To The Stars

In an unknown time, in a galaxy full of mysteries, surprises and dangers...

Bastion, Capital of The Planet Centerra, Third Planet of the Stella System

The request had been sent out on the galactic extranet, a request for "reputable space travelers" to gather in a meeting hall on Centerra, designated campaign headquarters for a very wealthy politician identified as "Ulysses." The nature of the job was unclear - it was indicated that survival skills, combat experience and navigational aptitude would be helpful for this particular venture.

Ulysses stands in one corner of the large meeting room, checking his watch. Of course, it was still five minutes before his "contractors" were to arrive, but still. There were important matters at stake here, not the least of which the future of his family and career.

{I at least hope I don't get a bunch of lunatics hoping for some quick credits and an easy job.}

He looks out the window, surveying the very familiar city of Bastion he'd lived in for the past two decades. Like nearly every other settlement on Centerra, it had been built atop a floating, disk-shaped platform suspended high above the planet's surface. A layer of clouds largely obscured the view of the surface below, largely untamed save for farmland and the occasional hunting ground. Centerrans had moved off the surface long ago, and they preferred things up here, thank you very much. As the richest planet and seat of power in this system, they enjoyed a comfortable way of life. Few other planets in the galaxy, let alone Stella specifically, could boast that they would jet to the other side of the planet in a saucer-shaped craft, enjoy dinner at sunset in one city, then fly back to watch as Stella rose again back home.

{It's the simple things that keep you going, really.}

This being an election year certainly wasn't helping his mood, especially given the Herculean task he now had to safely facilitate or risk his family's name getting dragged through the proverbial mud until Election Day. He spared another glance out the window at a billboard bearing his face.

[Ulysses for Galactic Senate!]

{...For the love of Stella, that's not a flattering picture.}

With four minutes left until his stated arrival time, Ulysses takes a seat at one end of a long conference table. Mahogany, of course, from the planet of Malchior 7, where trees are 300 feet tall and breathe fire. The finest of materials, of course.

{No turning back now. Let's see what kind of maniacs actually answered this job listing. Just as long as we don't get too many synthetics. I don't need too many of their kind running around.}

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Apr 7th 2024 at 4:59:36 AM

Stranger in a Strange Land (Aquarius)

When I think of home, I think of the Zodiac. I see twelve constellations, teeming with life and culture, each vibrant and unique from their neighbors. I see people who found planets devoid of any sentient life, and made it their home. I see my little corner of the galaxy, and despite...everything, I can't help but feel a spark of warmth at it.

It's these thoughts that keep me busy as the ship I'm in glides smoothly into a landing port, one in a star system I've never been to before. My hand rests on the window as I stare off at the clouds. I've never been this far from home before, and even though it's for a good cause, it's...nerve-wracking.

I almost laugh. Nerve-wracking. Like I'm a kid staying overnight at a friend's for the first time. Come on. Pull yourself together. Lives are at stake. The thought tears any desire to laugh away, and I look at the people around me. Maybe not their lives specifically, but this whole galaxy is living on borrowed time.

Because of you.

Yeah, thanks, brain, real considerate.

By now, the ship has slowed to a stop, and a female voice announces over the intercom, "Bastion, Centerra, Stella." The doors open, and passengers start filing out into the spaceport. I stand up, quickly pat my pockets to make sure the Talisman is still there—it is—and head out into the port.

Okay. Here we are. Now we just...need somewhere to start.

Okay, so maybe I have no idea what I'm doing. It's fine! I've got a plan, I just haven't...invented it yet, is all. Okay. Someone must know something about the Dark Matter, and more importantly, how to stop it.

If I wander the city enough, I have to find that person eventually, right?

Holy Helios I am so lost.

I should've gotten a map. I swear, I've turned onto this street five times by now, is this a city or the labyrinth of Theseus? I barely suppress a groan as I walk, feet starting to ache.

An all-too-familiar hopelessness starts to creep in. Why did I think this would be a good idea? I've made no progress back in the Zodiac, I sure as hell won't make any here. This is just sort of my thing, isn't it? Coming up with terrible plans and then being shocked when they don't work—

No. No. Too early for that line of thinking. Maybe I just...need a break. Get my thoughts together.

I stop, take a breath, and look around. The only nearby place is a meeting hall, but it's...probably not being used right now, right? Or, well, I hope it isn't. Sometimes, hope is all we have. (Which is an oddly profound statement about wanting to take a break from wandering a city.)

Mentally shrugging my shoulders, I head up the stairs to the front door and push it open.

...

Oh. Someone's there.

"Uh," I say, staring at the man, "am I interrupting something?"

Cibo: Bastion (Meeting Hall)

Out of all the worlds that Cibo had visited since her first steps outside of the City, Centerra was among her favourites in terms of its infrastructure. Floating settlements that left the surface behind were frankly ingenious inventions, for as long as they functioned, and she respected the dedication to such an idea. She adored the notion so much that she had once even modified her feet to be able to grip onto sheer surfaces, purely so that she could walk off the edge of a settlement platform and look at the world below from an upside-down angle.

Of course, this counted as tresspassing and she was often warned to leave before she got herself killed, but the times she got away with it would stick in her memory forever. For now, she had removed those modifications, but kept them in her (metaphorical) back pocket in case she ever needed to recreate them in a pinch.

Past inventions aside, she had intercepted the request to meet in Bastion while she was busy helping some farmers out in a field down below, and she'd hitched a ride from the nearest scheduled transport up to Bastion as soon as she could. She hadn't seen it since she'd first arrived on Centerra, so she was filled with all the wonderment that she possibly could have. Of course, it didn't match the scale of the City, but the City was so vast as to be meaningless, and to think that this city was built by people in a normal way was incredible to imagine.

Despite her enthusiastic thoughts, her facial expression remained neutral and unreadable, and as she neared the campaign headquarters where the meeting was going to take place, she came across as more robotic than she truly was to the passers-by. But she didn't mind this—or, rather, she'd given up on constantly trying to clarify that she was actually human. People would think what they thought, and if they weren't inclined to listen then she didn't have to engage with them. They probably wouldn't be that interesting anyway.

She was soon walking up the steps of the building, and after explaining her business to any security at the door, she headed towards the meeting-room itself. There was already someone there who had just opened the doors, petite and of short stature, who she was careful not to startle as she budged past with her tall and lanky form and slipped into the meeting room with a faint but awkward grin on her face. She was nervous now, but she quickly moved towards one of the seats at the table and sat herself down. She looked tall even then, since her body was so long, and she shifted awkwardly in her seat before glancing between Ulysses and Aquarius.

"Hey. I answered the call," she eventually said to Ulysses, before giving Aquarius a short wave and smiling at him a little more easily. "I'm guessing you did too? I'm Cibo. It's nice to meet you."

Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 7th 2024 at 10:58:12 AM

Bastion Landing Pad -> Meeting Hall (Alia)

The landing port, unsurprisingly, saw many passenger ships throughout its schedule, and stepping off of one was a human-looking woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing red armor with a black leotard of sorts beneath it. With no obvious luggage on her, she had her hands free to pay the toll and make her way towards the building she was set to meet her client in, one 'Ulysses'.

It was a good thing she'd come somewhat early, as it gave her time to get her thoughts in order. The big one on her mind at the moment was if doing this was a good idea at all. The money would be helpful, yes, and it would give her something to do besides aimlessly drift from planet to planet, but there was always the chance that something could go wrong. Someone might recognize her, or there might be a crisis, or...no. No. She was already inside the building, riding the elevator towards one of the upper floors. It was too late to consider the idea of turning back.

("I am many things. But I am not a coward.")

Stepping off of the elevator, the woman took notice of an open door, and after seeing that it was a meeting hall, she stepped inside, slipping past the first few arrivals to give them some space as she stood at attention.

Edited by Bored_Man on Apr 11th 2024 at 11:25:17 AM

Seras

We're here. Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.

Pip's voice rouses her from sleep, popping out of her 'sleeping pod' (read: coffin) with a yawn. Her ship - an old, rickety thing at least partially held together with her shadow, barely large enough for her and her few belongings.

Lazily, she phases through the walls of the ship rather than waste time with the door. A few people give her odd looks for that, but compared to the many strange people in space, it's hardly worth a second glance.

The sun is still out, here, but fortunately the meeting is inside. While it doesn't really hurt her anymore, bright light makes her skin itch. In her unbeating heart, she still has the instinct to hide in darkness.

Pip materializes from her shadow as she makes her way to the meeting room, appearing so naturally that an onlooker wouldn't notice how it was impossible for a man a head taller than her to hide behind her.

"You certainly pick interesting contracts, Seras." Pip muses. "With how vague it was, I'd bet ten-to-one there's something illegal going on."

"Or it was just a private matter and he didn't want to post details." Seras replies. "Really, must you think the worst of people?"

"One of us has to be the sour pragmatist. And you're a bit too soft for that role, ma belle." Pip grinned at her. She stuck out her tongue at him, and he responded with a chuckle and a kiss on her cheek.

They reached the meeting room just in time to see a young man standing in front of it, holding the door open and staring at an older man and a very tall lady.

"You are here for the mercenary job, yeah?" Pip asks the dumbfounded young man. "That, I'd assume, is the client."

"Technically he didn't say it was mercenary work; they needed engineers and navigators as well as combatants." Seras clarifies. Pip holds the door open wider so Seras can slip past, allowing the young man in as well if he so chooses.

"Any good fighting force needs people to fix and pilot the ship." Pip says, as they enter. "And Lord knows you and I aren't the best at that."

"I hit an asteroid one time-" Seras begins, then stops herself and exhales deeply. "Ahem. Anyway, hello sir! I'm Seras Victoria, and this is my partner."

"Pip Bernadotte." He greets.

"We're here about the job you posted. This is the right meeting hall, yes?"

Boulders and Blades (And A Bot Of A Sort), Bastion

"Look, no offense or anything Blades, you know I trust you, but...do we really have to show up so early for this?" Charlie the Rockman grunted as he followed closely behind his companion, a 5 foot 8 praying mantis in a Federation uniform.

"We want to make a good first impression, right Boulders? Prove that we got what it takes? Well, this'll be a good start!" Liam asserted, picking up the pace even more than he already was, making Charlie have to struggle a bit to keep up. The metal flooring of the street below clanged against his four pattering Mantis feet, but not as much as it did for Charlie, whose footsteps shook the ground like a miniature hyper-localized earthquake.

"Conclusion: he is correct." An Engi at the two's side agreed, speeding up as well, though you wouldn't guess they were in a hurry just by looking at them. Their body language was very neutral, and it was pretty damn hard to read someone who had a glowing green screen for a face. "Out of all possible times of arrival, the ones calculated to have the highest chance of bringing an abnormally favorable outcome are within the time-frame we are currently attempting to occupy."

"Well, if you say so." Charlie muttered, crossing his arms. "But I still don't trust this 'Ulysses' guy. From what I've heard, he makes a lot of big promises, and doesn't go through with half of them. Typical politician." That last sentence was spat out with clear bitterness and venom. "They're hardly any better than religious men."

"Nevertheless, helping him would be ultimately advantageous to us." Manon asserted.

"And we said we wouldn't turn down a person in need! Right, Boulders?" Liam added, slowing down for a moment to look towards Charlie. The Rockman sighed.

"Yeah..." he agreed. "You're right, Blades. But...that doesn't mean I have to like it."

The three of them ascended a set of stairs, and came to a set of double doors with a sign reading "MEETING HALL" above them.

"Observation: We have arrived at our destination." Manon said, coming to a stop. "Are we still at a consensus agreement of entry?"

"Yeah! We're going in." Liam replied with a nod, and Charlie hummed in agreement as he made a similar motion.

"Then it is decided. Possibility of rejecting job offer: less than 1%." Manon concluded, and thrust open the doors. As the three of them entered, Liam waved in greeting to Ulysses.

"Uhhhhh...hey there!" he said as he took his seat, Charlie sitting to his left and Manon taking a seat by his right. "We're here for the escort offer. Along with..." he paused as he scanned the room, taking on the others that had already arrived. "All these other people, I'd assume?"

Standing in the meeting hall was a man around 182 centimeters, who weighed roughly 120 kilos all together. He wore a simple brown suit, adjusting his tie as he observed the room, his blue eyes observing everything. His face was a bit of a scowl and yet it was not directed at anyone, more just lost in thought.

"Inspector Gesicht with Fedpol, I was sent to assist," he responded to Ulysses, standing up straight. It wasn't entirely wrong, he was here on Federation orders, but as per usual he was to be left to his own devices in problem solving.

Something Tells Me This is Going to Escalate (Aquarius)

My attention is drawn away from the man at the front and to—

Wait.

I double, then triple take because am I seeing this correctly?—apparently, I am, and I stare at the girl who's just entered with my mouth hanging open.

I am not tall. I am aware of this, as much as I do not like it, and often design my regenerations to be taller because let me have some pettiness, okay? (I'm not doing that now, because...I dunno, nostalgia, I guess. Even I don't understand how I think sometimes.) But before...well, everything, I knew Ophiuchus, and he towered over most people, me especially.

I'm mentioning all of this because I think this girl is taller than Ophiuchus was.

Holy Helios.

For several moments, all I can do is stare, hands absently moving in some futile attempt to compare our heights because how is she so tall that is not fair— and then I'm suddenly aware of what's happening.

This is a meeting.

One I am not involved in.

One everyone here thinks I am involved in.

"I...may have gotten lost," I slowly say, pulling my social mask on. "I'm unsure if this is the right place or not..."

Technically true. The best kind of true.

Meeting hall

A lone, unremarkable UFO was floating all alone in Centerra's direction.

Inside of it, however, there was no life form, not even a robot. Aside from the different machinery of the ship, there was nothing.

Nothing but a strange capsule isolated from everything, shrouded in shadows. A creature was inside, floating inside the liquid, not moving an inch, in a fetal position. It had long cat-like ears, a slender, tail body, and a long tail tangled up around his body.

Ever since he left his army, the alien had lost any notions of time. He wasn't sure anymore if it was days, months, or even years since his defeat back on Earth. But he didn't care. He needed time away from everything. He needed to be alone, to focus, to center his mind, and to work on controlling his growing power. To get rid of that... human weakness he had.

It still hurt.

No matter how Giegue tried to push the memories away, they wouldn't fade. Again, he would see himself standing in front of three human children, including that boy, Ninten, his foster parents' descendants.

Traitor... Just like George. Giegue thought, feeling the anger boiling within him. And then he saw the scene happening again.

Giegue, his eyes still shut, moaned and clutched his head. No matter how hard he tried to, no matter how hard he tried to rip it apart, he could not forget. As he reminisced once more about his failure, the room he was in started to shake on its own, some stasis pods also present in said room started to compress or outright shatter. Even the area started to feel... wrong, somehow.

That song.

That accursed song. It still hurt him. Why did it hurt?

He had them. Their pathetic powers were no match for his. He was a master of PSI, even among his race. These puny human insects were nothing to him. And yet, SOMEHOW, these bugs knew about the lullaby he once cherished as a child, when she was caring for him. Giegue saw himself ruthlessly attacking the three children with PSI attacks beyond their comprehension. He saw them badly hurt, but getting up and continuing to sing. He saw himself growing more and more frustrated and anguished. He could even hear himself screaming, then begging.

"Stop singing."

"Stop singing!"

"You puny little Earth bugs! Shut up, and STOP singing!!"

"STOP IT!! STOP THAT SONG!"

"Stop... PLEEEASE, STOP!!!"

   "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!"   

BAM!!!

Giegue jolted awake from his flashback with a startled scream as the entire ship shook violently as it collided with something, opening his red eyes and looking frantically around himself. Immediately as he awoke, the disturbing atmosphere had vanished.

Giegue panted, trying to calm himself down. After a series of deep breaths, he regained his composure.

In an instant, the white alien turned off his capsule and exited it, eerily floating toward a maintenance computer with stern, cold eyes. His frown only deepened at what he saw.

His UFO had crashed. He must have lost control during his flashback. By sheer absolute luck, it had violently landed on the landing platform near, without touching any of the ships already there, or any people for that matter.

Giegue then wrote something on the computer, allowing him to briefly look outside. To his dismay, he had landed on a planet with sapient lifeforms. But he was unable to recognize the landscape.

That was probably some backwater world with some lesser species on it.

Giegue was very reluctant to exit. He wanted nothing to do with whatever primitive creatures were there. He wanted to be left alone on his quest for more power. But he didn't have a choice, he couldn't just wait for his UFO to repair itself. He had to leave and... interact.

The quicker it would be the better. Giegue figured out he could find some idiot to brainwash and have them repair his ship before leaving again. He'll just have to find them.

Thus, people would see a strange, white alien exiting the crashed UFO, floating on his own, looking tired and a bit lost. Clueless, and ignoring their attempts to talk with him, he entered the nearest building he saw.

Still reeling from his "little" breakdown from earlier, he didn't notice the people around him even inside. The only exception was a Centerran worker who bumped into him, but Giegue completely ignored him, not even looking at him.

And that was a good thing because he would have probably tried to fry him and anyone else that would dare standing in his way if he was in a normal mood

Eventually, by complete accident, Giegue stumbled into the meeting hall, inviting himself like a certain other person. Obviously, the others would have likely seen him coming already from miles away with the earlier crash and how much of a stir the out of place alien had caused. Giegue glanced at each and every one of the people here with a strange mix of curiosity and contempt. He did look slightly more curiously at Liam's trio, having never seen their species before.

For what reasons those lifeforms were here, who they were, or what status they had, he did not know, and he did not give a flying crap.

"Ahem! I hate to interrupt whatever that is you are doing, but does any of you creatures know how to repair a ship? I need assistance for-" Giegue coldly asked, straight to the point.

It was then that he finally noticed something wrong. Most of the creatures inside looked like... humans. Either they were robots shaped like ones, or they seemed like actuals...

His eyes widened in a mix of horror and anger.

That couldn't be right. No, that shouldn't be right. What were earthlings doing here?? No, this had to be a mistake. Thankfully, Giegue didn't do anything reckless yet.

"M-My apologies... But you... some of you... Are you... humans? From Earth?" he said, his voice shaking lightly.

Edited by Scipion3 on Apr 7th 2024 at 1:13:40 PM

To The Stars, Episode 1 — I Am Not a Kid

It has been roughly two years since we were separated from the Nadesico. To say it has been a struggle would be an understatement. If I wasn't so sure of myself, my continued existence would only be explained by luck. I do not feel abandoned or alone. If I did, I would be bawling like a scared little kid. Which I am not. If they haven't come for me already it's not because they don't care.

I've kept myself busy as I make my way home. In this corner of the universe, hackers and computer specialists are in high demand. Not every world has the same standard of living as Earth, if you could call it a standard. The novelty of a ship jockey being so young has only given me further appeal. I'll probably be sucked into a black hole tomorrow, but I hope to get in touch with Nergal before that happens.

Today I am visiting Planet Centerra. It's possible this backwater hole will allow me to achieve my goals, but I strongly doubt it. I've made another contract in exchange for currency, but if this planet doesn't have a long-range relay station I may be in the mood to punch something.

Ruri Hoshino — Meeting Hall

As everyone strolled in, a young girl with silver pigtails sat in the corner. Her mouth was open and drooling, arms hanging inches off the ground, sitting still with a thousand yard stare. If they didn't know better they'd swear she wasn't there. In a way that was true, but it wasn't in her interests to tell them.

A pink drone stood near the doorway, almost a statue. It was tall and strong, stiff and and motionless, no will of its own. As vacant as the girl it belonged to.

Edited by kkhohoho on Apr 7th 2024 at 8:21:29 AM

Boulders Blades and Bot, Bastion (Meeting Hall)

As he looked at everyone around, Liam reacted to Aquarius' claim of potentially being lost.

"Oh! Well, uh...where is it you were trying to get to? If it isn't here, maybe we can help you find it!"

Then, the strange white alien entered, which immediately drew all three newcomers' attention. Charlie glowered at the being, while Liam had an expression of visible awe. Manon was as unreadable as ever, but he was also the first to speak, turning his head towards Charlie and Liam and speaking in a lower volume than usual.

"Calculations indicate that this being is likely the pilot of the crashed spaceship we spotted on our way to this location." he assessed. "They do not appear to match the characteristics of any known species in the Engi database. I suggest we-"

However, they were interrupted by Giegue's question of the assembled squad's humanity.

"I-" Liam piped up for just a fraction of a second, then paused and went silent. He knew he was a Mantis now, but sometimes he still acted as a human on instinct. He wondered how long it was going to take before that stopped happening, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted it to stay or whether he wanted it gone.

"Don't look at me. I'm no dirty stinking human." Charlie replied to the alien's query.

Cibo: Bastion (Meeting Hall)

More newcomers entered, as varied as could be, which Cibo was always fascinated by. She took mental notes of everyone who came in, though she decided not to overwhelm them by trying to talk to everyone at once. She did notice Aquarius acting seemingly confounded about the height difference between him and herself, which she found herself amused by. Apparently, though, he was lost? Which was strange, this felt like a very specific place to get lost.

"Well, it should be the right place to meet about the escort mission, if that's what you mean," she said to him. "If that's not why you're here, well... you could probably just slip out if you don't want to stick around. I'm sure nobody'll mind."

Her attention was then taken by the strange white alien entering the meeting hall, seemingly regarding them all with disdain and perhaps mild intrigue. Cibo frowned at this, especially when she heard a voice in her mind, which she grimaced at and squirmed while she resisted the urge to consider it an intrusion of privacy. Besides, what was being said was fascinating to her, so she tried to focus on that aspect instead.

"I'm a human. From... from Earth," confirmed the seven-foot tall, sillicon-faced, white-haired, wide-eyed, and mechanical-bodied being with absolutely no visible organic components whatsoever in her form. "Or at least, that's where humans were from originally. But you could say that I'm from a... space station. A station surrounding Earth. So we're not exactly the same, but it doesn't make too much difference to me."

She even had cables sprouting from the sides of her head connecting down to her neck, which also crept visibly onto her cheeks. Every single thing about her screamed 'not human' despite the fact she spoke naturally and seemed to truly believe she was.

"Oh, and I'm definitely not stinky or dirty, thank-you-very-much," she remarked to Charlie, giving him the evil eye and not even seeming to blink at the fact that he was a Rockman.

Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 7th 2024 at 12:37:07 PM

This Can Only End So Well (Aquarius)

"Well—"

The door opens again, revealing a, uh...

Well, it's definitely something. "White cat alien thing" is the best way I can describe it. I stare at it, the earlier question forgotten, unsure of how to react.

And then he asks if we're humans.

Okay, so I'm not. But I really don't like the way he asked that.

"If you have a problem with that, you may go," I say coolly. "If you have a problem with that and are going to act on it, I will inform you that almost everyone here is armed and assembled for a mission involving combat."

Myself excluded, but no one here has any way of knowing that.

Bastion Meeting Hall (Alia)

"Try to rein in your tempers, please, this isn't the time for arguing." Alia said, trying to sound more confident than she really felt. Something about the newcomers, especially the white one, set her on edge, and yet she couldn't identify why. And she couldn't just leave. So the only thing she could do right now was try to defuse tensions before the situation spiraled out of control.

At least she wasn't the only machine lifeform here. Though as Alia looked between Cibo and Inspector Gesicht, she couldn't help but wonder who had designed them. They certainly didn't look like any Reploids she'd ever seen.

Edited by Bored_Man on Apr 9th 2024 at 6:22:09 AM

Seras - Meeting Room

It was quite the motley collection they had assembled here. Seras takes note of each one, sweeping her gaze across them and offering a small smile, fangs slightly poking over her lips. She could hide them, but the sheer number of genetically modified people and human offshoots running around meant she didn't really stand out all that much.

The white alien, however, did stand out. Anyone would, after a crash like that, but this creature in particular... it carries itself much like the kind of things she'd frequently killed in the past.

"No, I'm Frankenstein's Monster." Pip replies sardonically, rolling his one visible eye.

Compared to some of the others, Seras and Pip probably don't register high on the creature's threat list; two relatively normal people in mercenary chic, not visibly armed, one a short woman with a cute smile, the other a tall man in an eyepatch and cowboy hat.

Seras tenses slightly, clearly ready to move if the creature starts anything. Her left arm twitches, the pentagram inscribed on the back of her glove glowing red for the briefest of moments. "Humans tend to get around." She says. Notably, she doesn't say whether or not she is one.

"Yes, we're stubborn animals like that." Pip adds, pulling a toothpick from his pocket and putting it to his lips to chew on. It's obvious he'd prefer to be smoking. "We don't bite, though. As long as you play nice."

There's a subtle threat, there, but Pip sells the line with a smile.

Meeting Hall

A woman with very long, white hair, clad in a white uniform with a Federation Starfleet badge - that particular badge and attire combination marked her as a retired officer, for anyone in the know - rose from her seat at Giegue's questioning and stepped over on feet that were snugly contained in a pair of asymmetrical boots - one black with buckles, the other a large brown cowboy boot.

"Hello there, Sir. I'm Enterprise, former officer of the Galactic Federation Starfleet. I may look like a human, but I'm a kind of being known as a KAN-SEN, a ship transformed into human-like form," she explained gently and carefully with a small, sympathetic smile, looking up to try to meet the eyes of the significantly taller white alien. "You've probably had some bad experiences with humans in the past, but don't worry! You have nothing to fear from us, as long as you don't go around hurting anyone, and I doubt you want to do that. You're only looking for a way to repair your ship, right? I saw you crash outside just now. Were you hurt at all? If so, we might be able to get you medical attention..."

Edited by darksidevoid on Apr 8th 2024 at 3:19:40 PM

BB & B, Bastion (Meeting Hall)

"You sure about that? You don't look human to me." Charlie responded to Cibo. "You look more like Manon over here. Metal and stuff." He gestured to his Engi companion. Speaking of Manon, they turned to look directly at Cibo.

"Query: what is your nature?" they asked the seven foot tall metal woman. "You claim to be human, yet your personality is your only human characteristic. You are not a typical organic lifeform, nor are you an Engi. My best guess would be that you are robotic, but I have never encountered an intelligent android which claims to be human. I would like to clarify the situation."

Then, Enterprise spoke up, and Charlie, Liam and Manon's heads all swiveled towards her simultaneously.

"Wait wait wait...ENTERPRISE? Ship in human form...you're that Enterprise?" Liam practically yelped, voice rising an octave in shock and amazement. "But...that's amazing! I heard all sorts of tales and stories about you growing up...I can't believe you're here!"

"Is she kind of a big deal or something?" Charlie asked his comrade, curious.

"She-"

"Answer: USS Enterprise NCC-1701 has done many good deeds over a vast period of time, and has greatly aided the Federation in diplomatic matters, as well as serving as an extremely effective method of transportation." Manon replied, beating him to the punch. "Her presence here is...intriguing to me. I would like to speak to her alone when the chance presents itself."

Ruri Hoshino — Meeting Room

Suddenly she sat to attention. She wouldn't say where she'd gone. It wasn't these idiots' business to know, but she'd been vaguely aware of their presence. She glanced around, calm as ever, but was pleasantly pleased. Most humans were idiots, but there was barely a single human in this room. Robots, other robots, even aliens. The pale anomaly was worth further study for certain. Perhaps there was hope for this universe yet.

But it was the USS she was most interested in. She was good with ships. She'd been raised to be good with ships. If she wasn't good with ships then what was even her purpose? But the USS was something special. She stood up, holding out her hand to shake, stiff and rigid. Even as a human she spoke with less energy and inflection than the robots, but couldn't care less.

"Greetings. I am Ruri Hoshino, former operator of the Nadesico. You do not know me, but I know you. It's an honour to meet someone who isn't an idiot."

She hoped this went well. Meeting the USS was worth it in itself, but it was one of the best ships in the universe. Maybe she could get home! It was worth a shot.

Edited by kkhohoho on Apr 7th 2024 at 11:07:58 AM

Meeting Hall

At this moment, when everyone's attention was focused on the bizarre menagerie forming at the entrance, there came a knock at the window. Yes, the window. Just outside, many feet off the ground, there was now a very tall, green-and-grey, mechanical-looking figure in a standing position right outside the window. A large black cannon-thing was held in one hand by his side, a sword was clipped to his back, and with one hand he'd just knocked at the window, and was now giving a little, pleasant wave.

So far today, Lewa Nuva had been having a whale of a time. Ever since touchdown at the spaceport, he'd been enraptured by the very idea of where he was- a city in the skies. Not even perched on top of some colossal stalactite like one of his last adventures, but free-floating in the clouds, right up there in the atmosphere. Sure, it was all cold steel and concrete buildings- no matter how tall and majestic, nothing beat the rainforest in his book. But from the moment he got off the ferry, and found a storage facility to stash his belongings, Lewa could hardly wait to get a real look at it all.

After a few minutes wandering about, taking in the hubbub of the city itself, Lewa wound his way to the brink of the city, and with a running jump, flung himself straight off. Right on cue, his armour shifted into Phantoka form, specialised for flying through the open air. As soon as the jet engines at his shoulders kicked into gear, it was nothing but smooth sailing through the clear blue skies. If Toa could smile, there was a great big one under his mask as he took in a full 360-degree view of the city. Then he was diving below the cloudline to check out what kept the city afloat. He took in a good view of the surface below while he was at it too- nothing but pastoral farmlands and rugged, untouched wilderness as far as the eye could see. No nasty swampland here, no sir! Lewa wished he could go down and explore it properly. But today, he was a Toa on a mission, and what kind of Toa-Hero blows off a call for help just to muck around?

After spending a moment longer running his fingers through the clouds, Lewa had ascended to the skyline (so to speak) and shifted his jets down into low gear as he re-entered the city. He figured he'd have better luck at finding the place from a bird's-eye-view, not to mention more fun. So he ducked and weaved his way through the skyscrapers, scanning the streets below, with the extranet request and address of the meeting hall on the right of his head-up display. Finally, he found the place, or what seemed like it, and decided to ignore the main entrance to make a memorable entrance of his own.

So now, here he was: perched on what precious little window ledge there was on the outside by his tiptoes, kept in place only by a combination of his natural balance and a concentration of his elemental air powers. The updraft he was conjuring up pushed against his back to keep him in place, and he did his best to keep the Skyblaster in his hand at a neutral position. The heavy thing wasn't exactly helping his balance, and he wished he knew how to 'unequip' and fizzle it away whenever he liked. Nonetheless, he waved to the people inside, trying to come off as casual and friendly as he could.

Cibo: Bastion (Meeting Hall)

"I'm... human. I just said so," Cibo repeated as she looked at Manon, a note of irritation in her voice at this point. "Where I'm from, everyone's like this. If you think of humans as being only organic, then you'd be saying that all the humans I've ever met weren't actually human. Which isn't true, because we were all born. It's what separates us from things like Sillicon Creatures. Those are born from synthetic materials, not like us."

She shrugged a little, gesturing vaguely to her form.

"I just died, that's all. But I have backups. Can't quit working just because I get atomised, can I? But if you still say I'm not human to my face, I'm gonna be insulted. Like a human would."

She shrugged it off as she looked away from them, evidently eager to leave that conversation behind, and she instead found herself looking at the self-proclaimed Enterprise who claimed to be a ship in human form. Her mind faulted for a moment at this, and she almost gaped at the woman before glancing back at Charlie and Manon with a pointed look.

"...Okay. If she's a ship, then I'm a human. Now-"

She heard a knock on the window, and looked over to see a mechanical being of identical height to her waving from outside. Blinking at this, she got up out of her seat and walked over to the window; giving a sheepish 'Sorry' to Ulysses as she walked past his end of the table, having only just remembered he was even there. That aside, she waved back at Lewa Nuva as she reached the window, and after searching for the latch, pulled it open as wide as she could to allow the mechanical creature entrance into the room.

"Welcome," she said, a faint smile on her face as she politely moved aside to let him pass. "It's hectic in here at the moment, but there's still room. You haven't missed anything important."

Edited by Enirboreh on Apr 8th 2024 at 11:36:41 AM

Meeting Hall

Still acting as if he was threatened, Giegue turned toward Cibo, Sera, and Pip with wide frantic eyes. It was as if he had become a completely different person from the cold, somewhat jerkish alien that first burst into the room. The fact that two of them were dressed normally did not help, in fact, it just made things worse.

Giegue had fallen to normal children, after all.

He raised his hand toward them and for a moment, he looked like he was about to do... something, when he suddenly stopped and dropped his hand down.

Fortunately, the alien still had morals and positive thoughts, as much as he was trying to bury them. A small part of him told him, begged him even to not do anything reckless, that no one here wanted to harm him. Giegue took some deep breaths, calming himself down.

Come to think of it, he couldn't feel a trace of PSI on anyone here. However those people got here, they had not used his people's abilities, which was all the more strange. PSI was the reason why that accursed race had developed so quickly in less than a century.

It reassured him. Just a tiny bit.

"Yes, they are. Stinky, dirty, ugly, and idiotic creatures. They are worse than ants, considering they were able to replicate so quickly outside of their home planet." Giegue snapped at Cibo's remark, bitterness in his voice, still in an incredibly irritated mood despite his efforts, shaking his head. At least, he acknowledged the Enterprise's presence by looking down at her. He did raise a curious eyebrow when she revealed her nature as a manifestation of a ship but didn't comment on it.

"I am fine, machine. I feel sorry your creator had to choose such disgusting forms for you and the other robots here. Hopefully, you have not adopted those bugs's state of mind." Giegue grunted, before realizing there was an actual bug inside the room. His ear twitched.

"And before you ask, no, I mean no offense to you, praying mantis... or whatever it is your species is called." the white alien muttered a bit awkwardly to Liam. He then stared at Pip and Seras, visibly already fed up by their insolence. He was about to say something when he stopped as he noticed the fangs poking over her lips.

In a flash, Giegue had disappeared, and he reappeared, his face inches away from Sera's, his body floating upside down in a weird, otherwordly manner, arms folded, his eyes unreadable. His eyes glanced to the teeth, his long tail slowly waving in the air.

Not that that was done out of ill will, but the alien didn't have the same notion of personal space as the others.

"I assume that assistant of yours meant that little remark literally. What long canines you have. Far sharper than most humans, even though you share their physique. Teeth designed for killing and tearing apart flesh. And the feelings I have by just looking at you... You reek of earthling flesh, but I can tell you are more than that. Fascinating... it reminds me of a certain human mythos. And yet I thought these creatures lived in old castles and were weak to the light of day. A noteworthy evolution, I assume... How strange that I have not met one like you before." Giegue loudly muttered to himself, slowly flying in a circle pattern around Seras. It was as if he was.. analyzing her?

Giegue finally backed away, his "nerdy" side vanishing as suddenly as it manifested. Regaining his cold demeanor, he glared at the duo.

"Very well. I will try to... sigh tolerate your presence. But I know how your kind work and think. I will keep an eye on you as well, mark my words." he warned.

Taking a long sigh, Giegue's tail coiled around in a springboard-like manner, as the alien took a sitting pose, floating in the air.

Then people spoke of a "Galactic Federation", USS Enterprise, which Giegue guessed was the "ship" he had been talking to, and other nonsense. But Giegue had absolutely no clues about what they were talking about, nor what the other silent human bug and the Mantis suddenly got interested in.

"You would be correct, machine. I had an... unfortunate accident. As I said, I am not harmed, but it would seem my UFO requires repair. I seem to recall that silver-haired humanoid over here speaking of a military mission. I assume this is why most of you people are here, aside from him. Out of curiosity, may I ask what it is? " Giegue said to Enterprise. He didn't add anything else. Not just because it would likely be embarrassing and personal to reveal he was in the middle of a mental breakdown, but he couldn't let them know or ask too many questions.

Giegue briefly glanced at yet another creature who showed up. Clearly not a human this time, but yet another biomechanical thing. That did little to improve his sour mood, however. In fact he even started to feel crowded, wrapping his arms around his legs and his ears occasionally twitching.

"That dull-witted creature must have never heard of doors..." Giegue muttered, letting Cibo open the window and the newcomer enter the room.

Just this one time, though. Gigue hoped that people would stop barging in. As soon as Lewa Nuva got in, Giegue stared at the window and made a small gesture with his hand. Then the window closed itself on its own.

Edited by Scipion3 on Apr 8th 2024 at 1:23:52 PM

Meeting Hall (Alia)

Even before the white creature had finished speaking, Alia had already come to a conclusion regarding what she thought of the current state of affairs.

She didn't like him. At all.

So, because she was unable to say anything nice, the Reploid chose to keep her silence, and instead looked towards everyone else in the room, including the being that had just come in through the window. This was...certainly a varied group. That much was obvious.

"At this rate, our client is going to call the whole thing off..."

Edited by Bored_Man on Apr 9th 2024 at 6:22:52 AM

Campaign Headquarters, Bastion

Among all of this going on, Ulysses has evidently poured himself a glass of scotch from a rather old-looking bottle, taking a sip before answering anybody.

"...Yes, this is for the job listing. More of a turnout than I'd expected, but that's..."

He spares a glance at the clearly-confused Aqua and Giegue.

"...fine...before I continue, I'll remind everyone here that xenophobia has no place on this planet. Thank you. With that out of the way...this is an escort job."

He takes another sip at witnessing even more of Giegue's blatant racism.

"...Though I'm beginning to second-guess this arrangement, you seem to be my best hope here. So I'll get to the point."

He presses a symbol on the edge of the conference table, the lights dimming as a hologram of the system's sun materializes in the center of the room.

"We Centerrans worship our sun, Stella, as our creator. She gives the light that grows our food, the heat that makes our planet habitable, her gravity keeps our world from hurtling into the Void."

In a lot of places, the mention of a "void" would be a figure of speech. In this system, however, as close to the galactic core as it is, it takes on a deeper meaning. The Void is a supermassive black hole located in the center of the galaxy. Its mere existence makes space travel more perilous than it should be, as FTL jumps need to be calculated around the thing rather than past it, for fear of getting sucked in and lost forever.

"Our people have a...rite of passage, I suppose most cultures would call it. When we come of age, we venture down to the surface with minimal supplies, acquire a ship of our own and fly past the atmosphere to seek a message from Stella herself. In a way, adulthood on our planet starts with finding yourself at rock bottom and rising to the heavens."

He takes another sip, the hologram changing to depict the planet's surface. Silhouettes of large, scaled creatures roam across a savage wasteland, broken only by the occasional span of fenced-in farmland.

"Contrary to popular belief, it isn't complete savagery down there. Agriculture is the most common profession, but there's also a healthy population of salvagers, retrieving scrap that falls from the cities and selling it...for a price. I tell you all of this because of who you're escorting."

The image changes once more, now showing a young man bearing a striking resemblance to Ulysses himself.

"My son, Everett, had his birthday last week. To be recognized as an adult, he must complete his own journey on the surface. Obviously, failure would bring no small amount of shame to my family. But more importantly...I fear for his safety. By the time I was his age, I'd already had enough training from my father in the art of negotiation that I could talk my way into getting a ship within days. Everett...doesn't seem to have inherited my aptitude for it. The longer he stays down there, the higher the chance he'll come across something dangerous that he's not equipped to handle."

He presses the symbol again, dismissing the hologram and turning the lights back up to normal brightness.

"You take my son down to the surface, keep him safe, get him a ship, make sure he completes his trial. You do that, you get rewarded. The money I promised, ship repairs, some strings I could pull, anything within reason. Is your objective clear?"

He takes another sip.

{Stella help me, I'd better not regret this.}

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Apr 8th 2024 at 8:31:50 AM

Don't Hurt Yourself In Your Confusion (Aquarius)

Why is there a robot knocking on the window? Why is everyone so excited over a ship in human form? What even is a ship in human form? Does that have anything to do with a star in human form? Why is the alien so—

I sit down—hard—and give their—our? Am I part of this now?—employer a sympathetic smile. Just go with it, Aquarius. Just roll with the punches and everything will be fine. And those punches apparently involve whatever this is. Okay. Sure. I can do that.

The hologram blooms from the table, and I can't help but be impressed; holographic technology is ubiquitous back in the Zodiac, but from what I know of the wider galaxy, it's a lot less common outside it. Then the man whose name I don't know mentions Stella.

...huh. Another similarity to home. Granted, back home a lot of people think Helios is actually alive, which...I mean, if Helios was alive I think I would know.

My eyes go wide at the next hologram, though—if that's any indication, this place is a lot more dangerous than the Zodiac! Well, okay, Kythera excepted, but if this place was like Kythera then surface living would be impossible. Then it changes again, this time to a young man who looks a lot like the man whose name I don't know, and...

Ah. So that's the goal.

My face settles into a neutral mask as the holograms disappear, but my brain kicks into overdrive. I am not suited for this, I'm not even supposed to be here, by all means I should be apologizing for intruding and leaving the area. Who cares if I get lost again? Better than dying. Dying hurts, and I know that from experience.

But at the same time...

Anything?

"There actually is something I was hoping to acquire," I say, making my decision. I give the others a polite smile. "If this helps to get it, I will gladly work alongside all of you."

Seras - Meeting Room

Seras doesn't so much as flinch when Giegue gets up in her face. Even as he circles her, she stands casually, though her eyes follow him as he moves.

"If you know what vampires are, and you're still talking down to one, you must have balls of steel." Pip muses, sparing a brief glance down to the white creature's distinctly sexless body, then smirks. "Metaphorically."

"Play nice, Pip." Seras admonishes, echoing Pip's earlier words back at him. Her smile doesn't fade. "Most humans are good people. And stronger than you think. There are evil humans, of course, but those are few and far between. It's utterly foolish to hate a whole race because of the actions of one or two members. That kind of hatred only gives them reason to hate you in turn."

Her piece said, she turns to focus on the briefing. She considers the rite, humming in interest. "I'm assuming he has to get the ship down there, else you could just pay Miss Enterprise to ferry him. Even so, it doesn't seem too difficult."

(Privately, she's very thankful for the planet's cloud cover. It must be nice and dark down there.)

"What sort of potential threats are we looking at?" Pip questions. "I've heard there's not a lot of civilization below the clouds, so I'd guess we're on the lookout for wild animals, but anything else? Megafauna, raiders, pirates?"

None of those would be a threat to Seras, unless they happened to have heavy UV lights or blessed bullets, but it never hurts to be prepared.