glanced quickly to Starfighter's translating hands, then nodded. [Rust, yeah!]
"Hey! You jerk, you taught my sister to swear."
"I did NOT!"
[Did too.]
"Hey, Mist, you stay outta this!"
[No!] White shoulders shook with laughter.
"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Shade snorted at him with amusement.
"Argh!" He turned to leave, but turned back quizzically when she called his name.
"What does it mean, 'life debt'?" she asked quietly. "The translator didn't change it to words that I could understand."
Starfighter sighed and shook his head. "I don't really understand it either. I think it's different from Ownership. It kinda sounds like you don't own the furball, but you own his life." The avatar's face scrunched up. "Fffttt!"
"Hrrm. Why can't I give his life back to him?" She paused in signing and offered the first ration to show a red spot to Mist, but kept her eyes on the avatar's face.
"Don't ask me." Starfighter shook his head discontentedly. "But I guess I better make the guy someplace to sleep. He can't sleep in here."
"Ffft, no." Shade frowned as she pulled the tab to open the packaging on her ration. "Where is Earth? Is it near here?"
Starfighter blinked, and then frowned. "No. It's over in one of the arms of the other galaxy. That old starship must've had a trip drive or something. Wonder where they left it?" He looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, and then perked. "Found it. So have the PCs. Guess we'll find out about it tomorrow."
"Why not this evening?" Shade absently munched pleasant tasting fibrous strips covered in mild fresh cheese.
"Because they have to figure out where to land it, and then inspect it before they can decide what to let us know." The avatar shrugged its lower shoulders. "I'm gonna go datacrunch and rest while I wait for you guys to come play. Will you be alright without me till then?"
"Of course." Shade chewed another strip of bark and frowned as she gave him a pat, then watched him go before going over to lay on the floor by the bed and think about the events of the day, wonder about the mysterious world known as Earth, and ask the Forest Weaver to help the golden-furred man named Joel to heal and his people to be safe.
The black-furred girl didn't think. She responded as she would have if this had been one of her herd members being held down by a family of shadow pumas. More human blood tainted the air with its scent as her fists and hooves and head brought pain and confusion to the three attackers, and soon the men were scrambling to get away with all the fight scared right out of them. Shade grabbed the man they'd been beating and pulled him over her back. "Hold on!"
Strong arms grasped her waist, and legs her lower body as she wheeled and bounded up onto the rotting trunk of the fallen tree, and then tightened their grip as she hurried along it before finding a way up into the canopy.
Then Starfighter was hovering above her with panic on his face before his hands scooped her and the man up. There was a blur and the sound of metal shifting, and she found herself crouching on the rubber covering of the bridge floor with Mist staring down at her in surprise.
She inhaled deeply, then did it again till her hearts had calmed. Then she looked over her shoulder. "You can let go now. I'm not the one carrying us anymore."
The man on her back stared at her with eyes that were a piercing blue that seemed nearly to glow, and which showed no sign of white, then nodded and took his own deep breath. "Right. Yeah. Safe."
He sat up. Turned sideways.
And then those strange eyes slipped shut and he fell over.
"Right arm broken in two places, right shoulder dislocated, broken fingers on both hands, several cracked ribs, a thankfully minor concussion. And those are just the most recent wounds. This man's body carries so many old break scars and bullet wounds that it nearly makes me sick to see them, and I'm a surgeon who's supposed to be used to guts and pain." Dr. Syrya shook her head and rubbed her temples. "And he is human. But I've never seen this sub-race or blood type before. Thankfully O negative seems to work for him as well as it works for any other human." One hand, scaled but gentle, went down to gently stroke the long golden fur on the man's arm. "I've never seen such a luxurious coat. It's beautiful."
"Everything's beautiful to a JD," said Starfighter's avatar from where he had it standing on the opposite side of the injured man's bed with its arms around Mist and Shade's upper shoulders.
"Don't be silly. I just told you that the poor guy's scars make me want to ralph." The dark-scaled doctor gave him a reproving look from her soft green eyes.
"You know what I mean." He snorted, then looked down at his crew, who were gazing at the injured man with worried eyes. "I guess we're staying here till he wakes up. Can we do that without scaring your little fuzzy guys?"
"Yes. The only ones who come to this part of the compound are Jenny and Sebastian, and Jenny's mother now." Dr. Syrya absently rolled one shoulder, and then responded to a beep and went to the little box-like device on the table in the corner to remove a heated blanket, which she lay over her patient. "I have to admit, I'm really curious about this guy. Some of the genetic damage he shows suggests high exposure to radiation at some point in his peoples' history. But his body shows adaptations that lets it overcome that damage and even thrive despite it."
"He's got extra fingers too," noted Starfighter. "And funny eyes."
"They're probably not funny to him," said Shade absently from where she leaned against the avatar. "Though the guys who were hitting him really didn't seem to like how he looked, if my translator has told me the right meaning for 'freak' and 'abomination'." She looked up. "Just what colour were those League guys?"
"Uh..." Starfighter did a quick check on the data. "White. Not as white as Mist, but they want to be." He stamped with sudden surprise. "How the rust did they get off Earth?"
"I don't know," said Shade, scowling. "But there are Aryan Leaguers on this planet."
Dr. Syrya looked over with alarm. "What? Where?"
"On the other big continent," said Starfighter, then rattled off coordinates.
"That means that this guy's probably from Earth too?" Shade looked at the avatar quizzically, then scowled at his nod.
"Let me tell the gal in charge. Wait right here." Dr. Syrya waved and hurried from the room.
"Are all the planet cop leaders women?" asked Shade, blinking as she watched the JD woman go.
"Nah. They're just more likely to ask for the quiet and boring commands." Starfighter rubbed her back and Mist's, but then stopped and looked at the man on the table with slightly narrowed eyes.
[What?] asked Mist, glancing from the avatar to the man.
Starfighter took his arms from the girls and signed in reply without speaking. [He's awake despite Doc's sleep meds. Laying and listening to us.]
[Sleep meds not work?] Shade studied the injured man, trying to spot signs of wakefulness. [Sure he's awake?]
[Yup. I sense his brain waves.] Starfighter frowned. [He's relaxed, but he's ready to move if he has to. Don't think he thinks we're a threat.]
"We're not going to hurt you. Especially not right after I finished your fight for you," said Shade aloud, her voice holding acerbity.
Mist folded her arms as the man continued to lay still and unresponsive, then glanced at Starfighter and did her eyebrow thing.
He made the avatar nod. [Still awake. Listening.]
The white-furred girl snorted, then tripped lightly over to the table before Starfighter could stop her and poked the man lightly in the side.
"Gah!" His eyes flew open and stared up at her with shock even as Starfighter's avatar pulled her away from him. "What did you do that for?"
Shade laughed even as the avatar grinned, both of them responding to the surprised but surprisingly good-natured protest in the man's voice.
"My sister didn't like you pretending that you were asleep," she said.
"What's it her business if I'm sleeping or pretending to sleep?" He lay his head back against his pillow and wearily rubbed his forehead.
"She can't talk to you when your eyes are closed."
"What?" He turned his head to look at her, and saw the sudden rapid movement of Mist's hands. His slightly bushy eyebrows drew together in a frown as he watched for a moment, but then he shook his head. "Don't understand. Sorry."
"She said that her name's Mist, and we're Shade and Starfighter," said Shade. "And she asked what your name is."
"Shade, huh?" He frowned at her, then sighed. "Joel."
"Joel what?" asked Starfighter, lifting his head in an unconscious gesture of curiosity that he'd picked up from the sisters.
"Joel nothing. My father was Joe. My sisters are Joleen and Joanne, and my brother's Joseph."
"Huh. Haven't heard that naming system before." Starfighter looked at the sisters, who shrugged at him with their lower shoulders.
"Beats people having to add 'Joe's kid' to my name all the time." Joel took in another deep breath. "Eesh. Whatever that doctor pumped into me is strong stuff."
"It's sleeping medicine," said Shade. "Only it doesn't seem be making you sleep."
"Nope. Drug resistant." He opened those strange blue eyes and frowned at her, then glanced toward the avatar.
"I don't know what you're trying to do," said Starfighter helpfully. "But it's not working."
Joel flinched and had the grace to look sheepish. "I was trying to look at your surface thoughts."
"Ohhh. Psy." Starfighter snerked. "This is a hard light hologram, and my brain's all circuits and silicon. And the last psy we ran into couldn't read the Captain and her sister either."
"Captain?" Joel lifted his brows.
Starfighter poked Shade in the top of the head and got swatted for it. "Her. Captain. Runs the good ship Starfighter with an iron hand and hooves. OW!"
Joel winced as the avatar got a balled up fist in the stomach. "I'm really glad that wasn't me. Though I guess it might be eventually. Do you think you can wait till my ribs've knit?"
"Huh?" Shade frowned at him, trying to figure out what he meant as Mist did the same.
"You saved my life," said the golden-furred man. "So now that life's yours."
"No!" She reared slightly with frustrated anger. "I don't own anyone!"
Starfighter rolled his avatar's eyes at her, then gave Joel an apologetic look.
"You too?" asked the human.
"Yup. They both Own me." Starfighter braced himself as Shade gave him a look that promised mayhem. "But it's not the bad thing that I hear it was back on old Earth. Being Owned just means a guy gets enough fuel, and some good steady work. A lot of people go for it."
"Huh. Different from a life debt." Joel studied Shade, who was blinking up at Starfighter's avatar with surprised understanding. "She owns my life now."
"So how do you pay off something like that?"
"I don't know." Joel winced just slightly as Shade turned and frowned at him. "Let me heal first, Captain."
She gave him folded arms and an unimpressed look. "I'm not an Armourclad."
"Ah. Good?" He glanced to the avatar.
"Rust yeah, good!" Starfighter made it grin at him unhelpfully.
"I don't hit people for fun." Shade snorted at her sister as Mist suddenly grabbed her in a giddy, excited headlock, then tickled the lighter-coloured girl gently before leaning against her sister's back and looking at Joel over it. "And I don't hit hurt people."
"What? You're supposed to be sleeping." Dr. Syrya stopped in the door, her expression showing her dismay.
"Sorry." Joel turned his head to look at her, and then studied her with frank wonder and curiosity in which a small bit of delight was mixed.
She quirked a brow ridge at him, then folded her arms over the chest of her medical uniform. "Haven't you ever seen a JD before?"
"No, ma'am. I haven't. Six days ago I'd never been off the planet Earth, and the only different people I ever saw were the ones that wanted to kill me and my family for not looking like them," said Joel. Then he quietly sucked in a deep breath. "Do any of you know where I can find convertors? I need to talk to the President."
Starfighter's avatar blinked. "I'm a convertor. But I can't help you with the talking to the President part. You sure a Major won't do? 'Cause we have one here."
"I don't know," said Joel, and his bright blue eyes were troubled. "All I know is that the records say that the convertors came to Earth a long time ago, and they kept one bunch of people from wiping out another bunch. So I got onto the Nazis' old starship and went into space to see if I could find the President and ask him for help."
"But they found you?" asked Shade, her ears twitching as she frowned. "The Aryan guys?"
"No. Not till I left in the escape pod. My people know how to hide." Joel gave her a tired smile, though the worry continued in his eyes.
"Can the planet cops help him?" Shade turned to look at Dr. Syrya.
"Yup." The doctor was already turning to leave again. "He made it into space, and he's asking. Those are the conditions we need. Now for the love of purple milk will you see if you can't get him to sleep?"
Joel rumbled a weary chuckle, then sighed and closed his eyes. "Sleep doesn't sound like a bad idea. Wake me when it's time to disembark?"
"I don't think Dr. Syrya wants you to go yet," Shade assured him, her hand going out automatically to rest on his chest.
His brows went up, and then he opened his eyes to look from her to the hand.
"It's a reassurance thing," Starfighter told him. "Chill, furball, she's not that kind of girl."
"I didn't think she was, rustbot," came the quiet retort as Joel smirked slightly and let Shade fix his blankets.
"Hey, I am NOT rusty!" Starfighter looked around at the grins on the faces of his crew, and the smile on the now sleeping human and sighed. "I don't get no respect."
"Do you want to play Word War?" Shade came back to the avatar and poked it in the side.
"Ack! Quit that. And only after you two eat. You haven't had anything since this morning."
"Oh right." Shade looked at Mist. "Bark strips in sauce? Number sixes?"
[Like strips and sauce.] Mist smiled. [Cheese is good!]
"I can't believe how fast the rations computer back at the lock base whipped something up just for you guys' people." Starfighter shook his head, then gave Joel a last check before herding the girls out of the infirmary and back to his main body.
"I hope we can get some of the others that Major Secrayis said it'd make. Having cheese and milk in our meals is a lot better than just having plant food," said Shade excitedly. "And having things without salt and sugar will be great. Food tastes kind of funny with those in it."
"What? But you like salt." Starfighter looked at her incredulously as he followed her and Mist through the door, across the passage, and into the hold.
"As candy." She trotted over to the other door and then went into her and Mist's room to take two packages from the stack of rations that stood in a corner. "Not in my food!"
[Bark strips!] Mist stuck her tongue out humorously. [NOM!]
Shade sputtered and laughed, then quickly pressed the heating spots on the ration packages. "Let me get it warmed up! You like the cheese soft, right?"
Mist glanced quickly to Starfighter's translating hands, then nodded. [Rust, yeah!]
"Hey! You jerk, you taught my sister to swear."
"I did NOT!"
[Did too.]
"Hey, Mist, you stay outta this!"
[No!] White shoulders shook with laughter.
"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Shade snorted at him with amusement.
"Argh!" He turned to leave, but turned back quizzically when she called his name.
"What does it mean, 'life debt'?" she asked quietly. "The translator didn't change it to words that I could understand."
Starfighter sighed and shook his head. "I don't really understand it either. I think it's different from Ownership. It kinda sounds like you don't own the furball, but you own his life." The avatar's face scrunched up. "Fffttt!"
"Hrrm. Why can't I give his life back to him?" She paused in signing and offered the first ration to show a red spot to Mist, but kept her eyes on the avatar's face.
"Don't ask me." Starfighter shook his head discontentedly. "But I guess I better make the guy someplace to sleep. He can't sleep in here."
"Ffft, no." Shade frowned as she pulled the tab to open the packaging on her ration. "Where is Earth? Is it near here?"
Starfighter blinked, and then frowned. "No. It's over in one of the arms of the other galaxy. That old starship must've had a trip drive or something. Wonder where they left it?" He looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, and then perked. "Found it. So have the PCs. Guess we'll find out about it tomorrow."
"Why not this evening?" Shade absently munched pleasant tasting fibrous strips covered in mild fresh cheese.
"Because they have to figure out where to land it, and then inspect it before they can decide what to let us know." The avatar shrugged its lower shoulders. "I'm gonna go datacrunch and rest while I wait for you guys to come play. Will you be alright without me till then?"
"Of course." Shade chewed another strip of bark and frowned as she gave him a pat, then watched him go before going over to lay on the floor by the bed and think about the events of the day, wonder about the mysterious world known as Earth, and ask the Forest Weaver to help the golden-furred man named Joel to heal and his people to be safe.