Itxaro woke in the dim metallic confines of her cramped quarter. She wasn't sure if the throbbing in her head was the [i]Jotunheim's[/i] humming life support systems struggling to circulate stale recycled air, or a consequence of the previous day's indulgences. As she sat up, the engineer realized it was the latter. Itxaro let out a stifled groan as she slowly swung her body from the cot and rubbed her temples, as if so simple an act would override any biological rejection of alien hooch. No good.

Thankfully, she'd had [i]some[/i] small amount of foresight before crashing the previous night. Her gear was all packed, a glass of water by her nightstand, and a battery of pills. Electrolytes, NSAIDs, and whatever else she could grab from the infirmary that wasn't locked up. She downed them all in one go and carried out her morning stretches, as ordered by Dr. Feng, to increase her injured leg's mobility. Itxaro made it halfway through this painful routine before an idea came to her. [color=fff200]"Eh, fuck this."[/color]
[hr]

Itxaro stepped out of the [i]Jotunheim's[/i] hanger bay and into the alien sun, for what she realized might be the last time in a while. Despite her leg, there was a lightness to her gait that she hadn't felt in some time. Her chest swelled with excitement, and she felt like a child again, going on some grand adventure across the USASR with her parents. She wondered if this was how Columbus and his crew felt upon arriving in the so-called "New World" before they set forth. Itxaro shut the thought out of her mind. She was finally unshackled from the [i]Jotunheim's[/i] metal carcass and let loose onto this strange and alien planet, by captain's orders no less. She could work in the field when possible using her datapad, transmitting information to the engineering crew staying behind, but she would spend more time simply familiarizing herself with the ship's FTL system, and how to diagnose its failure. No easy task.

Among the throng of humans and aliens around the [i]Jotunheim[/i] she spotted Kolvar tending to some wounded crewmembers. [color=fff200]"Morning Ker-wait, Kolvar. Right? How are we feeling today? That Glen booze is no joke,"[/color] Itxaro called out as she walked over. She watched over his shoulder on the tips of her toes with wide eyes as he weaved intricate patterns in the air with his claws, tracing some strange glyphs, and watched as torn and battered flesh knitted itself back together as if in a timelapse.

[color=fff200]"Wow,"[/color] Itxaro said dumbly, at a loss for words. She rolled up her pantleg, revealing the stitches running across her lower thigh where a stray round had grazed the tender flesh there. The inflammation was greatly reduced, but far from healed. [color=fff200]"Any chance I can cut in line? Looks like I'm going to be doing a little walking, unless Silbermine feels like giving me a ride."[/color]