Of All the Things To Forget

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Are you serious? You can't be serious. You built this incredible ship, the likes of which no man, alien, or robot has seen before, and you can't fly it." Jen's voice was tense, as it always was when she got mad.


Marx didn't come out from the 'engine tunnel', as she called it, instead opting to stay out of Jen's chocking range.


"Well, theoretically I can fly it, the mechanics and physics are simple enough to understand." She called up to Jen.


"But!?" Jen pressed, crouching next to the hole in the control room. While she usually would have complained about having to get a new outfit dirty, she was far to busy being angry about possibly being stranded on Alvari-Prime, a planet known for being home to several major criminals as well as one of the larger prisons of the surrounding star-system.


"But," Marx crawled back out of the engine tunnel and set down her wrench. She looked the angry brunet in the eye, her gaze purely focused and scientific, "Theres a difference between calculating the force necessary to land a space ship and actually landing a space-ship. Jen, I've never flown anything before, for all I know if I twitch at the wheel, we die in a ball of fire!"


"Well, then we're going to have to find a pilot. How many people can this ship sustain?" Jen breathed, trying to look at things the way Marx did. Rational seemed to be the way to go, especially if it meant they got off this planet faster.


"The thing is I designed it more like a scout ship," Marx reached out and Jen helped pull her out of the tunnel, grimacing when she saw the state of Marx's mechanic overalls, "Fast, sturdy, compact. This baby can hit speeds unmatched by the fastest of star-colliers...theoretically. It's got all the things we need, bathroom, kitchen, cargo bay, storage, control room, bedrooms, and leisure room. It can only house about five people, and that would be pretty compact. Thats the point when people would start sharing beds and what not."


"Well, if we're getting companions, you're going to have to change." Jen scoffed.


"Huh? Why?" Marx looked down, finding no issues with her worn, grubby, faded blue work suit. Sure there were oil stains and burn marks here and there, but it wasn't that bad. She honestly thought that her outfit suited Alvari-Prime better than Jen's did. Prison planets tended to house the more poor types anyway.


"Marcy, you're a mess, and thats just your outfit." Jen giggled. She yanked the blonde to her feet and shoved her towads the ladders up to the bedrooms. "Go put on something presentable, I'll stay here and watch your precious engine."


"Ugh, fine." Marx was half way up the ladder before calling down, "Don't touch anything!"

 

[Kaz]

Valen had never really wanted his job, well, to be fair, the posting his job had placed him at. Being one of the only doctors at Prison Gemini on Alvari-Prime, he hadn't much free time to himself.


Looking out from his tiny office window, one star-ship had caught his amongst the other rather plain looking and boring prison cargo ships. Slowly, he approached the window and saw that the ship had been steadily decreasing in speed and looked like it was coming in for a landing.


A thought lingered inside his mind, 'could that ship possibly be coming....here?'. He quickly went back to his desk and punched up the list of arrivals that day from his computer. Any ship that was on that list didn't even come close to what he saw outside.


Valen tapped his fingers on the desk below and frowned a bit with concern, if it wasn't a prison ship, then, who's was it? Were they apart of the government? Were they even locals? All of these questions bit at his mind as he sat down and tried to dig through his computer for any more information.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"We're alive!" Jen cheered. She spun in the navigator's seat like a child in a wheely chair. "Fantastic job Marcy!"


"I am never doing that again." Marx's grip on the controls left her white knuckled and shaking like a chihuahua. She slowly shut down the engines, finding comfort in the mechanical routine. Jen jabbed at the button's on her control panel and quickly found where they ended up. Marcy grumbled, "I'm a mechanic, not a damn pilot. We're not leaving this spot until we find a proper pilot."


"Uh, could you rethink that statement?" Jen squeaked. "As great a landing as that was, we're in the middle of a prison cargo lot."


"What!? I thought you said this was the planet's main dock!" Marx shot up and ran to Jen's side to look at the computer.


"It is. Apparently Prison Gemini is the main docking station for the planet." Jen replied.


"That makes sense, they wouldn't get much besides cargo and the occasional batch of new inmates." Marcy sighed and pulled on the jacket Jen had so kindly asked (demanded) that she wear to cover the 'atrocity' that was Marx's fashion sense. While she was content with a simple tank top and jeans, Jen wasn't about to let the time or place hinder her own fashion sense. Marx thought about slapping her for choosing to go out into a prison cargo yard in a skirt and blouse, but as far as Jen was concerned, that's what guards were for.


"Well," Marx left the control room, Jen in tow, and they both stepped out into the cargo lot. The Alvari-Prime's two suns beat down on the tarmac, making the step out of the star-ship's cargo bay and onto the lot feel like a thirty degree increase. Marx shielded her eyes with a hand, "I guess we'll be finding our crew here. Let's see what that building has to offer." She nodded at the grey monstrosity at the end of the lot.


"Quickly please," Jen huffed, tailing after Marx as she walked briskly towards the building. "This heat's going to ruin my complexion."

 

[Kaz]

The ship had landed.


Valen squinted as he saw two figures exit the craft; the pair obviously arguing before trying to make sense of their surroundings. It took him a bit to realize that they weren't accustomed to this planet at all; half of him dreading and the other hopeful. They were headed right for his building.


His usual routine starting to meld over intial excitment of something breaking the monotony; what questions he'd be tasked with asking, what to look for. A bit odd for someone not in the commerce industry.


The building he worked in was usually pretty boring, save for the occasional patient from the prison, yet, most of time it was just filled with some nurses running around or the odd guard mulling over some snack.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Marx stepped through the front door, Jen followed closely behind looking around at what appeared to be a medical facility. She sneered at the dull white walls, as if the lack of color offended her. The first room they walked into was very small. A single window near the door did little to light up the dull room. A reception desk sat in the middle of the room, cluttered with paperwork and the occasional pen or pencil. Behind the reception desk were two large doors with a sign that said 'ER' in bold print. A guard, looking as intimidating as a prison guard should, looked down at the two girls as they walked in. He quickly settled into place between the ER doors and a door that must have led to corporate offices or something of the sort. Marx didn't so much as blink at the man, while Jen clung onto her arm, using Marx as a human shield to avoid eye contact.


"Excuse me?" Marx walked up to the reception desk, behind which sat a young brunet boy who looked just as dull as the rest of the building. "My name's Marcelline and this is Jen, we--"


"Inmate number." The boy droned.


"We're not inmates. Look we got stranded here after--" Jen spoke up, coming to Marx's side.


"Lady, I don't care, we're only aloud to accept inmates or guards at this medical ward. Legally, I'm barely aloud to talk to you." He sniffed.


"Then let me talk to your manager." Marx got that look that said she wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. Jen crossed her arms and nodded, if Marx wasn't going to be moved than neither was she. Marx continued, "Surely you've got a doctor or someone we could talk to." Jen sent a weary glance towards the guard at the entrance to the ER wing. The boy blinked, then moved to a phone and started pushing buttons.

 

[Kaz]

The phone on his desk rang and for a moment, he wondered if there was a medical emergency, only to be met with the drone of his junior secretary.


"....Sir? There's two...females here to see you. May I send them in?"


He paused and bit his lip in thought, 'female?'.


"Are they inmates or?" A slight twinge of annoyance came from the other end.


"No, sir. They say they've been...stranded." With that, Valen hung up the phone and crossed his hands, waiting for the door to his office to be opened.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Go on in." The secretary pointed at the door next to the ER.


"Thank you." Marx replied sharply, and turned on her heel to head for the door. The guard took a step to the side, as if showing that he wasn't going to be hostile, Jen seemed to calm down a bit as a result.


Marx paused before opening the door. What exactly was she supposed to say, 'hey can we kidnap one of your staff?' That wouldn't go over well. Not to mention she was terrible at sugar coating things. Social-niceties weren't exactly her forté, she was a mechanic for exactly that reason, she didn't have to be social to fix an engine.


Jen put a hand on her shoulder and grinned," Relax! I'll start the conversation. First impressions are important, so wipe that oil off your cheek and let's go." Jen giggled and plucked at Marx's blonde hair for a moment, as Marx wiped the oil off with the hem of her jacket sleeve. With one more grin Jen knocked once then opened the door to the office, poking her head in.


"Hello," She opened the door all the way and stepped in the room, locking eyes with the man inside. Marx followed silently, taking in the room and carefully avoiding eye contact. Jen quickly continued, "My name's Jen, and this is Marcy. Would you happen to know where we can get a pilot?"

 

[Kaz]

Valen frowned a bit, a hand running through his neatly kept black hair. The two women that stood before him weren't the usual lot he'd been expecting.


It was the question, however, the caught him off guard. A moment passed before he cleared his throat and tried to give his best bedside smile.


"Ehh, hello. Pleased to meet you both, I am Doctor Valen Dreth." He paused for a second, wondering if his answer would upset them, "As for a pilot? I cannot say. The government requires I only render medical care, not supplying off-worlders with information."


He looked to the other woman, he could see the residue of oil and a couple of scars that were consistent with machinery. One in particular looking a bit fresher.


"I'm sorry that might not have been the answer you came here for, but..." he couldn't draw his attention away from the cut, "could I perhaps render medical care to your friend, Jen?" With that, he pointed to Marcy's arm.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

For the first time in the conversation, Marx looked up. She slowly followed the doctor's finger to her arm. Sure enough it was red, inflamed, and fairly new. "Oh hey." Marx twisted a bit to get a better look at the cut, mumbling "I hope oil didn't get in there."


"Marcy!" Jen squawked. "How did you not notice?!"


Marx shrugged, "Busy I guess, must have gotten it coming out of the engine tunnel. It could have been that loose-" Marx slowly went off on a one sided conversation with her self.


Jen groaned and turned back to the doctor, "Would you? If it's not too much trouble. If it's not treated now, she may forget about it and aggravate it more."

 

[Kaz]

He nodded and pointing to one of the small chairs near his desk, "certainly, just take a seat and let me gather my supplies." He turned and walked to his supply closet, opening it, and walking inside, grabbing what he needed.


When he was finished, he walked back to his desk and sat down, wheeling his chair around to the side of the smaller chair.


"If you'd be so kind as to roll up your sleeve, Ms.Marcy." He said, snapping on a pair of examination gloves.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Jen directed the still distracted Marx over to the chair, making her plop down. The act of moving brought Marx back to the real world and she turned to look over at the doctor. Both girls watched as he moved to the supply closet. Jen stepped to the side, leaning against the side of the desk to give him room to move.


Marx flinched at the harsh snap of the examination gloves and shot Jen a harsh glare when she giggled. "Geeze Marx, when was the last time you saw a doctor?"


Marx rolled up her sleeve and grumbled, "I don't see how that matters, I'm seeing a doctor now, so you can shut up."


"Touchy." Jen sang, secretly glad that Marx couldn't reach anything to throw at her. That fact only spurned her on her grin growing steadily wider, "Give it to me straight Doc, is she gonna die?"

 

[Kaz]

He rolled his eyes, welcoming the humor, "Well," he began, "it was on the cusp of infection and," he placed a thin glob of liquid into the wound. "by the looks of it, no, though I would like to ask a couple of questions."


With his free hand, he motioned to his desk, "Jen, would you be so kind as to grab my pen and paper?" Returning his attention to Marcy, turning her arm and looking up and down from the wound.


"So, Marcy. How long has it been since you've last been seen?" Valen asked, looking up to her.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Jen did as she was asked and handed him the pen and paper. Marx resisted the urge to poke at whatever liquid the doctor had put into her. Instead she focused steadily at the wall, keeping her free hand clenched tightly in her lap.


"Ten seconds, you just saw me, remember?" Marx couldn't resist the sarcasm, it helped calm her down.


"Marx." Jen warned, lightly kicking her shin.


"Not too long. A couple years. Ever since my last vaccination." Marx all but refused to look anyone in the eye. She quickly changed her mind, she could learn how to fly, it wouldn't be that hard. Then she could just fly away from uncomfortable conversations with strangers while they held a firm grip on your arm. If she could have gotten away with it, she would have yanked her arm out of his grip, but that would never work. She just had to sit there, endure, occasionally glancing at the doctor to keep an eye on him.

 

[Kaz]

"Oh, this will never do." He grabbed the paper and pen and jotted down some notes, occasionally looking up to Marcy as he wrote. With a small smirk, noting how tense his patient was around him, Valen stood up and straightened his tie.


"I'm afraid that you're in need of at least, at least six shots. However, without knowing your past medical history, I can only give two." He looked over to Jen and smiled.


"Unless, you'd be so kind as to produce some records, I'll have to draw blood from the both of you."

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Marx was halfway to the door when he said 'six shots' and only stuck around to hear the rest because Jen grabbed her by the waist and held her inside the room. Jen tugged Marx back inside and sat her back down so they could both listen to the doctor. Marx begrudgingly listened to him speak and at the end shared a nervous glance with Jen.


They couldn't run. The guard at the door prevented that, not to mention that they were sitting in the middle of a galactic prison. Marx chose to instead stay quiet, knowing that her skills with regards to subjects like this were limited. Jen, on the other hand, was a seasoned pro.


"We should have those records on the ship, I'm pretty sure that we made sure to grab them before we left Earth-Mark B." Jen tapped her chin thoughtfully, receiving only a nod from Marx. "Would you mind coming with us to get them? I don't think the Guard out there would just let us leave, without questioning us to a pulp."

 

[Kaz]

That took him aback for a moment; he had always hated the planet, the government, most of the people he worked with/on. Crossing his arms, Valen looked toward the camera that was positioned on the corner of the ceiling and glared to them.


"Oh, I'm sure you two have everything in order. Though, I suppose I could see how you keep this ship of yours in order. Think of it as....preventive medicine." He said, nervously fixing his tie again and looking back to the camera.


"I will need to collect a few items first, so, if you two would please remain seated as I prepare." He motioned to the two, only using a flick of his eyes, towards the camera. He hoped against hope that they'd understand what he was trying to do.


Valen moved past his desk and back to the closet, trying his best to stall as he'd already had a huge back full of supplies packed already.


The government was, for lack of a better word, strict. Daily investigations were conducted for the "good" of the people. In fact, the only reason he himself hadn't been sent off was due to his skill set. Though, he may as well had been one of the inmates.


He slowed as he remembered his family, more importantly, his brother. From even a very early age, Valen had to guide his brother, teach him right from wrong, educate him. It was only when the planet became nothing more than a cesspool for criminals, did any of that change.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Preventative medicine?" Jen grumbled, standing beside Marx. "Does he think I'm going to break a bone between here and there?"


Marx stood up, pulling her sleeve back down over her arm. "You so would." She nudged Jen with a smile. Both girls stood patiently, the time allowed Marx to calm down. While Jen was completely comfortable with lying, Marx was not. Lying was one of the things that she was truly atrocious at. No matter how little or white, Marx could not lie. That's how she and Jen got along so well. Jen could handle the social, all the little white lies that people needed to hear to appease them, Marx could handle the mechanical. She'd yet to meet a machine that she couldn't improve. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. A force that can't fly a friggin' space-ship Marx thought angrily.


Marx's thoughts paused when she looked up at the doctor and for the first time, she spoke up without prompting from Jen, "You okay there, doc?"

 

[Kaz]

He paused for a moment and nodded, trying motion them away from the camera's gaze.


"Oh, yes. I'm fine. Just going to take a bit to gather all that I need. There's some water on my desk if y'all want some. I know how hot it can get outside."


He grabbed his medical bag; a white and red affair fully stocked with most of what he'd need when away from suitable facilites. Then grabbed his white overcoat, a large staff with a single serpent embroidered on the back.


Still one for some humor, Valen chuckled a bit before speaking.


"I hope you both are aware of the multitude of vaccinations and series of shots you'll need. Space can be a very dirty and unforgiving place."

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Tn that case, I welcome death with open arms." Marx replied bluntly.


Jen gave her a playful swat on the back, gently guiding Marx out of the camera's gaze. "Marx is kidding, of course. Feel free to stick her with a needle any time the desire catches you." Jen grinned. "I, on the other hand, have been fully vaccinated."


Marx coughed, "Liar. Such a liar." and received another slap on the back for her trouble.


Jen grabbed the water bottle on the desk, "What a horrible cough, better drown it." She and Marx fell into a scuffle, as they usually did, of keeping the bottle away from one another. The bottle quickly ended up back on the desk, and Jen began fixing her hair. Marx settled with fiddling one of the medical machines on a nearby table. It gave the occasional beep, and if Marx knew more about biology she could have figured out what it was for. She pushed a couple random buttons on it, jumping when it beeped and frowning when it didn't. Jen turned back to the Doctor.


"So doctor, how do you like this job?" Jen asked innocently enough, jumping when Marx elbowed her and looked pointedly at the camera. Jen quickly tried to amend, "I-I mean, hows the pay and all that? I thought about being a doctor myself when I was a kid, but some other stuff got in the way."

 

[Kaz]

Valen glared a bit as he walked towards the small machine and turned it off.


"...Pay? I live off allowance that the government provides. They own the appartment and car I have." He replied, heading to his desk and shutting off the computer, grabbing a small, blue disk.


"Now, if you two are finished with roughhousing like kids, let's get to your craft." Silently, Valen hoped the small surge of power had gotten to the camera and other recording devices. He waited a moment before seeing the camera whirr around and stop, the tiny red light underneath going out.


With that, he exhaled slowly and tugged the bag onto his shoulders, looking to the both of them. "We need to get out of here, they'll be curious as to why their camera has gone out."

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Disappear?! Finally something we're good at!" Jen cheered.


"Hush." Marx scolded, heading towards the door calmly. "Calm down. We need to get past your reception then we have a clear shot to our Skipper. Let's go."


Jen smiled at Valen, nudging him with an elbow, and whispered, "This is so much easier than having to kidnap you."


Marx shot a look at the both of them and calmly opened the door. Given her lack of the ability to lie, Marx had instead developed quite the poker face. She turned and held open the door for the other two. Jen headed out first, smiling her award winning smile at the guard and young boy, "We're taking the doctor out for a lunch break. We promise to have him back in half an hour."

 

[Kaz]

The boy raised an eyebrow as he looked to the three of them. "But.." Valen cleared his throat and gave a half wink in his direction.


"I won't be gone long." To that, the boy frowned and looked to the two women before going back to his computer.


"Fine, though, don't say I didn't warn youabout what happened to the previous on-call when he was gone on a 'lunch' break." Valen rolled his eyes and headed towards the main door to the prison's landing pad.


"Well, ladies? After you."

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Jen hooked arms with Marx and held her at a steady walking pace through the door, "Thank you, and we'll see you later gentlemen!" Jen called over her shoulder.


Marx was held still from running for her ship. Even at this distance she was checking it for damages. No one seemed to have touched it, it was still sleek, clean, perfect. That skipper was her baby, she'd spent two years scrounging the parts and putting it together piece by piece. Jen had helped to the best of her abilities, but when Marx started saying things that had been dubbed 'techno-babble' Jen could only hope to keep up. She was far more of a socialite, Marx was perfectly content with her ship, but Jen loved exploring and meeting new people. She held a fast grip on Marx's arm, keeping her at a calm gait as they grew closer to the ship.

 

[Kaz]

Valen squinted a bit before his eyes adjusted to the natural light of outside. The ship before him was one unlike any he'd seen before; sleek and more aerodynamic than the bulky, black cargo ships he'd seen.


He walked a bit faster, uneasily nodding to the guards as they past the outside gate to the pad with the ship on it.


"Wow....where'd you two get the money for a ship like this?" Valen said, scouring the vessel with his eyes, taking in each detail and nuance.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Well, we didn't really 'get the money for it' per say." Jen held Marx a bit longer, not wanting to arouse suspicion. "Marcy built it. Piece by piece. The exterior and engines are all her design. She let me do the interior. It's not completely finished, but the kitchen's fully stocked and the couches are the most comfortable things in the galaxy."


Jen paused when she felt Marx starting to pull at her arm. It was like watching a dog look longingly at a piece of steak, Jen finally sighed and released Marx. The little blonde shot off at speeds rivaling her own ship, aimed directly for the cargo bay. The large cargo bay door slowly rose as Marx all but smashed the button. Before the loading ramp even touched ground she was up into the ship.


Jen laughed awkwardly. "This thing's her baby, she poured her heart and soul into it. Come on, let's show you the grand tour. Well, I say grand, it's only a skipper, or so Marx says, a planet hopper, so a mini grand tour."