Rats and Aliens

Log Title: Rats and Aliens Characters: Cookie, Poise, Sinatra Location: Hampton Roads Date: August 8, 2018 TP: America Burning TP Summary: After rescuing civilians, Cookie and Poise run into Sinatra. As logged by  Cookie Log session starting at 18:15:58 on Wednesday, 8 August 2018.

The Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia is the oldest continuously operating Naval hospital. The corpsmen there have seen nearly everything. But green blood is still a new phenomenon to them. As such, there are probably more people generally hovering about than strictly necessary for observation.

Cookie made sure that the two rescues and Poise are all in good hands (and they are) before slipping away long enough to change out of her wetsuit and to throw on some clothes. She then stationed herself by the room where Poise is getting her wounds addressed. The young woman shoos away anybody who gets too close or obvious when they 'just walk by' and gawk.

Poise isn't wounded all that gravely, but shrapnel did manage to penetrate her ride suit...and thigh. Having been guided back to land, with two survivors of the shipwreck at sea, she's been pretty amenable to the staff there...even if she's probably had a bit of fun with the situation.

Probably most oddly was her request for mercury. which when supplied finally, she downed it in one, to the dismay of the humans nearby.

"What? Don't tell me you don't drink on the job." She waggles the flash between her fingers.

"No no, its just that...that's highly toxic to humans."

Poise raises an eyebrow from behind her big earth glasses, "What? Well that's just silly! Most galactic standard races have no problem with mercury. You guys are weird." She looks down at the stitches, and gives a nonchalant nod of approval, "The wound care is acceptable. Thank you all for that." The Nebulan smirks, "But I'd feel a lot better if you burned all of those wipes and instruments you used to treat me before anyone starts getting the idea to analyze my blood and clone a couple dozen of me."

One of the men blanches, "What? We would never do that! That'd be immoral."

And that's when her smirk got a bit bigger, "Are you saying I'm not worth cloning?"

There was no way for them to win, and it was a bit fun.

Cookie waits until the corpsman is done and leaving the room before she steps in. "At least you're not trying to tell them you're an Orion Slave Girl or some nonsense like that," she says with a smile and a shake of her head. "Would you like to get something to eat? The galley here is just typical cafeteria food, but it's not too bad."

Sinatra has been assigned up this way because of what's going on in Langley - matters there more important than the Evil Inc spacecraft hanging around in Pripyat; there's rumours Cobra want to move in on Quantico next... if they manage that, the entire counter-intelligence infrastructure of the USA will essentially be under Cobra control. Add to that the fact that a Cobra vessel fired on shipping - on fellow Joes, and so he's up this way. He's also hearing rumbles of an alien in the area, and add to that, his latest team-mate - and senior officer - is here too.

He recognises the jetcycle immediately, grinning and looking to his rats; three of them, today. "Tafuta Poise!" he tells them, cheerfully pointing at it. "Tafuta rafiki yetu!” The fact that it's Poise is a weight off his mind. The last thing they need is yet more aliens for him to talk to. He's already got to brief the Autobots, when he can, on what happened in Pripyat.

THe three rats hop down from his shoulders and investigate the bike, especially the saddle area with their sensitive noses. Then they run into the building

A short while later, after scaring nurses in three entirely separate parts of the medical centre, one of the rats happens upon Poise. It gives a little squeak and jump of surprise, then skitters out of view. Then three rat heads, one above the other, peek around the door jamb, ears forward towards the Nebulan.

Poise regards Cookie for a moment, then sits up, her leg bandaged up nice and neat. "Well that'd be a weird thing to say. Orion is highly regulated...they'd have no place for slavery." She pauses, a bit concerned, "Is that a big deal here? Orion slave trading?"

She points a finger absently at Cookie, "Earth cuisine....Yes! I had some of it earlier! Its not entirely healthy but I had something very delicious. Let me see." She pantomimes holding a cup, then the other hand uses an imaginatry utensil to bring it to her mouth. "It had noodles and was in some sort of cup." The Nebulan stands up, testing out her leg. Overall she seems fine. "Forget what it was called but I won't be adverse to more." Upon seeing the pouchie, she points at it, remembering a little. "Sapient pouch rat." Poise activates her forearm computer, which shows a holo display of it, then seems to record a picture of it for later. "For my 'live feed' as you Earthers say."

Cookie shakes her head. "It's something from before we'd met any aliens- there's this fictional show that had that sort of thing on it. Not something you have to worry about in reality." She gets a look somewhere between horror and glee at Poise's description of cup noodle, though. "Oh, if you like ramen, I have GOT to make something better than that microwave stuff for you. It's not bad, but the homemade version is a LOT better."

Cookie blinks at the rats. "Oh, wait.. you look familiar." She crouches. "Don't you have a person you go with?"

At the mention of a person with them, one of the rats darts away. The other two step into the room, sniffing the air curiously and looking to the two occupants. Their harnesses identify them as Axle and Odye.

A short while later, Sinatra steps into the room, following the rat who darted away. From the fluff, this rat is easily identified as Mosi, even before her harness identifies her. "Jambo!" He says, cheerfully. He salutes Cookie, although it's obvious he's never had any formal military training in his life.

Sinatra smiles cheerfully to Poise, giving he a wave "It's good to see you again- let me get the formalities out of the way a moment."

Poise delivers in her high-pitched voice, "Well if you're up to it." She turns from the rat, back to Cookie, and raises a hand cautiously, "Are you working on a credit system here or tangible wealth? What's your economic design here?" Before anyone can respond, she continues, "So far most everything I've been given has been free and so usually I show off pictures of my intergalactic travel in response but I'm aware that this is a post-barter economy bordering on Galactic Standard 2 so I know that can't be expected to receive free things for long."

The rats are of some mild interest to her, but when Sinatra appears, her forearm flashes a quick hologram of their meet up in South America earlier, possibly to help remind her. Those humans, they all look alike, right? "Oh! Yes hello!" She raises a two finger wave towards Sinatra, "That makes sense. These sapient ver-...rats are yours." She explains to Cookie, "We met on the road to an ancient Earth ruin. Macchu Picchu."

Cookie tries to give the remaining rats some scritches between their ears. She grins at the greeting and stands to return the salute politely, her salute crisp from long practice. "You don't normally salute people in civvies unless they're top brass," she says. "Like, say, the Secretary of Defense or the President. But I appreciate the thought. Sinatra, right?" She offers a hand to shake.

To Poise, she answers, "We're on a credit exchange system, yeah. But honestly, if you're not too hungry, I love cooking for people. We could get you discharged and swing by my quarters." She grins at Sinatra. "You and your rats, too. No offense, but I doubt the folks running the galley would be all that comfortable with rats about, even if they're clean and trained."

Sinatra nods "Yes, Sinatra." He shakes the offered hand, nodding. "Cookie, yes? Many people don't understand them - the Gambian pouched rat isn't a vermin species. But at the same time, they are thirty centimetres long, without the tail, and clearly rats... a rat that big, it's best to keep them out of kitchens to avoid panic. If you add that all furry creatures shed fur, it's just a good idea to keep them out of the kitchen. Food is always good... although it's best not to feed the rats... if you feed one, you must feed all of them... and the full pack is more than just Odye, Mosi and Axle."

His smile shines radiantly as he looks to Poise. "That's right, yes. Please, be careful with the V-word. They don' like it."

Her brow furrows, "Okay that's an unusual distinction but I guess each world gets its own entymologicial decisions." She touches her forearm computer, and scrolls back through some of her posts, then edits out 'Cute Earth Vermin want a snack!' from earlier, to something new. Soon, Poise is discharged with most of the standard medical restrictions though who can say for her really? She regards the antibiotics she had been given, without taking any. Aloud to the small group as they move on under Cookie's suggestion, Poise remarks "You Earthers are pretty good about letting aliens walk around for a pre-space planet. Must be because of all the Cybertronians running around." A bit dryly, she adds, "I see they brought their dang war here too. I've been trying to delicately maneuver them away from my planet of late for that same reason. Main reason I haven't been back...."

Cookie chuckles and nods. "Yeah. There's been a lot of crazy shit since I was a little kid. Somebody who's green, well, you aren't any weirder than the people I've seen walking Duvale Street." She takes out a phone and checks the time. "Traffic shouldn't be -too- bad, though I'm going to have to bum a ride from one of you. My ground vehicle got left behind when I went out on the water."

The young woman mulls over the other comment, not sure how to handle that one.

Sinatra snorts "Good luck with that." He shakes his head, looking like he's about to launch into a lecture. Instead, he sighs, shakes his head. "Just... read the history of Earth, look at what was goin' on in Europe durin' the 30s... and what's still happenin' in Africa today. You can't reason, or hide, from somethin' like Megatron. You're either standin' in his way... or you're at his side. That's all he sees."

He seems relieved at the change of subject, chuckling. "I'm walking. I can't take the Stollie out at the moment because there's not enough battery to keep the AC runnin' while I'm not there."

That gives her something of a frown, "Oh I'd love to do some good here but I think that that might be synonymous with 'alien invasion part two' so I don't really want that to happen so I avoid anywhere that feels too politically dangerous...I guess I sort of broke that little rule yesterday when I fired on that vehicle." She shrugs barely, "Sorry. There's just some things that I'm not going to tolerate. Your Earth Government might have a problem with that. But if that's the case I can always move on."

Walking outside, she gives a vague gesture to her hovercycle, "I can seat ya. Just give me a second." The green cycle powers up, and with a few keystrokes, the sensor suite in the sidecar folds up and practically disappears, leaving space for someone. "The rats can sit in there if you two want to ride near the engines. There's not much in the way of moving parts so its not really that dangerous like Earth tech or so."

Sinatra shakes his head "I meant for your world, Poise. It's not... a war over turf. It's a war of good people against bad people. Best pick your side, before you end up a mouse, running around the feet of the bull elephants as they fight."

He looks at the hovercycle, blinking. "Oh man you're gonna have to give everyone a ride if you carry us in that. Otherwise, the other rats will get jealous."

Cookie gives Sinatra a look of alarm at the mention of walking. "My place is a 40 minute drive by interstate. I'm actually over by Fort Story. That's at the mouth of the bay, not back here by the shipyards." She gets a lopsided smile at Poise's concerns. "Hey, you helped save people on a distressed boat. That's proper procedure anywhere. If anybody has a problem with that, fuck 'em."

As they approach the hovercycle, the mechanic sticks her hands in her pockets to avoid doing something stupid. "I didn't get a really good look at it before. It's got beautiful lines."

Sinatra nods in agreement with Cookie. "What she said. It is actually illegal not to aid a boat in distress if you are in American water."

Poise gives a non-commital shrug, "They seem fun...yeah pile on. I think they're smart enough to enjoy the ride and not do anything silly." She manually pulls down a couple of pipes for Sinatra and Cookie to lean against between her thrusters. "Mostly used for light cargo but stable and secure. I'll not be going fast regardless and I'll only do any land jumps that are just screaming out for me to test them." There's a bit of a laugh, "Yeah this model's pretty old tech I'm sure back home on Nebulos. Its actually two eons old now! However the NDN has served me through ice caverns. molten fields of bauxite. benzene gas storms. and predator jungles. so its really reliable."

Sinatra chuckles "We'd have to get the others, they're currently at the nearest safe house. Best take them for a ride after these three have spread the word about how fun it is." He chuckles, settling into place. "Man I can't talk when it comes to older vehicles. For the longest time the Rat Bus was an old Deuce and a Half, originally made in 1944 and kept runnin' long after it shoulda been scrapped, the thing was one rolling jerry rig, really. We got a Stalwart now... still old but we picked it up in near showroom condition at a dirt cheap price. It's amphibious, 'cause you never know where you're going with Joe." He laughs.

Cookie does her best not to drool as she climbs up and holds on. "Man, I'd like to get a closer look at this thing's engines. I don't suppose you have a tech manual you'd be willing to share?" It's only a half joking question. "Honestly, it's almost entirely built up around here. Since you have the option, it'd be a hella lot faster to go by water." The young lady grins at Sinatra. "I've worked on some of those old engines. The Navy doesn't throw anything out until they've worked it to dust."

Cookie actually has a townhouse a few minutes' walk away from the north beach. It and the other houses nearby are all pretty much identical, a sign of government housing, but they're pleasant enough, with a little shared yard between them.

Her eyebrows raised, Poise dons her helmet. It muffles her voice a hair as she asks, "You've worked on contragravity non-magnetic systems? Neat! I know enough to keep it running but not a full overhaul." She laughs a little, "Sure I can take everyone out for a spin but I can't guarantee that you won't all get wet if we go over the waves....but since you insist..."

The Nebulan craft powers up with a slight warbling noise, after everyone is set, Poise takes off at a pretty slow pace for the fast craft. When she reaches the docks, she /does/ skid sideways a bit as she slides down over the water. From everyone's view behind her, they can see a very advanced holographic display helping navigate her to the destination. While the cycle doesn't do much in the way of splashing on its own, there is a bit of mist over the sea as she drives. Nothing more than anyone used to the ocean would have on a daily basis. And all too soon, she arrives at Cookie's place of residence.

Sinatra nods "Ever get your hands on a Rolls Royce straight-8 turbodiesel? Man they don't build 'em like that anymore." As she mentions going by water, he nods, thoughtfully. "I'd be able to get most of the way. The Stalwart's not really suited for seaborne stuff, beyond goin' from a landing ship to the beach."

He seems to enjoy the ride. His rats seem to -really- enjoy it, sticking their heads out into the airflow with their ears flapping in the wind.

Cookie unlocks her door and steps inside, toeing off her walking shoes and dropping the keys on a little rack by the door. It's a little bare, but it has the essentials- a couch and a TV with a couple of game systems hooked up to it. Cookie heads straight back to the kitchen. "Any food allergies? I have all the stuff here for some decent ramen."

There's the sounds of her opening and closing her fridge and some drawers.

Sinatra takes off his boots too as he follows Cookie inside, revealing much-patched socks. "Not for me... don't think pasta's good for the rats, though. It's OK... I have plenty of fruit for them in my pockets - they shouldn't eat until we get home to the others anyway."

He nods to Poise. "They are braver than me, I think." He comments, having spotted her recording them enjoying the ride. "They work in a world where everything is five or six times bigger than they are... I think they see us as giant, climbable, oddly-shaped rats. I've asked them, but the best answer I've been able to get is that they think of us as 'big friends' and me as 'big family'."

Poise does indeed take video of the little trip, but mostly of the pouchies. That said her best video recorder was compacted beneath the three of them, so it wasn't going to be anything too impressive. She laughs again, then takes her helmet off when they arrive. "Huh....big friends eh? Well it might startle them to know that galactic standard size is generally about two...ah." She gestures by putting her hands over her head, and standing on her tiptoes, "I was going to say yalms" She regards the rats and crouches down to look at them more, extending a few fingers to them. "Which is why I asked if these guys were sapient when we met. I think we don't give smaller species a lot of credit even when it is us that are the smaller species. At least with Cybertronians running around." She gets the three's attention, then says in a clear tone, "I am sorry I called you 'vermin' earlier. I'll ensure everyone who watches will know better."

 Poise says, "its about my bedtime"

 Poise says, "but needless to say the trio can eat, and Poise can tell a lot of stories about foreign worlds."

 Cookie says, "Sounds good. Cookie can trade with stories about stupid stuff sailors and marines do."

 Sinatra would probably be quiet for a while, and then open up a little with a few of the more humorous stories from back in Africa, in his dad's army

 Poise says, "and a good day is had by all."

 Cookie says, "Did you want to keep going?"

 Sinatra says, "DUnno, I'm a little tired but could do?"

Cookie whips up some pretty good homemade ramen- not too far off from what you'd get visiting a stand in Japan, complete with soft boiled eggs and picked vegetables. She serves with chopsticks and forks, so people can pick the utensil they're comfortable with, and the talk turns to funny stories for a while.

As things wind down, Cookie sets aside the dishes and steps outside to watch the fireflies winking out on the lawn. The roar of F-18 Superhornets practicing out at sea can be heard in the distance.

Sinatra has used a fork for his ramen, unfamiliar with the chopsticks. As he finishes, and helps tidy up, he grins "The ramen would go well with fried locust." He decides. "Or maybe scorpion."

He steps out to watch the planes and fireflies too. "The jets almost look like fireflies too, when they light afterburners. Just... much faster."

"I don't know about scorpion, but fried grasshoppers do go pretty well with noodles."

Cookie nods absently about the jets. "They're hard to spot from here when they're out dogfighting over the ocean, but you can sure hear them when they're practicing touch and goes back at the Oceana flight line." She frowns, folding her arms over her chest. "Having them around isn't keeping Cobra from sneaking in and shooting down somebody's boat, though."

Sinatra nods "That's what happened? Man, that sucks. Course it's not like we can do much to pick 'em up, with the way Cobra are sittin' over the US like a bullfrog."

Cookie nods. "Had one of those hybrid copters- Sky Serpents, I think? Snuck right in, low enough to kiss the water. The boat was already in some trouble- we had some high waves earlier- but whoever was behind the stick on that thing made sure it would go down."

Sinatra blinks quietly as he listens. "Mmm. Remember when th' Lord's Militia came over the savannah doing the same thing. Even with the radar the UN had, there's lot a lot you can do about a helo at that altitude."

Cookie nods. "I'm pissed. There were three people on that boat, at least. And we only got two out of the water." She leans back against the side of the house. "Playin' defense isn't good enough. Not if they can get in and out around a place like this. There's Navy on every side, the Air Force up north, Coast Guard and Marines all over."

Sinatra nods "Can't do shit with the way Cobra have taken over cities, though." He says, with a sigh. "Comms are difficult... we can't track anything if the radar can't talk to the ships. Same problem we had back home."

Cookie hmms. "What about landlines? I mean, sure it's a pain in the ass to run it any distance, but that's just a matter of manpower and logistics, really. Can even bury 'em if you have the right equipment. Any cable company has the tools."

Sinatra shakes his head "Way too easy to bug. Like you said, any cable company has the tools." He kisses his teeth, a near-universal sign of annoyance in Africa. "We'd just be tellin' Cobra we've picked 'em up."

Cookie hmms. "What about their methods of control. They've got those androids, right? Can they be scrambled?"

Sinatra nods "On a small-scale yeah. But we'd need to get closer, got to do something to the control systems." He sniffs. "They got us on the back foot right now."

Cookie nods. "Cause we're reacting instead of acting. The person who takes the initiative controls the flow of battle." She frowns. "Just.. gotta pick a target. One of our cities. One of their bases. Something that -they- gotta react to."

Sinatra nods "We gotta stop the charge first. And we don't have the manpower..." He checks the time. "I better call transport, it's just past feedin' time."

Cookie nods and manages a smile. "Nice meeting you. And your buddies. See you around, then?"

Sinatra nods "Definitely, yes!" He agrees. "It's good to meet someone who doesn't freak out at the mention of fried locust."

Cookie grins. "I've eaten a lot of weird stuff. Bugs don't even top my list."

Log session ending at 22:22:19 on Wednesday, 8 August 2018.