For Colin (post thebastion)

[earthandpine]

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A quick summary.

[freedom_engineer]

For all of Colin's big talk, when the time came, he could certainly back it up. The rescue on the skyway would have been nothing short of miraculous. One minute, Rosethorn would have been going about her business alone. The next minute, Colin would have been there, offering to get her out of there and back to the safety of the Super Nova.

After taking care of anything that needed to be taken care of on the Skyway, the next two weeks would have been a flurry of activity. Their trip to the hospital would be short. Rosethorn would have gotten firsthand experience with the Nova's Temporal Dimensional Portal Generator. A swirling blue portal would have taken them from the skyway, straight to a large, sterile living space.

There was a commons room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small kitchen with a replicator. After seeing Rosethorn's discomfort, Colin tapped into the comm. Thirty minutes later, a six foot long planter loaded down with various plants was delivered.

The next week would be spent in comfort. There were lots of medical questions asked, lots of tests taken, but only one blood test would be necessary. For the most part, Rosethorn would have been left to her own devices. Colin, on the other hand, would be having frequent visitors and would spend quite a bit of time being debriefed on everything that had happened.

Rosethorn would also have the opportunity to meet some of Colin's family. Even behind their isolation suits, their personalities would be distinct enough to tell them apart.

Jade would be the first, and most frequent of the visitors. Head of the Nova's medical staff, she would be personally seeing to a lot of their quarantine-related testing. She was warm and cheerful, and would always be willing to talk to the both of them about anything while she was there.

Amber would be next, and certainly one of the most memorable. She was in charge of many aspects of the Nova's security, and something of a hardass. She was also protective of Colin, though certainly not enough to keep from giving him a bit of a hard time. Colin took it in good humor though, and Rosethorn would probably be able to tell that there was no malice between them. Just good old fashioned siblings being buttheads to each other.

Pearl would come with their father sometime after the initial rush. The most calm and collected of his sisters, Pearl welcomed him back with a hug and kind words. She would also have stayed to make chit-chat with Rosethorn, recognizing Colin's friendship with her as a reason for bringing her back to the ship and staying with her. It would probably come as no surprise that Pearl was a diplomat, though she also served as acting Captain of the ship as well.

And finally, there was Colin's father. Emperor Mooj Starfury. He had joined in the hug with Pearl and Colin, perhaps even more readily than she had, and he'd stayed as long as he could manage before he had to depart. The universe wouldn't stop for an extended reunion, but Mooj left with a promise to his son that he would clear his schedule as soon as was possible, and Colin didn't give any indication of doubting his father's word.

When quarantine was over, the two of them would be quickly released. A doctor of Jade's choosing would have recommended nutritional supplements to Rosethorn, along with a request to see her periodically over the next few months. From there, Amber would have been waiting for them to show Rosethorn to quarters.

Colin would have laughed quietly, and told her that he'd already made arrangements. From there, Colin would have shown Rosethorn to the arboretum. And if anything, his description hadn't done it justice. When they arrived, the first thing Rosethorn would have seen would have been plants EVERYWHERE. Their arrival would put them near the edge of a forested area, with three buildings in sight: A house in the far distance, a large stable, and a Great Hall. Otherwise, there were trees, grass, and wild as far as the eye could see, along with clouds overhead.

The only hint that they were actually inside a ship would be the occasional huge, plant-covered pillar rising from the ground to the ceiling a mile above. Even the ceiling itself would be difficult to make out. And if Rosethorn were to listen, all around her, the plants were utterly content.

Colin would lead her to the Great Hall, explaining that it was one of the remnants of his father's first home. It was an ancient medieval building of wooden construction, with paintings and trophies and assorted memories of time gone past hanging on the walls. The first floor held a kitchen and a bar, and was otherwise filled with tables and a large hearth on a far wall. Lamps lit the place, and though they were electronic, they seemed to flicker like bright candlelight.

The second floor had a dozen rooms, well furnished like an inn. Colin would offer Rosethorn her pick of them.

Hopefully that's a good scene-setting, the intro tag will be coming later now that the scene is set.