Introductions [ENDED]

[Dean]

Dean had to stop himself from drawing his gun at the sound of the voice. Instead he inclined his head to find a man not to much older than himself. He listened to him and a smirk touched his face when he asked Dean not to fire his guns in his ship. Well, Thought Dean with a little bit of relief, I really hope this guy (Seiya,was it?) wasn't here the whole time. He wiped his face with a hand, still leaving one on the belt. Man Archer, you realy know how to make a first impression. "Hi I'm Dean Archer, don't mind the gun, Im just extreamly paranoid." Geeze.

Dean rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling kinda stupid for jumping to conclutions. "Sorry, about that. Old habits ya know." He nodded to the appearent leader, saluting with two fingers. "Dean Archer, at your service."

[Admin]

"It is nice to meet you Dean Archer," Seiya said as he reached the bottom level of the hangar bay. He turned as Zach hopped out of the ship and gave a little, friendly salute, before turning to do a once over of the ship, whistling a little tune as he did so. Adamo walked down the ramp of the ship carrying a small clip board, a bit more restrained that Zach had been. He nodded to Dean and then looked at Seiya.

"We need to refuel but other wise we're good to go. We still need to make that last run to the States tonight, pick up the new recruit and the Blaines but we think we can make it back before the sun sets." It was a joke since during this half of the year the sun never set in Antarctica.

Seiya nodded to Adamo and the young man gave Dean a friendly smile before walking past them both and going on about his business. Sieya turned back to Dean and held out his hand. "Welcome aboard Dean. Make yourself at home as long as you're here. Would you like me to show you to your quarters?"

[Dean]

Dean nodded to pilots in each their own. It seemed that they eere collecting people from all over the globe. Dean suddently felt a bit overwelmed. He still had no idea why they needed him so spacificly. He had already left a faction once before, Dean didn't think they would want anything to do with thim after that. He started to think the "desparate" option was more to the reason.

Archer turned back to Seiya after he asked his question. "Yeah I guess thats best." Dean paused for a coulpe of heartbeats. "Uhh...Sorry if this offends you but...Why am I here exactly?"

[Admin]

Seiya turned to look at Dean as they began walking towards the personal quarters. It was in the same general direction as the hallway where he'd left Stevie and Xander to fend for themselves for the moment but Seiya had thought it best that there be some separation between the recruits and the permanent members of the Bladeship so they made a different turn once they reached the hallways.

"A good question," Seiya began, "I'm afraid the answer is not a pretty one. Simply put, we can't afford to let a morph capable body run around on its own. You may get captured and then you would not only be a dangerous weapon in the hands of our enemies, you'd be an intelligence nightmare. Cassie doesn't advertise the fact but she has people who," he stopped himself before he used the word 'hunt' and switched to 'track' instead, "who track down errant animorphs. When we find them they have a few choices. They can return to their factions, transfer to another faction, find a way to help us that doesn't include fighting if they have discovered a distaste for it or..." he stopped and looked at Dean full on, "they can choose to become a nothlit...or die."

He didn't like saying that but there really was no alternative. If there was a way to take the morphing technology back the andalites had not left it to them. And morphing was the only edge they had. They simply could not afford to lose track of morph capable humans.

"I was not briefed on your personal history Mr. Archer. I don't know why you were not in a faction or under what circumstances Cassie contacted you. I am only telling you what I know about our general policy. I assume that you were sent here to help with our latest mission. If you were in Africa then you have some experience working with international people, not to mention resistance groups specifically. The animorphs can no longer stand alone in our resistance efforts. The new factions we are forming are not meant to operate alone. Part of the job, sometimes their main job, will be to coordinate their efforts with local resistance groups. If you have experience in this area then you would be a valuable member of any faction we start."

[Dean]

Anger was the first emotion that Dean found himself feeling. Who did these people think they were? Giving him ultimatums, telling him he had to join them or die? If there was one thing that pissed Dean off it was someone giving him orders. He was just about to tell this so called "leader" were to stick it when he remembered something that Darell had told him.

The night that Dean met Darell he had asked him a simple question: "Why fight? The colony could survive in their caverns for as long as the needed too. The Yeerks wouldn't go looking for you, so why put your people, hell, your family in the middle of this war?"

Darell had just stared out at the dark Serengeti. Dean could remember how peaceful and beautiful it looked at night. Darell looked out at his scorched homeland and said to Dean: "Even when we close our eyes, there is a whole world that lives outside ourselves and our dreams. We are all connected to it, and therefore we are a part of it. All is one, and one is all Dean. Never forget that."

With those thoughts fresh on his mind, Dean told his emotions to stow it. Darell was right of course. He always was. Dean knew that he was where he needed to be, even if he didn't particularly want to be there. But he kept following Seiya toward his new sleeping quarters, telling himself to suck it up. Saying simply, "ok."

[Admin]

Seiya nodded and some of the tension went out of his shoulders. He had worried about telling Dean some of the real reasoning behind his recruitment. As he'd said that the beginning, they weren't pleasant truths and less pleasant choices that Cassie and those that worked under her were forced to make. Besides, when it came right down to it, they were a threat and no one liked to be threatened or pushed into anything.

"This way then," Seiya said, leading the way to the personal quarters. "You can choose any room in this hallway that you find open. The ones that don't open when you palm them," Seiya said, demonstrating by stopping next to a doorway and pressing his hand against the large panel next to the door, "are already claimed by someone. When you choose your room we can have it personalized to you for the duration of your stay with us."

He turned to Dean as he palmed the door he'd opened closed. "I live in this hallway too as well as the other teachers. The recruits live in the next hallway over. There is dinner in the mess hall in about an hour and you can meet the others there if you don't run into them before then. Just follow the red lights," Seiya said pointing to tubes that were glowing a soft red set into the ceiling of the hallway. "They used to be energy lines, well they still are actually. But since we don't use the whole ship we shut down the lines to empty parts of the ship to conserve energy. So these only lead to active parts of the ship now. The mess hall, the hangar bay, the laboratories. Things like that. These hallways," he said waving around.

"I guess that's it for introductions. Is there anything I can get you? Or anything you'd like to ask?"

[Dean]

Dean walked with the man, listening while trying to get a feel for his new residence. He felt a little awkward about being so close to the teachers and other Animorphs. He'd get over it though. Dean was always a bit awkward anyway.

Seiya explained how the rooms worked, and what went were and such. Dean nodded, it was all pretty simple to remember. Follow the red lights, He told himself, should be easy enough. He turned to the door that Seiya had just closed.

"I'll go ahead and just take this one if thats alright, I don't feel like roaming around looking for a room. They all look about the same anyway."

When Seiya asked if he had any questions Dean looked around, not finding what he was looking for, saying, " Yeah...um...were's the bathroom? I've had a pretty long trip and I'd like to clean up."

[Admin]

Ssiya blinked. It was the only expression of his surprise. He turned and palmed open the room that Dean had indicated. "In the bedrooms of course," he said, motioning. "We would not deprive you of the use of basic bathing facilities." He was honestly surprised. It had never occurred to him to point out where the bathrooms were to anyone who had come onto the ship so far. Regular bathing was such an integral part of his routine that he assumed the same was true of everyone else and that they would expect their own bathrooms.

"There are towels on a small shelf in there as well, and soap. We didn't provide that, it was already here. The yeerks weren't very generous with their accommodations but they are passable." He turned back to Dean, a slight air of servitude about him. He was not a servant, not in the traditional sense, but he had been raised to adhere to strict ideals about hospitality and it required a certain humbling of oneself in order to be a good host. "Is there anything else Mr. Archer?"

[Dean]

Dean blinked at Seiya for a couple of heartbeats. He was not used to formality, especially from a superior officer. Everything in Africa was for the most part, informal. Everyone pretty much just talked and acted like regular folk all the time. Even the "leader" Darell was never one to command or use last names- Archer the expecting of course.

After the surprise faded from Dean's face, he managed to stammer out, "No I-I'm fine....Thanks though."

[Admin]

"Well then Mr. Archer, I look forward to seeing you at dinner and I hope to hear some stories of your travels. I used to travel extensively but obviously I have not done much traveling recently except to come down here. It would be nice to hear of other places and other climes." It was the truth. Seiya recognized the need to be down here and the need to hide the Bladeship but he was starting to get sick of the sight of walls. But he'd deal with it.

"Until then be welcome on the ship and it is truly a pleasure to have you aboard." Seiya bowed slightly, hardly a dip of his head and shoulders, but it showed respect.