"Welp, it's not like I research one specific thing. It's more like, I'm given tasks, things that I need to collect info about. Then I go there, get the info, maybe get some souvenirs-"
He points at his scars.
"-And then record the info and- usually along with a team of people- process it. It's really tiring but also really satisfying."
Arif nodded along. "Ah, that sounds interesting. A little different to what I thought, but that sounds interesting. Let's hope our next stop doesn't involve more 'souvenirs'." He chuckled.
"Hey, do you ever feel someone is trying to grab your attention, but you can never work out who?"
Deep Space
Pring waved her arms wildly, trying to grab the attention of the two people she could see. What is their deal? Are they ignoring me?
edited 28th Feb '16 2:35:30 AM by Inhopelessguy
"I ju- oh."
He laughs a sheepish chuckle. "I forgot that I'm getting proximity notifications. Someone is near our ship. Somewhere around here..."
Arif looked out of the window and saw a solitary light craft travelling alongside them.
"Uhhh. Alex. Why didn't you tell me you noticed this?"
Arif established contact with the rogue ship.
"This is the Troperia, please state your name and purpose?"
Deep Space
The voice rang out inside the cockpit. What the fuck? Holy shit? At least he noticed me.
Pring spoke firmly. "I'm Pring Calori, and I uh request to come aboard your Troperia!" She chirped brightly.
Ship
Arif shrugged. The more the merrier. He loaded his gun, just in case. "Hey Alex, come down to the holding bay so we can let her in?"
"Okay, Ms Calori, we'll let you in. Just bring your craft to the rear of ours, and we'll open the loading bay for you."
Deep Space
Fucking finally.
"Alright!" she chirped. She manoeuvred her tiny craft to the bay door.
Ship
Arif had come down to the holding bay, and was waiting to see if Alex would join him.
"We'll see, Xir."
Arif slams the DOOR OPEN button.
Craft
Pring loosely tries to fly the craft into the bay, narrowly hitting the people inside, and crash-slamming it into the floor. Flight sims were a whole 'nother world to actually flying. She giggled.
Ship
Arif swerved out of the way. What the fuck is this girl on? She was obviously a novice pilot, because she scratched the floor. Sigh. Oh well.
Craft
Pring disembarked and jumped to the floor.
"Hi! I'm Pring! Pleasure to meetcha!" she chirped, happily.
Arif stared dumbfounded at this woman. Well, she has confidence...
"Welcome aboard the Troperia! I'm Arif, this little thing is Alex, and the friendly - very friendly - creature there is Xir."
Pring looked gleeful, and she smiled happily. This is the start of a great new adventure!
"I'm kidding, Alex." Arif chuckles.
Pring laughs at her warm welcome. "The captain? Oh, I see! Well, I hope he'll still have me aboard!"
"I'm sure he will, Pring! He's a decent guy." Arif already scanned her. She was clean. And incredibly smart.
"Yay!" She liked these people. They seemed pretty nice. "Woah! A Xir!" She tries to pet Xir. "My daddy loves your people!"
"
Pring speaks warmly. "I heard about you guys on the news! That stunt at the GLX Centre was amazing! And... Well, I got bored of being stuck on Deadpo... uh, Depo - the moon colony - and I escaped! So now I'm with you guys. I'm in my early-twenties, I can do whatever I want."
Arif looks concerned. "Okay. That's pretty interesting that we're making headlines. But... it's concerning you ran away on this craft. We could get done for kidnapping. But we could pretend we have no idea that you escaped. So... Uh. Okay."
Pring laughs nervously. "Well, alrighty..." She looks at Alex. "I'm not that great a pilot, ahah. But I'm pretty handy with a stick!"
Arif snorts. "Alright, cool."
edited 28th Feb '16 3:41:56 AM by Inhopelessguy
Rakiri stands and places one hand on Mitch's chest and the other on his stomach, starting to heal him with a gentle, bioelectric pulse. "This. And no, I'm not jealous. Why would you think something like that. Not like there's a reason or anything." Yeah, someone's totally jealous.
"And what do you mean old? You barely look 30...even if you act much younger."
Greg sleeps quietly on one of the lounge couches.
edited 28th Feb '16 4:18:23 AM by BaronGreen
Old habits die hard, especially when no one else lets them die either.Pring smiled. Wow! A Terran-Maximatan hybrid, a Borginan, and a Xir! What other delights are onboard?
"Yeah! You guys are really popular!"
She searches her belt for her communicator. She brings it up and finds a broadcast and shows it to the trio.
"Only a few hours ago, there was devastating violence here, just outside the GLX Centre on GLX-2000, the commercial planet. Shoppers were milling about this marketplace when, out of nowhere, a firefight broke out. According to witnesses, it started when a group of unidentified individuals surrounded a Maximatan-Terran and assaulted him. The individual then brought out his firearm and started attacking the group, later assisted by several allies, including an individual wearing an exomechanical suit and what some have dubbed the 'Hack-And-Slasher.' A blurry photo of Rylan showed up. "The violence intensified with the arrival of Darkwatch peacekeeping officers, who attempted to restore peace by neutralising the aggressors. However, security footage shows them fighting back aggressively, including a creature that actually tore a helicopter from the skies."
Arif looked gobsmacked.
"The individuals then fled on a large spacecraft, and after a brief stellar battle, escaped. Darkwatch are currently searching for the group. The Terran Colonial Authority has not officially released a statement, which some analysts suggest that there is a unofficial level of support for the group - social media are calling the Deathwatch Executors - from the homeworld. Public dissatisfaction with Darkwatch has been rising since the incidence, with some claiming that peacekeepers used the martial law on GLX-2000 as an excuse to harass civilians. After the battle, Darkwatch Defence & Security Corporation shares slid by -5%, their biggest drop since an investigation revealed systematic detention of planetless individuals."
Arif looked confused. "So...We're uhh... Not bad guys, at the least."
Pring nodded. "Yep!"
edited 28th Feb '16 4:13:30 AM by Inhopelessguy
Lounge
"Oh fuck, they're both asleep... No, this wouldn't be hard at all." Peter says sarcastically to himself, before just barely managing to lift up and carry both of his quite heavy boyfriends at the same time, one on each side. He slowly walks out of the room and towards their own, half-dragging them along the way.
Captain's Quarters
Peter puts them down on their large bed, tucking them in and lying down besides them for a short while as he strokes their hair and watches them sleep. Afterwards, he gets up and washes his face, before going down to the loading bay to check out the ruckus commotion.
Loading Bay
Upon entering the bay, the first thing Peter notices is the newly arrived craft along with the scraped floor. He then shifts his focus towards the four. "Looks like we have a newcomer." He states. "What's your name?" He asks Pring.
Med Bay
Mitch lets out a pleased grunt as Rakiri channels electricity inside him, while something in his pants starts to show. He doesn't seem to mind in the least, though. "Hey, you're plenty nice to look at, don't worry! And quite a nice... ability... you have there." He reassures Rakiri and struggles to suppress his arousal. He snorts a little when he comments on his supposed immaturity. "Guess how old I really am."
edited 28th Feb '16 4:43:12 AM by AqueousBunnies
"Seeing as you seem to be in the early thirties range, I'd guess somewhere around 60 or so." he answers. "Also, I'm not surprised. My people often do this to help one another when we experience energy locks, or basically, a sort of binding on out energy output. Many of them, myself included, enjoy the sensation." he explains, being so focusing on the task, he doesn't realize where his hand is until he bumps up against the something.
He quickly yanks his hand away, looking a bit alarmed. "Uhh...what the hell...? Why is that...like that? Is that supposed to happen?"
edited 28th Feb '16 4:56:27 AM by BaronGreen
Old habits die hard, especially when no one else lets them die either.

"Oh, heya there! Yeah, I'm a researcher, and yeah, we never eeally talked much. And, uhm, your job is... ehm..."
Beat
"Damn it, slipped my mind."