School for the Unusually Difficult to Place (OPEN)

[Jenny]

The blond girl that looked for all practical appearances to have raided a military surplus store stood with the other students, arms crossed in bored resignation that this was going to be her life for awhile. Unfortunately the only thing so far that she found of interest was the helicopter. The helicopter ride was probably the high point of her entire day so far. She became so bored infact that she couldn’t help but to listen in on the teacher’s conversation. Whatever, they had to say had to be more interesting than anything that came from this milling crowd of nervous students. And most were very nervous. But then she realized that most of the teachers were also nervous. Jenny let out a slight sigh and let her eyes wander over the crowd.

One boy in particular seemed to separate himself from the main pack of students. She felt a little bit of pity for him. She wondered what job she would be best suited for and decided that she would sign-up for something else; something thing that she didn’t already know how to do. Everyone should get the opportunity to be a pilot, she thought; deciding that she would sign-up for co-pilot instead if it wasn’t already taken.

She frowned slightly as a boy practically charged the teacher with demands as to signing up to go home. She couldn’t help but to wonder why he was here if he didn’t want to be. Jenny moved up behind the two boys and waited for the drama in front of her to pass before seeing what positions were still open.

[Blue]

Blue returned the wide-eyed stare, appearing as bewildered as the student. "Job? The sign-up sheet. A... job... that you do," he said, losing his nerve to speak out loud. How he'd manage as a teacher, he wasn't quite sure. "Sorry," he muttered, although he wasn't too sure that he should be sorry. "I didn't mean to call you out like that."

His nerves had been just set at ease when a large man approached. Blue raised his eyebrows at the insolent boy's question. "The door is over there. We don't want you if you don't want to be here. Does that answer your question?" he responded, a smile plastered forcefully to his face. "Don't let the door hit you on your way out." He had half the mind to turn into a bear and rip out this boy's entrails.

If there was one thing that pissed Blue off and lured him out of his stuttering bank-teller mode, it was people assuming they were better than the Djinn.

He scanned the room, already shrugging off his encounter with the child. Noticing a blonde shrink behind the two boys he smiled broadly at her. "Do you know what you want to do?" he asked her.[/font]

[Malcolm Asutian]

Malcolm sighed as a boy came up and rudely asked Blue if he could go home.
"First off, please refer to teachers as 'sir' or say 'Mister' and their last name. Second, I'm afraid you can't go home." despite the words themselves, Asutian made a serious effort to sound kind.

It was then he remembered Sarah Jane's requested task. Heavens knew why she chose him, but he wasn't about to refuse. Turning to the class, he cleared his throat.
"Will the pilot and co-pilot please step forward?" he asked.

He first reaction to Sarah's Gimbal Rig was "Gesundeit," but after having it explained it made much more sense.
"Please note that there will be spinning."

[Jenny]

Jenny looked up at the owner of the voice that was directed at her. It was the teacher that had singled out the boy and had told the older one not to let the door hit him on the way out. He was direct and Jenny had to admit that she liked that in a teacher. Though she had never met a teacher before she felt that things were looking up if this was what she had to look forward to. Taking a few steps Jenny made her way next to the younger boy. After glancing at him with a slight smile she directed her attention to the teacher, her smile brightened a little and she paused for only a moment. “Co-pilot,” she said casually.

[Douglas Aubrecht/Joshua Carter]

The red head gave the teacher a glare as the adult turned away. The well-built boy turned away himself, scowling at little, muttering a reply as he wandered off.
"Yeah, that does answer my question. Excuse me while I book a flight back to New York. Don't worry, I won't let it hit me as I leave."
Shooting a dirty look back to Blue, Joshua walked off, hands buried deep in his jeans pockets. His small black line of tattoos shone on his arm, saying his family name in his own lost language. Itching to let loose, the boy bit his inside lip in anger, only to have another teacher take his attention.

Josh stared at the young man addressing him, taking in most of what he'd said. He was one of those kind teachers, the ones that insisted on manners and went on and on about how being polite 'costed nothing' and the like. The comment Josh made in retaliation was just as rude as the one before, in spite of the man being very nice to him. Josh didn't respond well to new people, it was becoming evident now. He'd end up in the Dean's office if he wasn't careful...
"Yeah, it would help if I knew your name, or, you know, I cared."
He paused, changing his scowl into a slight smile, as the teacher changed his focus. Josh smirked.
"Some human- some rights infringement there then. But, this is all government run, so I might as well learn to live off of bread and water... I can't go home? Hm. Challenge accepted. You watch me."
He was an arrogant teenager and was quickly cementing himself as the 'problem' child of the group. Most of his friends back home would have been shocked to see such a display from Joshua, his uneasiness was manifesting itself in an unpleasant way.

As the teacher asked for the pilot and co-pilot to step forward, Josh took a few steps back and laughed once. What was this? Playtime?! Josh smirked. He used to play this game with his little brother at Christmas. Astronauts- he lifted his hand up and waited for someone else to step forward. Josh muttered,
"Count me out. Some other idiot can play your game."

[Malcolm Asutian]

"Yeah, it would help if I knew your name, or, you know, I cared."

Malcolm smiled, trying to show he wasn't offended. If this kid wanted to act that way, he would have to earn respect, not assume it would just happen.
"I guess a comedian cuts the monotony." he answered.

"Some human- some rights infringement there then. But, this is all government run, so I might as well learn to live off of bread and water... I can't go home? Hm. Challenge accepted. You watch me."

"Ah, there you go again. I've got a Manipulator, if you know what I mean. I can catch you half way across the world." he joked.
Maybe he would be the pilot? He didn't think he would get along with the blonde, she had a kinder personality, though.

"Could you be pilot? You seem to be the commanding type." he said, obviously lying.

"Count me out. Some other idiot can play your game."

Asutian sighed.
"Oh well, I guess there's no point in trying to bribe you with pizza or videos games afterwards, you seem so mature for that kind of thing."

[Douglas Aubrecht/Joshua Carter]

Josh let his eyes wander back to the teacher as he said something else. Keeping his smirk for the comedian comment, the young Thyrolian then raised his eyebrow for a second.

A manipulator? What was that? It sounded like a enormous man who'd chase him down if he ran away. Or someone who tortured you until you gave out secrets. Josh didn't particularly like the sound of a 'manipulator'. But he'd try his best to outrun the teacher and his assistant. He smiled.
"Oh well, if you say so."
He'd say no more on that subject. Half way around the world was quite a distance but that did not mean Joshua was defeated yet.

Watching the scene unfold, it seemed that no-one would take the position of pilot. Josh didn't blame them. Didn't look like anyone else wanted to play their little space game either. The teacher asked if Josh would be the pilot- he responded- then the teacher came out with bribes. Pizza and video games? At least the man recognized he was too old to be bribed with that. Josh rolled his eyes and sighed.
"You got that right. Get me a few phone calls home and you might be onto something."

Josh took his loose red hair back (the gel was failing) and took a glance at the girl who'd stepped forward as co-pilot. Blond, army wear, boots, skinny- she was alright. Didn't seem like much of a threat. Josh wondered what a nice girl like her was doing in this school. She appeared to have no scars to indicate any serious scuffs with the law, actually, she had no indications of crime there. How strange.

His attention flicked between her and the small English schoolboy.

[Malcolm Asutian]

Malcolm smirked at his interest in a "Manipulator." He would leave it up to the young man's imagination to think of what it actually was. It would get the point across better.

"You got that right." he answered, "Get me a few phone calls home and you might be onto something."

Malcolm thought for a second, then nodded.
"Calls, letters, Skype if you want. But only if you are captain." he inquired.

[The First Doctor]

Robin watched the interplay between Malcolm and Josh with a clinical interest. It reminded him of a recent attempt he'd seen by a canine to dominate a feline - mixed signals across the board.

He sighed.

"I suppose you could leave," he said. "And I suppose Malcolm could pursue you. But really, what's your benefit for leaving?"

He waited for Josh to answer, then interrupted before any words could be spoken. "Think about it. You could be out roaming the streets, scratching out a living with your native intelligence and a smattering of offworld tech that you probably lack the resources and training to adequately repair if it glitches."

A pause. "Or..." he said, making an expansive gesture, "You could stay here. Pick up sciences and technical training from a dozen different worlds. Hone that keen Thyrolian intellect to razor sharpness. And then...?" He spread his hands. "The sky is then no longer the limit."

He shrugged again. "Or you can go back to living on the street and dreaming of the past glories of a ruined civilization. Your call."

[Jenny]

Jenny could hear the voices of one of the teachers and the same young man who had wanted to leave so badly still talking behind her. She had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes at the boy’s antics. He seemed to want to leave so badly and Jenny just couldn’t fathom why.

She heard the teacher trying to talk him into being the pilot and the Captain which as far as she was concerned went hand in hand on anything except maybe a space station. But on a smaller vessel it made perfect sense. But she doubted his ability to keep a level head and to command a team in any situation let alone on a craft.

She suddenly felt as if eyes were on her and she turned her head to catch the argumentative one looking between her and the younger boy next to her. She was really having a bad feeling about being co-pilot now and she hoped that he wouldn’t get everyone killed. He seemed to be puzzled about something but Jenny had no idea what it was. Maybe the boy just has issues, she decided.

Then a voice of reason interrupted the two and everything he said made sense. Jenny glanced at the new voice but kept all her thoughts and opinions to herself. But there was something familiar about that voice, she had heard it before. But this wasn’t her battle, it wasn’t war, and causalities would probably just consist of bruised egos and she had no part in it, nor wanted any part in it. She just stood by as an observer to the three.

Her attention was now split between the small group, the teacher in front of her, and the small boy next to her; the latter of the two focal points seeming to have become very quiet.

[Blue]

He kept his eyes trained on the small circus of people. The obnoxious little brat was still seething and throwing himself around like anybody cared what he did, and the other teacher – Asutain – was trying to pacify him with bribes of civilization. Blue’s upper lip curled; an unintentional sign of disdain for his situation. He had understood when he took the job that he’d be working with teenagers, but Ms. Smith hadn’t mentioned that some of them would still act like they three years old. He shut his eyes, rubbing his temples wearily as he struggled to remain calm. If he lost his temper every time a teenager acted out, he might as well go back to England and resuming his job as a bank teller.

Blue opened his eyes again, watching as Josh continued to treat the other teachers reproachfully. He doubted if the young man even had any serious problems with the situation he was in. It was probably some sort of strange, twisted little way of petting his own ego when the teachers bent backwards to please him. It reminded him of one of his previous owners; his first owner; the owner that had opened Blue’s eyes to the greedy, power-hungry and belligerent ways of not just humans, but of every species in existence. He snapped out of his reverie when he heard Goodfellow’s voice explaining the options to Josh.

He lowered his eyes, not wanting to get involved in whatever remark Josh had next. He instead met the gaze of the blonde woman and smiled warmly. ”If you want to be the co-pilot, I can go ahead and take you to the training room. Would that be all right with you, or would you rather wait for a pilot?” His eyes landed disdainfully on the boy they were trying to coax into a position of power, but then returned back to the girl he was addressing. ”I doubt that’s going to be decided any time soon at this rate,” he commented blandly.

ooc| …I’m so sorry about all the name-calling. D: Blue is normally niceish, but Josh is playing on all of Blue’s pet peeves. T^T it’s nothing against you. Baah, I feel so guilty… || Oh, and sorry about the really short post. >.<

[Frankie Jones]

When it looked like she was about to leave, Frankie suddenly edged closer to Jenny. He liked her, she didn't smell human but she seemed confident and friendly. He scowled across the group of assembled students at the trouble-making boy, as if he was the dangerous creature here and not Frankie.

He then worked up all the courage he could, and looked up at Blue, "What kind of jobs are there?" he asked warily.

[Jenny]

Finally it happened. One minute Jenny was being bored to tears by the rude male’s antics and the teachers trying to do something about him and the next one of the teachers offered to take her to the training room. Now things were starting to look interesting. The thought of waiting around to see who would become the pilot didn’t really interest her. She would find out the answer to that question in due course. What she was interested in was the sound of training.

To be honest, she really didn’t care much about what she would be receiving training in as long as it was exciting, new, interesting, and not… boring. Jenny turned back towards the teacher and smiled. “Training? Now? That sounds like an offer that I can’t refuse!” She said feeling a rush of excitement and anticipation course through her veins. She had never been one for standing still too long and she was ready to do something besides stand around and listen to the arguments, threats, bribes, and other chatter.

Of course she could probably just knock him out and then no one would have to listen to him for a little while, but she felt that her father would NOT approve. He didn’t approve of her doing things like that to soldiers and with more reason, so Jenny decided that he would definitely frown at her using her skills to stop the antics of some kid. She also didn’t think her new teachers would approve. All she could say was that he better not give HER his attitude or she would have to see about knocking him down to size.

All of Jenny’s attention turned to the teacher. Yes, training sounded very good. She grinned, “I’m ready whenever you are,” she said with a bright smile. “I think they may be awhile too,” she continued with a note of exasperation entering into her voice at the thought of the trio. “If you wanna led the way then…” she started to say but the voice of the young boy next to her finally broke through his seeming shyness.

It didn’t go unnoticed that he inched closer to her and Jenny decided right there and then that she would be keeping a special eye out for the boy. He was small and seemingly timid, the perfect combination Jenny thought, to be harassed by the bullying types of the universe; something that wouldn’t be happening under her eye.

Jenny smiled at the boy encouragingly, pleased that he was more agreeable then other students that she could point out.

[Blue]

The young woman looked how Blue felt; as though she were about to keel over from boredom. He couldn’t say with any honesty that he preferred action to theory – he had spent two centuries inside of his Lamp without coming out until a human stumbled over it and he was forced from his sanctuary. But he could tell that she wasn’t the same – a number of things about her clued him off. The way she held herself and how she had been the first to volunteer for a job were the first two indications. She wasn’t human – he could pick that much up – and her species smelled remarkably similar to his owner, and to the Goodfellow man standing near him.

The way she instantly snapped out of cloud of boredom that had settled over her made him startle. He took an uncertain step backwards. “Training? Now? That sounds like an offer I can’t refuse!” Her excitement made his lips twitch into a smile. He picked up his copy of the job descriptions and where the training rooms were. He glanced at the other teachers and cleared his throat. He pointed towards the hall. “I’m taking the co-pilot,” he said flatly.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” the young woman told him, looking as though her smile was going to split her face. Blue blinked at her, unsure of how to respond in the face of such exuberance. The Djinn rubbed the back of his neck and nodded at her. He remained rooted in place, his mission draining from his brain as he struggled to remember the various books he read on how to interact socially and not appear too strange. He had been told by many that he needed to work on his social gaucherie. Blue agreed with them, because it was a well-known fact that Djinn were a solitary species when not around their owners.

All right, maybe it wasn’t that well-known a fact, but the point still stood.

“If you wanna lead the way then…”

Oh, right. He was supposed to be taking her on the tour. Blue slowly recognized another voice entering the mix; the voice that had been so sheepish and hesitant to respond to his earlier question about his jobs. He looked down at the small English male. “What kind of jobs are there?” the young man asked, not so much timidly as suspiciously. Blue tilted his head slightly, looking down at the piece of paper in his hand. He looked back up towards him, sparing a quick glance towards Jenny.

She seemed to have grown fond of him, judging by the warm smile she was giving him. It reminded him of pictures he had seen of families; the way older sisters would be protective of their younger siblings. The boy also appeared to have taken a liking to the young woman – the way he had shuffled closer to her when she was preparing to leave.

“There’s the captain, the pilot, the co-pilot—” he nodded towards the woman’s direction “—the environmental support technician, the medic and space walker engineer and the…” he trailed off, looking at the last job. “The Communications/Interwebs for Satellite Positioning…” He looked back up at the boy and laughed. “Someone else can probably tell you what that means, because I know I can’t,” he admitted.

He glanced towards the hallway that he and the woman needed to go through to get to her training. “Do you want to walk with me and Miss…?” he trailed off, realizing he didn’t know the woman’s name. Brushing this off, he returned his look to the young man. He had seemed put off by the belligerent teenager as well, and Blue figured the more he could rescue from the obnoxious scene, the better a chance he had to go down in history.

[Sarah Jane]

View From Outside of the Space X Flight Simulator

This Simulator is designed to create more and more difficult problems based on the computer's calculations of the Pilot's abilities. The first flight is relativly easy, and become more challenging with each run as the simulator adds poor weather conditions and ship malfunctions. This is the inside of the Flight Simulator at Space X