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Post by πΈππππ on Aug 31, 2018 15:39:41 GMT -5
1324 words "Pirates... again." To put it in a few words, the resulting kerfuffle was chaotic. The Suzerain, however, remained calm in her observations. Sir V3 fought with some degree of inconsistency. Not necessarily in a way that caused detriment. Rather, more of an inconsistency in... character, if that made any sense. He was chaotic. Clumsy. Unpredictable. That was in a general sense of principles, the big picture. Strategies that could easily be taken as random instinctive action, or foolish attempts at tactical deployment. Perhaps the more correct description for all this was improvisation. This was all well and good, if somewhat undermined by what appeared to be naive assumptions about those he was dealing with. But the details of combat itself were precise, like a well-oiled machine. Well... his cogitators probably handled that department. He fought with superior man to man acumen. He was suited to that, one could say. But even if his plans seemed half-baked, or not particularly well thought out, he at least exercised a degree of creativity. If ever he decided to serve, she would make sure to hone that creativity. To sharpen it, and temper it with the proper assumptions of sentient personalities. Albarican policy in dealing with pirates was such that they assumed the worst of their enemies. Initial demands to surrender would be made. If no such thing occurred, they would engage in combat. For the most part, quarter was given in the event that they changed their minds, but those who did not, would taste the full might of the Albarican Armada's warships. The endless grind of its Armsmen. "I have no idea what he's doing, but it appears to be working," Captain Fawkes reported. Of course, this was the most obvious observation one might make. "The boarding party has reported that he has assisted in their retaking the tanker's bridge."Despite the ludicrous pirate attempt to use the tanker as a ram, V3 had managed to disconnect the two vessels. Apparently, sometime during his combative romp, he had somehow found the time to clear the tanker's top deck of pirate boarders, allowing the boarding party to liberate the bridge. Whether this was intentional, based on his observations of the boarding action, or a mere coincidence in his attempt to separate the tanker from the pirate ship, it was hard to tell. Mynia suspected it was something of a mixture of the two, leaning more toward the latter. She would have to ask him for the details of that later. And now, he was signalling them to open fire on the destroyer while he held off the irksomely persistent pirate captain from further interfering with the affair. Stranding the both of them down on a small nearby moon. The little pirate ship had deviated from its original course due to V3's interference with its propulsion system, which was impressive. Quick thinking coupled with instinct and desperation could become a powerful force when used properly. Nevertheless, while it was slightly off course, it was still headed in the general direction of the Eildon. Which meant it was as good as dead. "And now he is transmitting a signal to fire on the pirate craft." Fawkes took a moment to think this over. "I am the Captain, of course, but this vessel serves you. Personally, I agree with his sentiment. We should blast it into space dust.""Then follow your prerogative, Captain," the Suzerain went back to watching events unfold. "I expect my commanders to be able to make their own decisions. You will only defer to me when I issue orders of my own volition." While she concealed her own opinion, she was very much in agreement with what V3 was suggesting. "Interestingly enough, it appears he surely would have preferred a surrender." This should not have come as a surprise, given his earlier ploy, but even until the very end? He was either very noble, or very naive. "The transmission ends with 'I cannot save those men'.""A noble heart of steel," the Suzerain remarked to herself as she watched the approaching pirate ship. "One that I have never had the privilege of possessing." This Universe, it seemed, had not fallen to such lows as her own. There still existed people who could make such compassionate decisions. Meanwhile, she could not remember a day, since the early decades of the Ringless Tournament, that she did not have to sign some document that essentially served as the death warrant for a border world. Whether the defending fleet had to abandon it to retreat to a strategic position, or obliterate it to prevent an enemy from capturing it. The border worlds were countless from the very beginning, and the borders expanded to no end. It didn't matter if she signed a thousand everyday. There would always be more. "MegaLances are primed, Captain." the distorted voice of a bridge technician sounded over the holocomm. Fawkes' hologram looked to his left and nodded. "You may fire when ready."The light cruiser's bow rose at a slight angle as the warship realigned itself to match the incoming pirate craft. A massive array of cannons lining the bow began to power up, their muzzles glowing with a brilliant blue light. In the split second the pirate destroyer entered their reticles, the gunners fired. And in that brief moment, the heavens were filled with their blinding azure blaze. Half a dozen MegaLance cannons unleashed their fury, beams streaking through the inky blackness to ignite the pirate ship with enough energy to break continents apart. For the briefest of moments, that vessel became a bright young star in the sky, before fading into nothingness. Sir Grayvian was the next to report. "My Liege, Sir Connor has successfully corrected the tanker's course." It was entirely successful, then. In the distance, the tanker steered clear of the Eildon and instead turned, preparing to retake its place flying alongside the warship, instead of toward it. "The boarding party is now sweeping the vessel for any survivors. I do believe it is now all down to your guest, and the pirate Captain."Mynia nodded in acknowledgement of this report. So it was now all down to V3 to complete the task. The question was, was he up to it. "Prepare my shuttle.""Majesty?" Fawkes asked, confused. "I thought you wanted to observe, rather than intervene." "I do intend to observe... with my own two eyes." With this, she closed the transmission and began to walk to the nearest transporter. Understanding the implicit insistence that her shuttle be prepared, Fawkes gave the order. Soon, she would be descending to the moon to see how the Hero would finish his battle. "So, ye think just cuz ye foiled me plans, that this is over?" Captain Niptur the Gnarly laughed out loud. The broken down android before him couldn't possibly win, even though he was himself rather injured. "Haha, yer wrong! Crew is cheap. All I needs is a new ship, and once I shanghai enough noobs, I'll be back in business!"The pirate focused ki into his right hand, creating a small sphere and throwing it into the sky. It exploded into a bright light, a brand new false moon. "But first, I gotta get rid of a little fly that's been buzzin around me head!"His breathing grew ragged, and in a few moments, he began to change. Fur rapidly grew. His face contorted into a more bestial, simian appearance. Eyes turned red. His mass began to increase, and with it, he gained additional size and eight. Seven feet. Eight... ten... His growth wasn't stopping. It didn't take long before Captain Niptur the Gnarly bared his fangs and glowy red eyes with an eager snarl on his face. Now he was in a much better position to finish this. "YARRR, THIS BE A LOTTA FUN! ARE YE READY?!" The Great Ape Pirate opened up with an attempt to stomp his enemy underfoot.
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Post by MARK I on Sept 1, 2018 14:12:30 GMT -5
"Fuck." That is the first word that came into V3's head. The next one was something along of lines of "Oww!" As the giant monkey fist slammed him into the ground there was little he could do in his current position, besides hope for the best. Despite this he resolved to win, no matter what. He had, in the past, been in tighter spots than this and he refused to lose another fight so near to victory! "This will not end well" He said from within a crater beneath the earth as space dust and debris drifted in the air between them and around them. This was bad. The Saiyans power level was now much higher than he could handle.
"Raghh ahahhahaha!" Niptur laughed as he got onto a knee. "Why don't I make cha a deal sonny. I'll let ja live, but only so you can watch me kill all of ye pals up der. Now be a good barnacle and stay put bwahahaha. I be showin yee what real power lookin like!"
Niptur continued to laugh a low guttural laugh that he had now developed in his new, building sized form. It was a gross wet sounding kind of laugh, the type of laugh that you would expect to find if a frenzied crocodile could laugh, one that had been living in a downtown sewer for months gorging itself on rats and left over remnants of past meals. A disgusting type of laugh. an infecting and irritating kind of laugh that got past ones defenses. One that could not be escaped even if you covered your ears as once you've heard it once, it seemed to linger in the background of your mind. It was a laugh that followed you to bed every night. and rose with you in the mornings.
Niptur, the Gnarly walked the distance of a small city block in seconds. He felt amazing as he walked into a better firing position. The very air that he breathed in seemed to burn due to his immense power, but he loved every bit of it he was sure of it, this is what true power feels like. This is the power of a Saiyan!
It had been a long time, to long of a time since he had to use this form of his. His heart fibers had come alive with Raw power and energy, pulsating in his chest he could feel it burning, almost as if it was struggling to contain his own raw power. He could still feel his muscles aching and his limbs hurting from the previous engagement but all of that pain had now turned into a rush of energy and motivation for him. He did not care that he might have lost his crew he even stopped caring or thinking about the mission, why are we even here? He no longer knew or cared but he did know about his enemies and he could still see their ship. A menacing grin raced across his face as he watched most of his old crew get obliterated. "Aghhh Good riddance!!!" He roared towards there ship. "My power beyond all of you!!!!" He beat his home sized fist into his chest several times as he roared. "God! I feel great! ye hear me?! I have SO much power I can barely even contain it. I be the next legendary super Saiyan! I can just feel it! "Why don't we just make sure they're all dead!"
He opened his mouth wide to unleash a powerful beam of energy that would envelope the tanker in it's entirety. He felt amazing as he did so, he could imagine the shock and surprise on all of there faces. His mind reeled at the possibilites of what he could do with such power and of what he could do with that big ole ship they used against him. Once he was done with the tanker he would train his sights on the smaller vessel heading towards them.He shook in anticipation. "Avast ye fuuckers! Dis be yee end maties!!!"
As he opened his mouth and the beam of hot dark orange energy began to eject from his enormous snout something strange began to happen. It parted into several different directions, like his mouth was clogged or something? Some residual energy even went back into his own mouth rocking him backwards violently as he fell over onto his back. "What the fuck?!" He roared as he got up from his back and onto his feet.
V3 had intercepted his blast with his own body and a blast of defensive energy from his own palm accompanied him. The beam struggle only lasted a mere seconds, thankfully because the giant had been unprepared for it but now that he knew what was going on he was pissed.
V3 flew with his barrier cracking and falling a prat from the beam. He had prevented him from blasting his new friends and the pirates crew.
"You're sick!" V3 yelled! "You can't even sto..." In an instant he was swatted out of the air. The Captain was enraged and moving faster then V would have anticipated for his size and height. He raised his massive foot and began to stomp at the ground again where V3 laid seeming to raise and grow even larger in his rage.
"STAY! FUCKING! DOWN! YOU! IN! SIG! NI! FI! CANT! LI! TTLE! BITCH! YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME!!! I AM NIPTUR THE MOTHERFUCKING GNARLY! I HAVE KILLED HUNDREDS LIKE YOU! AND TONIGHT I WILL HAVE ME A NEW SHIP! A BIGGER FUCKING SHIP! ONE WORTHY ENOUGH FOR ME TO RAPE AND PILLAGE AND REST MY BIG FAT COCK WHENEVER, WHEREEVER, AND ON WHOEVER I WANT!"
His voice now boomed throughout the small asteroid sized satellite. Small creatures, reptilian like by the looks of them, on this space rock scurried across the surface as fast as they could, running away from him as he could be heard like an ever present raging storm throughout the eternity of this "planet". Some burrowed themselves into the ground other hissed in frustration and shook their tails at him.
As Niptur looked down into the hole he could see V3 still moving, raising onto his stump for a leg now and using his one arm to attempt to hold the captains weight over his head as he stomped.
"YOU SHANT BE FUCKING SERIOUS... ARGHHHHH!!!!! WHY WON'T YOU DIE!!!!" He shouted again as he began to raise his foot for one massive stomp.
V had done a few calculations during this entire engagement, though his new strategy was bunny's idea, he had agreed that it was worth trying out.
"Are you like sure this'll work?" "Yes" she replied matter of factly
"How to you know?" "It is simple math and arithmetic variables the captain obviously had not considered. We saw him use a capsule corp respiratory inhalator cap. In his regular state that means he would have about ten minutes worth of oxygen. He took a second one earlier but what he is not factoring in is that 1: It has been 12mins since your fight has begun and the two capsules do not stack. In other words the body can only go so long without air. 2) in his current state his body and lunges require much more air then they would normally and on top of that his heart rate his elevated due to several factors such as, battle, injuries, stress, both emotional, and psychical. By now the capsules have likely stopped working but he has not realized yet. All of these factors together will have a compounded effect on him. It is highly likely that when he does realize this it will be to late and based on the tactics I have observed from Lady Mynia, I doubt he will get another chance.
"wait wait wait a minute? He has? Asthma?!" "..Noo. I said arithmeti...Yes VE. He has asthma."
"Wow I would be impressed were he not such a scoundrel. Ok. Well if that is true than shouldn't he be starving for air right now or is asthma the one where he shakes and falls over when hes stressed. Maybe thats what those pills were for!?" "No and he does not quiet have Asthma. Basically This small rock appears to have it's very own atmosphere but it is poisonous, though its effects are not apparent at first."
"So what do we do to win?" "I recommend we kept avoiding his attacks and distracting him. A combination of guerrilla tactics followed by a strict policy of none engagemen..." "I got it! I am gonna hit him really hard!" "wha? N..." "In his eye!" "Ohh.. well That is at least a salvageable a start"
As the Goliath raised his foot this time V latched onto the bottom of his boot, hoping his opponent would not notice. When the massive foot came down V3 released with his one arm and placed his back to monster's heel. He extended his arm and leg and unleashed a powerful bolt of force so massive he feared he would tear the tiny "planet" apart with it. It was easier then he expected, due to the planets size the Space ape only weighed roughly a quarter of his original mass, the blast stopped his foot from coming down and eventually propelled him backward and onto his back, flat and solidly placed. As V3 rose higher and higher into the Air he looked down at the monster and lowered his glasses. "It's time for the big finale!!" A barrage of radiant energy unleashed from his eyes as they hurled through space and towards his opponents face and brow, hoping to tag him in both eyes so as to blind him severely
"I AM FUCKING DONE WITH YOU!" The captain cupped a ball of energy and hurled it sideways at V catching the android in its form and ending his attack early and abruptly.
" I BE FUCKING DONE WITH ALL OF Y..AGH...AAAHHGGG WHA?" The captain began to gasp for air, clutching at his throat as he redirected the blast towards the smaller craft heading their way.
Every inch and fiber of V's being ached as v hurled through the cold vacuum of unending space. the contrast of his backside freezing making his chest and arms burn even hotter as he raced across the heavens towards a small ship. Redirecting all power he had left into his shields he strained against the enormous ball of hot unyielding energy. Trying desperately and against all hope to do his best to redirect the massive ball of energy. Now straining from the pressure as bits and pieces of himself began to incinerate from the strain and heat. The scorch going as far as melting and frying even some of his internal components. The skin on his arm, leg and face began to peel off as he did so until eventually, his emergency energy reserves ran low. Warning codes and number flashed in his head, alarms started going off as he began to lose control of his body again. Bunny was taking over know, shutting him down and locking him in his own mind as she began to take over. He would have tried to resist he wanted to resist but at this point, all he could do was watch as she dominated his body. He would not have to watch for long as she began trying to upload memory files somewhere and to someone almost as if she were trying to save something. He could not tell, being locked out meant he was unable to depend on his subroutines, like the one that allowed him to read and write, since he could not do it on his own, one string of lines did seem familiar to him. Like a name, he had seen before but he had not the time to make it out as he was forced to sit and wait out the shutdown program initiate, another desperate attempt to save or preserve him he guessed.
"No! no bunny no! I can do it! I can do it! You gotta give me a chance you gotta!"
As his body laid pressed against the ball of energy, wholly powerful enough now to destroy a planet, everything within him began to burn as even the microscopic nanite within his bloodstream that would be in charge of repair and insulation began dying out. The last thing he would remember is the rush of energy that surrounded his body, which for the briefest moment allowed him to somehow regain control of himself. Forcing his one arm to bend and warp backwards he gathered the remainder of energy he could attempt to send a pulse of force towards the smaller vessel so that he could perhaps force them out of the way instead, crying out a desperate silent plea as he hurled through the vacuum of space.
He sensed His friend Mynia's power signature and with all his might he struggled one last time to slow the ball of massive power, not knowing whether or not it would be in vain as bunny shut him down to redirect all energy into defense mechanisms. She then sent out a single message to the planet earth. It was an encoded message but the code was rushed and not her best work. The message read Bio mechanical. Unification. Neural Network Yoctosecondary. B.U.N.N.Y " "Misson failed" Sent to Grandpa brown.
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In the isolated ice seas of antartica, far beneath the surface of the water, miles and miles below, a control panel began to light up. A single droid stood at this panel hovering over the single light as it flickered on and off. The droid stood ominously in the dark as it lowered its head slightly to peer at the flickering light. It's mechanized limbs, rusted and old began to slowly whir into action now. A light flashed in one of the driods eyes as he went to press a single button on the panel, which looked like an ancient piece of tech from world war two, some how now finding itself at the bottom of a cold, and unforgiving watery grave. The room it self was devoid of any water. It was a sealed room. Part of a greater series of rooms within a ship that had been laid here since before mankind.
The droid pressed the button and a prerecorded message could be hear throughout the room now it said, in mores code. "Bio mechanical. Unification. Neural Network Yoctosecondary. B.U.N.N.Y " "Misson failed" Sent to Grandpa brown." Upon completetion of the message the lights in the room all went out and the control panel burst and fell apart. The strange rusted droid then turned around walking to a large metallic door, sealed in by pressured locks, and extreme cold temperature. It was not a well maintained room and the bot had but one purpose, a purpose someone had forgotten all about but would soon have to be reminded.
The android ran a quick calculation and determined it would not be able to pry the door open, the electric system in this particular room also no longer worked. Raising one finger he ignited a tiny arch reactor which began to burn away at the ancient and strange metal the door was made out of. Again by it's own calculations it would take approximate one hundred and sixty seven years, 4 months, two weeks, and 6 days to complete its task. This was however, unacceptable. Reaching into his chest space he pulled out a tiny bronze orb which came alive as he touched it, legs and little mechanical arms sprouting from its spherical body. Opening the center compartment the droid reached into his own head and pulled out his eye. Placing it within the center compartment of this tiny droid. once this was done the little one whizzed back wards to the very opposite end of the room and stood by.
The larger droid now reached into his center space again and produced his own core reactor. Placing it on the center of the door and setting up a timer for 6o seconds. His mechanical heart began to rev now and charge, pulling all residual energy from the area into himself. The droid then stood there in place as the seconds ticked down, un moving, it just remained there. For the last seconds it decided to turn and face its spherical friend, without a word being said it tilted its head 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, .....beep beep KAWBOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!
The door blasted apart into as many directions as possible, eviscerating the droid with it, metallic bits falling and turning into ash before they hit the ground. The entire space shook with the force of a ten thousand pounds of TNT, revealing a dark, water less metallic hall way which seemed to lead endlessly into the abyss. Within moments the little droid began to spin his way past all of the debris and past his former friend. It stopped at the threshold of the door way to look behind. looking into that room where they had been Cooked up all this time. It took a picture, for itself, and then turned to speed away, into the darkness, into the abyss.
W.C- 2901/ Total-15,205 Post: #11
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Post by πΈππππ on Sept 7, 2018 13:15:12 GMT -5
1527 words "Pirates... again." The Thunderbird rocked through its pilots' deft maneuverings, avoiding any incoming debris from the engagement on the small moon below. For those at the helm their cargo was the most precious in the universe, the Suzerain herself, and she must arrive safely at her destination at all costs. Yes, she also had a small contingent of Tek Scribes, but those were easily replaceable. Granted, these Tek Scribes, like every member of the Expeditionary Fleet, were, if not handpicked by the Suzerain herself, selected for only being the best in the entire star nation. So if nothing else, they were some of the most elite of their craft. Regardless, everyone kept strapped to their seats, holding tight to the harnesses as they were trained. None showed any concern for the apparent turbulence buffeting the gunship. After all, they were veterans of an eternal war. This was just another day for those fighting under the Albarican flag. Instead of panic, fear, or any sort of foreboding, the only atmosphere that permeated the passenger compartment was one of a somber tranquility. Not because of weariness or anything of the sort. Rather, it was the presence of the Suzerain, and their respect that her office entailed. Had this been any other gunship full of Albarican troops, they would have been making horse jokes even as their ace pilots dodged incoming AA fire, missiles, lance cannons, ki blasts, and whatever else the enemy might be throwing at them. As the suffocating Great Ape fired an energy blast up at the gunship, the pilots only shrugged and corrected their course. They'd dodged faster moving attacks before. That being said, they did make note of how the automaton was in fact trying to redirect it. Considering how the only reason they were coming down here at all was to pick him up, it only stood to reason that they should instead turn around and chase the rogue energy ball. A quick transmission to the passenger compartment allowed them to explain the sudden jolt as the gunship banked right and turned 180 degrees. As soon as the transport had stabilized, Mynia undid her harness and stood up. "Line up the cargo ramp with the sphere," she spoke at the hologram of the pilot that floated before her. "I shall deal with it myself.""As you will, Majesty!" The hologram blinked out of existence, and the passenger compartment immediately bucked as the gunship's engines kicked into high gear. But the Suzerain remained unperturbed, as she marched - seemingly defying the artificial gravity - up toward the cargo bay beneath the cockpit. Mynia approached the ramp and hit the actuator. Immediately, the vacuum shields sprang to life as the cargo ramp slowly opened. In front of her, a gigantic ball of energy barrelled aimlessly through the black emptiness of space. And on the opposite end was an inactive V3. Left hand grabbing tight hold of a handle, the Suzerain reached out with her right arm. Holding her palm up, thumb crossing in front of it. She closed her eyes and focused, thoughts concentrated on the energy signature in front of her. Channeling her energy in ways that defied any mortal sense, even that of her own reasoning. A direct defiance of the law of conservation. Or perhaps... an overruling. Matter and energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Unless of course acted upon by something superior to natural law. The image of emptiness completed in her mind, she opened her eyes and spoke. "Destruction."The energy ball quickly dissolved into motes of purple light, leaving an incapacitated V out in space, the momentum taken from the sphere continuing to push him out. She tapped on a nearby commlink. "Accelerate by another three G's."Again, the gunship surged forth, this time gaining on V's position, until the inactive automaton was effectively floating within the mouth of the cargo bay. The Suzerain pushed on the panel again, and the cargo ramp shut on V3, like a giant beast swallowing its prey. The vacuum shield deactivated as soon as he was shut in, and the lifeless mechanical body landed on the floor. "I have him. Take us back. Tek Team, prepare for repairs."The Suzerain picked up her guest and carried him into the passenger compartment to undergo preliminary repairs... Eighth Infirmary, EildonIt had taken a few hours to clean up the mess, get the tanker back on track, and resume the path along the hyperlane, but as one would put it, all's well that ends well. Now, the Suzerain stood by her guest's bedside. Rather than a simple infirmary bed, various machines had been added, some by the side, most attached to a large primary scaffold that stood over his body, covering him from neck to toe. The Tek Scribes had made sure to analyze the technology behind his design, before getting to work. Cross references to various public archives available on the Hypernet, which was now heavily censored. Nevertheless, once the appropriate schematics had been recovered, it was no major challenge to acquire the necessary resources, and then funneling them into a molecular 3D Printer. Some liberties had to be taken, of course, considering that he was heavily redesigned from the original plans. Higher quality metals, available on this Sixth-Rate because even a vessel such as this was large enough to be its own city, with its own population and self-sufficiency, took the place of the more basic materials used in his frame. Good as new, if not even better. However, as she stood over him, the Suzerain eyed him with a new set of insights. Insights that the Tek Scribes discovered while attempting to rebuild him. Functional organic parts. Specifically, a whole heart, and some chunks of brain. Either the one who built him was experimenting with putting things together... Or he was once a man after all. A man so badly broken, that he had become mostly machine as a result. The Tek Scribes extracted what they believed to be his primary memory bank, an advanced piece of technology that somehow operated at the quantum level. It took some analysis to read the device and parse the data into something that agreed with Albarican video formats and operating systems, but it was worth it. The things that the Suzerain discovered were... fascinating, to say the least. She saw his life, or at least his life as an automaton. It seemed that his pre-augmentation memories were completely lost. Here, Mynia found more insight concerning his family. This Dr. Danielle, who built him, her prodigious child, the times they shared... Streaming further through his memories would reveal various events, two of which caught her attention. First, the disastrous battle against a war machine known only as Unit 15, that led to the destruction of an entire city. The Suzerain was not unfamiliar with such things. Part of the reason why automatons were feared in Albarica were the machine hordes that served Pallidon, annihilating all life that they encountered. The separation from his family, as a result of the engagement. He was a wounded hero, in that regard. Second, the encounter with a mysterious entity known as Enigmus. As soon as she finished viewing that particular record, she immediately called on the Ranger Marshal, and dedicated an entire detachment of his agents to learn as much as they could about this... information broker. Perhaps they could use this connection to learn more about this universe. They would have to be guarded, however. Cautious as any. This was no mere machine, and copious amounts of magic appeared to be involved. The rest of the fleet remained hidden in Dark Space, lurking in the shadows beyond the galaxy's light. She wondered briefly, if this entity had already discovered them. That... was a potential problem. Now, the Suzerain looked down upon her guest with a different eye. Eyes that knew more about him, than he possibly did. And as he stirred to consciousness, she made sure to keep this information safe. He would have discover these truths for himself, not shoved down his throat by a mere acquaintance. Given his sheer chaotic recklessness, and his current emotional state, he might not take it well at all. "Well met, Sir V3. You have successfully defeated the pirate captain and saved the tanker." True words, all of them. "Thanks to your efforts, we were able to repel the attack, and are now safely on the way to our destination." "It was not without cost," she motioned to his current state, and no doubt he would notice his reconstruction involved plenty of new, superior materials. "But I would say all that you did was worth it. As thanks, we have taken the liberty of facilitating your repairs."A thankful leader, commending a guest of honor. But she herself did not make any indication that she was in any sort of distress. She never was, after all. To one such as the Suzerain, these pirates were a nuisance that she could have annihilated by herself, had she chosen to. But she permitted this to happen as a test, to see what V3 was capable of. He did not disappoint.
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Post by MARK I on Sept 7, 2018 23:24:20 GMT -5
Silence. For a brief moment in time, it seemed that everything was quiet. Peace. Bliss. No more wars, no more death. No more fighting. Just the darkness and an omnipresent silence. It was an easy thing to get used to, as odd as that may sound. Nothing was happening, not anymore. Nothing will happen nor would it ever happen again. A never ending limbo. A peaceful surrender. This was not the life of a hero. It was not right. People need to be saved and in their cries of pain a hero is awoken. Rising from his low powered state V begans to convulse. The sudden jerking and awkenining causing him to vomit a deep blue puddle of blood. His body beginning to reject his newly formed Nanites which have been reproduced in his system just a little too fast. Clutching his stomach and wincing at the pain he felt wrapped around him and constraining him like a latex body suit. His eyes shot back and forth from wall to wall as he tried to assess his new situation, tried to remember where he was or what he was doing, his heart beating furiously, having gone from zero to one hundred in mere moments. He struggled to catch his breath. A wave of fear and confusion shot throughout his systems as he went to reach out and attack the first thing in sight, his limbs froze in place, he did not know why, but as he stared up he could make out his new friend Mynia, she was standing beside his bedframe now, regal and in command, as always. Her glare seeming to pierce him to his core. She had a way of looking at a man, a way that seemed to tear through ones defences or facades. Any weaknesses the women might have would be hard to exploit with a look like the one she had been giving him as he reflexsively tried to grab on to someone or thing in his attempted to fight back. His limbs felt as if they were caught in a vice grip, unable to move them through the pain, yet nothing was holding on to him. As he began to calm down the tension began to lessen. Perhaps he was just imagining it all. Perhaps it was the strain or the confusion he would not remember. As he began to relax he could see it in her eyes, though most humans would not be able to tell, she began to relax. Almost as if it were possible for her to stop him with just a glare. Then again... "Well meet V3...." As Mynia spoke her words to him he could not truly believe her. He thought for sure that he would be a goner this time. He waited for this dream... or nightmare to be over but it did not end. As she motioned her hand to the rest of his body he could see now that his limbs were... different. He had not yet acquired full function of his limbs as he could feel his subroutines trying to adjust to a series of new scripts within his heads up display. Scripts he did not recognize and could not read. Bunny would surely decipher them in time and no doubt adjust them or do whatever Bunny does but for now she had been silent. As he searched throughout his neural network he could see that she was still there, processing something. Working at a furious pace. He elected to leave her be for now. She was safe and that was enough for him. "Ughh" He groaned from the exhaustion that he seemed to feel. A lingering pain and ache that hung on each limb. He did not fully understand the pains he felt sometimes. He did not have real bones or tendons. He had always assumed that Dr. Danny had inserted pain receptor for him to help him determine danger and what not. Did Mynia do the same in her repair process? He could not be sure but it did not matter. He trusted her they had saved each others lives now techniqually! "Wow?? We won.. Wait! I mean! Yeaaah! Ofcourse we won!" He extended his arms faster than sound, not yet fully knowing the capabilities of his new body. Within an instant he would raise he torso and wrap his arms Around Mynia to embrace her in his arms for a MIGHTY HUG!! A hug worthy of two brothers in arms. Should she decide to allow this he would extend to her the only compliment he knew women seemed to like. It was a one compliment that had never failed him, if nothing else because he always meant it. It carried with it the sincerity of a man who would give his life for others. It carried the weight of his passion and zest for life. He would look the Suzerian dead in her eyes, those same soul piercing gems, as he backed from his hug, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other back to his stomach. "Mynia! You are a beautiful women! Do you understand?!" He then slightly brushed his hand around her cheek, catching a single stray hair and reordering it. " Donβt ever let anyone tell you otherwise." He then thrusted his hand forward in an open palm, pushing her in the chest as if she were a man. It was a sign of respect and a sign of friendship. Though he realized now that it may be viewed as inappropriate, he had decided to be himself and hoped she would understand, they were friends after all. Attempting to get out of his rest and repair station a few of the men standing nearby began to work on his legs and arms. Unsure of what they were doing, yet also unafraid. He began to cheer them on as they worked, attempting to motivate them and bring joy into their days. "Ohh snap!" He yelled as he patted one man on his shoulder. "Look at this guy go! Go go go go go!" The men, somewhat surprised by him began to work a bit faster, though it was unsure whether they did so out of discomfort or encouragement, or perhaps some strange combonation of both, the men worked now at a slightly faster pace now which egged on his enthusiasm for their good work. "Man you guys are all great? Hey buddy. Has anyone told you how awesome you are? What's your name?" He continued to talk to them one at a time. Small talk, nothing major he just seemed happy to be alive, no... He was happy that they were alive. Upon inspection by an astute observer it could be insighted that he was just happy to have made a difference. Once they finished working on him he finally turned to Mynia and spoke. This time, inexplicably, appearing slightly more timid than before. "Hey uhh. Thank you. I really appreciate you not leaving me out there to like stay shut down and all. I was like. Watching your guys fight and stuff and it doesn't seem like they do stuff uhh, inefficiently? I donβt know the word but like I know you did not have to pick me up and do all the fixin stuff." He spoke with one hand on the back of his head, ruffling his hair, which he was glad seemed to be the only thing unaffected by his escapades. "Wait!" He suddenly said realizing something. Something terrible, something so incredibly dire he needed to address it now and with all of his vigor. "Where are my glasses?!" W.C. 1275/ Total:16,480 Post: 12 πΈππππ
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Post by πΈππππ on Sept 13, 2018 13:19:45 GMT -5
1532/13475 words "Pirates... again." Almost everybody inside the infirmary who was conscious at that moment stared aghast. Whether it was medics and nurses attending to the wounds of the injured, or the injured occupying the other beds, it was all the same. A mixture of horror at what they saw as profanity, a severe violation of the laws of chivalry and sovereignty, and fear at how the Suzerain might respond to such a blatant breech of protocol.
The act in question was how their honoured guest, the hero of the day to be celebrated, had shot up and given their ruler a hug. As though she were just anybody. Even her most trusted Knights were only ever seen kneeling before her in deepest respect. And now this wild automaton was discarding all of that.
Thousands of years of tradition and culture, gone. If one were to be fair, he was ignorant of all this. But surely, somebody must have taught him that it was unacceptable to treat royalty with such familiarity! Weren't automatons supposed to be programmed to know such civilities?
And yet they could only stare in flabbergasted silence as the Suzerain did nothing to oppose this action. So silent that you could hear a pin drop.
As if that weren't enough, he then proceeded to treat her like some damsel on a stroll. How dare he touch her hair! Or give her such intimate compliments! Yes, this society was rather... conservative, some might say. Something that would seem so innocuous to most modern Earthlings would be viewed as tantamount to intercourse.
Horror. He was acting with blatant disregard for Albarican customs, and profaning the Suzerain with his intimacy. Fear. The Suzerain was most certainly aware of what he was doing. This meant, of course, that she could very well destroy this entire ship, along with all hands, fifty thousand souls, were she to be angered.
Not that anyone had ever seen her angry. But surely, this would do such a thing?
The shock continued as he moved on and dared to touch her inappropriately! Granted, she was armoured, but some people just couldn't get past the fact that his palm was there. It was one thing to touch her inappropriately for a public display. It was another thing entirely to touch her inappropriately for anything but the bedroom!
And yet nobody dared to move in response. Even as the horror continued to dominate their minds, the image of such debauchery seared into their brains, the fear of divine retribution kept them frozen in place. Not that she would not award somebody who would attempt to defend her honour, but that should she recognize the situation - and nobody here doubted for a second that she did - then surely, they would all be destroyed by the ensuing rage!
The seconds went on.
No rage came.
In fact, it seemed that through it all, the Suzerain maintained her eternal stoic demeanour. Was it then, that they underestimated her ability to control her emotions? How could they? They knew her. Every single hand aboard this vessel, aboard every vessel in the fleet, hundreds of millions, a microcosm of the White Empire, had seen the Suzerain firsthand. Chosen specifically because of their qualities. If not personally handpicked, most certainly selected as the cream of the crop.
But only few could truly say that they knew her personally. Only heard the stories, seen her in action.
So perhaps it could be credited to their accounts that they acted based on a stereotype, a personal mental image of who the Suzerain was, rather than who she was in reality.
Finally, after the brazen automaton seemed to calm down, she spoke. "Very kind words, Sir V3. They shall be remembered." The Suzerain did not smile, nor did she frown. The tone of her voice remained even as always. Not a hint of how she felt. Not in the slightest.
She was fine.
The tension in the room, which had earlier built up to an almost glue-like consistency, dissipated somewhat. Medics, doctors, and nurses began to take steps to return to their duties. Patients remembered that they had various degrees of injuries, and went back to reminding the orderlies that they required painkillers. The Tek Scribes working on the automaton's repairs went back to work, with a renewed efficiency.
Not because he was wildly cheering them on. No, it couldn't be because of something so plain. It was their gratitude for being able to live for at least one more day, despite the madness that had just occurred in their presence. Some of them began to appreciate certain rumors. The ones that said she 'did not understand human emotions'.
Regardless of whether the Agarthan Race and its descendant Albarican Stock could live for centuries, they were still, at the end of the day, more or less human. They saw themselves from a mortal perspective. Whether it was a hundred years or six hundred years, they were still bound to die someday. Many of them, particularly the ones serving in the Armed Services, sooner than later.
What kind of heart did it take, after all, to sign the death warrants of multiple planets on a daily basis? Planets that had to be sacrificed to ensure the White Empire's continued survival. Planets populated by millions to billions. It was certainly not a human heart that could make such choices everyday without caving in to the despair such decisions could bring.
The Suzerain possessed an ungodly weight on her shoulders. And it would take something more than human to be capable of shouldering that burden for as long as she had.
Perhaps it was this same cold, rational, inhuman heart that allowed them to live. A heart that didn't care about overstepping the boundaries of reverence for authority, so long as the results were met. And the automaton had certainly brought results in today. That was why they worked so hard to repair him, after all.
True enough, as he had bragged the whole time, he was a hero.
And as he began to address each person directly, it became clear that he wasn't just some obnoxious automaton with no regard for proper protocols. He was one with a heart. Well... there was the literal one that they had found inside of him, which they weren't supposed to tell him about. But more importantly, there was the figurative one.
He conversed lightly with each soul, not to brag. But rather, to show that he cared that they were still here. They weren't just faceless masses to him. Perhaps, if he had the time, he might even talk to every last hand aboard this ship. More exchanges. The horror. Forgotten. The fear. Completely unjustified. If the Suzerain would allow it, then so be it. What they only began to realize now, was that she had seen past the protocols. Beyond the apparent improprieties. What she saw was a man who did what was right, and a man who treated everyone with equal respect.
Even if that meant eschewing certain means of conveying greater respect.
It was something they would have to get used to, if he stuck around. But they had seen it for themselves, the lesson the Suzerain was now imparting to them. One thing was for certain: those present within this infirmary at this time, would give more respect to the automaton VE-e3 than those who were not.
All that boldness seemed to evaporate, however, when he went back to addressing the Suzerain, to give her his gratitude. He certainly was more nuanced than most boisterous automatons they'd seen. More nuanced than most boisterous people they'd seen. Completely honest, one might even say. His lack of regard for protocol was also a lack of regard for putting on a veneer of confidence. He wasn't afraid to show all sides of him, if it was the right person.
"It would be wrong to do such a thing," Mynia answered. That wasn't to say that she had not ordered retreats while heroes held the line till their deaths. Quite often, that was unavoidable. But the Suzerain made sure to save the lives she could whenever it was possible. This case was definitely one of the latter. There were no encroaching pirate fleets. Nothing more urgent. There was no point to sacrifice when it was unnecessary. Enough blood had been given up when it had to be. "It would be foolish to leave you behind."
It was in a few more moments then that the automaton discovered, to his abject horror, that his glasses were missing. Most plebians would of course, wonder why he would care about sunglasses when it wasn't all too bright in here. Patricians, on the other hand, would easily understand that he did not wear them to shield his eyes. Rather, he wore them as a fashion statement.
As such, it was with impeccable timing that as soon as he began to panic, the Suzerain had already reached into her pocket and drawn the aforementioned missing glasses. "Your honesty is very appreciated, Sir V3. However, there is such a thing as being 'too honest', when it comes to embarrassing truths."
She handed them over.
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Post by MARK I on Sept 16, 2018 19:00:10 GMT -5
As she spoke he gently, yet hurriedly clutched the sunglasses she had seemingly produced from thin air. He held them in his hands, inspecting them like he would a new born child who'd been dropped from a twelve story balcony and caught by the 11th. This item was more precious to him then they should have been. Words could not describe the pain and anguished look on his face as he inspected it in fear that he would find them cracked. He did not. They were fine and it was obvious to even a passive observer that he was in his own small universe. Nothing else mattered to him. Only the sun glasses. In time he slowly came back to reality. His concern washing away like a gentle tide of an early morning waves as the moon began to vanish. A single tear of relief grazed the side of his left cheek as he realized everything was ok. Pent up stress and frustration with himself for almost losing them now released in the form of an actual human tear. His left eye at least seemed to be organic, if not it was similar to the real deal. It was faint and could easily be missed but he did not try to hide it. He raised the glasses back onto his face, lowering his head as he did so. Upon fixing them he faced Mynia and without saying a word he loosed a powerful, majestic smile! So fierce it could make both men and women reconsider their sexualities. It was the billboard perfect smile, a kind that just had to be photoshopped or created in a lab, yet her it was. As he did so mortals in the room could not help but make the comparison. Before them stood two godlike figures in both power and physique. Majesty and perfection in every sense of the word. Standing next to each other the pair looked like they could be painted atop a pantheon of gods. Themselves at the helm overlooking all others. Surely they knew this could not be. V3 was, to them, powerful and would likely be in the one percentile of any knight, worthy of an elite perhaps even a super elite but comparatively he could not match up to some of the monsters their goddess, the Suzerain had slain. Yet some of them found it difficult still to make the comparison, and though none of them spoke it aloud nor dared to express such thoughts some of the men did exchange looks of fear, shame, and awe before regaining their composure. "Nothing to be ashamed of.." One soldier whispered to another. Comforting words for a wounded man. V3, seemingly unaware of any of this bent his arm towards his chest and gave Mynia a thumbs up as she spoke. "Your honesty is very appreciated, Sir V3. However, there is such a thing as being 'too honest', when it comes to embarrassing truths." He went to put on a black shirt, the Tek scribes had fashioned, it looked exactly like one he usually wore in his memory files. His super hero suit was torn and they had not wanted to attempt to recreate it. It was an... odd fabric and it stood out like a rusty nail atop a christmas tree. In an attempt to make him a bit more conservative and "Normal" They made him exact replica of his usual earthly garments. A pair of tight blue jeans, a black polo T-shirt, and a pair of black dress shoes, though he usually wore tennis shoes again this was an attempted at and a hint of fashion. They still held the tattered garments of his super suit but they had elected not to mess with it, not understanding the significance it might hold and wishing to study it further. V3 had not seemed to notice this obvious detail nor the fact that they somehow knew his exact style, not the fact that they had fashioned him clothes to his liking, nor where or what was done to his suit. He seemed to trust them utterly and completely. "Embarrassing?" He spoke to her as he struggled to put on his tight jeans, one arm rested on a poor scribes shoulder for balance. The man regarding V as royalty at this point without really realizing it. "Ohh hey sorry about that buddy" He spoke to the man as he placed an arm on him to apply some of his healing energy. "I mean, I'll try to be less embarrassing, sorry. I uhh. Still gotta work on that one. I'm not really good with people to be honest...Wait... is that an embarrassing truth?" He spoke aloud without realizing it. "I mean I am great with people! Everyone loves me!" He lied. His arms made an exaggerated movements as he went to flex his newly fashioned arms, which were still colored in a blue tinted titanium like fiber until his synthetic skin could rebuild itself. One of the scribes which had been attempting to help him put his shirt on was suddenly flung into four feet into the air, crashing into the ceiling before falling back down. "Oh frick!" He flew up slightly and cradled the man, again applying a bit of healing magic. " Oh no. Oh no no no. Is there a doctor in the house!?" The soldiers in the room began to laugh as the android flew around the room, looking to place the man in an empty bed, of which there were none, as his pants hung onto his ankles and his shirt was only one arm onto him. Suddenly the visage of his divinity became the cause of intense laughter as pure joy and shocked humor filled the room. A wave of pressure and tension had been released and the men somewhat began to relax as laughter filled the room. "You're gonna be fine Fredrick! I'm a professional I swear!" ***************************************************************** Meanwhile, in the Engine room! 1st Lt. Steindor Reviewed the engine room with a cautious and methodical demeanor as he scanned the room for each and every discrepancy, aside from the most obvious ones. Anyone can find glaring deformities, he wanted to gather as much information as he could. Miss nothing. "Hmm, they really did a number on us here. Wonder if this was a targeted Strike" He thought aloud. "You give those savages to much credit sir" One of his subordinates spoke. "What would you have us do."
He took another moment to think carefully as he approached another one of his aides to have them repeat to him a detailed report of the engines status and nomenclature. He knew all of this already but wanted to hear someone say it aloud, hoping that his brain would use the word association to make a connection he had not yet. It was an attempt to help him solve a different, yet related problem . The Suzerain would want this problem to be dealt with within hours, in fact they were expected to have it fixed without the issue ever reaching her ear. The standards for them were high, almost impossibly so, but this was their life, and it was their burden and their glorious duty. One which 1st Lt. Steindor took as his life's greatest honor. To serve a goddess. Perfection made into flesh a blessing to this Universe and any other universes they might go to on future expeditions. After a long pause he finally released a strained sigh, it hung in the air like mold, effecting everything else around it. Even his expertise could not avoid it. This was gonna be a rough fix. "The ships and engine room hold priority over all other tasks that we are assigned to. I want three squads in here rotating around the clock to get this fixed.. It won't be enough but I do not want this problem to become obvious. We are not scheduled to move again until everyone is debriefed" He paused hoping the extra second would allow his brain to come up with a solution he had not yet thought of. "...It cannot be helped. We are going to have to inform Sir, Captain Fawkes. By my estimates it will take a week to repair the engines. I do not recommend entering Hyperspace until then. Let us hope he decides to deliver the news to lady Mynia himself" Another man, one of the engineers working on an valve on the ceiling spoke out in response. "Knowing him he'll wait all day until everyone and their mother finds out we have stopped moving" Some of the men began to chuckle silently to themselves. "Maybe he'll wait until one of the engines explodes and we'll all be lucky and get incinerated" another man spoke out. The life of these men was one of hard work and though they loved their jobs and loved to serve sometimes death seemed like a welcomed change of pace to their lives, especially if it was a death in service of their goddess. "BoooOm!!!!" one of the men made a mock explosion sound as he filled out a report. Another one then quickly took the opportunity to make a mocking, and convincing sound of Cpt. Fawkes's voice. Making sure to stand in the Cpts own signature regal pose. "Lady Mynia. There seems to have been an explosion in the engine room. We should send a team of engineers to investigate and fix whatever the problem is" another man chimed in on the heels of that last comment, his voice barely containing his laughter "With your permission, I would like to go wipe my ass, it seems that I have soiled myself in a similarly explosive manner. I require a ton of wipes and a trip to the laboratory" Raucous laughter now filled the room as the men prepared to do their duties and get back to work. None of them ceasing to do their primary jobs but taking the opportunity to decompress and attempt to relax from the previous battle and the coming long shifts of duty and hard work they all knew they would soon have to labor through. None of them dislike their Cpt. Fawkes was a good man they all respected him in their own way but they also knew their lives were expendable to their cause and sometimes a life of servitude could be draining, make a man want to surrender, become droid like in manner and action, kind of like the Cpt. Himself. It was the unspoken duty of each service member to fight this urge. To fight for their individual humanity in their own way, what little of it they could manage to maintain. "Sir" Another man spoke to the Lt. "Any other orders before we proceed?" "Hmmm. Yes, actually. I don't want our lady to come down here herself. She should not burden herself with it...plus the paperwork. I am ordering you to get out of uniform and speak with the F.R.O (Family Readiness Officer). You are dismissed for the day. Tell her... Hmm. Tell her that you think we should have an award ceremony to honor the fallen. Make up a story about losing someone and if you're lucky the engines will blow and you will not have to lie." He smirked at his own comment as he spoke. Eyeing an electrical wire that came lose and began to send tiny sparks harmless energy into the room. "Don't we have the anniversary of yeast fall coming up, sir? We could try to push for that" another one of the men chimed in. "That's righttttt. We do.. perfect. The ball was called off this year due to our tight schedule but perhaps the F.R.O can convince the Captain that the men need a break after tonight. We can even invite the members from that tanker, they're locals so Lady M might take it as an opportunity to meet other people." "Don't forget about that weird ass droid sir, the one that fought the space monkey on the poison gas moon" "Why does any of that matter that matter?" "I hear rumors about it being human!? I bet the ladies where he's from are into some kinky shit." "You're kidding" another engineer said. "Yes right. Perfect if that thing is still alive or working maybe we can give him some kind of award. Our Lady Mynia is good at recognizing and awarding heroism, I hear." "Will this work sir? Some of the knights are pretty prideful, they might feel snubbed and or get pissed." "With all due respect, fuck the knights. They get everything else." As he spoke the words allowed he made a hand gestures asking Mynia, a noble, for forgiveness. It was a common thing to do whenever someone spoke in distastefully of a noble, a Knight or on the rare occasion when someone spoke Of the Suzerain but . "It might work. The Captain would be placed in a precarious position with Lady M being here. The festival of Yeast fall is a tradition. If he rejects it and she would uphold it then he looks bad. If he says yes it will be a welcomed distraction and give us more time. Plus most of the men love the anniversary of yeast fall. We just haven't had enough time recently or supplies to do anything special or traditional" Moments passed and no one complained or protested. It was a silent agreement. A gamble they were all willing to make. Though it would not technically make them look bad for having to take a week to fix the engines the Lt. did not want the extra attention. He wanted to instead the report of the engine problem to come reach the Suzerain, if it ever did, alongside his report of the problem being fixed. It would make him and his unit look good and it would make things run smoothly. He just needed a week. One good week. W.C: 2335/ Total: 18,815/ Post: 13 πΈππππ
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Post by πΈππππ on Oct 1, 2018 9:25:47 GMT -5
1832/15307 words "Pirates... again." Lord High Admiral Pellines - Commanding Officer, Expeditionary Fleet Caerleon "And you are certain of this timeframe of repairs?" The imposing hologram of the Lord High Admiral loomed over the bridge's quarterdeck. Most of the officers continued on with their duties, as they were beneath his concern. However, despite their seeming lack of interest, many kept their ears open as he was, after all, addressing their commander. The least they could do was be ready to take any sort of action he required of them, although given the condition of the vessel, there wasn't really anything that could be done. Not within the realm of their professions, at any rate. "Yes, Milord," Fawkes reported calmly. At least, as calmly as he could, at any rate. "I have the report here, and the engineering department is certain of this timeframe."The Lord High Admiral had been personally handpicked by the Suzerain herself to command the expeditionary fleet. A career officer who had served centuries in the eternal war, and proven himself to be a man worthy of his position. No politics, no kissing up. One who represented the ideals that the Suzerain strove for. A man who delivered results, and expected results. If one could make a representation of every person serving on this fleet, the Lord High Admiral was the standard, and stood in as the greater majority of its men. Loyal. Devout. Focused on patience. Unfortunately, a minority existed that consisted of sniveling bureaucrats who lobbied for power. Despite her best intentions, such 'civil servants' would always exist once any system grew large enough. She did, however, do her best to curb the tendencies for corruption. These bureaucrats might have played around with power, but not to the extent that they delved into bleaker matters. The Lord High Admiral and his staff ensured that. Pellines nodded in acknowledgement. "And you are certain that deploying tugboats to your rescue is out of the question?""This galaxy is in a state of tension, Milord," Fawkes explained. "The Eildon has been seen as something of an out of context problem, and I would not want to escalate suspicion by escalating our presence. The last thing we would want to do is play our hand unnecessarily." The vessel was already considered a battleship by galactic standards. To send in the tugboats might cause unnecessary panic amongst the locals. Pellines nodded again. "And in the meantime, what actions do you intend to take?""Her Majesty is not bound to the vessel," the captain assured. "The Thunderbirds are easily capable of transportation, as it appears this universe's Warp is far less hostile than our own." Casual travel across the galaxy in a matter of hours. Days at the worst. He still could not believe that it could be so easy. Perhaps it was a reflection of this universe's lower alert status. A single Delta-Grade galaxy at most, with a high number of young races beginning to reach for the stars. The oldest institution appeared to be the Galactic Empire, which had existed for several millennia. And yet the number of mature star nations was still oddly small. How was it that there could be such a small number compared to their own? These were questions that were left up to the level of the divine. The Suzerain knew the answer, but it was not his place to enquire. Regardless, this small population, with relatively low levels of violence, might explain why travelling through this Warp was far quicker and smoother. "So you mean to say that the mission will not be delayed by these repairs.""That is correct, Milord. Her Majesty appears to have already gotten used to deploying Thunderbirds for rapid transport, not just for orbital insertions or ship to ship, but for Warp jumps as well.""Good." Pellines didn't smile. But the tone of his acknowledgement was a positive sign. "Until we can finish refueling the next batches of Thunderbirds, however," Fawkes continued, "The FRO has recommended that we hold an awarding ceremony for the heroism our men displayed against the pirate scourge.""Her Majesty does make it a point to recognize heroism," the Lord High Admiral rubbed his chin in thought. "Though I imagine it wouldn't take up that much time.""She also suggested that we have a more..." Fawkes paused to clear his throat as he chose his words carefully. "... prominent... celebration of Yeastfall.""This is your first tour under her, is that correct?" Pellines questioned. "That is correct, Milord.""You have, however, been briefed of her policy concerning any manner of extravagance."The captain silently nodded. "Yes, Milord.""The Suzerain has decreed that celebrations only be accomplished within a vessel's means. Your ship does not have enough supplies to throw a 'more prominent' celebration of any sort." Pellines went on. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I have no authority to allow such a thing. You shall have to enquire with her yourself.""Of course, Milord. I understand this.""Good. In that event, it is up to you now. I trust that you shall choose wisely. Pellines out." Fawkes sighed as the Lord High Admiral's holo disappeared. It was going to be a great personal challenge to convince the Suzerain to make this once allowance for a Yeastfall that was... somewhat larger. "A more prominent celebration of Yeastfall?" Rhomynia's eyebrow rose as she sat in her quarters to an afternoon tea. "I am assuming this proposition is despite your knowledge of my decree."Otherwise, he would not be asking for her permission to perform such a fete. "I was thinking that it would compliment the awarding ceremony quite nicely," Fawkes explained. "And that perhaps your automaton acquaintance would like to see some of our Albarican culture?""You realize, Captain, that the Decree of Austerity is also part of our Albarican culture," she pointed out, sipping from her cup of tea. Practising what she preached, it was nothing extravagant, the same type that one would find in any of the cupboards of the many kitchens aboard the vessel. Humble Keshik black tea with milk. "To throw a larger celebration than allowed by our supplies is a disservice to all the men and women aboard. By consuming extra rations now, we deprive them of needed rations in the future. What if the engines are damaged again in another fleet action? Shall we then celebrate Britewinkle more extravagantly to pass the time?"The Suzerain was notoriously stubborn whenever she believed she was right. Fawkes kept his poker face and concealed any perceived weakness outside the view of the camera. "Your feet are shifting in unease, Captain," she pointed out. It wasn't hard to spot this from the unsteadiness in his shoulders. He straightened himself out as soon as he was found out. "Apologies, Your Majesty." A bow. "Might I suggest then, for this occasion to be celebrated beyond our supplies, that we take additional resources from the land? Procure indigenous foods to shore up the pantry, while we use our supplies for the traditional Yeastfall meals?"Her face returned to its default expressionless state as she thought about this for a few moments. If someone wanted to get technical, the exact wording of the decree indeed did not take into account the requisitioning of outside food stocks. That being said, however... "You would have us withdraw from the Imperial Treasury to purchase local supplies? I would say that this is something I would consider squandering, Captain.""N... not at all, Your Majesty!" Fawkes raised his hands defensively. "I was thinking that, rather than purchasing extra supplies, that we venture down to a Fourth-Rate Civilized world and see what we can procure from their forests..."The Suzerain continued to quietly contemplate the proposal, remaining silent for the better part of ten seconds before speaking. "Continue.""You might even think of it as an adventure of sorts. Perhaps bring your automaton acquaintance as a guide? Surely, he must know some civilized worlds in this galaxy where it is free to harvest vast quantities of produce and livestock from its wilderness."Another prolonged bout of silence before she answered again. "Go on.""We need only pay him with preferential treatment in the festivities of the Yeastfall celebration. A seat of honour as a great contributor who served as a linchpin to make this special occasion possible! After all, without him, we would be restricted to our supplies, and would only be able to host a more meagre celebration... which is also part of our culture, but not quite the most hospitable part of it, would you not say, Majesty? Surely, a guest of honour must be properly treated. And at the end of the day, we preserved both our total supply, while spending nothing of the treasury.""And there is nothing else that the Thunderbirds would be better used for? We still need to complete our task to escort the tanker to its destination. Even without the Eildon, Thunderbirds carrying Knights would be more than appropriate.""We could invite the tanker's crew over for-""Captain," her eyes narrowed. "We are here to complete a contract with the tanker's owners, not to reveal our festivals to thousands of indigenous individuals. It cuts into their owners' profit margins, and makes us appear unprofessional." Give or take one Lord Style aboard that tanker, at least. "Yes, of course, Majesty," Fawkes bowed again. "Forgive my insolence.""That being said, everything else sounds rational enough," she went on. "However, our priority is to complete the contract. I shall lead a squadron of Thunderbirds to complete the escort mission. Once our contract is done, then we shall see about your idea to gather indigenous foods to cover for those we will spend on Yeastfall."Another bow. "Thank you for your consideration, Majesty.""Yes, Captain. So long as your words are reasonable, I can be reasoned with. At the moment, I see no disadvantages to awarding the heroism of our men... and as you have found a sensible solution, there should be no problem to celebrating a more extravagant Yeastfall to punctuate that point. You are dismissed."Fawkes' hologram disappeared. Mynia took another sip of tea. Yes, so long as everything made sense, then there was no reason to be unnecessarily uptight. In retrospect, this galaxy was relatively at peace. She would have to remind herself that the war was far, far away. Back home. Back where she needed to keep her mind always. For now, however, it was appropriate to reward this heroism, and demonstrate the proper hospitality to an honoured guest, as Captain Fawkes had put it. In this way, she would be able to continue testing his resolve, and see just what kind of man he was. And make no mistake about it, Sir V3 was a man. It was not up to her to reveal this truth to him, however. That was something he would have to discover on his own journey. And perhaps, she might be able to see that journey progress...
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Post by MARK I on Oct 1, 2018 16:00:52 GMT -5
"Why do I have to wear this again? Does the shirt err.. coat er whatever come in black?!" "I am afraid not sir" responded a short, stubby well dressed man that had been trying to take V's measurements. "This is a dress uniform sir V3. We need to prepare you for the festivities that have recently been announced" "Festi what now? Is it Christmas already?! Ohh no we have to go home. I promised little Suzie I would take her to the North Pole. We're gonna find Santa and see what his power level is. And Rodolfo too, or however you say that reindeer fellas name. I hear he can shoot lasers out of his big red nose" "His power level you say? Is this Santa a great warrior of earth?" The short man spoke as he attempted to take V3's measurements. " Yea. His power level. It's when you look at a guy and these number pop up next to them. If it's like a lot of numbers then you know they're really strong. Anyways, yes he is a warrior of cheer and good times! He like goes around the world and stuff in a single night and fights gaint frost monsters and the boogeyman to bring all the boys and girls presents and good cheer. He's the best!" "Is that so?" The short officer had a peculiar laugh to him. It would sound as if he was out of breath whenever he would chuckle to himself. The officer wrote this information down, taking a moment to inscribe all the best parts on his notepad. As odd as it sounded any man who could preform such a feat in a single night must truly be magnificent warrior of great renown. "Mhp mhp mhp! Ahh yes. Power level. That is what you people call them here. How inventive. Please hold still good sir I am almost finished. We need you to look your best. You will be the guest of honor." "The what now? Guest. I am alre...ohhhhh.." V3 began to settle down as Bunny sent him quick tid bits on what was going on, mid conversation. In an instant he understood and adjusted his fidgeting right away. Taken aback by the sudden change of heart and willingness to cooperate the officer sighed a heavy sigh of relief and began to eagerly get back to work, whistling a jaunty tune to himself within the theme and manner of yeast fall. "So. Officer uhhh. What was your name again?" "Kelint! I am first lieutenant Kelint. Assistant Family Readiness Officer!" "RIIIiight. Okay well Afro. I was wondering. Don't you guys have like machines to do all this stuff? Isn't that how we, err excuse me, ya'll made my blue jeans and shirt?" "That is quiet right Sir V3. But it is custom where I am from to check by hand and eye. Besides sometimes the use of machines can be a waste of resources, especially when all that is required is a keen eye! and attention to detail you see! The only reason we did it for you is because you were completely without clothes, I imagine, though I supposed here could be a number of other reasons as to why" "Well..Ok. I uhhm. Guess that kind of makes sense." 1st Lt. Kelint was not like most other officers. He was a shorter, portly older man. Lacking the finely tuned body of a warrior despite sporting thick calloused hands and larger than normal arms and legs. He was a bit of an oddball. A funny looking, older man. Though evident that he had participated in some battles or at least physical altercations at some point in his life he had a more whimsical demeanor then most of the other men. Which could have gone a long way into explaining why he held a higher billet position of being the F.R.O's assistant, without actually retaining the necessary rank. "So What is your deal Afro. Why are you like.. Weird. I feel like you should be more serious and stuff like alot of the other guys. I mean! Not that that's bad or anything!" V spoke to the man. Hoping yet not realizing until mid sentence that he may have sounded rude. 1st Lt. Klient just sat as he silently chuckled his odd chuckle to himself why writing down a few measurements. "Ohh Boy. I used to be an artillery officer you see but that was a long time ago before my two boys, well, they retired you see. Back home where I am from. Now I am pretty much sorted myself out of the direct war buisness but in our society that isn't something that is.. mph mph mph. Well it is not easy to do. So I had to take a demotion and prove myself useful in other ways." "So you measure dresses now?" "My lady in white! NO sir! hahamph mph mph! I am styling you for your dress blues! It is a uniform specifically for guest of honor or war heroes such as yourself sir V." "Ok but I am not a soldier? Don't you think that's like impersanizing or something. And I never went to wa.." V3 felt a clump in the side of his hip as Officer Kelint smacked him there with his rough caloused hands. "Silly boy hush now and sit proudly. We who don the white and royal cloaks of our lady in White are in constant state of war. The eternal war! It is never ending. We are on guard from foes unseen and unmatched in every direction. Even in this uni...unique situation it would seem." For a moment there the officer almost looked worried. As if he had done something wrong. As they stared as each other the pairs eye met. Through thick black sunglasses and the spectacles of officer Kelint. The first Lt each changed a sly grin at V's direction and was met with an unassuming glance of a men that was completely unaware of the secretes he had almost been exposed to. "Hmmm" V thought to himself. "Eternal war. That doesn't sound very nice. So what are you guys having Saiyan troubles or something where you are from? I should go over there and check it out." Again the officer chuckled to himself for a short moment. Not quiet. ********************************************************************************************* Earth, In the isolated ice seas of Antarctica, far beneath the surface of the water, miles and miles below. The tiny, spherical droid finally made its way into a large, subterranean room. Filled with ancient technology from alien worlds. Dusty and dried old control panels. Cracked instrument of war from the future, the past, and the present. Foreign instruments laid in wait. Waiting to be picked up, to be utilized again. All lain abandoned and on the cold, dead ground. Motionless in the freezing temperatures of the same room they inhibited. The tiny droid rolled past all instruments, shinning its bleak, weak light to illuminate its path. It scurried, hurriedly across the room. Looking for its destination. It took about an hour to make it all the way across the large, windowless, dark room it was in. The littered floor unforgiving as any mistake could lead to the tiny ball being trapped or getting stuck. It seemed odd to the little droid. He had an important job, he thought to himself. He had one job granted but it just seemed so odd that everything was such a mess and that he could not simply transmit the messaged. Everything about this seemed odd. It was absolutely capable of transmitting its message, though not from its original room, not in its current state even before the explosion, which also seemed odd. The droid had within its tiny structure its own little A.I. It was almost like a simple animal of sub human intelligence. It knew what it needed to know and it had the entire blue print of this area encoded yet... things were vastly different then it had been expecting. Everything was in complete disrepair and disarray. Some corridors laid completely submerged in water. Others held thing in them. Dangerous things. Things that could not be seen or heard. Things that constantly hungered for substance in dark, wet environments. Unspeakable terrors waiting to be unleashed or freed. This is not right. No no no. The droid thought to itself. It took days for it to do so but after much grit and gumption and the hijacking of a few other pieces of equipment the tiny droid had made it to a section of the massive subterranean lab that it could utilize for its purposes. Rushing up to one of the only working control panels it released a microscopic adhesive gel which allowed it to climb the walls and roll across even wet surfaces onto the panel. Inserting a small plug it eventually gained access and control to the entire room. As it began to input commands into the panel the entire structure began to shake and shift. As if inside the belly of a whale in the mood to do somersaults under water. Everything shook violently from side to side and up and down as the room seemed to maneuver itself. The little droid was of course prepared for this. It was stuck to the wall now. Having rolled itself into a secure spot before the world, seemingly, began to rattle and roll around it. Eventually everything would settle down and the little droid would finally make its way to a dimly lit hallway. Pictures and frames hung on the wall as it rolled to the end, one of the pictures sliding off the wall and smashing against the ground behind it as it rolled on. At the end of the hallway stood a man. A large hulking man with three arms and three eyes. Mostly obscured by the darkness, features unable to be made out by the little droid as it rolled over to him. Before the droid could make it all the way the man held out a small remote with a single glowing button, a red button with a single letter on it. He pointed the remote at the droid and for some reason the little one stopped. Noises whizzed from within the little droid as it turned on its audio features. A little speaker began to come online. Making a static like noise as the droid spoke, old technology it seemed to be, not up to date at all, but more like something from a world war I era military radio. "Hello? I..I have information on Bunny and a message for the Doctor. Dr. Brown. Would you like to for me to play it back for you?" The hulking man stood at the end of the hallway, unmoving, unresponsive. He laughed a low guttural laugh that seemed to slosh back and forth in his throat. As he pressed the red button. A shock of electricity came over the little droid. It fried all of his systems in an instant. All but his center processor. In an instant the droids visual and sensory functions went all black. Its entire A.I was now shocked and fried. It slumped over and fell to the ground in a weird way, making a crunch at it hit the ground. In it's last moments it retained three functions and only three before the end. It could still remember and retain its messaged that it wished to deliver. It could still remember and retain its personality and the fear it somehow felt, without being able to activate any other functions, its proprioceptive awareness now nonexistent as he listened to the heavy footsteps of the creature walking up to it. It felt nothing as the hulking figure reached into its compartment and ripped the processing chip from its centerpiece which held the message for a grandpa brown. The droids battery, now losing and running out of power rapidly as it started to die. It was now without memory of anything that had happened. It was without function or purpose and could now longer move. It could only do two things as it lay on the ground now. It could shiver in fear and it could die. It did both. ********************************************************************************************************************** Back in Space! V3 patted his chest as he inspected himself in his freshly made and tailored uniform. He wore long black boots over royal blue pressed pants that outlined his legs rather nicely. A black belt came across his belt with a symbol he did not recognized, it was unlike the ones of the other officers and feature the sigil of what he thought to be an eagle, or some sort of bird. Underneath his Royal blue coat he wore a skin tight shirt made of a sleek fabric which also molded itself to his form. The dress coat he wore over his shirt was a long sleeved coat without any symbols or insignia over the chest or sleeves as other officers, that he had meet had. A single line of golden buttons traced a line straight down the middle, lining perfectly with the center of the belt. Along his sleeves and the collar of his coat a thin outline traced across the uniform. It was the color of a guest he believed he was told. Despite the wishes of Officer Kelint he had kept his sunglasses on. Not allowing anyone to remove them from him despite a few sideways glances. "Wooah momma. I look pretty good. Right?" "Quiet good Sir" "Hey Afro do I gotta wear this thing all day?" V spoke as he began contacting his muscles, testing the flexibility of the threads themselves at almost a molecular level. "Well. It is customary for honored guest to wear some sort of distinguishing, yet formal attire during their stays but i supposed not." "Right right and so like do you have to follow me around and stuff everywhere now?" V3 had asked with an honest curioisty as if he was pondering a decision he had already made up in his head. 1st Lt. Kelint almost flinched at the question. "Well. Not exactly myself but we do have embassy knights and soldiers who tend to guard our honored guest. A small contingent, perhaps a squad tend to watch over them and make sure they're treated fairly and accommodated. As the Assistant to the Family Readiness Officer I have voluntreed to be apart of this detail as a thank you for your service and..." The 1st Lt. paused for a moment to contamplate his next words. "If I am being completely honest. Because I was a bit bored. Things can be rather tedious in the admin office where we just manage the affairs and communications of family members." V3 shot up at that. "Good!" He began to undue his coat and laid it down near his bed in the private quarter he was given. "If I won't be needed that real quick I want to go check on the tanker guys we're like, supposed to be protecting!" "I...ah..a...Sir V3 we have alread..." "You're in charge of accommodating me right?!" "W..well yes but..." "Good! Well I need to be accommodated into space! and make sure those other boys are alright! Plus! as an ambassador of sorts! I want to invite them to this dinner thing we got going on" "M..Wait. but sir" Rushing across the room he struggled as he rushed to put his blue jeans on, the officer attempted to keep up with all the clothing that was being thrown in every direction. Folding and neatly placing the freshly made and pressed uniform somewhere in the room. "Hey!" V said as he placed a firm hand on the 1st Lts. shoulder. "You said you were bored right. Well then Afro my friend it's time for adventure!" V3 yelled triumphantly as the local star rolled into view of his window pane. revealing the feint outline of a nearby planet he hadn't noticed. The sun had risen on a new day, a new adventure and who knows what may await them next. W.C: 2694/ Total: 21,509/ Post: #14 πΈππππ Attachments:
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