Learning About the Ship

As Micca looked around at the various naval personnel the makeshift auditorium quickly filled as shuttles brought in hundreds of more people. By the time a selection of those speaking by the stage went up, over a thousand people had to have been in the area.

The first person who approached the front of the stage was a well dressed officer with decorations of medals, ribbons, and ornaments all along his uniform. He stood in a relaxed position, like he wasn't used to being formal to others.

When he got to the front of the stage there were still some members of the prisoners before him that continued to speak to themselves, unaware of his presence. He gave a cough as if to clear his throat and the NSF officers quickly retrieved their batons and tapped the speakers near them which resulted in the speakers falling to the floor and convulsing as if being electrocuted.

Once it was quiet the man on stage began speaking.

"Hello, new recruits. I am your captain, Reiko. Life may have been different for you before you arrived on this ship, but I am here to tell you that you are now faithful servants of the Holy Emperor."

He took a break to look around almost as if he was waiting for anyone to say something.

"Your life before was likely lived according to your own will, that is no longer the case. You are servants of the Holy Emperor first and foremost. You will do your work in honor of Him, live your life in honor of Him, and die in honor of Him."

Some of the members of the crowd began to cry realizing how completely their life was taken away from them. The ones that were more vocal were quickly hit by batons of the NSF soldiers nearest them.

"I know that it is hard knowing how to rejoice in this privilege bestowed upon you and even more so in knowing how to properly perform in your new role. Because of this we have made sure you will receive adequate guidance in your duties. You have already met the members of the Naval Security Force who are here to provide any corrective action you may need throughout your duties. Second to them are the various officers of this ship who will be wearing a uniform similar to myself. If you have any questions then feel free to direct them to your nearest officer or Naval Security Force personnel."

Captain Reiko then began descending from the stage and leaving through an exit along with a retinue that followed him. As he left another figure went to the front of the stage with similar colors as the NSF, but without the traditional armor.

"I am Chief Security Officer Bowen. We will begin processing you and sorting you into your selected roles. Wait in place until your line is requested."

Unlike the captain, Bowen stood on stage and watched as two groups of NSF soldiers came from the stage and gathered on the sides of the crowd along with a medic and some other crew with each of them. Each one called a line number and that line was quickly pulled towards their respective groups and the first person let out of their shackles.

First the medic inspected the front member of each of the groups. They opened their mouths, checked their ears and nose, and examined their blood flow. Quickly they got out a syringe and injected the person with it. Then they brought out shears and cut off their clothes, examining the person's body as they went. They gave a tablet to one of the NSF members and moved on to the next one.

Once the medic was done another crewmember came forward with something that had the appearance of a water gun. They began spraying a line of mist that was steaming. They rinsed off each part of the person's body as it turned red from the steaming hot water. Most of the time NSF personnel had to hold down the person as they were sprayed to keep them from squirming as they experienced the pain.

After that another crewmember went forward and took quick measurements of the person's waist and arms then dressed them in a jumpsuit uniform. Once they were dressed the crewmember received an item from the NSF member that took the tablet and they took a machine which attached the item to the uniform. 

Then they were shackled again and brought to a different spot. As people were processed these spots filled with new formed lines of people, sorted and destined for different places than their original groups.

As this process went on there were sometimes those who were reluctant to be processed in a similar way and as soon as they were let loose of their restraints they attempted to break free. Some by running and others by fighting. They were quickly hit with batons by the Naval Security Force personnel around them, with the ones that fought often receiving a much harsher beating. They were then dragged off on their own down a corridor.

After a while it was finally Micca's turn for the process. He went through the process and offered little resistance. As he was sprayed with the steaming water he even managed to keep still as it scalded his skin. When he finally got his uniform and received his item he glanced down at it. It looked as if it was a bullet.

They brought him to the chain of other prisoners and after he was locked back in restraints he decided to do something against the norm. He leaned forward and looked at the item on the uniform of the person in front of him, a bullet. He determined it was a job indicator, but he wasn't sure what a bullet would signify on a navy ship.

As his line filled up to twenty people they were told to start moving and led down a hallway. On their way they passed a variety of rooms and went through different width hallways. They even saw various crew go both ways down the halls on their own errands. 

Micca noticed that out of all the crew they saw, none of them had the same uniform the prisoners from his world had. As he was considering it being some sort of batch indicator he caught a glimpse through a window in a door with a large group that had the same uniforms.

In that case it wasn't a batch indicator, but the people with those uniforms don't traverse the hallways.

Already, Micca was trying to make sense of his new life and figure out how to survive. He rose from the bottom on his world and he can likely do the same here. Even if his life won't be one of comfort here, he can at least make it more bearable than being a prisoner always stuck working his health away.