Genie snapped a quick salute to her newest commander, and stumbled toward the others strapped into their seats.  Genie rolled her eyes a few times, assessing the pain in them.<span style="color: DarkRed">"GIA, I need something for pain pretty damn fast, I can feel my shoulder swelling as it is." </span>She rotated her arm a bit as she spoke.<span style="color: Blue"> "Ma'am, perhaps you wish me to save the injections for later use?  You could ask the medical officer." </span>GIA Paused in her question, then changed topic.<span style="color: Blue"> "Ma'am, the on board computer systems are failing, overloaded.  Shall I attempt to override and handle all commands from the pilot?"</span>The AI asked in Genie's pulsing ears.<span style="color: DarkRed"> "Negative, GIA.  Let her do her job, we have our own after we land, and I will ask the medic for the pain reliever, thanks for the idea."</span><br/>She quickly saw that her friend Asya was patting the seat and motioning for her to strap in beside her.  Genie didn't hesitate in that action, mainly because she feared she had a mild concussion from the blast wave just moments before.<span style="color: Blue">"Ma'am, your life signs show extreme duress."</span>Genie chuckled to herself, making her shoulders and head hurt even more.<span style="color: DarkRed">"No kidding GIA.  Look, I am assuming that there will be wild fluxes in electric pulses going through the atmosphere." </span>Genie starts talking as she is strapped into her seat tightly, and wincing as that action occurs, then continues.<span style="color: DarkRed"> "I know you are shielded from lots of things, but I want you to prepare for mobility and shutdown in protected posture for ten minutes." </span>Genie quickly feels Asya clutch to her arm, seemingly upset.  Genie looks through her down visor, at the soft grey eyes and almost leans over to kiss the black haired lady, just as GIA interrupts her.<span style="color: Blue"> "Confirmed, mobility mode, shutdown for ten minutes in shielded posture, any further commands?"</span>Blinking her brown eyes a few times she stammers out an answer,<span style="color: DarkRed">"Before shut down, load all possible visual aids and signatures of all known species, Mission priority one."</span>GIA gives the readout of the commands on her visor, and goes black.<br/>Genie then raises her visor and looks about to the other Marines and glances to her left at Asya.<br/><br/>Genie had to admit she liked the engineer beside her, mainly because they seemed to connect when talking shop.  Genie always sighed relief when she would see the tall woman walk through the doors of the lab, and often, Genie would try to flash a warm smile as she approached everyone else but her.  That alone frustrated her.  Genie had on a few occasions tried to indicate her intentions, an accidental touch on her hip while scooting from one table to another, a gentle touch on her shoulder when showing her a sample of the robotics, and even the small flashes of her cleavage from -accidentally- dropping things.  These little flirts never seemed to work out, mainly because Genie was a social inept.  A lifetime of schools, and now this stint in the marines had stapled her social skills to a close.<br/><br/>Slowly the bay doors opened and the pod was launched through the bay doors into the vacuum of space, which besides the girl beside her grabbing her arm was the last thing she remembered.<br/><br/>--------------------------------------------<br/><br/>"Genie...Are you alright?" was the first thing that Genie heard, by a clearly frightened Asya.  Genie slowly opened her eyes and quickly regretted the action, as her eyes blazed pain into her head.   Genie tried to speak but only shook her head a slow -Yes-.  The pain in her back indicated that she was indeed on it, with her deck pressed into her already sore shoulders. With every move, she hurt even more and clutched to Asya's arm a bit more while fumbling for the releases on her harness.  Genie swallowed hard, and finally was able to scratch out something that was akin to words, "Asya, I...I am in crazy pain, but I am awake.  Help me get free?"  She slowly spoke.<br/><br/>Within moments, she heard the ding in her hear of GIA coming to life.<span style="color: Blue"> "Mobility mode active, administering pain neutralizers, and damage assessments." </span>Genie went still, as the pain was wiped from her.<span style="color: Blue">"Heart rate returning to normal.  No permanent damage to your systems, Ma'am, just bruising which will be extensive."</span>GIA continued to speak,<span style="color: Blue"> "Your helmet shell took an impact fracture on landing, and is now useless.  Visor HUD, jammed in the up position and equally useless.  Good call on mobility mode, Ma'am.  Multiple creatures outside, insect like in nature.  Temperature is within human parameters, and the atmosphere is breathable."</span><br/>Genie took in all the information, and pulled her helm free, seeing the damage.<span style="color: DarkRed"> "Crap."</span>The woman now no longer interested in her escape, started pulling off parts of her helm, sticking an ear piece with a clear HUD, and a small microphone on her right ear and cheek.<span style="color: DarkRed"> "GIA?" </span>She asks.<span style="color: Blue"> "Online Ma'am.  Good to see you again."</span>The computer spoke clearly, and fed current information to the HUD.  Genie smiles and breaths a sigh of relief, then detaches another small headset, handing it to Asya.<span style="color: DarkRed"> "GIA, go multi-mode and take separate inquiries from Asya, access level beta."</span>The purple haired woman looks over to her companion.<span style="color: DarkRed"> "Just talk to her, so she can get your voice attuned to what requests you have, and if you need, she has a few applications of pain reliever if you need.  Never separated again, right?"</span>Genie asks while trying to pull free of her harness and adjust her equipment for mobile use.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>