Savin' Me

[Jiang Winters]

"Togorian?" Kam repeated, his tone curious. "What's that?"

Before he had a chance to ponder his own question, she popped off a remark about the pin-ups he had placed around his room. The Kushari's cheeks heated e'er so slightly, though his fur helped hide that. He'd already forgotten about the lovely ladies decorating his walls. "Er, yeah, that they are," he agreed with a nod of his head. "Way out of my league though! Most of these girls are really something else, and I'm just a scarred-up soldier," he said with a hitch of his shoulders. The feline sat upright on his bed and laid his hands on his knees.

"Not that I care!" he added in, his tone less than convincing. His features became moderately serious, and he continued, stating, "Nice curves and assets'll only get you so far. It's just superficial fluff. What's important is the heart. These girls are nice to look at, but they're def not what I'm lookin' for in a girl."

His rambles completed, the feline flopped back on his bed and stretched out until his paws hit the wall. He instinctively kneaded the wall, razor-sharp black claws sliding out of their sheaths to dig into the tough carpet that had been adhered to the walls to protect them from such unintentional attacks.

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk popped up to Kam's remark, pouncing onto his chest, "Aw, don't be so negative thinkin'. One of those girls might be just what ya' want." her tail was swaying side to side slowly, "Some women like scarred-up soldiers! Thoran's mate was a pin-up, he was nothing but battle scars and muscle when he died." She wasn't in any means trying to comfort him. Thoran's mate had been a beautiful Togorian.

She wasn't sure how long Rook would be gone, she was just thankful she hadn't been eaten today. And thankful that she had someone to be around till Rook got back rather then be alone and scared till she did show. Kusuyk was quite content with laying around and talking to Kam till Rook showed though. She'd eventually pass out, it was just a matter of when it would happen that made Kusuyk curious.

A towering rancor walked down the hall and Kusuyk ignored it. It was a hallucination, she knew that well by this point. Most hallucinations confused her between real and fake, but she knew when a rancor was fake or real.

 

[Jiang Winters]

She pounced onto his chest and, because she weighed next to nothing, he barely even felt her. He tucked his hands behind his head and looked down at her as she spoke, his ears perking as she spoke. She sounded pretty encouraging, but he had no clue who this 'Thoran' fellow was. He imagined that he might be a famous movie character or novel character or some such. And what about that 'mate' thing? Did she mean a friend with benefits, a friend, or was she referring to a lifemate, as in a wife?

He curbed his runaway thought train and flicked his tail upwards, playfully rubbing the tip behind her ears as he was a bit too lazy to use one of his hands. "Thanks Kusuyk, I'll have to keep that in mind for when I go to settle down. Got a good thirty years before I do that though - I'm only twenty-one!" he laughed. He didn't want to settle down until he was roughly 40 or 50, when he'd just entered his middle age; his family had a knack for living to around 140 or 150, and he wanted to have had at least a third of his life to himself by that point.

"Anyways, you hungry? I could get you something from the mess hall if you want. Or you could just nap until Rook pops back in. It's already been something to the tune of five minutes; if I know her, she'll be back any minute now."

 

[Ash]

"Thoran is my daddy, by the way." Kusuyk noted in quickly, "I'll eat later. The kid stuffed me last night with food. I'm just gonna' nap." Kusuyk noted, amazed by the Kushari race. They reminded her much of the Togorian race.

What all could Rook be talking about? Why did they even come into this part of the galaxy? What was the leader like? She had so many questions, and she figured since she had Kam here, she might as well ask him a few questions till Rook shows up and then Rook will be questioned on where to go from here.

Where am I to go from here? Kusuyk found the thought itself terrifying for no known reason. Was it because these people were much like her adoptive family who she missed so much. She felt like crying over her sad sob moments in life, but it wasn't going to get her far doing so. She just kicked the air more with her rear legs.

Sleep wasn't going to be achieved at any point. This was clear.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Kam blinked in surprise. "Oh," he remarked. So that was who Thoran was! It all made sense now, though he had to wonder if her species was Togorian or if she had been adopted. Her kind didn't look like they'd be much in a fight, after all, and if he was a warrior than he had to be fairly sturdy from a physical standpoint.

Then again, maybe that was a uniquely Kushari outlook on the military. They prized martial and physical prowess, and prided themselves on the herculean builds and unmatched strength and agility of their soldiers. Even Jun Sajuuk, the Lord Admiral of DSEG, was no exception; as a former soldier, he had a tremendously powerful, sculpted body. Kamua had sparred with him once or twice, and he had to admit that Jun still knew his stuff.

He watched her kick at the air after saying that she needed a nap. He pursed his lips in thought. "Y'know, if you're going to try to sleep, kicking your legs is kinda counterproductive. It'll just get your blood pumping and make it harder to sleep," he noted.

The feline gently picked her up and set her back down on the bed beside him, allowing him to sit up. "And sitting on titanium-ceramic armor plating is bad too. I'm sure my chest'd be plenty comfortable without it, though," he joked. Jamall turned and leaned back against the drawers, and had just begun to speak again when Rook reappeared.

The female's nondescript black armor popped into the doorway, with 'ROMEO' stenciled across her chestplate near the neck, in bold letters just above her name. It was part of her callsign - Romeo Zero Seven Four. "Kusuyk, if you could come with me; the Lord Admiral has a job offer for you."

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk smiled and laughed at Kam, yeah she was tired, but it seemed much more fun to kick at the air. She was about to speak before Rook popped in, the small Kushiban's eyes lit up and she attempted to run and jump onto the female Kushari, "Rook!" she squealed and realised that gravity was not agreeing with her.

"A. . . job? From the Lord Admiral? Really?" Kusuyk was amazed by this to an astonishing degree, she didn't like this heavy gravity at all. Her small size was not meant for it.

A JOB! Kusuyk addressed her imaginary friends in her head, though she knew they probably were not listening. They stopped listening and responding to Kusuyk not too long ago. Maybe she was getting better. That deathstick may finally be wearing off of her. It's been long enough. I've got a job. Kusuyk couldn't really believe it. She'd run into a lot of luck by exploring that ship earlier today.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Rook merely nodded, while Jamall lunged to catch the Kushiban as she jumped. He snatched her up in his paws as she flew off the bed, then held her out to Rook.

The female nodded once. "Yes," she replied, holding out her hand for the Kushiban to hop onto. She didn't feel the need to explain further - that one word would suffice.

 

[Ash]

"Yay!" Kusuyk was overwhelmed with joy at the pressing moment that she almost missed when she just had to jump onto Rook's hand. "It's been lovely meeting with you, Kam!" Kusuyk was on just her hind legs and gave a small curtsy. She really liked the Kushari species. They were like humans, only taller, and much more fun. And covered in fur.

"Rook?" Kusuyk was quiet as she looked up at Rook with large sad violet eyes. Her fur changing into a light shade of brown.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Kam laughed and returned her curtsy with an incredibly low, dramatic bow, complete with a sweep of his arm. "The pleasure was mine," he replied, making sure to purr quite heavily with every word. After bowing a tinge lower, until the tip of his nose was touching his boots, the feline was satisfied that he'd showed off some of his kind's flexibility and stood back up. He folded his thick arms across his chest and watched as the Kushiban turned back to Rook.

Rook placed Kusuyk on her shoulder. "One moment," she said. The feline stepped up to Kamua and pried a photo of a little 13-year old Kushari girl off of his top drawer, and stuck it to his chest. "Don't forget to write home to Mira. Your little sister misses you."

He smiled and nodded. "Got'cha, Nai- I mean, Rook," he replied.

She turned and left the room, heading back to the lift and up to the bridge. "Sorry for the pause. What was it, Kusuyk?"

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk smiled quite happily at Kam's respectable and wonderful bow.
There were more of these people on another planet. It was so interesting. I want to meet them all. Kusuyk giggled to herself, looking back at Rook when she addressed her again. The Kushiban crawled up Rook's arm and onto her shoulder, "Are you mad for me sneaking on the ship and jumping on your face?" Kusuyk looked at the Kushari, not sure if they had locked eyes or if Rook was even focused on her.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Rook momentarily reduced the tint in the upper half of her helmet's visor, allowing the brilliant blue shine of her eyes to glow through. It was obvious they weren't natural - no real eyes glowed the ways hers did. Cybernetics; expensive ones at that.

She stared into the Kushiban's eyes for a moment, then tinted her visor again. "Kusuyk, if I'm ever angry with you, I'll have the courtesy to tell you. I promise you that much," she replied softly, almost warmly. The feline gently rubbed the Kushiban's head with her glove-clad fingers, then prodded the 'up' button in the elevator. The elevator's scanner had already detected the RFID tag in her dog tags and had compared it to the IFF beacon in her armor; there was no need to swipe her keycard or use a palm scanner, as the combination of the IFF beacon - which disabled if she was dead or unconscious, or if someone removed the armor without Rook setting it to standby first - and RFID tag allowed the elevator to confirm her identity.

It whisked them up to the bridge, and let them out into a flow of Navy and Marine personnel, most of them officer. Rook worked her way through the busy men and women, heading towards the briefing room at the rear of the Bridge. It'd take some time to get there. "The Serenity is pulling hyperspace coordinates from a local hyperspace beacon, and it's pulling news and encyclopedia information from the net. Get used to seeing Navy spooks and Marine analysts all over the damned place," she muttered irritably. It was fairly obvious that she didn't like the crowd, though Kusuyk might be fascinated by the incredible diversity amongst the Kushari, though there was not a single one of the tiger-like Damar Kushari in the crowd - she'd meet one soon enough, though.

 

[Ash]

"Oki. As long as I'm not stepped on." Kusuyk smiled, glad to know that Rook would tell her if she messed up. "Where is the Lord Admiral?" Kusuyk looked around on Rook's shoulder, some of the Kushari were, in fact, bigger then Rook. She even spotted one who had to be a bit bigger then Kam, if only by a very small bit.

The entire place was mesmorising to Kusuyk. They were all different furs,different sizes and just amazing.

Intimidating.

Kusuyk had no reason to be angry, or sad, but she was a bit scared of all the large species that surrounded her and Rook. Taking in a deep, but ragged breath; attempting to make her fur go back to white with no anvil. Kusuyk wrapped her tail around Rook's neck loosely and kept herself tightly gripped on the shoulder of the cat.

Nobody was knocking her off Rook. Not today anyway. With that, Kusuyk kept a watchful gaze on the people who she now probably would call "allies".

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Right in here."

Rook stepped into the briefing room and shut the door behind herself. The room itself was fairly small, dark, and seemingly empty, with a holoprojector in the middle of an oval-shaped black steel table. The projector displayed a high-definition version of the massive Agamemnon and the two corvettes escorting it, the Mercy and the Halcyon.

"Kind of you to return, Rook," Jun called from the back of the room. The lights brightened e'er so slightly, making it easier to see the intricately striped Lord Admiral seated at the head of the table, wearing little more than black trousers and a snug-fitting gray vest. His uniform top was laying across the table, as was his cap. "Did you bring our guest?" the cat inquired as he sat up, the sculpted muscles of his rugged frame seeming to ripple in the room's odd floor lighting, which helped to give him a distinct predatory appearance.

Rook gestured towards the table, indicating to Kusuyk that she could hop onto the table's surface. "Yes," she replied, "and turn on the lights, would you? She's not a Kushari, you know."

"Bad night vision, huh?" he asked. He snapped his fingers - the lights flickered on, revealing the Admiral's gorgeous sienna pelt, rich stripes, and the snowy white fur accenting his frame here and there. He was dramatically different from the other Kushari on board - no doubt his appearance would be a shock for Kusuyk.

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk jumped down from Rook's shoulder and onto the table, standing onto her hind legs. The lights brightened and Kusuyk stared in more awe at the Lord Admiral then she had anything else she'd seen today, or really, her whole life.
He was much different in appearance then any of the others, her violet eyes threatening to fall out of her head if she didn't stop staring.

"It's rude to stare at people like that, dear." Kusuyk snapped into reality, thinking that her Togorian father had just spoken to her. He'd always made sure she was mindful of her actions, and she wasn't about to make herself look like a fool even more.

She observed, not gawked, at the Lord Admiral again. She looked him over and decided; He was going to eat her.

"Sir." she was very short, not sure what exactly was appropriate and not wanting to anger her newly found friends. The fact they were on such a status was amazing enough considering Kusuyk had wiped her butt all over Rook's face when she had snuck onto the ship that belonged to the Kushari.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Don't worry about formalities," the Admiral replied with a casual flick of his tail, which was dancing back and forth just behind his head as if signaling that its owner had a playful disposition at the moment. "Just call me Jun. That'll do just fine, Kusuyk. Now normally, you'd be punted out of the nearest airlock for weaseling onto one of our ships, but as the lovely Rook pointed out, it's very unlikely that you're a spy and it's very likely that you can be a useful ally."

He tapped the display screen set flush into the table before him. The hologram changed, displaying a map of the galaxy, being built one system at a time as data was fed into the Serenity's navicomputer.

"We're alien to this galaxy. It's unknown to us. Its factions, its people, its very ways of life... We know nothing about it. That needs to change, and it needs to change very quickly. You're a resident here - you know the galaxy better than us." He sat back in his seat and templed his fingers. "I want you to come work for a task group we have. Its name is SIGINT - Special Investigations and Intelligence. You'd be an agent. Your task would be to help analyze data, to provide information on planets and factions, and to help through the gigantic loads of bullshit that we're going to be fed by every government from here to the galactic edge. We're an entire world, industrialized and ready to advance on to the age of hyperspace - there WILL be factions that want to see us absorbed, and you will get to help stop that."

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk watched Jun's tail and realised he was more likely to be tons of fun at parties instead of eat her.

The word 'punted' offended her, but she wasn't about to show it, though in that attempt her fur had changed as well as her ears drop unwillingly. She continued in listening in on her new job. She was now an agent for these people. Sounds like fun! She knew a race that would be perfect to meet with.

"No factions will come close!" Kusuyk blurted when Jun had said of it, she did a small flip and pulled out her lightsaber, not activating it though. She stood quite ready in a battle stance. "I will cut them where they stand!" it suddenly dawned on her that she probably looked very silly. She clipped her lightsaber onto her waistpack and gave a very shy smile.

She really didn't want to look like a fool in front of Jun, but it was likely to happen anyway. "Ermm." she whispered very quietly to herself. Her fur deep, deep chocolate brown in response to her scared, embarrassed feelings.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Jun laughed and thumped the table lightly with his white-furred hand. "You've got some fire in you," he growled playfully, "I like it. You'll fit right in. Rook and I already discussed it; for now you'll share her quarters, but she's going to have some very, very important ground rules for you. She might just eat you if you don't follow 'em, so listen close to what she has to say. Ranger Zero Seven Nine, a fellow named Saeed Kamua Mohatu, will be your guard while you're aboard ship. He'll also help train you and get you adjusted to our way of life here. I would assign Rook to you, but..."

He paused, and glanced up at the soldier. Her faceplate stared blankly back at him. That'd always unnerved him about her - he liked being able to see someone's eyes, to stare into them and know whether or not they were lying. With Rook, all there was was a sheet of tinted transparent steel.

"Yeah. You know what I mean. So, any questions, Kusuyk, or... Hey, wait, I just noticed something. Your fur's been shifting colors. You change color when your emotions change?" he asked, his curiosity momentarily besting him.

 

[Ash]

Kusuyk nodded very shyly, "Yes. All Kushiban are naturally Force sensitive and have mood sensitive fur." she knew they knew very little of this galaxy and she was willing to share it all with them.

I really want to snuggle in his fur. Kusuyk nodded to herself in agreement to her own thought. She really would. His fur had to be blessed.

"There is a planet in the Thanos system of the Mid rim. It's called Togoria. I was raised there and never saw many Kushiban like me because they are found mostly in Kushibah. It's in the Outer rim, the Togorian people are kind of like you guys. They may be good allies." she smiled sweetly. "I have a question though! It's very important, Lord Admiral Jun!" Kusuyk's fur had calmed a lot more, mostly because she would be around Kam and Rook a lot. Nobody was going to eat her!

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Togorians... Hm. Interesting," Jun mused, drumming his claw-tipped fingers along the smooth metal surface of the table. A feline species that might be potential allies; that was news he couldn't turn down. He'd have to get an analyst to start doing some digging on them, and to see if they could jump to the Togorian homeworld anytime soon.

The Kushiban he found interesting, though he merely filed away the information she gave on her species and focused instead on her question. "Alright, go ahead and ask away. And it's just Jun from now on, okay? Don't wear your tongue out repeating that stupid title."

 

[Ash]

"Al'ight." Kusuyk's tail flicked playfully, the small beads making a familiar 'clunk' as they crashed together. Her eyes locked with Jun's, her composure strong and meant business (for a Kushiban), "Do you like wild parties?" she couldn't even believe how serious she sounded, but she was that; completely serious.

If the Kushari were interested in an alliance with the Togorian's, Kusuyk was more than happy. Her life was with those people. She could tell them everything about the planet, from the most common plants, to the most uncommon spices in the planet.

I really did hit big this time. she hid her smile, though her fur turned whiter than normal.