While Omi was excited to make introductions, Oliver mainly focused on learning their names and making sure he could identify each on sight rather than getting to know anyone. He didn't have anything against them, he just didn't see the need to get too close to people he likely wouldn't see again.
He made a small exception for Omi, but that was at least partially because of their connection through the Commissions.
He paid extra care when meeting the other three security people, as he knew he would have to communicate with them more than the others... The fact that one of them was Omi's niece made him a bit wary, though...
“-and this is my niece, Umi. I trained her myself.” Omi said proudly as he clapped the smaller Rach on the shoulder. Taking a closer look at the girl, Oliver thought he could see a bit of a resemblance, mainly in their coloration. He had no idea how the Rach managed to tell each other apart, perhaps through their scents or some other sense that he didn't possess... But, Oliver found, he could kind of feel the differences between the ones he had spoken to.
He had no idea how that feeling worked, but he wasn't about to doubt it- and he mostly attributed it to his Spirit attribute. Maybe he was picking up on whatever they used to differentiate each other?
“I hate to ask this, friend Silk,” He began, his voice soft and hesitant. He glanced around to make sure the other Rach couldn't overhear. “but please look after Umi. I do not wish for harm to befall any of my people, but... She is my niece. Her mother would be devastated if anything happened to her.”
Oliver could see a hint of annoyance in Umi's body language, but she remained silent as they spoke. After a second of studying her, Oliver sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for her as much as I can. It kinda depends on whoever is in charge, though. They may have us split up or just covering different things.”
“Who is leading the group anyway?”
Omi's sudden fidgeting, plus Umi's startled gasp, was enough for Oliver to get a sinking feeling in his gut.
“Ah, well... I was the only one with combat experience... And, with our losses from before, the security people and many of the crew are new... So, tech Vadrin will be the one directing the crew... But he has no experience with combat...So...”
“So you want me to lead the security people... And probably advise Vadrin in how to keep us all alive.” Oliver resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall as his new friend nodded. He expected a simple job... and now they were trying to put their lives in his hands.
“Yes, friend Silk.” Omi responded hesitantly. “Its just that... Well, they all lack experience... And, I mean no offense by this, but you have the air of someone that understands violence. It is a bit...intimidating to some people.”
Oliver eyed him sideways for a moment before a grin formed on his face. “But not you.” At Omi's unconcerned shrug, Oliver chuckled. “Ok, I'll see what I can do. As long as people listen, that is. I'm not going to risk my neck saving an idiot that just wants to argue.”
“That is perfectly reasonable, friend Silk. I will speak with them to ensure they understand.” Omi said before taking off to do exactly that.
With introductions, and the matter of leadership, settled, Oliver finally turned his attention to the shuttle he was so eager to see... And was honestly a bit disappointed. It was a huge, box-like affair, looking more like a bunch of shipping containers welded together and set on a dozen legs rather than a spaceship. Evenly spaced windows lined the sides, while small protrusions dotted its length on both sides- and, after leaning down for a better look, the bottom as well. Just judging by the regular pattern of them, he guessed they were present on the top as well, but he hesitated to climb up and check.
He didn't want to get in the way of the pilots and techs that were even then doing their pre-flight checks. It would be rude, and possibly delay their take-off... which he definitely didn't want. And he didn't want to risk ended up in an argument with any of them, but that was a lesser concern.
All he could do now was wait for the signal to go... Which, after a moment, he realized Umi was doing as well. Standing right beside him. Silently.
“You're a quiet one, aren't you?”
“Yep.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“... I think we'll get along just fine, Umi.”
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The wait, unfortunately, was incredibly dull. His only moment of excitement was when his hazard suit was delivered.
His was noticeably different from the others, for obvious reasons, but also similar in a few ways. All of them were skintight, and made of some material he didn't recognize. Likely some synthetic polymer the Rach had designed, but which he knew nothing about- though he was a bit curious, as it was exceptionally comfortable and durable... and it would likely be something worth selling, if he could get more of it.
The suits covered all of them from the neck down. Combined with a helmet, it was completely sealed off the protect the wearer. The helmet itself had a clear face-plate that offered a wide field of view, which he imagined was because the Rach themselves had a greater degree of vision on the side and above because of the way their eyes protruded. 'Bug eyes...' He joked to himself, suppressing a laugh.
The biggest difference between his suit and theirs, aside from the physiological, was the color. While the Rach all wore bright, reflective orange... Oliver had specifically requested black. While they all wanted to stand out to make finding each other easier, especially in emergencies, he wanted the ability to be a little more stealthy when things went wrong.
And he was sure that something would go wrong at some point. Their previous experiences, plus his tendency to be a bit paranoid... and all of the unknowns involved... Yeah, he expected trouble.
“Lita, be a dear and cover me from the neck down... And, if things go bad, be ready to cover my head as well. Under the hazard suit, though. Better to let it take the brunt of whatever happens.” Oliver whispered to his own armor.
“What was that, friend Silk?” Umi hesitantly asked.
“Nothing. Just preparing.”
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He watched as the shuttle slowly lifted off and trundled down to the airlock. It lacked the grace and elegance he had hoped to see in a spaceship, but he couldn't fault the Rach for prioritizing cargo capacity. As the airlock closed behind the ship on its way out for the scanning flyby, he couldn't help but turn to Umi to ask the question that was eating at him.
“How does it fly?”
Umi shrugged indifferently, her eyes not leaving the ship until the airlock closed. “I dunno. Something about magnets in fields. It doesn't make sense to me, but I was never really interested in the science stuff.”
“Magnets in fields? What- wait, do you mean magnetic fields? How-”
She shrugged again, complete unfazed by his outburst. “Like I said, I dunno. It flies. That's all I care about.” With that, she took a seat nearby to wait for the shuttle to return.
Oliver stared blankly at her for a moment before shaking his head. “Yeah... It's moments like this where I almost wish I was a science major...”
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Omi cursed quietly while shaking his head.
“What's up Omi?” Oliver asked in concern.
“The planets a yellow.” He answered despondently.
“And what does that mean?” Oliver asked with a bit of confusion. While it sounded like they color coded planets, he wasn't sure what their system was... Other than that yellow wasn't good.
Omi explained slowly, still clearly unhappy with the result. “Green is for planets virtually identical to ours. Blue means close enough for us to inhabit with a few minor issues.”
“Yellow is for planets that, while the environment is technically safe, would have severe adverse effects on our people that prevent long term habitation. Short term exposure should be fine, though...”
Oliver nodded sympathetically. They could do the job, but the Rach would still be searching for a new home. He could understand his friend's feelings, having his hopes dashed once again. “I'm guessing there are worse classifications as well?”
Omi nodded slowly. “Yes... Orange for those where short-term exposure is damaging but treatable. Red for severe danger, even when wearing our hazard suits... And black...”
He hesitated for a moment before reluctantly finishing. “If it was a black, the shuttle would be lost and we would leave immediately. We've only theorized those, but... in the event we do see one, losing just the shuttle and its pilots would be the best case scenario. I hope we never encounter a planet that terrible... Most of my people don't even know we have a protocol for those.”
Oliver's brow furrowed as he considered that maybe he wasn't the only paranoid one around... Though he also approved of the caution they were showing.
It only took one mistake to ruin everything, after all.
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Boarding the shuttle and getting everyone strapped in only took a few minutes. Oliver was practically vibrating with excitement. He was just seconds away from his first space flight.
“This is fucking awesome!” He whispered enthusiastically to himself... earning another side-eye glance from Umi, which he promptly ignored.
Flight, landing, and then... work.
He was ready to explore.