Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » Travellers (Semi-Open RP between Tara and Catrin)

The Hologram seemed to stare at her quite well, despite its lack of eyes, "Well... you don't see someone with that order of magic all that often... Ah... Miss Catrin, if you wouldn't mind, but I would suggest staying away from the city of Amra on the planet Aerin. You just displayed magic that very few have the fortune to possess and I am rather concerned that if you showed that to anyone over there you might be offered an official position of the Council of Archmagi.. which is not an easy thing to refuse... the implications are rather... distressing."

At her request for a spoon, the Hologram pointed to a section of the holographic interface of the processor, "Press that to create cutlery."

Catrin recovered from her surprise quite quickly and shrugged. “Well, that's probably a good thing. Imagine what a mess a bunch of people able to do this would be able to make.” She listened to him speaking about the city of Amra on the planet Aerin and she seemed rather interested when he was finished. “Really? Hmmm. Well, you have sworn not to pass on my secrets, otherwise I wouldn't have done this at all, so no worries. But do tell me more about those mages, they sound like an interesting bunch.” She nodded her thanks when he pointed out the cutlery section to her put one of the bowls away and pressed it, making herself a small spoon. Then she settled into the recliner to listen to the story of the mages of the Council of Archmagi, if the AI was inclined to tell her.

he AI considered her for a moment and then the Hologram nodded, "Very well. It must first be known that the Terelain Race is very attuned to magic, almost every Terelain has some form of magical ability and training, but Mages are those who dedicate their lives to it, in ancient times, in the First Era and the Early Second Era and for all of the Third Era, Terelain Mages were more like scholars or monks than magic-users, researchers in their field, seeking always to truly understand the laws of Magic. When the Terelain people returned to their homelands after The Scattering, many Mages constructed great towers and isolated themselves there with their acolytes, content to study their magic but rarely allowing their knowledge to be revealed to the wider world, for in those days the Terelains had grown to fear the powers of magic that they had once held mastery of, for it was through terrible magics of the highest order that the First Kingdom had been destroyed. Eventually, however, the fear lessened and the leaders of the Mage Towers, the Archmagi, finally gathered together in the City of Spire, Amra, to share their knowledge and there they founded the Conclave of Magi and the Council of Archmagi. Amra would become the single greatest seat of magical knowledge on the world of Aerin, and so it has remained through all the long Ages since." The AI said solemnly, "It is fitting, therefore, hat the city of Amra is ruled by the ancient House of Amaar, descendants of the purest blood of the Aunidiel Lineage of Terelains, gifted by Terel with wisdom and the most potent magics of all his children."

The AI paused in his story and then said, "The Council of Archmagi were at first simply a body of the ancient and the wise and the powerful of the Mages, each masters of a particular art, but in these modern times they have come to be governors of all Mages of the Kingdom, and it is they who represent the Magi to the King and it is through them that the King's laws are enforced upon the Magi. In this, the Fourth Era, when science and magic are one and the same, we call our Mages Mage-Scientists, or something similar and many work in fields that are an amalgam of their disciplines, such as Theoretical Magi-Physics, and other such esoteric matters. I myself am the product of their efforts, for the technology that gives rise t my sapience is based upon magic, and this we cal Magitechnology and it is this advantage which allowed the Terelains to spread amongst the stars as they have and rule over their Star Kingdom of thirty five thousand stars." As an afterthought the AI said, "It helped that they were the first race to reach the stars after the fall of the Precursor Civilisations, they had many thousands of years to learn and settle before the Younger Races reached for the heavens and joined them."

Catrin was listening while she was eating, finished her bowl about halfway through his explanation and spent the rest of it nodding thoughtfully. “Thank you. That was interesting. And why would I be offered an official position, and why would it be hard to refuse? That sounds rather sinister.” She got up, went to get the second bowl – the one she created – took it back to the recliner and started eating its contents. As far as she could tell, the taste was identical to the first dish.

The AI was again silent for a time, unusually so if you thought about it, considering how fast his thoughts moved, "The Council of Archmagi are a very powerful group. Though the King's rule is absolute and no one may challenge his will once he has decreed it, the Council is one of the few groups that could force the King to declare a law against his own judgement. Such power is not displayed openly, or used lightly, for if used too often the King would resent such a thing and take steps to curb them. The Archmagi, thankfully, thirst only for knowledge, not power, and the knowledge they could glean from you is great indeed. If an Archmage, or any representative of them, saw you use unique or rare magics, they would most definitely try to induct you into one of the colleges of magic so that they could learn your secrets, or even offer you a place on their own Council if they thought it would convince you, for one become an Archmage by showing mastery of a particular form of magic... an Archmage is very powerful, magically and politically, and the lure is great."

The AI then turned its Hologram to face her fully, "Such an offer is difficult to refuse, not only because of the influence you would gain from such a seat, but also because of the influence they hold within the court. If they valued your knowledge enough, they may take drastic measures... perhaps they would even try to elicit the aid of the Nightwalkers or the Hand and Claw of the King themselves. The Nightwalkers are hidden, secret, but though little of them are known they have become legend. They are spies, assassins and other such types, those of unsurpassed skill in shadowwork. They are led by twin sisters, the Hand and Claw, who are the most feared assassins ever to be birthed in all the known galaxy, none whom they have been sent to kill has lived, and entire armies are stilled and millennia-old feuds buried when word of their involvement is heard."

(Consider it like setting the Specters of Mass Effect on her, only worse, and someone as bad as Shepard...but subtler and even worse again.)

( I had no idea what Mass Effect was, but I looked it up and I'm substituting "The Claw, Malazan Empire and Apsalar" into your example instead. Now it makes sense Thanks for explaining. Unfortunately, Catrin thinks it sounds like fun! )

Catrin had been occasionally nodding throughout the first part of his speech while eating, then she began smiling rather widely as he got to the second part of it, nearly chuckled at the 'influence' bit and gradually turned a little more serious when he mentioned the Nightwalkers. Surprisingly, she smiled by the end of his speech. “Ah, yes, assassins are great for that,” she said in a rather content tone of voice.

Then she cleared her throat and set her bowl aside. “So, you're telling me that I might end up being the only one who will survive the encounter with the Hand and Claw, because I would be wanted alive to get whatever secrets I have out of me? ” She frowned at a bitter memory. “Well, I guess I should be glad that they wouldn't just try to kill me right away.” Her face smoothened, and she turned to face the AI's hologram. “Thank you for informing me about that.” It certainly sounded like a place she would like to visit, sooner or later. While taking the right precautions... which meant later. It wasn't like she couldn't be defeated, after all. It was just extremely hard once she had enough time to prepare herself.

She smiled at the AI. “I'm sorry. I think you can tell you've piqued my interest about the place, but I promise I'll be very careful if I end up going, and I'll... disconnect my identity from the two of you before I do.” She got up and stretched, picked up the two bowls and looked back at the AI. “Where can I put these away? And if I take a long shower, will my room be inhabitable after I'm finished with it? Also,” she added after a moment's thought, “I hope you aren't feeling bad about telling me all that. I'll be safer than you might think, once I get ready for it." An auto-executing escape sequence for emergencies would probably work well enough.

"Do not underestimate the Nightwalkers or the Hand and Claw." The AI said sternly, "I know not what dangers you have faced in your travels, but these people are amongst the most dangerous in the Known Galaxy and overconfidence has been the downfall of many." The AI then released a long-suffering sigh, "I can see why Tara likes you... you have her sense of adventure. At least my mistress has the common sense to stick to studying and not meddling with the Council of Archmagi."

But, realising he couldn't be able to dissuade her, the AI said, "Your room should be done after your shower. You may be pleased to know that the bathroom facilities of this vessel are state-of-the-art and the shower has numerous varying settings, many of which do not actually involve water. It can be converted to sound frequencies to quickly remove dirt, or various other methods of cleansing if that is your preference. I suggest that you experiment with them and see what you can do." The AI chuckled, "I remember when we got the upgrade, Tara spent an entire day in there fiddling with the settings and experimenting." The Hologram shook its head ruefully, "I trust you remember where the bathroom is?"

Catrin shrugged. “I'm not a total idiot. I managed to survive more than a million years, against all odds. Of course I'll try finding out more, and of course I'll drop the idea if it seems too suicidal after a thorough analysis of the situation.” Then she beamed, excited about the idea. “But it sounds like fun! Plus, I did want to learn about the local magic.”

She cleared her throat. “Thank you again, that does sound wonderful.” She looked at the hologram more carefully and noticed the sad impression it was giving. Her tone was half amused and half annoyed when she addressed him. “Oh, come on. I'm not your mistress. People have been trying to kill me since before I was born. Going on these expeditions is like taking a holiday – hight levels of mortal danger are optional here, unlike at home.”

She cleared her throat. “And yes, I do remember where the bathroom is. I suppose no-one will get scandalized if I run around naked for a while?” she asked him with a wink.

The colour of Hologram's featureless head actually darkened, like a blush, "Do you want me to have to switch off every sensor I've got switched on in here?" He asked, embarrassment clear in his voice, "Though, since Tara's asleep and Terelains have fur so their standards of modesty are rather more lacking than furless Races, she probably wouldn't bat an eyelash, I myself will be scandalized however..." The AI trailed off, "And for the love of the Three Sisters, if you do go to Amra don't draw too much attention to yourself! Mistress would be very upset if you got yourself killed."

Catrin blinked, clearly surprised. “Oh. Oh. Um... sorry, I didn't think you could get embarrassed by it. After all, Tara does walk around naked. But of course I don't want you to have to switch every off sensor. That would be insensitive. Just the ones in my room and the bathroom. And the corridor in between. And, um... whenever you're so inclined, I'd love to have an opportunity to discuss it with you – that is a fascinating topic!”

She cleared her throat and smiled at him. “Hmmm. Drawing all the attention to myself would also work, don't you think? And while I was exaggerating a little with the million years, having spent the majority of it in a... shall we say motionless and rather safe state, I do have about thirty thousand years' worth of survival skills. I'll try not upsetting Tara by having myself killed, though,” she finished cheerfully.

She walked to the bathroom and started undressing, then she climbed into the shower, and before turning it on, called out to the AI, “And you do have my permission to tell all of that to Tara, if she wishes to hear it.” After a little experimenting, she managed to locate a hot water shower, and then spent about half an hour having fun with the various settings. After she was done, she climbed out, dried herself, took the little pile of her clothes and called out “Cover your sensors if you don't want to go blind! I'm coming out!” and walked out and into the bedroom she chose, looking around with fascination.

The room was the exact shade of bluish-gey she'd specified, the imitation window on the far wall showed the clearing and the forest beyond it that lay outside the ship and the bed was round, flowing out of the floor elegantly, piled high with pillows and blankets ad the like. At the moment, the rest of the room was blank, but then she'd only just arrived and the AI didn't know what sort of decorations to put on the walls.

When she entered the room, the AI said, "I hope the room meets your specifications, Miss Catrin. If not, I shall modify it if you wish." It paused and then said, "And I do not actually have to be embarrassed by your...ahem, state of undress, however I have found that most furless species possess taboos against nudity, and so I programmed my behavioral subroutines to take this into account. It makes interactions much easier if I appear to conform to their cultural standards. If your culture does not possess similar restrictions, then I shall modify my behavioral parameters accordingly... that is, if you wish me to..."

“Oh, it looks perfect! Thank you,” she exclaimed, then she reached out into the corridor for her things and backpack, and put them inside against the wall. She jumped into the bed, covered herself with a blanket and looked out towards the window – the scenery seemed peaceful, and the bed felt comfy.

She smiled when he explained about the furless species. It was a little surprising to find that most furless species had taboos against nudity in this universe. “What would you prefer?” she asked and leaned back against the pillows. “Oh, and I'm covered with a blanket now, in case you want to turn your sensors back on.”

The blue, featureless humanoid Hologram flickered into life in the corner of the room, obviously the AI preferred to have something people could actually talk to, rather than being just a disembodied voice. The head turned to 'look' at her and then the AI said, "Well, altering my behavioral subroutines would stop me being embarrassed if I somehow caught you naked somewhere in the ship, for whatever reason, which might prove irritating if I'm trying to convey a message to you, though it isn't much of a hindrance and I do not think such a situation would arise often. In any case, I installed the subroutine to make furless creatures more comfortable in interacting with me, if you prefer that I switch off this particular behavior, then I will do so."

Catrin looked at the hologram when it appeared. “I don't mind if anyone sees me while I'm naked, but I was only going to go about like that from the bathroom to my room and back. So if you'd prefer to change your subroutines, that's perfectly fine with me, but you can also easily avoid those situations.” She stretched herself while remaining covered. “I think I'll take a nap, if that's OK, and might sleep longer than Tara. Thanks again for making the bedroom inhabitable, and if there's nothing else to resolve for now... well, goodnight”

The AI's Hologram bowed its head, "You are welcome...Goodnight, Miss Catrin." It flickered and vanished.

It reappeared in Tara's room. The ageless scientist was asleep in her bed, a peaceful smile on her face as she lay curled up beneath the blankets. The Hologam examined her silently for a moment and then vanished again. The lights in her room dimmed and the walls began glowing a faint silver, like moonlight. Tara opened one eye slightly, a faint smile growing wider on her mouth before she turned over and went back to sleep.

Catrin fell asleep almost immediately after the AI left, this being the first bed in which she slept in over a week. She woke up about six hours later, feeling very refreshed, and stretched herself. Then she glanced towards the window, wondering whether they had taken off yet and if there will be blackness instead of a green forest.

The AI's Hologram flickered into life in the middle of the room, "Miss Catrin, I see you are awake. Mistress requests that you come to the cockpit as soon as it is convenient, she thought you might like to watch us take off." The AI paused and then in a lightly amused tone it said, "I recommend dressing."

Catrin, who was currently in an indecent state after having stretched and shaken off part of the blanket, smiled at the AI. “Hello. Thank you.” She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “And by the tone of your voice... I assume I'm unable to make you blush by slipping out of the blanket some more?” She proceeded to try it out by getting out of bed without wrapping a blanket around herself, shot the AI an entertained look and walked over to the backpack to pull some clothes out of it. If the AI had changed his subroutine as she had assumed, and stayed in the room, she asked it, “Where is the storage area that will open when I touch it?”

Unfazed, the Hologram walked over to her and pointed to a blank piece of wall, "Touch that bit there and a section will slide out. I probably should put markers on these storage areas so you don't forget where they are... hm..."

Suddenly glowing symbols in the Terelain script appeared dotted around the room, some were put one on top of the other, like a series of drawers, another, larger section on one wall had a large symbol on it. "That large section can handle most for the clothing you have with you; it dissolves like the doors do into a small space behind it where you may hang things. The smaller symbols denote sections which slide out for storage space."

It turned its featureless head to her, "If you find yourself in need of more, let me know... oh, and as you can tell, I did alter my behavioral parameters. I had plenty of time whilst you were both asleep to fine-tune my varying subroutines so that I react better in accordance with behaviors I have so far observed in you."

Catrin smiled, nodded and walked over to the bit he indicated. She smiled when the markers appeared, and touched one of the drawer-like sections, watching with interest as it slid out. “Fascinating...” she mumbled, then she turned around to look at the large section when it was pointed out to her. She nodded. “Thank you. I don't think I'll need more, though.” In fact, her whole backpack would probably fit in the large section.

She touched the drawer-like section so that it would slide back in and turned to her backpack, taking out dark grey loose trousers and a green silk wrap-around top, both distinctly non-indigenous, while speaking to the AI. “Hmmm... would that alteration include stopping telling me about various areas I should keep out of lest it awakens my interest? I certainly hope not.” She looked over to the hologram and gave it a wink, then sat on the bed and dressed herself, putting her hair in a simple loose bun after she was finished. She got up. “Ready. I think I remember where the cockpit is,” she said, walked out of the room and down the corridor the AI had shown her before.