Pre-Flight Drink

CSCSS Nomad
Joint Post with Kysthelimit, Lorem, Omni, and Redsword

Maddox found Russ and Povel. If they’re going for a drink, he’s definitely tagging along.

“Sup gentlemen. We getting a drink before the cold sleep?” He asked as he fell into step with the others.

"That is what Debug said. Unless he was speaking in a different language," replied Dusty. "Besides with you around I probably will not get my ass kicked if there is a fight," suggested Dusty with a grin.

“He is much smarter than I am. It’s very possible he said it in a different language," chuckled Maddox as he walked with a few of his ship mates. “Yeah I won’t let anyone get into a fight. And if they keep trying, I usually don’t need more than a couple punches to keep the peace.”

Dusty stopped walking for a second and smiled, "But wait, Maddox. If you do that... I don't have my A bag. All I have is napkins to stop their bleeding," replied Dusty sarcastically. Dusty started to walk chuckling, Maddox laughing along.

“It’s all good. Their buddies can help stop their bleeding. We’re just here for a good time. If they try and ruin that and don’t step down. Come for the people I’m working with, they don’t leave me much choice.”

Officer Sparks followed along with Povel out of earshot behind Lena, Nikolay, and Mick. All of them, including the Captain, made it to the mess hall/commons area.

There happened to be a supply of beer stocked away in the refrigerator.
Aspen Beer - an American Lager brewed in Aspen, Colorado by the Weyland Yutani corporation
Mutha's Milk - a creamy toasted coconut stout brewed by Paradise Isle Brewing Co.
Everglow IPA - a hoppy brew from Sunsetta

Then in the freezer there were a few stacks of dehydrated cubes of liquor:
Mesa - A tequila-like liquor popular among spacers. It is made from the fermented sap of the agave plant, and is often served with a lime wedge.
Krell - A potent liquor made from the fermented fruit of the an exo-plant called krell.
Zutha - A thick, syrupy liqueur made from the fermented nectar of the Arcturian zutha flower. It is very sweet and potent, and is often enjoyed as a dessert drink.

Sestero walked into the commons and opened the refrigerator grabbing a tall, cold can of Mutha's Milk and offered another to Mick Stamfer, who accepted it with an expression that read 'Sure, why not?'.

"Well, the kids are tucked in, now the adults can play," Sestero joked, referring to the synthetic engineers gone away to prep the cryodeck.

They both cracked open their cans at the same time, clinked them together, and raised them up.

"To a prosperous mission," Sestero said with a wry grin.

Stamfer to a sip and gave a pleased expression that said, 'not bad'.

Dusty walked over and took a Krell from the freezer. He placed the smaller cube in a cup and stuck it in a slot beside the freezer. There was a flash of light and the cube melted into the drink. Pulling it out Dusty smelled its aroma.

"Outstanding," said Dusty with a smile. He took a sip and made a slightly sour face.

"Ahaaa... very good and strong the way I like it," he remarked as he sat on a barstool.

Dusty looked to be happy with his drink and the people there. He did not pay any attention to Sparks but was not rude at Povel's request from the earlier discussion Dusty had with Povel. Dusty was not sure of this second crew and they were not on the first list for the mission Dusty just hoped this was not a setup by the company.

Following just after Garrett, Niko had grabbed a cube of Mesa. Then he sipped at his glass, appreciating its strong, earthy flavor. "Aaah. Nothing like a good nightcap," he said in jest, it was widely known that cryosleep left you feeling dehydrated, hungover, or worse, but he would be fine. This wasn't his first faster-than-light rodeo. He clinked his glass against anyone who came near, his rugged features barely concealing the warmth he felt in this moment.

Povel was enjoying himself, bouncing around from conversation to conversation with those present, more as an observer but on occasion he would chime in. He was drinking water that he had emptied a packet of dissolvable powder into. Having made some rounds, he made his way back over to Dusty on the barstool and the others. He leaned up on the bar and took another long drink of water from his glass. “You know, I have a program that can help provide dreams of choice while in cryo if you are at all interested.”

Standing a little apart, Sparks nursed a can of Aspen Beer, the choice more about relaxing and fitting in than preference. His eyes moved observantly over the crew, analyzing interactions, a part of him always on duty. Andrew Sparks noticed Povel Vieregg engaged in a discussion about a cryo dream program. Seizing the moment to schmooze a bit more with the crew, Sparks approached with his curiosity piqued.

"Povel, right?" Sparks started, his tone noticeably more relaxed, yet still tinged with the caution of his official capacity. "I overheard you talking about a cryo dream program. What kinda dreams are we talking about?"

Povel conversed with Sparks, as well as anyone else that was interested, regarding the fabricated dreams he had made. It was a limited selection; however, what was interesting about them was they were similar to choose your own adventure. Two people could have the same dream program topic; however, experience quite a different dream based on their choices. The topics ranged from pleasurable to relaxing.

He assured everyone they were safe. They even had safety protocols built into them. For instance, if the vitals increased in proportion to a stress level characterized by a nightmare, or trouble in the dream, then it would end and reset. There was no way to get caught in a negative infinite loop.

Niko moved over to Garrett, "You're the medic, eh? Hope you stocked extra Hydr8tion?" he laughed.

Glancing over to Nikolay taking a sip of his drink, "Yes. I am the Doc on this trip," replied Dusty. "Hydr8tion packs? Well, that depends on how much money you have," he joked with a slight grin. "We have enough Med supplies to keep us alive," said Dusty sipping his drink.

Niko, with a chuckle, leaned in slightly, the camaraderie of the moment easing the interaction. "Well, Doc, I reckon staying alive is good start. But, let's aim a bit higher than just survival, yeah?" He winked and raised his glass.

Dusty raised his glass as well, "Staying alive is good. I know death has tried a few times and lost with me, we are old friends," commented Dusty with a smile. "There is an old saying. When death smiles, Corpsmen smile back."

Niko smiled in return.