The Ark of Chyll
Jacobo still slept on the counter, dissembling his gun and packing it away in his sleep, before eventually fully retreating into his shell. In his sleep, Jacobo opened up telepathic communications with Clegg. "There was a humanoid fumbling with their keys outside of the bar, go commandeer the ship, and take around 1M in Standard from within my shell, Ill open the fold". On cue, his carapace open a little compartment, revealing thousands of Standard cards, each of them showing "1,000,000" on the display.
Jacobo still slept on the counter, dissembling his gun and packing it away in his sleep, before eventually fully retreating into his shell. In his sleep, Jacobo opened up telepathic communications with Clegg. "There was a humanoid fumbling with their keys outside of the bar, go commandeer the ship, and take around 1M in Standard from within my shell, Ill open the fold". On cue, his carapace open a little compartment, revealing thousands of Standard cards, each of them showing "1,000,000" on the display.
The Ark of Chyll
Shiro wanted to leave.
He ducked just in time for a punch thrown at his face to be taken by a hairy humanoid and its outraged friend pounced on the attacker. He pushed a flailing amphibious creature into the knee of a sparking robotic and almost tripped over a barstool. Staggering he pushed himself upright with a table - which overbalanced an insectoid on top of it, which in turn knocked over the knife that a humanoid was making stabby motions toward Jacobo.
That... was not what he expected, to be honest.
As soon as his draconic friend had showed up, the bar had apparently went nuts, and by the time his friend had roared at the stupid hulking idiot without his gun the people in said bar decided to make it a free-for-all gladiator ring.
And now, he thought, elbowing a chitinous figure in the neck and tripping an avian, it was really time to go.
His metallic lizard friend slunk out of his sleeve and grew into the size of a dog, pushing him more toward the wall.
"I know, I know," he muttered, dodging around a squishy... limb... thing, and kicking the shin of a particular humanoid that eyed him like fresh meat. The crack his steel-toed boot made against the apparently frail bone was particularly satisfying. "I'm trying to get out."
His friend made a harsh wheeze, his version of a huff. He gave a small grin, then scanned the bar for... there.
The dark coat of Detective Clégg made a particularly nice beacon for the escape route. And so was the whistle, and the hat being swung above his head like a particularly odd-shaped flag.
Alright.
He slipped through the kitchen and managed to burst out of the Ark of Chyll Bar and Lounge with all of his limbs intact. His friend ducked behind a dumpster and came back with his bag, which he slung over his shoulder with a tiny relieved sigh.
That is, until he saw the truck coming towards them.
He felt more than heard his friend grow larger and toss him sideways, and as he rolled into a wobbly crouch he was able to see his friend's wings beating. He was in the sky above the truck. Good.
...Of course there were more.
What then resulted from this epic mess was one of the greatest games of space-truck-squishy alien tag in the history of tag games. Shiro had never had to dodge and weave and even traverse on top of so many trucks before - and even then, the only reason why he was able to walk on the tops of three trucks at once was because his friend deposited him there instead of the ground, which... okay, it was better than the alternative, which was landing on a bunch of bent metal and bolts and possibly stabbing his legs with rusted metal.
But he finally landed on solid, safe ground with one last, calculated leap - and, luckily, a couple feet behind the Detective. His metallic friend made his weird huffing noise again, then shrunk into a smaller size, draping himself over his shoulders like a boa. A Very Spiny Boa.
Farming Village
”Problem? y’aye a problem, -”
”Pssst! Ellie!...Ellieee!”
Rin's head snapped toward the window just before 'Ellie' did, ears giving a slight twitch. Was...
”What!”
”Ellie he’s a Bluemahk!”
”But...they ain’t blue.”
”Don’t need t’be, se’true!”
”Cold cullahs, y’fine! Not hot!”
”Y’ai! Bluemahk’d rathah die ovah help a Redmahk! F’anythin’ ‘yon fella’ come t’help us!Bluemahk’s th’good guys se’true!”
”Aye! Se’true se’true! Bluemahk knight so’is!”
The... village wasn't abandoned... it was-
Wait.
Knight?
”Buemahk come t’kill th’Wolf Gal, se’true an’ praise Kevin!”
Wait.... no,
“Kill th’Wolf Gal!”
“Bluemahk brings high!”
“Aye, Bluemahk knight!'
“Se’true se’true!'
”Kevin!”
what the @#$% was this.
He spotted Ty moving closer to him. ”I am so sorry,” he said, and... honestly. Same, Ty. SAME..
And oh god they would not sTOP TALKING.
”Hey, why ye’pickin’ a fight Fool! If he be heah t’help! Ye’thickhead!”
”I’s th’only one what got backbone enough t-”
”A hero rolls int’a town, come t’get us outta’ trouble an’ Ellie heah aims a bow at’em! Thisis why th’town got probl-Ow what was that for!?”
“Don’t be a @#$%, she tries her best!”
”Bu- but he never said-...” he heard Ellie say, but of COURSE she was interrupted-
”Why ye’wanna’ bring trouble down on us Ellie! Always se’trouble!”
”Ye’wann make’m mad an’have ‘im fry us all with his magic, do’ye!”
”That’s why I-”
”Ye’nevah shoulda’ stood up to ‘em y’stupid! It’ll be yoah’ fult f’he burns up the town yessah’-Ow would you stop I’m just sayin’-”
'Y’done good Ellie se’true. Now let it be y’fine?”
...”Aye. ’Fine.”
... Ouch. He winced, avoiding the girl's eyes as she let down her bow and left. He felt... bad, but what else could he do? They wouldn't let anyone get a word in.
The knife stayed in his hand.
He felt all eyes on him, even Ty's, and for one moment he considered - but no. He pursed his lips. No. He wouldn't be anyone's pawn.
NOT TODAY-
"Yisser ship is wrecked, yeah?"
His attention went back to the female stranger that had appeared in the middle of the previous stand-off.
"Oi doubt yer 'ill be gettin' any 'elp from dees people so long as yer 'av dat knife oyt."
He shrugged. No way was he letting his knife go, not with these people thinking that he was some- some- someone who'd do what they'd want.
"Yer don't seem ter badly banged up. Wud oi be wrong on dat account?"
He shook his head. He did not look at the clear pale skin of his covered arm, nor at Ty.
She looked behind them. Right... "Are dare others dat nade sum 'elp?"
Rin shook his head again. They were the only ones.
He tapped his knife against his hip as he studied her. The way she carried herself was with the sort of confidence a fighter just had - comfortable in their own body. Most importantly, she wasn't spouting anything weird. "Can you help us? We're trying to find several of our friends," he said plainly. Screw the village. They wouldn't even come out and say what they thought. Besides, they had more important things to do.
Hag's Swamp
Rai found themself sleeping against the trunk of a surprisingly comfortable tree when they woke up.
Reqti was staring out at the deeper parts of the wood, which had lightened up considerably with the morning - but still. It had a sort of hazy quality. Rai tried not to think too much about it.
"Hey," Rai whispered. They almost grinned at the startled jerk, the whirled motion of the Qetan's head as he blinked and ultimately sighed with a mildly displeased frown on his face.
"You're awake," he said. Rai really did grin this time.
"Yeah," they said. The sky's vibrant shades reflected on Reqti's face, and the surreality of it brought them back to reality, and their smile dropped. They huffed guiltily. "Look, I think-"
"Not now," Reqti said. A confused look made him sigh and nod towards something behind him. "We have a guest. We can talk later."
Rai turned and - "Oh!" they said, and he heard Reqti muffle an amused sigh as they scooted forwards and right next to the pale shapeshifter. When their guest started to move, Rai would surely wait until his eyes landed on them. They would wave then, friendly smile on their lips, tattoos stark against pale skin and gold eyes.
Motukka Docks
Tahil had watched all the proceedings with the air of a bewildered mouse.
No, really. While she was... ahem... respectful of the power the boatman apparently possessed - with weapons rising from the sea - and the bravery (or stupidity) of the man fighting the rider of some godforsaken giant flying lizard, the abrupt end of these (dare she say it - impressive? chain of events left her floundering with leftover adrenaline and wanting to just.... scream at the universe.
Please.
If there was peril, may it be so. But not so fast and disorienting and just-
Yes. That odd boatman had said the perfect word.
Anticlimatic.
And...
Oh, great. THIS guy. Kilwen the... whatever he is. She'd like to see what he's made of - as soon as she was confident in her chances of subduing this insectoid, anyway. She wondered how strong those finger-vine-things really were in that weird transition state between limb and weapon.
And... perfect. GREAT. Another person on this boat. Just one other person to shove out of her way, she guessed.
Shiro wanted to leave.
He ducked just in time for a punch thrown at his face to be taken by a hairy humanoid and its outraged friend pounced on the attacker. He pushed a flailing amphibious creature into the knee of a sparking robotic and almost tripped over a barstool. Staggering he pushed himself upright with a table - which overbalanced an insectoid on top of it, which in turn knocked over the knife that a humanoid was making stabby motions toward Jacobo.
That... was not what he expected, to be honest.
As soon as his draconic friend had showed up, the bar had apparently went nuts, and by the time his friend had roared at the stupid hulking idiot without his gun the people in said bar decided to make it a free-for-all gladiator ring.
And now, he thought, elbowing a chitinous figure in the neck and tripping an avian, it was really time to go.
His metallic lizard friend slunk out of his sleeve and grew into the size of a dog, pushing him more toward the wall.
"I know, I know," he muttered, dodging around a squishy... limb... thing, and kicking the shin of a particular humanoid that eyed him like fresh meat. The crack his steel-toed boot made against the apparently frail bone was particularly satisfying. "I'm trying to get out."
His friend made a harsh wheeze, his version of a huff. He gave a small grin, then scanned the bar for... there.
The dark coat of Detective Clégg made a particularly nice beacon for the escape route. And so was the whistle, and the hat being swung above his head like a particularly odd-shaped flag.
Alright.
He slipped through the kitchen and managed to burst out of the Ark of Chyll Bar and Lounge with all of his limbs intact. His friend ducked behind a dumpster and came back with his bag, which he slung over his shoulder with a tiny relieved sigh.
That is, until he saw the truck coming towards them.
He felt more than heard his friend grow larger and toss him sideways, and as he rolled into a wobbly crouch he was able to see his friend's wings beating. He was in the sky above the truck. Good.
...Of course there were more.
What then resulted from this epic mess was one of the greatest games of space-truck-squishy alien tag in the history of tag games. Shiro had never had to dodge and weave and even traverse on top of so many trucks before - and even then, the only reason why he was able to walk on the tops of three trucks at once was because his friend deposited him there instead of the ground, which... okay, it was better than the alternative, which was landing on a bunch of bent metal and bolts and possibly stabbing his legs with rusted metal.
But he finally landed on solid, safe ground with one last, calculated leap - and, luckily, a couple feet behind the Detective. His metallic friend made his weird huffing noise again, then shrunk into a smaller size, draping himself over his shoulders like a boa. A Very Spiny Boa.
Farming Village
”Problem? y’aye a problem, -”
”Pssst! Ellie!...Ellieee!”
Rin's head snapped toward the window just before 'Ellie' did, ears giving a slight twitch. Was...
”What!”
”Ellie he’s a Bluemahk!”
”But...they ain’t blue.”
”Don’t need t’be, se’true!”
”Cold cullahs, y’fine! Not hot!”
”Y’ai! Bluemahk’d rathah die ovah help a Redmahk! F’anythin’ ‘yon fella’ come t’help us!Bluemahk’s th’good guys se’true!”
”Aye! Se’true se’true! Bluemahk knight so’is!”
The... village wasn't abandoned... it was-
Wait.
Knight?
”Buemahk come t’kill th’Wolf Gal, se’true an’ praise Kevin!”
Wait.... no,
“Kill th’Wolf Gal!”
“Bluemahk brings high!”
“Aye, Bluemahk knight!'
“Se’true se’true!'
”Kevin!”
what the @#$% was this.
He spotted Ty moving closer to him. ”I am so sorry,” he said, and... honestly. Same, Ty. SAME..
And oh god they would not sTOP TALKING.
”Hey, why ye’pickin’ a fight Fool! If he be heah t’help! Ye’thickhead!”
”I’s th’only one what got backbone enough t-”
”A hero rolls int’a town, come t’get us outta’ trouble an’ Ellie heah aims a bow at’em! Thisis why th’town got probl-Ow what was that for!?”
“Don’t be a @#$%, she tries her best!”
”Bu- but he never said-...” he heard Ellie say, but of COURSE she was interrupted-
”Why ye’wanna’ bring trouble down on us Ellie! Always se’trouble!”
”Ye’wann make’m mad an’have ‘im fry us all with his magic, do’ye!”
”That’s why I-”
”Ye’nevah shoulda’ stood up to ‘em y’stupid! It’ll be yoah’ fult f’he burns up the town yessah’-Ow would you stop I’m just sayin’-”
'Y’done good Ellie se’true. Now let it be y’fine?”
...”Aye. ’Fine.”
... Ouch. He winced, avoiding the girl's eyes as she let down her bow and left. He felt... bad, but what else could he do? They wouldn't let anyone get a word in.
The knife stayed in his hand.
He felt all eyes on him, even Ty's, and for one moment he considered - but no. He pursed his lips. No. He wouldn't be anyone's pawn.
NOT TODAY-
"Yisser ship is wrecked, yeah?"
His attention went back to the female stranger that had appeared in the middle of the previous stand-off.
"Oi doubt yer 'ill be gettin' any 'elp from dees people so long as yer 'av dat knife oyt."
He shrugged. No way was he letting his knife go, not with these people thinking that he was some- some- someone who'd do what they'd want.
"Yer don't seem ter badly banged up. Wud oi be wrong on dat account?"
He shook his head. He did not look at the clear pale skin of his covered arm, nor at Ty.
She looked behind them. Right... "Are dare others dat nade sum 'elp?"
Rin shook his head again. They were the only ones.
He tapped his knife against his hip as he studied her. The way she carried herself was with the sort of confidence a fighter just had - comfortable in their own body. Most importantly, she wasn't spouting anything weird. "Can you help us? We're trying to find several of our friends," he said plainly. Screw the village. They wouldn't even come out and say what they thought. Besides, they had more important things to do.
Hag's Swamp
Rai found themself sleeping against the trunk of a surprisingly comfortable tree when they woke up.
Reqti was staring out at the deeper parts of the wood, which had lightened up considerably with the morning - but still. It had a sort of hazy quality. Rai tried not to think too much about it.
"Hey," Rai whispered. They almost grinned at the startled jerk, the whirled motion of the Qetan's head as he blinked and ultimately sighed with a mildly displeased frown on his face.
"You're awake," he said. Rai really did grin this time.
"Yeah," they said. The sky's vibrant shades reflected on Reqti's face, and the surreality of it brought them back to reality, and their smile dropped. They huffed guiltily. "Look, I think-"
"Not now," Reqti said. A confused look made him sigh and nod towards something behind him. "We have a guest. We can talk later."
Rai turned and - "Oh!" they said, and he heard Reqti muffle an amused sigh as they scooted forwards and right next to the pale shapeshifter. When their guest started to move, Rai would surely wait until his eyes landed on them. They would wave then, friendly smile on their lips, tattoos stark against pale skin and gold eyes.
Motukka Docks
Tahil had watched all the proceedings with the air of a bewildered mouse.
No, really. While she was... ahem... respectful of the power the boatman apparently possessed - with weapons rising from the sea - and the bravery (or stupidity) of the man fighting the rider of some godforsaken giant flying lizard, the abrupt end of these (dare she say it - impressive? chain of events left her floundering with leftover adrenaline and wanting to just.... scream at the universe.
Please.
If there was peril, may it be so. But not so fast and disorienting and just-
Yes. That odd boatman had said the perfect word.
Anticlimatic.
And...
Oh, great. THIS guy. Kilwen the... whatever he is. She'd like to see what he's made of - as soon as she was confident in her chances of subduing this insectoid, anyway. She wondered how strong those finger-vine-things really were in that weird transition state between limb and weapon.
And... perfect. GREAT. Another person on this boat. Just one other person to shove out of her way, she guessed.
Gormaand - Tullh
The Ghost Captain of the Living Star blinked his evil eyes. Slowly, pointedly, he looked downward to where a white, plasticine hand was waggling about in what should have been his innards. He blinked again, dark brows furrowing. ”I feel violated.” He said profoundly, his dry, not-quite-monotone voice like low-grain drawing paper, sounding just a little too youthful for the dour figure from which it came. Looking to Alex, he added in perfect deadpan ”This isn’t what it looks like.” And with that, the stern, level gaze that the woman had been focusing on the newcomer faltered as she was unable to resist resist a snigger.
Naturally, Val and Yascra reacted much differently, with the former shifting her weight habitually into a stance more suitable for sudden, quick action and the latter reaching for the black umbrella slung over his shoulder. Everyone had more or less ignored all the others upon noticing the android.
Aelyn-Paeryc listened to the android’s synopsis on the aforementioned artifact with brow cocked, frowning in what looked to be mild, slightly perplexed concern for nothing in particular. ”Well yes, we knew all that.” He said, an inaudible note of petulence in his voice. ”What I’m wondering is””How you know all that.” Alex finished, doing their usual, creepy finishing-each-other’s-sentences thing that most people were not overly fond of. ”Far as we knew, that information””was locked up tight on Isandril””Until we came along to””Plunder the @#$% out of it.””I don’t remember seeing you at the party.”
Avoiding Zeta’s question, A.P. leaned slightly to the side and looked over her shoulder to the rusty-haired man peeking owlishly around the corner of the Wanderer’s Rest. He blinked behind his unnecessary glasses as the inky eyes settled on him. At the same time, Alex - with her own curious set of lavender-gold eyes - gave the android a similar look. ”Where’d you come from, anyway?”
"I was going to tell you guys but you seemed pretty busy…” The man around the corner said, smiling sheepishly as A.P.’s frown deepened. ”You just wanted to see what she’d do.” He said knowingly. Harkahn tied to look offended, and the Captain grinned. Then, looking back to Zeta, the grin dropped away and the neutral expression returned. ”Fine. Stick around.” He said, mostly indifferent. Yascra piped up with a growl of uncertain protest but Aelyn waved it off. ”It’ll be fine.” he said, then added, focusing in on Zeta again, ”But if you have any personal stake in all of this, I’d like to know beforehand.”
Less than five minutes later, the strange little group was on their way.
”Oh and about that ectoplasm, he-mmph.” Alex began, only to be cut off by Aelyn’s hand pressing over her mouth. She sniggered again - though muffled - as he looked on dryly.
LoneWorld
Farming Village
Ty’s head whipped around to look at the ‘outsider’ woman as soon as she mentioned the ship, almond-shaped eyes widening a degree and a hefty dose of relief threatening to drug him. He couldn’t let that happen though - he had already bungled things up pretty badly on his end and he really couldn’t
keep up that trend.
He only barely managed to keep himself from blatantly stating the obvious - that she, too had crashed onto this miserable, primitive rock and gotten stuck. He decided to play it safe and say nothing for a moment - realizing that he was distracted by the notion of their many timid watchers.
Dal and Sands had told him and the other Hi’tzen the story of what had happened before the two groups met on Earth IV. About Staff Sergeant Zeiller, how he had been killed by a group of terrified Earth City citizens that had otherwise seemed quite harmless. He, too had personal experience with the dangers of mob mentality - and the dialogue that had played out before them just now was a perfect example of a situation which could go from okay to absolute cataclysm in a matter of seconds. All it took was the right word…
”Our ship broke up into sections on the descent.” he said, adding to Rin’s synopsis, though rather cagily glancing between the woman and the general area of the townsfolk. ”We’re assuming that if we made it alive…” The rest went unspoken - and he didn’t want to speak it without wood to knock on.
He was about to say something else when the pregnant silence that had fallen over the town once more broke.
”Why ain’t he sayin’ nothin’? Someone stage-whispered loud enough to be heard by the people in their various hiding places.
”Maybe he don’t work free y’fine?”
“But he’s a knight! What about chivalry!”
“Times is’ changin, Kevin knows it. Bein’ a knight’s hahd work-”
“Why are we still hiding?”
There was another, more awkward silence.
It was long enough for the three folks to get a couple words in - but just as it was starting to look like they might be able to converse in peace without worry of the situation devolving further, the situation devolved further.
”I know!!” Someone crowed, voice muffled - and then theatrically burst up through the lid of the wooden barrel they had been hiding in. It was a thin, scruffy looking man with a floppy hat. ”We shall hold a feast!”
”Aye, aye!” Yipped someone else, jumping up from behind a windowsill and leaning over it. It was a portly, well groomed guy. ”A grand feast in honah of the Knight of Nazerick!”
"The grandest feast! Se’true! True!” Howled a middle aged woman as she peered out from behind the corner of a building.
”Aye! Music and wine foah’ the noble crusadah!” Called someone as they popped out from behind some crates.
”We’ll revel the night away!”
“No we won’t! That would be countahintuitive!”
“What? No, the night! Not the Knight!”
“We’ll revel the night away so the knight will stay!”
“Say that’s pretty good! I’ll write a song about it!”
“Aye! Music foah the feast!”
“All hail the Knight of Nazerick!”
“All hail the Bluemahk!”
All over, people were popping out of hiding places. Stumbling out of bushes, from within houses, leaping out of windows (In one case, a second story window into a hay cart - also out of hay carts). Simple folks, farmers in nunics and work trousers, some in overalls - women in dresses and blouses, all of it straight out of a renaissance fair.
Then, all at once, a collective cheer roared up from the whole of them as the vast majority finally spilled en masse into the packed-dirt street. There were far more than this little town seemed like it could possibly handle. Virtual throngs of them - manic peasant farmers hooting and hollering in joyous revelry. Many had already begun bustling back and forth in preparation for their ‘feast’, while most began to convene like a great tide on the ‘knight’ and, by extension, the other two. Probably they intended on lifting him up and crowd-surfing or something.
At least they weren’t rioting, right…?
Ty watched in abject horror as the throngs approached. As far as he was concerned, this was largely his fault - if he had nipped this in the bud before it had all started there would likely be - at least less of a problem. Taking off and booking it down the road would probably only make things worse, and they couldn’t very well start hurting people. Thinking fast, Ty decided that he really needed to make up for his earlier inaction. Without actually thinking about what he was doing, Ty abruptly stepped forth so that he was between Rin (And the woman) and the majority of the crowd. He threw his hands into the air in the universal gesture for stop and, at the top of his lungs, started bellowing :Haaaalt! HAAAALT! Cease your advance! HAAAALT!” Flailing his arms when necessary, sidestepping now and again to put himself in front of one or two that seemed to risk getting around him.
If he hadn’t been so quiet up until that point, his shouting and flailing likely would have done nothing to slow them, let alone halt them - but given that this was the first thing he had actually done, the folks seemed to see some weight in it. Slowly, the ruckus began to die down to a dull roar, then to relative silence. Ty really had quite a set of lungs on him, as it turned out - and the melodramatic way he had cried out to them had helped too.
”Who’s that!” Someone shouted from within the mob of peasants that were still, yet dangerously close to overwhelming the three of them. "That’s his squiah, thick’ead!”
“Aye! Every knight gotta’ squiah!”
“What’s wrong with his eyes?”
“Shut up!”
“What, serious question!”
“Speak yoah’ piece, young squiah!”
“Aye! Speak true!”
Suddenly feeling very on-the-spot, Ty lickd his lips anxiously. He hadn’t thought this through. He had no idea what he was going to say. So he winged it and hoped for the best. Maybe that natural, carefully cultivated charm would see him through this time He could hope.
”The, uh, Blue-mahk” He began, glancing frantically back at Rin just once - he wanted to avoid actually referring to him as ‘knight’ - ”Requires silence! Silence I say!” He felt like an idiot, but the people seemed to be buying it. The relative quiet grew gradually quieter. ”Uh, as I’m sure you all know! It is the sacred tradition of the Blue-mahk people to meditate before battle!” That was essentially admitting that their claiming him as ‘knight’ was true - but it was the best he could come up with, and if nothing else it was keeping them at bay. All they really needed was a chance at getting away from these excitable fools, right?
”A Blue-mahk must look within himself to, to know if his battle is true! Nay! To know if his battle is destined!” Okay, he was getting the hang of this, and they seemed to be eating it up. ”If he is to battle, he must consult his secret-heart in silence and solitude! Any interruption of this sacred ritual could result in dire consequences! Should his concentration be broken, he will be unable to battle!”
There was a murmur of distress throughout the crowd. Subtly, still holding his hands hgh in the air, Ty stepped a half-step back, then another. He tapped the heel of his boot against Rin’s, intending for him to start moving backwards also.
"B-but fear not, good citizens! For I, and this chosen lady, shall escort the Blue-mahk to a place where his meditation shall not be interrupted at any cost!” There was a murmur of approval. He cast a hasty, subtle glance to the spacer woman coupled with the slightest nod - you go too.
"I-in the meantime, it is your duty to prepare the celebrations!” He went on, continuing to step backwards very slowly, being sure to stay between them and the other two. ”Do not seek us out under any circumstance, for risk of interrupting this most sacred ritual! Go! Go upon your business now! And know that we shall return when the rite is done! Be gone good people! Be gone now from your hero’s presence! Do this and all will be well! So, uh, s-so has it been written!”
The people were mostly looking around at each other now, nobody quite sure what to do. Twice, someone started to speak up, only to be cut off by Ty snapping a finger to his lips and hissing sharply. It seemed to be working. The intellect of these people apparently did not extend too terribly far.
Slowly, as Ty continued to step slowly backwards, nudging the other two along behind him, the crowd began to disperse. Some milled about, others stood awkwardly, some scurried off, doubtless to begin preparations.
And once, after what seemed to be a very long time, the three of them had managed to scoot back to a position where they could duck behind one of the buildings, he would do so - then follow the lead of the other two...Which he assumed would mean fleeing at great speed. He would also find himself in something of a numb shock at what he had just managed to pull off by the skin of his teeth.
Ty really needed a nap.
Forest
The huntress hesitated - cutting short her lunge for the big man’s legs and, by extension, her fang-dagger..Acutely, she was aware of the slackening of his muscles. She watched with all the alert focus of a dog with perked ears. She watched him through stray, dark hair, honeygold eyes seeming almost to glow against the shade of the cave. She stayed crouched, poised like a track runner waiting for the starting gun, ready to lunge in an instant. Her expression, also in the spirit of a canine, was unreadable, but intense and focused.
Her opponent - backed by the dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, spilling into the mouth of the cave as the first, vaguest hints of dust began to show themselves - uttered a single word. And slowly, cautiously, the woman’s fierce mask fell away to reveal a devious, knowing, but delighted ear-to-ear grin. "Aye~? Se’true, Starlander~?” She crooned in a voice that was almost - but not quite - mocking. Yes, she had definitely been enjoying their little scuffle. "Cry off’ye, aye~?” She raised one brow, her grin seeming to become just a degree more taunting. Daring him to attack again. As if to say ’What, done so soon?’
She gauged him visibly, searching his face for any hint of trickery. As she became more confident that he was in fact done fighting her, the woman shifted into a squatting, hunkered position.. She sat not unlike a gargoyle - if a tad better looking - and grinned a similarly toothy grin. "Been long an’ long since a decent opponent, se’true. Honor to’ye Starlander-Jet and thank’ye for th’privilege.” She said earnestly, then leaning back on her heels and adding in the earlier, taunting tone "Even be’ye pilfer my wares.”
Standing up then, the woman stretched luxuriantly - her curvaceous, muscular form beneath the magnificent alabaster hide cloak glistening with just the faintest sheen of perspiration. Mid-stretch, the woman opened one golden eye to look at him with a spark of something unfamiliar. "Could bed a man like yai’...Just sayin’. Offer’s open.”
Letting that little comment slip by like casual smalltalk, the woman at last shifted to a casual standing position, hooking her thumbs over the hem of her leather breeches. "May I Treat yai’wound, Jet-ai’Starland?” SHe asked in earnest, nodding toward his leg where she had stabbed him. "Got’ai th’herbs t’ease th’fire an keep out th’demons,” She added, nodding her head to the side, indicating the mostly hidden shelter behind her, and amending with a grin "’Less ye’pilfer that too.”
Her accent was a broad and hearty sort of brogue - rounded, with long Rs and thick As.
It seemed like she would wait for a reply, but the woman blinked as if remembering something. "My name be Ateru, ai’the Deep Wild, Jet-ai’Starland. But folken ‘round these parts know me as-” Quite suddenly, a predatory, shark-like smile came to her, eyes seeming to alight with some unnerving inner fire that was not entirely rational.
"The Wolf Girl.”
The Ghost Captain of the Living Star blinked his evil eyes. Slowly, pointedly, he looked downward to where a white, plasticine hand was waggling about in what should have been his innards. He blinked again, dark brows furrowing. ”I feel violated.” He said profoundly, his dry, not-quite-monotone voice like low-grain drawing paper, sounding just a little too youthful for the dour figure from which it came. Looking to Alex, he added in perfect deadpan ”This isn’t what it looks like.” And with that, the stern, level gaze that the woman had been focusing on the newcomer faltered as she was unable to resist resist a snigger.
Naturally, Val and Yascra reacted much differently, with the former shifting her weight habitually into a stance more suitable for sudden, quick action and the latter reaching for the black umbrella slung over his shoulder. Everyone had more or less ignored all the others upon noticing the android.
Aelyn-Paeryc listened to the android’s synopsis on the aforementioned artifact with brow cocked, frowning in what looked to be mild, slightly perplexed concern for nothing in particular. ”Well yes, we knew all that.” He said, an inaudible note of petulence in his voice. ”What I’m wondering is””How you know all that.” Alex finished, doing their usual, creepy finishing-each-other’s-sentences thing that most people were not overly fond of. ”Far as we knew, that information””was locked up tight on Isandril””Until we came along to””Plunder the @#$% out of it.””I don’t remember seeing you at the party.”
Avoiding Zeta’s question, A.P. leaned slightly to the side and looked over her shoulder to the rusty-haired man peeking owlishly around the corner of the Wanderer’s Rest. He blinked behind his unnecessary glasses as the inky eyes settled on him. At the same time, Alex - with her own curious set of lavender-gold eyes - gave the android a similar look. ”Where’d you come from, anyway?”
"I was going to tell you guys but you seemed pretty busy…” The man around the corner said, smiling sheepishly as A.P.’s frown deepened. ”You just wanted to see what she’d do.” He said knowingly. Harkahn tied to look offended, and the Captain grinned. Then, looking back to Zeta, the grin dropped away and the neutral expression returned. ”Fine. Stick around.” He said, mostly indifferent. Yascra piped up with a growl of uncertain protest but Aelyn waved it off. ”It’ll be fine.” he said, then added, focusing in on Zeta again, ”But if you have any personal stake in all of this, I’d like to know beforehand.”
Less than five minutes later, the strange little group was on their way.
”Oh and about that ectoplasm, he-mmph.” Alex began, only to be cut off by Aelyn’s hand pressing over her mouth. She sniggered again - though muffled - as he looked on dryly.
LoneWorld
Farming Village
Ty’s head whipped around to look at the ‘outsider’ woman as soon as she mentioned the ship, almond-shaped eyes widening a degree and a hefty dose of relief threatening to drug him. He couldn’t let that happen though - he had already bungled things up pretty badly on his end and he really couldn’t
keep up that trend.
He only barely managed to keep himself from blatantly stating the obvious - that she, too had crashed onto this miserable, primitive rock and gotten stuck. He decided to play it safe and say nothing for a moment - realizing that he was distracted by the notion of their many timid watchers.
Dal and Sands had told him and the other Hi’tzen the story of what had happened before the two groups met on Earth IV. About Staff Sergeant Zeiller, how he had been killed by a group of terrified Earth City citizens that had otherwise seemed quite harmless. He, too had personal experience with the dangers of mob mentality - and the dialogue that had played out before them just now was a perfect example of a situation which could go from okay to absolute cataclysm in a matter of seconds. All it took was the right word…
”Our ship broke up into sections on the descent.” he said, adding to Rin’s synopsis, though rather cagily glancing between the woman and the general area of the townsfolk. ”We’re assuming that if we made it alive…” The rest went unspoken - and he didn’t want to speak it without wood to knock on.
He was about to say something else when the pregnant silence that had fallen over the town once more broke.
”Why ain’t he sayin’ nothin’? Someone stage-whispered loud enough to be heard by the people in their various hiding places.
”Maybe he don’t work free y’fine?”
“But he’s a knight! What about chivalry!”
“Times is’ changin, Kevin knows it. Bein’ a knight’s hahd work-”
“Why are we still hiding?”
There was another, more awkward silence.
It was long enough for the three folks to get a couple words in - but just as it was starting to look like they might be able to converse in peace without worry of the situation devolving further, the situation devolved further.
”I know!!” Someone crowed, voice muffled - and then theatrically burst up through the lid of the wooden barrel they had been hiding in. It was a thin, scruffy looking man with a floppy hat. ”We shall hold a feast!”
”Aye, aye!” Yipped someone else, jumping up from behind a windowsill and leaning over it. It was a portly, well groomed guy. ”A grand feast in honah of the Knight of Nazerick!”
"The grandest feast! Se’true! True!” Howled a middle aged woman as she peered out from behind the corner of a building.
”Aye! Music and wine foah’ the noble crusadah!” Called someone as they popped out from behind some crates.
”We’ll revel the night away!”
“No we won’t! That would be countahintuitive!”
“What? No, the night! Not the Knight!”
“We’ll revel the night away so the knight will stay!”
“Say that’s pretty good! I’ll write a song about it!”
“Aye! Music foah the feast!”
“All hail the Knight of Nazerick!”
“All hail the Bluemahk!”
All over, people were popping out of hiding places. Stumbling out of bushes, from within houses, leaping out of windows (In one case, a second story window into a hay cart - also out of hay carts). Simple folks, farmers in nunics and work trousers, some in overalls - women in dresses and blouses, all of it straight out of a renaissance fair.
Then, all at once, a collective cheer roared up from the whole of them as the vast majority finally spilled en masse into the packed-dirt street. There were far more than this little town seemed like it could possibly handle. Virtual throngs of them - manic peasant farmers hooting and hollering in joyous revelry. Many had already begun bustling back and forth in preparation for their ‘feast’, while most began to convene like a great tide on the ‘knight’ and, by extension, the other two. Probably they intended on lifting him up and crowd-surfing or something.
At least they weren’t rioting, right…?
Ty watched in abject horror as the throngs approached. As far as he was concerned, this was largely his fault - if he had nipped this in the bud before it had all started there would likely be - at least less of a problem. Taking off and booking it down the road would probably only make things worse, and they couldn’t very well start hurting people. Thinking fast, Ty decided that he really needed to make up for his earlier inaction. Without actually thinking about what he was doing, Ty abruptly stepped forth so that he was between Rin (And the woman) and the majority of the crowd. He threw his hands into the air in the universal gesture for stop and, at the top of his lungs, started bellowing :Haaaalt! HAAAALT! Cease your advance! HAAAALT!” Flailing his arms when necessary, sidestepping now and again to put himself in front of one or two that seemed to risk getting around him.
If he hadn’t been so quiet up until that point, his shouting and flailing likely would have done nothing to slow them, let alone halt them - but given that this was the first thing he had actually done, the folks seemed to see some weight in it. Slowly, the ruckus began to die down to a dull roar, then to relative silence. Ty really had quite a set of lungs on him, as it turned out - and the melodramatic way he had cried out to them had helped too.
”Who’s that!” Someone shouted from within the mob of peasants that were still, yet dangerously close to overwhelming the three of them. "That’s his squiah, thick’ead!”
“Aye! Every knight gotta’ squiah!”
“What’s wrong with his eyes?”
“Shut up!”
“What, serious question!”
“Speak yoah’ piece, young squiah!”
“Aye! Speak true!”
Suddenly feeling very on-the-spot, Ty lickd his lips anxiously. He hadn’t thought this through. He had no idea what he was going to say. So he winged it and hoped for the best. Maybe that natural, carefully cultivated charm would see him through this time He could hope.
”The, uh, Blue-mahk” He began, glancing frantically back at Rin just once - he wanted to avoid actually referring to him as ‘knight’ - ”Requires silence! Silence I say!” He felt like an idiot, but the people seemed to be buying it. The relative quiet grew gradually quieter. ”Uh, as I’m sure you all know! It is the sacred tradition of the Blue-mahk people to meditate before battle!” That was essentially admitting that their claiming him as ‘knight’ was true - but it was the best he could come up with, and if nothing else it was keeping them at bay. All they really needed was a chance at getting away from these excitable fools, right?
”A Blue-mahk must look within himself to, to know if his battle is true! Nay! To know if his battle is destined!” Okay, he was getting the hang of this, and they seemed to be eating it up. ”If he is to battle, he must consult his secret-heart in silence and solitude! Any interruption of this sacred ritual could result in dire consequences! Should his concentration be broken, he will be unable to battle!”
There was a murmur of distress throughout the crowd. Subtly, still holding his hands hgh in the air, Ty stepped a half-step back, then another. He tapped the heel of his boot against Rin’s, intending for him to start moving backwards also.
"B-but fear not, good citizens! For I, and this chosen lady, shall escort the Blue-mahk to a place where his meditation shall not be interrupted at any cost!” There was a murmur of approval. He cast a hasty, subtle glance to the spacer woman coupled with the slightest nod - you go too.
"I-in the meantime, it is your duty to prepare the celebrations!” He went on, continuing to step backwards very slowly, being sure to stay between them and the other two. ”Do not seek us out under any circumstance, for risk of interrupting this most sacred ritual! Go! Go upon your business now! And know that we shall return when the rite is done! Be gone good people! Be gone now from your hero’s presence! Do this and all will be well! So, uh, s-so has it been written!”
The people were mostly looking around at each other now, nobody quite sure what to do. Twice, someone started to speak up, only to be cut off by Ty snapping a finger to his lips and hissing sharply. It seemed to be working. The intellect of these people apparently did not extend too terribly far.
Slowly, as Ty continued to step slowly backwards, nudging the other two along behind him, the crowd began to disperse. Some milled about, others stood awkwardly, some scurried off, doubtless to begin preparations.
And once, after what seemed to be a very long time, the three of them had managed to scoot back to a position where they could duck behind one of the buildings, he would do so - then follow the lead of the other two...Which he assumed would mean fleeing at great speed. He would also find himself in something of a numb shock at what he had just managed to pull off by the skin of his teeth.
Ty really needed a nap.
Forest
The huntress hesitated - cutting short her lunge for the big man’s legs and, by extension, her fang-dagger..Acutely, she was aware of the slackening of his muscles. She watched with all the alert focus of a dog with perked ears. She watched him through stray, dark hair, honeygold eyes seeming almost to glow against the shade of the cave. She stayed crouched, poised like a track runner waiting for the starting gun, ready to lunge in an instant. Her expression, also in the spirit of a canine, was unreadable, but intense and focused.
Her opponent - backed by the dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, spilling into the mouth of the cave as the first, vaguest hints of dust began to show themselves - uttered a single word. And slowly, cautiously, the woman’s fierce mask fell away to reveal a devious, knowing, but delighted ear-to-ear grin. "Aye~? Se’true, Starlander~?” She crooned in a voice that was almost - but not quite - mocking. Yes, she had definitely been enjoying their little scuffle. "Cry off’ye, aye~?” She raised one brow, her grin seeming to become just a degree more taunting. Daring him to attack again. As if to say ’What, done so soon?’
She gauged him visibly, searching his face for any hint of trickery. As she became more confident that he was in fact done fighting her, the woman shifted into a squatting, hunkered position.. She sat not unlike a gargoyle - if a tad better looking - and grinned a similarly toothy grin. "Been long an’ long since a decent opponent, se’true. Honor to’ye Starlander-Jet and thank’ye for th’privilege.” She said earnestly, then leaning back on her heels and adding in the earlier, taunting tone "Even be’ye pilfer my wares.”
Standing up then, the woman stretched luxuriantly - her curvaceous, muscular form beneath the magnificent alabaster hide cloak glistening with just the faintest sheen of perspiration. Mid-stretch, the woman opened one golden eye to look at him with a spark of something unfamiliar. "Could bed a man like yai’...Just sayin’. Offer’s open.”
Letting that little comment slip by like casual smalltalk, the woman at last shifted to a casual standing position, hooking her thumbs over the hem of her leather breeches. "May I Treat yai’wound, Jet-ai’Starland?” SHe asked in earnest, nodding toward his leg where she had stabbed him. "Got’ai th’herbs t’ease th’fire an keep out th’demons,” She added, nodding her head to the side, indicating the mostly hidden shelter behind her, and amending with a grin "’Less ye’pilfer that too.”
Her accent was a broad and hearty sort of brogue - rounded, with long Rs and thick As.
It seemed like she would wait for a reply, but the woman blinked as if remembering something. "My name be Ateru, ai’the Deep Wild, Jet-ai’Starland. But folken ‘round these parts know me as-” Quite suddenly, a predatory, shark-like smile came to her, eyes seeming to alight with some unnerving inner fire that was not entirely rational.
"The Wolf Girl.”
J456
Smoke still shyly rose from the wrecked machine - one of its kind - on the rocky moon. That vessel, for it have burnt through atmosphere many times, was doomed to be sank into eternal oblivion, even if its pilot were still alive. But before it finally irradiated all of its remaining heat into the cold air of J456, a presence manifestated.
It would lay its outworldly gaze - or rather of such - unto its missile bays, bulging out with undetonated ordnance. Its atomically strengthened alloy hull, twisted by the forces of gravity once it struck the ground. And a construction which would only vaguely resemble human. And, of course, there was its onboard computer.
Lo and behold, how vast is was.
The latest pair of computerized goggles were pale in comparison to the circuits within that machine. It alone could store half the amount a human brain was able to. Its readability, two thirds the velocity of a electron circle. This realization came with a simple preliminary look into its insides. The Presence unfolded the computer cryptography protocols and surged inside, just to find its data banks entirely filled with data.
"Can you remember who you were..."
"... Before the world told you who you should be?"
Over, and over, and over again. Imprinted on its every binary commands. A simple, meaningless phrase. There was no hidden codes between the binaries. Nor between the words. Deciphering the phrase in all known ciphers was fruitless. There was no secret within quadrillions upon quadrillions of lines upon lines of code.
To think about how a mind could violate such technology like this.
To think about the time He had wasted.
... And to think about the nanometric effort - which was already too much - for He to wipe out all that meaningless code.
... It was just better to leave that scrap heap of disgust to rot away until the heat death of the universe. Even if he wiped all of that useless junk, what could that even possibly achieve?
[To Be Continued]
Smoke still shyly rose from the wrecked machine - one of its kind - on the rocky moon. That vessel, for it have burnt through atmosphere many times, was doomed to be sank into eternal oblivion, even if its pilot were still alive. But before it finally irradiated all of its remaining heat into the cold air of J456, a presence manifestated.
It would lay its outworldly gaze - or rather of such - unto its missile bays, bulging out with undetonated ordnance. Its atomically strengthened alloy hull, twisted by the forces of gravity once it struck the ground. And a construction which would only vaguely resemble human. And, of course, there was its onboard computer.
Lo and behold, how vast is was.
The latest pair of computerized goggles were pale in comparison to the circuits within that machine. It alone could store half the amount a human brain was able to. Its readability, two thirds the velocity of a electron circle. This realization came with a simple preliminary look into its insides. The Presence unfolded the computer cryptography protocols and surged inside, just to find its data banks entirely filled with data.
"Can you remember who you were..."
"... Before the world told you who you should be?"
Over, and over, and over again. Imprinted on its every binary commands. A simple, meaningless phrase. There was no hidden codes between the binaries. Nor between the words. Deciphering the phrase in all known ciphers was fruitless. There was no secret within quadrillions upon quadrillions of lines upon lines of code.
To think about how a mind could violate such technology like this.
To think about the time He had wasted.
... And to think about the nanometric effort - which was already too much - for He to wipe out all that meaningless code.
... It was just better to leave that scrap heap of disgust to rot away until the heat death of the universe. Even if he wiped all of that useless junk, what could that even possibly achieve?
[To Be Continued]
Gormaad-Tullh
Zeta continues to look at her hand and when she heard Aelyn say he was violated she looked at him curious "You felt violated?" as she tilts her head to the side as she looks at him curiously. "Are able to do sexual intercourse? Have sexual feelings? If you are able to do intercourse how is it done? Is it done by the traditional human means? Or do you morph into your partner? As that how you produce ectoplasm? " as he questioning went between the two both Aelyn and Alex already knowing that Alex is in the same state as Aelyn.
Her gaze remained cold though as they question in how she knew about the artifact that was locked up in there ancient city till they arrived and got to it. "How do I know? Simply because I have investigated various rumors that mention the name and the different names it has in different cultures in different planets. A very powerful artifact indeed, however its location is rumored in different places like this planet being one of those planets, now that I access my files on this subject" she explains to them as she looks at them both. Her attention went to Harkahan, her gaze like the rest was cold, but her head tilted to the side once more as she slowly walked to him. Her hand to caress his face "Hmmm odd, you have the appearance of a human, but you are something else...not like the couple definitely not...more like me, but not me though since you don't have much in terms of circuitry...hmmm you are an odd one indeed. May I ask your name?" as her eyes went up and down upon the scientist taking definitely an interest in him.
Zeta continues to look at her hand and when she heard Aelyn say he was violated she looked at him curious "You felt violated?" as she tilts her head to the side as she looks at him curiously. "Are able to do sexual intercourse? Have sexual feelings? If you are able to do intercourse how is it done? Is it done by the traditional human means? Or do you morph into your partner? As that how you produce ectoplasm? " as he questioning went between the two both Aelyn and Alex already knowing that Alex is in the same state as Aelyn.
Her gaze remained cold though as they question in how she knew about the artifact that was locked up in there ancient city till they arrived and got to it. "How do I know? Simply because I have investigated various rumors that mention the name and the different names it has in different cultures in different planets. A very powerful artifact indeed, however its location is rumored in different places like this planet being one of those planets, now that I access my files on this subject" she explains to them as she looks at them both. Her attention went to Harkahan, her gaze like the rest was cold, but her head tilted to the side once more as she slowly walked to him. Her hand to caress his face "Hmmm odd, you have the appearance of a human, but you are something else...not like the couple definitely not...more like me, but not me though since you don't have much in terms of circuitry...hmmm you are an odd one indeed. May I ask your name?" as her eyes went up and down upon the scientist taking definitely an interest in him.
Gormaand - Tullh
As Zeta’s questions proceeded, Aelyn’s frown deepened. The expressionlessness of his eyes tended to make most of his facial expressions either menacing or obliquely deadpan - iin this case, the latter. Alex, meanwhile, burst into a fit of laughter, turning to press her forehead into the side of Aelyn’s upper arm, hanging on him as if for support. Ael had always envied Alex for her broad range of emotional capacity. She had never needed to be quite as carefully controlled as he did in order to maintain existential stability.
Though the ghost - the implication of a smile did seem to tug about the scars by Aelyn’s lips. Yascra awkwardly side-eyed Val, who also found herself actually trying to keep from sniggering, and just barely succeeding.
The scientist, meanwhile, was grinning broadly behind glasses which seemed to reflect every spare ray of afternoon sunlight. "It is a good question, Captain.” He drawled, with just the faintest hint of provocative mischief in his voice.
The android’s barrage of questions would go unanswered, but Harkahn’s piping up from behind seemed to refocus her attention, which Aelyn did not mind one bit. He just dryly, pointedly pat-patted the top of Alex’s head as she tried to get her giggles under control.
Finding himself the focus of the ‘droid’s icy cyan gaze, the scientist merely grinned and cocked a brow from behind his glasses at the touch, casually leaning on the wall of the Wanderer’s Rest and tapping the ground with the toe of one shoe. "I’m afraid you are mistaken.” He said suavely, folding his arms. "I’m as human as they come - only my superior intellect and stunning good looks set me apart from the average man.”
Dorin, much the antithesis of the awkward, shy scientist stereotype, was actually quite the ladies’ man. And man’s man. And sentient-triped, quadruped, pentaped and sextped’s man. And android’s man. His charm and charisma were legendary aboard the Stella, and he was quite the public figure. His self-compliments seemed to be in jest, though the sentiments were quite true.
"I am Professor Dorin Harkahn, Administrator of the Stella Viventium R&D department and Head Scientist.” He said, thumbing the jauntily upturned collar of his lab coat, then extending a hand for a shake. "It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Zeta - and may I say you are an exceptional model - who’s your manufacturer? They’re clearly quite talented indeed~”
Yascra groaned and massaged his forehead with a palm, but both he and Val seemed to be less on-guard now. If Doctor Specs was hitting on her already, it was unlikely she’d be leaving any time soon.
LoneWorld
Motukka Docks (Day 1)
"Loahd of Acumen in the flesh, aye!” The old man said reverently, but not worshipfully. Such would not be the way for any but the followers of Lady Ova-Mogan-Motuk. "Kilwen, aye? I’ll tryta’ remembah but ol’ habits die hahd so’the’do….Yessah, I be Edwahd Perry an’ this heah’s the mighty Galesbane. Only vessel of hah kind in th’whole lonesome world se’true. Called a ’sub-marine’, she is.” He explained, annunciating the word carefully as most folken had never heard such a term before. Rocking back and forth on his heels as he talked, Ed guffawed and waved a dismissive hand. "I ain’t gonna' accept no kinda’ payment from th’Loahd of Acumen, no’sah!” He said, scoffing as though the very idea was preposterous. "’Sides, Midway’s my own home, se’true! Be moah’ than happy t’give yai’ pals a lift.” Then, looking thoughtfully off to the side, he added "Should take five, maybe six days I’d say-”
And just then, the old man’s whole face positively lit up in shock and delight as the little old lady came shuffling up behind the Lord of Acumen, already grinning ear to ear.
The old lady, with her golden eyes, azure under-eye tattoos, and short, pale blue braid over her shoulder.
"Alice!” He exclaimed, with all the fond recognition of an old friend, interrupting Kilwen’s introductions. With a glimpse of the energy he’d had in his youth, Ed hopped down from the Galesbane’s upper tier and practically ran along the submarine’s level hull to meet her. The two embraced, kissing each other on the cheeks in a very European-esque greeting.
”Red Eddy Perry se’true an’true!” The old lady exclaimed with delight as they hugged. ”How long has it been Eddy twenty years? And you’re no less handsome-” Turning briefly o glance toward Kilwen she added ”Oh yess it’ll be lovely to visit the old Galesbane again se’true!” And returning her attention to Ed, she continued ”How’s Benny?”
As the two delighted old folks talked and caught up with each other, looking practically like teenagers in their enthusiasm and delight, Dallen side-eyed Kilwen. ”Yeah man. Sure.” She said, and followed him to a more secluded location. ”Wassap?” She prompted then, still wringing out the hem of her perfectly soaked-through shirt, and silently despising that most uncomfortable sensation of wet socks in wet boots. The soot from the fires inside the city seemed to have permanently dyed most of her hair a sooty black, and only small flecks and streaks of it’s previous electric blue remained, even after having been effectively rinsed by the seawater.
Nobody it seemed, appeared to be paying any mind to Tahil - or the others, for that matter. Though Ed had most certainly not forgotten about the Redmark girl, ‘no’sah’...
Hag’s Swamp (Day 2)
Awakening to find their slightly awkward guest practically flopped atop him, Sands gave the man an awkward pat on the head, then made to wriggle out from the tangle as gingerly as possible, not wanting to wake him.
The sight of that creature last night - that creature who was apparently one in the same with this pale young man - flashed through his mind. In his travels with Cathorine and their little band of soldiers, Fellerton had been exposed to sentient life in many forms - and even then, Earth IV being the typical, galactically connected world that it was, he had never been under the impression that all life must look the way he did.
But it didn’t stop the image from being profoundly creepy, and doubtless this guy was capable of great power if he could indeed transform into such an aspect.
Once on his feet, Sands stretched expansively and spent a moment admiring the resplendent sunrise before turning to glance over their little group as a whole. He still could not bring himself to trust Reqti, but Tsuan had insisted that Rai was a friend, and if a friend of Tsuan’s trusted someone, he should too. He found himself still wondering just what their relationship actually was to each other, Rai and Reqti. Not that it mattered, but they didn’t quite seem like just friends, and not quite lovers. Maybe it was some weird Kiinri thing. Who knew?
Maybe he was only wondering at all because it was easier to think about that than whether or not all of his closest friends were @#$%ing dead.
Too, Rai seemed more upbeat and cheerful than he would have expected the Nyran to be. Their appearance seemed to suggest someone relatively dark and brooding - closer to the Qetan, actually - and it had been impossible to really guess at before now.
Grinning, he waited to see what would happen when their guest (Or, were they the guests? Whatever.) awoke to find the cheerfully smiling Rai sort of hovering over him.
As Zeta’s questions proceeded, Aelyn’s frown deepened. The expressionlessness of his eyes tended to make most of his facial expressions either menacing or obliquely deadpan - iin this case, the latter. Alex, meanwhile, burst into a fit of laughter, turning to press her forehead into the side of Aelyn’s upper arm, hanging on him as if for support. Ael had always envied Alex for her broad range of emotional capacity. She had never needed to be quite as carefully controlled as he did in order to maintain existential stability.
Though the ghost - the implication of a smile did seem to tug about the scars by Aelyn’s lips. Yascra awkwardly side-eyed Val, who also found herself actually trying to keep from sniggering, and just barely succeeding.
The scientist, meanwhile, was grinning broadly behind glasses which seemed to reflect every spare ray of afternoon sunlight. "It is a good question, Captain.” He drawled, with just the faintest hint of provocative mischief in his voice.
The android’s barrage of questions would go unanswered, but Harkahn’s piping up from behind seemed to refocus her attention, which Aelyn did not mind one bit. He just dryly, pointedly pat-patted the top of Alex’s head as she tried to get her giggles under control.
Finding himself the focus of the ‘droid’s icy cyan gaze, the scientist merely grinned and cocked a brow from behind his glasses at the touch, casually leaning on the wall of the Wanderer’s Rest and tapping the ground with the toe of one shoe. "I’m afraid you are mistaken.” He said suavely, folding his arms. "I’m as human as they come - only my superior intellect and stunning good looks set me apart from the average man.”
Dorin, much the antithesis of the awkward, shy scientist stereotype, was actually quite the ladies’ man. And man’s man. And sentient-triped, quadruped, pentaped and sextped’s man. And android’s man. His charm and charisma were legendary aboard the Stella, and he was quite the public figure. His self-compliments seemed to be in jest, though the sentiments were quite true.
"I am Professor Dorin Harkahn, Administrator of the Stella Viventium R&D department and Head Scientist.” He said, thumbing the jauntily upturned collar of his lab coat, then extending a hand for a shake. "It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Zeta - and may I say you are an exceptional model - who’s your manufacturer? They’re clearly quite talented indeed~”
Yascra groaned and massaged his forehead with a palm, but both he and Val seemed to be less on-guard now. If Doctor Specs was hitting on her already, it was unlikely she’d be leaving any time soon.
LoneWorld
Motukka Docks (Day 1)
"Loahd of Acumen in the flesh, aye!” The old man said reverently, but not worshipfully. Such would not be the way for any but the followers of Lady Ova-Mogan-Motuk. "Kilwen, aye? I’ll tryta’ remembah but ol’ habits die hahd so’the’do….Yessah, I be Edwahd Perry an’ this heah’s the mighty Galesbane. Only vessel of hah kind in th’whole lonesome world se’true. Called a ’sub-marine’, she is.” He explained, annunciating the word carefully as most folken had never heard such a term before. Rocking back and forth on his heels as he talked, Ed guffawed and waved a dismissive hand. "I ain’t gonna' accept no kinda’ payment from th’Loahd of Acumen, no’sah!” He said, scoffing as though the very idea was preposterous. "’Sides, Midway’s my own home, se’true! Be moah’ than happy t’give yai’ pals a lift.” Then, looking thoughtfully off to the side, he added "Should take five, maybe six days I’d say-”
And just then, the old man’s whole face positively lit up in shock and delight as the little old lady came shuffling up behind the Lord of Acumen, already grinning ear to ear.
The old lady, with her golden eyes, azure under-eye tattoos, and short, pale blue braid over her shoulder.
"Alice!” He exclaimed, with all the fond recognition of an old friend, interrupting Kilwen’s introductions. With a glimpse of the energy he’d had in his youth, Ed hopped down from the Galesbane’s upper tier and practically ran along the submarine’s level hull to meet her. The two embraced, kissing each other on the cheeks in a very European-esque greeting.
”Red Eddy Perry se’true an’true!” The old lady exclaimed with delight as they hugged. ”How long has it been Eddy twenty years? And you’re no less handsome-” Turning briefly o glance toward Kilwen she added ”Oh yess it’ll be lovely to visit the old Galesbane again se’true!” And returning her attention to Ed, she continued ”How’s Benny?”
As the two delighted old folks talked and caught up with each other, looking practically like teenagers in their enthusiasm and delight, Dallen side-eyed Kilwen. ”Yeah man. Sure.” She said, and followed him to a more secluded location. ”Wassap?” She prompted then, still wringing out the hem of her perfectly soaked-through shirt, and silently despising that most uncomfortable sensation of wet socks in wet boots. The soot from the fires inside the city seemed to have permanently dyed most of her hair a sooty black, and only small flecks and streaks of it’s previous electric blue remained, even after having been effectively rinsed by the seawater.
Nobody it seemed, appeared to be paying any mind to Tahil - or the others, for that matter. Though Ed had most certainly not forgotten about the Redmark girl, ‘no’sah’...
Hag’s Swamp (Day 2)
Awakening to find their slightly awkward guest practically flopped atop him, Sands gave the man an awkward pat on the head, then made to wriggle out from the tangle as gingerly as possible, not wanting to wake him.
The sight of that creature last night - that creature who was apparently one in the same with this pale young man - flashed through his mind. In his travels with Cathorine and their little band of soldiers, Fellerton had been exposed to sentient life in many forms - and even then, Earth IV being the typical, galactically connected world that it was, he had never been under the impression that all life must look the way he did.
But it didn’t stop the image from being profoundly creepy, and doubtless this guy was capable of great power if he could indeed transform into such an aspect.
Once on his feet, Sands stretched expansively and spent a moment admiring the resplendent sunrise before turning to glance over their little group as a whole. He still could not bring himself to trust Reqti, but Tsuan had insisted that Rai was a friend, and if a friend of Tsuan’s trusted someone, he should too. He found himself still wondering just what their relationship actually was to each other, Rai and Reqti. Not that it mattered, but they didn’t quite seem like just friends, and not quite lovers. Maybe it was some weird Kiinri thing. Who knew?
Maybe he was only wondering at all because it was easier to think about that than whether or not all of his closest friends were @#$%ing dead.
Too, Rai seemed more upbeat and cheerful than he would have expected the Nyran to be. Their appearance seemed to suggest someone relatively dark and brooding - closer to the Qetan, actually - and it had been impossible to really guess at before now.
Grinning, he waited to see what would happen when their guest (Or, were they the guests? Whatever.) awoke to find the cheerfully smiling Rai sort of hovering over him.
LoneWorld - Farming Village
She watched them in silence. Her eyes, liquid mercury mirrors under a shadowing hood reflected Rin's image back at him. Her attention shifted to Ty when he was the one to speak.
Eventually the delusional town people reached a new level of injudiciousness. They broke from their places of hiding and spilled out threatening to engulf Rin and Ty in a flood of bodies. Saraid just pivoted, facing her left side to this planet's most recent prisoners. Otherwise she remained steadfast, unmoving, and unblinking. The people surged behind her until Ty raised his voice and stepped forward to command that they all halt.
When he had finished his impromptu peroration she exhaled audibly from her nose and allowed him to nudge her away with Rin. Though in her case it was more that she moved forward and away from the crowd so that Ty and Rin would not have the reach to touch her. Her gait seemed fluent and light-footed almost as if she was gliding over the packed earth and cobbles instead of treading upon them.
Once they had gotten some distance from the villagers and some minutes had passed Saraid would speak in a soft tone. "If yisser comrade does not sheath 'is knife oi 'ill be turnin' back."
She watched them in silence. Her eyes, liquid mercury mirrors under a shadowing hood reflected Rin's image back at him. Her attention shifted to Ty when he was the one to speak.
Eventually the delusional town people reached a new level of injudiciousness. They broke from their places of hiding and spilled out threatening to engulf Rin and Ty in a flood of bodies. Saraid just pivoted, facing her left side to this planet's most recent prisoners. Otherwise she remained steadfast, unmoving, and unblinking. The people surged behind her until Ty raised his voice and stepped forward to command that they all halt.
When he had finished his impromptu peroration she exhaled audibly from her nose and allowed him to nudge her away with Rin. Though in her case it was more that she moved forward and away from the crowd so that Ty and Rin would not have the reach to touch her. Her gait seemed fluent and light-footed almost as if she was gliding over the packed earth and cobbles instead of treading upon them.
Once they had gotten some distance from the villagers and some minutes had passed Saraid would speak in a soft tone. "If yisser comrade does not sheath 'is knife oi 'ill be turnin' back."
LoneWorld: Forest
Jet went from calm and none threatening to sweaty and confused in a time that would give most observers whiplash. All he could mutter in that moment was something along the lines of "You too" and "Thanks" but got mixed in translation and came out as "Thou tanks". Jet was a better freeloader and fighter than he was a diplomat, plus, speaking to his adversary rarely happened. It was even more rare that he was more attracted to his adversary then a Bormuthian Beetle to a cup of bleach. It took Jet a couple of moments to snap back to reality and notice the miniature geyser that was erupting from his gouged calf. Quickly covering his leg with his other, he attempted to lean on the cave wall, slipping a bit while he did. "Yes, I'll take those demon teasing herbs, Ateru." Removing his newly formed poncho, Jet revealed his traced over map, and followed Ateru into her house.
Most great hunters or tamer's can tell what an animal will do based upon their eyes,such as if they are dilated, flicking around, or completely still. But when Jet looked into Ateru's eyes, it was less animal, and more fury, like a flame that wasn't massive, but was intense. Now Jet was intrigued, he had only seen these eyes in apex predators and top crime bosses. This was a force to be reckoned with...and Jet loved it. That damn smile added to her whole image like butter on toast, it was almost an essential. The squat wasn't anything to write home about but for some reason, Jet liked that too.
"Don't worry, I probably won't pilfer or plunder anything in the house" said Jet, letting a "except, maybe you" slip from his mouth. For a moment, he had forgotten about the fact that he's in the middle of nowhere, without his friends, and was hundreds of feet up, with a strange woman...who just stabbed him in the calf. But whatever, she was hot, he stole her stuff, need I say more?
Jet went from calm and none threatening to sweaty and confused in a time that would give most observers whiplash. All he could mutter in that moment was something along the lines of "You too" and "Thanks" but got mixed in translation and came out as "Thou tanks". Jet was a better freeloader and fighter than he was a diplomat, plus, speaking to his adversary rarely happened. It was even more rare that he was more attracted to his adversary then a Bormuthian Beetle to a cup of bleach. It took Jet a couple of moments to snap back to reality and notice the miniature geyser that was erupting from his gouged calf. Quickly covering his leg with his other, he attempted to lean on the cave wall, slipping a bit while he did. "Yes, I'll take those demon teasing herbs, Ateru." Removing his newly formed poncho, Jet revealed his traced over map, and followed Ateru into her house.
Most great hunters or tamer's can tell what an animal will do based upon their eyes,such as if they are dilated, flicking around, or completely still. But when Jet looked into Ateru's eyes, it was less animal, and more fury, like a flame that wasn't massive, but was intense. Now Jet was intrigued, he had only seen these eyes in apex predators and top crime bosses. This was a force to be reckoned with...and Jet loved it. That damn smile added to her whole image like butter on toast, it was almost an essential. The squat wasn't anything to write home about but for some reason, Jet liked that too.
"Don't worry, I probably won't pilfer or plunder anything in the house" said Jet, letting a "except, maybe you" slip from his mouth. For a moment, he had forgotten about the fact that he's in the middle of nowhere, without his friends, and was hundreds of feet up, with a strange woman...who just stabbed him in the calf. But whatever, she was hot, he stole her stuff, need I say more?
LoneWorld
Forest(Day 1)
Ateru of the Deep Wilds sniggered a little at the Starlander’s flustered attempts at keeping ‘cool’ - but there was a softness to it that suggested she found it charming, rather than pathetic. That was not to say that the softening of her gaze would detract from the apex-predator gleam in her golden eyes. Rather, she was like a Nylarthian lioness, confident enough in her power, ambition and ruthlessness that she didn’t feel the need to flaunt it.
Like an alpha-wolfess watching from a high rock.
"Should yai’need it true, keep th’bow. S’ai can make another.” She prompted, her throaty voice like the dark wind over airy desert rocks. Then, nodding meaningfully at the dagger he had struck from her grasp during their scuffle, she went on ”I’ll need my fang back though, do’ye kindly.” In a tone that, while softened not unlike her lioness gaze, seemed to imply indirectly that any attempts to take it from her indefinitely would result in a swift and brutal mauling. Once he’d handed it over - earning him a warm, vaguely alluring grin and a not-at-all-intentional brush of the arm as she took it - Ateru sheathed it at her belt, then quirked her head in a nod back toward her cozy, yet spacious shelter, and ducked through the open door, sliding it shut once they were both in with the distinct, yet unplaceable feeling of putting a ”Out to Lunch” sign up in a shop window.
The warmth of the crackling fire and the soft, earthy glow of the luminescent stones lashed to the walls surrounded them, along with the smokey scent of burning firewood and dried sundries. Immediately noticing the chips in the wall where he had fired five arrows, the woman eyed Jet obliquely - but with that long, somehow provocative grin that had been more or less a consistent feature since their battle had come to a close. "Practice shots?” She asked rhetorically. A predator indeed, to notice such a detail so rapidly. "Aye, is’at so, se’true~?” Her voice became a tad more enthusiastic at his little flirt - if something so blunt and inelegant as that could be called ‘flirting’ - and she just happened to totally coincidentally bump her hip up against him as they moved past the threshold of the shelter into the main, high-ceilinged body. "I would love t’see you try~.” She said in a low, husky, positively amorous purr which suggested that she really, really did. And as if that wasn’t enough, she coincided it with a second little bump of her hip, this time brushing her shoulder up against him as well and craning her neck just so, the slightly coarse shock of red hair that flared out about her neck just barely grazing his arm.
When he looked to her, she’d flash that toothy, Wolf Girl smile as if to say something tastefully lewd, not at all needing to voice the sentiment that ‘plundering’ was definitely not an applicable term regarding her - then gesture toward the plush, neatly strewn furs that obviously made up her bed. "Sit’ye o’r yon’ an’ try not te’bleed out y’fine?”
Padding with the perfect, silent grace of the evolved hunter, Ateru sached to one side of the inclosure, untying the boiled leather bracers on her forearms and sliding them off, to be placed on hooks made of stubby, kinked antlers. The same crimson crescent tattoos that decorated her upper arms, torso and legs also extended to forearms and even the tops of her hands. "So, be’all th’men ai’Starland claim th’Beast’s-Heart? Or be’ai yon’ lone beast among men~?” She asked conversationally, but not without particular implications saturating the fullness of her voice.
With a nearly reverent care, Ateru slid the magnificent white fur cloak from her shoulders, revealing more crescent tattoos there, and a second ivory fang dagger sheathed within the back of her cropped suede vest, about the shoulder blade opposite the side on which the dagger at her hip was sheathed.
She’d been holding back on him.
Hanging the cloak on a wooden mount she had clearly built specifically for that purpose, it was also revealed that the cloak was more than it appeared. Tucked up on the underside and bound with a thin suede cord were the head and tail of the creature from which the pelt had come - and what a creature it was. The tail was as luxuriant and plush as the rest of it. The head though, was that of a four-eared, four-eyed wolf creature, with blood-red markings identical to Ateru’s crescent shaped tattoos running along the muzzle and face. The eyes had been replaced with orbs similar to the glowing stones that illuminated the woman's home, but glowing a soft gold that matched the woman’s own honeyed eyes to perfection. The head, which ended at the upper jaw in a vicious set of saber teeth minus the two great canine-fangs, which had clearly been repurposed as her twin daggers - was easily large enough that when worn over her own head like a mantle, with the teeth framing her face like an ivory helm, only the bottom quarter of the woman’s face would be visible from without.
If it wasn’t already clear where she got her name…
A terror-striking sight it must be, to see her decked out in the full raiment, four eyes glowing in the dusk with a fang in each hand.
Procuring several herbs and sundries from where they hung upon the walls, a mortar and pestle from atop a shelf built into the twisted branches, and a roll of cloth bandage from within a small box, the Wolf Girl sauntered back toward Jet’ai’Starland, sinking to her knees long enough to tie a length of bandage around his calf and halt the bleeding, then shifting to a more comfortable sitting position atop the luxuriant furs as she went about preparing her remedy. A key ingredient seemed to be the leaves that already hung from her belt, which she bit and momentarily ground between her own noticeably sharpened canines before adding to the concoction.
"So, what do’ye here on The World, Starlander? Other than hunt for wild girls to ‘plunder’~” She said, starting conversationally, and finishing with a husky purr that suggested such a hunt was perfectly acceptable in her book. Then, with a slightly more sober inflection (That did not seem likely to stick around too long), she went on "I think y’ai didn’t mean t’come as ye’did, ridin’ yon fallin’ star.”
Forest(Day 1)
Ateru of the Deep Wilds sniggered a little at the Starlander’s flustered attempts at keeping ‘cool’ - but there was a softness to it that suggested she found it charming, rather than pathetic. That was not to say that the softening of her gaze would detract from the apex-predator gleam in her golden eyes. Rather, she was like a Nylarthian lioness, confident enough in her power, ambition and ruthlessness that she didn’t feel the need to flaunt it.
Like an alpha-wolfess watching from a high rock.
"Should yai’need it true, keep th’bow. S’ai can make another.” She prompted, her throaty voice like the dark wind over airy desert rocks. Then, nodding meaningfully at the dagger he had struck from her grasp during their scuffle, she went on ”I’ll need my fang back though, do’ye kindly.” In a tone that, while softened not unlike her lioness gaze, seemed to imply indirectly that any attempts to take it from her indefinitely would result in a swift and brutal mauling. Once he’d handed it over - earning him a warm, vaguely alluring grin and a not-at-all-intentional brush of the arm as she took it - Ateru sheathed it at her belt, then quirked her head in a nod back toward her cozy, yet spacious shelter, and ducked through the open door, sliding it shut once they were both in with the distinct, yet unplaceable feeling of putting a ”Out to Lunch” sign up in a shop window.
The warmth of the crackling fire and the soft, earthy glow of the luminescent stones lashed to the walls surrounded them, along with the smokey scent of burning firewood and dried sundries. Immediately noticing the chips in the wall where he had fired five arrows, the woman eyed Jet obliquely - but with that long, somehow provocative grin that had been more or less a consistent feature since their battle had come to a close. "Practice shots?” She asked rhetorically. A predator indeed, to notice such a detail so rapidly. "Aye, is’at so, se’true~?” Her voice became a tad more enthusiastic at his little flirt - if something so blunt and inelegant as that could be called ‘flirting’ - and she just happened to totally coincidentally bump her hip up against him as they moved past the threshold of the shelter into the main, high-ceilinged body. "I would love t’see you try~.” She said in a low, husky, positively amorous purr which suggested that she really, really did. And as if that wasn’t enough, she coincided it with a second little bump of her hip, this time brushing her shoulder up against him as well and craning her neck just so, the slightly coarse shock of red hair that flared out about her neck just barely grazing his arm.
When he looked to her, she’d flash that toothy, Wolf Girl smile as if to say something tastefully lewd, not at all needing to voice the sentiment that ‘plundering’ was definitely not an applicable term regarding her - then gesture toward the plush, neatly strewn furs that obviously made up her bed. "Sit’ye o’r yon’ an’ try not te’bleed out y’fine?”
Padding with the perfect, silent grace of the evolved hunter, Ateru sached to one side of the inclosure, untying the boiled leather bracers on her forearms and sliding them off, to be placed on hooks made of stubby, kinked antlers. The same crimson crescent tattoos that decorated her upper arms, torso and legs also extended to forearms and even the tops of her hands. "So, be’all th’men ai’Starland claim th’Beast’s-Heart? Or be’ai yon’ lone beast among men~?” She asked conversationally, but not without particular implications saturating the fullness of her voice.
With a nearly reverent care, Ateru slid the magnificent white fur cloak from her shoulders, revealing more crescent tattoos there, and a second ivory fang dagger sheathed within the back of her cropped suede vest, about the shoulder blade opposite the side on which the dagger at her hip was sheathed.
She’d been holding back on him.
Hanging the cloak on a wooden mount she had clearly built specifically for that purpose, it was also revealed that the cloak was more than it appeared. Tucked up on the underside and bound with a thin suede cord were the head and tail of the creature from which the pelt had come - and what a creature it was. The tail was as luxuriant and plush as the rest of it. The head though, was that of a four-eared, four-eyed wolf creature, with blood-red markings identical to Ateru’s crescent shaped tattoos running along the muzzle and face. The eyes had been replaced with orbs similar to the glowing stones that illuminated the woman's home, but glowing a soft gold that matched the woman’s own honeyed eyes to perfection. The head, which ended at the upper jaw in a vicious set of saber teeth minus the two great canine-fangs, which had clearly been repurposed as her twin daggers - was easily large enough that when worn over her own head like a mantle, with the teeth framing her face like an ivory helm, only the bottom quarter of the woman’s face would be visible from without.
If it wasn’t already clear where she got her name…
A terror-striking sight it must be, to see her decked out in the full raiment, four eyes glowing in the dusk with a fang in each hand.
Procuring several herbs and sundries from where they hung upon the walls, a mortar and pestle from atop a shelf built into the twisted branches, and a roll of cloth bandage from within a small box, the Wolf Girl sauntered back toward Jet’ai’Starland, sinking to her knees long enough to tie a length of bandage around his calf and halt the bleeding, then shifting to a more comfortable sitting position atop the luxuriant furs as she went about preparing her remedy. A key ingredient seemed to be the leaves that already hung from her belt, which she bit and momentarily ground between her own noticeably sharpened canines before adding to the concoction.
"So, what do’ye here on The World, Starlander? Other than hunt for wild girls to ‘plunder’~” She said, starting conversationally, and finishing with a husky purr that suggested such a hunt was perfectly acceptable in her book. Then, with a slightly more sober inflection (That did not seem likely to stick around too long), she went on "I think y’ai didn’t mean t’come as ye’did, ridin’ yon fallin’ star.”
Gormaand - Tullh
For the android, her attention now was solely towards Doctor Harkhan. Her hand still caressed his face as her scanned him, even going as far as looking at him from the top of his head down to his feat, keeping notes of his genetic make-up and all sorts of small data points she can get off of Harkhan's body. Her eyes went into almost a squint and says "You are indeed human, but my sensors are telling me your material make-up seems to be artificial" a small smirk ran across her face even though her cold eyes still looked up at him and adds "Of course, I am a super AI android, so mistakes can happen. Plus I do appreciate your flirtatious nature. However if your end game was sexual gratification then sadly I cannot help you since I am missing such components to interact with your sizable male human jack. I have multiple ports of entry but aren't for you to be sticking that in" as she bluntly points to his junk.
"I am one of kind, the very first Zeta-bot android, custom made by my master and creator to be the perfect interactive AI with free-will. It explains why I ran away from him. I know he cares for me dearly, but I wish to interact with this chaotic universe instead of just absorbing information from various data gathering sites. I have no malice for him, is what I am trying to get at" she explains to the doctor. "If you want, I can let you observe and maybe poke around inside me while I cool off and defrag my CPU and core in my room or your lab?" she offers him, knowing the tensity of the group, without looking at Yascra, she points and says "You! Come here!" ordering him like some dog. She then turns and detaches her arm cannon and tosses it to him. "In sign of that I am no threat, I offer my MTC-1 energy cannon to you to do as you wish as I allow the doctor to observe my superior design of the perfect AI and Android frame" she says to him as she looks at Doctor Harkhan, obviously she is a bit of an android supremacist, put more towards against other AI's even her Z-bot derivatives than towards organic beings. "Shall we?" she merely asks him as she continues to look at him blankly with her cold eyes.
For the android, her attention now was solely towards Doctor Harkhan. Her hand still caressed his face as her scanned him, even going as far as looking at him from the top of his head down to his feat, keeping notes of his genetic make-up and all sorts of small data points she can get off of Harkhan's body. Her eyes went into almost a squint and says "You are indeed human, but my sensors are telling me your material make-up seems to be artificial" a small smirk ran across her face even though her cold eyes still looked up at him and adds "Of course, I am a super AI android, so mistakes can happen. Plus I do appreciate your flirtatious nature. However if your end game was sexual gratification then sadly I cannot help you since I am missing such components to interact with your sizable male human jack. I have multiple ports of entry but aren't for you to be sticking that in" as she bluntly points to his junk.
"I am one of kind, the very first Zeta-bot android, custom made by my master and creator to be the perfect interactive AI with free-will. It explains why I ran away from him. I know he cares for me dearly, but I wish to interact with this chaotic universe instead of just absorbing information from various data gathering sites. I have no malice for him, is what I am trying to get at" she explains to the doctor. "If you want, I can let you observe and maybe poke around inside me while I cool off and defrag my CPU and core in my room or your lab?" she offers him, knowing the tensity of the group, without looking at Yascra, she points and says "You! Come here!" ordering him like some dog. She then turns and detaches her arm cannon and tosses it to him. "In sign of that I am no threat, I offer my MTC-1 energy cannon to you to do as you wish as I allow the doctor to observe my superior design of the perfect AI and Android frame" she says to him as she looks at Doctor Harkhan, obviously she is a bit of an android supremacist, put more towards against other AI's even her Z-bot derivatives than towards organic beings. "Shall we?" she merely asks him as she continues to look at him blankly with her cold eyes.
Tora Station
Nocturnus tried his best to navigate around the station, trying to keep up with Roy and her doggo friend. However being in an environment he didn't understand and with this large swath of people who he isn't butchering was making it hard for Julian to move around and follow them. Seeing the officer appear before him, he cursed his luck that station security was now interested in him. Giving a scowl at him, annoyed he was being treated as some kid by this man who clearly didn't make it in the general Imperial forces and became a station guard, Julian responded to him as if he was in his Knight form Nocturnus even though still being the boy he was "Begone mortal man! I have no business with you, instead I have business with a woman in a trench coat and her dog friend!" as he then goes to storm pass the guard as if nothing.
Of course, the guard could just easily pick Julian up even though he would be struggling, but in this form, there really isn't much that Julian can do anyway since he was about to loose sight of Roy and Toffi if he got away making him run around cluelessly if he got away from the guard the first time and easy to nab again by the guard. He still held the evil toaster close to his chest, muffing its continue speaking of death and destruction.
Nocturnus tried his best to navigate around the station, trying to keep up with Roy and her doggo friend. However being in an environment he didn't understand and with this large swath of people who he isn't butchering was making it hard for Julian to move around and follow them. Seeing the officer appear before him, he cursed his luck that station security was now interested in him. Giving a scowl at him, annoyed he was being treated as some kid by this man who clearly didn't make it in the general Imperial forces and became a station guard, Julian responded to him as if he was in his Knight form Nocturnus even though still being the boy he was "Begone mortal man! I have no business with you, instead I have business with a woman in a trench coat and her dog friend!" as he then goes to storm pass the guard as if nothing.
Of course, the guard could just easily pick Julian up even though he would be struggling, but in this form, there really isn't much that Julian can do anyway since he was about to loose sight of Roy and Toffi if he got away making him run around cluelessly if he got away from the guard the first time and easy to nab again by the guard. He still held the evil toaster close to his chest, muffing its continue speaking of death and destruction.
Imperial PRL facility (Prison, Reseach and Labor), Planet: Astaroth
The one of few Imperial PRL's , this one in the godforsaken planet of Astaroth, a ridiculously Venus like atmosphere, a greenhouse planet filled with polluted air that can kill most life, but just barely able to sustain those who can breath in oxygen is special. This comes from the planet's active volcanic activity which tends to spit toxic material into the atmosphere and tends to stay there. Even though this planet is clearly inhospitable for general use, but the planet itself is perfect for gathering material that Galactic empire needs and uses prison labor to extract said resources from the ground. However this facility is special since it houses, its most prized prison...a Dimensional Lord. More specifically Lord Arena, a lord thought dead, but after ravaging a city in a blind rage, the Imperial forces sedated her which allowed them to capture her and sent her secretly to this PRL facility letting the scientist there run various tests to have some possible understanding of the Dimensional Lords.
To absolutely make sure she doesn't escape, they put in her in an isolation room, underground by the mines. With her orange prison jump suit, she wears a white neck brace, that nulls her passive affect of breaking stuff, while her wrists have thick white bracelets on them no allowing her to access her powers. These are technically prototypes and were created in case beings were to get captured. These devices came out of observations and controlled tests of simulations of Dimensional Lord power in which these were created. By some miracle they were a success when they were placed on Arena.
As for Arena, her position has changed...yet even though being a Lord of Chaos and Destruction, but after being killed and now alive...something else has been set into her....vengeance. Her gaze is much more menacing and the aura around her is much colder. The scar along her cheek is one of a few testaments to her now found role when it comes to the concept of vengeance.
With a Dimensional Lord in hands, the facility personnel weren't going to let her stay idle and gave her a special role within the prison population. She wasn't going to have a energy pickax and start mining rock with the population, instead she would been placed in a section of the mine and her nullifying neck brace would ease its power on her neck, letting a bit of her power be released, allowing the rest of the prisoners to mine through the rock easier, thus able to mine the materials that the Imperial prison guards want to get out from the prisoners. The guard with relation to a scientist within the PRL, would control the neck brace on Arena, controlling the power on it using her passive powers as a stimulus for the workers to work faster. After a quota of the day has been filled, the prisoners would be feed and Arena would eat with them. After being fed, they would return to there prison barracks while Arena goes back to her isolation room.
Today was like any other day, Arena sat upon a small platform in a could mine shaft, looking at the workers working hard, while her powers were being used against her will to get the workers to mine faster. Her face would occasionally wince as she felt the pain on her neck as the neck brace would actively sap out her energy to get the workers to go through the rock quicker.
The one of few Imperial PRL's , this one in the godforsaken planet of Astaroth, a ridiculously Venus like atmosphere, a greenhouse planet filled with polluted air that can kill most life, but just barely able to sustain those who can breath in oxygen is special. This comes from the planet's active volcanic activity which tends to spit toxic material into the atmosphere and tends to stay there. Even though this planet is clearly inhospitable for general use, but the planet itself is perfect for gathering material that Galactic empire needs and uses prison labor to extract said resources from the ground. However this facility is special since it houses, its most prized prison...a Dimensional Lord. More specifically Lord Arena, a lord thought dead, but after ravaging a city in a blind rage, the Imperial forces sedated her which allowed them to capture her and sent her secretly to this PRL facility letting the scientist there run various tests to have some possible understanding of the Dimensional Lords.
To absolutely make sure she doesn't escape, they put in her in an isolation room, underground by the mines. With her orange prison jump suit, she wears a white neck brace, that nulls her passive affect of breaking stuff, while her wrists have thick white bracelets on them no allowing her to access her powers. These are technically prototypes and were created in case beings were to get captured. These devices came out of observations and controlled tests of simulations of Dimensional Lord power in which these were created. By some miracle they were a success when they were placed on Arena.
As for Arena, her position has changed...yet even though being a Lord of Chaos and Destruction, but after being killed and now alive...something else has been set into her....vengeance. Her gaze is much more menacing and the aura around her is much colder. The scar along her cheek is one of a few testaments to her now found role when it comes to the concept of vengeance.
With a Dimensional Lord in hands, the facility personnel weren't going to let her stay idle and gave her a special role within the prison population. She wasn't going to have a energy pickax and start mining rock with the population, instead she would been placed in a section of the mine and her nullifying neck brace would ease its power on her neck, letting a bit of her power be released, allowing the rest of the prisoners to mine through the rock easier, thus able to mine the materials that the Imperial prison guards want to get out from the prisoners. The guard with relation to a scientist within the PRL, would control the neck brace on Arena, controlling the power on it using her passive powers as a stimulus for the workers to work faster. After a quota of the day has been filled, the prisoners would be feed and Arena would eat with them. After being fed, they would return to there prison barracks while Arena goes back to her isolation room.
Today was like any other day, Arena sat upon a small platform in a could mine shaft, looking at the workers working hard, while her powers were being used against her will to get the workers to mine faster. Her face would occasionally wince as she felt the pain on her neck as the neck brace would actively sap out her energy to get the workers to go through the rock quicker.
Imperial PRL facility (Prison, Reseach and Labor), Planet: Astaroth
"Hoy!! Let me go ya stupid a$# hat!" Shouts could be heard as sirens were sounding until they dulled. Only the lights flashing now. A lanky young woman wearing black gear had been caught trying to lift a rather large and very expensive piece of jewelry. But it had been so utterly shiny! How could she not try and steal it? She struggles to get free in order to give the uptight authorities the slip. But her smart comment only earned her a slap over the head.
But the slap did not phase her one bit. Instead, she continued to thrash and struggle. But these guys were so much stronger then she was.. Opal was easily tossed into the police speeder and locked in. Cuffed, she got onto her side and began to kick at the windows repeatedly as hard as she could muster. The authorities eventually got irritated with her once they were speeding through the air. One of them turned around and shot her with a taser gun. Immediately every muscle seized up with excruciating pain.
Opal loses consciousness shortly afterwards..
While out cold, she dreamed of her home world that was far away from where she had been caught. The family members she had lost thanks to the rich merchants of her home planet. Those merchants had moved off world after a few years though. But by then her family was in ruins. She had vowed to wreak havoc upon their most prized possession. Money. Becoming the thief that she was today. And tracking those same merchants relentlessly. But after the last several years spent like this, she had developed the thrill of adrenaline whenever stealing something nice and shiny.
"Wake up you piece of filth!" There was shouting again. Eyes opened up as piercing blue hues dart around groggily. Through lustrous crimson strands of short hair, she looked up at the foggy image before her. Though the feeling of someone rudely grabbing and forcing her onto her feet could be felt with sharpness. But she was slow to register it. What had just happened? Then the memory of the taser came back and she began struggling to get free with a vengeance. "Lemme go ya hack job of a-..!!" Another sharp slap over the head to interrupt her shouting.
"Flipping flippers!! Quit hitting me ya-...ack!" A third but harder slap to the back of the head. Opal tries to turn her head in order to glare vehemently at her assailant. but the tight grip over both her upper arms made this impossible entirely. As her vision cleared up fully, she realized they were taking her up to a star ship that was meant for prisoners. "W-wait! Where does this ship go?!" Seeing the sheer size of it, her heart began to race hard against her chest. Prisoner ships this size usually meant a few things. Labor camps, or research camps. One or possibly both. Neither of which she wanted any part of.
"Lemme go! HEY!" The young woman began to thrash violently again. Managing to get just loose enough to start to run with her arms cuffed behind her. But something really hard slammed into her and it hurt bad enough she lost not only her footing, but her consciousness as well. It would be hours later before she would wake up again, but as she did, Opal found that she was on board the vessel and it seemed to be traveling. Her heart sank. She was almost half way done with ruining those merchant's lives!
"$*^&%ing hell.." She gritted under her breath. To make matters worse, she was wearing an orange jump suit. Which meant they found all the secret little hiding places with her metal pins. Great. Just flipping great! How was she supposed to get out of this one? Opal groaned softly and sank against the bars of her cell. A thief that had been caught with only herself to blame. "Mark my words.. I'll get outta here.." Murmuring underneath her breath, she began to plan her escape.
She had escaped prisons before. How hard could this next one be?
Sighing, there was nothing she could do for the moment. At least not until she could begin making "allies" to "work" with. Looking around from where she sat, there were a few other cells that she could see. Mostly other women whom were either sleeping, or sulking about their predicament. She would remain quiet for a little bit for now though. Thinking, and planning were her best options. But after several hours, her eyes grew tired and she settled in for the rest of the journey. Unaware just which prison she was heading towards..
When she woke though, the open hatches and sounds of shouting through masks could be heard. Coughing, she breathed in the air only to cough a few more times before her body physically adjusted to the planet's polluted air. What was that smell though?! "Ugh.. Oh that's rancid.." Holding her hand up to her nose, she squinted her eyes some. Prison guards were everywhere. And as she realized they were there, she shuddered seeing their attire. "Ya gotta be &^$#ing me.." She mumbled under her breath. As the bars to her cell are opened however, she looked up to stare at the guard as he ordered her to get the hell up and move.
Smirking cheekily, she shook her head. "Come now Mr. Pretty Officer.. Surely you don't mean little 'ol me." Her cute retort only angered him however as he stepped forward and grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. "I said get the &*^% up &%$#@. Now move." He dropped her just as rudely as she stumbled and landed flat as on her butt, coughing and gasping for the polluted air of this strange planet. "Great.. Yeah.. Heard ya.. Moving.. Right.." She stumbled over her words a bit, and got to her feet. The guard pushed her out into the hallway as another took ahold of her, placing her into shackles and attaching the ends to a long chain.
Controlling her face however, she really wanted to grin right now. Why? Opal pickpocketed a laser pen of sorts. She could take that apart later. She puts on her best scowling expression. Mimicking it perfectly. There were always opportunities somewhere. She believed it to be true, and this just showed it. As she carefully hid the now precious item quickly, the line began to move forward as the prisoners were unloaded. Only then did she hear what planet they were now on and would be serving their sentences to.
Asteroth. Of all the *&^% holes to be sent to. It had to Astroth. "Flip." She muttered and looked genuinely agitated. This facility would be harder to break out. But not impossible as long as she could play her cards right. Coughing a little bit, fresh bruises on her neck began to form already. Though her immune system would need about another several hours to completely adjust to this toxic waste called "air". This place was ridiculous! Feeling a little nausea, she brushed it off as they were hustled off the prisoner transport ship.
Since her record was wildly against her, Opal Unkas would not be leaving this place anytime soon. Unless she had help from a few precarious places. After being pushed into her new cell and locked behind it while paperwork and procedures were started, she sat down in the middle of the cell. Quickly looking around, she could count more cells then her eyes could see. So many people here. After meal time came around, she took glances around the mess hall. Attempting to gauge whom to approach and who to avoid potentially.
Though as she glanced around, she could see someone that looked interesting enough. Even with that cold expression of hers. But the vibes coming off her seemed really off. Making a mental note of her, Opal kept a low profile for the time being. Then it was time to sleep, and she intentionally makes it a point to watch the guard's movements. Next surveying the cameras too. Looking for loopholes in their security..
The night spent in her new cell was an uneasy one. Every little sound made her jump. Never knew what could happen in a place like this one. She starts counting in her head. Before her arrival, she had stolen a laser pen. Now to see what the next day would bring. Eventually falling asleep, Opal did not dream this time. Remaining in a state that was fully aware, yet resting. A trait stemming from her Kem half. She had a few tricks up her sleeves...
+++
The morning rolled around and she was wide awake before the guard even got to her cell. She was standing there and looking at him wearily. "Time to work brat." He spoke coldly to her, almost in a bored tone. But she said nothing, only nodding and carefully watching his movements. Anything he might have on him could be used as a tool to escape. As she was led to the mines, she noted that same woman from yesterday's mealtime. She seemed to be seated in the middle of the section everyone was mining in. Though as she drew closer, there was a sense of energy that seemed to flood into her body. What was this? And more importantly where was it coming from?
Blinking in her confusion, she was pushed rudely and handed a energy pickaxe and told to mine. Though it was pretty heavy in her nimble hands. Not being particularly strong, physically. She had always made up for it in being quick and limber. But here? With this awful pickaxe? Oh boy this was not going to be pleasant. She started mining away, though it was obviously slower then the others. Glancing around occasionally to look towards the strange woman she had seen, Opal gradually sneaks closer. Using any and every excuse she could to come that much closer to her.
Then there was that feeling again. A menacing kind of sensation that seemed to exude from the dark haired lady. Despite the cold mineshaft, she edges closer still. Though some of the feeling in her feet were going numb due to the temperature. When the guards were not looking, she snuck quickly over to her. Upon closer inspection, she could see every now and again the other woman was wincing. Was she in pain over something? How odd.
"Hoy. How willing would ya be to gettin' outta 'ere?" She needed to start somewhere. Why now her? Opal whispered in a low hushed tone. Looking around wearily to make sure the guards were not looking at them. But she needed to be fast about this. At any second a guard could easily notice her talking to this lady..
Nirix was enraged.
Dimensional Lord or not, the Eoclu cared only for one thing right now. Ketin was missing and someone had to answer for it. If she had broken some unannounced law and somehow ended up murdering a Dimensional lord in the process, Nirix reasoned it would all be worth it for Ketin.
For her Da’len.
Her sword already drawn and the raw and pooling heat of her anger pumping through her veins, she had spared a glance when the 1st glass bottle came down upon her head. Yet Nirix was quick and she caught the improvised weapon at the base of the bottle before tossing it aside. It was a childish and brash thing, an attack purely out of impulse on Hayden’s part. Nirix couldn’t help but think that for all the power and wisdom said Dimensional Lords carried, they all seemed to have a child-like streak.
Yet what right did they have when her, own chaotic and child-like companion was missing?
Her ears twitched, tuning out the barely tangible threats that Hayden was throwing at her over the screeching of the sirens as once again the room around her exploded in chaos; ironically, of her own doing. Resorting to his previous tactic, Hayden seemed delighted to throw as many bottles of alcohol at her as possible and Nirix was prepared to merely sidestep them all or cut through the entire section of shelves with her monomolecular blade but was caught off guard by the pale man from before. Heroically, he bared the brunt of the attack as most of the bottles aimed for her, smashed upon his head and doused him various alcohols.
Though usually thankful for such acts, Nirix had no time for verbal pleasantries and merely nodded at him in wordless acknowledgment. Arnaldo suddenly appeared by her side, doing what he could to limit the Dimensional Lord’s supply of bottles and spoke to her of possibly reasoning with Hayden as well did the Pale Man.
Yet there was no room for reason as Hayden also refused to speak with the Eoclu about anything related to Ketin. He seemed pretty eager to pelt them with bottles in Nirix’s eyes. Huffing, she did her best to breathe and speak, though her words were clipped and sharp.
“Where is the Foxkin you were flirting with? This could be avoided if you tell me where he went!” She shouted at him half way through a snarl. “You were the last to be with him and being that you are a Dimensional Lord my trust in you is non-existent. If you have no leads on where he went just say so and stop harassing us with these childish attempts at fighting,”
Dimensional Lord or not, the Eoclu cared only for one thing right now. Ketin was missing and someone had to answer for it. If she had broken some unannounced law and somehow ended up murdering a Dimensional lord in the process, Nirix reasoned it would all be worth it for Ketin.
For her Da’len.
Her sword already drawn and the raw and pooling heat of her anger pumping through her veins, she had spared a glance when the 1st glass bottle came down upon her head. Yet Nirix was quick and she caught the improvised weapon at the base of the bottle before tossing it aside. It was a childish and brash thing, an attack purely out of impulse on Hayden’s part. Nirix couldn’t help but think that for all the power and wisdom said Dimensional Lords carried, they all seemed to have a child-like streak.
Yet what right did they have when her, own chaotic and child-like companion was missing?
Her ears twitched, tuning out the barely tangible threats that Hayden was throwing at her over the screeching of the sirens as once again the room around her exploded in chaos; ironically, of her own doing. Resorting to his previous tactic, Hayden seemed delighted to throw as many bottles of alcohol at her as possible and Nirix was prepared to merely sidestep them all or cut through the entire section of shelves with her monomolecular blade but was caught off guard by the pale man from before. Heroically, he bared the brunt of the attack as most of the bottles aimed for her, smashed upon his head and doused him various alcohols.
Though usually thankful for such acts, Nirix had no time for verbal pleasantries and merely nodded at him in wordless acknowledgment. Arnaldo suddenly appeared by her side, doing what he could to limit the Dimensional Lord’s supply of bottles and spoke to her of possibly reasoning with Hayden as well did the Pale Man.
Yet there was no room for reason as Hayden also refused to speak with the Eoclu about anything related to Ketin. He seemed pretty eager to pelt them with bottles in Nirix’s eyes. Huffing, she did her best to breathe and speak, though her words were clipped and sharp.
“Where is the Foxkin you were flirting with? This could be avoided if you tell me where he went!” She shouted at him half way through a snarl. “You were the last to be with him and being that you are a Dimensional Lord my trust in you is non-existent. If you have no leads on where he went just say so and stop harassing us with these childish attempts at fighting,”
Hayden was beyond pissed off. With more of her group getting in on the action and some random wanting to help, not the stupid Eoclu now wants civilized explanations. He stops pelting them with bottles as his face got red with incredible anger. "WHAT THE @#$%! NOW YOU WANT A CIVILIZED EXPLANATION IN WHERE YOUR BOY TOY IS AT?!!!! AFTER YOU BLANATLY BRANDISH YOUR KNIFE AT ME AND RUINED MY BUZZ! I SHOULDN'T GIVE YOU SHIT AND JUST HAVE YOU INDEBTED TO MY REALM AND HAVE YOU PAY OFF FINE THAT YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO PAY OFF OR JUST COLLAPSE YOUR ENTIRE MISERABLE CIVILIZATION. THE ECLOU AREN'T MY ONLY CUSTOMERS YOU KNOW!!!"
Hayden was fuming with rage at this point "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU STUCK UP SAVAGE, UNCIVILIZED TWAT. I ALREADY GAVE YOU MY EXPLAINIATION IN THAT HE LEFT FOR THE BATHROOM. IF HE AIN'T HERE THEN THAT MEANS BY LOGIC, WHICH APPARENTLY ALL OF YOU DON'T HAVE IS THAT HE LEFT AND HE CAN ONLY RETURN TO ONE SPACE STATION. NOW GO AWAY BEFORE I DO PLACE A HEAVY DEBIT ON YOU, HAVE YOU IN SERVITUDE TO MY REALM, AND COLLAPSE YOUR PEOPLE, PRINCESS T'RELIS."
He gave a confident smirk and calms down slightly "I know exactly who you are. You be surprised how money can easily make lips loose" as he began to chuckle a little in the back of his throat.
"NOW LEAVE! MAY MISFORTUNE KICK YOUR ASS AT THE DOOR!" he curses them out annoyed by all of this clearly.
Hayden was fuming with rage at this point "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU STUCK UP SAVAGE, UNCIVILIZED TWAT. I ALREADY GAVE YOU MY EXPLAINIATION IN THAT HE LEFT FOR THE BATHROOM. IF HE AIN'T HERE THEN THAT MEANS BY LOGIC, WHICH APPARENTLY ALL OF YOU DON'T HAVE IS THAT HE LEFT AND HE CAN ONLY RETURN TO ONE SPACE STATION. NOW GO AWAY BEFORE I DO PLACE A HEAVY DEBIT ON YOU, HAVE YOU IN SERVITUDE TO MY REALM, AND COLLAPSE YOUR PEOPLE, PRINCESS T'RELIS."
He gave a confident smirk and calms down slightly "I know exactly who you are. You be surprised how money can easily make lips loose" as he began to chuckle a little in the back of his throat.
"NOW LEAVE! MAY MISFORTUNE KICK YOUR ASS AT THE DOOR!" he curses them out annoyed by all of this clearly.
New Vegas
Chaos. So much chaos...and the excessive loud yelling. So unnecessary. Dhari almost wished he hadn't bothered coming into this place. Though to be fair, he was more worried Ta'Si would beat the holy living hell out of him then some stranger would. As the rows of bottles were shot at and effectively gotten rid of by a gun, the captain slowly turned around to see where in the stars the firing had come from. Piercing yellow eyes landed onto the same man that seemed to fight with the woman earlier. Though grateful the were no more bottles to be thrown at, he didn't like the fact he was in almost the same direction either. What if someone got shot? That was dangerous..
The usual bored expression held it's place though. Glancing at the woman behind him, he then turned to this Dimensional Lord. Whatever that meant. He'd never heard of it, and if he did it was something forgotten entirely. Though there was more yelling. Why did people have to yell? He could have commented and told him he wasn't much different in actions by throwing things and yelling anymore then what he accused the woman of. Personally, Dhari didn't wish to be in this fight. However, there was someone missing. And that bothered him a little. While the man up on the shelves shouted up a storm, Dhari quickly checked his tablet. Upon seeing the message Codi sent him, Dhari swiftly typed in a response, telling him what happened. Then asking if Huo or Ash might be busy.
As much as he didn't really want to involve his crew in this, there was still someone missing. If the man on the shelves had been at the bar this whole time, the two people behind him in this area the whole time...then it meant whoever this Ketin was, wasn't in the bathroom. Dhari had been in the bathroom already. Trying to get away from a group of women, but that didn't mean he was oblivious to his surroundings. There wasn't anyone else in there. Clearing his throat, he looked from one person to the next when the shouting finally stopped. And before anyone could step in further he spoke up quickly. "I doubt this Ketin was in the bathroom. I was in there already and no one else was there except me and the group of women I was trying to get away from earlier. If you're looking for him, maybe I can help." He turned towards Nirix and Arnaldo.
"I doubt he is going to look for your missing person, but he isn't in the bathroom here. But again, I'll help. First let's get out of here before anything else is thrown, okay? Please." Besides that, if these two would accept help, he would have either Hau or Ash help the group since they possessed a skillset the rest of the crew didn't. Though he wasn't sure how well it would work in a place like this. There had been so many people through it that it would be very hard for either of his crew members to distinguish one from possibly thousands. But there was a slim chance they could find the person, right?
Meanwhile back at the ship, Codi received and acknowledged his captain's message. He sent word to check on the two nurses and got word that both were finishing up their tasks. He let's Cormac know what's going on and to keep him posted. Also messaging him that the captain may or may not need one or both of them for locating a missing person. Afterwards he resumed his own tasks and waits for the next update from Dhari.
Imperial PRL
Arena just sighs as she was used basically as a easy mode emitter for the prisoners to keep mining. As she hears someone trying to speak to her, she winces again as she looks at the woman. Arena knew her, yet doesn't. Well she knew that she was new, who gave the guards a hard time when she was brought in. On a personal level, she has no idea who this woman is. Hearing her question on busting out, Arena couldn't help but laugh, yet even as she laughed the other prisoner's kept working. She looks at the woman and says "As much as I would love too, but I doubt the guards and the scientist are willing for there most prized prisoner in escaping. Plus their aren't any off world ships you can get too to get yourself off this rock" as he gaze went straight forward as the marching steps of one of the guards came over.
"Oi! No talking! Get back to work!" he says as he goes to strike his baton at Opal to get her back to work. Once she was back to mining rock, Arena would whisper back to her "If you want to talk, best you do it when we are having our meal" as she continues to sit on the platform and continue to wince in pain as her powers are being used.
Arena just sighs as she was used basically as a easy mode emitter for the prisoners to keep mining. As she hears someone trying to speak to her, she winces again as she looks at the woman. Arena knew her, yet doesn't. Well she knew that she was new, who gave the guards a hard time when she was brought in. On a personal level, she has no idea who this woman is. Hearing her question on busting out, Arena couldn't help but laugh, yet even as she laughed the other prisoner's kept working. She looks at the woman and says "As much as I would love too, but I doubt the guards and the scientist are willing for there most prized prisoner in escaping. Plus their aren't any off world ships you can get too to get yourself off this rock" as he gaze went straight forward as the marching steps of one of the guards came over.
"Oi! No talking! Get back to work!" he says as he goes to strike his baton at Opal to get her back to work. Once she was back to mining rock, Arena would whisper back to her "If you want to talk, best you do it when we are having our meal" as she continues to sit on the platform and continue to wince in pain as her powers are being used.
Imperial PRL
Opal watched as the other woman still winced here and there. For a moment she wondered if this woman might be hurting too much to be able to help spring for freedom. The short haired thief wanted to get back to her work stealing from those merchants whom had wronged her. Though her concerns were soon set aside when the other seemed to laugh. Quirking a curious brow at her, Opal's piercing blue eyes watched the other for a moment before hearing her. At this, she smirks at her and is about to reply. But alas, one of the guards had caught her.
With a swift hit to the head, she looked over to the guard and sweetly smiles. Laying on the sugar very thickly when she spoke. "Oh come now mister mister. Surely two gals could speak a few words? Can't always be just you handsome men a-..Ow! Flipping rat tacos!" She had been about to make suggestive ideas to keep him stalled, but the guard was quick to reprimand her with his baton. Holding up her hands, and started moving away. But not before hearing the other woman's words. Oh she would talk at meal time alright. Lips curved upwards into a sweet smile towards the guard.
Apparently the guards here knew her reputation of escape. But thought she would not get out of here. Ha! Opal would bide her time in this miserable place. For now anyways. Casting a glance towards her fellow inmate, the woman winks at her and went back to her station to work. The droned on this way. Guards coming and going, she kept an eye on them between careful watches. Looking around, she would spy the cameras and make mental maps of them. In addition to this, she looked for vents, unguarded spots, and paid attention to the routines the guards would assume..
Loneworld
Tucked away, far below the surface of a verdant world. Behind the safety and security of a curious metaphysical phenomenon, and vast quantities of rock, a light blinks on. A screen, pristine, save for a thin layer of metallic dust. On it appears the readout of a seismograph. Multiple impacts occurring within seconds of each other.
The system analyses the data it has collected. Determining two possibilities. A meteorite shower, or a crash.
It determines the need for additional data. Far above the world, an ancient satellite, sat in graveyard orbit, away from scrutiny, receives the order to activate. A shield slides away, and an array of cameras slowly rotate to face the impact site. Refined metals are detected, the satellite responds.
The system processes, running through its list of reprogrammed responses, the codes and phrases for a thousand contingency plans flashing up on the screen at a furious rate. When its list is exhausted, each plan rejected but the last.
A single word flashes on the screen. "Activate"
The transmission was subtle. One two way exchange of fewer than ten words, encrypted and garbled among junk code and random integers. But for someone observant, someone looking for it. It could be the first piece in the puzzle.
Tucked away, far below the surface of a verdant world. Behind the safety and security of a curious metaphysical phenomenon, and vast quantities of rock, a light blinks on. A screen, pristine, save for a thin layer of metallic dust. On it appears the readout of a seismograph. Multiple impacts occurring within seconds of each other.
The system analyses the data it has collected. Determining two possibilities. A meteorite shower, or a crash.
It determines the need for additional data. Far above the world, an ancient satellite, sat in graveyard orbit, away from scrutiny, receives the order to activate. A shield slides away, and an array of cameras slowly rotate to face the impact site. Refined metals are detected, the satellite responds.
The system processes, running through its list of reprogrammed responses, the codes and phrases for a thousand contingency plans flashing up on the screen at a furious rate. When its list is exhausted, each plan rejected but the last.
A single word flashes on the screen. "Activate"
The transmission was subtle. One two way exchange of fewer than ten words, encrypted and garbled among junk code and random integers. But for someone observant, someone looking for it. It could be the first piece in the puzzle.
Earth IV - Docks
“You can't be serious.”
Detlef stood behind the old shopkeeper, nervously twisting his fingers in view of the cracked crates, which were releasing a blue fluid onto the deck. Then his client turned his head towards the captain, the face seemingly calm. But every second Detlef watched the man's eyes, it dawned upon him: The client was, in fact, simply building up his anger. The captain really didn't want to be here when the customer exploded into a fit of rage. Which looked like to happen at any second. Triggered with just one wrong word.
“Well,” Detlef attempted grinning shyly to find an opening for some sort of explanation for this mess. “You see, we were taking already the shortest route, but...”
“I frankly don't care why the bottles broke,” the shopkeeper interrupted while shaking his head. “But only about the fact that the bottles are broken.” Then he grabbed the delivery contract, turned it towards Detlef and held it straight into the captain's face. “You had one job. One. Job.” Each punctuation was immediately followed by a short shove with the paper. “And this is what you bring me. What shall I tell my customers? That their beverages are running out on the deck of a floating piece of junk? That they should come and drink it from the ground?”
Being hit by those words, Detlef silently begged his first mate and only crewman, Marti, for help, by slightly looking to the side. Unfortunately though, Marti only stood there and shrugged. The merchantman really would have to get out of this mess by himself...and what would work better in this case than offering money?
Money, that didn't exist.
Yet.
Hopefully.
So Detlef held his hands up in a calming manner and said, “Alright sir, I admit that I have screwed up. So I'll compensate you for the damages with my own budget.” The client raised an eyebrow. Though the merchantman didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.
“Paying me for the botched delivery?” Detlef nodded smiling. “I don't want your money, as the supplier will come up with it. In fact, it's not about the missing sales from the beverages alone. Know what I mean?” That's where the captain realized, that he was into deeper trouble than expected.
“Customers?” Detlef answered, already sweating.
“Exactly. I have many customers who are waiting on the next shipment to finally buy their favourite drink. Some very irritating ones too, but they are still customers. Most importantly though, they will blame the missing delivery on me. I'll be very lucky if the only thing they do is going to the competitors. How are you going to compensate me for that?”
Since immaterial “objects” like a public image couldn't be measured by their financial worth, the merchantman didn't even try to weasel himself out of it and instead answered truthfully, albeit with the feeling of a heavy stone inside his stomach, “Unfortunately, I can't. But isn't there something I could do to mitigate the damages?” Suddenly Detlef heard someone slapping his own face. And got the uncomfortable feeling that he was digging his own grave.
Then, the salesman smiled.
“Oh, sure, there is one way.” A slight relief – which got destroyed right when the smile vanished. If looks could actually kill...
“I don't want to see your face again. Ever.” The customer turned his back towards Detlef and proceeded to go to the exit. No, this can't be the end of this!
“B-but sir, please!” the captain started to beg desperately. “Give me a second chance, I promise...”
“YOU HAD YOUR SECOND CHANCE!” Detlef fell back in shock about the sudden yelling and almost tripped backwards. Only Marti was unfazed by this. “You really should be thankful that I won't sue you for your incompetence, since I've got more important things to take care of now!”
“The first incident doesn't count, I was raided by pirates!” Now the client went up on Detlef's face, his skin turned red from sheer anger.
“Ooooh, should I feel pity for you? How about planning on taking a different route, which wasn't a known spot for criminals, idiot! Now p|§$ off, before I change my mind!” With this words the salesman stormed off, ignoring all further attempts at communication, including the question what they should do with the crates now.
“Told you that you should have waited for me waking up, instead of steering Jim Hawkins in the asteroid belt yourself.”
Detlef didn't react. He simply stood there with his mouth hanging open, large eyes and trying to comprehend what just happened. And, most importantly, finding a reasonable answer to the question of what he should do now. Money essentially blown off for nothing, with the company likely calling for their heads, and nobody on Earth IV would probably hire them after word of this failure got around.
“But hey, at least we have some free drinks, right?” The merchantman put up a forced grin towards Marti, who didn't return it in the slightest. “...right?” The first mate's expression darkened. “Okay, it's currently running out in front of our noses, but still...”
His friend's only answer was to close his eyes, giving off an annoyed sigh and shaking his head, before he replied, “I'll clean up this chaos. If you need a bit time for yourself in the cabin...”
“It's alright, it's just...” Detlef paused, unsure about what to say and what to do next. It wasn't that bad of an idea actually, retreating into the captain's cabin and re-evaluating their current circumstances in silence. But given that he needed money as fast as possible to repair the damages the voyage caused to the ship before they got worse, he had to find a new contract quickly. Not to mention restocking supplies.
And probably hiring a professional cleaning company to get the possibly sticky alcohol out of the floor.
No.
He needed to get out and look for work, right now!
“Actually, nevermind. I'll go trying to land a new contract now, hopefully there is someone who needs a passage or some goods delivered. Shouldn't be that hard.”
“After the man just left the vessel fuming?” the first mate asked right back, with a mop and a bucket in his hands.
“I'm not giving up,” Detlef answered confidently, “There has to be a job here waiting for us, I'm sure!”
“And when not?”
That, however, wasn't registered anymore. In a burst of courage fuelled by desperation, the captain stepped on the bridge connecting the Starman to the pier and left the ship.
“Typical.”
“You can't be serious.”
Detlef stood behind the old shopkeeper, nervously twisting his fingers in view of the cracked crates, which were releasing a blue fluid onto the deck. Then his client turned his head towards the captain, the face seemingly calm. But every second Detlef watched the man's eyes, it dawned upon him: The client was, in fact, simply building up his anger. The captain really didn't want to be here when the customer exploded into a fit of rage. Which looked like to happen at any second. Triggered with just one wrong word.
“Well,” Detlef attempted grinning shyly to find an opening for some sort of explanation for this mess. “You see, we were taking already the shortest route, but...”
“I frankly don't care why the bottles broke,” the shopkeeper interrupted while shaking his head. “But only about the fact that the bottles are broken.” Then he grabbed the delivery contract, turned it towards Detlef and held it straight into the captain's face. “You had one job. One. Job.” Each punctuation was immediately followed by a short shove with the paper. “And this is what you bring me. What shall I tell my customers? That their beverages are running out on the deck of a floating piece of junk? That they should come and drink it from the ground?”
Being hit by those words, Detlef silently begged his first mate and only crewman, Marti, for help, by slightly looking to the side. Unfortunately though, Marti only stood there and shrugged. The merchantman really would have to get out of this mess by himself...and what would work better in this case than offering money?
Money, that didn't exist.
Yet.
Hopefully.
So Detlef held his hands up in a calming manner and said, “Alright sir, I admit that I have screwed up. So I'll compensate you for the damages with my own budget.” The client raised an eyebrow. Though the merchantman didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.
“Paying me for the botched delivery?” Detlef nodded smiling. “I don't want your money, as the supplier will come up with it. In fact, it's not about the missing sales from the beverages alone. Know what I mean?” That's where the captain realized, that he was into deeper trouble than expected.
“Customers?” Detlef answered, already sweating.
“Exactly. I have many customers who are waiting on the next shipment to finally buy their favourite drink. Some very irritating ones too, but they are still customers. Most importantly though, they will blame the missing delivery on me. I'll be very lucky if the only thing they do is going to the competitors. How are you going to compensate me for that?”
Since immaterial “objects” like a public image couldn't be measured by their financial worth, the merchantman didn't even try to weasel himself out of it and instead answered truthfully, albeit with the feeling of a heavy stone inside his stomach, “Unfortunately, I can't. But isn't there something I could do to mitigate the damages?” Suddenly Detlef heard someone slapping his own face. And got the uncomfortable feeling that he was digging his own grave.
Then, the salesman smiled.
“Oh, sure, there is one way.” A slight relief – which got destroyed right when the smile vanished. If looks could actually kill...
“I don't want to see your face again. Ever.” The customer turned his back towards Detlef and proceeded to go to the exit. No, this can't be the end of this!
“B-but sir, please!” the captain started to beg desperately. “Give me a second chance, I promise...”
“YOU HAD YOUR SECOND CHANCE!” Detlef fell back in shock about the sudden yelling and almost tripped backwards. Only Marti was unfazed by this. “You really should be thankful that I won't sue you for your incompetence, since I've got more important things to take care of now!”
“The first incident doesn't count, I was raided by pirates!” Now the client went up on Detlef's face, his skin turned red from sheer anger.
“Ooooh, should I feel pity for you? How about planning on taking a different route, which wasn't a known spot for criminals, idiot! Now p|§$ off, before I change my mind!” With this words the salesman stormed off, ignoring all further attempts at communication, including the question what they should do with the crates now.
“Told you that you should have waited for me waking up, instead of steering Jim Hawkins in the asteroid belt yourself.”
Detlef didn't react. He simply stood there with his mouth hanging open, large eyes and trying to comprehend what just happened. And, most importantly, finding a reasonable answer to the question of what he should do now. Money essentially blown off for nothing, with the company likely calling for their heads, and nobody on Earth IV would probably hire them after word of this failure got around.
“But hey, at least we have some free drinks, right?” The merchantman put up a forced grin towards Marti, who didn't return it in the slightest. “...right?” The first mate's expression darkened. “Okay, it's currently running out in front of our noses, but still...”
His friend's only answer was to close his eyes, giving off an annoyed sigh and shaking his head, before he replied, “I'll clean up this chaos. If you need a bit time for yourself in the cabin...”
“It's alright, it's just...” Detlef paused, unsure about what to say and what to do next. It wasn't that bad of an idea actually, retreating into the captain's cabin and re-evaluating their current circumstances in silence. But given that he needed money as fast as possible to repair the damages the voyage caused to the ship before they got worse, he had to find a new contract quickly. Not to mention restocking supplies.
And probably hiring a professional cleaning company to get the possibly sticky alcohol out of the floor.
No.
He needed to get out and look for work, right now!
“Actually, nevermind. I'll go trying to land a new contract now, hopefully there is someone who needs a passage or some goods delivered. Shouldn't be that hard.”
“After the man just left the vessel fuming?” the first mate asked right back, with a mop and a bucket in his hands.
“I'm not giving up,” Detlef answered confidently, “There has to be a job here waiting for us, I'm sure!”
“And when not?”
That, however, wasn't registered anymore. In a burst of courage fuelled by desperation, the captain stepped on the bridge connecting the Starman to the pier and left the ship.
“Typical.”
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