Futuristic Cosmic Deep (open)

[FireMaiden]

Naomi Hart
Location: Fourth Deck Hangar Bay
Interaction: Pacificus (Daytona)
Mentioned: N/A
Naomi was expecting a few supplies to lacking for her taste, but she was pleasantly surprised with the selection. Her weapons were fairly specialized give the military issuing, it wasn't something civilians could get their hands on legally. But the boys uptoo took that into consideration when putting together these workbenches, which she could appreciate. The woman had selected a few of the tools and had gotten settled when a voice interrupted her solitude. The Android asked her something, something that bothered her a bit. "Not too long ago, maybe 4 or 5 minutes, why?" The woman asked standing slowly. Why would he be asking her that if he didn't have reason to suspect someone else was down there? "And I haven't seen anyone else down here yet." There might have been some of the engineers running checks on the engines before take off...but they could probably do that from the offices. It was with that thought she stood, fingers drumming on the workbench. "What's going on?" There has to be something up, it didn't make a lot of sense to just randomly ask her how long she'd been down there. Unless Androids believed in ghosts and he had gotten spooked earlier...though Naomi didn't actually think that.

 

[druidquest]

Dr. Haliday looked up at the sound of a knock, the door sliding open with the sound of a man announcing his intent as he walked in. “Hello, Chief Jordan,” she greeted in turn, a number of drones appearing from her thorax. Her wings vibrated slightly, and they instantly turned around and flew right back in. Dr. Haliday hadn’t quite had the chance to meet the Blackbird’s chief engineer yet, but it was her understanding that Hector Jordan had something of a reputation in his line of work, and had been one of only a few individuals on the ship to have been personally scouted by the Expedition’s leadership.

“It would be my pleasure,” she said, stepping around her desk to take the proffered forms from his hand. “Would you take a seat on one of the beds? If you have time, I would like to perform a brief physical examination for my own records.”

 

[PiePillager]

The doctor's appearance visibly took Hector by surprise. As she reached to grab the medical papers from his hand, his arm almost instinctively lurched backwards before he caught himself. For a split second, he was thinking that he had been terribly mistaken. That she was some species of Ensindijee he had not yet encountered, but there were several hints otherwise. The drones being the most obvious one. The name was one as well. Chances of an Ensindijee adopting a human name, were slim to none. They tended to keep to their own. To their own ways. Handing her the papers, cautiously, he took a seat on the bed, never taking his eyes off of Haliday.

Placing a cigarette between his teeth, he next drew out his lighter, cupped it in his hand, and began to smoke soon after. Not blinking, his eyes stayed glued to Haliday in a hateful glare as he took a puff of his smoke, watching her movements carefully through his shades. "...So, how long's this 'sposed to take?" he asked after a moment. His medical records would offer nothing unusual of note, but aside from minor allergies to a Ji'ki'ko'kri'kan herb and an unusually healthy pair of lungs given what appeared to be a smoking habit.

 

[druidquest]

Dr. Haliday’s wings flitted briefly when Hector recoiled from her, but if she had a reaction to the disgust in his movement, she didn’t show it. She took the papers over to the desk, laying them on its glassy surface for a moment while she looked for a pen. Drones could bring her one easily, but… no.

“It should be done fairly quickly,” she replied, not sparing him a glance as he lit a cigarette in her medical bay. “It’s only a simple review of systems, like beginning with a new doctor.” She found a pen in one of the bottom drawers of a nearby cabinet. “Though if you would rather finish your cigarette, it can wait until another time. I would rather not have smoke in my office.” She flipped through the pages of Hector’s medical form, her pen scratching across the page wherever she was indicated to sign or initial.

 

[PiePillager]

Hector didn't say anything for a little bit, opting to take another puff of his cigarette instead. He didn't make any indication he was about to leave either, not after about a minute. "Makes sense, I guess. Bees don't like smoke. Wasps....same shit. I figure it's the same with y'all or did you evolve past all that?" he inquired. "Matter of fact, y'all came a long way, huh? Chalcidians are doctors now!" he asked with somewhat mocking surprise.

"Shit's kind of ironic, if you think about it. ...Ain't it?" he asked, finally standing up off the bed and walking towards the door, before swerving around to face Haliday as he continued to speak, intent on continuing to be confrontational. "They used to call y'all the next big epidemic or pandemic, or whatever the fuck you wanna call it," he noted with a glib shrug. "But then all of the sudden we was cool, y'all and us. Humans know a little something about being an invasive species, I guess. Worked out pretty good for y'all, huh?"

 

[druidquest]

“I suppose,” Dr. Haliday replied, flipping over each page of Hector’s medical form in turn to scan them into her system. She didn’t bother to engage with his provocations; this was an old routine to her, and she understood any attempt to defend her species would be a pointless endeavor. Hector’s performance was for his sake, not her’s, and it was better to just let him get it out. A sort of… non-violent fight response to his fear. It was a rational reaction to have, under the circumstances, and he would settle down in his own time. Although… Dr. Haliday glanced at Hector briefly, considering him for a moment. On second thought, maybe he would take her silence as contempt.

“Perhaps we’ve been controlling humanity’s leadership from the shadows, and that’s why your people have grown more accepting of us,” Dr. Haliday proposed, her voice completely deadpan. “Captain Suleiman as well, of course. This whole ship is secretly my brood nest.”

 

[PiePillager]

"Yooooo, look at that! Bug's got jokes!" Hector snickered, raising his eyebrows. "Not really original but....originality's not y'all specialty. A'ight, well...I'mma be back for that examination sometime," he scratched the back of his head, his face now more relaxed and cordial, albeit fairly unreadable. "...I guess," he added after a pause before he turned around to leave. "Be seein' you at dinner, and uh..." he lifted his head back and smirked with one last remark before he left, "Sorry for smoking."

 

[egglover]

As Tish stepped off the pilots deck she spotted Eichkern walking toward the bridge. Between them was a large, oval table displaying digital information and, most importantly, a map that followed their journey toward the black hole. It flashed and changed every few minutes between the ships performance specs and the stars ahead.

"Ah, Vanderdrecht," the Captain exclaimed, "It is good to finally meet you proper. I hope all is well?"

 

[Sky_Breaker_08]

As Su Choon-Hee directed the Blackbird's Cry past the outer moon of Yal Yuan, she saw a view which stole her breath away. The AESS Condor unapologetically loomed before them. The flagship was massive and its architectural design only enhanced the overwhelming presence of power and ingenuity. The other ships of the fleet around it seemed to bow their heads, as the Condor gracefully turned its bow towards their destination and away from Yal Yuan and her moons.

Su Choon-Hee closed her mouth and sucked the drool back in before reporting to the First Officer, grateful her helmet was still covering her face. "We're approaching the Condor, sir."

As she floated the Blackbird's Cry into its place in the formation, there was a soft beep and a new message was relayed to the bridge.

"Sir, the Condor is requesting an answer to depart. Shall I send them the green light?"

 

[Lord Saethos]

As Eichkern entered the bridge, he found a large display table in front of him, and on the other side the Captain of the Blackbird's Cry. It came as a slight surprise to have her regard him with a level of familiarity, but he was pleased for it. This was his first time meeting the Captain physically in person, due to the great distances he'd had to travel to get to Yal Yuan, so most of their correspondence had been digitally.

"Ah, Captain Suleiman! Likewise, a pleasure to finally meet in person." He responded to her greeting with a salute, right hand to his brow.

"All is certainly going well, one might even say... Sublime perhaps? I took the liberty of inspecting the Special Tactics and Rescue room, and I'm impressed that it so far appears you managed to acquire everything I requested. My thanks to you Captain, though the crew may be the ones thanking you even more in the future. But let's hope it won't come to that."

He approached the display table as data flickered intermittently between things, the repeating images of the Black Hole particularly catching his eye.

"Cuts quite an intimidating figure doesn't it?" His reddened eyes flicked back to the Captain. "And yet, the last thing anyone seems to feel right now is intimidation. Instead, I sense eagerness everywhere. The true adventurer's spirit. Perhaps you understand what I mean, Captain?"

 

[DarKnight36]

"That's fine, Choon-Hee," Matias said, nodding to the pilot. He walked over to his own seat and placed a hand on the chair. It likely wouldn't be used much. Matias liked to remain mobile. It kept him aware of things that otherwise may not be mentioned. Obviously he couldn't be everywhere, but Matias imagined the crew would get used to looking out for him, for better or for worse.

 

[egglover]

The Captain let slip a laugh that was melodic and warm, "Oh, I'm sure this still feels like a dream to most of us. I was a child when they first announced the Avian Expedition, and now here we are, 22 years later."

Between them was an image of Megalomorchen, the largest black hole in the known universe. Rindikan's had found out the true capabilities of a black hole many millenniums ago as they were the only race that had the natural resources to explore one. Of course, the theories were correct. They were wormholes. Portals that ripped through space time and allowed a faster way to travel throughout the universe. However, there were multiple problems. Not least of all the fact that their gravity was so immense that ships could not pass through without the proper material to withstand both spaghettification and destruction, but another key issue with black hole travel was that they were only connected to white holes. Only one entrance and one exit. With smaller wormholes it was easier to gauge where you would be spat out, but supermassive ones tended to be fairly...difficult. It was why they had spent so long even considering travel through Megalomorchen. It was an absolute beast of a black hole, a colossus - a mystery.

"I hope you know that I will try my best to get us back home as safely as possible," Captain Suleiman began, her robotic eyes moving to Eichkern, "As exciting of an adventure as this is, remember that until we reach our black hole it's not too late to change your mind."

 

[obscured_light]

If a passerby was to find themselves near the kitchen, they would at first hear Capriole shouting orders and the sizzling of pans. Appealing smells would drift into the hallways and perhaps the rumble of their stomach would urge them to get closer.

As their steps led them to the kitchen however, they would hear more urgent shouting followed by the sounds of bickering and slamming lids. Was someone struggling? Why were the words "LEMME HAVE MY CANAPASTA" being screeched like a banshee was being blended with salt?

Within the kitchen, Capriole was doing her best to restrain her sous chef, Chef B.R.D, who had a rather large silver can in his robotic hand. Zooming around the two were two small robots with long, extended arms which were supposed to be the two cooks and part time servers. Chef B.R.D. kicked out with his legs as the open can was being waved around, red pasta sauce spilling out and splattering everywhere in the pristine kitchen, leaving marks all over like blood at a gruesome crime scene.

"LEMME HAVE MY CANNAPASTA," he screeched again as the two smaller bots, Boosches and Pr0g8zo, tried prying the can from his grasp.

"I will not be serving canned pasta at the first dinner," Capriole retorted in what would be a calm manner had it not been for the way her words seemed to be distorted. The bubbling within her gelatinous mass only seemed to quicken as she finally wrestled Chef B.R.D to the ground. The sound of a bell dinging rang out from Boosches as they wrested the can away, averting the second disaster of the night.

 

[Sky_Breaker_08]

Su Choon-Hee quickly tapped a few keys to send a reply back to the Condor. A response came back immediately to stay put in formation at the ready while the rest of the fleet reported their statuses as well.

Another soft beep sounded to alert Choon-Hee of a message from the Condor, but this time it was a voice call. Choon-Hee smiled to herself, and then checked over her shoulder to see where Matias was seated. Quickly changing her helmet to muffle the sound of her voice, she answered the call.

Immediately, a pretty, melodic, young woman's voice sounded in her ears, "Heeeey! Choon-Hee! Thank goodness you answered! I was dying! DYING! There's nothing to do over here! Everyone's running around, making last minute preparations, getting ready for FTLT! Apparently, everyone's too busy to talk to me! Can you transfer to this ship? I want to be with you! Come pilot the Condor! These people just don't understand me! You know the first thing said to me today was? 'We're glad to have you as a part of the crew, Kiki Dubois.' The DOCTOR said that! To my face! While he had that ASSISTANT of his hanging on his arm the entire time! She was like 'Oh, doctor! You're so welcoming to the newbies like me! Oh, doctor! You sure know a lot about this ship! Oh, doctor! Can you do a checkup on me? I'm feeling a bit light-headed!' Grrr, she was so annoying! Just because he's very handsome for a Posonid, does NOT give her the right to cling to him so much! I hope she gets her antennas twisted in a knot! Ugh!"

Quicker than the blink of an eye, Kiki's voice changed from annoyance to sweetness, "How was your initiation, Choon-Hee? Did you just run inside without talking to anyone again? Too eager to get to the pilot's chair?" A cute little laugh followed her questions.

"Ha-ha. Very funny," Choon-Hee couldn't help feeling a little ashamed. "I don't need to talk to anyone, anyway. I have you. And before you run your mouth off again, you probably shouldn't be gossiping about your crewmates right at the beginning of the expedition and instead, focus on your job."

"You sound just like my mother, you know?" Kiki laughed again. "I've already set everything up! The channels are all up and communications are good and solid! Nothing's breaking THESE roots, Choon-Hee! And, unlike the teeny tiny Blackbird, there's thousands of people on board the Condor! The ship's huge! Don't like a person? Don't hang out with them! Besides, you can say you have me, so you don't need friends, but I can't say that back?"

There was a pause and then Kiki's dramatic voice came back, "Ugh, apparently I've got to go! I need to let Captain Gareux speak to everyone before we fly off! I LOVE YOU, CHOON-HEE! I'LL CALL YOU LATER!"

A few minutes of silence passed after their conversation, but eventually the rest of the fleet was ready to go. The Condor opened a channel to all of the ships' intercoms, its Captain's voice coming through crystal clear, "This is Ghin Gareux, Captain of the flagship AESS Condor and CEO of the Avian Expedition, speaking. I am sure your Captains have all spoken to you in welcome and expressed their anticipation for this momentous occasion. I would personally like to add my own thoughts to theirs before we set off.

"There are many types of winged creatures on Earth we call birds. They live everywhere on that planet. Not just the fertile land, but the inhospitable as well. The seas and oceans even are its home. Some stay aloft for months, riding the winds effortlessly. Many migrate from their homes to move with the seasons, some traveling nearly the length of the entire globe. Some go far from land, out into the unknown waters, guided only by its instincts to small, inconsequential, remote islands. But it goes fearlessly. It hunts, it explores, and it returns triumphant, full of strength and beauty, to create new life before it leaves once again.

"I cannot tell you the effect this Avian Expedition will have on all life, not just now, but far into the future. Not ever in recorded history has such an expedition held greater import or contained as many geniuses and specialists as this one. Not ever has our species held so many resources, or had a group more capable, for anything that lies ahead. You are all chosen. You all belong here. You know the rigorous qualifications required to get here. Now, after the many decades of preparation and planning, we will prove to all what we can do, TOGETHER. We have heard the saying that power requires responsibility to use that power appropriately. However, I would remind you of another fact, that knowledge grants us power. We go into the unknown. We go to gain that knowledge. We have a responsibility to do so because of the power we hold here, at this time. Remember, you are not alone. We work as a team.

"We are like the birds of Earth. We fly out now into the unknown waters of the open ocean. Only our instincts shall guide us. We go fearlessly. We do not know what we will find out there. But it does not matter. We shall return triumphant, full of strength and beauty, to create new life before we leave once again, in a new expedition to a new place of mystery and wonder. We will be like the birds of Earth, with myriad of species to fit the myriad of ecological pressures and variety. I would encourage you all, in your own time, to ponder on the deliberate theme of our expedition being compared to that of the birds of Earth. Now, we fly!"

The intercom was silent for a moment before another voice spoke. It was a melodic woman's voice Choon-Hee recognized well. "In a moment, the warp bubble shall be created. Prepare for FTL warp travel."

The intercom was turned off after that. Soon enough, the Blackbird's AI, Wallace IX, confirmed the AESS Condor was indeed activating its warp drive.

The AESS Condor sat in the middle of the fleet, a regal behemoth surrounded by its escorts of various sizes. Part of its hull near the front and another part towards the rear, began to separate, creating two large rings around the AESS Condor. Both rings floated about the ship vertically, completely detached from the Condor physically: one circled the front, while the other circled the rear. They were both similar in size and proportions. The light around the Condor began to distort inside these rings. The soft light of the stars stretched like a bubble around the entire ship. As Choon-Hee watched, the bubble quickly extended out, encompassing the entire fleet. Inside the bubble, the distortions grew and danced quicker and quicker. The ships nearby looked like putty being molded constantly into wild varying shapes. The Blackbird's Cry vibrated slightly from the energy for a few seconds as the Condor finished extending the warp bubble out. Once the warp drive had warmed up, the vibrations ceased and the dancing lights quieted to a more peaceful, yet still stretched, view. The light inside the bubble moved unhindered now, and the ships took on their normal shapes.

Choon-Hee held her breath. This was the largest warp bubble a fleet had ever created to travel in. Usually, the ships would create their own personal warp bubbles and would estimate each other's speeds to leave and arrive at the same time together at a pre-determined destination. Any error in calculation would throw off this timing and there was also the unavoidable fact that two ships in different warp bubbles would have great difficulty communicating with each other. However, if one ship's warp bubble could accommodate both ships, then they would travel together, with no communication issues, and the journey would be far less error-prone.

In the black of space, a line of light began to be drawn, as if it were a planet's horizon. As it spread further out to the sides, the center of the line began to curve and dip down underneath the line. The distorted stars followed its path, stretching farther and farther. The curve spread out horizontally along the center line as well, creating a rounded valley before the ships. Choon-Hee knew that behind them a similar, but opposite image of this valley would be seen as a rolling hill moving up over the horizon line. At the same time as this was being created, the distortions and stretching of the stars about them had begun dancing again, this time, Choon-Hee knew, it was because the Condor had begun to pull the fleet along through space faster than light. The Condor was bending space and time and the universe was bowing to its command, sending them along their way to the supermassive black hole: Megalomorchen UOX-35.

 

[egglover]

Before Eichkern could reply, however, the unmistakable voice of Captain Ghin Gareux boomed around them.

"That was a good speech, eh?" Tish remarked. She had met the man a few times, the first when she was still a junior engineer on her old crews ship Roscia II, and the latest meeting being just a few hours prior to today's take off. He was a professional - a true Captain through and through - and it was for that reason that she couldn't help but feel small around him, as if she wasn't worthy to be a Captain herself. Glancing toward Eichkern she quickly shook those doubts from her mind as she felt the distinctive tug of hyperspace. The fleet was on their way.

 

[Lord Saethos]

Ghin Gareux's speech was an impressive one to be sure, one would almost be surprised a Zonkoian would take such an interest in Earth-based metaphors, but then he recalled in the interviews he'd seen that Captain Gareux had been Earth-born himself. What would that have been like he wondered? To be such an outsider like that on Earth? Whatever the reality was, Eichkern couldn't help but imagine that Gareux had stumbled across humanity's best sides.

He had some envy for that.

"It was indeed, he certainly has a way to convey his vision! I've certainly heard some great speeches in the past as well, so I can confidently say that with Captain's such as he and yourself, I am greatly reassured in joining the expedition." He offered a warm smile, an unspoken vote of confidence in the Captain.

Her other words returned to him though, which caused him to drift briefly into his own thoughts. Eichkern adjusted some of the settings on the data table for a moment, before an image of a familiar planet appeared.

Neraeis.

"And don't worry Captain. At this point my mind is made up. I just urge you, be careful what promises you make." Eichkern gave a wry smile as Neraeis spun before him. "I trust in your ability to get me back home. I don't necessarily trust home to still be there when I return."

He gave a wave of his hand and the images turned back to Megalomorchen. Eichkern wondered if they'd be able to receive news from so far away once they arrived. Much as he dreaded it, he was hoping to at least here some updates from his home, and perhaps see what the response was there to his joining the Avian Expedition.

 

[Pacificus]

"I detected lifesigns in this compartment before I entered, slightly after you did. That was exactly 7 minutes and 32 seconds ago. Two minutes before either of us entered this compartment. It disappeared as soon as both of us entered."

His head slowly turned, observing the equipment racks and stacked cargo. He already ruled out the possibility of vermin or some kind of creature. Vermin could not fool a lifesign detector.

"I suspect we have a stowaway onboard. Someone that does not want to be found."

FireMaiden

 

[PiePillager]

Hector left the Medical Wing and headed over to the Science Wing. Offput as he was after his little doctor's visit, he still intended to do his rounds like he said and evaluate the ship, check readings, power grids, all that boring shit. There were several individuals now shuffled into the labs. A Posonid woman and a human were busy settling in with their 'Rockology' equipment...whatever that was. Not really a discipline he was interested in. Rocket Science and astrophysics were two fields he always maintained more of an interest in, even if the exact calculations that went into it weren't his wheelhouse, such thing always went hand in hand with the engineering pieces of art such as the ships of the Avian Expedition.

As such, he'd read more than a few dossiers and books on the subject to better his understanding of the subjects along with a few other fields present on the ship such as archeology which- Wait, did that fall under Rockology? Damn. Further contemplation on the matter would, unfortunately, be halted as the speakers on the ship blared with the voice of Ghin Gareux, Captain of the Condor.

Good speech, inspirational, all that shit. Hector was mostly glad the Captain had the foresight to give his speech after they all took off. He couldn't imagine them standing there getting antsy while some guy the majority of them would never see for years most likely gave them a whole ass lecture on the lecture. All the same, he was glad he heard...just while he was doing other things.

With that said and done, however, came the part he had really been waiting for. The entire ship began to shake as it passed through the warp bubble projected by the Condor, the largest in the known universe. With that, they were officially off on what would likely be the furthest journey he'd ever take beyond his home. Glancing through diagnostics seemed almost secondary now, and the handful of scientists gathered in the room expressing a various range of expressions almost faded into the background as he took a moment to take it all in. He couldn't help but crack a smile. Shit was gonna be wild.

 

[egglover]

Captain Suleiman cocked her head slightly to the side at the Deimosians words but she took care not to pry. There would be time to get to know her crew, for now she had a job to do.

"Vanderdrecht, the good doctor has asked me to request that you meet her in medical for a general health check," she held her hands behind her back, "I would suggest that you go see her now while you have some free time."

 

[Lord Saethos]

Eichkern realized perhaps he'd said a little too much, maybe a little too sour of a topic for what ought to be a joyous occasion, though rather than trying to apologize, he simply took the Captain's queue and let the matter rest. "Ahh, excellent suggestion. I'd be happy to have a check up, and will be good to chat with the doctor. Always the possibility we may end up needing to collaborate on medical issues for rescues or other emergencies."

He stood straight once more and saluted Tish. "Again, pleasure to meet you in person Captain Suleiman. Looking forward to working with you."

And with that, he was back in the hallways once more, off to find the doctor's office.

After a short walk through the halls, Eichkern finally came across the door labeled medical, with the name 'Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Haliday' displayed on a plaque. He also could swear he smelled the scent of cigarette lingering in the air? Strange place to smell it.

He knocked on the door before entering. "Dr. Haliday? The Captain asked me to come see you for a check up. Is now a good time?" Eichkern glanced around the room before his eyes landed on a Chalcidian.

Well...

That was surprising.

 

[obscured_light]

"You don't seem to be too bothered by the movement," Mari noted as she approached the man who had been passing by the Rockology lab. Her hunt for a place to insert the disk had been forgotten with the rattling of the ship. While she had looked around to see if anything would collapse, Mari had caught sight of the human who had remained at ease.

"Mari," she said as she made a small salute, her clenched fist over her chest and her other arm extended out, palm up. "You were one of the ones speaking to what has been said to be our chef. Are you settling into your role as well?"

PiePillager

 

[Wing06]

The conversation made Tristan’s blood run cold. He looked around the hangar for any way he could potentially sneak through. While he was quiet on his feet, there was only one door in and out of the hangar.

It would be too obvious if he walked around and tried to leave, the two would be on him instantly. Tristan rubbed his temple as he looked for any way out. The Human he could expect to shrug her shoulders and give up, but the Android wouldn’t be so quick to stop hunting. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Tristan hadn’t honestly thought his plan through. He didn’t know the ship’s layout beyond the hangar, so making a run for it and finding somewhere else to hide was no better than sitting and waiting. However, his active camouflage unit wouldn’t hold out forever.

A few moments passed, and the control module in Tristan’s hand pulsed. His heart began to pound as the blood rushed from his face just as the active camouflage faded away, leaving him exposed.

“Shit…” he muttered, hand dropping to his flight belt and resting on the hilt of his Vibro-blade, which was standard issue for all pilots in the Terran military.

 

[egglover]

Just then, in the hangar, a loud series of 'THUNKS' could be heard as several of the metal barrels containing fluid and fuel toppled over to the floor beside Naomi and Daytona. They rolled at the impact for a prolonged period.

Whilst the two surprised crew members turned their attention to the barrels, Tristan felt something dart past his legs. It was too dark to see what it was exactly, but there was no time for the stowaway to take a closer look, as the shadow suddenly disappeared through what looked like a vent in the wall beside him, big enough to squeeze through...

***

Captain Suleiman followed Eichkern briefly after he left to the elevator, but she did not take it herself quite yet, instead she peered into the frosted glass of her office door which faced toward the command center. Pressing her non-prosthetic thumb into the scanner allowed the door to open automatically. Lights flicked on as she entered the room and she was able to see the small office; a desk, computer, walls that when pressed opened into storage and filing shelves, a few chairs intended for staff meetings and some personal items of hers hanging on the wall or placed on her desk. Wallace iX began to speak, "Captain Suleiman, you have unread messages in your inbox."

A sigh, "Right, yes, I will deal with that later. I must make the rounds and meet the crew."

"Would you like me to request that they meet you in your office, Captain Suleiman?"

"No, no. Absolutely not," Tish frowned, "I want to make sure they are happy with their stations."

"Very well."

Tish backed out of the room and watched the lights dim without her presence. She then ventured through the small hallway where, on the other side of her office, the elevator and staircase was. Opposite of the elevator was a large colourful open room. The conservatory. It was alive and green and beautiful, but what caught the Captain's breath was the small Ahxi tree as it's blue leaves glittered in the ships light. She had specifically requested it, and though it was mostly frivolous expense she had been able to convince the Avian Expedition's council that it was a necessary one, as it's sap was used to make a calming tea. Somehow, with many dubious looks, she had made it pass clearance, and she stared at it proudly even as she stepped into the elevator. It felt like home.

 

[DarKnight36]

Since Hector had instantly abandoned his post to allow Haul to run all the diagnostics, Haul had surprisingly been able to get through everything he wanted quite quickly. He wasn't used to being left unsupervised; it was a nice feeling not having some human who didn't understand a lugnut from a lug wrench breathing down his neck. Not that Hector didn't seem to understand, which was another surprise. Perhaps this voyage actually had some people with talent on board after all, although even the thought alone made Haul snort.

The ship entered faster-than-light travel smoothly, which was expected considering the Condor was doing all the work. Haul didn't understand the specifics of how breaching space-time really worked without turning everything into jelly but he also didn't care. It wasn't his field.

Engineering didn't have an elevator, just stairs and a small emergency pole that allowed extremely quick access to the lower floor. Haul actually preferred using the fireman's pole, as they called it, as stairs generally were meant to be for humans, meaning they were much too large for him to use comfortably. Thus he quickly found his way on the second floor. There were two technicians there, but as usual, they ignored him and he ignored them. Hector would deal with them if he had to.

Haul walked down the hallway, passing by the main Security Office as he did. This gave him some pause. If there was one thing Haul liked almost as much as he did engines, it was guns. Like big guns. Ship guns were great, but anything would do in a pinch. Lasers, bullets, shrapnel, didn't matter - if it boomed, blammed, or beamed, Haul liked it. Entering the office, Haul noted the place was empty - not a huge surprise but it did present an opportunity to do a "diagnostic" on the guns they had in the security locker on this floor. He probably shouldn't but when had that ever stopped him?

Haul grasped the weapons locker and tugged - locked, as he had imagined. The keypad on the side would have some nine digit code that he supposed would be randomized. But the keypad had wires and Haul knew wires. It didn't take long to open the thing up, a few more moments to fiddle the wires and with a click, the lock disengaged. Haul smoothly cleaned up his handiwork, then opened the locker and smiled.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Haul said, smiling through a mouthful of razor teeth. "Research ship, sure. But they always got guns."

***

Matias' suit beeped at him, and the man blinked in what could be taken as surprise. He'd literally just finished patching his suit into the ship's network, allowing him to essentially take his desk with him. He glanced down at his station, and indeed, a light was blinking on the console. Security Office - the weapons locker was open?

It was probably just a wiring error, but he'd have to send Daytona to check. Matias opened a channel to the robot. "Daytona, this is First Officer Matias. I've got an alert coming through that the weapons locker on Level Two got opened. The one in the security office. Probably just a glitch, but I need you to check on it."

---

Pacificus

 

[PiePillager]

Hector glanced up as he was greeted by the Posonid woman. The one who was filing away with the Rockology department a minute ago. She had an odd way of speaking. Almost like some kind of noble, Hector noted. Most Posonids you met had that upper class air about them. So much so, that it made Hector wondered if they even let the Posonid poor offworld.

"Hector," he replied after a moment. "Mari the Mermaid, huh? I think I'm settling just fine. I'm out here, checking diagnostics, making sure all the ships techs are up to spec, you feel me? I'm Chief Engineer. Your fridge starts runnin' warm, your lights blink out, your power generators start slackin', you call me!" he pointed at himself. His eyes studied the Posonid briefly. It was hard to really get a read on her. But what couldn't be gleaned in a first impression could usually be unearthed through some small talk.

"So, how 'bout you, Mari the Mermaid?" Hector inquired. "What's good with the Rockology?"

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