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Gal-ra.

[ He enunciates it, but Shepard's next comment makes him blink so that he doesn't actually offer up a definition. Instead, his brows knit together. ]

What good does that do us without any power?

[ The lights keep going on and off...the hairs on the back of his neck have risen. ]

[Caution isn't usually a word in Jess's vocabulary; paranoia sure is, but that's different than being careful in dangerous situations. Now, though, she's being careful, because it's not just her ass on the line.

So rather than head forward out of curiosity, she sticks to the back of the group, watching for anything that might try to sneak out of the shadows behind them.]

There's the pearls.

[She knows there's not enough power in them to like, bring the entire ship back to spaceearing, but they might be able to get a communications system on line or something.]

They're a start. There might be some fuel left somewhere. Just not enough to get her airborn. Even if she was spaceworthy to start.

[Shoving pearls in the engine core? Shepard knew just little enough about engineering to make that sound like a workable idea.]

Keep an eye out for any signs of the people that ran this thing.

I brought one for each of those for us just in case. [ See? Inui has some use on this little foray into the unknown. ]

They're supposed to top you up to full which is pretty sweet, 'cause I'm already down like 5%. [ ...From nearly one hundred, but still. He doesn't have powers or abilities to drain the suit, so that helps. ] Think we'll actually run into any aliens in here?

If she was spaceworthy? She had to get down here somehow.

[ He's also down very little, but in comparison to the zero power drain he was experiencing before, it still feels like too much, especially when he's seen firsthand—twice now—what 0% power looks like. He's not keen on wiping out in front of any of these people, especially not Inui. He's never gonna live down the drool... ]

I feel like if we were gonna run into any trouble, this'd be the place. It's like a maze, in here.

[ He's antsy without his rifle. Not unlike Shepard, he's also expecting trouble, though not of the facehugging kind. (Possibly of the 'alien zombies' kind, because that's really not out of left field for him.) His last mission before coming here involved boarding an enemy vessel, so. ]

[Jess doesn't know enough about spaceships and space travel to comment on how the ship got here or whether it's capable of flying again, so she keeps her mouth shut on that part. And on the 'aliens' thing, she isn't about to make everyone more on edge than they already are, since her pessimist streak is inclined towards believing they'll definitely run into trouble.

But she does have a knife made out of pod shrapnel, from Bel, and she uses it to etch an arrow into the side of the hull.]

I've got it covered, we're not getting lost in here.

[Better than leaving a trail of breadcrumbs.]

[ Lost wasn't her first worry. Find an unstable bit of floor, have the sand cave in on them. Discover a nest of genetically engineered super cockroaches. But there's no point in worrying outloud without reason.]

Jess called navigator, I'm not complaining.

[It's a random pick, but Shepard takes a left, heading down a hallway that doesn't look like it's been disturbed yet.]

But if we can find some star maps, that'll narrow down the galaxy quadrant.

Assuming it matches one any of us know... I dunno if anyone's noticed, but I'm kinda useless unless you wanna go out shopping for some fun. [ Just sayin'.

He keeps pace just fine but he really doesn't have any special skills here as he idly looks up and watches the thick cables attached to the ceiling run along them, rusted and worn. Like just about everything else in this weird ship. ]

Eh, you're tougher than you look.

[ It's a grudging compliment, from the guy who basically hauled Inui up a rib. Plus, loath as he is to admit it, it isn't as though Lance is so much more special; without Blue here, he's little more than a talented cadet with decent aim. ]

If there's anywhere we'll find mapping data, it's in the cockpit, or whatever passes for one. Or maybe there's some kind of communications hub...either way, they won't be far from each other.

[ If they exist. ]

[Jess absolutely did not call navigator, but she can't be bothered to argue it. This gives her something to do until they get attacked by facehuggers or space zombies or whatever it is that's hiding in here.]

So we're looking for the driver's seat?

[Narrowing it down to the basic concepts.]

Which end do you think is the front?

[Right??? Even in spaceships it still makes sense to put the cockpit at the front of the ship???]

Drivers seat, crew quarters where they might keep some personal logs...or, hell, these aliens might keep their charts in the mess hall. Not much has made sense from the moment we woke up.

[That last bit is an attempted joke, but real humor comes from being observational, right?]

And we're all surviving together here. You better start discovering those hidden talents for the mission.

Aye aye, Captain. [ Inui offers a playful salute and a grin, but he knows there's truth in Shepard's words. Heck, he really thought he would be dead by now when they all first woke up. Him surviving up until now doesn't make sense to him. ]

[ Lance remembers Inui looking back at the incoming horde of trilobites, expression shock-still, legs frozen. Not too long ago, that'd have been him, so maybe that makes him inclined to sympathy. ]

Hey, maybe they chart courses over coffee, don't judge.

[ Not that he's speaking from experience...like, the morning of a practicum....or anything......... ]

We should probably head up. Cockpit's near the front-top. [ A beat. ] Usually.

[At Lance's comment, Jess looks up at the ceiling above them, judging the integrity of the metal.]

You want me to put a hole in the ceiling?

[There could be stairs, but god knows how long it'd take to find some.]

There's probably some stairs.

[ A beat ]

Probably. If we don't find any soon? Punch away. But until then, let's see how the natives designed the land.

I vote not making a hole on account of us maybe being crushed when the roof caves in. Just saying.

As much as I would love to see Jess punch the crap outta stuff I am perfectly okay waiting for the stairs.

Adding my vote to 'not damaging the ship's structural integrity more than it already is'!

[ He still turns to Jess though, eyes wide. ]

You can seriously do that? Like, just punch right through metal?

[ A lil scaroused tbh. ]

[The response from Jess is a lazy shrug; she's willing to go the longer route if everyone else wants, no matter how satisfying it would be to punch the shit out something right now.

To Lance, she offers:]

I'm stronger than I look.

[One day she's going to get fed up with having to explain herself and will just stick a sign on her chest that says "I have super strength"]

[ Please put it exactly on your chest Jess, so Inui has a legitimate reason to look at it sometime. ]

Really? 'Cos you don't actually look that strong... [ He doesn't say it to be offending, but. It's Inui. So. ]

[ Inui please, he worked so hard to keep you alive, don't blow it all now. ]

Do you really wanna risk it, dude...?

[Inui is lucky for once; her size isn't something Jess particularly cares about. Most of the time, it means she's underestimated, which she can use to her advantage, and she's secure enough in her ego to not care about looking strong.

So she rolls her eyes at him, but that's about it.]

If we don't find a staircase soon, you'll get a first hand demonstration.

[But she doesn't see the need to prove herself to a teenage boy.]

[ Shh Lance this is how he is. Insufferable. ]

I'll pass~ [ In all seriousness though, a staircase? That would be nice, especially since he's checking his suit power again and sighing. This place is really not great on the battery. ]

78%. How about you guys?

Man, is the whole place just sucking up our power? I'm about the same.

[ He looks back at Jessica, wondering. ] Is it draining any faster for you?

[ As the question finishes, they come up to what is patently not a staircase, but rather what once was an elevator; it has no power now, but given some creativity, they should be able to climb the shaft. ]

[An elevator shaft makes sense, and Jess follows after Lance to take a look at the thing, judging how far up it is.]

Sixty eight.

[She's still healing a couple of broken ribs, which she's realized takes up more power than just sitting around doing nothing.]

I can get up there easy.

[The shaft, it's not so high that she couldn't get up to the next level, or even the one above that.]

Don't these things usually have ladders inside? You know, for maintenance? [ Inui asks, stepping after Lance to take a peek but very obviously giving it a wide berth. He's not interested in accidentally falling down the shaft, thanks. ]

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sheshotfirst - 2016-11-08 22:08 (UTC) - Expand