trans_9 | Welcome to the future [open]

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Welcome to the future [open]

Injuries hardly ever stopped Samus Aran. As long as she could walk, she would train. This time was no exception, and the bandaged scratches and gashes underneath her plantsuit would just have to demand her attention some other time.

Still, she did take it a little easy, even if it wasn't obvious. Samus decided to forgo the stresses of her heavy armor, opting to practice armed only with her gun and her fists in combat situations. Generic enemies attacked from all sides, increasing in difficulty each time she took down another with a combination of acrobatic moves, tricks with a laser gun that doubled as a grapple beam, and straight up hand to hand combat. It went on for a good while until finally one laid a hand on her.

The simulation halted suddenly at the apparent hit. Samus glanced over at a display, which totaled how many foes she had taken down before what would have been the first hit an enemy got on her in the session. She pursed her lips unhappily. It was less than her total would have been in suit. It was always less than her total in suit. Try as she might, she could never match the firepower she had with her armor.

Gun. Maybe a different one could help. She waved away the current simulation and brought up another. The Sensoriums looked not unlike the rows of weapons in the armory. Samus scanned over a few, looking for something that might give her an edge. She reached for one that looked out of place: a long, thin pole. As soon as she held it in her hands, though, red laser planes sprung from the end. It was an axe with laser blades.

This might work.

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So. That unexpected visit and the abrupt, unprepared battle against the Ohm? Sucked. The multitude of lacerations she acquired from said battle that stung underneath their bandages. Annoying.

Needless to say, Astrid was a bandaged bundle of Viking bitterness. Mostly on her performance during the fray; she had been too careless and needy. It almost cost her life as well as Hiccup's. Humiliating...

...But that axe. REALLY awesome.

Too awesome for words... and she ended up standing there, cradling an injured, patched up arm and stared -- highly impressed of what she's seeing of the woman's skill on this fantasy training ground. Eager to watch how she'll handle the souped-up looking weapon.

Where did she come from? Well... she just might've inconspicuously followed Samus, possibly out of sheer boredom, reluctant on resting and licking her wounds until they were fully healed. ...It's not like she was ~~nosy~~ curious as to what Samus would be up to!

Y-yeah, that's it. Boredom.

Unaware she was being watched, Samus turned the axe over in her hands examining it. One of the same generic foes from before popped up to test it. It sprung to life, and Samus swung the axe, sending a head rolling across the sensorium floor.

The axe was too awkward in her hands. It certainly worked, but she didn't like it very much. Dissatisfied, Samus turned to place axe back on the weapons rack. It was only then she noticed that the she was being watched. Samus lifted an eyebrow at the girl, wondering how long she had been there, but said nothing.

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Nice swing.

By the looks of it, seems Astrid isn't the only restless one.

Now with her presence known, she adjusted her arm sling and ambled over to the rack, quietly studying the array of choices, then examined the axe in particular. The red flashy blades interested the girl and she raised a hand, wanting to touch the laser contour... which, of course, is probably not the best idea. At all.

Anticipating her action, Samus moved the blade away. However, it was not because she did not want the girl to see or use it. She shook her head once as if to say 'You don't want to do that' before barely touching the laser blade to the bottom of a nearby metal rack, slicing it and sending whatever weapons were resting on it tumbling down.

"Just because things in here aren't quite real as you or I doesn't mean they still can't injure you," she said.

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Holy--

It instantly registers that it could have been her fingers. "...Duly noted." Though that didn't make it any less cool.

"It's too bad they're not real...," she says, placing the palm on her opposite arm again. "I'd like another crack at those monsters." Her eyes thinned bitterly towards the ground. "How dare they flee. The cowards."

Samus carefully set the axe back on the rack. As soon as her hands left the handle, the blades disappeared. Samus let out a small breath as Astrid spoke. Samus only heard her own teenage self speaking.She was so eager for a fight like she had something to prove, just like the young hunter...

She turned back to Astrid. "We wouldn't have made it out alive if they hadn't left," she responded plainly. It was so hard for her to admit failure, but that was the reality. "They were much more difficult than we anticipated. We were spared, but for what reason, I don't know."

And as much as Samus only heard herself in Astrid, she heard her voice of reason, her former CO, in herself...

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They were spared?

Astrid's brows knit tightly. That was absolutely disgraceful according to her. The Ohm might as well have just KILLED them - there was more honor in dying than being looked down upon by disgusting bugs.

"I could've handled them all...," she huffed lightly, pride seething from her words. No, not likely, Astrid.

Samus sighed slightly and crossed her arms. Samus was far from happy with the outcome as well. Failure was frustrating, though she had learned to be less outward with how it made her feel over the years, and although she had a reputation for being reckless (and as much as she hated to admit it), she had learned that even she cannot take on some enemies alone. But all of these things Samus had learned in rather tough lessons. Samus expected that this girl would, somewhat unfortunately, meet the same fate someday.

"I'm sure it will not not our last encounter with them," she told her. "So I suggest if you want the next time to go differently, you start doing something about it."

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As she raised her head, Samus would see the smirk gracing her lips, resolve behind her eyes. "Rest assured, I'll do more than "something". They'll regret not killing me when they had the chance."

Yes, and there was so much for this young Viking lass to learn before then, indeed... starting with the woman in front of her right now.

"Ah... S-Samus, was it?" She gave a short, respectful bow, "I'm... forgive me for intruding."

Well, she certainly had spirit. That was a good thing.

A curt nod was given in response. "Yes, Samus. And it was hardly an intrusion... Astrid, correct?"

Too much spirit sometimes.

She nodded. Then she appeared to be pondering something, "Hn..."

"How many did you take down? Those creatures, I mean." This was important.

Samus gestured at the display panel, "Not as many as I would have liked."

Upon inspection, the panel revealed a very respectable number of defeated enemies. Samus wasn't fishing for any sort of affirmation that she did well. She just had high standards for herself.

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One look at the panel and her eyebrows raised. Impressive, yes. Astrid's opinion of Samus grew; she found herself liking the taller blonde's style more and more. ...Then again, numbers were just numbers.

And that meant squat to her.

She snatched the axe up and the blades sprung to life just as they had for Samus. Minding the warning, she carefully positioned her grip on the proper length before showcasing a few practice swings. Hiccup will probably have something to say when he finds out she ended up playing around in her condition -- but in her mind, if she is on her feet and can still lift/swing a weapon, she was perfectly capable.

When satisfied she has the hang of it, a final swing is made at Samus, although not offensively, and it points to the woman as Astrid puts on a faint smirk.

"Let's see you triple that amount, then-- I'll be sure to beat it ten-fold." A challenge of who can exterminate the most simulated bugs.

Are you up for it, Space Hunter?

A challenge? Ohohoho. As much as she had cooled down over the years, Samus was far too stubborn to turn that down. She smirked.

"We'll see," she accepted, but continued with her conditions. She wasn't foolish enough to take up this test armed with a gun she could only set to stun, "If you're going to arm yourself with that, I'll be switching out my weapon as well. Fair?"

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She nods to this condition, rolling a shoulder in bodily preparation with a minor wince, though ignores it, readying herself for the challenge.

Well, she just chose something more familiar to her, and it was definitely fair if Samus wanted a change in weaponry. No complaints there. Now what would the woman choose, Astrid had to wonder.

Since Astrid picked a weapon she seemed to be familiar with (only with a little extra 'oomph'), Samus decided it was only fair if she picked one of her old favorites too. That wasn't found on any weapons rack, though.

With crackling and a flash of light, Samus was now decked out in a full suit of powered armor.

"You use that axe, I use this. Fair?" Though Samus would have been willing to step down a notch upon the girl's request. There wasn't any need for her to be a walking powerhouse... Except for perhaps the desire to show off.

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That... hardly seems fair.

But fun.

Apart from an astound stare, Astrid's lips broke into a grin, her expression looking both appeased and excited Samus was going at this seriously.

"As long as that thing doesn't slow you down; I'd say it's fair enough." Yup, it was fine with her.

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Samus grinned back. Not that Astrid could see under her helmet, but the grin was there. No one had ever bothered to challenge her on this ship, but Samus wasn't surprised Astrid had.

She took her place back at the center of the mock battlefield. She waved for the start of the simulation.

And she promptly (and rather easily) tripled her kill-count before.

And she could have held out much longer. She paused the battle, though, turned to Astrid and asked, "You wanna take your turn now? Could be awhile if you don't."

Of course one overconfident teenager is all it takes to bring out the one in Samus.

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--Well. So much for the "ten-fold".

However long she had been podded, Astrid wasn't extremely rusty herself. Maneuvering with relative ease on the field, putting some use of her short years of relentless training and dragon classes, the viking teen preformed rather substantially well under the circumstances of dealing with a different foe. ...Of course not above the level Samus achieved. Of course.

Notably, the only problem and concern she frequently faced was handling the foreign axe carefully, not with familiarity -- a thorough example shortly before the challenge of what lasers were capable of kept her watchful of the double-edged weapon she wielded. Promptly reminding herself there could not afford to be any 'miss swings' and such mistakes would not produce a mere 'cut'. She often found it touchy to preform her usual tactics and flips due to this fact. It might've effected her turn somewhat.

It must be remedied at some point.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Astrid took her break, shooting back a dignified smile at Samus.

That was kinda fun.

Samus took off her helmet and watched. Astrid performed admirably. Of course, there was room for improvement, but there was always room for improvement. She watched as Astrid toyed with the new weapon, trying to find just the right way to handle it. Samus saw the determination to master the new weapon, the unwillingness to settle for mediocre or make excuses that she didn't know how to handle it.

All of which made Samus consider working with and teaching Astrid more and more. A satisfied smile sat on her lips when Astrid looked back at her. It said more than she could have.

Pushing stray locks of hair behind her ear, she inhaled then exhaled softly, sobering from that short adrenaline rush.

"Well, I've been clearly outdone and I won't deny that. I'm kind of beyond words," she complimented, taking her losses. "Lady Samus, I really am in awe of your prowess. That lucky armor is... unbelievable. I've never seen armor do such things."

Take it, Samus. She RARELY dishes out compliments.

"The armor certainly helps," she responded, "But it cannot accomplish tasks on its own. I've worked with it for many years to be able to do what I can now."

She spoke as if the armor was more than just a tool because, well, it was more than just a tool for her. She valued her armor as more than just a means to reach an end.

"Given time," she added softly, "I don't doubt your ability to become a highly skilled warrior."

Samus certainly didn't wish her own experiences on Astrid, but she couldn't deny the potential Astrid held. Maybe, just maybe, Samus could help get her to that point without the same hardship she had in her own past.

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She sheepishly scratched her cheek with bent index. A compliment from a real genuine female warrior. Astrid was relieved she hadn't embarrassed herself with her inexperience in the simulation.

Then came the questions.

"How did you obtain this piece of work? Who's your blacksmith? What are the secrets behind it?"

There might be a sliiight hopeful smile peeking at the corner of her lips. "I-I wouldn't mind something similar. If possible. Aah... because it looks really handy."

And really cool.

"It was, er... a gift," Samus hesitated with the explanation, "I'm not totally sure it would able to be replicated by someone on this ship, or that it would even work for anyone else."

Well, she was being honest. Not wanting to seem like she was dashing Astrid's hopes of moving forward into the future, she added, "But that isn't to say that we can't find something for you. You'd have to see if someone in engineering could help you."

It's not a severe dash of hope. She figured something like that is probably one of a kind.

"Understandable," she nodded, cupping her chin. "I know of a fairly talented blacksmith, so I might pass on some ideas at the very least." In fact, Astrid can probably expect something for herself in the near future akin to a lot of the technology here once Hiccup gets down to his forge business.

She thumbed towards the laser axe. "Like that for example. Then I'll do what I can to get even better."

At any rate, it seems they're finished here. She guessed she should leave Samus to her duties...

Komali was afraid to move into the sensorium. It wasn't Samus he was afraid of, though she was certainly worth that much. Even on her slowest day, she was terrifying.

But he'd messed up. There was no way around it.

So he stood in the door and shuffled his feet and hoped a crack would open in the floor and swallow him whole, which it didn't.

"Samus Aran?" He called, when he saw Samus pause thoughtfully at the axe. It was a mark of fomrality- he only ever called her by her name when he was unsure of the bond thathad sprung up between them, after all.

Samus looked over when Komali called her. She definitely took notice at the name. A look crossed her face. It was a mixture of wonder and worry. Why was Komali calling her that? She had taken a liking to 'Mama Samus' even if she would never admit it...

She set the axe back on the rack. "Komali?" She started to walk over to him.

"I- I messed up," He looked down clutching his hands together to stop them from shaking, "A-and you got hurt, and I know it's my fault so...I'm really sorry!"

The child looked up again, red eyes wide and tear-filled, "I didn't mean to! I'll do better, I promise!"

Samus picked him up, looked him straight in those tear-filled eyes, and told him, "It was not your fault."

Best be listening to mama there, little bird.

Komali made a soft, helpless little peeping sound and threw his arms around Samus' neck. The greater portion of white fluff had fallen out over the course of shore leave, leaving only a long swath dangling from each of his elbows like over-sized sleeves.

"H-how do you know?"

"Because I doubt you're collaborating with the Ohm," did Samus just crack a joke? Maybe. It was meant to be words of comfort regardless.

"That's not funny!" Komali objected, but when he let go the hug to wipe at his eyes, he was smiling again, "You're not even mad?"

"I'm not mad," she confirmed.

"Okay," He agreed shyly, "Is mister Chief mad?"

Komali may have confused some words in Chief's name.

"I can't speak for him, but I'm almost positive Mister Chief is not angry," Samus liked this name for Chief better.

Well, that just make sit completely, officially, totally hug time. He's got good strength, for such a little guy, "I love you Mama Samus."

It had been a long time since anyone had told Samus they loved her, if she even remembered any of the other occurrences. It was... strange honestly. People depended on Samus. People had always depended on Samus. Said people had never really been close to Samus. She worried about close Komali was too her. She wondered if being so protective of him was a bit of a mistake. He needed her in a way she wasn't used to.

But she cared about him. She had gotten attached, and it was too late to change any of that now. Through all the worrying and the guilt of dragging him into her dangerous life, she was happy that she could take care of him.

She hugged him tightly back. She pulled back and offered him a smile, while ruffling feathers on his head. She was happy, and it was apparent that Komali's feelings were (albeit silently) returned.

"Feeling better now?"

"Uh-huh!" He was all smiles and properly fluffed feathers, no longer slicked tight to his skin with worry or stress. The flight-feathers hanging from their place on the strip of tendon and skin at his elbow made the illusion particularly sweet, rather like he was draped in a thick robe of brown and white feathers.

"I feel good."

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Welcome to the future [open]

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