STONE

Getting Familiar

Tripp hung on to his breath for as long as he could as a powerful jet stream of hot citrus smelling water struck him across his chest. He knew he signed up for joining the K-force but did they really have to disinfect him so harshly?!
Pounded, shaven and completely undressed, he stood there waiting for the next hot jet stream, which struck him in the back of the head. It was a strange "box". It was a large and clear disinfecting container, with different sockets for the liquid to hit him in different angles. He hoped not every bath would be this way. He'd have no skin left!
The Captain said that since Tripp was a "stray", he would have to be disinfected, tested and be shaven, so that the ship won't be infected by a random virus and wiped them all out. So his newly dusty blonde hair was cut short and even his eyebrows were plucked handsomely.

After a good ten minutes of sterile torture, Tripp slowly walked out of the cleansing machine and started putting on the fresh clean clothes that were laid out waiting for him on a nearby bench. Simple clothes, just a white t-shirt, black cargo pants and some undergarments. Beside it was a plate of bread, cheese, a few pieces of fruit and a piece of paper. Helping himself to the food, he read the paper which was a poorly drawn map of how to get to the control bridge or "The Operation Nest" as they were apparently calling it.
Tripp tilted his head as he tried to examine the poorly drawn map, which after a few moments, he started to make his way to the destination.
Surprised that they would leave him unattended, but just by looking at him, he wasn't exactly a threat. Especially when he realized that he had to turn around and go the other way, because he was holding the map upside down.

As Tripp walked along, his bright amber eyes look around at the large corridor. Nice to be able to see properly without shaggy hair in the way.
The halls was very open, rooms and doors everywhere, and just about everything was colored in every shade of gray under a shadow's rainbow, like the outside was.
Even occasionally, a few boards of wood were seen on the wall, held together on the metal by.. construction tape? Tripp was amazed. How is this ship is still in one piece? And flying in midspace? Space cannot provide a wind draft, was the walls thick enough? He didn't want to think too much about it. The less he knows, the better, right?
The odor of the ship even seemed odd to him. Of course, he had been in a jungle for as long as his mind allows him. Not to mention how cold space was. The floor beneath him was cold too, he wasn't wearing shoes.  Everything was so different, intimidating even. He wondered if he had made the right choice in leaving his former home. A little too late to rethink his decision.

As he walked around the corner, admiring a small tree growing in a clay pot, he heard the sound of laughter ahead. As he stepped closer, the path lead to an opening of the "Nest" where apparently everyone else was at, which was the towards the front of the ship.
A room where all basic controls are at, the Control Bridge. Large control panels edged the very front, where the window shields were. Buttons of all sorts scattered across the top of them, each seemed to belong to a certain station, or controlled area of the ship. Toward the middle of the room, on a bit of a small balcony, was just a single chair. Just a few steps high enough to look over the others, and giving the perfect view outside the front windows. Staring out those windows could easily cause you to lose your train of thought on just how vast space was.

Feeling nervous, Tripp figured it would be best to stay by the wall near the entrance of the room to overhear the crew's talk. He hadn't been around others like him for so long, he felt like he didn't know how to interact. Should he stutter more? Less? Creatures don't seem to threatened a slow speaker. It seemd to work somewhat on the android. But Tripp didn't want to push his luck. Not having a conversation with anyone for so long, would make your speech a bit slurred anyway. So, for now, listening in for a few moments shouldn't hurt anything.
But before he could, the sounds of footsteps comes rushing in from behind him. Small steps, making a soggy, squishy noise, if you will.
As Tripp quickly turn to see what it is, a short, light blue slug-like creature comes running up to the room as fast as his two little stubby feet could carry him. It wore a dark green overalls and a matching helmet that covered majority of it's head.
It's two long eye stalks bounced side to side as the creature shouts some sort of gibberish.
Tripp moved out of the way quickly, astonished at what it was. Nothing like that was ever in the jungle! He didn't bother to think too long on how it would of tasted.