Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 6

(Dormii)
=i stayed silent. I didn't know what to do. I only just got Jay back, and now she was gone for who knows how long. I was scared. Scared I might not see her again, talk to her, hold her. I got up and walked over to her bed, sitting down in a chair nearby. I put my hand in hers, and just watched her=

=He finally arrived into the hanger of the Whisper. By this time the refit was almost complete. Only a few more days would be needed to go by. As the Pelican drops into the hanger, he stands and waits for the ramp to drop. It drops and he walks slowly out. He had assumed a slouched standing, but as he stepped off, he switched to a prominent stance. He walks off towards the bridge=

(Molly)
=For the most part, I was walking around the Silver Hawk, checking out my new home. Well, home away from home anyway. Haven would always be my home now, but at the moment, my duty as a pilot came first=

--Serenity--

(Jason)
So, what exactly are we doing today?

(Miranda)
I don't know. That's the fun bit.

(Jason)
=I cast her a side long look=
How so?

(Miranda)
Well, if you don't know what to do, then maybe you should make something to do. Be spontaneous, live a little?

(Leo)
=I grow hungry and the ships aren't going to be done for awhile.=
=I get up and head to the cafeteria=

(Jason)
Well, not much left to do now. I mean, we're still waiting for those ships to be finished. And even then, we need to load them up with the supplies we'll be trading.

(Miranda)
Speaking of those ships, are they done yet?

(Jason)
Nope. We estimated that it would take a few days. But, we forgot to factor in the capabilities of the Forerunner ship yards. Unless I'm wrong, they should be done in three hours, tops.

(Miranda)
=I whistled=
Wow, those shipyards build fast, don't they?

(Jason)
Not really. Well, for these designs, yes. Turns out, the ship designs we're using are pretty basic for them.

(Leo)
=I enter to see it unusually empty, I take advantage and go ahead grab my food and head back=

(Miranda)
Huh, cool. So, want to check on their progress?

(Jason)
Truth be told, not really. I mean, I get that they're important and all, but...

(Miranda)
Well, it's not like you've got anything better to do.

(Jason)
=My eyes, moved up and down her, taking int eh view=
Oh, I wouldn't say that.

(Miranda)
=I felt my cheeks heat up in a blush, and I looked away=
Jason, no. Come on, we need to get out of here.

(Leo)
=I came back into the room and sat back down=
=My food was just a steak and corn, nothing much.
=I sat there and ate=

(Jason)
Fine, let's go.
=I got up from the crate=

(Miranda)
=I stood up, and we both headed for the cargo doors=
So, where are these ships being built anyway?

(Jason)
The ship yards here on Haven, same place we built the fleet. At some point, we're going to have to separate them, split them into military ship yards and civilian ship yards.
=We reached the teleporter, and a few seconds later were standing outside the ship yards. They had actually changed, since I last saw them. Once it became clear that the Humans would be using them, Silver took the initiative, and built a complex close to the ship yards. It was fairly large, maybe three stories, and several football fields in length=

(Leo)
=It was ok food, nothing to brag about really.=

(Miranda)
=I saw the massive complex=
Whoa. What is this place?

(Jason)
Well, according to what Silver told me, this place is to serve as a Control center for the ship yards.

(Miranda)
But, isn't that his job? I mean, couldn't he control it all from the Control Room?

(Jason)
Of course he could. But, I convinced him to let the people here run the show here. When I said I wanted these people to have independence, I meant it.
=We reached the doors, and moments later they opened allowing us entrance to the complex=

(Leo)
=I finished and threw the plate away, now full.=
=I kept waiting. It seemed like hours.=

(Jason)
=The room we entered, was not empty. It was the lobby for the place, and there was someone, a woman, sitting at a large desk in front of us, mostly doing....nothing. When she saw us though, she jumped into motion=

*Receptionist*
Ah, hello there. May I help you?

(Jason)
Admiral Shepard. I'm here to check on the ships.

*Receptionist*
Ah, Admiral! We were not expecting a visit from you.

(Jason)
It's quite alright.

(Jeremy)

=I was leaning against the wall thinking about GloboTech and this whole mess, until I got a message from a General=

(General Farkus)

Jeremy. I need you to report back to headquarters. I have a few questions to ask and a few tests to run, I expect you here soon.

(Jeremy)

Oh man, I do hope that's not what I think...

(Leo)
=I sighed a little and looked around the room.=
=There was the other ship captains, crew members and people just watching=

*Receptionist*
Well, is there anything I can help you with?

(Jason)
Yes. I'm here to check on the status of the civilian ships being built.

*Receptionist*
Ah, yes those ships. Well, let me bring up a status report.
=She typed a few commands into the holo-console. When I said Silver made the place for humans, that also applied to the language of the computers. While the Forerunner language was still available to use, Human was the most widely used, though last I checked, most of the major schools and universities (at least, what few there were already) were beginning to have classes teaching the Forerunner language, though it wasn't humans teaching the students. It was in fact, Silver Light. As an A.I., he was able to be in multiple places at once, and even hold multiple conversations. His physical form still remained either inside the Control Center, or the Council Tower, but he could still make a hologram to talk with, and teach the students=

Hmm, the ships are almost complete. In fact, one of them is about to be done in an hour.

(Jason)
Good.

=He had moved into a hallway near the medbay when he was caught off guard by a hug from behind. A familiar voice entered his ears. A sort of melodic and loving tone=

Lynn: Hey. How did it go?

Draco: It wasn't my cousin. It was Macgraw.

=Her eyes widened=

Lynn: What happened?

=Her voice full of her usual concern=

Draco: We fought. I cut off his hand. He got away.

=He turns around to face her. His helmet still on his head=

Draco: I'll tell you more about it soon. Right now I need to get out of my armour.

=She nods and they walk together. They pass the medbay and through the window they can see Jay laying on a medical table with Dormii over her. A pang of confusion befalls him=

I'll check up later

(Dormii)
=i sat there, holding Jay's hand, praying for something to happen. I kept thinking if there were any signs of distress, if anything was wrong. I kept running it over in my head, and the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I missed something, that I could've prevented this. My stomach growled but I ignored it. Jay was more important right now=

(Leo)
Now this is getting interesting
=I watched as my ship was nearing completion=

=They stand there a moment as he looks at the pair. He looks at Jay and her lips. The same that he had touched with his own. He knows that it was only a different... part... of her. Since the fight he hadn't spoken to her. Being so caught up in the other things. They begin walking again=

Lynn: So... how did it all happen?

Draco: He had tried to set me up for failure. Setting bombs on the entire ship and refit station. All he had to do was enter in a code.

Lynn: Thank god he didn't

=He nods, covering the full story up=

Draco: I don't want to talk about it. I need some food and some sleep.

=She nods and pushes closer against him=

Lynn: Alone time?

=He gives a smile under the helmet and nods=

Draco: Alone time.

=She gives a sweet little laugh and digs in closer to his shoulder. Another person's voice breaks the moment. Familiar.=

Grace: Oooooo! Alone time!

=She comes up from behind and walks next to Lynn=

Grace: Have some fun you two!

=She laughs and gives a wink towards them=
=Lynn's face goes red as Grace basically yells it out=

Lynn: Grace!

=Grace laughs again and looks at Lynn. Her voice turns to a joking tone=

Grace: Yes? What is it, Lynn?

=Lynn looks at her with a slight rage in her eyes, but it quickly fades off with a sigh=

(Leo)
Although It looked like it the ship wasn't as close to done as I hoped for

=During their conversation he had spaced out to a different portion of thinking. He sees fingers fly up in front of the helmet and he hears a quick snapping of them followed by Lynn's voice=

Lynn: Hey, take a break from your daydreaming will ya?

=He hears Grace chime in=

Grace: Yeah, You want your alone time right?

=He nods=

Draco: Yes, afterward. I will need a full debrief of the goings on on this ship while I was away. Gather a few of the high ranks and send them to the meeting chambers.

=Grace looks at him, tilting her head. With a crisp salute=

Grace: Yeah, whatever.

=She laughs and walks off a he is literally pushed into the room=

*Receptionist*
Would you care to see the ship?

(Jason)
I can see the ship?

*Receptionist*
From the recreation room, yes. I can show you to it if you'd like.

(Jason)
Thank you, that would be appreciated. Please, lead on.
=She started walking down a hallway, and Miranda and I followed her=

(Leo)
=I was fascinated with the chance my boredom would end, I continued watching=

(Jeremy)

=I walked down the hallway towards my ship, I hope Jason won't mind if I leave real quick back to my ship and hopefully find coordinates to where I need to go=

(Jason)
=A few minutes later, we arrived in a very spacious room filled with several lounge chairs, even a sofa. One side of the room, was dominated by a massive window, outside of which I could see one of the ships being built, sparks dancing off it's surface here and there, though it was largely complete from what I could see. One other thing I noticed was a series of holographic displays hovering off the surface of the window, showing readouts on the ship, such as engine specifications, hull completion, the works. Finally, I noticed that the room, was occupied. Several dozen people, the new crew for the ships, were spread out around the room. Some sat in the lounge chairs, while others sat at tables playing games using a holographic chessboard, and even more were just eating food or checking small little data pads, checking reports on the ships=

-Grace-

=She stretches as she walks down the hallway=

Alright, where to find these high ranks.

=She makes her way to the bridge=

A nice place to start I guess.

(Miranda)
Whoa, big place. Who designed this building?

(Jason)
Well, Silver had the construction Sentinels build the place, but the designs came from human architects, with basic comforts in mind.

(Miranda)
Huh, impressive.

*Receptionist*
Well, I guess I'll just leave you here to look around, unless you need anything else?

(Jason)
Thank you, but we should be fine.

*Receptionist*
Okay then. Have a pleasant day.

(Leo)
=I spot Jason, leader/ruler or whatever of haven.=
=I get up from my chair and go to greet him=

(Jason)
=I saw someone get up, and start walking towards me. I recognized him from the files I looked over for the crew of each of the ships. Leo was his name=
Captain Leo.

(Leo)
"Jason, glad to finally meet you. And who might this be?"
=I slyly grin as I offer a handshake=

(Jason)
Feeling's mutual. This is Miranda Moreau.

(Miranda)
=I stepped forward when I heard my name=
Hi, nice to meet you.

(Leo)
"I see, good to meet you also."

-Grace-

=She had lost track of time. Bouncing from one thing to another. In her opinion it wasn't a smart idea to give the girl with ADHD a job. She shrugged as she entered into the bridge=

=She begins to hum as she approaches a terminal and accesses the data within=

Hmm.

=She moves through file after file after file. Not really finding what she needs=

(Jason)
Just checking on the status of the ships. I also wanted a chance to meet crew in person.
=A brief look behind Leo showed me that the other captains were already present=

(Leo)
"Ah yes, don't let me keep you."
=I move to side, out of the way=
=I'm not used to these 'matters', They seem completely useless and annoying. But its required=
=I try my best not to look weird, my 'smile' doesn't see much=

(Jason)
=The four other captains stepped forward, and introduced themselves to me. Captains Torres, Williams, Jenkins, and Kenson=
Pleasure to meet you all. How have your crews been doing?

-Grace-

=She finds a file labeled "Important"=

He never was great at choosing names.

=She clicks on the file and begins to read=

Code:

Without him. I am nothing. I fight with him on a regular basis, but he and I both know that we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. I... I don't know... Sought for help. Never found it. Here I am. Captain of another fucking ship. A ship that I've stolen. With his help. I can feel him gaining mental ground. I am slowly losing myself and I am losing hope that I can possibly hold him back any further. Not to mention everything else. I have to have some hope though. For Lynn. For Grace. For Jay. For Dormii. I have to beat this

What... the...

=She shakes her head and closes it=
=She finds another file labeled "Ranks"=

Once again. Great name, Draco.

(Jason)
=They told me that their crews were performing well, and that it was their opinion that they were ready for their new posts on the ships=
Good, good. Well, I came here to check the status on the ships, and it looks like one of them will be done early. Guess that means that her maiden voyage will be soon.

Paarthurnax sat there, recalling some of his fondest memories.

I remember my little friend, that lovely Jackal, Yhar. What a guy, I wonder how he is?

He kept the thought of Yhar in his head, he knew he must check up on him sometime in the future.

=The team on Xazhi's ship continued to work, scanning the ship, and checking any containers or lockers they came across. Truth be told, the team itself was still worried about their assignment. While yes, their orders came from both the monitor Silver Light and the Admiral, they were worried about the Classified nature of this assignment. After all, an XNNO ship was parked on their new home. Still, orders were orders, so they'd make sure to be discreet after they were done. For now, they simply cataloged what they could, and set up a perimeter around the ship (not that anyone would actually be up this far) and made a camp from supplies in the transports=

(Jeremy)

=As I approached my ship, I opened its door and entered the ship, I turned on the console and started looking through files looking for some kind of way to contact command=

=Another hour passed by, and the first ship, the Kinsonix, was complete. All tests showed positive that the ship was in perfect condition, and ready for her first trip=

(Jason)
=With the first ship completed, there was some minor celebration from its crew in the rec room. Personally, I didn't join in. Hey, it wasn't good form for a man of my rank to start partying like that=

(Dormii)
=i sat there, holding Jay's hand, praying for something to happen. I started to hear voices, telling me how I failed=

"You couldn't save her, Fortuni. You couldn't do anything. This is your fault."

No, no, no, no. It's not my fault.

"But it is. Can't you see it? You missed something."

No, no, there was nothing. There was nothing!

"You can fix this, Fortuni. Make things right."

No, no! She wouldn't want that. I can't!

"Yes, you can!"

No! No no no! NO!

=the plates on my arm fluctuated randomly, trying to display all the emotions that were going through my mind=

-Grace-

=She reads the document and stands. Shutting the terminal off=
=She leaves the bridge and heads off to the messhall=

=The first document sticks to her mind=

(Leo)
Finally, thats all I have to say is Finally
=I don't cheer, thats not my job.=
=I look at the cheering crew and then head down stairs to the ship=

(Jason)
=I saw Leo leave the room, most likely to head out for his ship. I called out to him though=
Captain, don't you want to address your crew?

(Leo)
"ah, yes"
=I walk back in the room=
"All part of the crew of the ship Kinsonix follow me, now"
=I walk out of the room with them in toe, I head to the ship again=