Horizon

[goldenspines]

GM is Rocklobster.

Have fun and play safe!

[rocklobster]

OK. Let's start!
Damien was walking from his church. He thought about his past. I'm in a place where hopefully knows the sins I have committed. Not a bad way to start over.

[Ally-Ann]

The earthy smell combined with the industrial stench invaded her nose, and all she could do was ignore it as she walked through the colony's town, the only military medic standing out amongst the other normal-dressed citizens. She was clad in her on-duty uniform, blonde hair pulled into a bun, just below the bottom hem of her beret. It seemed like a normal day; people milling about, small children running around and playing tag (Or whatever it was that little kids liked to do. She didn't remember being a small child), a crisp atmostphere engulfing her line of vision. So much like the earth she remembered, yet so different. She had been living with this colony for three years, and she still felt new, still felt like a rookie in her field. Still felt like an outsider. It didn't really bother her, though. It was what it was, and quite frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted to get to the hospital, tend to some people, and get done with her day without worries or complications, just like most days panned out.

Mirabelle caught a few people glancing at her, but ignored them effortlessly. She got a lot of looks, not all of which were admiring ones, either. She figured she probably intimidated people a little bit, though she couldn't imagine why; she was a 5'3 blonde medic. An military medic, yes, but still just a medic. She couldn't be that intimidating. Maybe I'm just paranoid, she thought indifferently. After all, she knew plenty of people who seemed to like her, or at least enjoy her company. Take the lieutenant colonel of her battalion*, for example. He never complained about being around her. A gruff man, yes, but he was never mean to her. There were also the other few medics that seemed to at least tolerate her. There was at least four of them, so that was be enough to tell her that she was a hospitable person, or at least a decent one. Then again, perhaps people were simply wary of soldiers.


Mira paused her walking upon seeing the church, and she tilted her head slightly. It was a beautiful building. Small, and perhaps even puny, but she couldn't help but find it a bit charming. She always procrastinated about going to a service one of those days, but that was the problem; it was mere procrastination. She never got around to going. She always seemed to be busy, even on Sunday mornings. There was always some new rookie in the battalion who wouldn't hold a gun right, and would then end up shooting himself somewhere in the leg or arm. There was never time on Sunday mornings for her to relax. Not only that, but what also drove her procrastination was that she had lost a good chunk of hope in God and didn't really give Him a chance; she lost almost all of her childish faith when she moved to the new planet.

Still, though, Mira stood there, hands in her long-jacket's pockets, as she stared at the building, letting her thoughts race for a moment. She glanced left and right awkwardly to make sure no one was watching her, and then she pulled her hands from her pockets and folded them together and closed her eyes in preparation to pray. One time couldn't hurt. God, if you exist, please let me have a good day. Please, don't let there be too many patients, especially hurt or sick children. I really don't like to see harmed children. And please, let there be as little-- if any-- suffering from patients as possible. Amen. Just as Mira opened her eyes and unfolded her hands, something-- or someone-- tackled her legs with such strong momentum that she toppled over and fell hands-first onto the church yard. She looked behind her, and saw that, even though she herself wasn't standing, there was a familiar child still clinging to her legs with a look of joy and excitement plastering her face.

"MIRA~!" The child cried out with joy as she continued to embrace the blonde's legs. Mira blinked at the sight.

"Em-Emily, it's nice to see you, but what are you--"

"It's Orion!" The girl exclaimed as she let go of Mira's legs to allow the medic to stand. Mira did just that and brushed the grass and dirt off of her jacket.

"Who?"

"Orion!"

"I don't know who that is."

"He's an explorer!"

Mira pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, before a sentence strung itself on the verge of sarcasm. "Oh, great." Mira wasn't a fan of explorers. Many of them were over-exuberant, annoying, and smelled like funky spices. "What about him?"

"He says he may have found a new plant that could hold record-breaking medicinal properties!" The small girl, Emily, chattered excitedly. "Isn't that great?!"

She must be this explorer's new errand girl or even his new shadow... Mira thought annoyedly. "Yeah, I guess. But listen, kid, I'm not a medical scientist. Just a medic. I don't make the medicine, I just apply it."

"I bet you could make it."

"I bet you I couldn't. Why are you bringing this to me, anyway?" Mira asked, folding her hands behind her head as she waited patiently for the child to finish her bubbly chatter.

"Because, you're Mira! You're important and special; I can feel it in my pancreas!" Emily explained with finality. Mira quirked an eyebrow, slightly amused.

"Your pancreas?"

"It's sort of in the tummy area."

"Yes, I know."

"See?! Who else knows where their pancreas is?" Emily wailed desperately, as if she thought she was making a good point and knew that Mira wasn't getting it. Mira shrugged.

"All of my fellow medics do," she replied, turning on her heel to start heading towards the hospital again. Emily wailed again before Mira facepalmed. "Gosh darn it, Emily, I have to get to work, and you're making a scene!" It was true. People were staring at the blonde soldier and small child, both of whom were rather animated at this point.

"Please, just come and meet him and see what he got on his trip!" Emily begged in one breath, now on her knees with her tiny hands folded. Mira let out an exasperated sigh.

Well, this'll be the only day that I'm late... I guess I can spare a few minutes. Mira glanced about furtively, emabarassed slightly that she was the center of a scene, before nodding hesitantly. "Fine, fine. I'll meet this Orion, see what he has, and then I need to get to work."


OOC: I may just have to fill out a character sheet for Emily now...
*A battalion is anywhere from 300-1300 soldiers; the smallest military unit capable of performing independent operations. Just thought you should know.

[rocklobster]

Damien laughed to himself at Mira and Emily. One of these days, I have to get to know more people. But I'm always afraid to because I know they'll find out.
He called to his husky, London. (named after Jack London) As they walked, London acted skittish, as if he heard sounds others could not.
"What's wrong, boy?" he asked London. London barked and then ran off. Damien chased after him and saw what London was upset about. A platypus-bear was attacking a Selki child.
"Sick it, London!" Damien commanded. The dog leaped onto the platypus-bear and wrestled it to the ground.
The child looked up at Damien as if she was afraid of him. Damien saw that the child had been beaten and the energy cuffs around her wrists (energy cuffs are handcuffs that send nullifying charges to their victims, sapping their strength). Damien looked in his travel bag.
Good thing I kept this memento. He took out a small, pointed object and inserted it into a hole in the cuffs. The cuffs were instantly deactivated.
This girl doesn't have a translator in her ear. I'm going to need someone to help. He took out a communicator and dialed the number for his Selki friend, Briar.
"Briar, it's Damien. I found a Selki who looks like she's been kept as a slave. I'll need a translator. I'm sending you my location." He tapped a few icons and moved his communicator around, taking pictures of buildings and landmarks. Then he tapped "send".
OOC: Yes, the planet has Platypus-bears, just like on Avatar the Last Airbender.

[sarahjoy78]

~~ Briar ~~

Briar was helping her father with some paper work when her communicator rung. She looked at her father and smiled. "I shall return soon father," she said. He looked at her. "Where are you off to this time young one," he asked her. She smiled.
"Someone needs help father," she said giving him a hug. She rushed out the door and to the place where Damien awaited her. She saw the selki girl and gasped. "What happened here Damien," she asked.

[Wolfsong]

Yune was crouched behind a small, thorny bush that reminded her of rose bushes back home. She was crouched down in an awkward position, staring through the bush. The object of her scrutinty: a small lizard-like creature creeping along a leaf.
"Incredible," she breathed. It jumped suddenly to another leaf, and vanished into the bush. She smiled as she sat up. "What a wonderful world," she said to herself. She spoke a lot to herself, since no one else seemed to like listening. She just wished they could understand what she saw. Then she heard strange cries south from her. Curious and worried, she lept up and ran toward the sounds. They stopped suddenly, and she was worried what that could mean. When she arrived, she saw the familiar figure of Father Damien with a Selki child and another person she couldn't remember. She walked over quickly.
"What happened?" she asked, noting the trampled grounds. "A platypus-bear attack? Is the child alright?"

[rocklobster]

Damien took out a rod-shaped object and waved it over the child. All the scratches on the child healed.
"Yes, but there's a bigger problem here, Yune. See these? These are illegal." He showed her the energy cuffs. "They used these on criminals and slaves all the time. I've...seen them before in my travels." he quickly said, trying hard not to say that he was once led around in energy cuffs. "Energy cuffs weaken your muscles and sap your strength. There were actions taken to ban their use, but I guess not everyone listened." He turned to Briar. "Could you ask her her name? She doesn't have a translator, so if I talk to her, it'll just be gibberish."

[Makachop^^128]

OOC: Is it ok if I give my character a pet? :3

~~Mal~~ upon arriving on the new colony Mal walked out of the ship with is on bag of everything he owned and his cat Pangur on his shoulder. He decided to try to find a ship to do business and live on, This planet had not be suffocated yet by the laws and regulations of Earth yet. "Doin business here will be easy!" He thought to himself "Right Pangur?" He said to his cat.

[sarahjoy78]

~~ Briar ~~

Briar looked at the cuffs closely. "Hello dear. I am Briar. What is your name," she asked. The girl looked at her. "My name is Ji," she said. Serephine nodded. "Her name is Ji," she told the others. "What happened to you," Briar asked the girl. The girl started crying. "This is horrible. Damien, Do you know hoe to get these of? Wait a second, does this mean that this child has a master? Is he nearby," she asked.

~~ Sarah ~~

Sarah looked out the window and saw one of her solders running to her. "Commander. Damien is out again just like you thought. He was caught with that alien girl, Briar, but this time they are with a young alien girl. You may want to go take a look yourself Commander," she said. Sarah nodded. "Thank you Johnson. You may leave," she said. "Yes mam," Johnson said saluting and then rushing off. Sarah grabbed her coat and walked over to wear Damien was. She saw them a little ways away. She walked to them and looked at Damien. "Who is this child Damien," she asked him. Briar looked at her. Sarah and Briar did NOT get along. "Her name is Ji. She is a slave to one of your people," Briar said with a glare at her. If looks could kill, Briar would be dead with the glare that Sarah shot. "I didn't ask you," she snapped. She looked at the young girl. "Damien. Those cuffs. I've seen them before. My father used to put them on criminals and his slaves when he was commander," she said. Briar gasped. "You DO have slaves," she said accusingly. Sarah glared at her once again. "When I became commander I banned my solders from having slaves, but most wouldn't listen to me. They show me respect otherwise so I didn't really care," she said. Briar glared. "What if you were a slave. Then I bet you would care," she said. Sarah was about ready to strangle the alien girl. "Shut up Briar. It's not important right now," she said. She turned back to Damien. "I have the key to unlock cuffs like these," she said holding out the key to Damien.

[tronethiel7]

~~Will~~

Will sat at his desk gazing blankly, though not thoughtlessly, through the open door of his office that led out into the main corridor of Colonial Army Administrative Branch. Heh. First Lieutenant. He thought. How dreadfully uninteresting. He had started of as a field officer, per the deal his father had made with the economic interests of the Colonial Army. However, during his first week of duty, a riot of over one hundred Selkian rebels had showed up at the front door and demanded the army vacate their land. "It's rightfully our's you human scum," He clearly recalled their shouts. As the rest of the troupe had suited up to scatter the rioters, Will, who avoided the use of guns if possible, had wandered aimlessly out from a side passage and behind the crowd without their instant notice. No one else had noticed flames that had begun to eat at the side of a nearby house. "Fire!" he had warned them. His scream had been followed by loud wailing from inside the house. Will, a slight upward curve forming at the edges of his mouth, had shot towards the house without hesitation, running in to find a young Selki boy of no more than six coughing uncontrollably. He had liberated the boy from the flames and placed him in the middle of the crowd. Knowing the air was still tense from their riotous attitudes, Will had proceeded to give a short but moving speech about racial equality and hope for the future, of course which he contextualized with the help of the boy's presence. Encouraging that the mob return home and the cherish their young; as the little ones were the true hope for change. The crowd has disbanded. And now Will was here, only a month later. Word of his charisma and bravery had quickly spread. The higher-ups always lacking in soldiers of good administrative material had hastily promoted him to First Lieutentant and he had been given an office in the Administrative Branch. He sighed. What prestige... Just more paperwork. Will raised a cup to his lips and sampled the robust red liquid. It was almost blood red. It was also by far one of Will's favorite things about the colony when he had first come, better than any tea he had enjoyed back home. His musings were interrupted by the sound of boots tramping down the hall. A soldier passed. Will called after him, "Soldier, what is your business?" "A slave girl has just been rescued in the main square, sir, I'm reporting to the commander" he responded. The soldier rushed off. He mused. Hm. Two Selki children of intrigue this month alone, I guess I should see for myself...

[rocklobster]

Ji spoke to Briar and told her who the master was (it's Will, btw). She turned to Sarah and nodded, as if indicating that she wanted to be freed.
"Well, I guess we ought to free her. And then we need to get her some food. She looks like she hasn't been fed in a few days."
He then took Briar aside. "Look, I know you and Sarah don't get along. I don't like the military much myself...had some...bad times with them. Not as a soldier, but, well, things weren't great. But this isn't the time. We have to work with her for now."

[Ally-Ann]

Emily took Mira by the hand, and they walked in the opposit direction of where Mira had been going.

"Where does this Orion live?" Mira asked, allowing herself to be led by Emily.

"Sort of at the edge of town, near the forest," the child replied indifferently.

"The forest? Isn't that where a bunch of strange creatures live?"

"That's why he has a bunch of different weapons and traps and stuff."

"Right, he's an explorer..." Mira mumbled through a sigh. They received more looks, all of which were slightly-scared looks. Why do they act so scared?

"Is that soldier taking that little girl?"

"Shouldn't that soldier just get to her duty station? I dind't think the military was supposed to be milling about the town without purpose."

They act like I'm some sort of monster. I'm the exact opposite!! Mira complained mentally. As Emily led her through the town, they came upon the main square, where there seemed to be a commotion going on. It seemed to catch Emily's attention as well, and the child slowed her pace down to a stop.

"Lots of people..." She mumbled, hiding behind my legs. The poor girl was dreadfully shy to people she didn't know. Mira walked towards the group slowly, but didn't actually become a part of the group. She didn't want to scare or offend anyone.

"Is something wrong?" Mira asked as she was pushed forward slightly by Emily. The blonde medic caught a glimpse of a small Selki, and the former's eyes widened slightly. She had to have been only a child, and she looked petrified. She could see the all-too-familiar energy cuffs on the ground. "Oh..." Mira breathed very quietly in realization. This Selki child must have been a slave. Mira had never been a fan of the Selki, but this one was just a child, like Emily, just not the same species.

Mira took her gaze off of the Selki and looked around at the group. There was another older-looking Selki, the priest that she had seen a couple times, and the commander of what must be either a different battalion, or maybe even the entire brigade. Mira saluted her. "Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked as Emily peeked out from behind her legs. Orion would have to wait.

[sarahjoy78]

~~ Briar ~~

Briar looked at Damien. "Your right. I'm sorry Damien," she said. Briar looked at Sarah. "Sarah. Could I please free Ji. I think that she trusts me more because I am of her kind," she said. Surprisingly Sarah nodded and handed her the key. Briar smiled and took the key. She walked up to Ji and she unlocked the cuffs. The cuffs fell down and Briar helped Ji up. Sarah saw a girl walk up, her name was Mira if memory recalled. "Hello Mira. There is actually something that you can do. Could you find some food and water for this young Selki child," she asked her.

[tronethiel7]

~~Will~~
Will had donned a hooded cloak upon entering the main square. As he approached the scene he froze. The local priest, a Selki-woman, whom he vaguely remembered to be of some status, and the commander, either stared at or crouched in a circle around the young girl. A Selki girl, whom he recognized instantly. Foolish child. He thought. Will took a few steps back, melting into the shadows of a nearby awning.

Shortly after he had been promoted Will had purchased her. Slaves could be expensive, but that hadn't been an issue for him. Between his salary and the monthly stipend his father, a man of excessive affluence, had granted him, he'd found ways to spend...enjoyably and productively. Indeed, Will had purchased her for the sole sake of owning her. He was a man who enjoyed toying with lives, and he had thought actually owning one would be a more exhilarating experience. Unfortunately, that had not been the case. She had been an object of complete and utter submission. He despised that. People were much more interesting when you pulled strings they did not know they had and moved them in ways they thought they had chosen. Perceived self-destruction by what seemed to be the hands of fate.

His thoughts returned to the present situation. The girl had escaped from the unused army storage bin he had kept her in somehow. Hm. This could be interesting. I'll allow events to unfold a bit longer. The girl has little other use anyhow.

OOC: I know that slavery is illegal. So, it didn't seem appropriate to have him claim the girl outright. I wasn't sure of the ramifications. This seems an appropriate response in character though.

[rocklobster]

"I think I have an idea. These cuffs were most likely bought on the black market." Damien said. "Do you think you could analyze it and see where they were bought from?"
OOC: Even in this future, barcodes are still used to purchase things. Maybe you could have someone scan the cuffs for a barcode.

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: Who is Damien talking to? Briar?

[rocklobster]

OOC: I was thinking Sarah, actually. Maybe you could have Mira go look for food at the local market. Sorry, should've said who he was speaking to.

[sarahjoy78]

~~ Sarah ~~

Sarah nodded and took the cuffs. "I'll see to it right away," she said. "In fact, Mira, when you go to get some food and water could you please drop these off at the lab," she asked her with a smile. Briar looked at Damien. "Damien. What do we do with her now," she asked.

[rocklobster]

"Let's see if we can get her to talk some more."
London curiously crept up to the child and sniffed her. He whined as if wanting her to pet.
"Hey, that's an idea!" Damien said. "Briar, tell her to let London sniff her hand. It's how dogs determine if someone is friendly."

[Ally-Ann]

Mira nodded at Sarah and Briar's instructions, taking the cuffs into her own hands. "Yes ma'am," she replied. She looked at Emily behind her before crouching down to the child's level. "Emily, I need you to go and play around for a while. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to come with me to the lab."

"What?!" Emily shrieked, her shy expression changing to one of disappointed shock. "Why not? Labs are fun!"

"Labs are dangerous," Mira corrected firmly. "Especially the one here. Too many harmful chemicals and who-knows-what-else. I don't want you to get hurt." Emily sighed, head hanging slightly. Mira rolled her eyes slightly at this before sighing herself. "But... maybe you can help me out a little bit, too." Emily's eyes lit up at this as she waited further instruction.

"Really? Me? Help you?!" She repeated excitedly. Mira rubbed the back of her neck hesitantly with her empty hand.

Should I really send her into that hospital? Mira wondered before opening her mouth to speak. "Yes," she started. "I don't know if you've realized, but I'm thirty minutes late as it is, and now I have some more off-duty work to do. I need you to go the hospital and request to see the head medic if he's free. If he's not, just tell the accountant that Mirabelle Emberlin is tending to an urgent problem and will be quite late if she even appears today. Got it?" Emily nodded vigorously. "Good. Now go, hurry. I need to drop these off and get some food and water for this poor kid," Mira instructed, motioning her head slightly in the small Selki's direction.

"Yes ma'am!" Emily exclaimed with a serious face, saluting Mira before dashing off towards the hospital.

Mira stood from her crouched position and placed the energy cuffs into one of her jacket's pockets. She straightened out any wrinkles that accumulated on her jacket and turned back to the others. "I should be back soon. If I'm not, I'm in trouble with my battalion commander," Mira stated, straightening her beret before walking from the group at a good pace, as if on a mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It only took her ten minutes to walk from the group to the front double-doors of the main military building. It was a large building; probably 4-5 levels. This was where the main and most important military officials worked, though this building wasn't for training; it was for handling all sorts of paper work, documents, the Treaty, and Mira knew that there were even two levels for the academic portion of soldier training. You couldn't go into the military an idiot; you had to have some brains.

She opened the doors to the building before walking in. Let's see... The labs should be the lowest level, but I don't see a sign for them, Mira thought as she began walking down a hallway. I guess I'll just have to open some doors to see what I can find. No one walking down the halls seemed to give her any looks. They must all be affiliated with the military somehow... She thought with relief as she rounded a corner.

[AdriTan]

Dridoll decided to call Briar. She didn't really have anything to do and she wanted to learn more about the humans. She dialed and waited for her to answer.

[sarahjoy78]

~~ Briar ~~

Briar nodded and told little Ji to let the dog smell her. Then, Briar heard her phone ringing and she answered quickly. "Hey Dridoll! I'm over by the labs talking to some people. Why don't you come over and we can go out afterwards," she said.

~~ Sarah ~~

Sarah watched Briar on the phone and smiled. Sarah had friends herself but it was hard to make friends as a commander. Everyone called her Caption or Commander. It was hard a lot of the time but she would live.

[rocklobster]

London curiously sniffed Ji's hand and whined.
"That's his way of saying he likes you." Damien offered. "Why not pet her. She's very friendly."
Ji looked up at Briar and then cautiously stretched out her hand. She patted London on the head and the dog wagged his tail. Ji laughed.
"Well, it's a start." Damien said. "Tell her my name's Damien and I want to be her friend."

[sarahjoy78]

Briar nodded. She walked over to Ji and bent down. "Ji, This is my good friend Damien. He is called a human. He is very nice and wants to also be your friend. Will you be his friend? He can help you and I promise you that he will not hurt you," she said to her with a smile.

[rocklobster]

Ji nodded and said "I will try to trust him for you, Briar."
"Well, I think we should try to go to the market. Coming along, Briar?" Damien asked.

[sarahjoy78]

Briar nodded. I'll just tell Dridoll to meet us there real quick," she said. She quickly did so and then nodded. "Okay. I'm ready. You coming along Sarah," she asked her. Sarah shook her head. "Sorry guys. Think I'll skip out on this one. You be careful Ji," she said to her even though she couldn't understand. Briar quickly translated and Sarah started walking back towards the base. Briar watched her leave. "She can actually be nice sometimes. Maybe one day I'll actually be her friend," she said out loud. Then she turned to Damien. "Lets go," she said.

[rocklobster]

Damien signaled to London and they walked to the market. It was busy as always. A butcher waved to them.
"Good day, parson!" said the butcher.

[tronethiel7]

Will sighed as he watched the scene drudge onward...

OOC: No, but seriously, what actually is occurring right now? It seems to be me somewhat purposeless back and forth...not to be offensive, just having trouble picking up the vibe here.

[rocklobster]

OOC: I have an idea. Why not have Will spot Damien and Ji and stir up some trouble?

[sarahjoy78]

Sarah was walking back to the base when she remembered that he forgot to tell Briar something. Sarah didn't really have anything to do today and if she spent more time with them then maybe they could actually stop hating each other. Sarah ran back after Briar. "Hey Briar. I changed my mind. I'm not really busy so do you mind if I join you," she asked her. Briar smiled. "Of course not. Come join the party," she said. Sarah looked at Ji. "Hello again," she said with a wave. Sarah looked across the market. "You wanna know something guys, is that I have never actually been to the market before. Everyone else gets me my food," she said. Briar smiled. "Oh are you in for the best day of your life. I LOVE the market. They have different foods that you can taste and they are all great," Briar said. Sarah smiled. "Sounds nice."