Chapter 7: The Game

[Nohiki]

"First extra-galactic mission? Well then I think you just got your wish. Thousandfold." Ariaka said, trying not to sound overly sarcastic. Others seemed to be caring for the newly awakened at the time being, so she investigated what really bothered her: How did Setiri get here?

The android walked around the pod, examining it. It was a different kind than those the rest were found in. Looking behind, she noticed something on the wall. "There are rails and a hatch here. Your pod must have been transferred from the main ship when the evacuation order was given." she reported as she walked back around. "The pod got rattled pretty bad, I'm amazed it had life support for this long. It's also a different model than the rest, that's probably why I didn't detect it in the first place. Almost half of the thing is missing." she summarized, walking over to a nearby console. Inputing a few commands, Ariaka ordered the ship to resume it's course to the source of the strange readings. "Anyway, welcome aboard. There is no need to justify anything to anyone, all of us here have pretty much the same story. Our lives started a few days ago as far as we can remember."

[Zetherus]

Tal'set snapped back into reality when he threw his attention off the stars he were staring at for a good while without blinking. Blinking his eyes rapidly behind his mask, he brought up his comm and cleared his throat, "Alright, I need off my vessel for a while. If you guys aren't going to throw out any plans yet then have me aboard because my sanity is diminishing in this dead silence!" he radioed Ariaka for permission to board on the research ship.

[Kauria]

"Like I said, don't have a heart attack," Rucha muttered into her comm. "It's probably best that you get over here, anyways. We've got another crewmate."

[Zetherus]

Without even a response Tal'set activated his re-breather to EVA actions and vacuumed out his jet. As soon as his visor read green for ejection, he grabbed the red handle on his right under the control sticks and pulled. The hissing of the hydraulic locks engaged and spat out into the void as he slowly was lifted off his seat then took afloat in space. Once he cleared the closing radius of his fighter's pit it closed automatically to stand-by mode and disengaged it's engines.
The merc used his boot's air thrusters to reach the vessel where he grabbed hold of the handle near the door and awaited entry. He brought up his wrist computer and issued the codes he received from Ariaka back on the Croatoan which made the doors open. Tal'set landed his right foot in on the metal grate assuring magnetization and stepped in the airlock. After all the necessary level-outs he walked into the research vessel and met up with everyone else. "Glad to see you guys are doing alright. So how's the newcomer?" He jumped into the conversation unhinging his mask from his hood.