Chapter Text
Among all the MIRA facilities, the Loading Ships had to be the most underwhelming. They were small and boxy, filled with three cargo boxes and a laptop, only able to transfer ten crew members at a time to their assigned destinations, along with some supplies and carry on. The first time boarding one had been exciting, but the novelty had long since worn off. It also didn’t help that this was Cyan’s sixth time. Still, that didn’t stop them from being excited to see who their crewmates would be on this mission.
Their robot beeped and tittered at their side as she climbed the ramp with them. Stepping on the ship, they perked up upon spotting a familiar person. “Dad!” They exclaimed, running over to give the brown clad figure a hug.
“Cyan, you know you are supposed to address me properly. At least while docked.” The older man huffed but gave them a hug back.
“Sorry, Captain Dad!” They corrected as they pulled away to jokingly salute, causing Brown to shake his head, his captain hat shifting with the movement.
“Yes! I’m in Captain Dad’s crew!” Someone cheered from the shuttle doors, making them turn to look and spot their favourite person.
“Nathan! My good bitch!!” Cyan shouted, running over to Lime and nearly knocking the man over in a hug.
“That’s Lime to you, Cyan.” Lime chastised, crushing them in the tight embrace.
“Rules.” They scoffed and flicked the crown on his helmet but clapped excitedly once they were released. “Captain Dad and Lime are on my team again, this mission is going to be awesome!”
“I’m honoured neither of you have been inclined to leave my care, but please, let’s stay professional for now.” Brown chuckled, before jostling them and indicating to the crewmates inside the Loading Ship. “Yellow is here too by the way.”
“Yellow!!” They turned, looking for the yellow suited crewmate already strapped in. “It’s been forever!”
Yellow waved from where she sat, her feet swaying in her seat. “Two years since our last mission together. It hasn’t been the same without you three.”
There was an indignant sound from the crewmate beside her. “Excuse me.”
Yellow lazily turned to a woman in orange. “Sorry, this is my girlfriend, Pumpkin. I told her she’d like this crew.”
“We are super nice I promise! And Brown is like a dad to everyone.” Cyan said, attempting to give Pumpkin a handshake but the woman only stared at their hand before finishing strapping in.
“She’s shy, and a bitch.” Yellow shrugged, earning a swat and a “hey!” from her partner.
“Speaking of bitches...” Lime muttered, turning his attention to Purple. “Xander.”
“Fuck off, Lime.” Purple gave the other man the finger before crossing his arms and sitting back in his seat.
“Ugh, Dad, why don’t you make him transfer already?” Cyan sighed, thunking their helmet against Brown’s shoulder.
“Because he’s good at what he does and keeps requesting to be here.” Brown answered before lowering his voice. “Been trying to get rid of him but MIRA won’t send a replacement and he won’t leave.”
“Blegh.” Cyan shook their head but accepted the answer before surveying the whole crew.
They knew Brown, he had been their captain for their last three missions, excluding the most recent one, but that mission had solidified their desire to return to his crew. Yellow had been with them on their first three missions, though it had been a while they remembered she was incredibly chill and they vibed well. Not to mention her get up was absolutely adorable. She had two fluffy yellow ears on her helmet as well as a snowman and a little green slime creature she had named Squishy.
Observing her girlfriend, 'Pumpkin' wore a medical mask over her visor and had a caution sign hat on top of her helmet. That probably spoke loud and clear about her personality. At least she also had a robot, that was something they could bond about. They weren’t too sure about her yet, but they trusted Yellow’s judgment.
Lime had been their best friend since the academy and they had only done one mission without him. They missed the warmth and shenanigans. It was going to be good to have him back.
They couldn’t say the same for Purple though. They had also known Xander at the academy and even before that, but he consistently stayed an asshole since childhood. They were spared from him most missions, actively avoiding any ship he was stationed on to the best of their ability, but this was going to be their third time in a row with him. He loved sporting a big black and pink mohawk because he thought it made him look cool but it only made him recognizable.
Then there were two members they did not recognize. Someone assigned the colour white, who had a tie wrapped around their helmet. The crewmate was quiet but gave them a little nod of acknowledgement when noticing their attention. They waved in turn before looking at the newbie beside White. They were clad in red and wore a gas mask, which caused Cyan to perk up and approach.
Red seemed unsure of what to do, looking around nervously before shrinking back a bit as they came over.
“Cool mask! Mask buddies!” Cyan said, indicating to their plague doctor mask before extending their fist for a fist bump.
Red hesitantly did the same, staring at them dumbfounded when they lightly knocked their knuckles against their new crewmember’s. “Thanks?” Red responded, looking at the touched hand questioningly before letting it fall back onto the strap.
“Course! Welcome to the crew! I know almost everyone here so if anyone gives you any issues, let me know.” They said, taking the seat beside Red and strapping themself in. “I’m Cyan, by the way. I’m non-binary, so they and them pronouns for me. What about you?”
“Uh, male. He?” Red answered, sounding almost uncertain.
“Awesome! Noted.” They tapped their head before settling in. Take off would be soon, but they only had eight crewmates. Looked like it might be a smaller crew.
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" A woman in pink quickly ran onto the ship, clearly flustered in mannerism. Helmets made distinguishing facial expressions hard enough, but Pink had a paper bag over her head. It had eye holes at least, but it seemed like one of the least practical items she could have chosen for expression. She also had a blue bow attached to the front of the bag and a little blue service dog at her heels. "I'm sorry I'm late, oh stars, I thought I had enough time, oh no!" Her hands fumbled with her straps as she practically threw herself into the first empty seat she could find. As soon as she was buckled in her hands went to her face and she continued to mutter to herself, shaking her head while her dog crawled into her lap and nuzzled her chin.
"You're alright, we still have ten minutes before the overview and take off. Deep breaths." Brown said. He was the captain and would be the last to need strapping in, so he went to her side to try to console her and help her manage her breathing.
"Is that everyone then?" Lime asked, standing by the ramp in preparation to lift it. He paused however when something bumped against his leg and prompted him to look down. "Oh!" A little child in a black suit was looking up at him, pulling on his pant leg to get his attention.
"Dada." She spoke, pointing down the ramp to a large man in a black space suit ascending the ramp. Another small child was at Black's side, and he quickly scooped up his daughter, whisking her away without a word as he passed Lime, who was only about a few inches taller. Cyan noticed the two men were the tallest ship members and secretly wondered if that would cause any tension between the two.
Cyan didn't know Black either, but Red seemed to as he perked up and waved to the empty seat on his other side. They watched as Black pointedly ignored the other man to instead sit in the seat closest to the door, strapping himself in before securing his two children onto his person. Red notably deflated, but Cyan pulled some cards out of their pocket and presented them to him.
"Want to play Go Fish?" They asked, feeling bad for him. They knew the experience of being dismissed all too well.
He still seemed to be looking at the newest crewmate before sighing and turning to them, giving them a nod. "Sure."
They quietly explained the rules before dealing the cards and starting the game.
Lime ended up taking the empty seat after he had shut the door and joined in on the game, the three of them all playing together until it was overview time. The captain strapped himself in and the laptop beeped, displaying a pre-recorded video explaining their mission and destination, reminding everyone of rules and regulations as it droned on before ending the transmission with a robotic 'good luck'.
Then, without further delay they took off.
Their destination? The Skeld.