The Hand & Strings was nestled safely away in a small warehouse, where its cargo was currently being unloaded by workers that looked like Humans. The crew was on leave for the rest of the night, including the intergalactically infamous Ash and Lee Ripley. The pair stood talking to the captain, Jemison.
"I don't like it, Skipper." Ash was saying. He stood with his strong arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head. Lee, in a loving mockery, imitated the pose, leaning on his side to get him to lose his balance. Jemison was used to the pair constantly screwing around, even when conversing with him. He didn't appreciate it, but they were some of the best at what they did, so for a staff like them, he was willing to put up with it.
"We're only staying here a night. The crew could use some time out of the ship, they were getting stir crazy in there." the Captain reasoned. Ash nodded.
"Yeah, yeah I know. Wish we could have stayed on Pleasure Planet instead, that's a hell of a party." Jemison shook his mechanical head.
"I don't know if we can go back, after what you guys did to that bar..." He alluded faintly. Lee cocked her head, noting the movement in his head. She thought for a second about how strange it was, even in his mechanical body, his movements were as erratic as an organic. In a way, it disturbed her. It was like a puppet saying it was a real boy, or like a chimp wearing humans clothes. It wanted so desperately to be real, but it wasn't. Why did he do that? Didn't he know was a robot? Didn't he know he would never experience real flesh, real blood, real pleasure? Why did he insist on trying so hard?
And, worst of all, why did it bother her so much? He was free to make the decisions he deemed best. And, in the end, all attempts to be human would be met with disappointment by this hollow shell of circuits and metal. So, in the end, her ideology won out. Why wasn't that good enough? Lee realized it may have had to with the planet they were on.
This place, that was referred to by the locals as "the Colony", bothered her worse than Jemison's mannerisms, but in much the same way. The natives claimed to be human, but they weren't. There was a hollow ring in their cheery voices, and their mannerisms were either too forced, or too precise. She didn't know what was going on here, and she didn't care. Ash was asking the Captain to leave that night on her behalf, but he refused. He was right, of course, but it still pissed her off. Her and her brother were the only ones who seemed to notice, too. They'd come to this planet several times, and the rest of the crew were fond of it.
Of course, all it took for the rest of the crew to be happy with a planet was to meet a moderately attractive woman who put out. And some of the locals had, so one didn't hear them complain. That disgusted her too, in several ways. On one hand, that meant that several sisters were unliberated and did NOT respect their bodies. Most of the boys one the crew weren't worth getting naked for. She hated to see men who didn't deserve it get pussy. And, on the other hand, it meant that the other crew members didn't care that these people weren't truly human, that they would screw whatever would allow them too. She didn't mind people who screwed around; but she hated anyone without standards or hindrances, or who wanted it too much.
The reason for the human condition, and especially the male sex, was a lack of respect for their bodies and an emphasis on all the wrong things. Sex is good; indiscriminate sex isn't. Well Lee didn't subscribe to the sex after marriage mindset per se, she did believe sex was a sacred and spiritual experience that was not to be abused. She had lived that life for too long, and knew what it did to one's soul.
"Whatever you say Skipper. But if you change your mind, I'll round up the boys and pull them out of that bar." Lee's thoughts were interrupted by her brothers voice, and she looked up and realized she had zoned out and nearly fallen over. But her ever-considerate brother had adjusted his stance to support her lean. A little bit embarrassed, Lee shook it off and looked back at Jemison.
"That won't be necessary. I still don't understand why you two don't like this place, everyone else does."
"You wouldn't." Lee interrupted, keeping her gaze fixed on Jemison's optical sensors. Her face was stone blank, and her eyes were slanted accusingly. Something in her tone told Jemison exactly what was on her mind. He acknowledged it by returning the gaze briefly, before choosing to change the subject.
"Besides, you can't just call them the boys anymore. There's that new girl, the magic one. Everyone's taken a shine to her." All three turned to look as the girl herself appeared in the dock, Leona Miriquois.
"Right right, it's semantics Skipper. Well sis, we may as well enjoy this planet in whatever way we can. Get the gear, don't forget the Novapod." He said, leaning back against her to force her on her feet.
"Go on, Sheena!" He said, drawing out the last word mockingly. His eyes sparkled happily, he loved teasing his sister because he knew she loved it too.
"Fine, you fascist pig." She replied. Their sense of humor was often self deconstructing. They both knew their stereotypes, and liked to joke about it.
"I'm taking the landrunner, by the way." Ash said offhandedly, directing it back at the Captain.
"What, why?" Jemison asked with some concern.
"Don't even worry about it." The man replied, uncrossing his arms and walking away. "See ya tomorrow, Skipper."
Jemison got a bad feeling in the pit of his mechanical parts. He often did when Ash opened his mouth.
"Heyayayayay new girl!" Ash shouted across the dock as he approached Leona. He had a smile on his face and a swagger in his step.
