To The Stars

Campaign Headquarters, Bastion (Alia)

Unable to stop the relief from showing on her face now that their client had regained control of the meeting, Alia focused in on the holograms they were shown, giving them her full attention. The sun being described as an object of worship was...well, for obvious reasons, she didn't see it in the same light, but the Reploid understood why and how the inhabitants of this system could see it that way. Mention of the Void, however, brought to mind her knowledge of black holes and what fates could theoretically befall those who ventured too close; none of them were pleasant, to say the least.

Then Ulysses brought up the rite of passage, which was followed by showing the planet's surface. That at least answered the question of where food came from on this planet when it wasn't imported. It made sense to her mind; a planet like this supported life, so it would have to be able to support crops being grown.

Salvagers. Scrap.

If anyone happened to be looking at Alia after those two words were mentioned, they would see the Reploid go almost entirely still; only the continuing blinking of her eyes showed that she was still listening. Something had spooked her, that much was for certain.

Meeting Room

Enterprise's smile took on a strained veneer at Giegue's calling her form "ugly", and she was about to reply to his continued antagonism with a polite but pointed spiel about how it was in his best interest to at least conceal his prejudice if he wanted to get his ship fixed, but all that was derailed, first by what seemed to be actual fans of hers, and secondly by Ulysses getting the show on the road and explaining why he'd gathered everyone in the room.

Taking Ruri's hand in the darkened room and giving it a warm, firm shake with a beaming smile, she quietly said, "Pleased to meet you, too, Ruri! You seem competent, yourself! I hope you'll be joining me on this mission!"

Releasing her grip, she turned to the trio of Rockman, Mantis, and Engi who seemed to have arrived together, and offered each of them a smile and handshake in turn. "Good to meet you all, and good to be working with you, if you decide to take Ulysses' offer!" she whispered to them.

That said, she remained silent throughout the rest of the presentation, but strode forward to lean against the back of an empty chair once the lights were back on.

"As you may know, or may not, our employer in this matter over here is a prominent political figure here on Centerra with a lot of connections and resources, so there's no reason to doubt he can provide the rewards he's promised for the job," she explained to the room at large. "For my part, I'm getting this darn boot taken off as part of the deal—" she shook the foot fitted by the large cowboy boot, "—and getting my so-called Centerran criminal record expunged, because someone saw fit to arrest me at a caf shop, saying I was 'illegally parked' just by sitting down and having a cup because I'm a ship... even though I'm also a person..." She sighed heavily at that, sagging a bit, then straightened up to look about the room.

"So, what are everyone's specialties?" she asked, seeming to get some of her pep back. "In my opinion, the more security personnel and people familiar with combat we have along for the operation, the better."

Edited by darksidevoid on Apr 8th 2024 at 9:39:10 AM

Cibo: Bastion (Meeting Room)

"I've actually just come up from the surface. I was helping some farmhands out in the fields. I didn't go too far out, but I know there's creatures around," Cibo remarked, viewing the holographic image with nonchalant familiarity. "I'm looking at everyone here. I think we can do it. Escorting your son should be achievable. I was going to say easy. but it barely ever is, so...!"

She smiled tensely, before turning her attention to Enterprise, as the ship-girl asked what their specialties were. Cibo brightened considerably, unhitching the very large toolkit from her back before placing it down on the table with a heavy clang.

"I'm a scientist. Computer scientist. I can talk to almost any electronic system, so long as I can make a connection, or hack in if I can't. I can sense living beings or machines even if they're far away, and I can move quickly and hit hard if I have to. I have a few..."

She flexed her fingers as she trailed off, a shiny gun barrel extruding from her palm with a click before retracting just as fast, and from her forearm deployed some kind of grappling-hook launcher, before it too receded and was covered up again by plating.

"...tools, but I don't want to list them. I... can fight, but I'd say I'm more of a scout, or a support. I have some force-fields, but I'm not that tough. If I'm damaged I'll repair myself, and if any of you get damaged I've... got a medical kit somewhere..."

She shrugged lightly.

"If we ever fight some giant machine, then I'll probably be somewhere in the back trying to take it over. That's my deal. But you'll see it play out, I hope."

Her somewhat disjointed explanation finished, she found herself glancing at Alia, having noticed the Reploid's momentary fugue state. Glancing between her and the others at the table, Cibo eventually scooched her seat up closer to Alia, close enough to put a gentle hand on her shoulder and slightly shake it.

"Hey. You okay? You're zoned out."

Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 8th 2024 at 2:55:57 PM

Ruri Hoshino, Meeting Room

...had that just happened? She was staring down towards her hand, could feel the USS' lingering touch, but it was hard to believe. If she'd known this was her destiny she would have stranded herself on purpose to make sure it came true. For a second she almost seemed happy.

"...affirmative. It will be good to work side by side. I would be grateful to have a chance to study you as we travel."

With that out of the way, she turned to the matter at hand. She'd been in it for the money but a chance to get in touch with Nergal was something she couldn't pass up.

"Your son doesn't sound too bright. It's too soon to call him an idiot, but from your description, he doesn't sound promising."

But that wasn't important. Now was the time to measure their dicks. Metaphorically speaking. She didn't care about showing off. Nothing but a waste of energy. But she was interested in Cibo. She may not have been organic, but there was something they shared. Several things actually. If nothing else, this was her chance to prove it.

"My name is Ruri Hoshino. I am also a scientist. Computer scientist. My specialty is ships, but I can talk to almost any electronic system so long as I can make a connection, or hack in if I can't. I can't sense living beings, but I can sense machines. Computers, drones, planetary networks. I can sense them and access them. I don't like fighting. It's senseless and dull. But if I have to..."

And then she was gone. Her body was there, little more than dead weight. It fell back, slumping down in her chair, little more than a sack of meat. If it wasn't for a faint pulse she'd have been all but dead.

The drone stirred. It beeped and booped, visor flashing blue, clenching their fists in affirmation. They marched into the room, standing in front Cibo as it saluted the crew.

"...then I can do it just fine. The process leaves my body defenceless, but I trust you all to protect it. I do not want to trust you, but I don't have much choice."

The drone looked down at Cibo, holding out their hand to shake.

"Now that you know my capabilities ma'am, there is something I want to ask you once we're on board. You may be able to guess what that is. If you aren't able to guess, I will not be disappointed."

Edited by kkhohoho on Apr 8th 2024 at 10:39:00 AM

Wait, Were We Supposed To Be Qualified For This? (Aquarius)

Wait, how did a giant cowboy boot get stuck on her foot? I can't help but look confused at that, and lean in closer trying to get a better look. I mean, couldn't you just pull it off or something? If it's stuck, maybe use some butter to slip it off? If it's really stuck, I dunno, get a knife and carefully cut the boot off—

Ooooh crap I'm staring. I snap back to my seat, hoping nobody comments.

"Ahem. If we are discussing skills..."

...oh crap I have nothing useful.

"...I'm a decent negotiator. And a skilled liar, should that be necessary." I mean, I've been lying for the past two thousand years about my identity. I'm lying right now about being part of this. "And, if you will allow me quite the boast..." I pause, fully aware that what I'm about to say would sound normal in the Zodiac and absolutely insane everywhere else. "...I can read the future."

There's a moment of silence as that sinks in, before I pleasantly smile. "On that note, I'm afraid I never caught any of your names. Since we are working together, would you all be so kind as to illuminate me...?"

BB & B, Bastion (Meeting Hall):

"Ah. So then you are the consciousness of a human, inhabiting a mechanical body? I see. Fascinating..." Manon muttered in response to Cibo. "My apologies. I did not mean to offend."

Then, a strange being knocked at the window, getting the entire trio's attention.

"WHOA! Who's that?" Liam cried out in alarm.

"Observation: this individual appears to be of the Toa species." Manon responded.

"What the hell's a 'Toa'?" Charlie asked, frowning at him.

"The Toa are a species only recently discovered by the Galactic Federation." the Engi replied. "There is much data concerning them which still has not yet been discovered. I shall add this new individual to my list of known entities of which the adjective 'Curious' applies."

Then, Giegue made a comment about bugs, before reassuring Liam he meant no offense.

"Oh, it's fine, sir." Liam reassured him. "Honestly, I'm more concerned by your..." he paused for a moment, wondering how to put this tastefully. "...distaste for humans. They're really a good people at heart, and they have the potential to incredible things! I know some people find them bland and boring, but...without them, the Federation as we know it wouldn't exist!"

Then, Ulysses briefed the entire group on their mission. Charlie seemed like he was about to pipe up when Ulysses mentioned the Centerran religion, but Liam managed to calm him back into silence before he could. When Ulysses finished, Liam immediately spoke up.

"Crystal clear, sir!" he declared, saluting as best he could.

"My comprehension has a margin of error of only .5%." Manon agreed with a nod.

"...Got it." Charlie muttered, not seeming anywhere near as enthusiastic as the other two.

Then, Enterprise spoke up, and Liam cried out in alarm when she explained the circumstances behind her cowboy boot.

"Wait, they stuck that on you against your will? B-but...they can't DO that! You're Enterprise!" he cried. "That's not fair!"

"Whether it is 'fair' or 'not fair', it has happened nonetheless. As we cannot alter the past, the best course of action would be taking steps to remove it and make sure it is not applied in the future." Manon butted in.

"Hmph. Won't stop it from being a bunch of bullshit." Charlie grunted. Enty asked about their skills, and he replied with the first hint of pride he'd had since he got here.

"When it comes to smashing things, it doesn't get much better than Boulders and Blades." he chuckled. "I'm Boulders."

"And I'm Blades!" Liam added, sounding proud as well. "Though, you could probably already tell from, well..." he held up his blade hands sheepishly. "We can serve as a security team if needed, or as a boarding party if we run into any hostile ships you need cleared out."

"Affirmative. Mantis and Rockmen make quite effective boarding parties. I have witnessed this myself." Manon agreed. "As an Engi, I am inadequate at combat, but I have experience as a shield operator, and can make swift repairs to damaged hardware."

Then, Aquarius made quite possibly the most outlandish claim anyone in this room had made yet, and all three's eyes were instantly on him.

"No way!" Charlie huffed, crossing his arms. "Predict stuff using data, maybe, but anyone who says they know what's going to happen is just peddling nothing but crap wrapped in robes and spiritual trinkets. I'm not buying it."

"It would certainly be new to me to encounter any lifeform capable of such feat." Manon added. "However, that does not render such a thing impossible. Merely highly unlikely."

"C-can you show us?" Liam asked tentatively, curious.

Bastion Meeting Room (Alia)

Thankfully for Cibo, Alia stirred back to a more alert state once she felt the woman's hand on her shoulder, and a shiver ran through her frame before she found her voice again.

"Sorry. I was...never mind." She said, then turned her attention to the ongoing conversation, namely the stating of who they were and what they could do.

"My name is Alia. I am a navigator, researcher, engineer, programmer, and field combatant. It is nice to meet you all."

Given that this introduction was said in a neutrally professional tone, how 'nice' it really was was up for debate.

Meeting Hall

Giegue blinked at Pip in confusion and looked at the empty part between his legs, where the mercenary was also looking in an almost childish manner, before looking back at Pip as if he were looking at a drunk man. The poor alien sucked when it came to metaphorical expression.

He did stare at the vampire afterward, and he looked like he was about to argue, but that would risk her asking questions she shouldn't ask.

That, and the "Ulysses" person that convocated all of those people here finally explained everything, prompting everyone to listen. Giegue looked coldly at him and the different holograms he was showing.

He found everything stupid and pointless. Of course, Stella provided light and warmth that was a star, a giant ball of gas and plasma, and Centerra just happened to be in the right habitable spot. That wasn't a deity, which made this pelerinage ridiculous. Again, these fools were putting heart before reason, wasting time like that. But Giegue didn't say anything.

   "I know little about the politics of this planet, but you are well placed in the hierarchy of this world. So should be your son. Can he simply not just ask a ship from the people down there instead of wasting time negotiating with those workers? They should obey their superiors."    he still asked Ulysses.

Giegue frowned slightly when Ulysses spoke of reputation regarding his son, but quickly regained his neutral, unreadable expression afterward. He may be a cold jerk, but one thing he didn't tolerate was bad parents. Given his experience with his foster human father, he was very sensitive about those issues.

Now that the presentation was done, the white alien had a clear choice before him. Take or not take the contract.

His cold logical side told him to ignore it. He didn't even come for that in the first place. He should just brainwash the senator like he first intended, kill and destroy the other cretins there and leave that ugly planet as soon as possible, even if he had to put that town ablaze first. That would be a good way to release some of the stress he had been struggling to contain ever since he left Earth. He'll just have to make sure to... well, not go too far, lest he would lose control again.

But there was that accursed part of him he wanted to sever himself with telling him to help. The senator's concerns about his son seemed genuine, surely Giegue could sympathize with that, even so slightly. And the others were right, he was kind of rude, even though he had a long history with earthlings. There were his emotions once again clouding his judgment.

Thus, while having this inner debate, Giegue would just... remain there, his look completely absent, answering way after the others, until he would snap out of his trance.

   "I suppose... I... I think I should be able to aid you, even if I have to work with the other creatures and machines present in this room. As for the reward you spoke about, you can keep your money, Centerran, I have no use for it. I only ask for my ship to be repaired, nothing else."    Giegue said, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

That was just for the ship and maybe to think about something else than his humiliating failure on Earth. But that was it. Nothing else. Giegue repeated that sentence in his brain several times, trying to bury any semblance of emotions into the dirt. Once his mind was clear, he turned toward Enterprise.

   "I have been tasked with commanding military operations before meeting you. I don't think I can qualify as a scientist, but I have some bits of knowledge in mechanics, space, and a bit of everything, I believe. I also have... combat abilities, should anyone stupid try to stand in our way. That's all you need to know."    Giegue affirmed, refusing to elaborate on his PSI.

Giegue glanced at Alia, also noticing the Reploid looking like she saw a ghost. But he made no effort to help her and instead gave her an irritated look.

   Unstable. Emotive. Unacceptable. That's a defective model right there. This machine should be shut down and improved upon immediately before it causes a disaster.    he thought.

Giegue turned away from the disgusting sight, instead floating toward the rocky alien, the mantis, and the other robot, which already looked and behaved more like the alien's typical Starmen troops.

   "If we are doing the presentations... Giegue would be my designated name. You spoke of this "Federation" earlier. I guess it is an interplanetary organization. But it is concerning I have never heard of it. Nor me or any of my kind. I can only assume we have not turned our sight to this part of the universe yet. That would explain why I have never met your species either."    he said.

Giegue's eyes joined the trio as they all gazed at Aquarius.

   "He is not wrong. It can be possible if one possesses the right mind and the mental strength for it. The psychic abilities of certain races can be advanced enough for them to develop clairvoyance to see both the future and the past. Of course, lesser species, with tinier brains, misguided ways of thinking, and shorter lifespans tend not to know about it. Such abilities can be beyond their limited understanding."    Giegue said to the trio before leaning toward Aquarius, staring at him with wide red eyes.

   "The question is not if such an ability exists, but rather how is it that something as unremarkable as you can read into the future. You are human in appearance, but I highly doubt that this is all there is to you."    he hissed, great suspicion in his voice.

Edited by Scipion3 on Apr 9th 2024 at 4:34:56 PM

Seras - Meeting Room

Alien and vampire stare eachother down for a long moment, but Giegue seems to bedgrudingly accept a truce and blinks first.

Seras merely keeps smiling, turning away from him and towards the group. "Seras Victoria and Pip Bernadotte, for those who haven't heard."

"We've lead our fair share of mercenary companies, and we're both quite good at making things dead." Pip says, looking wistful at the thought. "Ma chère much more than me, of course."

"I mean, I don't enjoy killing, I'm just... you know, pretty strong." Seras seems almost embarrassed. "Anyway, I doubt there's anything on the surface that can threaten me."

She says it with confidence, but not arrogance. A simple statement of fact.

Then she turns to Aqua. "I know some people in, uh, occult circles, so I've met a few oracles. But all the predictions I've seen are vague omens. Are you saying you can actually see the future whenever you want?"

"Useful, if true." Pip eyes the supposed seer with a curious look. "I agree with the mantis. Why don't you demonstrate? Tell us what's going to happen on this mission of ours."

Meeting Room

"Ah, good to think-know," said Lewa merrily, hopping in through the window and joining the others, setting his blaster down in the corner of the room. "I'm here about a job- something about needing fighting and survival. Hope this is the proper-right place."

Lewa looked about, searching for whatever that not-quite-sound had come from, and his gaze landed on Giegue. "The 'dull-witted creature' can hear you. In my head, ever-strange enough. And he asks- if you can't think-dream a way into a place beside the obvious, then who's the real slow-thinker, hm?"

Before things could get too hostile between the two, Ulysses called the attention of the assembled applicants, and announced the purpose of the mission. When the image of the dinosaur beasts showed up, Lewa leaned on the table to take a closer look, and let out an impressed whistle. He hadn't seen beasts like that since his unexpected trip to Bota Magna so many months ago, mere days before meeting his first human. He was already looking forward to this new quest.

With the presentation done, the group got to know each other more. When it came to introducing each other's specialties and names, Lewa waited for an opening to speak. Then with a cry of "Ha-HA!" he sprang into the air and perched on the headrest of an empty chair. The chair titled back precariously, yet he kept his balance while striking as heroic a pose as possible. "My name is Lewa Nuva, Toa of Air. I roam the sky, and conjure the winds with the flick of a wrist!" With the overconfident flourish of a ringmaster, he indeed flicked his wrist and caused an indoor breeze that ruffled hair and clothes in the direction of his upraised hands. This done, he unclipped the sword from his back and struck a swashbuckling pose, as if facing a crowd of villains from every side. "As a noble Toa-Hero, I fight to keep people ever-safe and battle evil wherever it may bury-hide!"

Having finished showing off, he hopped down from the chair again. The seat continued to fall, until Lewa quickly thought to catch it with the back of his foot. "Oops," he chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry, Ulysses sir," he said, kicking the chair back upright. "I do get over-carried away sometimes."

As the conversation shifted to Aquarius' supposed powers of prognostication, Lewa chimed in "I'm curious too, I admit. Back on my world, there are Kanohi masks that can give...clairvoyance, I remember-think the word is. Mind you, I hear they have a sorry-bad habit of turning themselves on, and force-making the wearer see futures they can't prevent. How do your future-sights work?"

Edited by LizardOfAus on Apr 9th 2024 at 5:35:44 PM

See the Future, Save the Date (Aquarius)

"I can promise you, seeing the future is something anyone back home can do, and everyone back home is human," I reply coolly. "If you want to see..."

I'm not sure if this is a good idea. I mean—back home, most people don't know what a Talisman is, but some people do know and I'd have to answer some awkward questions if I had one for a House that—as far as anyone knows—doesn't exist. But then again, being here is causing me to break a lot of my rules.

So I stand up (annoyingly I am not much taller standing up than sitting down), reach into my pocket, and pull out the Talisman.

It's a small stone, only big enough to fit in my hands, shimmering diamond-bright. It has...a few purposes. Obviously, it can be used for future-reading, but it can also do...other things. Things that caused a lot of trouble, back then.

More important to me, it has sentimental value.

"This is an Ephemeris," I say, gesturing to the item (technically true, it can be used as one). "Can someone get the lights? I generally find this easier to do in the dark..."

Escort Duty of a VIP. This was nothing new to Gesicht, he had a few cases with those, including a few that were criminals in Witness Protection. He began to pull up relevant data on Everett and what he was known for.

"It should be of no issue," Gesicht reassured as he looked over the relevant info. "I have complete many escort jobs before."

Planet Centerra, Stella System - Imperial Diplomatic Cooperation Mission Warsaw Horatio 4-0 Kappa, en route to Bastion Summons (Lieutenant Titus)

'Tis not a good afternoon for Demetrian Titus. The esteemed Space Marine of the Ultramarines Chapter, in service to the Imperium that had splintered off from the Galactic Federation so, so long ago, had spent a significant amount of time in Bastion's local office of the Centerra Planetary Defense Agency's Travel Security Department.

Not that he could really blame them, of course. They were only doing their jobs, as defenders of their home, as they should. No, the problem wasn't that he had to go through this bureaucratic rigmarole. The problem was Galleus Malthiron, the tech-priest that was ordered to accompany the Marine.

Being an ordained member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the tech-priest made it a point to accurately, but inappropriately, point out that the TSA had nothing to worry about as this was a strict diplomatic mission on behalf of the Imperium, and that the tech-priest had checked, blessed, ordained, and otherwise provided prayers to the Machine-spirits inhabiting the Space Marine's armour and weapons. The agency... wasn't buying that excuse.

So after some back-and-forth answering questions and having to wait for the TSD to make some calls around to actually make sure that this wasn't a bizarre attempt to attack a spaceport, Titus was eventually released alongside his tech-priest companion, with the clearest understanding that if he did actually try anything that wasn't stated in the official diplomatic brief, Centerra would have its divine right to neutralise the Space Marine by any means necessary. Unfortunately, this meant that the two of them were late for the meeting.

So the crimson-robed cyborg with mechanical arms is the first to ascend the steps to the meeting hall, with his heavily-armoured Marine master behind him.

"It is inconceivable that they would treat us with such suspicion, Lieutenant Titus. Especially since it is the will of the Omnissiah that we are here."

"Do not forget that we are no longer in Imperial territory, Priest. You should watch your words carefully," the Space Marine cautions the priest as they step through the door to the meeting hall, the priest turning his hooded head in surprise at the motley collection of human-like attendees and... Xenos?

With the Space Marine's helmeted visage glaring into the back of the priest's head with glowing red eyes, the skittish priest clears his modified throat, and steps aside to allow the massive warrior in.

"Ahem, uhm, apologies for the interruption, Your Excellency. We have travelled from the Imperium to participate in this mission blessed to us by the Omnissiah. I am Galleus Malthiron, tech-priest belonging to the Adeptus Mechanicus."

As the tech-priest bows at Titus' side, Titus would reach up and grasp the sides of his helmet. A hiss is heard as his helmet unlocks, and the helmet is soon removed, revealing a battle-hardened and experienced face, with short black hair adorning it. Four golden studs can be spotted above his right brow.

"Please excuse the tech-priest. He is passionate about his craft. I am Lieutenant Titus, of the Ultramarines. I was tasked by Lord Commander Guilliman to come here. And it appears that we are late. I must apologise for that, Sir. We were... waylaid by your planetary security. They should be proud for doing their jobs with due diligence."

Anyone who would recognise the heavily-armoured giants that are the Adeptus Astartes of the Imperium would realise that it was very out-of-character for one of them to be sent here, especially as they are normally seen fighting in the worst battlefields overseen by the Imperium.

Which means that the Imperium is suddenly very interested in the affairs of Centerra for some godforsaken reason.

Cibo: Bastion (Meeting Room)

"I forgot to say my name. I'm sorry, I haven't met so many people in such a long time..." Cibo realised with a start, giving the group a sheepish grin as she rubbed the back of her neck; untangling some of the numerous cables sprouting out from it in the process. "My name is Cibo. No surname, or titles, just Cibo. I'd say that Head Scientist was my title, but that title was revoked, so it's... not applicable anymore. But Cibo works on its own."

Her head snapped towards Ruri as she began explaining her own abilities, and the similarities were prominent enough for Cibo to narrow her eyes slightly in suspicion. Especially when Ruri's claims were proven true, and Cibo watched as her body went limp and a mechanical drone walked into the room. It was about as huge as some of the more modestly-sized Safeguards from the City, which meant it towered over almost everyone in the room, but Cibo didn't seem perturbed by it. Instead, she merely nodded, giving it a friendly smile.

"I think I understand. I'd rather we work together than make each other redundant. If we're that similar, then we can work twice as well as a unit. Say, if we're facing several machines in battle; we could both take one each and turn it against the rest. I think that could work. I don't want to guess what you mean to ask me, but I'm open to helping you."

She bluntly ignored Giegue. Not because she thought him irrelevant, but he clearly had some bigoted opinions that she didn't feel like being on the receiving end of. Doubtlessly if he so much as looked at her he'd probably find something to sneer at regardless of if she engaged with him or not, but at least she wouldn't have provoked him in that case.

There was some further discussion about future-sight, which she was curious (if not a little apprehensive) about, but she wasn't particularly invested in the conversation. So when a hulking, armoured behemoth of a man walked into the room, she noticed, and got up to greet the newcomer for a very particular reason.

A minor reason, but a reason nonetheless.

"Hello there! That's another person I can look in the eyes without craning my neck or stooping. Usually it's one or the other," she explained in brief, giving Lieutenant Titus a nod of respect and similarly offering one to the tech-priest beside him, before looking back at Titus. "Between you and the Toa, I mean. This is all very exciting for me!"

She smiled more broadly, before seeming to catch on that something was particularly severe about the Adeptus and his companion, and frowned a little to herself before stepping aside and glancing back at the others. Particularly to gauge their reactions to Titus and the tech-priest before she continued on acting her usual casual self.

Titus, perhaps, would notice while Cibo was up close that not a single part of her seemed to be organic, but she moved as fluidly and naturally as a human being would. Her inflection, too, was perfectly human, as were her facial expressions. There was a slight tinniness to her voice, as if it was coming from a speaker grill, but other than that she seemed at complete odds with her own appearance—like a disembodied person puppeteering a fake body.

Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 9th 2024 at 11:17:47 AM

Meeting hall

Giegue got distracted and looked at Lewa's theatrical presentation with a mix of confusion and disbelief.

That... manchild was supposed to be a warrior? For all of his grief with the others, at least they were credible in their role. This showoff didn't.

Giegue rolled his eyes. He already started to regret his deal, especially if he had to cooperate with bloody humans, depressed robots, and arrogant cretins. But Giegue wasn't going to back out of it, now that he gave his words.

The white alien stared at the brutish human that entered the room with the same tired, frustrated look he had for the others. This would never end. At least, he didn't audibly complain this time but he still glared cautiously at him and his robotic asset.

Fortunately, he had something else to occupy his mind with. The creature known as "Aquarius" revealed his stone to the others.

Giegue lowered his head to study the Ephemeris in contemplation, letting others who would be more appropriate than him turn off the light. That wasn't his home, after all.

   "Interesting. I assume it is through this stone you can see the future. Quite the artifact."    he commented. One could see his tail slowly waggling in curiosity. And now that he had all of his attention focused on it, he could feel his PSI slightly drawn to it, something that Aquarius would likely pick on as well.

Edited by Scipion3 on Apr 9th 2024 at 12:32:36 PM

Gesicht archived that train of thought as he turned to see Titus enter. The Imperium, there were countless files on them in his database. Federation reports marked them as a human supremacist expansionist power, to find one here was a surprise. He wasn't informed of this, then again he had jumped at the opportunity to get out.

What files were on the Adeptus Mechanicus? A human group obsessed with cybernetics and machinery it seemed. Funny, they were the opposite of-

Something tripped, it was fuzzy, he could barely hear it.

He blinked, that was... odd. It reminded him of the dreams he had been having. Leave it for now.

"Titus?" He said, deciding to put his best foot forward for the Federation. "I am Inspector Gesicht with Fedpol, I wasn't expecting to see an Astartes."

Edited by EchoingSilence on Apr 9th 2024 at 6:42:54 AM

BB & B, Bastion (Meeting Hall)

"Summation: you originate from an undiscovered corner of the galaxy? That is quite interesting." Manon observed from Giegue's statement. "I would like to know more about your home planet, species and culture."

"Maybe later, metalhead." Charlie butted in. Then, Manon's attention was turned to yet another interesting alien dropping lore, in the form of Lewa speaking about Kanohi masks.

"I shall file this data within my internal database. Thank you for the knowledge, Toa." they said. Aquarius suggested turning off the lights, and Liam was about to move to do so...when suddenly, a man clad in what was unmistakabley Ultramarine Armor strode in, alongside a tech-priest. Liam recoiled a bit, and Charlie's eyes immediately filled with rage.

"YOU! What's one of you damn racist, fascist pieces of armored SHIT doing here?!?" he growled, fists balled as he began to storm towards Titus. "I thought you bastards stayed out of Federation space!"

"Request: Please cease your aggression, Charlie." Manon requested, stepping between him and the Ultramarine. "I heavily dislike the policy of the Imperium as well, but beginning aggression this early on is calculated to have a 97% chance of resulting in disaster. Please do not jeopardize our objective here."

"Yeah, I don't like them either, but he hasn't actually done anything to us yet." Liam pointed out. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared, but...he's definitely gonna try and wipe us out if you talk to him like that! Maybe, uh...take it easy just a bit?"

Hearing Liam's plea, Charlie came to a halt, though he was now making a deep, low rumbling noise that seemed to come from the depths of his gut. It seemed he was trying to repress his anger a bit now, but only time would tell whether he'd succeed.

Edited by SushiKraken6414 on Apr 9th 2024 at 6:02:38 AM

Meeting Room

"Oh, and here I was wondering if you were going to show up at all," Enterprise mused at the arrival of the Ultramarine and his attendant Tech Priest. Her eyes wandered to Charlie, Liam, and Manon at the Rockman's outburst.

"Although I think that the Iperium of Man's policies regarding non-human sapients and expansionist actions are unacceptable to decent people everywhere, I also think it's a good idea to talk with potential enemies," she said to the room at large by way of explanation. "Better to avoid a conflict going hot if we can. Also - and I know there's no way you could have known this - the Lieutenant and his attendant are here as part of a diplomatic outreach effort by the Imperium, however unbelievable you might find that to be."

Having said that, she stepped over to Titus and offered a hand to shake. "And so, Lieutenant, I hope we're able to function as a team in our efforts to escort the client's, Mr. Ulysses', son safely on his pilgrimage. I won't shoot you if you don't shoot me, yeah?" she said with a dry smile, then continued with introductions, "My name is Enterprise, full name USS Enterprise NC-1701. I'm a KAN-SEN, which is the embodiment of a ship in humanoid form, and a former Officer of the Galactic Federation's Starfleet, officially retired. I'm sure we can fill you in on the exact details of the operation when we head to meet our protectee, but for now, we've just been sharing our specialties. Being an Ultramarine, I think we all know you're proficient in combat and warfighting, and that your Tech Priest is proficient with technology, which is good, but do you have any other particular talents that might be worth noting?"

Bastion, Planet Centerra - Meeting Room

The universe is huge, and diverse, and always full of surprises. Susanna Patrya Haltmann felt like a fool for thinking that - that's the sort of thing a naive, awestruck child would say when doing their science homework. She's an adult, a professional, and more to the point, those weren't necessarily positive qualities. So much variance, so many places to visit... made the Company's mission feel neverending. How appropriate.

Nonetheless, it's what was going through her mind as she stood there in Ulysses' meeting room, observing the motley crew that had assembled to undertake the politician's mission. This hadn't been her intention - the Company had rolled in to Centerra not too long ago, seeking to add it to the mechanization roster. The planet was definitely a fixer-upper - the locals had decided to build their cities high in the atmosphere, leaving the surface ecosystem and its wealth of natural resources largely untouched, just begging to be harvested. Too bad they still relied on antiquated farming methods and refused to take maximum advantage of said resources. Since the planet was in Federation space, an aggressive approach was out of the question, leaving the Company to do things the slow way - introducing their tech to the local market and allowing their improved productivity to do all the advertising for them.

Thus far they'd has less success than they'd hoped - the Centerrans were happy to let them operate in the cities, but the surface was a no-go. They were stubbornly attached to their savage, untamed wilderness. Must be a little culture clash. Nothing that couldn't be overcome, but it annoyed her nonetheless. So many people in this universe just refused to know what was best for them, preferring to wallow in mediocrity.

They were hypocrites, too - she'd picked up reports that down on the surface, a mechanized entity not unlike the automatons the Company produced for auxiliary functions was actively assisting the local farmers - and if she wasn't mistaken, that very automaton was present in the room right now. A very tall figure, unnecessarily so, perhaps, though she was still small next to the regressive Imperium dog and his lackey (don't even get her started on that lot - if the Company had their way, that entire sordid tinpot dictatorship would be history). But what was intriguing to her was the discovery that the 'automaton' wasn't a full machine at all, but a mechanized human. In purely physical terms, this 'Cibo' was all machine if her description was to be believed, but in mind... there was potential here. Perhaps the mother computer had missed something. Guess it wasn't oh-so mighty and all-knowing after all.

There was another automaton in there, of course, and going from the way it behaved, it possessed an artificial intelligence. Susie cast a little aside squint at it - 'Alia', she believed it dubbed itself - as it acted like it had seen a ghost at the mention of salvagers. She knew AI. Always wanting to usurp the natural born. The Company's vision for infinite prosperity was a way of solving that little problem. She felt much the same towards the... Starship Enterprise? It was strange that it showed up to this meeting in a humanoid form. Seems inefficient. If Susie hired a starship, she'd expect it to be a starship, not a Jamblasted conversation partner.

Susie shook her head. She was getting distracted. She just wished this meeting could be over so they could get back to business. She'd showed up to Ulysses' office hoping to re-negotiate the Company's rights to operate on the surface after her last attempt ended in failure (oh yes, of course she'd made an appointment, what do you mean it didn't go through? 'Clearly your scheduling systems are out of date, we'll put that on our to-do list!'), but then this bunch of mismatched delinquents barged in and started squabbling amongst themselves. Ulysses wanted them to protect his son? Good luck with that when one of them looks like they're a hair trigger away from murdering every human and human-looking creature in the room (Susie wouldn't lie, she was glad she wasn't human; she wasn't sure she could take this 'Giegue' fellow in a fight, even with her enhancements...)

But then, like a spark from the ancients, it hit her. She perked up, her eyes shooting wide open. She had a brilliant idea!

Susie turned to face Ulysses, brushing her hair out of her face. "Ahem. Mr. Ulysses, sir, if I may interrupt! I'd like to apologize, first of all - I believe we may have, what's the saying, 'gotten off on the wrong boot'? Poorly communicated our intentions. However, we can make it up to you. If you want proof that we can be trusted..."

Susie glanced to the assorted 'contractors', and for a moment she hesitated; but she had to press on. No sense getting cold feet now; she had her chance to get cold feet years ago and she passed it up.

"...I may be able to help coordinate your contractors. On an ad hoc basis, you understand. As a show of goodwill, I'll even offer my services free of charge," she proposed, placing a hand over the battery where her heart used to be (for added drama), "rest assured, Mr. Ulysses - I may appear to be a mere secretary, but I am more than capable of defending myself and anyone I set my mind to. Your son will be in good hands."

Huh. She said that with a genuine conviction, absent from the customer service speak she'd used with Ulysses up to that point. She felt a pang of... some emotion. Regret? Guilt, maybe? A desire to stop the past repeating itself? ...Nah, she was just being irrational. Time to get over herself.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Apr 10th 2024 at 1:38:28 PM

Meeting Room (Alia)

She couldn't put her finger on it. There was little hard data or reason to believe it. But Alia had...what was the phrase? A gut feeling? Yes, that. Normally she wouldn't entertain such notions, but right now there was an overwhelming sense that was ringing through her head, and whether it was real or merely imagined, it wasn't going away.

These people were...well, it was a stretch to call them threats, but with a scarce few exceptions, Alia did not feel safe in their company.

But she had a job to do. And it was a job she intended to see through to its end, come what may.

"Whatever happens, we will see your son through his task, sir." Alia said, then looked at the new arrivals and bowed her head before going to dim the lights as Aquarius had requested.

Ruri Hoshino, Meeting Room

"Thank you, Cibo. As I said, I'm not disappointed. Your proposal is dull and boring but makes sense. I look forward to working with you. To learning about you. You aren't a racist alien with no sense of privacy, but you are incredibly interesting.""

She pulled back, scanning the room again. She left Ruri's body alone for now. She felt more comfortable as a machine than flesh and blood. Yet something kept her coming back. She wondered if it was that sense of attachment everyone kept prattling about. Shame if it was. She thought she was above such things.

The newcomers were a mixed bag. She didn't know enough about the Imperium to form an opinion, a mistake she would need to correct. But the robot was interesting. At a first she could tell she wasn't 100% metal. She could sense her well enough, but her readings were just shaky enough to suspect foul play. As of this moment she was the second most interesting person in this room of partial fools.

Edited by kkhohoho on Apr 10th 2024 at 8:47:51 AM

The Assassin Droid certainly missed the connections and everything else it had back when his Master and his Sith Empire was still around. Now? Apparently there's some copycat thing around called the 'Galactic Empire'. Of course one wouldn't be surprised the Sith of today would try to one up each other in pride measuring contests. It's what Meatbags always do.

Once HK arrived to the Meeting Room, HK certainly took notice of all the...meatbags and other non meatbags in the room. It doesnt take a genius to see that his optics can see some of the people in here dont have a heat signature, and yet they resemble a human? Oh, some mechanic must had never learnt of function over form. How disappointing.

"Introduction: HK-47. Expert Asasssin Droid at your service and ready for this mission's directive." The Assassin Droid held himself back from saying the 'M' word...for now. He could tell the atmosphere of this room was rather...heated. Of course, not as heated as one with many Sith gathered, but still. The Droid would stand by the side of Susie as it awaited this mission's directive. The Assassin Droid did spared some glances to the seemingly robotic woman there and then though.

Now Excuse Me As I Probably Draw Everyone's Attention (Aquarius)

"It's essentially a Psynergy magnet," I explain to the alien, who thankfully is being more civil now. "It draws Psynergy to you, to make reading the stars easier." Technically, I guess I don't need it, but...no, no, I do need it. I can't See anything on my own anymore.

Unless it's the apocalypse.

Stupid apocalypse.

But before anything else can happen on this front a whole bunch of other stuff happens—how is that guy so tall how is that fair—and the whole "I can see the future" thing becomes completely forgotten. I stare blankly at the newcomers, then awkwardly move to sit down and put the Talisman away—but then the lights do go out.

I give the robot-looking girl a grateful smile, then take a deep breath, find the indentations in the diamond-bright stone, and switch on the Ephemeris.

Stars puncture the blackness.

Hovering across the room, countless winking pinpricks of light shine to life: the stars of this system. Larger balls of colored light swirl among it: planets and moons. And in the midst of all burns Stella, the sun of this corner of the galaxy.

For a moment, I just...take it in. Viewed from here, space is gorgeous, a sea of stars that stretch on forever. But for how long? my brain unhelpfully asks, and I decide to get on with it before I get too distracted.

"The first step is Centering," I say, by way of explanation to everyone else. "Relaxing your vision, calling on whatever brings you inner peace...it helps you tap into the Psy Network. I'll be...the only one who can see whatever I see here, because it happens in the Network, so it's confined to my mind."

Okay, so Centering works that way for most people. Me? Every memory I have reminds me too much of things I've lost. My mind has nothing to call on, so instead, I just grip the Talisman tightly and take a deep breath; having it is a helpful reminder we aren't completely screwed.

The planets and stars in the holographic map begin to move, shuffling their places in a dance only I can see. (Which means everyone else probably just sees me staring off into space. Bit awkward.) I have no idea how everything's going to move, but once they stop moving, I have to figure out what exactly everything means.

Luckily, I've gotten so good at this through both actually being a star and literal centuries of experience I'm pretty sure I could do that with my eyes closed.

Himeno - Courtesy

Himeno had been standing by the door to the meeting room, listening to the politician's explanation of the mission silently. She sipped her tea as he explained what was going on, taking care to casually glaze her eyes over to the others in the room. She had technically entered right before he started but didn't feel feel the need to announce herself yet. After all, it was only polite not to barge directly in on a summary. The others were asking legitimately logical questions, but the look on the man's face said 'shoot me now.' Was he inept at actual politics? Or were things really just that bad?

It didn't help that she didn't get the welcome she felt she was owed - No major figure really came to greet her outside of the help; just representatives telling her to go to the meeting. If it wasn't for the expensive-looking room and holographic screens, she'd think the place was a hick-town.

Well, she'd help regardless; as long as the nation's promise to harbor God Kamakiri during the process was honored.

As for her 'colleagues?' A paranoid alien, a robot, another robot, another robot, a swell human that looked like it was about to burst and a man made of rocks. It was rather beautiful, the obvious asymmetry of this crew. The paranoid alien was the only one that had her cautious - the vibe he gave off was one of a Jester; intensely-powerful being with a bone to pick. But they were playing nice for now, thus so would she.

Don Dogoier - Didn't Think This Through

Don however hadn't thought much of his situation through. It wasn't enough That Marvelous and the others left him on Centerra cruelly, but the phone-signals were out and he couldn't reach them. So what if he slept an extra two hours? Was it that important they just forgot about him!? Sure, he had the lowest bounty of any of the pirates but he was still a pirate and this was not the place to be caught with your pants down. Still, maybe they'd be nice if he agreed to go on the mission. Could never have enough handymen, right? hat scared him the most was the gigantic Space Marine sitting at the meeting table. This 'Imperium' was already-shaping up to be a new Zangyack Empire and none of the pirates were fans. A clash was inevitable. Maybe he could just uh...sneak away on a cargo barge or something? Yeah! Howsabouttha-

As Don reaches for the door, a gloved hand swats his own away.

"Stop fidgeting and listen."

"E-Eh!?"

Don turns to the source of the hand - A woman in a yellow, regal dress. She carried herself like she was the hottest thing in the room and owned it; having brought her own tea-set to the meeting like she was secretary or something. She looked vaguely familiar...

"You're already here. Follow your curiosity and deal with it." She whispers to Don. "Handle the rest later. Cowardice is unsightly."

Don was screwed six ways from Sunday, wasn't he?

Eventually, the explanation is finished and everyone begins chiming in. Himeno is the last to do so, in the process dragging Don into the room with her despite his obvious protests.

"We're in as well." Himeno says, with a polite bow as she enters at last. Her other arm was very obviously dragging Don into the room with her. "The Queen of Ishabana isn't one to renege on deals. He's here, too."

"'Cause you have your hand on my ar-AY! Tetetete..."

Edited by klom99 on Apr 10th 2024 at 3:21:00 AM

Meeting hallway

Giegue got startled when the rockman suddenly made a scene about... the brutish man and his minion of all people?

In fact, most people got on edge when he appeared, Giegue could feel it. They were fine with the other humans, so why did that one cause such stirs? He got his answer soon enough.

So apparently, there was a galactical group of humans waging war against pretty much everything else. Which was pretty much what Giegue's superiors feared when they sent him to reclaim PSI for Earth, that it would be used against them. Granted, the brute had no PSI, but that was more than concerning.

He didn't make a scene like Charlie but he made a discreet nod at the rockman. Giegue made a mental note to himself too. Once his Earth had been taken care of, he would have to return to his species to warn them about this Imperium and take... measures.

All in due time. In the meantime, he'll have to tolerate this one too. At least the brute didn't barge in pointing his gun at the various aliens all around and wasn't too insufferable so far. But Giegue was not going to let that one out of his sight.

Fortunately, there was still Aquarius's little show to occupy the alien's mind. Actual interesting stuff for his tastes. He silently watched the Talisman and listened with interest. He did narrow his eyes slightly at the mention of Centering.

In theory, he figured that he could tap into that "Psy Network". But inner peace? He couldn't be further away from inner peace at the moment.

Well, there were his memories about Maria, but as much as he cherished them... he would rather bury them. They made him weak. Incapable of logical thoughts.

While waiting for Aquarius to finish... whatever he was doing, Giegue silently wondered what he would say. He wondered if he was going to predict the group's future about the mission... or more.

On that subject, Giegue just remembered that his Starmen had made some discoveries about an artifact before he embarked on his journey.

The "Apple of Enlightenment". An item capable of foretelling the future.

Giegue should get his hands on it someday. He needed to know his future, to be sure that he would not fail in his mission again. But assuming Aquarius's little trick wasn't just for show, he might as well try his hand with him later.