Mel's jaw was clenching and unclenching angrily at being summoned by the group of marines as if they were some common lowlifes. Her anger coefficient rose in spades with the marines' choice of words to warn them off from their pursuit. She was about to explode in the face of the last marine, who had so nonchalantly threatened them with bodily harm when Vokeera stepped in between her and the marines.

	The Protector stepped forward, hands raised, palms up in show of good faith. "Forgive me, but I do not believe we deserve such treatment. Without knowing our purpose you verbally assault and threaten us when we're merely trying to reach one of the persons we believe we were indicated to contact on this moon to seek employment." Ro turned to Melissa, who was still fuming a step behind her. "My friend and I are both military and have fought in the Nomad war as well, so a little fellow soldier respect would be appreciated. And the veiled threat, as effective as you might think it was..." The Noxaara squared the marine who had issued it. "Is not only unnecessary, but could prove to be quite counterproductive." Ro took a step back, effectively pushing Melissa a step back as well. "As it turns out, we were just about to turn away as it was obvious the person we wanted to speak to was otherwise occupied. Stay safe." Vok finished with a slight incline of the head, turned and without leaving the marines with the opportunity to say anything, started ushering a still very irate Melissa in the opposite direction.

	"... the likes of you... And that attitude!" Melissa was blubbering in her anger.

	"I warned you we would stick out like a... sore thumb." Ro finished the phrase hesitantly. "Their attitude aside, they probably had their orders, so relax." The Protector placed a calming hand on Mel's shoulder. "Our intentions of snooping weren't the most noble ones as well." Ro pointed out.

	Mel's face transformed in a manner of seconds from an angry mask into an adorable pout. "Did you at least catch anything with your auditory apparatus, before those jar-heads told us off?" She was still a bit miffed at the marines. Even if they did have their orders, the group that had exited the Director's office now seemed even more suspicious, having a squad of marines as guards.

	"My hearing apparatus is not really that much enhanced. I can detect some frequencies humans cannot. Still they were too far ahead and there was too much ambient interference."

	"Couldn't you filter that out?" Mel asked hopefully.

	"I could have tried..." Ro hesitated. "Before."

	Suddenly concerned, Mel turned her complete attention towards her friend and forgot all about the suspicious characters they were following. "Before..." She repeated, not finishing the sentence. "You said you had recovered completely." She gently touched the pendant nestled between Ro's chest plates.

	"And so I did." The Noxaara assured, squeezing reassuringly Mel's shoulder. "But the Noxaara, enhanced as we are by the SEEM, do have our limits."

	"Limits can be tested." Mel mused.

	"Yes." Ro confirmed. "I can no longer afford to test mine." She finished.

	"Because of us." Melissa looked at Vokeera saddened.

	"No." Ro placed her other hand on Mel's free shoulder. "Because I could not bear to watch my friends die in that toxic hell, when there was something I could do to help them."

	"You saved us." Mel whispered, grasping Ro's wrists and lowering her head.

	"As you would have done me, had you the means." Ro also lowered her voice and shifted her hands from Mel's shoulders to her face to make her look up. "I don't doubt that at all." The Noxaara assured.

	Suddenly there was a shout and BB and Jack rushed them.

	"No fair, Mel! Making the moves on Vok." Jack complained

	"Yeah, no fair, Serg." BB agreed.

	Mel took a step back from Ro. "Are you two daft?!" She asked in mock shock. "I'm gay you know."

	"Yeah, so?" Both men asked in unison.

	"The Noxaara don't have genders." Vokeera supplied helpfully, smiling within her SEEM. This playful pretend rivalry between the three human friends for her affections was a game the four of them played often. It was a sort of a bonding ritual. For good measure she added: "We are also unable to engage in acts of corporeal pleasures with other species but our own."

	"Bummer!" Jack, BB and Mel complained in unison, causing Ro to explode in a fit of laughter that soon infected the humans as well.

	"Anyways..." Jack drawled... "We kinda found chief Miranda. She's busy overseeing the distribution of the supplies, crowd controlling and whatnot. I don't know if and when we'll be able to speak with her."

	"What have you got?" BB interjected.

	Mel and Ro quickly related to the boys what had happened after they'd split up, right up to their unfortunate meeting with the marine squad.

	"Mel..." Jack and BB started suggestively.

	"No, God damn it!" Mel cut them off. "I got caught up in your snooping mood and I almost had to punch some marine teeth in had Ro not intervened with her calm Protector attitude. We're here to find work, to help. And that's what we're gonna do!"

	The boys looked properly chastised. They muttered quiet 'okay' and 'yes, Serg' and followed after Mel and Ro in the direction of Director Ogilvie's office. A woman was standing in front of the door, flanked by two individuals, asking: "May I go inside?  I'd like to speak to the director."

	"Hello..." Ro engaged the woman... "It would appear we have the same destination and intentions."

[@Elevation][@TheMadAsshatter][@Ozymandias]