Rei handed it over gingerly, having treated it like precious gold. "Our techs had no trouble. Thank you for your help." Pausing, she then pulled out a few candybars. "I don't know if you like any certain candy so I just got them all." She paused, then handed her a bottle of water. The past two hours she had been busying herself with a lot of things recently, thankfully finding many things she could do to keep her mind occupied. She shook her head, resuming focusing on Siren.
"We are half an hour out. Please get ready for us to transfer over to Alexandria." She said. "I'll return when we are preparing to moor, and we can transfer over."
Natsumi Hideyoshi (The Order) | Alexis Hunter (Liberty Navy) |
"Mhmm... The Galaxy Bar is one of my favorites~!" she exclaims, taking the bottle of water and indicated candy bar. Glancing behind herself at the wave caused by the ships cruising speed, Siren gives a slight smile once she returned her eyes to Rei. "You said we? Will you be accompanying me on the station, or..." a sudden thought dawned on her at that moment. "You haven't been reassigned because of me, have you?" she asks, hoping she hadn't caused any inconvenience for the Captain. "You mentioned you've been the Kusinagis captain for quite a while, is it going to play security detail for Alexandria during my stay, or, will it be leaving?"
Rei shook her head, smiling lightly. "The Kusanagi is the flagship of the Science Division, and usually goes where Doctor Hunter is. As she is on Alexandria, it stays. I was asked to help her. So no, you are not inconveniencing me or my ship. We already are staying here. Merely, I now get a warmer shower and a better bed." She joked. "So be at ease. Everything is fine." She dug in a small bag she had, and pulled out more Galaxy bars. "Here you go, enjoy them."
Natsumi Hideyoshi (The Order) | Alexis Hunter (Liberty Navy) |
Glad that she wasn't inconveniencing the young woman, she takes the small handful of bars from her, their hands meeting for an instant. Taking a moment to peek into the small black satchel, looking almost like a personal belonging than a standard issue carryall, Siren notices something small, round and of a color matching the girls hair, peeking out from under the multiple candy bars within. Deciding to ignore what she thought it might be, she steps back, shuffling the bars around a bit for a better grasp. "Thank you, that takes a load off my mind, and a Warm shower sounds great to be honest. That gunboats hot water generator went out about a month ago, so it's been cold showers ever since." Laughing lightly, she motions to the bench just to her right, "Care to sit with me for the rest of the trip? The silence is deafening in here~!" she comments with a laugh.
For sure, Siren was interested in some simple conversation, the trip wasn't a long one, but shed much rather have spent the time with someone who was willing to treat her with a kindness and respect. She'd already had enough of the guard outside the starboard door glancing through its window at her to make sure she wasn't up to something and actually wanted to tell him to shove off after about 40 minutes of his suspicious gawking. "If possible, I'd like to discuss my orders. The message I received from Admiral Golanski was pretty vague, but he promised it would involve discovering more of what the LSF did to me."
Rei sat beside her. "Silence is only a friend when you wish to sleep." She said, taking out a small manga. Sometimes she had one come in and happily read it until memorized. She just idly played with it though, not reading it, just to keep her hands busy. She also was figuratively weighing what to say next, as...there was clearance levels...but she'd learn in time. "You're to pretty much go through our tests. Ellie is very respectful so you won't have to do anything wrong. Honestly, if we can find out what the LSF did to you, and maybe even look into so many other factors, like brainwashing, we can...well, we might be able to not only better train our forces, but give you any closure you might face...as well as met out any justice we might find." She flipped the manga a few times, then looked at her.
"It was vague, because space isn't secure. Face to face we know we won't be discovered, but over distance that gets so much more risky. That is why." She pursed her lips for a moment. "And I'm sorry to hear about the hot water generators. Alexandria doesn't break down very easily, so warm water, warm meals, and a good heater." She chuckled. "You'll be comfortable, i promise. We aren't the LSF with these stark, unforgiving rooms of steel and thin mattresses. No...no, we strive to be better. Luckily plenty was left over from that failed terraforming project." She shrugged. "Want to talk about yourself, Siren?"
Natsumi Hideyoshi (The Order) | Alexis Hunter (Liberty Navy) |
Listening to Rei speak, Siren couldn't deny the bit about silence and sleep. It had been so very long since she was able to sleep properly and, even though she was completely safe from those she feared most during her 8 months on the survey mission, she still found it hard to sleep. However, she visibly tensed up at the mention of tests. She knew it would have to happen sooner or later, the Order wanting to know what made her tick, to get their hands on the prototype technology running through her body. It was a given that this was one of the primary reasons for the Order seeking her out and offering her safety and a new life. Yet, knowing all of this, she was still afraid of what would need to be done.
Sirens memories of the facility in which she was "born" were always a source of nightmares for her. Even though she now knew that they were simply false memories fed to her mind in order to keep her in check, the thought of sitting on a medical table, her body laid bare for the doctors and scientists to disassemble and modify frightened her beyond belief. "As long as there isn't any cutting or disassembly, I'll cooperate." she muttered, not thinking about the terminology shed just used.
"I would have preferred a heads up from the admiral at least, some kind of hint at what will happen, secrecy or not." she says, wringing her hands together, her elbows on her knees, her head hanging low. In such a position, Rei was able get a good look at the port just at the base of her neck, Sirens spinal core implant was something shed never had much issue with people seeing, even though she was still a little self conscious about it. "But I guess that's par for the course, right? I knew the Admiral didn't send Valkyrie to find me simply because I make a good Nova Bomb."
Laughing at her own joke, she looks up to find a confused look on Rei's face. Smirking, Siren sits up , leaning back a bit, bracing herself in such a pronounced position with her hands. "I used to own the Bar on Alcatraz... I tended it as well. I was pretty good at making drinks and such, so this rogue hired me to mix and serve drinks. I made quite a few friends while there and, after a while, I was given the deed when he retired." Giving Rei a sly smile at how she seemed to be blushing while listening to her speak, Siren continues. "A Nova Bomb is a mix of a few high proof alcohols and a secret ingredient I'll take to the grave." she chuckled.
Glancing over at the starboard door to find the guard peering in suspiciously at her once again. "KEEP GAWKING AND I'LL REALLY GIVE YOU SOMETHNG TO LOOK AT~~!" she suddenly shouts, her annoyance with the man finally reaching its tipping point.
Rei listened quietly, looking at Siren. She then stood up. "We're almost there." She mostly ignored what she said, though the bar part was interesting. "I don't drink much. I never have been much of a drinker, though I do enjoy the occasional sake." She stretched a bit, then offered her hand. "Let's get to the airlock, once we get on Alexandria this all begins." She paused. "Don't hurt any of the guards, though, we all rarely see someone of such beauty." She grinned.
Natsumi Hideyoshi (The Order) | Alexis Hunter (Liberty Navy) |
Looking back to Rei, Siren nods and took her hand as offered. Once standing, she leaned down to take her duffle from the bench before moving some hair from her face. "I won't harm anyone... not unless they decide to harm me first." Sirens reply was quite stern and sounded as if she'd done exactly as she said many times before. Yet, Rei's compliment swam around in her mind for a few moments, Siren turning her head out of embarrassment. "I'm sure there have been other women that are far better." she muttered.
Siren had never been the most self confident person, far from it to be sure. Her past was filled with instances of self loathing and hate, the LSF having done more than anyone in making the woman hate her very existence. Yet, as she moved along, following her new commanding officer through the corridors, she thought about what Rei had said. Something bothered her more than anything else, that Rei's crew rarely saw someone beautiful as herself. Did Rei Ikari have self esteem issues like herself? Saying such a thing, to Siren, seemed like something a person with no confidence in themselves would say, someone who felt they weren't good enough. Wasn't Rei the captain of a warship; a position that demanded confidence in her own decisions and leadership? This thought would continue bothering her for the remainder of their trip, right up until the Kusinagi docked with Alexandria.
"So, this is it, huh?" she asked, giving Rei a somewhat worried look, betraying the confidence shed been showing through their meeting and the following trip. "What now?"
Rei sighed softly. "I know the ideal. None of us want to harm anyone, but in the end, we must." She lead her into Alexandria soon enough. "Now you're on Alexandria Research Institute. We're going to decontamination and get you a change of clothes before I show you to the room you will be occupying." She looked over Siren, eyes taking her in. "Yeah, we should have the right sizes." Motioning to the door, she headed over to a second door and entered, probably to watch the inevitable scanners that would look her over and make sure Siren wasn't carrying anything she shouldn't. They just left her alone, waiting for her to finish before Rei would come back over and knock on the door, signaling time to go.
Natsumi Hideyoshi (The Order) | Alexis Hunter (Liberty Navy) |
Following Rei through the station, Siren remained silent, taking in all that was around her. Being told about decontamination, Siren gave her commanding officer a nod, smiling before looking down at herself as Rei looked her over. "I was a Rogue for nearly 5 years, Commander. As long as the uniform doesn't fall off from a simple breeze, I'll wear it." Siren wasn't joking either. As a Rogue, a pirate group with barely enough resources to keep their ships fueled, they took what they could get and were grateful.
Once inside the decontamination room, it's two part area containing a shower and changing / scanning compartment. Siren did what she knew she had to. While the cameras and scanners went about their automatic duties, she would strip, step into the chemical shower and take her time washing herself. Siren knew she was being watched, and knew she was being recorded, yet it didn't seem to faze her in the slightest. As Rei and countless others viewed the woman's willing and calm demeanor, her actions only sought to confirm one of the more interesting bits of her file. It had been noted by different parties reporting to the order over the years, that, while Siren Stone had a certain level of humility, she still would, on occasion, act with no qualms about her appearance or feel any emotion on what some would say about her. This was more than likely a result of the LSF's brainwashing and subsequent hard coded mentality that for so long, had her thinking she was nothing more than a man made machine.
Once finished with her shower, one which she enjoyed a bit more than she should due to its warmth, the woman quickly dried herself, then dressed in the provided uniform. It was just as she finished slipping her foot into her second shoe, that there was a knock at the door. "Yes? I'm finished, you can enter~!" She called out, tightening the laces before standing. She'd already folded her normal uniform and slipped it into the drawer that would send it to the laundry facility, along with her other belongings for a check over before being returned to her.