[Center][h1][color=8493ca]"Phi"[/color][/h1][/center]
[hr]
In the dim light of a reserve cargo hold sat a lone figure atop a neat pile of crates. The equally faint glow from an omnitool illuminated a soft pair of lips that turned down into a pout. Displayed on the screens were the individual's companions, almost a dozen in number, and a great view of the shuttle they boarded. The young enhanced human may not have much of a sweet tooth but the skewers of savory meat and vegetables drew their attention and their envy. It could not be smelled from here but the promise of fatty, greasy flavor filled mouthfuls were enough to make Seraphina Leere salivate. The fact that such questionably nutritious things had always been forbidden only made the sinful temptation more potent. For a moment their pale hand hovered over a holographic keypad, the intent to make a request of her comrades. But hesitation drew out too long and certain doubts stayed that hand. She sighed wistfully and slumped against the crate behind her.

[i]Maybe I'll just ask Narvia to make something later. That's bound to be just as delicious and better for me anyway.[/i]

Though her self counsel was wise, Phi was having trouble convincing herself. She found herself wondering if her culinary talents included skewers like that. It couldn't be that hard, could it?

Phi relaxed somewhat, watching her new companions where they would allow her to piggyback an omnitool. In particular she watched Avelyn, perhaps the one teammate that made her nervous. But in this case Avelyn's calm reaction to their surroundings put Phi at ease. She had probably scanned nearby minds for threats, so if she didn't raise the alarm then they were probably safe. For now. Truth be told Phi wished she could be with them now. Everyone seemed to be having fun in their own way, enjoying what would probably be the calm before the storm. Phi was long since tired of being isolated from her fellow ex soldiers. Most of her missions had kept her physically apart from others until she was almost starved for connections. And yet she had passed up the chance earlier, opting to safeguard their possessions instead. Despite what she wanted, it felt like there was a gap between them and her. Worse, she couldn't tell if now was the right time to try and bridge that imaginary divide.

During the war she had pretended not to notice but she heard the whispers that she received preferential treatment.

Her musings and insecurities were interrupted by a very tangible and very urgent incident. Ultimately it didn't involve them, but being in the same location as the hijacked shuttle seemed to be enough for the others. If that was the case and even their new captain was mobilizing, Phi hopped off her crate stack and cracked open the secret lock of the largest one. Running through the intel as it came through she readied an automatic shotgun with armor piercing slugs. Kaisoken were hard targets and could not be taken lightly, even if most of these 'restarters' turned out to be softer races.

[i]Restart that nightmare of a war? Like hell we're going to just let that happen. Granted we might be starting our own in the end… I'll sort out my level of hypocrisy later, now there's work to do.[/i]

Having reflexively readied herself for action, Phi now paused to consider her next move. Her brow knitted together when she assessed how long it would take to regroup with her teammates. There were several options allowing Phi to double back, but none of them were optimal. Furthermore just exiting the cargo shuttle mid transit would bring other complications. She unconsciously gritted her teeth knowing now she was next to useless, even as far as providing tactical support was concerned. With no small amount of anxiety to suppress Phi sent a simple message to Tarak.

>>>Leere. Cargo shuttle. Standing by.

The cramped hold suddenly felt much more quiet and served to amplify her sense of isolation. She could still see and hear most of what was happening but all she could do was watch. 

But it seemed the worst case scenario would not be happening this day, thanks to an uncanny streak of luck and efficient decisions. Watching tensely the entire time Phi let herself breathe a sigh of relief following the more or less peaceful resolution. Letting her muscles relax Phi returned to her crate to place her weapon back in hiding. Though still disappointed in her near uselessness, she had no other complaints about the results.

And with a noisy clamour it seemed the cargo shuttle had reached Captain Zhang's ship. At least she could calm her unsteady heart with the mundane work of cargo transfer now. 

[i]Better than nothing.[/i]
[hr]
Arriving several minutes late to the meeting, Phi was nonetheless up to date on both introductions and the mission briefing, courtesy of Nero's easily accessed omnitool. Entering the room quietly she found herself skirting around a particularly fragrant woman, who looked like she didn't want anyone near her in the first place. This resulted in her being uncomfortably close to both Avelyn and the source of another acrid smell, Doctor Millard. Bracing herself against these minor discomforts, Phi looked over the small crew in detail, observing the details that didn't come through an omnitool screen very well. The impression she got from each crew member was an odd mix of competence and instability. Of course the same could be said of the 'Star Marines' to be completely honest. Phi quickly decided she didn't dislike this first impression.

Being so focused on analyzing her surroundings and processing cold hard data, a single detail in particular caught the young soldier's attention. 

[color=8882be]"P-penguins?" [/color]

She inadvertently whispered to this one word herself. The cute, fluffy, comfy looking slippers brought a dusting of pink to Phi's pale face. Embarrassed, she angled her face away from as many people as possible, hoping no one had noticed. She stayed like this until her face cooled and she could look others in the eye once more. Clearing her throat she finally added her own soft voice to the deliberation.

[color=8882be]"If I may, I think taking the shortest route but skipping any stops along the way would be wisest. Tactically speaking, anyway. Any delays and our AI friend may just end up in the Ascendancy's hands before we arrive. I'm Leere, by the way, but I'd prefer if you called me Phi. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."[/color]

[i]Mm, a bit awkward there but I don't think anyone noticed. Stupid cute slippe- what the hel!?[/i]

Previously, Phi had taken the appearance of Abaddon and Mirrorshard well, surprised but there were stranger things in the universe. Stranger things such as said Abaddon revealing a tray of personally baked sweets, and wearing an apron she hadn't noticed with so many bodies in the way. Forget limbs, this stereotypically homey, motherly appearance almost made her jaw drop. And she did have to cover her mouth, or risk rudely laughing out loud. This gesture couldn't conceal the shaking of her shoulders, however.