idiots in spaaaaaaace

[adastrea]

[In a world with, perhaps, a passing resemblance to a one we know well--where Mars and Luna had their civil war, but, perhaps, the dwindling lifespan of humanity was not an insurmountable force. And where, as the years of living in space had continued, young martians had begun to display odd powers, rarely.

Such espers did not usually live so long, but for a girl with a familiarly tragic loss of family in the final days of war, her incredible and somewhat uncanny luck in avoiding the series of disasters that had befallen everyone she cared about wasn't of much concern.

What was was this base tour of the new cadets, and someone had snuck off, trying to catch a glimpse of the legendary war heroes or, perhaps, the dyne in all those stories.

This certainly can't end badly.]

Comments

[downbygravity]

[That is a flashlight directly in the eyes but he hasn't touched her yet.]

What are you doing here?

[adastrea]

...Trying to see if I can spot a Hideon?

[She's basically pressed as far back into her corner away from him as she can, hands up to try and block any moves but she's pretty clearly not a hand-to-hand fighter.]

[downbygravity]

You are supposed to be with the other cadets.

[He's got a cadet uniform on himself, if she can see through the glare, though one that marks him as upper-class and one of the squad commanders.]

[adastrea]

And you aren't?

[Squinting, a little bit, but she's not coming out of that corner. Strict cop routine may not be working.]

[downbygravity]

Not until the new cadets are assigned squads. Until then, we are to keep most the base in lockdown with the security team. That includes here.

[He'll stop aiming the flashlight right in her face.]

We both know you know you're not supposed to be here. I'm amazed an esper's gotten away for this long.

[adastrea]

[She flinches, and sparks start to form at her fingertips.]

So what? You going to turn me in, or are you going to save time and kill me yourself?

[downbygravity]

If you report back to your squad right now, then I'll do neither. If you want to keep making a fire and trip the security lockdown then you'll be explaining to the authorities directly, and they'll do whatever it is they do to espers.

[Yeah, he's talking shit when all he's got is a flashlight and apparently some iron willpower.]

What'll it be?

[adastrea]

...And how am I supposed to trust you won't tell anyone? They kill people like me for existing, and that's if I'm lucky.

[downbygravity]

You really have no choice in the matter, do you? Aside from that I could have let radioed already, or that I could have let you set off the alarms in here with your powers.

[He shrugs.]

The choice is yours.

[adastrea]

...Tell me your name, first.

[downbygravity]

They call me Leo. Nobody calls me by my actual name.

[adastrea]

I guess that'll be good enough.

[Rubbing at her eyes, and then...holding out a hand.]

...Signe Adastrea Riou.

[How skittish she is might make, suddenly, a hell of a lot more sense.]

[downbygravity]

[He will shake her hand.]

Well, then. Don't expect preferential treatment, if you wind up under me. You're a recruit, same as any other.

[adastrea]

[Well. She'll just take the moment of the handshake to pretty clearly give him the kind of once-over you only get from a psychic, before she's apparently satisfied of his trustworthiness and shrugs.]

I expect nothing from no one, but I should really be honest, I don't relish my chances of ending up under anyone.

[...she may be playing at a different meaning, possibly.]

[downbygravity]

You may be surprised you find to come to regret those words.

[He smiles, faintly.]

Out of here.

[adastrea]

If you can actually make me regret them, on the field or elsewhere, I'll swallow my pride whole, but not a moment before then, understand.

[Squinting a bit in the gloom of the hangar.]

...Well let my eyes adjust again since you saw fit to blind me.

[downbygravity]

[Shining the light in her face again for complaining, and then toward the exit.]

Try not to get lost again. You'll have time to prove your worth, or lack of, in opening evaluations.

[adastrea]

[...Okay, she's just. Telekinetically yoinking the light from his hand and putting it on top of something he'll have to stretch a bit to reach.]

Don't you worry about that.

[Annnd she's off. One only wonders what the morning's evaluations will bring.]

[downbygravity]

[About what it sounds like. It goes from the lovely guided tour she missed a huge chunk of to them testing about everything that they can think to test that they might need out of a soldier, often in big loud groups, publicly. Pecking orders are being established. If she looks, she'll see the upperclassmen are gathered and watching by about midway through it.]

[adastrea]

[She doesn't, pretty pointedly--after all, she knows his name and face, she can pick his mind out of the crowd without having to look. She knows he's there.

But as far as the evaluations go...she's physically fit, with reflexes that are near superhuman, leading her to upset some of the pecking orders and probably earn herself more than a couple enemies in the sparring rounds. She also shows some natural leaderly bearing, some terrifying blade and firearm skills...and all the engineering and computing ability of a rock. It's honestly a little sad, after how much she's swept the rest of the tests. But that aside, she's pretty clearly paved her own way in.]

[downbygravity]

[Well, after a fun day of testing and yelling at people, she'll find she's being pushed with the rest of the recruits toward another area. This time she's face to face with him and the other overachiever upperclassmen.

Seems they're being split into and assigned squads under these jerks.]

[adastrea]

[That's fine. She will in no way be abusing her powers to influence who she's assigned to. that would be a reckless use of her abilities and plain sill--who am I kidding.]

[downbygravity]

[He can sigh and rub his temples when he realizes this is probably why the whole thing got jumbled.]

Welcome to the squad. We begin in earnest tomorrow; tonight for acclimation. Do not expect an easy time of it. Any questions or complaints you feel the need to voice?

[adastrea]

[There's no questions, just a blond failing to completely hide a smile. This is your life now, Leo. This is your life now.]

[downbygravity]

Then I trust you're all ready for a quick jog before we head back to the dorms?

[You know. Nice. Quick. Two miles. He seems unconcerned with it.]