driftfleet | this is your captain speaking;

Who: All Goldens and Golden friends!
Broadcast: Shipwide to the SS Golden
Action: Golden!
When: All of March, probably.

[ Hera is on the bridge today, looking all business. ]

Hi, everyone. I'm Hera, for those who are new or haven't spoken to me before. I'm your pilot and - as of today - captain. I know it's not a big deal here, but I was a captain back home, so I take it pretty seriously, and I just wanted to lay out a few ground rules and make a couple of announcements.

First and foremost, if I give you an order, I expect it to be followed. I don't give orders lightly, or for my own entertainment. If you think I've given you an unreasonable order, you're welcome to talk to me about it, but trust me when I say, I do it for the good of everyone on board.

Second, as of right now, we have more than enough bunks for everyone, so no one should have to share, or sleep on the floor, or anything like that. As long as there aren't any funny smells coming from your bunk, I don't care what you do in there.

Next, and especially for those new here, we do currently have cargo in the cargo bay. I ask that you don't mess with it, because it doesn't belong to us. We've scanned it, and we're relatively sure there's nothing dangerous in there, but the station has flagged it as contraband, so there's no sense risking getting into trouble just to satisfy your curiosity. If you have a legitimate reason for wanting to get into it, come talk to me so I can do a risk assessment.

Also, guests are always welcome aboard, but I do want to know who is on my ship at any given time, so just let me know when you invite people from other ships.

Finally, I just want to welcome our new crew members and let everyone know that if you have any concerns, you can always talk to me about them. We all have to share this space, and I want everyone to be as comfortable as possible.

[ And with that, have a mingle! How goes it, Golden? What kind of shenanigans are you getting up to? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ When Hera comes into the kitchen, she's not terribly surprised to find a kid there. Sure, he's younger than the kids she's used to, but she knows there are several young kids in the fleet.

This one is just more her responsibility than the others, now. ]

Hi there. Want some help?

[He looks back, clinging to the cabinets like a spider monkey.

Hello, Miss Alien! He looks a little guarded, surprised by her appearance - he's had a very, very bad history with aliens. But then... she seems to be nice. And he knows now there aren't any aliens here looking to kill or attack people. And her face looks friendly. He shakes his head, determined.]

No, it's okay! I can do it.

I'm good at making my own food.

All right.

[ Far be it for her to try and do it for someone. Even a young child. ]

My name is Hera. What's yours?

[He grabs whatever there is — it looks like he comes away with peanut paste and some kind of liquidy banana flavored concoction. He doesn't seem too disturbed at how odd it looks, mostly because he's eaten some odd things before in most of his walks of life. He sits on the counter, holding the items close, looking Hera up and down.]

I'm Takeshi.

Are you — a good alien? You are, huh? 'Cus you're the captain... And you're kidnapped, too.

[ Hey, you know what, peanut butter and banana is a great combo, even if the paste is kinda gross. No judgment here. ]

I try to be a good person. Are you a good alien?

[He gasps, touching his face, his stomach. Did he change when he wasn't looking?!

But -- no, he's just him. He thinks. He looks at her with an owlish, innocent blink.]

Don't aliens look different than me? The ones I fought were real different.

If an alien is anyone who looks different, well. You're different than me. So by that definition, you're an alien.

Oh... I thought... I thought it meant that it was people and monsters that aren't from Earth! 'Cus that's what people were calling them when they started blowing up places and cutting people up and kidnapping them.

[He pauses, considerate, pensive, and then places the foods on the table.

With a spoon, he starts poking through the cover on one.]

But I know there's good aliens. I didn't meet one 'til I was in space... Um -- aliens like... people not from Earth, I mean!

[ It's really just an attempt to gently nudge him in the direction of inclusivity - really, a lot of people here could stand to see that the world doesn't revolve around one planet called Earth. But that's not this kid's fault. ]

I think no matter where you're from or what you look like, there are good people and bad people. You can't really judge that based on looks.

[He starts mixing the two foods together, kicking his feet over the edge of the chair back and forth. Now that he knows she's not going to rip his head off or cut 'im up, he feels a lot better. Very much at ease. There's still a bit of a thoughtful look on his face, though.]

Mmm, yeah! I know. Aliens tried to kill me a lot; that's why I'm careful. But normal human people can be real bad, too. My mom's boyfriend was one of the bad ones.

[As much as he has a prejudiced against aliens, he's never hurt one that didn't intend to hurt him back. Or at least look like it was going to. Though, he's thrown around more humans than alien while in space, so there's that.]

[ Hera nods, though that doesn't sound like a very good story for a child to have in their life. ]

Well, you're safe with me. If you ever need anything, or have any questions, you can come talk to me.

[He ducks his head a little behind the spoon he's holding, cheeks reddening a bit. He still isn't sure how to feel about that; he isn't sure if he wants more people to care, because it means if they go away... he'll be so terribly sad.

... But he doesn't want to just be all alone. It hurt so much to be alone before.]

... Thanks, Miss Hera...

Sure.

[ She offers him a faint smile, then stands to make herself a cup of tea. ]

Have you been to the Iskaulit yet?

[Um...

He stops eating, looking back over to her as she prepares her drink.]

The... Ish-kow-lit?

[Not as bad as 'Tranquility', at least.]

[ Hera chuckles a little at that. ]

It's the bigger ship where everyone can go. You should stop over there sometime, there are rec rooms and things to do.

[Whoa... There were places like that on the Tranquility.

His expression softens a little, and his interest piques.]

What kind of rooms? Like... a gym, too?

Yep, definitely a gym. There's a lot more space there, and places where you can meet friends from other ships.

[He nods, though his brow furrows.]

That'd be nice, to meet friends...

But... I dunno... I'll be sad when they leave, 'cus they always seem to.

Friends do sometimes leave us. That's kind of how life works, but I think that just means we need to make the most of what we've got, when we've got it.

... I guess so...

[He still seems uncertain about it. But...]

My new mom and dad... they was at the other place -- for a long time!

'Til one day they wasn't.

[He looks away, sadness in the motion.]

It hurt a lot, but... But I kept going. I know they wanted me to!

It's always important to keep going. You never know who or what is around the next corner, after all.

this is your captain speaking;

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