Futuristic Galvanised

[kevintheradioguy]

The woman huffed under the weight of the creature, stepping behind to keep her balance as she arched her back a little. She didn't expect for it to be this heavy, but then again, it was somewhat denser than the usual crab she was used to. "What do they feed these things?" She murmured under her breath. She didn't seem to mind carrying it, though, soon forgetting about the bright-blue creature, as one would about a phone or a tablet in their hands.

"Well, I only saw one in adult entertainment." Landar shrugged. Of course he did. Like almost anyone searching for anything of that sort in more developed colonies. They were space prostitutes, after all, so why not also space adult actors? "Looked to be around, what, nine or ten feet tall?"

"Should be about three meters, if I remember encyclopedias correctly." Remarked Ren, pouting a little. "But I also remember humans being depicted around waist-high for them... my numbers must be wrong."

"Either way! Definitely wouldn't fit our normal beds, but..." The man looked around the room almost theatrically. "...this seems to be more than enough space here. It doesn't look too comfortable, though. What's the point of a table this high, for example? Why not just half of the room for padded floors?"

Beds or no beds, Ren soon realized something much more important. "Which gets me thinking! Aren't they, like... water animals? We'd have to bump up our water production then?"

"I don't think it's our problem, though, right?" Landar sounded confident, but his gaze was unsure, directed at Pigeon, as if she knew the answer to that.

 

[Kittenpom20]

Pigeon looked around the room again and poked at the soft floor with her foot, her weight shifting slightly as she pressed down onto the soft padding. Aside from all the design flaws, the floor padding was white, and that was bound to get dirty very quickly. White carpets had gone out of fashion on Moon-2 for the same reason. They always looked nice for the first few days, but after that, they were just dirty and there was no effective way to clean them.

“Yeah, didn’t Gem say their planets were almost entirely covered in water? Makes me wonder why they don’t need to be in water all the time. Maybe they have adaptable gills, or they only breathe air.” Now that she thought about it, too, the atmosphere the mau normally breathed had to be somewhat similar to what humans were used to, or it would be impossible for them to coexist.

When Landar asked her about water production, Pigeon shook her head. “Nobody’s told me anything about that, so no. Although I would imagine we’d need more water for the mau’s food, too. Those lobster things probably can’t live above water. But now that you mention that, it makes me think there’s a lot of things we don’t know about this mau arriving, and I feel like somebody should’ve mentioned this…” She sighed. Pigeon could already feel the migraine forming at her temples with the growing list of things she needed to check up on before the mau arrived. If everybody just assumed that everybody else was working on something, then there was a good chance they could miss something.

“I really want to have a conversation with whoever decided to modify this bedroom like this. But before we do anything, we should check in with Gem and make sure just one mau is arriving, and not two dozen or something. In that case, we’d have a lot more to worry about with security, and then there’s everything else on top of that...” Pigeon huffed, folding her arms across her chest and frowning slightly. “It looks like lots of people are making decisions and we're the last to know about them.”

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"Well, they have legs at least." Landar said in a quiet tone, before smiling mischievously. "And a damn fine pair if you ask me."

It made sense that the mau would've lived in a similar environment as humans. Their species did have good relationships in general, and this would've been hard to achieve if they couldn't be on the same ground. Hell, Gem lived on a human station and knew one, and their newcomer with a long, barely pronounceable name lived on one too. This shouldn't be a problem. Though perhaps keeping a mau on a station without sufficient amount of water would be akin to keeping a toad without it. It could live, but it'd suffer greatly.

"Hey, you saw a guy who modified it.", Landar shrugged. "You can go and have all the conversations you want."

"If there's a dozen coming, at least they'll have safety in numbers."

"And the station would turn into a brothel." Added the man in a soft murmur, rolling his eyes a little.

"...but I don't remember more than one. They'd tell us, right?" Ren seemed to be suddenly concerned about having more than one guest like that.

"Oh, they would, but... you girls have to remember that not everything''s our concern." He looked at Ren first, and then his gaze stopped at Pigeon. "Water supplies, or decor isn't security's job, we really have no power over this."

"Unless the decor is made of grenades!" Offered Ren.

Landar nodded. "Unless the decor is made of grenades." He agreed. His voice wasn't too low or overly bassy, and was usually very soft, like warm butter. Many women and some men on the station fell under a slight swooning effect from it: he came off as a kind, gentle person through his tone... even if he would badmouth someone, it still sounded so nice! And Landar rarely ever badmouthed anyone. He didn't even seem to fit security at all, and yet, was picked for the position. There had to be something in him to make him a good fighter and a responsible judge. Or, perhaps, someone wanted a 'good cop' on the station.

He stepped back from the entrance, leaving the hallway open in case Pigeon wanted to g to Gem or have a conversation with a worker. Ren, however, sighed, stating that she better get the space baby to Pigeon's room as soon as she can... or there's a chance of dropping it and creating a hull breach.

 

[Kittenpom20]

Pigeon sighed. Though grenade decor did intrigue her, she was starting to realize that there were only so many hours in a day, and she had to do her job, first and foremost.

“You know what, Landar, you’re right. There’s just so many things to think about with this new mau coming, we should focus on security since we already have plenty to do there.” Landar was right to reign in her overly curious nature. Had it been her decision, she’d know every single thing that happened on Soot, and her team would be stuck tying up loose ends for so long that they’d never get to do their jobs, as unnecessary as security seemed. Pigeon just hoped that whoever was making these decisions knew what they were doing, or they’d have an angry scientist on their hands.

Hey, at least they got some space lobster out of the deal.

Resting her hands on her hips, Pigeon turned towards the doorway, ready to set out. “Landar, you want to come with me to find Gem?” She figured Ren would meet up with them later. Her arms must’ve been getting tired carrying the plate around like that; the woodlice was much heavier than one would think.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"Do I want to?" A small, crooked smile crawled onto his face - just in a corner of his mouth. "Technically, you're the boss, I'll do as you say." He shrugged, though what he said wasn't in malice or any offence. Sure, Gem was a little rude to him, but they all knew each other, and if someone could brush offence off, it was him. "Let's go then."

The hallways these days were more crowded than usual. People grew bored on the station without going down on the surface, and many were thinking about going down there just to do anything else. They didn't get an okay from the engineers, though, who wanted to keep any shuttles safe and sound, secure in their bays until they are really needed. So, everyone were walking around, trying to find things to do. Those who didn't own their own small gardens visited their mates to help tending to it, some went into whether dating or random sexual encounters to fill their days, few started going to the greenhouse to whether offer help or just enjoy fresher, sweet-tasting air produced by the plants. All and all, fewer people were needed at their stations, and as such, filled the narrow hallways of the station.

"You know, in some weird, morbid way, I'm even happy we have this thing going on." Landar remarked as they were passing the living quarters, going further into the station. "With all the weird ideas going through Soot about this mau. There might be some... shenanigans, let's call it that way, but at least we can finally do our job. When was the last time anything happened here?" It was true that the population was generally very law-abiding, and eager to do their jobs the best they could. The craziest thing that could happen was someone getting drunk and handsy, mistaking someone's room for their own and starting to throw things out, or puking in the corner. Rest was peaceful. More or less. Odd arguments happened, but nothing to get security involved with. Having few people aggressive towards a new employee wasn't the best thing to deal with, but it was something.

"We don't even have any animals down there to protect people from." He reminded. Indeed, it was weird. Quiet. Eerie even. As if something was wrong. However, as soon as they get the planet going, as soon as it fits terrans, there would be plenty of cats and dogs running around, few surviving bird species to chirp from the branches. They might populate the planet with suiting wildlife - some even from mau's own home planet, so similar to terrans' own. Some colurful fish, maybe. Though, it was hard to tell. It took millennia for nature to create all the intricate connections in its ecosystem, create animal life dependant on each other. How good were they to fake it? Albeit, since they could grow their own food from just a sample of blood, there was no need in brutal cattle farms - maybe just decorative or companion animals. Cats and dogs - latter smart enough to understand not to hunt when not asked to. Some pretty-looking rats. Some birds. And, again, fish. Perhaps they would manage to find some of the last bees to create apiaries and harvest honey? That was easier to handle, right?

 

[Kittenpom20]

As they walked back to their office, Pigeon dodged the passing people that filled them, either chatting in groups or off to fill their free time somewhere else. She smiled at Landar’s comment about feeling like they were actually doing their jobs for once - she agreed, that although there was the potential for serious arguments here, at least they could do something about it. “It is nice to feel like people actually need us around here for once with this mau coming. Although the security on the other colonies would kill to have a job like ours so they’d actually get a chance to relax.”

Her previous post at Moon-2 hadn’t been as laid-back as this job, but she hadn’t usually dealt with extreme crime on a daily basis. Pigeon wasn’t exactly looking for a job where her life could be in constant danger, so she never wanted to work anywhere with high crime rates, and Soot was the perfect colony for that. They hadn’t exactly told her her biggest problems would be settling various quarrels between people, ranging in severity from petty arguments to serious accusations, but it was still a rewarding profession. Sometimes she did grow stir crazy, but she was pretty sure she’d go stir crazy anywhere, unless she suddenly had enough money to go on cross-galaxy vacations on a whim.

As they got back to the office, Pigeon knocked on the door once before opening it and poked her head in, hoping to see Gem sorting through the paperwork they’d been dealing with upon the imminent arrival of the scientist. “Any updates on how many mau we’re actually receiving?”

 

[kevintheradioguy]

It was true that most people would kill for this position, though probably not for the reason of it being so quiet - something Landar was quick to remark: "True, but mostly to be heroes, and not relax. People are looking forward to what we're doing here." They probably wouldn't be treated as heroes exactly, but any mention of being a part of the crew would certainly yield an audience, and probably a few free drinks. A few dozen free drinks even.

Going back to the security took more time than usual, and only because of the busier hallways: this place was so obviously not designed to stand this still. Security wasn't a big place. They didn't need that much. It was mostly surveillance - and even then, generally managed by a fairly decent AI to sound any alarms, and only occasionally needing human intervention - a few private tables to support their team of just twenty-something people, and a small armory they never even used since getting here. As Landar remarked earlier - there weren't even animals on Monarch to protect people from. Asides for occasional sulfur pool the only other hazard might be some viscous plant: without animal life to devour plants they never developed any thorns, spikes, or poison, and were perfectly harmless.

When the both of them entered, Gem was walking slowly around the room, tablet in her hand, reading something and biting the tip of her finger in deep thought. The question took her off-guard, and for a moment she almost looked panicked. Confused, taken aback, surprised at the same time. She quickly started tapping on her tablet, switching out from whatever she was doing previously.

"How many? No one told me we might have more than one.", she was obviously not prepared for that question, and knew nothing about anyone else coming in, and it took her a few moments to verify that. "It only mentions one here… why, did you get some new information?" The woman looked up at Pigeon, concerned.

"I think you broke her." Landar whispered, suppressing laugh, as he leaned down to Pigeon.

 

[Kittenpom20]

As they walked back to the office, Pugeon commented, “It would be nice to be the person who was here when it all happened, at least. My parents send me these super long video messages every time there’s a supply shipment, and they ask about everything going on. It’s always ‘Iona, did you bust any criminals,’ or ‘Iona, did you singlehandedly terraform Soot and save humanity from imminent destruction?’” She shook her head, smiling at the memory of the dozens of messages she had received along the same theme. Her parents, though well-meaning, didn’t understand much of what her job entailed. Despite her insistence that she wasn’t some world-renowned hero gallivanting around rescuing damsels in distress, they remained just as proud of her. Though she missed them, she was excited to finally be out in the world instead of stuck in a retirement colony. Lots more interesting plants to look at and take care of, and if she could stop some civilians from hurting each other, that was a bonus.

Seeing Gem’s reaction to Pigeon’s comment, Pigeon did wonder if Landar was right, and they had broken her. Trying hard not to grin, Pigeon just shook her head, standing up and opening the door all the way. “No no, don’t worry about it. If it only mentions one mau, it's fine. I just thought it was strange we’re only getting one scientist when the last one was an entire team…” She shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to see how everything goes when she gets here.”

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"I can agree to that. Though, it's me who sends the super long video messages." He smirked. "Though, I'm the parent in this equation." The man chuckled: it seemed like this was a feature of every decent parent - being curious about their child's life, worrying about them. Something hormonal kicked in, it seemed. Landar sometimes wondered if his kid would recognise him at all after years out here. They would see each other on the screen, of course, but it was one thing to see a picture, and another one - a real person. Would she be scared of him? Or maybe shy? Both were natural, but neither made him too happy to consider. He, however, tried to keep these thoughts to himself. No need to throw his personal problems around in the work environment - it was much better to be positive instead of spreading sombre mood around.

As Pigeon explained herself, she could see obvious relief washing over Gem. "Oh. Well, no, nothing more." She nodded to her tablet. "I was just looking through the cases of our protestors for the lack of better word. Nothing out of the ordinary. Some had a few cases of delinquent behaviour as teenagers."

"Oh, that's interesting. Let me have a look.", Landar was quick to approach his own workplace, going through a layer of odd nick-knacks to find his tablet and take a look too, happy to do something. Anything, pretty much. Gem didn't mind him taking what she was doing. She looked around, and shrugged.

"They're pretty smart." She said in regards to mau, lowering her voice almost to a whisper as she spoke, as if this was a terrible secret. "My cousin is married to one, actually. Not their way of life, so it was awfully sweet of him. He's a scientist at some station not far from Anteah, working on stabilizing and porting wormhole technologies. Joshua - my cousin - manages supplies there. The team on such a project is just him - the mau - and his canite assistant. So, you know, I think they're... bright."

'Bright' was probably an understatement, seeing how they just got rid of a dozen terrans and got just one mau. Would she be able to do her job even? Taking a place of twelve people? That was insane, but then again, people in the universe varied in mental and physical capacities. Perhaps asking the person in question how would they manage would be a good idea. It seemed like Gem's cousin - probably an ex-resident of Moon-2 as well, based on quite an orthodox name - knew a lot about the mau now. Gem obviously didn't ask a lot of questions, not knowing this information would be so needed later.

 

[Kittenpom20]

Pigeon visibly relaxed when Gem mentioned that there was only one mau - good thing, because dealing with a dozen mau would probably be twelve times worse.

She went to sit at her desk, though it was less of a work space and more of a landing pad for any interesting things she’d found around the station or things people had given her. She called it organized chaos, but to anybody that didn’t know how things were organized, it only looked like chaos: from shiny rocks to strange miniatures to cheap souvenirs, it was all heaped on her workspace. No plants lived here, partially because the lighting in the office probably wasn’t conducive to their growth, but mostly because Pigeon would definitely forget about a plant that needed care at her desk among all the other shiny things there were to look at.

“That’s pretty crazy that your cousin is married to one. But I guess in that case it does make sense that only one mau is coming to Soot. I wonder what their society is like, if everyone does the work of a dozen people. Maybe they just don’t sleep.”

Pigeon dug in the second drawer for her own tablet, crossing her legs and absently swiveling back and forth in the moderately comfortable chair as she looked over the papers they had on the mau once more. In any case, they would definitely have to consult with the mau once they arrived, and if they needed any more help somebody would figure something out.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"I only saw him once, a few cycles before getting here." Gem shrugged, stepping close, still speaking in a low, quite voice. "Ani might not look like us, but he's an awfully sweet man. I can see why cuz fell for him." They did have long fruitful relationships: terrans and mau. Shouldn't be that different after all.

"If I knew getting into their bed habits would help in the future, I would." The woman arched her brow a little, sounding dead serious. "But I suppose like anyone else. They might be more productive compared to us, but..." She paused, not knowing how to turn her thoughts into words. They were two different species, and for a mau such productivity might've been the norm. They didn't work for twelve people in their society, after all. "Besides, most do the willy stuff anyway." She shook her head, speaking up once more. Few people found her choice of words amusing, chuckling quietly as Pigeon looked through the notes.

There wasn't much information there. The name. No age or sex, it looked like someone from yhe higher ups considered for such details to be irrelevant, since she'd naturally be an adult, and ones gender wasn't of anyone's concern. She seemed to have a whole list of degrees from a terran university that all revolved around studying flora and fauna. Not surprising, given the position on Soot. What was a little surprising was than there was no mention of xenobiology anywhere - nowadays applied to sentient species only on the contrary to xenozoology - and as such she might be as oblivious about Pigeon's species as she - about mau. Though, given her place of residence, it was doubtful. She also never got a scholarship - probably for species reason; if mau were as bright as Gem thought, it would've been unfair to human students to give it out like that. And no mention of relatives was ever found in the data. It didn't seem like she was very old: judging by the data provided she only ever was on her home planet and some other mau colony asides for the terran station she grew up in and got her education at.

"Yeah, I don't think that public indecency is something that would pose a threat." Landar remarked from deeper in the room, still looking through the files on his tablet. "Running around naked after a college party is hardly a crime to threaten another person's well-being." He pursed his lips, looking at the text. "I'm not sure it's even supposed to be a crime at all. It isn't where I'm from. I mean, it's just a human body."

"I'd much rather save myself the pleasure of seeing you run around naked." Not everyone appreciated that; and Gem was among the majority that didn't. Though maybe, coming from a hot, dry colony, Landar's people were much more accustomes to seeing some skin.

"Well, your loss." He said in a tone too serious for it not to be teasing.

 

[Kittenpom20]

Pigeon scrolled through the mau’s relatively short file, mulling over the little information that was there. Her list of degrees was impressive, and Pigeon was sure that even if she didn’t have a degree in xenobiology, she had either taken a few classes or learned some of it on the fly. She was, after all, coming to Soot, so she had to be good at her job, or good enough at faking it that she’d fooled everyone, though Pigeon doubted the latter was the case. And maybe it was better that she was younger - likely more open-minded, too. Some older researchers got stuck in their ways and were unwilling to consider new viewpoints or try new methods just because they were unfamiliar.

She smiled at Gem’s willy joke - that was a good one. “Maybe a few of them are just happy to pull the weight for everyone else, who knows,” she said.

Pigeon remained silent for most of the conversation on public nudity, trying to figure out whether it was her position to reinforce the rules on nudity, if there were even rules about that on Soot - but they were both responsible, and very clearly joking. She looked up at Landar and Gem, “I did have one streaking case when I was working on Moon-2, actually. It was a retiree who did it on a dare, out of her mind drunk. It was fine, not really a crime or anything, but damn, you’d think that she would’ve been a little more ashamed about the whole situation.” Pigeon leaned back in her chair, setting the tablet in her lap. “It’s worse if it’s somebody you know, because then you have to look them in the eye the next day and have a serious conversation. So Landar, please don’t do any streaking with me around.”

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"Oh, I can't wait to get retired." Chuckled the man. "Your folk sound like fun. In my lands they mope in bars and argue most of the time, no fun at all."

It was obvious he wasn't as impressed by nudity as many people around. Given how hot and sunny it was on his colony, it made sense, but he definitely was in the minority - perhaps, Landar would be comfortable among the species that didn't have this obligation to wear fabric on top of their skin. Luckily for everyone in the room, however, it was cold enough here not to try to peel off clothes... and unacceptable enough for a member of security to try.

"All I'm saying is, we're in day and age where this shouldn't even be a taboo to be ashamed to look into someone's eyes." Landar lifted his hands in defence. "We all saw a tit at some point in our lives."

"It's a cultural thing, Landar." Someone deeper in the office remarked. "We tend to cover up."

 

[Kittenpom20]

"Fun is definitely the right word for it," Pigeon said and grinned. "Once you retire all expectations go out the window. You can do whatever you want and really the only people who complain are your grandkids or the neighbors. But I agree with you there, society has progressed past the point for social taboos, even though I wouldn't love running around naked. I just don't think it would win you any favors here." Made her think that no matter how advanced they got, or how many times they'd meet a new civilization, that humans would always impose rules upon others, however valid or arbitrary they might be. There was always something that people would gossip about.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"As I said before..." The man's expression formed a big, sly smile, like of a cartoonish fox about to eat a chicken. "...your loss." He winked at Pigeon, even though he never really try to make a pass on her. Probably jesting again.

Moon-2 was a cold, grey place. Fitting its name, it looked almost exactly like the ancient Terra satellite. People might've been a bit more traditional, if not chauvinistic there. Human history held a lot of taboos that had something to do with this or that part of the body. Some ancient cultures saw showing ankles as obscenely sexual, others thought wrists and the back of the head were. At some point the majority thought that female hair was inappropriate to show off, forcing women to wear tight head gowns to hide it, and later - that breasts were off limit. While the grey homeland of Pigeons didn't go to an extreme of forcefully making people wear head to toe suits, they did dislike lots of skin to some extent. Perhaps, it being a retirement place, the local older population was both too aware of them not looking like they used to, as prevalent enough to forbid others to remind them of that. Though... maybe not. That would be all too petty. Though that sounded like a good theory to hold in mind for a theoretical writer career.

"At any rate, when does our single scientist arrive?" Asked Landar, sitting down at his desk, and reclining back on his chair. "I am eager to see a new face... if they even have a face."

'They do." Gem murmured back, though she was so quiet, her voice was left unheard by the man.

"We should check everything's in order, and then wait and save our strength to prepare to calm down these gentle souls out there..." Landar made a wide gesture towards the door, probably meaning the entire station. "...that think a giant newt came here to eat them!"

 

[Kittenpom20]

Pigeon rolled her eyes at Landar, knowing full well that he was joking. “I’m so disappointed,” She remarked dryly, but a small grin came to her face. She really had a hard time holding a straight face, especially when their topic of conversation was this funny.

She set the tablet back on her desk, satisfied that she had, at least for now, learned all she could about the mau. She looked over at Gem pointedly, “Let’s prepare as much as we can for the mau’s arrival, and then we’ll have to see how everyone reacts to a new face.” Pigeon would make sure that she got Gem's opinion throughout the process - though she was a quieter person, she didn't want her to feel like she wasn't being listened to, and she had more experience with mau than them, as minimal as it was.

Pigeon stood up, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket and turning to look at the two of them. "Shall we?"

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"So what are we checking now? Water? Who did the room? The mood?" Landar immediately sprung up, ready for action, however little of it there was.


And into said action they went. Although the security could not really do that much, seeing how there was nothing to secure or to secure from yet. But, being a small group, and Pigeon being almost the most important person here (if anything happened, she'd be in charge, and people knew that), no one really tried to keep any secrets... and if they did, they hid those well.

The room was an improvisation of the maintenance workers. It was too small to make a larger bed, and as such, they opted to instead remove most of the furniture to create sleeping accommodations. It looked odd, but the station was never built for anyone larger than the tallest human... which at this point was barely six foot three. Water production already got their orders as well, and they both would bump their priorities to produce a little more, and were ready to import water from the surface of the planet - which Monarch held in abundance - although the amount wasn't that high. they theorized it would mostly be spent on higher humidity at the mau's residence and workspace.

Few days later, they managed to get into food labs to see other creatures growing. They looked both alien and familiar at the same time. Some sort of giant barnacles, trying to clench tight to the surface of huge water-filled tanks, occasionally popping out thick tentacles to wave around and hide in the shell; huge eel-like fish whose scales grew larger and thicker the closer it got to the head, until turning into real plates with short insect-like legs sticking from beneath it; something that looked like really large shrimp, just supporting six longer, thicker legs all curled as it floated around, looking like some eerie eldritch thing with its multiple eyes and stubbier head; a thing that looked like a miniature whale with extra fins and short claws on its ends; some beautiful spiral shell with a tentacled creature living inside, like an odd creature, nautilus, that used to live on Terra; and many, many more familiar, but odd things. "Anteah, their home planet...", theorized Gem. "...is suitable for living. Very Earth-like. I think that is why their animals look like ours." All and all, they did look like something that might've come from Terra, though usually having a little more limbs, stubbier faces, and being much larger than Terran animals. And, of course, the colouration: all of them being bright, almost... almost flamboyant even. Nothing boringly grey, silver, or brown: they were of toxic blues, and turquoise, with pink, yellow, and green splashes, spots, and stripes, glittering golden patterns and purple tones here and there. Even barnacle shells were of rainbow white, like polished mother of pearl. One can only wonder how these creatures survived being this colourful. But then, they all lived underwater, and even on Pigeon's dead planet, underwater life had beautiful, bright colouration. These creatures lived on a planet that was completely submerged. It made some sort of sense.

As the time went by, people grew more and more curious and scared at the same time. Even those who were eager to see the new person for the reason of whether general or sexual interest (species' reputation considered), have been nervous. It was one thing to want to experience something out of the comfort zone, and another one - to actually go for it. Those making dirty jokes became quieter and more on the edge, and those who disliked the idea of something alien coming over formed tight friendly circles, almost scheming against the newcomer. That was when Pigeon realized a giant flaw in having this small, tight community: everyone knew her and her crew. She couldn't eavesdrop on people, neither could anyone else. People knew them, and knew when to keep their mouths shut. "This is ridiculous!", Ren pouted, punching Lander on the shoulder as if he was to blame. They grew a little closer for a few days before floating back apart - perhaps some intimacy took place, making the young woman feel entitled to behave this way towards him. He looked offended, but just for a few seconds. "This all is wa-a-ay too important to bicker about! If someone. comes here. to help. and build you your own planet. you have to freakin' take this help, instead of shunning someone away for being the wrong species!" her speech was loud, and choppy. Ren was a typical choleric: emotional, and fiery, but she also burned down fast. This wasn't the first time she looked like she was going to make a scene only to calm down and go cuddle with her bird few minutes later. Gem winced at the voice: the girl had a high one even when she was calm, and when Ren became emotional, it almost turned into ultrasound, making at least one of the crew uncomfortable. "You'll get them, girl.", murmured Landar in response, looking away. "If anyone will be punching down doors and making arrests, I bet it's going to be you."

It took less than a week for the supply vessel to enter the system. It was always eerie and quiet, albeit the flashy way in which wormhole always opened inside a large hideously industrial gateway some distance from Monarch and its satellites would suggest screeches and hums. But space was dead-silent, as always. It was hard to see from Soot directly, but anyone could see it arriving through the screens in common areas. People were tense, focused, not really knowing what to expect as it glided through the pitch-black darkness towards their giant station. It was the same silence that predicts a large storm, and given the mood on Soot, none of security thought it would be a good one, until... Until just a few hours later when people started receiving messages, transmitted from the supply ship to their personal devices. Messages and videos from their loved ones, friends, from their families, collected throughout last few months, pouring down on them like a huge information waterfall, in a station-wide release. Distracted by such messages and happy to hear from people they miss and love, the station forgot about the new person all too soon. For a while, at least.

With these messages, other orders came. As theorized, indeed, some of the botanists in the gardens were tasked to take assisting roles for the mau. Just a few, sharing their work time between two jobs. Out of just fifteen people managing the gardens, four would take shifts at that lab, and all four looked like they doubted that decision. They knew nothing about terraforming, they stated; what good could they even be? Moreover, why them? Why not the smarter guys that can grow an entire creature from just a small DNA sample in a manner of weeks? Sure, there was some logic behind this decision, but they all failed to see it. And maybe were a little scared to be left alone with someone alien to them - both senses.

It took the vessel a few days to reach Soot - the wormhole was far enough not to damage the station in case of an emergency, and the giant ship saved fuel and docking effort, sliding slowly towards them. Docking was always tricky, seeing how the station was constantly spinning to create artificial gravity, and people gathered around were few, but at the same time - many. There were much less common folk around to watch who or what would come out to them that fine day, and most workers here were preparing to unload the cargo, and guide it around warehouses, distribute any media ordered, send medicine and fertilizers to the respective wings immediately. Some folk were popping their heads through the gates behind, curious to see the newcomer. Most knew there would be some official greeting: both through the comms, and maybe later, personally. They hoped Pigeon prepared some sort of "meet and greet" for the lack of better term.

"I suppose, this might be considered a part of our job.", Ren agreed some time ago. "If we want her to be treated right, we should see to her being introduced right…" It was hard without any sort of a mayor, captain, or hierarchal leader in these regards. There wasn't really one single person to be responsible for this. And while human resources (and the fact this wasn't human didn't escape their notice) could show around, they probably didn't quite know how to secure the new person on board, seeing the waves she was sending. A few of them stood not so far away, one frowning as she looked at her tablet, reading something that looked like an encyclopedia. It looked like among other things she tried to find anything of use about the species she'd have to deal with, but such sources were rarely anything but basic biological notes. Hardly of any use in this situation, especially as the clacks and hums of doors cut out, and the vessel docked, allowing for gates to slowly open in an all too familiar unloading scene on one side of the warehouse, and opening passenger doors on the other to allow the crew rest at least a day before going back on their way. It was a very common procedure, giving some shelter to visitors while Soot's crew dealt with cargo. On the side of every box there was a seal with the ship's name: Diina - some sort of an ancient Terran word from a language long-gone. This was, as far as Pigeon could remember, the first time this ship docked at their station.

 

[Kittenpom20]

Pigeon had spent most of her time in nervous anticipation of the newcomer - both somewhat frustrated at how little she could do besides basic information gathering and monitoring, and even trying to monitor the other people on the station became difficult as they closed off to their respective circles. She tried her best to make sure that those who had questions about the mau got the best answers they could give, at least to head off incorrect rumors circulating around.


When their orders arrived ahead of the supply shipment, Pigeon arranged a little meet-and-greet with the members of the botany team that would be working with her directly, and a tour of the compound was also in order, but those things could be shifted around depending on how exhausted the mau was. She knew most of the gardening team through her careful gathering of plants to house in her room, and in the gardens - now that she was living in a place with such greenery, it felt necessary for her to be around as many plants as possible, and she quickly became an expert in the care of houseplants. She had already let the four of them know that when the mau arrived, it would be nice for her to have at least a few familiar faces, since Pigeon and her team couldn’t be everywhere at once. Pigeon had guessed that some of the gardening team were nervous to be around the mau as well, so if she could in any way facilitate a smooth meeting, she was happy to do so.


The supply shipment also ensured an arrival of many videos from Pigeon’s parents, general updates on their lives and everything that had been going on in the neighborhood. All in all, it was a few hours of videos, and Pigeon hadn’t gotten through all of them yet with all the work she had been busy with, but she planned on showing them some of the interesting things that had arrived with the mau (namely, the blue lobsters that were on the menu now) and some of her new plants.


Although she was sure that human resources would be able to give the mau a more comprehensive tour, at least in terms of statistics and fun facts, Pigeon wanted to make sure the mau was being protected since she didn’t know exactly the reaction the mau would get. She was optimistic, hoping that once the mau settled in things would mostly go back to normal, but it was hard to tell with the whispers going around in secret. In the meantime, they would do their best to make sure that everything went well. That was their job, after all.


Pigeon watched the ship carefully as it docked, noting the name of the ship emblazoned on the side of the cargo. It was interesting, but she was too nervous to dwell on it any further. She had dragged Ren, Gem, and Landar with her to witness the mau’s arrival, and just generally make sure everything went smoothly. Eventually one of them would announce her arrival on the comms, but for now she was unwilling to break up the team when she had no idea what the rest of the people on Soot were thinking about the mau.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

"You must be the head of security!" Among the first men to come out was a large man. In... every sense. He was tall, and wide-shouldered, supporting quite a belly; combined with thick bones he looked like a giant. Scruffy and maybe even tattered, he looked more like a pirate rather than captain he clearly was based on the marks on his jacket. His dark-red hair was shaggy, as if he had just woken up, and face covered in scruff of different length, making him look somewhat mangy. Though the spirit was obviously up. "So nice to see you!" He walked to the people, legs a little wobbly after being on a vessel for so long, arms thrown apart as if he was going to go for a hug instead of shaking one's hand. As it was, he did neither of that, instead clasping his large hands over Pigeon's shoulders in an almost family gesture. Like a father who hasn't seen his child for a long time, and held them down to take a closer look. His eyes were small and dark-green, one obviously prosthetic, and not a good sort either. It was odd to have one in this day and age, but perhaps he didn't earn as much as one might think... or didn't care. "You are doing a great job out here, great job. I haven't been in a place like this before." He spoke. A smell of burned coffee and oil emanated from him - typical for engineers, but not so - for a captain.

"I am honestly a little ashamed to walk here, taking in the hospitality. This looks way too important for simple people to step in with their... dirty boots and lack of proper education." He joked. A small group of people were slowly oozing from the exit, looking around cautiously, taking in the new environment. This looked more like an overworked skeleton crew rather than a full one. Everyone clearly exhausted, clothes peppered with folds and small stains from work. Just a few people managed to change before going off board - the ones that looked fresher, less overworked than the rest. It as all and all a rough bunch, like a crew of misfits from some film series.

"I think he likes you." Murmured Landar, leaning a little closer to Pigeon. His voice was serious. Too serious for this not to be a joke.