Chapter Ten: Arc Light!

[Purr]

Captain Hesperus Kaerri Silanon

Spoiler: Mood Music.

"Mass Effect 2 OST - The Normandy Reborn"

The Bridge. It's one hell of a place.

Not only has the bridge of the SCL-107 Broadsword provided front-row seats to the highest adventures and strangest sights seen on the deck of any of the Garfish-class REF cruisers, it is, as far as the Wild Cards know, the bridge of the only human-made spacefaring vessel to come from the future. 15 years in the future, back to now, mid-May of the year 2025.

The doors to the bridge open and the Wild Cards enter to yet another scene quite possibly never-before-imagined by any human-made vessel on Earth - the viewports and monitors show the Garfish surrounded by the pitch darkness of another May afternoon here on the South Pole. As far as you can see in every direction, there is a lonely wasteland of solid ice and bone-chilling snow made colder by the lack of sun, or the remorseless ocean whose waves splash against Antarctica's shores with eternal restlessness. But it is the lone object in the center of nearly all of the screens that captures one's eyes most.

Dominating the ice is an incredibly-large starship, one that makes the Garfish seem like a molehill before a mountain - it is the Zeki-Zentraedi Command Ship. It stands sleek and silent at over two kilometers in length, a giant alien behemoth made for war and destruction, just like the beings who were created to serve aboard it. The Broadsword is hovering patiently above the ice of the South Pole approximately 3 miles away from the gargantuan warship. And yet... the longer you look upon it, the stranger it seems.

Little flickers of light like speeding fireflies race away in pairs or in trios away from the starship. These tiny ships all head in a northerly direction, off of the ice, to soar across the waters to a destination you cannot see.

One last ship struggles against the icy climate, its engines warming its undersides with a fiery glow. Over the bridge's constant communication chatter, computer-noise, and bits of conversation, you see a young male crewmate look over his shoulder to a figure seated in a chair that is facing away from you and toward the screens. You hear the crewmate report.

"Captain, the Esper is lifting off. All transport ships are en route to Pacifica. Two minutes until the alien vessel is clear of friendlies."

"Thanks, ensign," comes the reply. Female, youthful, familiar, and from the sound of it, in need of sleep. "Synchro Cannon status?"

Another crewmate not even old enough to drink by many of Earth's standards replies. "All systems nominal. Ready to fire, ma'am."

The male crewmate reports again. "All away parties are in place, shielded, and standing by, captain."

"Sounds like we're ready to party," the captain says.

The target is obvious - the Zeki Zentraedi Command Ship the Broadsword crew retrieved the ICE-9 from. Though evidently stripped of much of its armor and outer hull, you can see through the crystal clear low-light and thermographic sensors that the ship's inner hull is still quite intact along with everything inside. The small ships you see flying away are the UEEF transport ships that you have seen putting the Pacifica together like the Esper you rescued in Mexico from the Anti-Unification League. It seems evident that the small transport ships stripped the outside of the Command Ship, deck guns and all, and have been taking it to the floating underwater city called Pacifica.

"Whaddya say, Wild Cards?" quips the Broadsword's newest acting captain. "Feel like pulling the trigger on the biggest gun the Broadsword's got?" Slowly standing up and stretching, her dark curly black hair spilling down her shoulders, is Acting Captain Shirley "Mack" Mackenzie. Her heartfelt smile to you is both weary and heartfelt. "It feels like a year since I've seen you guys!"

Sitting out of the way to your left is a trio of people up to no good. Captain Hiram Sharp is sitting upright in a hovering bed beside Professor Albert Stein and Commander Zyorna Kirin, all three of whom are sharing a smirk. Captain Sharp addresses you in a steady-sounding voice. "The crew wanted me to have the honors," the old ASC tanker grins to you, "but I've blown up enough stuff sky-high in my time. Troops, you saved my bacon out there. Consider this my way of saying 'thanks.'"

Commander Zyorna still dressed in civilian clothing and wearing no military livery whatsoever taps her fingernails on Hiram's hoverchair. "First Flight recovered a small team of RDF-friendly micronized Zentraedi down there. They call that vessel 'the Ship of Death.' After some electronic scanning, we have come to the conclusion that this vessel carries a number of Zeki-Zentraedi biological experiments. By stripping the Command Ship down to the bone, we both supply our city-ship Pacifica with badly-needed materials, but we destroy any hopes of this Zeki vessel performing its biological nightmares upon your people of Earth!"

"In addition," Professor Stein winks, "when isn't it a good day to see something that big go up into pure light?"

"An Arclight," Captain Sharp reminisces. "In the Vietnam War, an Arclight mission was an aerial bombardment of hundreds of thousands of pounds of bombs dropped upon a high value target. With the Broadsword's Synchro Cannon, and with the Command Ship still offline, we can blast that hellish thing to bits while we still have the opportunity."

Acting Captain Mack tries not to lean against her chair. Her smile upon seeing you has not left her face. "The honor's yours if you want it. Whaddya say, Wild Cards?"

 

[Captain Hesperus]

The sight of familiar faces after the stress and anxiety of both the battle on the frozen continent below and the equally stressful and anxious battle in the medbay several decks below was enough to erase the frown from the massive Greek's face. He offered a salute to his senior officers, the numerous megadamage dogtags hanging from his wrist by their chains jingling merrily like tiny bells.
"Ma'am, I'd be willing to keep a hand on our fledgling Shaman. After all, she was instrumental both in saving our comrades in Adamantium and getting the captain out of his armor."

 

[Kaerri]

Spoiler: OOC note

It's been entirely too long since I've posted (I'm trying not to look at the dates, they make me feel guilty and that will disturb the writing!). Many apologies for that. I've caught up on my reading, but Eadric wants to catch up on his reactions, too. So, this will be a long one (again) but most of it is taking place in the past, and I'm just writing it to show Eadric's responses to the various things along the way. A tidying of loose ends, as it were, for my own pleasure in writing it and hopefully yours in reading, but in any case, not something that needs a response.

In the Past

"Iz BOOP!" Tikina points up at BOOP while briefly brushing the fur on her face with one hand. "You iz Ay-drik!
I think you iz... Mar-ee-yoh!"

"No! Iz not Mar-ee-yoh!" Duskee waves his hands and shakes his head. "Mar-ee-yoh... iz..." the darker Broo pauses in thought as he seems to reach for words not of his birth, "...younga? Iz... ah... beeger?" Unable to find the proper words, Duskee goes to words he does know. He flexes his chest and arms. "Mar-ee-yoh haz de sexy!"

Tikina nods enthusiastically to Duskee and Eadric. "Ayoooo! Mar-ee-yoh haz roon! Tikina want to see!"

"Yah! Duskee want see too!"

Eadric watched this interaction regarding Mario with interest and amusement. He got the sense that there was some story, however brief, behind the comment about Mario's "sexy" and his "roon" (room, perhaps? Or was it a new Broo word?). He thought about asking for the story. Duskee and Tikina both knew it, whatever it was, so it was unlikely to be secret. However, differences in cultural norms could mean that something apparently commonplace amongst the Broo might well be embarrassing to Mario. Better to let this one rest for the time being.

But then, less than a minute into this, a voice comes from the portal linking Battle Bay Bravo and Charlie where the Broo entered from. A male uniformed soldier cups one hand and calls out, "Broo? Broo? We need you!"

Duskee and Tikini immediately straighten, their ears turning about as they reply, "Here! Here! We iz near!" They turn around and hand-in-hand take a few steps toward the soldier calling them. But then they stop as one. They look to each other in surprise and then glance back to Eadric. What would take paragraphs to convey in words appears to be passed between them in mere heartbeats of facial expressions, ear movements, and small bits of body language.

They nod together and come skipping back to Eadric. Together, the two of them hug the Canadian (unless he resists and knowing Eadric this is not likely, but if it is, do tell me! - Your GM). Eyes closed, faces filled with glee, they give warm, friendly hugs filled with strength and joy. Yet, upon feeling the steely muscles grip him affectionately, there is no possibly way someone like Eadric cannot tell that he is not being hugged by humans - their bodies are incredibly strong and vibrant with life, moreso than most anyone Eadric has ever shared a hug with.

Duskee pats Eadric, "Thank you, Ay-drik! You tell us BOOP is not broke!"

Tikina nuzzles his cheek. "You sweet! We meet again, yes?"

Without waiting for a reply, and lest they be late for whatever they were called for, they race off again - hand-in-hand straight for the portal.

Surprised and extremely pleased, Eadric hesitated only a moment before hugging the two Broo back. It was a strangely life-affirming experience; doubts and hesitation alike fled before their wholehearted exuberance, and he couldn't help but respond. He called after them as they ran off, "Thank you, Tikina! Thank you, Duskee! We meet again, yes!" Only after they were both long out of earshot did he remember that he couldn't exactly promise that, since he didn't yet know how long he'd be permitted aboard this wonderous ship. Well, if he was sent away, surely no one would object if he asked to say goodbye first. That way he could hold to his word of one more meeting, at least.

"Hey, pal!" says the human soldier inside of his suit. "C'mon over if you wanna see a rare sight."

If Eadric agrees, he too sees outside of the Broadsword. Eadric will see what Mario has seen in Battle Bay Bravo (See Mario's post) - or rather, all that is going on outside of the Broadsword and what Eadric knows to be the "Ship of Death" far below upon the wasteland of the Earth's South Pole.

Does Eadric agree? What does the Canadian Wild Card do?

Eadric followed the human over to Battle Bay Bravo to see the wonder below the Broadsword. Someone was clearly salvaging the monster on the ice below. He peered more closely, and recognized Sams and Cyclones amongst the humans and power loaders. Realizing it must be their own forces doing the salvaging, he smiles. One for humanity, there! he thought at the defeated-and/or-departed Zentraedi.* For a time he watched in fascination, until the Chief's call to Mario drew his attention to something nearer: the arrival of two heavily-loaded Valkyries. He moved aside as needed, but remained to see the disembarking of the pilots and the unloading of the Valkyries' unusual cargo. The call to the Wild Cards had not gone unheard, but he hadn't yet realized it applied to him, and for the moment, he assumed he was free to gawk as he pleased.

*note: He means one victory, one point in the game, however you like to keep score.

But it is the lead Super Valkyrie that is getting all of the attention. It is positively surrounded by a handful of Broadsword personnel both human and Broo. While the men and women are sharing traditional greetings and phrases of gratitude with the pilot, it is The Furry People who are vigorously cheering her name over and over!

"Elly Nor! Elly Nor! Hooraaaay for Elly Nor!"

Yes, indeed! The Traverser-become-Southern ASC test pilot is smiling and awfully busy on top of her Valkyrie. She is carefully hustling between one of the missile pods that adorn the front end of the super-turbines that make the Super Valkyrie able to exit the Earth's atmosphere. But instead of that huge compartment being filled with nearly two dozen medium-range missiles, it appears some innovative and generous souls replaced both huge compartments with goodies of a more peaceful nature.

Alone, Elinor is passing out all manner of boxes and crates. Mario and Eadric can see from here that humans and Broo both are wearing festive hats, bandanas, and sunglasses all with a South American flair while more than a few have their hands (and faces) full of fruit! Real fresh Brazilian-style recently-picked-straight-off-the-tree fruits! (Try getting your hands on that anywhere in Antarctica, much less on any other military vessel this far away from Brazil!)

For a brief moment, Elinor and Eadric pause. Their eyes meet. Two different Traversers born of two very different worlds - and yet, not so different in some ways! Then the moment passes and they continue on what they are doing.

For Elinor, the eye contact was just one of those random things that happened aboard ship. No reason to think the blond crewman below was anyone special, no matter how cute he was. Delivering her load of fresh, real food was much more important! And so she returned to that most-important task, doing her part to help her friends and former shipmates before duty called her away again.

For Eadric, the moment was just a little different. There was a sense of "ships passing in the night," of course. He had no reason to think the red-haired Valkyrie pilot was connected to himself in anyway, and yet there did seem to be something. Perhaps she was a Broadsword crewmember he just hadn't encountered before? On so large a ship, it was impossible that he had already met every person in the short time he'd been aboard. Was this a regular supply run? Surely larger vessels, such as those being used to transport the salvage from the Zentraedi ship below, would be better suited to such tasks. However, there was a secret involving the Broadsword, both her existence and probably her mission as well (as he well knew, since he hadn't been allowed to learn the latter yet and only knew the former through chance). Perhaps smaller but more stealthy resupply runs were called for. Well, the future would reveal who this pilot was, if she was indeed a regular member of the crew. He turned his gaze to the other Valkyrie, but its pilot seemed to have been aided from the cockpit and whisked away already.

(Rearranged slightly for narrative continuity.)

At that very moment, a Sam unit peeks through the portal that Duskee and Tikina just quitted just long enough to tell Eadric, "That like totally includes you, dude! Maybe finish up and get truckin' to the bridge, huh?"

Startled, Eadric hastily turned toward the door and the Sam there. "Me?" Am I a Wild Card now? he wondered. Or just included by courtesy? Either way, I've been summoned. "Of course," he replied, and walked over. "Ah, could I get directions, please? I haven't been there yet." Assuming the Sam did indeed provide guidance, he made his way to the bridge as quickly as he could.

(OOC: Enter "Things Broo Do!")

"Ehh!!" Beema spies a fellow Broo with his back turned. Unlike blonde skinny Beema who is dressed only in a form-fitting leathery outfit that protects as well as portrays her savage origins, the male Broo is wearing a combination of that same outfit combined with markings showing him to be friendly to UEEF personnel (including the flags of the UEG and UEEF emblazoned on the uniform-like outfit). His body and limbs are thick and hardy, even more muscular than the average Broo - each of whom are by their very nature more physically powerful than most humans. At his side, as with all adult Broo, is a great sheathed knife along with a number of pouches.

"Oooh!" Beema points and whispers to you. "Ahaa! Iz Coro! But... ah! Numbah Ten! Sumting no right wit him!"

Eadric nodded politely at the other Wild Cards as they gathered at the door to the bridge, but his attention was caught and held by the two Broo present. Beema he knew; the door guard he did not, though her whispers gave them all the guard's name: Coro. Eadric wondered about the exclamation, "Numbah Ten!" Was it an assessment of Coro's state, expanded in the following statement? Or merely an interjection, signifying her own feelings about it? Possibly both, under the circumstances. He thought back to the scene in the Mindbender Room in the Infirmary, where he and Cera had been declared "Numbah One" to Taymee by Cal. That had seemed to be a confirmation of their status as friend/ally/trusted person. In the present instance, Coro was clearly already in that status. Perhaps "Numbah One" was a general statement of "good/better/best," while "Numbah Ten" meant the opposite, with specifics depending on circumstances? It seemed a valid theory to go on with, at least.

As they squeeze each other and smile, Trouble's smiles too. From the floor at your feet, he meows. And in your minds, that familiar sound of a boyish cat-like voice - clear and confident as every cat should be - comes a'calling.

"Da Broo do dat alla time wif each others! No wonder dey iz so happy!" He lifts his chin proudly and meows again. In your minds, it translates as an exclamation - perhaps a proclamation.

"I tink more people oughta hug each other and be nice! Don't yoooou?"

Such is the wisdom of Kitteeeeeens iiinnn Spaaaaaace! Oowoowoowoowoo! =)

Eadric was likewise smiling warmly. "I think so too," he murmured to the mecha-kitten. "We'd all be a lot happier if we all had someone who gave us love and acceptance like that." He thought back to meeting Duskee and Tikina in the hangar, and the warm hugs they had given him. "I know I am." Then the door opened, and they all (minus Beema and Coro) entered the bridge.


Present time

Not only has the bridge of the SCL-107 Broadsword provided front-row seats to the highest adventures and strangest sights seen on the deck of any of the Garfish-class REF cruisers, it is, as far as the Wild Cards know, the bridge of the only human-made spacefaring vessel to come from the future. 15 years in the future, back to now, mid-May of the year 2025.

The doors to the bridge open and the Wild Cards enter to yet another scene quite possibly never-before-imagined by any human-made vessel on Earth - the viewports and monitors show the Garfish surrounded by the pitch darkness of another May afternoon here on the South Pole. As far as you can see in every direction, there is a lonely wasteland of solid ice and bone-chilling snow made colder by the lack of sun, or the remorseless ocean whose waves splash against Antarctica's shores with eternal restlessness. But it is the lone object in the center of nearly all of the screens that captures one's eyes most.

Dominating the ice is an incredibly-large starship, one that makes the Garfish seem like a molehill before a mountain - it is the Zeki-Zentraedi Command Ship. It stands sleek and silent at over two kilometers in length, a giant alien behemoth made for war and destruction, just like the beings who were created to serve aboard it. The Broadsword is hovering patiently above the ice of the South Pole approximately 3 miles away from the gargantuan warship. And yet... the longer you look upon it, the stranger it seems.

Little flickers of light like speeding fireflies race away in pairs or in trios away from the starship. These tiny ships all head in a northerly direction, off of the ice, to soar across the waters to a destination you cannot see.

One last ship struggles against the icy climate, its engines warming its undersides with a fiery glow. Over the bridge's constant communication chatter, computer-noise, and bits of conversation, you see a young male crewmate look over his shoulder to a figure seated in a chair that is facing away from you and toward the screens. You hear the crewmate report.

"Captain, the Esper is lifting off. All transport ships are en route to Pacifica. Two minutes until the alien vessel is clear of friendlies."

"Thanks, ensign," comes the reply. Female, youthful, familiar, and from the sound of it, in need of sleep. "Synchro Cannon status?"

Another crewmate not even old enough to drink by many of Earth's standards replies. "All systems nominal. Ready to fire, ma'am."

The male crewmate reports again. "All away parties are in place, shielded, and standing by, captain."

"Sounds like we're ready to party," the captain says.

The target is obvious - the Zeki Zentraedi Command Ship the Broadsword crew retrieved the ICE-9 from. Though evidently stripped of much of its armor and outer hull, you can see through the crystal clear low-light and thermographic sensors that the ship's inner hull is still quite intact along with everything inside. The small ships you see flying away are the UEEF transport ships that you have seen putting the Pacifica together like the Esper you rescued in Mexico from the Anti-Unification League. It seems evident that the small transport ships stripped the outside of the Command Ship, deck guns and all, and have been taking it to the floating underwater city called Pacifica.

Upon entry, Eadric's gaze was immediately drawn to the view provided on the various screens around them. It was the same as he'd seen from the hangar, but it seemed the salvagers were nearly completed. That fact was corroborated by the bridge crew's conversation, to which he listened while his eyes took in the sights, both on the monitors and in the viewports, and on the bridge itself. A very, very young bridge crew, he noted, just as he'd observed in the hallways so far. The Adamantium team, Commander Zyorna, and Captain Sharp seemed to be the lone exceptions. What had happened to the Broadsword's older crew? Surely her assigned complement couldn't all be this young. The higher ranks in particular ought to have had a much higher percentage of older ages. He frowned slightly. Were there many of higher rank aboard? He couldn't remember observing the relative ranks of passersby, except those he'd had direct interaction with. He made a mental note to ask, when the time seemed right.

"Whaddya say, Wild Cards?" quips the Broadsword's newest acting captain. "Feel like pulling the trigger on the biggest gun the Broadsword's got?" Slowly standing up and stretching, her dark curly black hair spilling down her shoulders, is Acting Captain Shirley "Mack" Mackenzie. Her heartfelt smile to you is both weary and heartfelt. "It feels like a year since I've seen you guys!"

Note: To the best of my recollection, Eadric never met Mack, so he has no particular reaction to give here. If Elinor knew, however, she'd be very proud of her!

Sitting out of the way to your left is a trio of people up to no good. Captain Hiram Sharp is sitting upright in a hovering bed beside Professor Albert Stein and Commander Zyorna Kirin, all three of whom are sharing a smirk. Captain Sharp addresses you in a steady-sounding voice. "The crew wanted me to have the honors," the old ASC tanker grins to you, "but I've blown up enough stuff sky-high in my time. Troops, you saved my bacon out there. Consider this my way of saying 'thanks.'"

Commander Zyorna still dressed in civilian clothing and wearing no military livery whatsoever taps her fingernails on Hiram's hoverchair. "First Flight recovered a small team of RDF-friendly micronized Zentraedi down there. They call that vessel 'the Ship of Death.' After some electronic scanning, we have come to the conclusion that this vessel carries a number of Zeki-Zentraedi biological experiments. By stripping the Command Ship down to the bone, we both supply our city-ship Pacifica with badly-needed materials, but we destroy any hopes of this Zeki vessel performing its biological nightmares upon your people of Earth!"

"In addition," Professor Stein winks, "when isn't it a good day to see something that big go up into pure light?"

"An Arclight," Captain Sharp reminisces. "In the Vietnam War, an Arclight mission was an aerial bombardment of hundreds of thousands of pounds of bombs dropped upon a high value target. With the Broadsword's Synchro Cannon, and with the Command Ship still offline, we can blast that hellish thing to bits while we still have the opportunity."

Acting Captain Mack tries not to lean against her chair. Her smile upon seeing you has not left her face. "The honor's yours if you want it. Whaddya say, Wild Cards?"

Eadric nodded at Commander Zyorna's mention of the micronized Zentraedi. "I believe I met them on Antarctica Base, ma'am, before they left to investigate the 'Ship of Death'." He paused, wondering if he should explain further, but he didn't want to interrupt the momentous occasion this seemed to be turning into. There would be time later, so instead he remained in place behind the others. (By my count, the Wild Cards present and involved are Hercules, Ylva, Cera, and Trouble, yes? With Eadric along for the ride.) He was not, after all, a Wild Card (yet?) officially, despite the invitation to be here right now, so this didn't seem to be his decision. That said, he thought with a grin, if someone decides I get to push the button, I'll not turn it down!

And then his eyes shifted to the white-bearded gentleman standing beside Captain Sharp. He did a double-take as memory flared; this man had been at the ill-fated discussion panel, the one where Eadric first saw Hitomi! He dug into the memory and called up the man's name: Albert Stein, professor of microtechnology and robotics. Still (possibly forever) vivid in his mind was the vision of the professor standing calmly on the stage while terrorist bullets hit an invisible barrier in front of him and dropped to the ground. He shook his head and smiled at Stein. "Hello, sir. You did say we'd meet again under better circumstances, though I hardly expected it to be here." He paused a moment, considering what he'd seen in the hangar, and adding the fact that he hadn't seen the professor anywhere on Broadsword before now. "Are you the other Valkyrie pilot, then?"

The sight of familiar faces after the stress and anxiety of both the battle on the frozen continent below and the equally stressful and anxious battle in the medbay several decks below was enough to erase the frown from the massive Greek's face. He offered a salute to his senior officers, the numerous megadamage dogtags hanging from his wrist by their chains jingling merrily like tiny bells.
"Ma'am, I'd be willing to keep a hand on our fledgling Shaman. After all, she was instrumental both in saving our comrades in Adamantium and getting the captain out of his armor."

Eadric glanced at the big tanker while he speaks, a little surprised but not in the least disapproving. They would indeed have had trouble with Captain Sharp's armor, or more specifically with obtaining Taymee's help in removing it, had the little Broo not been present. He didn't understand the reference to saving Adamantium, but took it on faith that Hercules knew what he was talking about there as well.

 

[Purr]

The sight of familiar faces after the stress and anxiety of both the battle on the frozen continent below and the equally stressful and anxious battle in the medbay several decks below was enough to erase the frown from the massive Greek's face. He offered a salute to his senior officers, the numerous megadamage dogtags hanging from his wrist by their chains jingling merrily like tiny bells.
"Ma'am, I'd be willing to keep a hand on our fledgling Shaman. After all, she was instrumental both in saving our comrades in Adamantium and getting the captain out of his armor."

Captain Hesperus Kaerri Silanon
The sight of Hercules is enough to garner attention from many faces on the bridge. His newly-forged Mega-damage dogtags succeed in getting even more attention. Captain Mack offers the biggest smile. Her crystal-blue eyes raised in mild surprise, hers is an expression of pleased wonder.

"Permission granted," nods the tired-looking Californian. "Herc, this bridge has kept me so busy that I've just plain missed out on the details - you mind sharing just what Beema did in Sick Bay? I knew she was there, but I can only imagine what part she played. 'Instrumental,' you say?" Shirley's look says it all; she is genuinely interested.

Meanwhile, looking up from Hercules's side is Beema. Her shaggy hair flips back revealing her bright sunny-orange eyes. Those eyes are curious too. Though she was there, the Shaman-in-training doesn't seem to know what Hercules will say and she seems all the more curious to hear it.