RPG
Introduction
The Scope: You are insignificant
Kizara itself is a fantastical world with a long and rich history... most of which is unimportant when considering current events, even though it is all connected. The solar system that contains Earth is roughly 100 AU across with Pluto's farthest orbit being approximately 49 AU from the Sun (Where 1 AU is the distance between Earth and the sun). The Kizaran solar system is approximately ten times that size, or 1 light year across, has two suns, and hundreds of planets and moons. A good number of these planets and moons have been terraformed and colonized, or have had stations built around them.
The main planet is roughly 20% larger than Earth and has a longer orbit, meaning Kizara's solar year is approximately 2 years of Earth time and has been designated Kizara Prime. Kizara Prime has a particularly peculiar property that makes it stand out from the rest of the planets: Its moon is another planet. Kizara Prime's moon is a planet that is, for all intensive purposes, identical to Kizara prime. It is identical in size, landmass, and rotation and has been dubbed "The Sister Planet" for this reason. In fact, from a particular point of view, one could even say that Kizara Prime is the Sister Planet's moon. A study of the two planet's orbits has revealed that although they orbit one another, each planet is always the same distance from its sun and always has the same facing. How is that possible? Nobody really knows but that's how it is.
"K"urrency? What the hell is an ISK anyway?
Back in the day, people used gold coins as currency. As trade with dragons increased, however, gold became more and more scarce. There is a fundamental problem with trading gold to these reptilian creatures: Dragons covet pretty things, and they are notorious hoarders. Something doesn't even need to be particularly valuable for a dragon to want it for their collection. In fact, a large portion of a certain dragon's horde (name redacted) is comprised of polished rocks and shiny glass beads. It is also a well known fact that gold is shiny.
The common belief is that, over the course of a few thousand years, Dragons gathered up all of the gold for their collection through clever trading and have it stashed in some gigantic hidden vault. The fact that the dragons control all of the banks is not something that conspiracy theorists have missed. It still remains that gold is one of the scarcest resources in the solar system and the dragon bank of Kizara probably controls most of it. As such, with the system's primary monetary system exhausted, there was a push to standardize it.
ISK stands for Inter-Stellar Kredit. Why the K? It has something to do with the intricacy of the draconic language. Personally, I believe they did it purposefully so that mortals would ponder endlessly over the reason. Shiny things and riddles: the main vices of dragons. The ISK is a standardized monetary unit worth approximately one half of an ounce of gold. Now imagine, as the billions of inhabitants make hundreds of millions of transactions per day, that scores of lesser drakes load up gold onto palettes and in wheelbarrows and move piles of gold between rooms as ISK trades hands. Entertaining, isn't it?
A Little History: Interesting stuff that is... interesting.
It all began when seven dragons fled their home, and because I can neither pronounce, nor spell it we will refer to it as the Dragon-home. What they were fleeing isn't clear, only that it was some unspeakable evil which they trapped by collapsing the dimension as they left. Alone, they roamed the cosmos searching for a new home when they happened upon Kizara. Before the dragons, Kizara was an earth-like planet with rudimentary tribal humanoid life established on it. Its common belief that the oldest and most powerful dragon, Jutal, sacrificed her physical form to ascend to Godhood. Now, if you believe certain theories, namely that all matter is comprised of energy, and thus energy has mass, and things with sufficient mass have gravitational pull. Such that a large enough energy mass could have sufficient gravitational pull to attract more energy to itself, creating a self-sustaining reaction.
Thus, the spirit realm, and eventually the planes were born around the Goddess. The other six dragons created heirs to pass down their powers in the likeness of the curious life forms that already inhabited the planet so that if their kind did not recover, their knowledge and arts would not be lost. These six beings were known as the "Firsts."
There is also a second theory that the Goddess, Jutal, made her own heir in secret and there were actually seven Firsts. This theory was never confirmed, but there are rumors of individuals with extraordinary power wandering about, trying to keep their true identity secret. Anyway, the six Firsts were integrated into different tribes across the planet so they could also learn the knowledge and arts of their respective tribes as they grew.
Of course they figured out fairly quickly that they were different from the others, even extraordinary fairly quickly. It was then that they decided to leave their tribes to go on a pilgrimage of sorts, drawn by some inexplicable force from all corners of the world to find one another and band together. Eventually they formed “The Guild” which was an organization designed to use their powers to keep balance across the land. Back then, large scale standing armies were unheard of and disputes between tribes were largely settled by duels. As time passed and tribes grew, they took to raising a champion for this purpose. The Guild was formed so that small or poor settlements that did not have the resources to train warriors to champion them couldn’t just be wiped off the map by the richer tribes. In exchange for trade goods, food, or currency they would champion disputes for anyone who could not defend themselves.
Some tribes didn’t care for Guild interference, naturally, but the power of the Firsts was so great that they could not be opposed, at least not until Luna. Luna, who is suspected to be the seventh First, was a particularly potent psychic, such that she could dominate the will of others. Nobody is quite sure how it worked, but her power spread like a virus from one infected to another and over the course of a few short years, she amassed a sizeable army by absorbing tribes (willingly or not) unknown to the Guild. This all changed when Luna made a push into Guild controlled territory. She used her powers to take over members of the Guild and force them to betray one another, which sparked the first large-scale war in the planets history.
Of the seven warriors, five were known to survive. Jade, the silver dragon’s heir and arguably the most powerful disappeared before the final battle and was never found. Luna was defeated, but not killed and faded into obscurity. Hunter, who lead the battle against Luna disappeared after the final battle and was said to spend his days hunting Luna to far corners of the world so that she could never come to power again. The remaining four warriors dissolved the Guild, mended fences, and founded the four major households of Kizara. Through the mixing of bloodlines and breeding with the natives, the Kizaran race that we know today was born.
The Bloodlines: I don’t know how it works; I only got a C in Biology.
Dragon’s blood is a mystical and powerful thing, so it’s no surprise that the individuals who possess it are formidable people. People who inherit the Dragon’s blood tend to be stronger, faster, and tougher, heal at an astonishing rate, and live incredibly long lives. A recently discovered fact is that Dragon’s blood is dominant, such that it is always passed down from one of the parents, and usually has properties from any side of the family that carries the dragon’s blood. In this manner, any pairing with someone who has Dragon’s Blood always produces a half-blood.
Purebloods
As the name implies, purebloods are produced when two full-blooded heirs mate. Typically this is achieved when two Firsts mate, or the offspring of two pairs of Firsts… as you can imagine, this group is fairly small, and comprises only 1% of the total Kizaran population.
Half-blood
A half-blood is produced when any heir of Dragons blood mates with a Mundane (or sans-blood), or with another half-blood. Traits from the Dragon’s Blood of both families are passed down to the offspring, and typically creates someone with a mix of abilities from both families… this is not always true, however. The half-blood are the largest group of individuals in Kizara, and consist of roughly 90% of the Kizaran population. If you were born in the last 2,500 years, there is a high probability that you belong to this group.
The Mundane
Mundane are descendants of the original inhabitants of the planet who have chosen not to mix with the bearers of Dragon’s Blood. The term “Mundane” does not always imply “without powers,” as you might think. The original inhabitants of the planet practiced various forms of ritualistic magic, communing with nature and the spirits to achieve power. Some Mundane have proven to be powerful shamans or psychics, and their practices have never died away or slipped into obscurity, even to this day. The Mundane consist of the remaining 9% of the Kizaran population, and are located largely on Kizara Prime.
The Households: Don’t let the name fool you, they are as dysfunctional as everyone else.
Wolfwood
The noble household, founded by Seviryn, took power after overthrowing Luna and established a single government to rule over the land. They spent nearly 100 years unifying all of the tribes and establishing the Imperium to rule over the planet with the idea that unification would keep people like Luna from coming to power… a plan that has more or less worked so far. Seviryn decided to distance himself from the actual governing of the lands, having instead created a council and established several other political parties. He split the governing power in such a way that should the council or parties disagree, nothing could be accomplished… which may have been slightly irresponsible, or brilliant depending on your point of view. The Wolfwood became arbiters to settle differences and disputes between parties and council members and ensure that Kizaran government policy was always for balance, and the good of the people. With the military might of house Daine backing him, the system he created prevented any one person from controlling government policy. Ambitious councilmen who have tried to change the system to favor a single party or single person rule through clever machinations, policy writing, or vote influence tend to mysteriously (or not so mysteriously) vanish.
The most notable trait the Wolfwood possess is that they are blind. Every member born into the main branch is 100% visually impaired. The clan as a whole has learned how to navigate by scrying magical auras and currents of energy. It has put them very in tune with the currents and flows of energy and that exist throughout the cosmos. The Wolfwood are “Spell shapers,” able to manipulate the natural currents of energy throughout the cosmos. The most advanced Spell shapers can even transmute that energy into any element they wish.
House Wolfwood is loyal to Balance, but respects the Imperium
Daine
Founded by Micha; the Daine household are the Knights Errant of the Imperium. The founder, Micha, was one of the Firsts who was turned by Luna’s power and forced to betray his friends. Since the founding of his household, they have been working to right past wrongs and regain the honor and respect they once held. Although as a whole, house Daine are tools of the Imperium and protectors of the Noble Council, they answer only to Seviryn. Such that if Seviryn were to one day decide that the Imperium should not exist, the members of house Daine would use their powers to destroy it. This fact is not unknown to the Noble Council and other political factions within the Imperium. The fact that house Daine is the single largest non-Imperium military force in existence is also abundantly clear. They are loyal only to Seviryn because he was the one who freed Micha from Luna’s powers, and the first to forgive him for the horrible things he did to the other Firsts. Micha swore that he would do anything in his power to further Seviryn’s goals, whatever they might be, and all of Micha’s descendants are bound to that oath because of Micha’s belief that Seviryn was the only person who could restore honor to his name.
In addition to being legendary fighters, members of the Daine household are known for being powerful “Metal shapers.” Capable of crafting the most exquisite arms and armor, Metal shapers can manipulate the structure and shape of any metallic object they come in contact with on the molecular level. The most powerful Metal shapers can perform this feat in the blink of an eye, just by being in the object’s proximity. If that doesn’t sound all that useful, think for one moment on just how many things in a modern world are made of metal, or have metal components.
House Daine is loyal to Seviryn.
House of Orion
Founded by Orion, which makes his name Orion Orion… not sure he was thinking clearly that day, but that is par for the course since Orion has been known to be off his rocker. Orion’s gift made him a powerful seer, able to receive visions of the distant future. Luna’s turning of Micha and his subsequent betrayal cost Jade her daughter. Understandably upset, she set out on a revenge quest, which Orion had foreseen to lead to her death. He had also seen that the distant future would have need of her great power. After many failed attempts to reason with her, he took a plan of action that would ensure her survival until her powers would be needed again. Unknown to the other Firsts, he tricked Jade by offering up a red herring that he had been turned by Luna’s power and sought to betray the Guild. Orion led her beneath a mountain where his other powers would be at their strongest. After a short fight, he took hold of a large deposit of crystal beneath the mountain and trapped her inside it, then modified the crystal’s structure to preserve her in stasis exactly how she was.
Orion himself was able to receive visions of the distant future and understand their meaning, but he was unable to control when the visions came and went. Over time he became detached from reality, and even attempted to blind himself to stop the visions (which only made them worse), and he became something of a functioning lunatic. Shortly after the household was founded, Orion vanished. Although new members of the Orion household continue to crop up from all over the solar system (suggesting that Orion himself may still be alive), nobody has any idea where he is, what he’s doing, or whether he succumbed to the madness of his visions. Orion is also the only person who knows the reason for Jade’s disappearance, and where she is located. Members of the House of Orion are prone to having uncontrollable visions of future events, and those with low mental fortitude are slowly driven mad by them. In addition, they are known to be skilled “Earth shapers.” They are able to use their power to shape, shift, or manipulate any kind of dirt, sand, rock, mineral, or crystal in their proximity on the molecular level much like the Metal shapers of house Daine. The most skilled Earth shapers are even able to push themselves through solid stone without interrupting its structure, or travel long distances in an instant through it.
House Orion is loyal to the “Big Picture.”
Blackheart
Founded by Damon; the Blackheart house served the Imperium in the early days, but with their practices frowned upon, Damon eventually took his house and vanished into the criminal underworld of Kizara. He was one of the Firsts to be turned by Luna’s power, though because of a quirk in the way Luna’s power controls its victims, instead of betraying the Guild, it destroyed his inhibitions against seeking certain knowledge and using what was considered to be “Dark Arts” at the time. See, Damon was an insufferable scholar, who knew more than everyone about everything and was sure everyone was aware of it. Dark rumors are whispered about house Blackheart, that they are mere husks of living beings who feed upon the living to sustain their powers. This is only partially true…
Members of house Blackheart are able to absorb information at an incredibly enhanced rate, and are prone to having eidetic memories. Dates, times, smells, the clothes you were wearing 100 years ago and the fact that your socks were indeed mismatched. They forget nothing, and can instantly relive any event or sensation they have experienced, or any piece of information they have learned as vividly as the instant it happened. They are also practitioners of “Blood Magic,” which is where many of the rumors about them originated. At its core, Blood Magic is the transference of energy from one owner to another, typically from a target to the caster. They can then use this energy to attack others or enhance themselves. Because of the fundamental operation of Blood Magic, a Blood mage is only as powerful as the amount of energy he has stored within his body. It’s far more complex than this explanation, but in the interest of time I’ll leave it at that. The long history of Blood Magic use has changed the members of house Blackheart over the years. They are very sensitive to sunlight: their eyes do not adjust well to brightness, and they burn quite easily. Also they tend to have slitted red eyes, pale skin, and pointed canines.
House Blackheart is currently in good standing with the Imperium, but loyal in large part only to the almighty ISK.
Other noteworthy households
Ravenwing
A branch of house Blackheart made up of members who decided not to use Blood Magic. This house was founded by Garian, who is also president of the system-wide mega-corporation: Raven Corp. Members of house Ravenwing retained the eidetic memory and potent power to absorb knowledge from Damon’s bloodline, but having shunned the practice of Blood Magic, their bodies developed along a different path. Hundreds of years of research and exposure to a particular red crystal has fundamentally changed their biology. Their bodies are infused with red crystal particulate, causing them to manufacture a kind of biological nano-machine which acts as an extension of their nervous system. Because of this, over time they have developed an ability which they’ve come to call “Tele-Presence” or “Tech shaping.” It is the ability to control or manipulate mechanical or computerized devices with their mind. Basically, any device powered by crystal matrix technology is at their beck and call. They can talk to machines and computers as though they were living entities, or take control of phones, radios, computers, cars, tanks, transports… the most powerful “Tech shapers” can single handedly control the largest starships and stations simply by being on it. Because of this, they are coveted as technical officers and engineers on Imperium warships. Members of house Ravenwing can be distinguished by the subtly shifting black markings that cover their bodies which resemble tribal tattoos. They are actually concentrations of the biological nano-machines their bodies produce, and act as conduits for their Tech shaping ability.
House Ravenwing is loyal to the Imperium.
Pendrake
Rumored to be descendants of Hunter, the Pendrake house is relatively small. It was originally founded by a warrior named Balthazar and has a long history of infighting and disagreement of ideals. Members of house Pendrake are nomads, wandering the cosmos, driven to root out injustice (or what they perceive to be injustice) and destroy it. They lend their powers to those who cannot defend themselves, or those who have a worthy cause. As the Ronin of Kizara, most members of house Pendrake follow the code and principles on which the house was founded. While individual interpretations of the code are what led to such furious warring between members, they still hold it as their highest ideal. It is rumored that members of house Pendrake are the only people capable of navigating the Netherplanes, Metaplanes, and other Trails and Realms without a device to aid them.
Members of house Pendrake hold a peculiar and potent power. Many names have been given to their ability, but it has commonly come to be called “Blade shaping.” It is their belief that every weapon has spirit and strength imparted unto it by its creator; that a weapon is not just a tool, it is an entity. They can commune with and draw power from these spirits, peeling back the layers separating the material and spiritual and uncovering the hidden potential in each weapon. Members tend to favor a weapon type that agrees with their ideals and personality, such that each member’s fighting style is as unique as they are. Their powers develop around their weapons and fighting style so it’s difficult to gauge what exactly a Pendrake is capable of just by knowing their household. However, it is commonly known that their powers are weapon-centric, such that they are at a disadvantage if disarmed. A Pendrake can pick up any weapon and be proficient, even masterful with it but they are the most powerful when wielding a weapon they have deeply bonded with. The most powerful members of house Pendrake are rumored to also have something called “Infinite Sight,” or “The Eye.” They are able to see past the physical and into the very root of a person’s ability, how it works, and how they as an individual use and manipulate energy around them or through their body to achieve their powers. Using this Infinite Sight, they can replicate any technique or ability they have seen before. Pendrakes with this power are rumored to be marked with a single red eye.
House Pendrake is loyal to their code, whatever the individual interpretation of it may be.
House Phoenix
The Phoenix household was founded shortly after the advent of space travel. They originated on starships and exist largely in space. They have spent so much time in space, in fact, that they have a natural affinity to it. Being on a planet is a foreign and uncomfortable experience for them. They have learned to commune with the void and the cosmos and have an unparalleled understanding of Zero-G physics. As such, they make extraordinary helmsmen, pilots, navigators, and starship engineers. It’s almost as though they can see the currents and eddies of gravitational and solar waves flowing through space. Their understanding of spatial phenomenon and sensor functions allows them to vanish into cosmic white noise, almost like space-ninjas. Nobody is as talented as a Phoenix house member while flying a starship, or in Zero-G combat. Outside of their ships, however, is a different story. Most members of house Phoenix have spent so much time living in starships, fighting with starships, fixing and flying starship that any encounter they have outside of their starship puts them at a huge disadvantage.
Many members of house Phoenix have also developed powerful psychic abilities. This fact is not widely known, as because of the Psychic Registration Act anyone with advanced psychic powers is automatically drafted into the Imperial Navy and closely observed. As a household that values their freedom, those that have developed psychic abilities practice them in secret, so the range and depth of their powers is not known.
House Phoenix is considered a neutral fleet and is directly loyal to no one; however, they tend to favor the Exiles.
The Factions: All the right reasons to hate your neighbor.
The Imperium
As a whole, the Imperium is the governing body of the entire system. It consists of 10 Noble Councilmen, who are each backed by a political faction consisting of approximately 50 individuals from different households. To achieve anything, the council must build a consensus, which means that all 510 individuals that comprise the council must agree unanimously. Any split in the consensus is brought before an arbiter from house Wolfwood, who negotiates a compromise between the disagreeing parties or individuals until a consensus can be reached. As you can imagine, this deliberation process is prone to taking a long time.
The Imperial Navy
Recognizing the need to have a standing military force to police the solar system, defend colonies and stations from raiders, bandits, and other threats, and defend Kizara as a whole against the Exiles, the Noble Council created the Imperial Navy. Because coming to a consensus is such a time consuming process, the Navy itself is considered to be an independent entity which largely governs itself, allowing the Navy to recruit, police, defend, and attack the enemy as it sees fit. This, by itself, would pose a problem, since the policies and standard operating procedures would change depending on who was in charge. What if the Navy decided to go rogue, become an independent fleet and begin attacking the colonies? Some don’t see this as a problem…
On the most basic level, they can’t become an independent fleet because they already are an independent fleet. Like any small nation, they have their own practices and standard operating procedures, and hierarchy of government. Like any corporation, they have a service to trade or sell and colonies can choose to purchase or trade for it, or they can create their own defense force. What’s to keep them from holding a world ransom to get what their way or not perform their duty? Several things, first and foremost: the Imperial Navy isn’t the only military force in existence capable of spaceflight. House Daine has a significant fleet; as does the neutral house Phoenix and several major corporations. Several of the colonies have also opted to create their own naval force instead of relying on the Imperial Navy. Second, space is huge: far too large for just one force to cover. Having territories that can take care of themselves is much more efficient. Third, if they piss off their customers, they won’t be able to fund themselves.
That doesn’t mean squabbles don’t break out between the fleets over things like territorial borders, soliciting, and mining rights. It’s quite frequent, in fact. The Imperium is content to leave the spatial territories to the fleets that govern them. As long as the safety of Kizara or the colonies is not threatened, the fleets are free to engage each other as they see fit. Competition fosters good service.
The Exiles
The Exiles are Kizarans who disagree with the rule of the Imperium and have decided live off on their own. At its most basic level, the whole disagreement boils down to a religious dispute. What is the difference? It’s like asking a human what the difference between “God” and “Allah” is. Regardless of the exact reason, Exiles like their name implies, no longer live in the Kizaran territories. It is rumored that they have constructed massive stations in the dead space outside the orbit of the 200 planets and live off the grid. The war between the Imperium and the Exiles has largely reached a stalemate. Imperium ships don’t have the sensor capacity to find the Exiles in their off-grid homes, and Exiles lack the numbers and firepower to compete in a head-on firefight with them. Since the schism that split the religions and the Exodus of the Exiles happened before spaceflight, nobody is sure where they went, or how they got there. There are thousands of rumors and theories, but there is no way of telling which ones are true.
The Technology: Toys of the age!
Almost 1000 years after Jade’s disappearance and end of the war with Luna, Kizarans began to discover small red crystals dotting the landscape of certain areas. Magicians and sorcerers began using them in staves and wands after finding out that these crystals harnessed a significant charge of energy. Because it could be used to supplement their magical powers, or blast enemies, they named it “Mage-Stone” based on the (incorrect) assumption that they were magic. After approximately 100 years, Kizarans began finding fields of these crystals in fair sized growths, almost bursting from the ground. The newly formed branch family of house Ravenwing discovered that the power within these crystals could be extracted slowly to provide a constant charge. A few years later, they discovered that a crystal shard of sufficient size (roughly 1x1x2 inches) would not only produce a constant charge, but also slowly recharge itself after being depleted. It was this discovery that sparked the industrial revolution. When it was later discovered that the crystals were growing at a rate faster than they had the tools and technology to harvest them, crystal farming became a profitable profession.
500 years later, massive crystal forests are discovered in areas that were previously grassland or desert and the Imperium declares a state of crisis as the growing crystals threaten literally to sunder the land beneath them. House Ravenwing discovered that Mage-Stone is a naturally occurring crystal that has been saturated with energy from a biological source, and that after reaching their capacity the overflowing energy was stimulating rapid growth of the crystal. A stunning blow to their original preconceptions, which house Wolfwood took in stride and spearheaded an initiative to discover the source and harvest as much Mage-Stone as possible in an effort to stem its uncontrolled growth. The Imperium then gave house Ravenwing basically unlimited resources to find new ways to consume the crystal surplus, causing a technological explosion in just a few short years.
The year is now Imperium Date (ID) 4425 and it has been nearly 5000 years since the war with Luna and Jade’s disappearance. House Ravenwing developed an inhibitor system to reign in the uncontrolled growth of Mage-Stone, although its source was never pinpointed. Seviryn continues the hunt, driven by something he won’t reveal. And though every inch of the surface appears to have been scoured and ground penetrating sensors cannot seem to reach far enough underground to pinpoint the exact source of the crystal. With the colonies expanding, and clashes with the Exiles escalating, he fears he may have to abandon his search, at least for the time being.
Raven Corp.
Raven Corp. is the leading manufacturer of crystal matrix goods. Power cores, batteries, HEV technology etc… It is the largest corporation in the Kizaran territories. Though it has many competitors, if it wasn’t built directly by Raven Corp. then it most likely has components manufactured by it. They became self sufficient and outgrew the need for Imperium funding shortly after the beginning of the technological boom of ID 1655. Raven Corp. has a sizeable fleet of starships, and though loyal to the Imperium, are nearly a nation in themselves much like house Phoenix.
Firearms: The Rail Gun vs. the Lance
The capacity for Mage-Stone to deliver not just a constant charge, but a powerful one led to the development of magnetic acceleration. Although other types of firearms, or projected energy weapons exist, the Rail system is the most efficient and advanced design. By super-accelerating a metal slug to extreme velocity, an accurate, low recoil weapon was created. Many variations are on the market: small pistol sized cannons, rapid fire machine guns, even deadly long distance rifles. The Rail gun’s reliance on ammunition is still a topic of debate, but since the Rail gun does not rely on bulky powders or accelerants, a magazine for a standard issue assault rifle can hold hundreds of rounds and be reloaded in less than 3 seconds. Projected energy weapons still rely on bulky heat-sinks and can be overloaded, putting the combatant out of the fight until his weapon returns to an operable temperature. For the accuracy, ease of use, and volume of firepower, in spite of its reliance on ammunition the rail gun is still the best weapon on the market. Mass acceleration weapons capable of super-accelerating large slugs to 1.3% of light speed are the preferred anti-starship weapon of the Imperium.
The Imperium has the Rail Gun, but Exile technology developed on a different line. The preferred firearm for the Exile is a weapon called the “Lance.” It’s a kind of hybrid weapon; a combination between projected energy and Rail technology. Many have been captured and examined, and Imperium scientists have a good fundamental understanding of the weapon’s operation but have not, as of yet, been able to replicate the technology. It carries slugs like a rail gun, but instead of firing these slugs, they are liquefied in the firing chamber and then carried in a wire-thin stream along a charged bolt of plasma. It combines the barrier defeating properties of projected energy with the armor defeating kinetic impact of the rail gun, making it a very potent weapon. The two main drawbacks of the weapon are that plasma generates a large amount of heat and that it dissipates quickly over distance, limiting the maximum range of the weapon. The exiles have large-scale versions of this weapon mounted on their ships.
Armor and Barriers: HEV suit and Charged Barrier vs. EXO and Cyclonic Barrier
The Hostile Environment Suit or HEV is the Imperium standard for armor. It is a full-body suit complete with environmental seals. High grade military helmets include a helpful AI, sensor, communications, and targeting package and are also quite stylish. The standard HEV is low bulk and modular, making it easy to maneuver in and configure for any kind of encounter. They come standard with charged barriers, and strength and speed enhancing hydraulics. There are heavy armor versions of the HEV that are bulky and difficult to move in, but are typically reserved for heavy weapon divisions or individuals with incredible strength. The lightweight HEV has a low power draw and can operate for long periods of time in the field but lacks the sheer protective quality of heavier armor.
The “Powered Assist” suit or EXO is the Exiles standard for armor. It is much heavier than the HEV and provides a much higher resistance against the kinetic impact of rail guns. The EXO was developed with many similar features to the HEV including AI, sensors, communications, and targeting, as well as a barrier system. Like the name suggests, it has “powered assist,” dramatically increasing the strength and speed of the user. Because of the heavy power draw of the powered assist and cyclonic barrier systems however, the suit needs to be charged and maintained more frequently than the HEV. The sheer weight of the EXO also means that if the suit’s energy reserves are depleted in battle, unless the user had superior strength to begin with, it’s likely he’ll become a big metal paperweight.
The Exile barrier system differs in fundamental application. The Imperium “Charged Barrier” absorbs the energy and distributes it equally about the field, so it is easy to read shield strength as it depletes uniformly. The charged barrier is also much simpler in design, using only a single emitter for the entire barrier. The Exile “Cyclonic Barrier” features an array of emitters that spin the field, violently slapping aside incoming projectiles rather than attempting to stop them. The cyclonic barrier depletes much quicker than the charged barrier and has a much higher power draw. Also if one of the emitters is damaged, the balance of the barrier can be thrown off, significantly reducing its effectiveness or even injuring the person inside. Because of its high power draw, however, it recovers much quicker than a charged barrier as well.
Space Travel: FTL vs. the Space Fold
Faster Than Light (FTL) travel was developed by the Imperium shortly after the advent of spaceflight, allowing quick expansion and colonization of the moons and planets in the Kizaran system. As its name suggests, it operates by accelerating the entire ship to light speed. Its comparatively low power draw and efficiency mean that even non-capital (craft smaller than a frigate), small-crew, or even single-man craft are capable of FTL travel without assistance. The main drawback is that because of the sheer size of the Kizaran system, it can take weeks, or even months to reach your destination.
The Space Fold is Exile technology. Fundamentally, it operates by creating a wormhole between two points, such that the craft enters on one side and exits on the other near instantaneously. Once the wormhole is open, it can be sustained so that other ships can enter. The tremendous power required to form the wormholes means that only larger ships are capable of performing the Space Fold, meaning any kind of support craft must either have assistance from a capital ship for point to point travel, or be carried along by the fleet.
Starship Classes
Fighter Craft: Fighters are small, agile craft capable of incredibly fast sub-light speeds and performing insane maneuvers. Fighters are vulnerable to point-defense lasers, but are largely immune to the large anti-ship turrets and spinal mounted weapons of larger ships due to their speed. Imperium fighters are typically manned by one pilot, but have small compartments behind the cockpit for the "comfort" of the pilot on long trips. It usually consists of a tiny pull-out bed, compartment for rations, a hydration tank, and an equally tiny toilet. These long-range craft can hold enough consumables (atmosphere, food, and hydration) for approximately three weeks.
The short-range fighters staffed on Imperium carriers have traded the "living" space for over-sized crystal cores, and larger barrier emitters. Since Exile fighter craft are not capable of keeping up with their respective fleets, they are all manufactured in a short-range configuration. Because of the close-range nature of fighter combat, both Imperium and Exile fighter-craft typically favor plasma based weapons and cap-busting torpedoes. Interceptor class fighters used for screening capital ships from enemy fighter-craft feature over-sized cores, engines, and barrier emitters, and a more robust crystal array for generating plasma, but lack torpedoes for fighting larger ships.
Imperium Fighters are capable of travelling at light speed.
The Gunship At nearly quadruple the size of a normal fighter, these lumbering mountains of holy cleansing fire feature turrets that can cover every angle of approach. Gunships are still quite fast at sub-light and able to avoid larger anti-ship fire but can't outrun or outmaneuver the smaller, faster fighters and interceptors. Gunships vary in size and armament, but typically crew 2-5 with an adequate but small living space for long distance missions. Modular turrets and robust shields and armor make these craft formidable and flexible foes able to tackle nearly any mission. Gunships feature hard-hitting rails or lances and payloads of anti-cap plasma bombs capable of inflicting heavy damage to larger ships. Since Exile gunships must be carried along with their respective fleets, they trade living space for larger engines and payload capacity.
Imperium Gunships are capable of travelling at light speed.
The Transport or Armed Transport: Just like the name sounds, transports are larger ships typically outfitted for moving a small cargo of freight or people. Some pirate and mercenary gangs have outfitted their transports with turrets and modified engines, making them robust combat craft capable of taking on much hardier targets than a small group of fighters. Transports have comfortable living space for a crew of 6 and can transport up to 2500 cubic meters of cargo, depending on how the cargo space is arranged. Mercenary and pirate gangs sometimes carry land vehicles in their transports, or small boarding parties. For an size comparison of a transport, think of the "Millennium Falcon" from Star Wars, or the "Serenity" from Fire Fly.
Imperium Transports are capable of travelling at 2x light speed.
Industrial Craft: As you would expect, Industrials are the workhorses of space. Typically manned by a crew of 4 to 8, this class of ship encompasses everything from salvage ships to the massive mining barges that melt down asteroids into useful ores and metals that are used in the construction of stations and starships. Industrial ships are not fit for combat, but Imperium industrials can travel at 2x light speed.
Freighter: Freighters are massive cargo transports, typically manned by a crew of 12. Easily the size battleships, Freighters are capable of hauling incredible amounts of cargo in their gigantic holds. A freighter can hold as much as 890,000 cubic meters worth of cargo, or 667 semi-trailers. With their battleship-sized engines they are able to travel at nearly 3x light speed. It is unknown whether or not Exiles possess freighters.
Frigate: A frigate is the "fighter" of the capital ship world. They are large ships with crews of 50 or more, but with over-sized drives and thrusters, allowing them to achieve speeds and perform maneuvers that larger ships are typically incapable of doing. In fleet battles, frigates move in under the minimum range for anti-ship batteries and cripple enemy barriers or critical systems with close range lasers or torpedoes. Frigates can also engage in ranged combat with their spinal-mounted bore-sight weapons. Frigates also have decent sized cargo holds, and a bay that can hold two short-range fighters, or two shuttles.
With their over-sized engines, frigates are capable of travelling at 4x light speed for one or two hours at a time (before they cook the crew), otherwise they have a normal cruising speed of 2x light speed.
Blackship: This ships earned their name, oddly enough, by being black. These Exile boats are as dark as the void of space, and reflect nearly no light. In the dead of space, with their lights out, they are nearly invisible. Research done on captured Blackships show that they can hide from enemy sensors by sinking their heat emissions into specially refrigerated capacitors along their hull instead of radiating it out into space. It is the closest thing to a cloaking device that currently exists. It allows the frigate to passively observe unnoticed for days at a time, or move through systems unseen for several hours. The heat buildup within the hull can reach levels high enough to cook the crew if left unchecked, so the invisibility is not permanent, but it is useful. Blackships that have reached their heat capacity must vent it back into space, which effectively doubles their signal radius for a short period of time.
Blackships are capable of Space-Folding.
Crewing a Starship
The average crew complement for an Imperium frigate is approximately 50... 50 crew for an out of the box frigate with a default AI and no Ship's Cat helpers. A well funded frigate with a high level of automation and engineers with KASUMI tech assistants can be operated with a crew of 10. If you want a crew of androids, you can fly your frigate by yourself, but there's one major flaw with these plans: If your ship's computer gets damaged, broken, or hacked in any way that it becomes inoperable... your frigate still takes 50 people to fly it, the AI, drones and ship's cats were just performing the work of 50 people.
A crew of 50 assumes a full compliment of bridge crew and officers, tactical crew, maintenance and tech crew, and support crew, in enough shifts to keep the ship manned and operational 24/7. Because FTL travel barely breaks the light barrier, ships can be out in space for long periods of time (see: space is big).
Finding Each Other in Space
Space is big (see: space is big), and even the huge battleships, massive carriers, gigantic dreadnaughts, and titanic... titans are miniscule compaired to the vastness of space. Since space is empty, and every object in uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it (Newton). Meaning, a 20 kilo ferrous slug fired at 1.3% of light speed that misses its target will tend to remain travelling at 1.3% of light speed unless another object impedes its flight trajectory; in which case it will impact with 35 megatons of force. It might hit the planet behind the target, or fly through space and hit someone in 10,000 years. When these weapons are fired, somewhere, sometime, someone's day is ruined (Making Sir Isaac Newton the deadliest sonofabitch in space). So with weapons that have near instantaneous impact at... say about 2500 miles (~400 miles farther than the coast to coast width of the United States), ships need to be able to find and target one another. The Imperium has four standards of sensor input divided into active and passive catagories. Active sensors "ping" their targets with a signal and await a response. The ship receiving the ping shows a blip on their sensors, which notifies the tactical officers that they have been pinged while the computer attempts to triangulate an origin. Passive sensors wait to receive incoming transmissions, and then calculate an origin relative to the ship. None of these standards can detect an object moving at the speed of light.
Radar: Just like you think it would work; basically ships send out pulses and wait for signals to bounce back, and then calculate an origin based on the amount of time it took the signal to return.
Ladar: Detects other ships by bouncing lasers off of them. It is much more accurate and has a greater range than Radar, but has a much narrower field of view due to having to focus the array on its target. Typically these are mounted as forward facing arrays set to scan in front of the ship in a cone. Ladar targeting arrays are also typically mounted on any kind of weapon battery.
Thermal/Signal: A starship generates a lot of "noise" in space. Thrusters, engines, equipment, weapons, and core systems generate heat which must be radiated into space to avoid cooking the crew. Electrical systems and crystal cores generate Electromagnetic waves, friendly ships broadcast their IFF and generate other miscellaneous radio and light signals from talking to the FTL beacons scattered about the Kizaran territories. These emissions, in combination with their thermal profile create what is called a "signature radius," and is measured in meters. Thermal and signal sensors can lock on to these emissions and calculate an origin much faster than either Radar or Ladar can send out a ping and await a reply. Ships with a smaller signature radius are, of course, harder to lock on to but Thermal / Signal sensors are currently the fastest and most accurate means of obtaining a lock on another ship in space. Ships with stealth systems can sink these emissions into their hulls for short periods of time to fool Thermal / Signal sensors, which is why ships also have Radar and Ladar backup.
Visual Stealth systems only hide the thermal, electromagnetic, and radio emissions of a ship... anyone can still just look out the window and see you.
The Ship’s Cat
As I’ve mentioned: space is big. Without assistance from an AI, plotting FTL travel can be treacherous. The upside is that if you collide with another object at faster than light speeds, it’s likely you won’t even realize that you’ve died. Starships are fitted with an AI, of course, but the ship’s AI is largely meant to regulate the ship’s operations, man the communication and sensor equipment, and other menial tasks which require a lot of manpower. To reduce the number of crew required to operate a starship and also increase the efficiency of FTL travel, the Ship’s Cat was developed.
The Ship’s Cat is an AI construct specifically designed to eliminate the “mortal error” involved with manual navigation. As its name suggests, it has the appearance of a common house cat. These constructs are able to compute orbital paths of destinations, stellar drift and travel time, and a number of other variables involved with FTL travel in a fraction of the time it would take a team of Kizaran with computers to do so. They can interlink with the network of FTL beacons scattered about the Kizaran territories and instantly receive updates and travel advisories from all over the system.
As starship technology has advanced, the Ship’s Cat began coming in several different models, most common of which is the ARTEMIS navigation model. Several non-navigational units have been developed to act as tech assistants, since their small size and agility allow them to access areas of the ship which are too confining for a person to operate normally. Whereas the ARTEMIS is considered to be an android, the KASUMI series tech assistants are nano-machine constructs, allowing them to change their configuration on the fly as the situation merits.
There are unconfirmed rumors of extra-planar beings that resemble Ship’s Cat constructs, and pose as navigational units for their own ends.
Other means of travel: The Planes, Trails, and other places.
If you thought the place where we exist was the only place, you were wrong. Existence as we see it is only part of the puzzle. Kizarans and other entities live on the “material plane,” which consists of the planets and space as we know it. It is known that there are other places of existence and ways to access them. The existence of the planes, trails, and other realms has been known since the early days, however only the dragons, and certain individuals have the power and skill to routinely navigate through these areas safely. Because of this, I only will only touch briefly upon it. The meta-planes are their own universe, subject to their own rules, life, and dangers. It is possible to travel though these places to reach other areas of the material plane, however expeditionary forces sent through to the meta-planes have always met with disaster, so development of this alternate travel was thrown out and left to the dragons, or other individuals who have the capability to do it on their own. It’s important to know they exist, but their influence on your daily life is likely to be nonexistent.
Kizara itself is a fantastical world with a long and rich history... most of which is unimportant when considering current events, even though it is all connected. The solar system that contains Earth is roughly 100 AU across with Pluto's farthest orbit being approximately 49 AU from the Sun (Where 1 AU is the distance between Earth and the sun). The Kizaran solar system is approximately ten times that size, or 1 light year across, has two suns, and hundreds of planets and moons. A good number of these planets and moons have been terraformed and colonized, or have had stations built around them.
The main planet is roughly 20% larger than Earth and has a longer orbit, meaning Kizara's solar year is approximately 2 years of Earth time and has been designated Kizara Prime. Kizara Prime has a particularly peculiar property that makes it stand out from the rest of the planets: Its moon is another planet. Kizara Prime's moon is a planet that is, for all intensive purposes, identical to Kizara prime. It is identical in size, landmass, and rotation and has been dubbed "The Sister Planet" for this reason. In fact, from a particular point of view, one could even say that Kizara Prime is the Sister Planet's moon. A study of the two planet's orbits has revealed that although they orbit one another, each planet is always the same distance from its sun and always has the same facing. How is that possible? Nobody really knows but that's how it is.
"K"urrency? What the hell is an ISK anyway?
Back in the day, people used gold coins as currency. As trade with dragons increased, however, gold became more and more scarce. There is a fundamental problem with trading gold to these reptilian creatures: Dragons covet pretty things, and they are notorious hoarders. Something doesn't even need to be particularly valuable for a dragon to want it for their collection. In fact, a large portion of a certain dragon's horde (name redacted) is comprised of polished rocks and shiny glass beads. It is also a well known fact that gold is shiny.
The common belief is that, over the course of a few thousand years, Dragons gathered up all of the gold for their collection through clever trading and have it stashed in some gigantic hidden vault. The fact that the dragons control all of the banks is not something that conspiracy theorists have missed. It still remains that gold is one of the scarcest resources in the solar system and the dragon bank of Kizara probably controls most of it. As such, with the system's primary monetary system exhausted, there was a push to standardize it.
ISK stands for Inter-Stellar Kredit. Why the K? It has something to do with the intricacy of the draconic language. Personally, I believe they did it purposefully so that mortals would ponder endlessly over the reason. Shiny things and riddles: the main vices of dragons. The ISK is a standardized monetary unit worth approximately one half of an ounce of gold. Now imagine, as the billions of inhabitants make hundreds of millions of transactions per day, that scores of lesser drakes load up gold onto palettes and in wheelbarrows and move piles of gold between rooms as ISK trades hands. Entertaining, isn't it?
A Little History: Interesting stuff that is... interesting.
It all began when seven dragons fled their home, and because I can neither pronounce, nor spell it we will refer to it as the Dragon-home. What they were fleeing isn't clear, only that it was some unspeakable evil which they trapped by collapsing the dimension as they left. Alone, they roamed the cosmos searching for a new home when they happened upon Kizara. Before the dragons, Kizara was an earth-like planet with rudimentary tribal humanoid life established on it. Its common belief that the oldest and most powerful dragon, Jutal, sacrificed her physical form to ascend to Godhood. Now, if you believe certain theories, namely that all matter is comprised of energy, and thus energy has mass, and things with sufficient mass have gravitational pull. Such that a large enough energy mass could have sufficient gravitational pull to attract more energy to itself, creating a self-sustaining reaction.
Thus, the spirit realm, and eventually the planes were born around the Goddess. The other six dragons created heirs to pass down their powers in the likeness of the curious life forms that already inhabited the planet so that if their kind did not recover, their knowledge and arts would not be lost. These six beings were known as the "Firsts."
There is also a second theory that the Goddess, Jutal, made her own heir in secret and there were actually seven Firsts. This theory was never confirmed, but there are rumors of individuals with extraordinary power wandering about, trying to keep their true identity secret. Anyway, the six Firsts were integrated into different tribes across the planet so they could also learn the knowledge and arts of their respective tribes as they grew.
Of course they figured out fairly quickly that they were different from the others, even extraordinary fairly quickly. It was then that they decided to leave their tribes to go on a pilgrimage of sorts, drawn by some inexplicable force from all corners of the world to find one another and band together. Eventually they formed “The Guild” which was an organization designed to use their powers to keep balance across the land. Back then, large scale standing armies were unheard of and disputes between tribes were largely settled by duels. As time passed and tribes grew, they took to raising a champion for this purpose. The Guild was formed so that small or poor settlements that did not have the resources to train warriors to champion them couldn’t just be wiped off the map by the richer tribes. In exchange for trade goods, food, or currency they would champion disputes for anyone who could not defend themselves.
Some tribes didn’t care for Guild interference, naturally, but the power of the Firsts was so great that they could not be opposed, at least not until Luna. Luna, who is suspected to be the seventh First, was a particularly potent psychic, such that she could dominate the will of others. Nobody is quite sure how it worked, but her power spread like a virus from one infected to another and over the course of a few short years, she amassed a sizeable army by absorbing tribes (willingly or not) unknown to the Guild. This all changed when Luna made a push into Guild controlled territory. She used her powers to take over members of the Guild and force them to betray one another, which sparked the first large-scale war in the planets history.
Of the seven warriors, five were known to survive. Jade, the silver dragon’s heir and arguably the most powerful disappeared before the final battle and was never found. Luna was defeated, but not killed and faded into obscurity. Hunter, who lead the battle against Luna disappeared after the final battle and was said to spend his days hunting Luna to far corners of the world so that she could never come to power again. The remaining four warriors dissolved the Guild, mended fences, and founded the four major households of Kizara. Through the mixing of bloodlines and breeding with the natives, the Kizaran race that we know today was born.
The Bloodlines: I don’t know how it works; I only got a C in Biology.
Dragon’s blood is a mystical and powerful thing, so it’s no surprise that the individuals who possess it are formidable people. People who inherit the Dragon’s blood tend to be stronger, faster, and tougher, heal at an astonishing rate, and live incredibly long lives. A recently discovered fact is that Dragon’s blood is dominant, such that it is always passed down from one of the parents, and usually has properties from any side of the family that carries the dragon’s blood. In this manner, any pairing with someone who has Dragon’s Blood always produces a half-blood.
Purebloods
As the name implies, purebloods are produced when two full-blooded heirs mate. Typically this is achieved when two Firsts mate, or the offspring of two pairs of Firsts… as you can imagine, this group is fairly small, and comprises only 1% of the total Kizaran population.
Half-blood
A half-blood is produced when any heir of Dragons blood mates with a Mundane (or sans-blood), or with another half-blood. Traits from the Dragon’s Blood of both families are passed down to the offspring, and typically creates someone with a mix of abilities from both families… this is not always true, however. The half-blood are the largest group of individuals in Kizara, and consist of roughly 90% of the Kizaran population. If you were born in the last 2,500 years, there is a high probability that you belong to this group.
The Mundane
Mundane are descendants of the original inhabitants of the planet who have chosen not to mix with the bearers of Dragon’s Blood. The term “Mundane” does not always imply “without powers,” as you might think. The original inhabitants of the planet practiced various forms of ritualistic magic, communing with nature and the spirits to achieve power. Some Mundane have proven to be powerful shamans or psychics, and their practices have never died away or slipped into obscurity, even to this day. The Mundane consist of the remaining 9% of the Kizaran population, and are located largely on Kizara Prime.
The Households: Don’t let the name fool you, they are as dysfunctional as everyone else.
Wolfwood
The noble household, founded by Seviryn, took power after overthrowing Luna and established a single government to rule over the land. They spent nearly 100 years unifying all of the tribes and establishing the Imperium to rule over the planet with the idea that unification would keep people like Luna from coming to power… a plan that has more or less worked so far. Seviryn decided to distance himself from the actual governing of the lands, having instead created a council and established several other political parties. He split the governing power in such a way that should the council or parties disagree, nothing could be accomplished… which may have been slightly irresponsible, or brilliant depending on your point of view. The Wolfwood became arbiters to settle differences and disputes between parties and council members and ensure that Kizaran government policy was always for balance, and the good of the people. With the military might of house Daine backing him, the system he created prevented any one person from controlling government policy. Ambitious councilmen who have tried to change the system to favor a single party or single person rule through clever machinations, policy writing, or vote influence tend to mysteriously (or not so mysteriously) vanish.
The most notable trait the Wolfwood possess is that they are blind. Every member born into the main branch is 100% visually impaired. The clan as a whole has learned how to navigate by scrying magical auras and currents of energy. It has put them very in tune with the currents and flows of energy and that exist throughout the cosmos. The Wolfwood are “Spell shapers,” able to manipulate the natural currents of energy throughout the cosmos. The most advanced Spell shapers can even transmute that energy into any element they wish.
House Wolfwood is loyal to Balance, but respects the Imperium
Daine
Founded by Micha; the Daine household are the Knights Errant of the Imperium. The founder, Micha, was one of the Firsts who was turned by Luna’s power and forced to betray his friends. Since the founding of his household, they have been working to right past wrongs and regain the honor and respect they once held. Although as a whole, house Daine are tools of the Imperium and protectors of the Noble Council, they answer only to Seviryn. Such that if Seviryn were to one day decide that the Imperium should not exist, the members of house Daine would use their powers to destroy it. This fact is not unknown to the Noble Council and other political factions within the Imperium. The fact that house Daine is the single largest non-Imperium military force in existence is also abundantly clear. They are loyal only to Seviryn because he was the one who freed Micha from Luna’s powers, and the first to forgive him for the horrible things he did to the other Firsts. Micha swore that he would do anything in his power to further Seviryn’s goals, whatever they might be, and all of Micha’s descendants are bound to that oath because of Micha’s belief that Seviryn was the only person who could restore honor to his name.
In addition to being legendary fighters, members of the Daine household are known for being powerful “Metal shapers.” Capable of crafting the most exquisite arms and armor, Metal shapers can manipulate the structure and shape of any metallic object they come in contact with on the molecular level. The most powerful Metal shapers can perform this feat in the blink of an eye, just by being in the object’s proximity. If that doesn’t sound all that useful, think for one moment on just how many things in a modern world are made of metal, or have metal components.
House Daine is loyal to Seviryn.
House of Orion
Founded by Orion, which makes his name Orion Orion… not sure he was thinking clearly that day, but that is par for the course since Orion has been known to be off his rocker. Orion’s gift made him a powerful seer, able to receive visions of the distant future. Luna’s turning of Micha and his subsequent betrayal cost Jade her daughter. Understandably upset, she set out on a revenge quest, which Orion had foreseen to lead to her death. He had also seen that the distant future would have need of her great power. After many failed attempts to reason with her, he took a plan of action that would ensure her survival until her powers would be needed again. Unknown to the other Firsts, he tricked Jade by offering up a red herring that he had been turned by Luna’s power and sought to betray the Guild. Orion led her beneath a mountain where his other powers would be at their strongest. After a short fight, he took hold of a large deposit of crystal beneath the mountain and trapped her inside it, then modified the crystal’s structure to preserve her in stasis exactly how she was.
Orion himself was able to receive visions of the distant future and understand their meaning, but he was unable to control when the visions came and went. Over time he became detached from reality, and even attempted to blind himself to stop the visions (which only made them worse), and he became something of a functioning lunatic. Shortly after the household was founded, Orion vanished. Although new members of the Orion household continue to crop up from all over the solar system (suggesting that Orion himself may still be alive), nobody has any idea where he is, what he’s doing, or whether he succumbed to the madness of his visions. Orion is also the only person who knows the reason for Jade’s disappearance, and where she is located. Members of the House of Orion are prone to having uncontrollable visions of future events, and those with low mental fortitude are slowly driven mad by them. In addition, they are known to be skilled “Earth shapers.” They are able to use their power to shape, shift, or manipulate any kind of dirt, sand, rock, mineral, or crystal in their proximity on the molecular level much like the Metal shapers of house Daine. The most skilled Earth shapers are even able to push themselves through solid stone without interrupting its structure, or travel long distances in an instant through it.
House Orion is loyal to the “Big Picture.”
Blackheart
Founded by Damon; the Blackheart house served the Imperium in the early days, but with their practices frowned upon, Damon eventually took his house and vanished into the criminal underworld of Kizara. He was one of the Firsts to be turned by Luna’s power, though because of a quirk in the way Luna’s power controls its victims, instead of betraying the Guild, it destroyed his inhibitions against seeking certain knowledge and using what was considered to be “Dark Arts” at the time. See, Damon was an insufferable scholar, who knew more than everyone about everything and was sure everyone was aware of it. Dark rumors are whispered about house Blackheart, that they are mere husks of living beings who feed upon the living to sustain their powers. This is only partially true…
Members of house Blackheart are able to absorb information at an incredibly enhanced rate, and are prone to having eidetic memories. Dates, times, smells, the clothes you were wearing 100 years ago and the fact that your socks were indeed mismatched. They forget nothing, and can instantly relive any event or sensation they have experienced, or any piece of information they have learned as vividly as the instant it happened. They are also practitioners of “Blood Magic,” which is where many of the rumors about them originated. At its core, Blood Magic is the transference of energy from one owner to another, typically from a target to the caster. They can then use this energy to attack others or enhance themselves. Because of the fundamental operation of Blood Magic, a Blood mage is only as powerful as the amount of energy he has stored within his body. It’s far more complex than this explanation, but in the interest of time I’ll leave it at that. The long history of Blood Magic use has changed the members of house Blackheart over the years. They are very sensitive to sunlight: their eyes do not adjust well to brightness, and they burn quite easily. Also they tend to have slitted red eyes, pale skin, and pointed canines.
House Blackheart is currently in good standing with the Imperium, but loyal in large part only to the almighty ISK.
Other noteworthy households
Ravenwing
A branch of house Blackheart made up of members who decided not to use Blood Magic. This house was founded by Garian, who is also president of the system-wide mega-corporation: Raven Corp. Members of house Ravenwing retained the eidetic memory and potent power to absorb knowledge from Damon’s bloodline, but having shunned the practice of Blood Magic, their bodies developed along a different path. Hundreds of years of research and exposure to a particular red crystal has fundamentally changed their biology. Their bodies are infused with red crystal particulate, causing them to manufacture a kind of biological nano-machine which acts as an extension of their nervous system. Because of this, over time they have developed an ability which they’ve come to call “Tele-Presence” or “Tech shaping.” It is the ability to control or manipulate mechanical or computerized devices with their mind. Basically, any device powered by crystal matrix technology is at their beck and call. They can talk to machines and computers as though they were living entities, or take control of phones, radios, computers, cars, tanks, transports… the most powerful “Tech shapers” can single handedly control the largest starships and stations simply by being on it. Because of this, they are coveted as technical officers and engineers on Imperium warships. Members of house Ravenwing can be distinguished by the subtly shifting black markings that cover their bodies which resemble tribal tattoos. They are actually concentrations of the biological nano-machines their bodies produce, and act as conduits for their Tech shaping ability.
House Ravenwing is loyal to the Imperium.
Pendrake
Rumored to be descendants of Hunter, the Pendrake house is relatively small. It was originally founded by a warrior named Balthazar and has a long history of infighting and disagreement of ideals. Members of house Pendrake are nomads, wandering the cosmos, driven to root out injustice (or what they perceive to be injustice) and destroy it. They lend their powers to those who cannot defend themselves, or those who have a worthy cause. As the Ronin of Kizara, most members of house Pendrake follow the code and principles on which the house was founded. While individual interpretations of the code are what led to such furious warring between members, they still hold it as their highest ideal. It is rumored that members of house Pendrake are the only people capable of navigating the Netherplanes, Metaplanes, and other Trails and Realms without a device to aid them.
Members of house Pendrake hold a peculiar and potent power. Many names have been given to their ability, but it has commonly come to be called “Blade shaping.” It is their belief that every weapon has spirit and strength imparted unto it by its creator; that a weapon is not just a tool, it is an entity. They can commune with and draw power from these spirits, peeling back the layers separating the material and spiritual and uncovering the hidden potential in each weapon. Members tend to favor a weapon type that agrees with their ideals and personality, such that each member’s fighting style is as unique as they are. Their powers develop around their weapons and fighting style so it’s difficult to gauge what exactly a Pendrake is capable of just by knowing their household. However, it is commonly known that their powers are weapon-centric, such that they are at a disadvantage if disarmed. A Pendrake can pick up any weapon and be proficient, even masterful with it but they are the most powerful when wielding a weapon they have deeply bonded with. The most powerful members of house Pendrake are rumored to also have something called “Infinite Sight,” or “The Eye.” They are able to see past the physical and into the very root of a person’s ability, how it works, and how they as an individual use and manipulate energy around them or through their body to achieve their powers. Using this Infinite Sight, they can replicate any technique or ability they have seen before. Pendrakes with this power are rumored to be marked with a single red eye.
House Pendrake is loyal to their code, whatever the individual interpretation of it may be.
House Phoenix
The Phoenix household was founded shortly after the advent of space travel. They originated on starships and exist largely in space. They have spent so much time in space, in fact, that they have a natural affinity to it. Being on a planet is a foreign and uncomfortable experience for them. They have learned to commune with the void and the cosmos and have an unparalleled understanding of Zero-G physics. As such, they make extraordinary helmsmen, pilots, navigators, and starship engineers. It’s almost as though they can see the currents and eddies of gravitational and solar waves flowing through space. Their understanding of spatial phenomenon and sensor functions allows them to vanish into cosmic white noise, almost like space-ninjas. Nobody is as talented as a Phoenix house member while flying a starship, or in Zero-G combat. Outside of their ships, however, is a different story. Most members of house Phoenix have spent so much time living in starships, fighting with starships, fixing and flying starship that any encounter they have outside of their starship puts them at a huge disadvantage.
Many members of house Phoenix have also developed powerful psychic abilities. This fact is not widely known, as because of the Psychic Registration Act anyone with advanced psychic powers is automatically drafted into the Imperial Navy and closely observed. As a household that values their freedom, those that have developed psychic abilities practice them in secret, so the range and depth of their powers is not known.
House Phoenix is considered a neutral fleet and is directly loyal to no one; however, they tend to favor the Exiles.
The Factions: All the right reasons to hate your neighbor.
The Imperium
As a whole, the Imperium is the governing body of the entire system. It consists of 10 Noble Councilmen, who are each backed by a political faction consisting of approximately 50 individuals from different households. To achieve anything, the council must build a consensus, which means that all 510 individuals that comprise the council must agree unanimously. Any split in the consensus is brought before an arbiter from house Wolfwood, who negotiates a compromise between the disagreeing parties or individuals until a consensus can be reached. As you can imagine, this deliberation process is prone to taking a long time.
The Imperial Navy
Recognizing the need to have a standing military force to police the solar system, defend colonies and stations from raiders, bandits, and other threats, and defend Kizara as a whole against the Exiles, the Noble Council created the Imperial Navy. Because coming to a consensus is such a time consuming process, the Navy itself is considered to be an independent entity which largely governs itself, allowing the Navy to recruit, police, defend, and attack the enemy as it sees fit. This, by itself, would pose a problem, since the policies and standard operating procedures would change depending on who was in charge. What if the Navy decided to go rogue, become an independent fleet and begin attacking the colonies? Some don’t see this as a problem…
On the most basic level, they can’t become an independent fleet because they already are an independent fleet. Like any small nation, they have their own practices and standard operating procedures, and hierarchy of government. Like any corporation, they have a service to trade or sell and colonies can choose to purchase or trade for it, or they can create their own defense force. What’s to keep them from holding a world ransom to get what their way or not perform their duty? Several things, first and foremost: the Imperial Navy isn’t the only military force in existence capable of spaceflight. House Daine has a significant fleet; as does the neutral house Phoenix and several major corporations. Several of the colonies have also opted to create their own naval force instead of relying on the Imperial Navy. Second, space is huge: far too large for just one force to cover. Having territories that can take care of themselves is much more efficient. Third, if they piss off their customers, they won’t be able to fund themselves.
That doesn’t mean squabbles don’t break out between the fleets over things like territorial borders, soliciting, and mining rights. It’s quite frequent, in fact. The Imperium is content to leave the spatial territories to the fleets that govern them. As long as the safety of Kizara or the colonies is not threatened, the fleets are free to engage each other as they see fit. Competition fosters good service.
The Exiles
The Exiles are Kizarans who disagree with the rule of the Imperium and have decided live off on their own. At its most basic level, the whole disagreement boils down to a religious dispute. What is the difference? It’s like asking a human what the difference between “God” and “Allah” is. Regardless of the exact reason, Exiles like their name implies, no longer live in the Kizaran territories. It is rumored that they have constructed massive stations in the dead space outside the orbit of the 200 planets and live off the grid. The war between the Imperium and the Exiles has largely reached a stalemate. Imperium ships don’t have the sensor capacity to find the Exiles in their off-grid homes, and Exiles lack the numbers and firepower to compete in a head-on firefight with them. Since the schism that split the religions and the Exodus of the Exiles happened before spaceflight, nobody is sure where they went, or how they got there. There are thousands of rumors and theories, but there is no way of telling which ones are true.
The Technology: Toys of the age!
Almost 1000 years after Jade’s disappearance and end of the war with Luna, Kizarans began to discover small red crystals dotting the landscape of certain areas. Magicians and sorcerers began using them in staves and wands after finding out that these crystals harnessed a significant charge of energy. Because it could be used to supplement their magical powers, or blast enemies, they named it “Mage-Stone” based on the (incorrect) assumption that they were magic. After approximately 100 years, Kizarans began finding fields of these crystals in fair sized growths, almost bursting from the ground. The newly formed branch family of house Ravenwing discovered that the power within these crystals could be extracted slowly to provide a constant charge. A few years later, they discovered that a crystal shard of sufficient size (roughly 1x1x2 inches) would not only produce a constant charge, but also slowly recharge itself after being depleted. It was this discovery that sparked the industrial revolution. When it was later discovered that the crystals were growing at a rate faster than they had the tools and technology to harvest them, crystal farming became a profitable profession.
500 years later, massive crystal forests are discovered in areas that were previously grassland or desert and the Imperium declares a state of crisis as the growing crystals threaten literally to sunder the land beneath them. House Ravenwing discovered that Mage-Stone is a naturally occurring crystal that has been saturated with energy from a biological source, and that after reaching their capacity the overflowing energy was stimulating rapid growth of the crystal. A stunning blow to their original preconceptions, which house Wolfwood took in stride and spearheaded an initiative to discover the source and harvest as much Mage-Stone as possible in an effort to stem its uncontrolled growth. The Imperium then gave house Ravenwing basically unlimited resources to find new ways to consume the crystal surplus, causing a technological explosion in just a few short years.
The year is now Imperium Date (ID) 4425 and it has been nearly 5000 years since the war with Luna and Jade’s disappearance. House Ravenwing developed an inhibitor system to reign in the uncontrolled growth of Mage-Stone, although its source was never pinpointed. Seviryn continues the hunt, driven by something he won’t reveal. And though every inch of the surface appears to have been scoured and ground penetrating sensors cannot seem to reach far enough underground to pinpoint the exact source of the crystal. With the colonies expanding, and clashes with the Exiles escalating, he fears he may have to abandon his search, at least for the time being.
Raven Corp.
Raven Corp. is the leading manufacturer of crystal matrix goods. Power cores, batteries, HEV technology etc… It is the largest corporation in the Kizaran territories. Though it has many competitors, if it wasn’t built directly by Raven Corp. then it most likely has components manufactured by it. They became self sufficient and outgrew the need for Imperium funding shortly after the beginning of the technological boom of ID 1655. Raven Corp. has a sizeable fleet of starships, and though loyal to the Imperium, are nearly a nation in themselves much like house Phoenix.
Firearms: The Rail Gun vs. the Lance
The capacity for Mage-Stone to deliver not just a constant charge, but a powerful one led to the development of magnetic acceleration. Although other types of firearms, or projected energy weapons exist, the Rail system is the most efficient and advanced design. By super-accelerating a metal slug to extreme velocity, an accurate, low recoil weapon was created. Many variations are on the market: small pistol sized cannons, rapid fire machine guns, even deadly long distance rifles. The Rail gun’s reliance on ammunition is still a topic of debate, but since the Rail gun does not rely on bulky powders or accelerants, a magazine for a standard issue assault rifle can hold hundreds of rounds and be reloaded in less than 3 seconds. Projected energy weapons still rely on bulky heat-sinks and can be overloaded, putting the combatant out of the fight until his weapon returns to an operable temperature. For the accuracy, ease of use, and volume of firepower, in spite of its reliance on ammunition the rail gun is still the best weapon on the market. Mass acceleration weapons capable of super-accelerating large slugs to 1.3% of light speed are the preferred anti-starship weapon of the Imperium.
The Imperium has the Rail Gun, but Exile technology developed on a different line. The preferred firearm for the Exile is a weapon called the “Lance.” It’s a kind of hybrid weapon; a combination between projected energy and Rail technology. Many have been captured and examined, and Imperium scientists have a good fundamental understanding of the weapon’s operation but have not, as of yet, been able to replicate the technology. It carries slugs like a rail gun, but instead of firing these slugs, they are liquefied in the firing chamber and then carried in a wire-thin stream along a charged bolt of plasma. It combines the barrier defeating properties of projected energy with the armor defeating kinetic impact of the rail gun, making it a very potent weapon. The two main drawbacks of the weapon are that plasma generates a large amount of heat and that it dissipates quickly over distance, limiting the maximum range of the weapon. The exiles have large-scale versions of this weapon mounted on their ships.
Armor and Barriers: HEV suit and Charged Barrier vs. EXO and Cyclonic Barrier
The Hostile Environment Suit or HEV is the Imperium standard for armor. It is a full-body suit complete with environmental seals. High grade military helmets include a helpful AI, sensor, communications, and targeting package and are also quite stylish. The standard HEV is low bulk and modular, making it easy to maneuver in and configure for any kind of encounter. They come standard with charged barriers, and strength and speed enhancing hydraulics. There are heavy armor versions of the HEV that are bulky and difficult to move in, but are typically reserved for heavy weapon divisions or individuals with incredible strength. The lightweight HEV has a low power draw and can operate for long periods of time in the field but lacks the sheer protective quality of heavier armor.
The “Powered Assist” suit or EXO is the Exiles standard for armor. It is much heavier than the HEV and provides a much higher resistance against the kinetic impact of rail guns. The EXO was developed with many similar features to the HEV including AI, sensors, communications, and targeting, as well as a barrier system. Like the name suggests, it has “powered assist,” dramatically increasing the strength and speed of the user. Because of the heavy power draw of the powered assist and cyclonic barrier systems however, the suit needs to be charged and maintained more frequently than the HEV. The sheer weight of the EXO also means that if the suit’s energy reserves are depleted in battle, unless the user had superior strength to begin with, it’s likely he’ll become a big metal paperweight.
The Exile barrier system differs in fundamental application. The Imperium “Charged Barrier” absorbs the energy and distributes it equally about the field, so it is easy to read shield strength as it depletes uniformly. The charged barrier is also much simpler in design, using only a single emitter for the entire barrier. The Exile “Cyclonic Barrier” features an array of emitters that spin the field, violently slapping aside incoming projectiles rather than attempting to stop them. The cyclonic barrier depletes much quicker than the charged barrier and has a much higher power draw. Also if one of the emitters is damaged, the balance of the barrier can be thrown off, significantly reducing its effectiveness or even injuring the person inside. Because of its high power draw, however, it recovers much quicker than a charged barrier as well.
Space Travel: FTL vs. the Space Fold
Faster Than Light (FTL) travel was developed by the Imperium shortly after the advent of spaceflight, allowing quick expansion and colonization of the moons and planets in the Kizaran system. As its name suggests, it operates by accelerating the entire ship to light speed. Its comparatively low power draw and efficiency mean that even non-capital (craft smaller than a frigate), small-crew, or even single-man craft are capable of FTL travel without assistance. The main drawback is that because of the sheer size of the Kizaran system, it can take weeks, or even months to reach your destination.
The Space Fold is Exile technology. Fundamentally, it operates by creating a wormhole between two points, such that the craft enters on one side and exits on the other near instantaneously. Once the wormhole is open, it can be sustained so that other ships can enter. The tremendous power required to form the wormholes means that only larger ships are capable of performing the Space Fold, meaning any kind of support craft must either have assistance from a capital ship for point to point travel, or be carried along by the fleet.
Starship Classes
Fighter Craft: Fighters are small, agile craft capable of incredibly fast sub-light speeds and performing insane maneuvers. Fighters are vulnerable to point-defense lasers, but are largely immune to the large anti-ship turrets and spinal mounted weapons of larger ships due to their speed. Imperium fighters are typically manned by one pilot, but have small compartments behind the cockpit for the "comfort" of the pilot on long trips. It usually consists of a tiny pull-out bed, compartment for rations, a hydration tank, and an equally tiny toilet. These long-range craft can hold enough consumables (atmosphere, food, and hydration) for approximately three weeks.
The short-range fighters staffed on Imperium carriers have traded the "living" space for over-sized crystal cores, and larger barrier emitters. Since Exile fighter craft are not capable of keeping up with their respective fleets, they are all manufactured in a short-range configuration. Because of the close-range nature of fighter combat, both Imperium and Exile fighter-craft typically favor plasma based weapons and cap-busting torpedoes. Interceptor class fighters used for screening capital ships from enemy fighter-craft feature over-sized cores, engines, and barrier emitters, and a more robust crystal array for generating plasma, but lack torpedoes for fighting larger ships.
Imperium Fighters are capable of travelling at light speed.
The Gunship At nearly quadruple the size of a normal fighter, these lumbering mountains of holy cleansing fire feature turrets that can cover every angle of approach. Gunships are still quite fast at sub-light and able to avoid larger anti-ship fire but can't outrun or outmaneuver the smaller, faster fighters and interceptors. Gunships vary in size and armament, but typically crew 2-5 with an adequate but small living space for long distance missions. Modular turrets and robust shields and armor make these craft formidable and flexible foes able to tackle nearly any mission. Gunships feature hard-hitting rails or lances and payloads of anti-cap plasma bombs capable of inflicting heavy damage to larger ships. Since Exile gunships must be carried along with their respective fleets, they trade living space for larger engines and payload capacity.
Imperium Gunships are capable of travelling at light speed.
The Transport or Armed Transport: Just like the name sounds, transports are larger ships typically outfitted for moving a small cargo of freight or people. Some pirate and mercenary gangs have outfitted their transports with turrets and modified engines, making them robust combat craft capable of taking on much hardier targets than a small group of fighters. Transports have comfortable living space for a crew of 6 and can transport up to 2500 cubic meters of cargo, depending on how the cargo space is arranged. Mercenary and pirate gangs sometimes carry land vehicles in their transports, or small boarding parties. For an size comparison of a transport, think of the "Millennium Falcon" from Star Wars, or the "Serenity" from Fire Fly.
Imperium Transports are capable of travelling at 2x light speed.
Industrial Craft: As you would expect, Industrials are the workhorses of space. Typically manned by a crew of 4 to 8, this class of ship encompasses everything from salvage ships to the massive mining barges that melt down asteroids into useful ores and metals that are used in the construction of stations and starships. Industrial ships are not fit for combat, but Imperium industrials can travel at 2x light speed.
Freighter: Freighters are massive cargo transports, typically manned by a crew of 12. Easily the size battleships, Freighters are capable of hauling incredible amounts of cargo in their gigantic holds. A freighter can hold as much as 890,000 cubic meters worth of cargo, or 667 semi-trailers. With their battleship-sized engines they are able to travel at nearly 3x light speed. It is unknown whether or not Exiles possess freighters.
Frigate: A frigate is the "fighter" of the capital ship world. They are large ships with crews of 50 or more, but with over-sized drives and thrusters, allowing them to achieve speeds and perform maneuvers that larger ships are typically incapable of doing. In fleet battles, frigates move in under the minimum range for anti-ship batteries and cripple enemy barriers or critical systems with close range lasers or torpedoes. Frigates can also engage in ranged combat with their spinal-mounted bore-sight weapons. Frigates also have decent sized cargo holds, and a bay that can hold two short-range fighters, or two shuttles.
With their over-sized engines, frigates are capable of travelling at 4x light speed for one or two hours at a time (before they cook the crew), otherwise they have a normal cruising speed of 2x light speed.
Blackship: This ships earned their name, oddly enough, by being black. These Exile boats are as dark as the void of space, and reflect nearly no light. In the dead of space, with their lights out, they are nearly invisible. Research done on captured Blackships show that they can hide from enemy sensors by sinking their heat emissions into specially refrigerated capacitors along their hull instead of radiating it out into space. It is the closest thing to a cloaking device that currently exists. It allows the frigate to passively observe unnoticed for days at a time, or move through systems unseen for several hours. The heat buildup within the hull can reach levels high enough to cook the crew if left unchecked, so the invisibility is not permanent, but it is useful. Blackships that have reached their heat capacity must vent it back into space, which effectively doubles their signal radius for a short period of time.
Blackships are capable of Space-Folding.
Crewing a Starship
The average crew complement for an Imperium frigate is approximately 50... 50 crew for an out of the box frigate with a default AI and no Ship's Cat helpers. A well funded frigate with a high level of automation and engineers with KASUMI tech assistants can be operated with a crew of 10. If you want a crew of androids, you can fly your frigate by yourself, but there's one major flaw with these plans: If your ship's computer gets damaged, broken, or hacked in any way that it becomes inoperable... your frigate still takes 50 people to fly it, the AI, drones and ship's cats were just performing the work of 50 people.
A crew of 50 assumes a full compliment of bridge crew and officers, tactical crew, maintenance and tech crew, and support crew, in enough shifts to keep the ship manned and operational 24/7. Because FTL travel barely breaks the light barrier, ships can be out in space for long periods of time (see: space is big).
Finding Each Other in Space
Space is big (see: space is big), and even the huge battleships, massive carriers, gigantic dreadnaughts, and titanic... titans are miniscule compaired to the vastness of space. Since space is empty, and every object in uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it (Newton). Meaning, a 20 kilo ferrous slug fired at 1.3% of light speed that misses its target will tend to remain travelling at 1.3% of light speed unless another object impedes its flight trajectory; in which case it will impact with 35 megatons of force. It might hit the planet behind the target, or fly through space and hit someone in 10,000 years. When these weapons are fired, somewhere, sometime, someone's day is ruined (Making Sir Isaac Newton the deadliest sonofabitch in space). So with weapons that have near instantaneous impact at... say about 2500 miles (~400 miles farther than the coast to coast width of the United States), ships need to be able to find and target one another. The Imperium has four standards of sensor input divided into active and passive catagories. Active sensors "ping" their targets with a signal and await a response. The ship receiving the ping shows a blip on their sensors, which notifies the tactical officers that they have been pinged while the computer attempts to triangulate an origin. Passive sensors wait to receive incoming transmissions, and then calculate an origin relative to the ship. None of these standards can detect an object moving at the speed of light.
Radar: Just like you think it would work; basically ships send out pulses and wait for signals to bounce back, and then calculate an origin based on the amount of time it took the signal to return.
Ladar: Detects other ships by bouncing lasers off of them. It is much more accurate and has a greater range than Radar, but has a much narrower field of view due to having to focus the array on its target. Typically these are mounted as forward facing arrays set to scan in front of the ship in a cone. Ladar targeting arrays are also typically mounted on any kind of weapon battery.
Thermal/Signal: A starship generates a lot of "noise" in space. Thrusters, engines, equipment, weapons, and core systems generate heat which must be radiated into space to avoid cooking the crew. Electrical systems and crystal cores generate Electromagnetic waves, friendly ships broadcast their IFF and generate other miscellaneous radio and light signals from talking to the FTL beacons scattered about the Kizaran territories. These emissions, in combination with their thermal profile create what is called a "signature radius," and is measured in meters. Thermal and signal sensors can lock on to these emissions and calculate an origin much faster than either Radar or Ladar can send out a ping and await a reply. Ships with a smaller signature radius are, of course, harder to lock on to but Thermal / Signal sensors are currently the fastest and most accurate means of obtaining a lock on another ship in space. Ships with stealth systems can sink these emissions into their hulls for short periods of time to fool Thermal / Signal sensors, which is why ships also have Radar and Ladar backup.
Visual Stealth systems only hide the thermal, electromagnetic, and radio emissions of a ship... anyone can still just look out the window and see you.
The Ship’s Cat
As I’ve mentioned: space is big. Without assistance from an AI, plotting FTL travel can be treacherous. The upside is that if you collide with another object at faster than light speeds, it’s likely you won’t even realize that you’ve died. Starships are fitted with an AI, of course, but the ship’s AI is largely meant to regulate the ship’s operations, man the communication and sensor equipment, and other menial tasks which require a lot of manpower. To reduce the number of crew required to operate a starship and also increase the efficiency of FTL travel, the Ship’s Cat was developed.
The Ship’s Cat is an AI construct specifically designed to eliminate the “mortal error” involved with manual navigation. As its name suggests, it has the appearance of a common house cat. These constructs are able to compute orbital paths of destinations, stellar drift and travel time, and a number of other variables involved with FTL travel in a fraction of the time it would take a team of Kizaran with computers to do so. They can interlink with the network of FTL beacons scattered about the Kizaran territories and instantly receive updates and travel advisories from all over the system.
As starship technology has advanced, the Ship’s Cat began coming in several different models, most common of which is the ARTEMIS navigation model. Several non-navigational units have been developed to act as tech assistants, since their small size and agility allow them to access areas of the ship which are too confining for a person to operate normally. Whereas the ARTEMIS is considered to be an android, the KASUMI series tech assistants are nano-machine constructs, allowing them to change their configuration on the fly as the situation merits.
There are unconfirmed rumors of extra-planar beings that resemble Ship’s Cat constructs, and pose as navigational units for their own ends.
Other means of travel: The Planes, Trails, and other places.
If you thought the place where we exist was the only place, you were wrong. Existence as we see it is only part of the puzzle. Kizarans and other entities live on the “material plane,” which consists of the planets and space as we know it. It is known that there are other places of existence and ways to access them. The existence of the planes, trails, and other realms has been known since the early days, however only the dragons, and certain individuals have the power and skill to routinely navigate through these areas safely. Because of this, I only will only touch briefly upon it. The meta-planes are their own universe, subject to their own rules, life, and dangers. It is possible to travel though these places to reach other areas of the material plane, however expeditionary forces sent through to the meta-planes have always met with disaster, so development of this alternate travel was thrown out and left to the dragons, or other individuals who have the capability to do it on their own. It’s important to know they exist, but their influence on your daily life is likely to be nonexistent.
Rules
1. All the usual crap: forum rules and whatnot.
2. The OOC tab exists for a reason: if you can't find a way to integrate your note or explanation into your IC, then it belongs in the OOC tab. I check it regularly so there's no reason for you to include them in your IC posts. It bears repeating: There is to be no OOC in the IC tab.
3. Minimum Post Length: I'm a lengthy poster (800 - 1600 words on average). Short posts happen, so I'm not imposing a strict minimum post length, but if you can't average 300 words I might start to get irritated. If that sounds imposing, keep in mind that the average paragraph has more than 100 words in it. There are 64 words in this rule.
4. I expect the level of this RP to be Advanced: word processors have tools like spell-check, and grammar-check, please use them :)
5. Sense of humor: If you couldn’t tell, there is quite a bit of satirical content in this story-verse. It is meant to be clever and funny, even though it is sometimes crude. If you can’t handle that, or are easily offended, this may not be the best place for you.
6. Character creation: You cannot be a First. You can choose one of the listed households, come up with your own, or choose to be mundane. Powers are hereditary, so everyone in a given household has the same powers more or less, with variations in specialization and strength. For simplicity's sake, everyone can either be either Kizaran, or a ship's cat. Keep in mind that if you are the ship's cat, you are someone’s property.
Kizarans as a whole have access to phenomenal techniques, dazzling magic and amazing powers. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of branch-families and other noteworthy households beyond the ones I have listed, and they all have their own powers, techniques, abilities, or magic. Such that if you choose to create your own household with its own history, and your own powers that you imagined, it’s likely that I will allow it (still run it by me first).
With that in mind, please use common sense: you are able to create a character that is phenomenally powerful, and I’m pretty lenient on how those powers are used. These characters would be considered Gods in other settings. Do not abuse this privilege. I intend to run this like I would one of my Shadowrun games. That means that whatever you decide to do, and however you decide to use those powers, this world does not change. You are not immune to physics. Energy comes from somewhere. If you make enemies, they will come after you. All of your actions will have consequences, some of which may not be readily apparent. They may affect you in the future, or affect the future of someone else’s character. Just because you can use your powers onboard that starship, doesn’t mean it’s the brightest plan.
On Kizaran Races and Age
There are specific races: The mundane (original inhabitants) are like all the fantasy races and stuff like that. The majority of the Kizaran populace are catagorized as "half blood" for this reason. Meaning they are descendant from one of the dragon-born heirs and one of the mundane races, so if you want to have pointed ears or be squat and muscular that's fine, but all of the inhabitants of Kizara are "kizarans" just like all of the inhabitants of Earth are "Human."
Alien races do exist (see space travel: space travel within the imperium not yet advanced enough to leave the solar system)
There are a number of extra-planar races that masquerade as Kizarans, or Kizaran technology (see: ship's cat)
There are also angels demons vampires and etc. And if you want to invent an extra planar race, or an alien I will allow it, but the character criteria are a little more strict (IE I expect you to be able to fully flesh out your character). If you're interested in the extra-planar races, I can PM you some information later.
If you are Kizaran, then you can be no older than the founding of the households (~6000 years). Remember, Kizarans are descended from dragons and dragons live a really really long time. So age is really discretionary to the author of the character and not what I would consider "necessary information" to the fleshing of your character (Surviving Firsts are pushing 8000 years; after a while it stops being relevant :P)
2. The OOC tab exists for a reason: if you can't find a way to integrate your note or explanation into your IC, then it belongs in the OOC tab. I check it regularly so there's no reason for you to include them in your IC posts. It bears repeating: There is to be no OOC in the IC tab.
3. Minimum Post Length: I'm a lengthy poster (800 - 1600 words on average). Short posts happen, so I'm not imposing a strict minimum post length, but if you can't average 300 words I might start to get irritated. If that sounds imposing, keep in mind that the average paragraph has more than 100 words in it. There are 64 words in this rule.
4. I expect the level of this RP to be Advanced: word processors have tools like spell-check, and grammar-check, please use them :)
5. Sense of humor: If you couldn’t tell, there is quite a bit of satirical content in this story-verse. It is meant to be clever and funny, even though it is sometimes crude. If you can’t handle that, or are easily offended, this may not be the best place for you.
6. Character creation: You cannot be a First. You can choose one of the listed households, come up with your own, or choose to be mundane. Powers are hereditary, so everyone in a given household has the same powers more or less, with variations in specialization and strength. For simplicity's sake, everyone can either be either Kizaran, or a ship's cat. Keep in mind that if you are the ship's cat, you are someone’s property.
Kizarans as a whole have access to phenomenal techniques, dazzling magic and amazing powers. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of branch-families and other noteworthy households beyond the ones I have listed, and they all have their own powers, techniques, abilities, or magic. Such that if you choose to create your own household with its own history, and your own powers that you imagined, it’s likely that I will allow it (still run it by me first).
With that in mind, please use common sense: you are able to create a character that is phenomenally powerful, and I’m pretty lenient on how those powers are used. These characters would be considered Gods in other settings. Do not abuse this privilege. I intend to run this like I would one of my Shadowrun games. That means that whatever you decide to do, and however you decide to use those powers, this world does not change. You are not immune to physics. Energy comes from somewhere. If you make enemies, they will come after you. All of your actions will have consequences, some of which may not be readily apparent. They may affect you in the future, or affect the future of someone else’s character. Just because you can use your powers onboard that starship, doesn’t mean it’s the brightest plan.
On Kizaran Races and Age
There are specific races: The mundane (original inhabitants) are like all the fantasy races and stuff like that. The majority of the Kizaran populace are catagorized as "half blood" for this reason. Meaning they are descendant from one of the dragon-born heirs and one of the mundane races, so if you want to have pointed ears or be squat and muscular that's fine, but all of the inhabitants of Kizara are "kizarans" just like all of the inhabitants of Earth are "Human."
Alien races do exist (see space travel: space travel within the imperium not yet advanced enough to leave the solar system)
There are a number of extra-planar races that masquerade as Kizarans, or Kizaran technology (see: ship's cat)
There are also angels demons vampires and etc. And if you want to invent an extra planar race, or an alien I will allow it, but the character criteria are a little more strict (IE I expect you to be able to fully flesh out your character). If you're interested in the extra-planar races, I can PM you some information later.
If you are Kizaran, then you can be no older than the founding of the households (~6000 years). Remember, Kizarans are descended from dragons and dragons live a really really long time. So age is really discretionary to the author of the character and not what I would consider "necessary information" to the fleshing of your character (Surviving Firsts are pushing 8000 years; after a while it stops being relevant :P)
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Rhea Pendrake played by XianEvermor
A nomad with a burdensome mission. The weight hangs heavily upon her but failure is not an option.
Lord Commander Gaberiel Crozius Blade played by Kirinak
Commander of the War Barge "Parador", and leader of the Aerodainian Seperatists
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These poor, unfortunate souls were once a part of this great world, but have been abandoned. Why don't you consider viewing their profiles and making a decision on whether or not you can roleplay them accurately?
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Places in The Chronicles of Kizara
91 postsKizara
The denizens of Kizara have a much bigger role to play within the universe than any of them realize. The events that began here, are to be like the butterfly who flapped its wings and caused a tsunami far, far away.
1 postsDeep Thoughts, by Orion
Entries from the Journal of Orion.
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OOC Notes
"Who sends a battleship on a deep space exploration mission? Don't we have probes for this?" A tac-officer with his boots up on the console whined from the back of the bridge. "The captain hasn't even been up here for a week... shouldn't we be hitting the edge of the solar system or something exciting instead of floundering around in dead-space looking for shit that isn't there?"
"Dude... we see you for eight hours every day, and for eight hours every day, you bitch like a woman. Just once i'd like them to shuffle the rotation so a different crew can listen to you ponder aloud endlessly about the purpose of our journey off-grid."
"There are women on the bridge, Jax, and they can stab you from this end of the ship without moving," one of the helm-officers piped up from the front, punctuating her remark by shaping one of her metal glove tips into a wicked point. "Look, do the math Bryce... even if we traveled at the ship's top speed it would take two months for us to cover the half light year or so to the edge of the system. We've been deployed for three weeks, and have made numerous stops to probe, vent and discharge our drives, and allow a Ravenwing vessel to catch up with us. We're barely a week's travel away at full tilt, in fact we're probably just cresting the edge of the Phoenix territory. So, technically speaking, we have not reached 'dead-space' yet."
"But what if-" a pen struck Bryce cleanly in the head from across the bridge, interrupting his thought. He shrugged. "I'm just sayin'..."
Grudge Bearer. Home to nearly 6500 Kizaran crew, and an additional 1000 constructs and drones. It was one of the largest ships in the Daine fleet; listed as a battleship, but with size and armament nearly equal to an Imperium dreadnought. Not to mention the fact that Daine ships tend have extremely robust armor and have a sizable crew with a large compliment of Metal Shapers, making a Daine vessel one of the most difficult targets to attack in the known galaxy. This fact did not escape the thoughts of the commanders who ordered the Grudge Bearer to explore 'dead-space' for the presence of Exiles.
The swoosh sound of opening door signified a new arrival to the bridge. Their shift had just started, so the only logical conclusion they could come to that it was either the captain, or someone else who was equally unimportant in the grand scheme of their current operations... which was watching blue-shifted gamma rays and distant stars streak past. There wasn't much else to do while traveling at FTL speeds unless it was scratch the belly of the Ship's Cat, who was stretched luxuriously across the Nav console with its paws up in the air and the tip of its tail twitching ever so slightly. Now and then a soft snore would emanate from the navigation area of the bridge. Anyone who wasn't sleeping at their posts lifted a hand languidly towards the door behind them and muttered a greeting without looking to see who it was.
"And this is the bridge, where you can see our highest level of military decorum and protocol at work," explained someone unconvincingly. There was a dull chorus off "Good morning captain" from the crew members who were still alert. The captain didn't really look thrilled to have a guest by his side, and a Ravenwing with so many rumors floating about him. The captain wasn't a tall man, but he did have a larger than average frame, which made him quite bulky, though it was clearly all muscle since he was kind enough to show it off. He looked as though he'd just arrived from the beach, wearing a pair of mirrored sun glasses, a plain white tank top, and a pair of board shorts with an explosive floral arrangement printed on him. Judging by the wet flop his sandals made against the deck plates and the sloppy footprints he was leaving behind, they had probably found him in one of the pool areas.
"New orders: we're to drop to sub-light and probe for anomalies after we pass the boarders of Phoenix space," he snapped, with a surprisingly firm voice.
"ETA to clear Phoenix territories is 3 hours, sir," the helmsman chimed in while busily polishing the metal fingertips of her gloves.
"Dude... we see you for eight hours every day, and for eight hours every day, you bitch like a woman. Just once i'd like them to shuffle the rotation so a different crew can listen to you ponder aloud endlessly about the purpose of our journey off-grid."
"There are women on the bridge, Jax, and they can stab you from this end of the ship without moving," one of the helm-officers piped up from the front, punctuating her remark by shaping one of her metal glove tips into a wicked point. "Look, do the math Bryce... even if we traveled at the ship's top speed it would take two months for us to cover the half light year or so to the edge of the system. We've been deployed for three weeks, and have made numerous stops to probe, vent and discharge our drives, and allow a Ravenwing vessel to catch up with us. We're barely a week's travel away at full tilt, in fact we're probably just cresting the edge of the Phoenix territory. So, technically speaking, we have not reached 'dead-space' yet."
"But what if-" a pen struck Bryce cleanly in the head from across the bridge, interrupting his thought. He shrugged. "I'm just sayin'..."
Grudge Bearer. Home to nearly 6500 Kizaran crew, and an additional 1000 constructs and drones. It was one of the largest ships in the Daine fleet; listed as a battleship, but with size and armament nearly equal to an Imperium dreadnought. Not to mention the fact that Daine ships tend have extremely robust armor and have a sizable crew with a large compliment of Metal Shapers, making a Daine vessel one of the most difficult targets to attack in the known galaxy. This fact did not escape the thoughts of the commanders who ordered the Grudge Bearer to explore 'dead-space' for the presence of Exiles.
The swoosh sound of opening door signified a new arrival to the bridge. Their shift had just started, so the only logical conclusion they could come to that it was either the captain, or someone else who was equally unimportant in the grand scheme of their current operations... which was watching blue-shifted gamma rays and distant stars streak past. There wasn't much else to do while traveling at FTL speeds unless it was scratch the belly of the Ship's Cat, who was stretched luxuriously across the Nav console with its paws up in the air and the tip of its tail twitching ever so slightly. Now and then a soft snore would emanate from the navigation area of the bridge. Anyone who wasn't sleeping at their posts lifted a hand languidly towards the door behind them and muttered a greeting without looking to see who it was.
"And this is the bridge, where you can see our highest level of military decorum and protocol at work," explained someone unconvincingly. There was a dull chorus off "Good morning captain" from the crew members who were still alert. The captain didn't really look thrilled to have a guest by his side, and a Ravenwing with so many rumors floating about him. The captain wasn't a tall man, but he did have a larger than average frame, which made him quite bulky, though it was clearly all muscle since he was kind enough to show it off. He looked as though he'd just arrived from the beach, wearing a pair of mirrored sun glasses, a plain white tank top, and a pair of board shorts with an explosive floral arrangement printed on him. Judging by the wet flop his sandals made against the deck plates and the sloppy footprints he was leaving behind, they had probably found him in one of the pool areas.
"New orders: we're to drop to sub-light and probe for anomalies after we pass the boarders of Phoenix space," he snapped, with a surprisingly firm voice.
"ETA to clear Phoenix territories is 3 hours, sir," the helmsman chimed in while busily polishing the metal fingertips of her gloves.
OOC Notes
It was dark. Everything was dark. No light could penetrate the shadows. Would there ever be light again? Or was this it? Would there only be a life of never-ending darkness, just floating in the quiet peaceful world, but never seeing light again? Well, as much as that sounded quite awful, perhaps a quiet life was for the best. After all, here floating into the darkness wasn't so bad. It was out of harms way, out of reach, out of touch. But quite lonely as well. However, maybe, just maybe the visions would stop here, perhaps there would be freedom from their tirade of pain. Then again, perhaps not. So where was here? Where was the blackness? Well, it certainly wasn't going to remain peaceful for long. Oh no, in fact everything was about to get a bit...excitable and Ella Orion was going to wish she was back in the depths of darkness and not lying on the cold, hard floor of a ship with no reconciliation of how she came to be there, but with an egg sized bump to the back of her head.
Because here was on a ship, The Grudge Bearer to be precise.
Groaning, Ella shifted onto her side. Fluttering, her deep purple eyes opened, but for all the good it did, she might as well not have bothered. Darkness that even her keen eyes could not see through. Clearly there was something preventing her eyesight, perhaps a tasteful bag shoved over her head. Behind her back she could feel the manacles cutting into her paled skin, the warm trickle of blood tracking down her wrist. How had she come to be in such a situation? Quite frankly, she had no idea, but she could feel the pulsating headache that caused her to groan again. It thumped angrily in the back of skull and she winced slightly at the intensity. No doubt she had been clocked over the head with something, but why? Ella wasn't one who got involved in fights, or caused trouble. It was puzzling why she was in this situation at all, but she was there and apparently there was nothing she could do about it. Trying to shift, she moved her hands as little as possible, but already she could feel that she was surrounded by metal. No Earth. Nothing to bend. Silently, she cursed under her breath, resting her covered head against the side of the room once again. It looked like any chance of escape was minimal currently and though Ella wanted to look on the bright side, there didn't seem to be one. No, she was well and truly stuck where she was. Hopefully, her captors would return soon and she could demand to know what they wanted from her. No sooner had the thought formed in her mind, did she hear a noise, that sounded suspiciously like footsteps. Holding her breath, she waited and listened, straining her ears.
"She's in here," A rough voice said in mutter, evidently talking to someone else. Frowning, Ella lay perfectly still, chewing her bottom lip. Here she could taste blood as well. Did a proper job didn't they... She thought bitterly to herself, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Does the Captain know about this?" Another voice demanded, with a hint of fear in the tone.
"'Course not. He'd order the prisoner of the ship, wouldn't he? I thought we could have a bit of fun with her first?" Fear gripped Ella suddenly and she resisted the urge to squirm away from the approaching men. However she kept herself perfectly still, taking shallow breaths as though she were still unconscious. If one of them was to touch her, then she was going to fight as much as she possibly could. Her legs were still free, she could do some damage with them, or she hoped. Giving them an experimental wiggle, she could feel they were stiff from lack of movement. Just how long had she been down here? At that thought, her stomach rumbled furiously, demanding food. Apparently a long time by the sounds of it. It seemed as they she'd been smuggled onboard this godforsaken ship for a little bit of 'fun'.
"Fun? What kind of fun?" The other questioned, wearily. They were closer now, almost right by her and it sounded as though he regretted getting involved with whatever the other, gruff-sounding man was planning.
"Well, I 'eard her telling some guy that she was an Orion. You know what they can do right? Well, it should be some fun to get her to see our futures, right? Right?" He let out a rough laugh and Ella relaxed somewhat, rolling her eyes. Once again the foolishness of simple men astounded her. They seemed to think she could tell the future whenever she liked and could see into the future of anyone that she liked. Well they were wrong. She could not predict when she was going to see them, nor did she have again control over them. This men could have 'fun' trying, but they wouldn't get very far with it.
The second man didn't reply, but suddenly callous hands were upon her, pulling her up. She completely relaxed her body, going limp, trying to fain unconsciousness, but it appeared they were already ahead of her.
"You're not unconscious," The first man said, glee in his voice. "Stop pretending little lady." The bag was ripped from her head and Ella's eyes jumped open. Still there was almost complete darkness. Glaring at the faceless man (for she couldn't see through the darkness), she wiggled in his grip, but his huge hands preventing her from going anywhere. "Well, let us see what you can do..." He let out another of his rough laughs, only causing Ella to fight more to be free, kicking any part she could reach. This was not a good situation to be in, not at all...
Because here was on a ship, The Grudge Bearer to be precise.
Groaning, Ella shifted onto her side. Fluttering, her deep purple eyes opened, but for all the good it did, she might as well not have bothered. Darkness that even her keen eyes could not see through. Clearly there was something preventing her eyesight, perhaps a tasteful bag shoved over her head. Behind her back she could feel the manacles cutting into her paled skin, the warm trickle of blood tracking down her wrist. How had she come to be in such a situation? Quite frankly, she had no idea, but she could feel the pulsating headache that caused her to groan again. It thumped angrily in the back of skull and she winced slightly at the intensity. No doubt she had been clocked over the head with something, but why? Ella wasn't one who got involved in fights, or caused trouble. It was puzzling why she was in this situation at all, but she was there and apparently there was nothing she could do about it. Trying to shift, she moved her hands as little as possible, but already she could feel that she was surrounded by metal. No Earth. Nothing to bend. Silently, she cursed under her breath, resting her covered head against the side of the room once again. It looked like any chance of escape was minimal currently and though Ella wanted to look on the bright side, there didn't seem to be one. No, she was well and truly stuck where she was. Hopefully, her captors would return soon and she could demand to know what they wanted from her. No sooner had the thought formed in her mind, did she hear a noise, that sounded suspiciously like footsteps. Holding her breath, she waited and listened, straining her ears.
"She's in here," A rough voice said in mutter, evidently talking to someone else. Frowning, Ella lay perfectly still, chewing her bottom lip. Here she could taste blood as well. Did a proper job didn't they... She thought bitterly to herself, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Does the Captain know about this?" Another voice demanded, with a hint of fear in the tone.
"'Course not. He'd order the prisoner of the ship, wouldn't he? I thought we could have a bit of fun with her first?" Fear gripped Ella suddenly and she resisted the urge to squirm away from the approaching men. However she kept herself perfectly still, taking shallow breaths as though she were still unconscious. If one of them was to touch her, then she was going to fight as much as she possibly could. Her legs were still free, she could do some damage with them, or she hoped. Giving them an experimental wiggle, she could feel they were stiff from lack of movement. Just how long had she been down here? At that thought, her stomach rumbled furiously, demanding food. Apparently a long time by the sounds of it. It seemed as they she'd been smuggled onboard this godforsaken ship for a little bit of 'fun'.
"Fun? What kind of fun?" The other questioned, wearily. They were closer now, almost right by her and it sounded as though he regretted getting involved with whatever the other, gruff-sounding man was planning.
"Well, I 'eard her telling some guy that she was an Orion. You know what they can do right? Well, it should be some fun to get her to see our futures, right? Right?" He let out a rough laugh and Ella relaxed somewhat, rolling her eyes. Once again the foolishness of simple men astounded her. They seemed to think she could tell the future whenever she liked and could see into the future of anyone that she liked. Well they were wrong. She could not predict when she was going to see them, nor did she have again control over them. This men could have 'fun' trying, but they wouldn't get very far with it.
The second man didn't reply, but suddenly callous hands were upon her, pulling her up. She completely relaxed her body, going limp, trying to fain unconsciousness, but it appeared they were already ahead of her.
"You're not unconscious," The first man said, glee in his voice. "Stop pretending little lady." The bag was ripped from her head and Ella's eyes jumped open. Still there was almost complete darkness. Glaring at the faceless man (for she couldn't see through the darkness), she wiggled in his grip, but his huge hands preventing her from going anywhere. "Well, let us see what you can do..." He let out another of his rough laughs, only causing Ella to fight more to be free, kicking any part she could reach. This was not a good situation to be in, not at all...
OOC Notes
Azile sat in her ship's captain seat, hands behind her head and her foot tapping to music that only she could hear. Her job had slowed to a crawl lately, so she was letting her ship drift through space while she thought of something to do. So far nothing had come to mind, not one damn thing at all. This angered her, mostly because she was usually good of thinking of what to do, also because she was wasting fuel by just drifting. She looked around her ship, all the cat's were laying around as if to portray her own boredom, she yawned, and sat up straight stretching. She put her right elbow on the armrest, and then put her head in her hand. "So my fearless crew, what should we do today? Search for Exiles that are dumb enough to leave 'safe' space. Or go grab a drink and hope to spot a decent wanted poster?" Some of the ships cat's looked at her as if they understood what she was asking, a few flashing their eyes at her. She sat straighter "Myself, I vote for a drink. Been awhile since I've docked at any space port. Need to get supplies anyways." she smiled, something she only did when alone, and flipped some switches. Her ship came to full life, and headed for the nearest spaceport, while Azile sat back again humming an old song to herself.
OOC Notes
The ship suddenly lurched, and a bright flash through the view ports signified their return to sub-light. The ship's cat, who wasn't secured at its station was tossed three rows forward and landed with a surprised expression in the helmsman's lap. Its large yellow eyes blinked lazily, apparently gaining its bearings before it scurried back to its post. It sat there, tail twitching as information began to rapidly scroll across its console. Its eyes darted back and forth across the screen at a boggling pace, absorbing more information in a second than most Kizaran could in a whole day.
"Report? Why did we stop?" Asked the captain, who had managed to keep his balance. It seemed as though the transition to and from FTL didn't agree with him, as he was suddenly looking seven shades of green but slowly recovering.
"Captain," the cat answered, then after a moment of hesitation it turned and put its paws up on the back of its seat. "The ship's AI engaged the FTL fail-safe upon encountering a gravitational anomaly consistent with the Exile space-folding drive. H-"
"Thermal!" the captain barked, and was suddenly in his seat. He expertly keyed in a sequence on the chair's arm console and the lights dimmed, turning red. The AI chimed over the PA system, alerting the crew that they were entering a combat situation with the "have-a-nice-day" tone of voice you might hear from a department store elevator.
"Captain..."
"Nothing on Thermal/Sig, Radar, or Ladar, sir," answered the tactical officer. The bridge was suddenly alert and humming with activity as though someone had flipped a switch.
"Captain!"
"Then what the f-"
"I WASN'T FINISHED!" the cat snapped with an irritated flick of its tail. The bridge went silent just as suddenly as it came alive and all widened eyes were on the ship's cat: AI constructs weren't supposed to have emotional outbursts. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted: it's consistent with a space-fold, however the size of the portal does not match any ship-type in the database. Also, the signal's origin has been calculated to be inside the Grudge Bearer. Cargo D, to be precise," it finished, followed by a long uncomfortable silence.
"Thank you, Quiet," the captain answered slowly, eyes still on the cat as he pressed a key on his chair's console. "Security to Cargo bay: D to repel potential intrusion," he said, lifting his finger afterwards and pressing the next key. "Engineering to the bridge: one of your androids has become... snippy."
"Is it Quiet?" a sigh answered the comm. "I'll run the diagnostic again."
The captain shook his head and brought up a schematic of the ship so he could follow the progress of the security teams, who had already geared up and loaded into lifts. Cargo bay: D was about to be flooded with commandos who have had nothing to do for three weeks. The whole ship was suddenly abuzz with activity: soldiers rushed down corridors and stacked up at key intersections, creating blockades and check-points along the route from cargo D and the bridge, and sealing off access to the fighter and shuttle bays. Quiet stared at her console intently while code scrawled across it at an incomprehensible pace. A ripple passed up her spine, bristling her perfect pitch black fur for a moment, and several unbearable seconds that felt like minutes ticked passed before a short swish announced the arrival of a new android through one of the hidden conduits they used to transport themselves about the ship without getting under foot.
"My relief has arrived," she announced, before trading places with a green-eyed calico. "I will attend my diagnostic in the engineering bay so our tech officer doesn't have to traverse the ship during a possible intrusion," she explained before vanishing through the hatch. The captain just nodded, and otherwise may not have noticed the near seamless transition. He was busy watching the AI seal off sensitive sections of the ship and his troops moving into position.
Meanwhile, in Cargo bay D, where there were currently two ruffians accosting a purple-eyed woman in shackles, nothing seemed amiss... mostly because the ship-wide alert did not reach the cargo areas which were manned and operated by constructs who received the alert wirelessly via the ship's AI. What could have tipped them off, however, was that the air in the hold was suddenly charged, causing the hair on their arms and necks to stand on end. Several yards behind them, the air rippled as space-time was warped and a portal shimmered into existence. The notion that a portal is some kind of ring of energy that one can see through to the other side is pure nonsense. Those who have seen a portal, or seen Exile ships space-folding have described it like a "barrier of rippling water," and all of the flashy shenanigans happen when objects pass through them.
It was only a handful of moments later when a heavy object happened to fly through the portal, dragging tendrils of energy which arced between it and the portal, before spindling off to the paths of least resistance. The portal snapped shut as the object landed on one of the men: thankfully the one who didn't have his hands full. The air in the hold was filled with the acrid taste of ozone and the tingle of discharged energy... and a pained groan that sounded too high to be the man's. The object began to stir: it was a woman swathed in a forest colored cloak with a long braid of golden-brown hair splayed unceremoniously about the deck plating. A long tendril of smoke spun its way towards the ceiling from the fist-sized scorch mark on her chest and after a tense moment the light hum of a charging HEV barrier could be heard.
"Report? Why did we stop?" Asked the captain, who had managed to keep his balance. It seemed as though the transition to and from FTL didn't agree with him, as he was suddenly looking seven shades of green but slowly recovering.
"Captain," the cat answered, then after a moment of hesitation it turned and put its paws up on the back of its seat. "The ship's AI engaged the FTL fail-safe upon encountering a gravitational anomaly consistent with the Exile space-folding drive. H-"
"Thermal!" the captain barked, and was suddenly in his seat. He expertly keyed in a sequence on the chair's arm console and the lights dimmed, turning red. The AI chimed over the PA system, alerting the crew that they were entering a combat situation with the "have-a-nice-day" tone of voice you might hear from a department store elevator.
"Captain..."
"Nothing on Thermal/Sig, Radar, or Ladar, sir," answered the tactical officer. The bridge was suddenly alert and humming with activity as though someone had flipped a switch.
"Captain!"
"Then what the f-"
"I WASN'T FINISHED!" the cat snapped with an irritated flick of its tail. The bridge went silent just as suddenly as it came alive and all widened eyes were on the ship's cat: AI constructs weren't supposed to have emotional outbursts. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted: it's consistent with a space-fold, however the size of the portal does not match any ship-type in the database. Also, the signal's origin has been calculated to be inside the Grudge Bearer. Cargo D, to be precise," it finished, followed by a long uncomfortable silence.
"Thank you, Quiet," the captain answered slowly, eyes still on the cat as he pressed a key on his chair's console. "Security to Cargo bay: D to repel potential intrusion," he said, lifting his finger afterwards and pressing the next key. "Engineering to the bridge: one of your androids has become... snippy."
"Is it Quiet?" a sigh answered the comm. "I'll run the diagnostic again."
The captain shook his head and brought up a schematic of the ship so he could follow the progress of the security teams, who had already geared up and loaded into lifts. Cargo bay: D was about to be flooded with commandos who have had nothing to do for three weeks. The whole ship was suddenly abuzz with activity: soldiers rushed down corridors and stacked up at key intersections, creating blockades and check-points along the route from cargo D and the bridge, and sealing off access to the fighter and shuttle bays. Quiet stared at her console intently while code scrawled across it at an incomprehensible pace. A ripple passed up her spine, bristling her perfect pitch black fur for a moment, and several unbearable seconds that felt like minutes ticked passed before a short swish announced the arrival of a new android through one of the hidden conduits they used to transport themselves about the ship without getting under foot.
"My relief has arrived," she announced, before trading places with a green-eyed calico. "I will attend my diagnostic in the engineering bay so our tech officer doesn't have to traverse the ship during a possible intrusion," she explained before vanishing through the hatch. The captain just nodded, and otherwise may not have noticed the near seamless transition. He was busy watching the AI seal off sensitive sections of the ship and his troops moving into position.
Meanwhile, in Cargo bay D, where there were currently two ruffians accosting a purple-eyed woman in shackles, nothing seemed amiss... mostly because the ship-wide alert did not reach the cargo areas which were manned and operated by constructs who received the alert wirelessly via the ship's AI. What could have tipped them off, however, was that the air in the hold was suddenly charged, causing the hair on their arms and necks to stand on end. Several yards behind them, the air rippled as space-time was warped and a portal shimmered into existence. The notion that a portal is some kind of ring of energy that one can see through to the other side is pure nonsense. Those who have seen a portal, or seen Exile ships space-folding have described it like a "barrier of rippling water," and all of the flashy shenanigans happen when objects pass through them.
It was only a handful of moments later when a heavy object happened to fly through the portal, dragging tendrils of energy which arced between it and the portal, before spindling off to the paths of least resistance. The portal snapped shut as the object landed on one of the men: thankfully the one who didn't have his hands full. The air in the hold was filled with the acrid taste of ozone and the tingle of discharged energy... and a pained groan that sounded too high to be the man's. The object began to stir: it was a woman swathed in a forest colored cloak with a long braid of golden-brown hair splayed unceremoniously about the deck plating. A long tendril of smoke spun its way towards the ceiling from the fist-sized scorch mark on her chest and after a tense moment the light hum of a charging HEV barrier could be heard.
OOC Notes
Azile had dozed off when suddenly her alarms went off. She fell out of her chair, yelling in surprise. She lay on the floor for a few seconds, listening to the alarms blare, then sat up glaring at all of the AI's on her ship. "Will one of you please turn that blasted thing off, and tell me what is going on?" the alarm quickly went off, then the smartest-at least in Azile's opinion it was the smartest- ship's cat faced her. It was a turtle shell calico with yellow eyes, "We seem to have come across another ship. It is of military make...name of Grudge Bearer." Azile stood and looked out the 'window' of her ship. Sure enough there was a huge freighter ship in front of her, and she was in a ex-Exile ship. "Great, even though I'm registered they'll most likely shoot first and ask questions later....no time to cloak either." she looked to the cat who had told her what was going on. "What do you think Snickers? Should we send the friendly signal, or try to go around?" Snickers looked to her "I suggest we send the signal, they have no doubt already pegged us on their radar." Azile nodded, and Snickers pressed a button, sending a signal that would alert the Grudge Bearer that this ship was not controlled by Exile's.
OOC Notes
Raikor hated going through portals. It always made him feel dizzy for a few moments after, and so he always dreaded the moment they'd fly through it. He would have come out of the cargo bay and gone higher up in the ship, but technically he wasn't supposed to be here. As if the sudden lurch from earlier hadn't been enough to make him nearly hurl - travelling through a portal just had to be added on. The higher up he was on the ship, the less sick he would feel when that kind of this happened, but he was trying to hitch a ride and wanted to go unnoticed. Even though this was a Daine ship - a ship from his own house - ever since an unfortunate mission some years ago he had been forbidden to ride on/operate a Daine fighter ship. No one would speak of what he had done, no one wanted to remember. Raikor didn't have a ship of his own and so had to rely on other members of his house to give him a lift to the various places he had been requested to visit so that he could complete menial, but well-paid, tasks for those that had asked him. He had a high reputation amongst people on his home planet for every job he took he would complete without complaint and withing the alloted time. This hard work often rewarded him with rich bonuses - usually in the form of various goods such as exquisite rugs and small pieces of heavily decorated furniture. Due to this, he didn't have to worry about purchasing furniture for his home as long as he continued to work hard for the people who relied on him. This was exactly why he was hitching a ride - to go and see a customer. Raikor just hoped he hadn't caught the wrong ship.
His thoughts quickly turned from the task he was required to complete and back to the present situation. He was secretly hitching a ride on the fighter ship of his own House hidden behind various crates and boxes. Raikor sighed heavily at the situation he was caught in. Surely it was wrong for him to have to be so sneaky, he could have just asked someone else for a ride, but no, he couldn't just do what he usually did. He rolled his eyes at his own foolishness. The only reason he was hiding on this ship was because the people he usuall rode with were away on their own business and the only one left that he could have possibly asked wanted to rip his vital organs from his body and eat them for his breakfast. No doubt it would have been safer to ask him for a ride rather than take a risk as great as this. He wasn't one to feel fear, but as he thought of being found on the ship, his stomach began to tie knots in itself and the feeling of sickness made it worse - the acrid taste of ozone wasn't exactly helping. subconconsiously, he began to fiddle with his plait of dark hair as he thought about the various escape routes he could take if he was found by any of the crew members. The conclusion he found were that there were most likely none. Raikor shuffled back a little, dragging the crates that he was using for cover with him, only letting go when his back hit the wall. If he was as far back as this perhap no one would find him here.
His thoughts quickly turned from the task he was required to complete and back to the present situation. He was secretly hitching a ride on the fighter ship of his own House hidden behind various crates and boxes. Raikor sighed heavily at the situation he was caught in. Surely it was wrong for him to have to be so sneaky, he could have just asked someone else for a ride, but no, he couldn't just do what he usually did. He rolled his eyes at his own foolishness. The only reason he was hiding on this ship was because the people he usuall rode with were away on their own business and the only one left that he could have possibly asked wanted to rip his vital organs from his body and eat them for his breakfast. No doubt it would have been safer to ask him for a ride rather than take a risk as great as this. He wasn't one to feel fear, but as he thought of being found on the ship, his stomach began to tie knots in itself and the feeling of sickness made it worse - the acrid taste of ozone wasn't exactly helping. subconconsiously, he began to fiddle with his plait of dark hair as he thought about the various escape routes he could take if he was found by any of the crew members. The conclusion he found were that there were most likely none. Raikor shuffled back a little, dragging the crates that he was using for cover with him, only letting go when his back hit the wall. If he was as far back as this perhap no one would find him here.
OOC Notes
"Get off me," Ella snarled, kicking at the man's shins as hard as she possible could. He let out another rough laugh, holding her at arm's length and glancing at his partner. Clearly this was highly amusing, well for him at least. His friend didn't look so keen on the idea, in fact he was hanging back, watching the scene with cautious eyes. Opening his mouth, he made to say something, cut obviously though better of it. Ella was reminded of a goldfish. She tried to suppress a sudden nervous laugh, her body shaking with the effort. Both men gave her a strange look as a small giggle escaped her full lips. Why was everything funny when you were in danger? Was it just her nervous? Or was it her twisted sense of humour. Well, have your last laugh Ella, because I think they're going to kill you... It was with that thought that she sobered up, her face falling into seriousness once again. She gulped, resuming her struggling and kicking and biting, if she could manage it against this hulk of a character. He seemed relentless. And now, angry.
"Do as you're told freak," He hissed at her under his breath. With ease, he lifted her, by the throat, slamming her against the wall of the Cargo Bay. In a rush, her breath painfully left her chest with a whoosh and agonising pain shot up her spine. Wincing, she took a moment to regain her breath. No such luck, he had a tight grip on her neck, preventing her from breathing properly. Before she even had the chance to explain, he moved her backwards. Once again she felt herself collide with the wall. Wow, this one really wouldn't give up. His humour seemed to have turned to anger and it was directed at Ella. Thankfully, the second man seemed to feel the need to step in and stop him. However, the first one merely brushed him off, shoving his backwards out of the way, evidently so that he could deal with Ella. Not a nice thought.
Panic encased her chest, causing her heartbeat to quickened. He wasn't going to stop. He wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. But that would never happen because she couldn't give him what he wanted. There was no way she could turn her visions on or off and this man wasn't going to be able to change that, no matter how much he harmed her.
"I-I c-can't," She gasped, each syllable causing her chest to protest furiously in pain, but she continued. "I-I-It's not p-possible t-to j-j-just do i-it." It was barely a whisper, but the man heard. He roared with fury, his eyes narrowing dangerous. Like a bear! Ella thought to herself, with a shadow of a smile on her lips. Ella stop! He's going to kill you stupid! React to that! Don't make jokes! However, Ella was soon saved the hassle of having to think of something to say in order to stop him.
"George," The second man's voice broke through the darkness, worry and fear laced in his tone. "George, look." He pointed somewhere behind George, his eyes wide with evident fear. He stumbled back a step, away from whatever it was behind them. Slowly, George turned his head, but Ella couldn't see a thing and she was still fighting for breath, her hands twisted painfully behind her. If I can just slip my hand out... No sooner had the thought formed in her mind than she realised that it was possible. She'd managed to get herself out of a situation such as this before now, she should be able to do it again. But, her wrists were at odd angles. Muttering a curse, she took to plan B.
Swiftly, she moved her knee upwards and thankfully it collided with the distracted George, causing a soft oof to escape his fat lips. Releasing her, he fell to his knees as she laid a well-placed kick to his side. Gasping for breath, she caught a shimmer in the corner of her eye, like rippling water. Ignoring it she focused on slipping her hand out of the manacle. In the process, she dislocated her thumb with an agonising screech, pulling her slender hand from the manacle. Eyes watering, she took deep breaths, steadying herself. That had hurt. Quite a lot. Only once before had she been in such pain. After a few choice words (swear words of course) she straightened up to focus on the events. Ella's good hand slipped into her boot and she removed her dagger, dropping it to the floor and pressing it to George's fat neck. She had missed events that had been happening with the portal. To her surprise, a fearful squeak left his lips. A smirk appeared on hers. "You will tell no-one that I am here. Or I will come after you." She hissed in his ear, pushing slightly harder, until a line of blood appeared. Ella wasn't evil. She wasn't sadistic, but she was thoroughly annoyed at the way she had been treated. Silently, he nodded with a small whimper. "Good, now get out of here." Shoving his away from her, he quickly stood and tore down the cargo bay, stumbling over debris and...Was that a body?
The second man had long since retreated, leaving something that looked like a body on the floor. Ella gulped, approaching the bundle in the shadows. "Hello?" She called out, her voice faltering. She had long since lost her confidence and anger. It was simply replaced by fear and worry. Smoke was curling in the air from the bundle. Gulping, she reached across and turned it over. It was a woman. A woman who didn't look particularly well, but she was breathing. Kneeling beside her and ignoring the pain in her thumb she scanned the woman up and down. She'd obviously come through the portal. So now what? "Are you alright?" Ella asked in a soft voice, concern filtering through. "My name is Ella." Storing her dagger in her boot she didn't want to seem hostile.
"Do as you're told freak," He hissed at her under his breath. With ease, he lifted her, by the throat, slamming her against the wall of the Cargo Bay. In a rush, her breath painfully left her chest with a whoosh and agonising pain shot up her spine. Wincing, she took a moment to regain her breath. No such luck, he had a tight grip on her neck, preventing her from breathing properly. Before she even had the chance to explain, he moved her backwards. Once again she felt herself collide with the wall. Wow, this one really wouldn't give up. His humour seemed to have turned to anger and it was directed at Ella. Thankfully, the second man seemed to feel the need to step in and stop him. However, the first one merely brushed him off, shoving his backwards out of the way, evidently so that he could deal with Ella. Not a nice thought.
Panic encased her chest, causing her heartbeat to quickened. He wasn't going to stop. He wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. But that would never happen because she couldn't give him what he wanted. There was no way she could turn her visions on or off and this man wasn't going to be able to change that, no matter how much he harmed her.
"I-I c-can't," She gasped, each syllable causing her chest to protest furiously in pain, but she continued. "I-I-It's not p-possible t-to j-j-just do i-it." It was barely a whisper, but the man heard. He roared with fury, his eyes narrowing dangerous. Like a bear! Ella thought to herself, with a shadow of a smile on her lips. Ella stop! He's going to kill you stupid! React to that! Don't make jokes! However, Ella was soon saved the hassle of having to think of something to say in order to stop him.
"George," The second man's voice broke through the darkness, worry and fear laced in his tone. "George, look." He pointed somewhere behind George, his eyes wide with evident fear. He stumbled back a step, away from whatever it was behind them. Slowly, George turned his head, but Ella couldn't see a thing and she was still fighting for breath, her hands twisted painfully behind her. If I can just slip my hand out... No sooner had the thought formed in her mind than she realised that it was possible. She'd managed to get herself out of a situation such as this before now, she should be able to do it again. But, her wrists were at odd angles. Muttering a curse, she took to plan B.
Swiftly, she moved her knee upwards and thankfully it collided with the distracted George, causing a soft oof to escape his fat lips. Releasing her, he fell to his knees as she laid a well-placed kick to his side. Gasping for breath, she caught a shimmer in the corner of her eye, like rippling water. Ignoring it she focused on slipping her hand out of the manacle. In the process, she dislocated her thumb with an agonising screech, pulling her slender hand from the manacle. Eyes watering, she took deep breaths, steadying herself. That had hurt. Quite a lot. Only once before had she been in such pain. After a few choice words (swear words of course) she straightened up to focus on the events. Ella's good hand slipped into her boot and she removed her dagger, dropping it to the floor and pressing it to George's fat neck. She had missed events that had been happening with the portal. To her surprise, a fearful squeak left his lips. A smirk appeared on hers. "You will tell no-one that I am here. Or I will come after you." She hissed in his ear, pushing slightly harder, until a line of blood appeared. Ella wasn't evil. She wasn't sadistic, but she was thoroughly annoyed at the way she had been treated. Silently, he nodded with a small whimper. "Good, now get out of here." Shoving his away from her, he quickly stood and tore down the cargo bay, stumbling over debris and...Was that a body?
The second man had long since retreated, leaving something that looked like a body on the floor. Ella gulped, approaching the bundle in the shadows. "Hello?" She called out, her voice faltering. She had long since lost her confidence and anger. It was simply replaced by fear and worry. Smoke was curling in the air from the bundle. Gulping, she reached across and turned it over. It was a woman. A woman who didn't look particularly well, but she was breathing. Kneeling beside her and ignoring the pain in her thumb she scanned the woman up and down. She'd obviously come through the portal. So now what? "Are you alright?" Ella asked in a soft voice, concern filtering through. "My name is Ella." Storing her dagger in her boot she didn't want to seem hostile.
OOC Notes
Rhea didn't respond. Sure she was breathing, but it was shallow and her breath rattled wetly. Blood, which was previously hidden by the natural redness of her lips began to trickle down her cheeks from the corners of her mouth. Somehow she was barely clinging to consciousness, but she was obviously not lucid enough to communicate. It was then that a pair of yellow eyes appeared out of the darkness atop some of the crates, peering down at them with an air of haughty superiority. The quiet swish of fur on the metal crates interrupted Rhea's peaceful last moments, and she was aware enough to turn her head towards the sound and lay her eyes on the object that was observing them.
"Can you believe this?" it asked, and then for a moment, there was a flicker of activity in its yellow eyes almost like the transfer of data. With a sharp *clack* one of the cargo bay lights came on and shone down like some kind of spotlight, revealing a perfectly pitch black cat with bright yellow eyes. She sat on her haunches and observed them imperiously for a long moment before she took a moment to obsessively smooth a rumpled spot of fur on her flank. Her rushed trip down the construct access way had left her looking slightly frumpy.
"This ship travels at approximately 899,377.4 kilometers per second, or three times the speed of light, and the meta-planes are fixed in space, meaning that for any one point on the meta-planes there is a corresponding point in material space-time. So the probability of having the microsecond timing to hit a moving object at the exact moment it was traveling through this exact point in space exactly in a pressurized area of the hull not obstructed by a crate or a bulkhead is so astronomically low that it's almost a logical paradox! It's like telling someone 'this statement is false,' there simply isn't an answer. Was it some kind of cosmic coincidence? Had they meant to eject her into a vacuum? Or are we all pawns in some badly written story?" She trailed off, as if contemplating the mystery, but she snapped out of it and hopped down to the deck with a quiet thump.
The cat approached Rhea, flicking a paw dismissively at Ella as if to get her out of the way and then laying it on Rhea's side. Her eyes flickered, and it almost seemed like code was rapidly scrawled across her irises. After what felt like a long moment she let out a sigh and sat back down.
"This is bad, she needs medical attention quickly or she's going to die. That is a heart-shot," she explained, indicating the scorch mark on Rhea's chest. "Most likely from a Lance-type weapon. The only reason she wasn't dead before she came through is likely her barrier absorbed the majority of the impact... it had to have been very close... almost point-blank. If my bio-metric scan is to be believed then she has developed an irregular heart-beat due to the impact, which could end in a fatal heart attack if not treated. She's also showing signs of internal bleeding, most likely due to a lung punctured by a broken rib, which is slowly filling up with fluid. The fact that she can breathe at all is a miracle," she finished with a sigh.
"We don't have a lot of time, it won't take the security forces long to figure out that the map they were referencing was inverted due to a 'flaw' in the database... we need to move her carefully... you and the other stowaway are going to help; don't ask why, just do it. I'll be right back," she ordered with a tone of authority that suggested she was used to getting what she asked for, then scampered off farther into the cargo hold. Moments later, a pair of imperious yellow eyes were peering down at Raikor from atop one of the crates he was hiding behind.
"You there," she pointed with one of her perfectly black paws directly at him so there was no mistake. "You're going to help me, unless you'd rather be found by the team of commandos that is minutes away from storming this hold to repel the 'intruders,"' she informed, sitting up on her hind legs to make paw-quotes to emphasize her statement. "That woman requires medical attention, if you help get her to the infirmary I'll add you to the crew manifest as an 'official' guest. There is no time to think about it, you need to decide now or she's going to die."
"What the hell is going on, you guys should be there already!" the captain snipped to his security team, receiving an explanation that the ships computer had led them to the wrong cargo bay. "Well fix it!" he snapped, stabbing the comm button with his finger angrily. Things didn't go wrong on his ship... he had the best crew, the best computers, and the best AI counterparts in the fleet and suddenly one intrusion was making his elite trained crew look like underpaid mall cops... in front of an official guest from house Ravenwing: his day could not possibly get any worse.
"Contact! Ladar paints its silhouette as an Exile Black Ship!"
"Great. Shoot it down before the fleet its scouting for shows up and spin up the FTL, we are leaving!"
"It's broadcasting an Imperium IFF."
"Verify?" A handful of tense seconds which felt like minutes ticked past. The tactical officer had his finger over the button that sent the order to fire to the gunnery crew, watching the calico at the navigation console intently.
"Verification complete," it announced. "It's the captured vessel Black Rose registered to Azil Pendrake." The bridge breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"What the fuck is a bounty hunter doing way out here? Never mind... hail it."
"Channel open sir."
"Imperium vessel Black Rose this is Captain Elias Daine of the house battleship Grudge Bearer, you are to hold position and prepare to be boarded for a routine search. If you comply you will be allowed to go on your way," he ordered, and then cut the transmission without waiting for a reply. "Load a boarding crew into one of the gunships, and if that frigate so much as blinks in the wrong direction before we get the 'all clear' you are to put a full broadside straight into the bridge," he barked.
"Can you believe this?" it asked, and then for a moment, there was a flicker of activity in its yellow eyes almost like the transfer of data. With a sharp *clack* one of the cargo bay lights came on and shone down like some kind of spotlight, revealing a perfectly pitch black cat with bright yellow eyes. She sat on her haunches and observed them imperiously for a long moment before she took a moment to obsessively smooth a rumpled spot of fur on her flank. Her rushed trip down the construct access way had left her looking slightly frumpy.
"This ship travels at approximately 899,377.4 kilometers per second, or three times the speed of light, and the meta-planes are fixed in space, meaning that for any one point on the meta-planes there is a corresponding point in material space-time. So the probability of having the microsecond timing to hit a moving object at the exact moment it was traveling through this exact point in space exactly in a pressurized area of the hull not obstructed by a crate or a bulkhead is so astronomically low that it's almost a logical paradox! It's like telling someone 'this statement is false,' there simply isn't an answer. Was it some kind of cosmic coincidence? Had they meant to eject her into a vacuum? Or are we all pawns in some badly written story?" She trailed off, as if contemplating the mystery, but she snapped out of it and hopped down to the deck with a quiet thump.
The cat approached Rhea, flicking a paw dismissively at Ella as if to get her out of the way and then laying it on Rhea's side. Her eyes flickered, and it almost seemed like code was rapidly scrawled across her irises. After what felt like a long moment she let out a sigh and sat back down.
"This is bad, she needs medical attention quickly or she's going to die. That is a heart-shot," she explained, indicating the scorch mark on Rhea's chest. "Most likely from a Lance-type weapon. The only reason she wasn't dead before she came through is likely her barrier absorbed the majority of the impact... it had to have been very close... almost point-blank. If my bio-metric scan is to be believed then she has developed an irregular heart-beat due to the impact, which could end in a fatal heart attack if not treated. She's also showing signs of internal bleeding, most likely due to a lung punctured by a broken rib, which is slowly filling up with fluid. The fact that she can breathe at all is a miracle," she finished with a sigh.
"We don't have a lot of time, it won't take the security forces long to figure out that the map they were referencing was inverted due to a 'flaw' in the database... we need to move her carefully... you and the other stowaway are going to help; don't ask why, just do it. I'll be right back," she ordered with a tone of authority that suggested she was used to getting what she asked for, then scampered off farther into the cargo hold. Moments later, a pair of imperious yellow eyes were peering down at Raikor from atop one of the crates he was hiding behind.
"You there," she pointed with one of her perfectly black paws directly at him so there was no mistake. "You're going to help me, unless you'd rather be found by the team of commandos that is minutes away from storming this hold to repel the 'intruders,"' she informed, sitting up on her hind legs to make paw-quotes to emphasize her statement. "That woman requires medical attention, if you help get her to the infirmary I'll add you to the crew manifest as an 'official' guest. There is no time to think about it, you need to decide now or she's going to die."
Aboard the Bridge
"What the hell is going on, you guys should be there already!" the captain snipped to his security team, receiving an explanation that the ships computer had led them to the wrong cargo bay. "Well fix it!" he snapped, stabbing the comm button with his finger angrily. Things didn't go wrong on his ship... he had the best crew, the best computers, and the best AI counterparts in the fleet and suddenly one intrusion was making his elite trained crew look like underpaid mall cops... in front of an official guest from house Ravenwing: his day could not possibly get any worse.
"Contact! Ladar paints its silhouette as an Exile Black Ship!"
"Great. Shoot it down before the fleet its scouting for shows up and spin up the FTL, we are leaving!"
"It's broadcasting an Imperium IFF."
"Verify?" A handful of tense seconds which felt like minutes ticked past. The tactical officer had his finger over the button that sent the order to fire to the gunnery crew, watching the calico at the navigation console intently.
"Verification complete," it announced. "It's the captured vessel Black Rose registered to Azil Pendrake." The bridge breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"What the fuck is a bounty hunter doing way out here? Never mind... hail it."
"Channel open sir."
"Imperium vessel Black Rose this is Captain Elias Daine of the house battleship Grudge Bearer, you are to hold position and prepare to be boarded for a routine search. If you comply you will be allowed to go on your way," he ordered, and then cut the transmission without waiting for a reply. "Load a boarding crew into one of the gunships, and if that frigate so much as blinks in the wrong direction before we get the 'all clear' you are to put a full broadside straight into the bridge," he barked.
OOC Notes
Azile sighed in relief, for a moment she had thought that they would truly shoot at her first. "Right, holding position." As if I'm stupid enough to do otherwise. Now that she thought about it, she could have gone past...at the risk of being blown to smithereens. Azile sat at a empty chair, looking around at her cats, they all looked stiff and uncomfortable. "Calm down you lot! There's nothing illegal on this ship, it's registered and your all registered." some of the cats visibly relaxed, while others stayed stiff. Azile sighed to herself again, why did she have to deal with such crazy computers? Oh yea, because she wouldn't be able to fly this ship otherwise....she really wasn't one for dealing with other people, they always asked about her covered eye.
Azile made a face at her thoughts, so what if she had 'the eye'. She barely used it, unless she viewed it safe to do so. Only a few people even knew about her eye, and they were all in jail or dead. The ones in jail had been sworn to secrecy, they would never tell a soul unless they wanted to face her wrath. It was funny how all those low life scum were afraid of her, while normal people...well, they often looked down on her, just because she was a bounty hunter. Sighing once more Azile waited to be boarded and examined.
Azile made a face at her thoughts, so what if she had 'the eye'. She barely used it, unless she viewed it safe to do so. Only a few people even knew about her eye, and they were all in jail or dead. The ones in jail had been sworn to secrecy, they would never tell a soul unless they wanted to face her wrath. It was funny how all those low life scum were afraid of her, while normal people...well, they often looked down on her, just because she was a bounty hunter. Sighing once more Azile waited to be boarded and examined.
OOC Notes
Raikor looked up at the black cat, a little surprised that she had found him.The first thing that he felt was a sudden fear that she might be here to tell on him, that she was going to report him to the others and he's be caught. Instantly, he became defensive, his eyes narrowing in a cold, nasty scowl. His face softened when she explained what was happening - a woman needed medical attention urgently and she needed him to help. His eyes brightened when the cat informed him that she could ensure he was safe from the evil hands of the commando's - Raikor wasn't their biggest fan. Curiously, he peered over the crate that he had been feebly hiding behind and observed the young woman, blood dripping from her mouth. The sight made him shudder and he retreated quickly, her current appearance bringing back the haunting memories of the mission that had gone so horribly wrong and had resulted in him being forbidden from ships such as these. His thoughts turned to the woman who lay injured on the floor, she looks so much like her...his eyes fell a little as he thought about a woman he had once known, one who looked a lot like the one who currently required his aid. Raikor looked up at the cat with determined eyes, he wanted to escape the clutches of the commando's and this cat could help him in exchange for some aid from the young Daine who stood before her. He slid out from behind the crates and came to face the injured woman, only just noticing another woman who was with her. Raikor recognised neither of them, but decided not to ask any questions - right now he needed the cat's help and all that mattered was helping the young woman. "I'll help. Tell me what to do, I'll do it. I am relying on you to keep your word." His voice was rough, his tone short and blunt. He stared at the cat intently, awaiting further instruction.
OOC Notes
"Well," the cat began as she contemplated the situation. "Moving her will be dangerous... if we unsettle her too much she may stop breathing. If I'm correct (and I'm never not), you should be able to use these metal crates as materials to craft a litter so that we don't jostle her too much on the way to the med bay. If whatever has punctured her lung gets knocked loose, it'll collapse and she will stop breathing. Don't worry about what's inside them, the 'droids will clean it up and reorganize it." Quiet sat on her haunches, waiting patiently for them to take action. In the meantime, her eyes flickered with activity and the tip of her black tail twitched.
"I can't delay them much longer, so we only have a couple of minutes to get out of here. I will do my best to clear us a path to the med-bay though," she informed with a tone of urgency. "And just so that we are clear: if she dies then you are the intruder," she warned, piercing Raikor with an icy glare.
Though she wouldn't give a motive, it was clear that she was deadly serious. Those who weren't from house Ravenwing probably didn't know a lot about the ARTEMIS class navigation units, but it was obviously strange for any AI construct to show such an interest in an organic, let alone make serious threats. Quiet was clearly not a normal construct, but she did seem to have a great deal of influence over the ship's systems. The obvious conclusion was that if their presence was being hidden it was her doing, and if she could edit the ship's logs to show that Raikor was a guest, she could definitely tell the ship that he was a hostile intruder.
"I can't delay them much longer, so we only have a couple of minutes to get out of here. I will do my best to clear us a path to the med-bay though," she informed with a tone of urgency. "And just so that we are clear: if she dies then you are the intruder," she warned, piercing Raikor with an icy glare.
Though she wouldn't give a motive, it was clear that she was deadly serious. Those who weren't from house Ravenwing probably didn't know a lot about the ARTEMIS class navigation units, but it was obviously strange for any AI construct to show such an interest in an organic, let alone make serious threats. Quiet was clearly not a normal construct, but she did seem to have a great deal of influence over the ship's systems. The obvious conclusion was that if their presence was being hidden it was her doing, and if she could edit the ship's logs to show that Raikor was a guest, she could definitely tell the ship that he was a hostile intruder.
OOC Notes
There was no response. Well of course there wasn't. This girl was seriously injured and Ella was sat there staring like a complete and utter moron. When the blood trickled from her mouth, she cursed under her breath, shaking her head slightly and chewing her bottom lip anxiously. She had no medical experience, none in the slightest. It wasn't often that Ella found herself in need of medical help and so she wouldn't even really know how to treat a cold. Getting sick was something that she had never worried about and probably never would. No, it was her mind that she had be wary of. It was her mind that was failing, not her body. But she couldn't linger on those thoughts. Someone else was in need of her help and she was just lingering, wondering desperately what to do, as though she didn't have a mind of her own in the slightest. Find help! She thought to herself urgently, as she pushed herself roughly to her feet, just as a voice interrupted her thoughts. Freezing where she stood, her whole body tensed, ready to spring. Panic quickly took over her thoughts. What if it was one of those awful men? Were they back to get her? Or had something else discovered her holding cell?
But no. The voice belonged to two bright yellow eyes, which belonged to a cat. Which had addressed her as though it was completely normal. Of course it was normal, but not for Ella. She'd never been aboard a ship before and she couldn't say that she was enjoying her first time. It joined her at the girl's side and quickly assessed the situation. Ella simply watched with an arched eyebrow, slightly surprised, but more amused by the sudden appearance made by the cat. At first she thought it might report them, but it seemed content to assist her in the medical attention of the girl who had mysteriously appeared through a portal. And then just as suddenly as she had appeared, the cat had sauntered off again, leaving Ella staring after her in surprise. So she'd gone to fetch someone else? Who else was hidden with the cargo bay? Wasn't she the only prisoner down here? Apparently not...
When she returned, the cat was accompanied by a young man. Ella graced him with a grave nod, as nothing else seemed appropriate in their situation. Instead, she avoided eye contact and listened carefully to the cat. With a nod, she took her dagger from her boot, tossing it carelessly towards Raikor, whilst she removed the other one. "We're going to need some canvas cut. See if you can lay your hands on any. My guess is there is some hidden in here somewhere. Be quick." She instructed sharply as she got to her feet and walked to the closest crate. With a clatter she had already opened the first one and was using the paneling to create a rectangle base for the canvas to go onto. She used some rope to bind it together, using intricate knots. It was lucky that she was good with her hands. There was no way that this girl was going to die on her if she could help it.
Before long, she had the basic shape bound together, strong and sturdy. She looked to the young man to see if he had made any progress in finding some canvas for their litter. Or anything at all that would hold the girl's weight. They just needed to get her out of there as fast as they could, before it was too late.
*She could already see that he had found some canvas. Beaming positively at him, she hurried forwards, relieving him of it. When he spoke, there was a hint of reluctance in the tone, but she ignored it and gave him a quick nod. "Thank you," She told him softly as she began to cut and shred the edge of the canvas, one so it would fit and two so she could tie sections to the frame. It didn't take her long before she was threading canvas straps to the frame and once again tying them with intricate knots that would hold the woman's weight. Once the final one was looped through, she helped to move the woman onto the home-made litter, being as gentle and careful as she possible could. They were ready to go.
*Placed on after goblinslayer's post :D
But no. The voice belonged to two bright yellow eyes, which belonged to a cat. Which had addressed her as though it was completely normal. Of course it was normal, but not for Ella. She'd never been aboard a ship before and she couldn't say that she was enjoying her first time. It joined her at the girl's side and quickly assessed the situation. Ella simply watched with an arched eyebrow, slightly surprised, but more amused by the sudden appearance made by the cat. At first she thought it might report them, but it seemed content to assist her in the medical attention of the girl who had mysteriously appeared through a portal. And then just as suddenly as she had appeared, the cat had sauntered off again, leaving Ella staring after her in surprise. So she'd gone to fetch someone else? Who else was hidden with the cargo bay? Wasn't she the only prisoner down here? Apparently not...
When she returned, the cat was accompanied by a young man. Ella graced him with a grave nod, as nothing else seemed appropriate in their situation. Instead, she avoided eye contact and listened carefully to the cat. With a nod, she took her dagger from her boot, tossing it carelessly towards Raikor, whilst she removed the other one. "We're going to need some canvas cut. See if you can lay your hands on any. My guess is there is some hidden in here somewhere. Be quick." She instructed sharply as she got to her feet and walked to the closest crate. With a clatter she had already opened the first one and was using the paneling to create a rectangle base for the canvas to go onto. She used some rope to bind it together, using intricate knots. It was lucky that she was good with her hands. There was no way that this girl was going to die on her if she could help it.
Before long, she had the basic shape bound together, strong and sturdy. She looked to the young man to see if he had made any progress in finding some canvas for their litter. Or anything at all that would hold the girl's weight. They just needed to get her out of there as fast as they could, before it was too late.
*She could already see that he had found some canvas. Beaming positively at him, she hurried forwards, relieving him of it. When he spoke, there was a hint of reluctance in the tone, but she ignored it and gave him a quick nod. "Thank you," She told him softly as she began to cut and shred the edge of the canvas, one so it would fit and two so she could tie sections to the frame. It didn't take her long before she was threading canvas straps to the frame and once again tying them with intricate knots that would hold the woman's weight. Once the final one was looped through, she helped to move the woman onto the home-made litter, being as gentle and careful as she possible could. They were ready to go.
*Placed on after goblinslayer's post :D
OOC Notes
Raikor nodded at the cat, aware of how much influence she seemed to possess over the ship, and decided to just do as she asked for he didn't want to risk his capture. Upon seeing the other, healthy woman his eyes narrowed a little, until she greeted him with a nod, which he returned politely. The young man wasn't impressed when she ordered him about, telling him exactly what to do, but he decided to just grin and bear it - nothing else could be done in such a situation. As he searched for canvas he couldn't help but wonder where the healthy woman had come from. She didn't appear to be from his house, and if she was Raikor had never seen her before. Using the knife she had thrown at him, he cut open the crates, looking for canvas to cover the litter that they had to craft for the injured woman. He really didn't want her to die. Not because he would feel upset by it, but due to the fact that if she did die he would be labelled an intruder in the ship and would be unable to reach his destination, despite being sure he had jumped on the wrong ship. He was sure the client had said the Grudge Bearer was the one to catch a ride with, but he could have been wrong. Frowning, Raikor cut open another crate, pleased to find several sheets of unused canvas stuffed messily inside. Hastily, he pulled a mass of it from the box and dragged it towards the two woman, surprised to see that the frame for the litter had already been crafted. The young man dropped the canvas in front of the woman, and reluctantly spoke to her. "What do I do now?" His voice was quiet and cold, the reluctance to speak quite clear in his tone. He stood there, unsure of what he was meant to do - he never had been very good at crafting things other than weapons and armour. Even then, it had taken a long time to master. Thsi was certainly the first time he had had to construct a litter and the whole thing confused him a little. That was probably due to feeling unwell from the portal. Yes, he'd blame it on that, not his inability to craft simple objects.
OOC Notes
Kizarans live for thousands of years... what is the average lifespan of a Kizara?
Nobody is quite sure.
Kizarans die all the time: getting shot or blown up, or doing stupid things. I don't think I've ever heard of one dying of old age... that's what makes your species intriguing.
You seem to have all the time in the world and yet... you're always rushing to one place or another for some reason.
Remember to stop and open your eyes once in a while.
... Is that concern I feel? You're supposed to have forgotten me...
Wake up, stupid!
Nobody is quite sure.
Kizarans die all the time: getting shot or blown up, or doing stupid things. I don't think I've ever heard of one dying of old age... that's what makes your species intriguing.
You seem to have all the time in the world and yet... you're always rushing to one place or another for some reason.
Remember to stop and open your eyes once in a while.
... Is that concern I feel? You're supposed to have forgotten me...
Wake up, stupid!
Rhea opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh fluorescent lamps shining down into her face. Someone was leaning over her. Who? May as well have been God since she couldn't make out the face and she was staring into a bright light. She felt wet, and her lungs were burning but she couldn't discern why. Why did her chest ache? Why... oh yes, the silly girl had forgotten to breathe. Rhea tried to take a breath, and immediately spat up a generous amount of a reddish brown fluid she suspected was originally clear.
I'm not dead.
The revelation struck her like a blow to the head and she would have rolled off of the uncomfortable exam table, but she found herself restrained. Her clothes were missing, though that wasn't what made her feel naked: it was the sight of her sword propped up in a corner of the sterile white room next to a pile of garments she presumed they had cut off of her. The sheer gown they had draped over her stuck to her wet skin uncomfortably and she wanted desperately to scratch her nose.
"Ah, it lives," a voice chuckled from somewhere she couldn't see. The figure standing over her shined a light in each of her eyes and pressed a stethoscope to her chest, causing her skin to erupt into goose bumps. Why were those things always frigid? "You almost didn't make it. You can thank the two passengers that saved you in a few minutes... and the android that led them here when it gets back from diagnostic. Weirdest fuckin' thing I've ever seen an ARTEMIS unit do... well, besides scream at us on the bridge. If it hadn't led us on a wild goose chase all over the damn ship you'd have probably died in the cargo bay... she gonna pull though?"
"Yes... there's still some fluid in her lungs but that's a normal side effect of the tank. It should clear up in a couple days... no strenuous activity for at least a week: you may feel like a champion now, but those fractures are still very fresh. I estimate a full recovery in about three weeks... the med-tech should be flushed from her system by then as well," the figure hovering over her explained. He prodded her with a couple more instruments, gave her a shot of something she couldn't identify and then vanished out of sight.
"Excellent... which brings me to my first question: what the hell are you doing on my ship?"
Rhea thought about it for a long time, but she couldn't come up with a reason. The only thing she could recall was the image of a young woman who was probably on the late edge of adolescence, but not quite an adult. Perfectly pitch black hair tumbled about her shoulders and back, nearly blending in to the black dress she wore. Her skin was perfectly pale, but with a healthy glow and not that sickly pallor people who spend the majority of their time on spacecraft get. Her eyes stood out the most: they were a striking yellow color that made the rest of her almost seem surreal. Rhea knew her name, but for the life of her she could not get herself to speak or think the word.
"I... don't know."
Forty-eight hours previously...
Quiet waited patiently for the other two to move Rhea onto the litter. The woman was drifting in and out of consciousness, and the color was slowly draining from her face and lips. The outlook was bleak and Quiet's tail gave an irritated flick.
"Good, now pick her up and follow me closely. We're going to have to move fast to avoid being caught," she informed, and then led them to the edge of the cargo bay.
There were three entrances to the cargo bay: the one organics were supposed to use, the one the constructs came in and out of, and of course the freight entrance where cargo was loaded and unloaded from the ship. Quiet led them to the construct entrance, which wasn't quite a door... more of a bulkhead panel that slid open: the comings and goings of the constructs were designed to be largely invisible to the rest of the crew. Almost as soon as the panel slid shut behind them, the practiced lightweight patter of dozens of feet could be heard storming into the cargo bay.
"Clear left."
"Clear right..." low voices passed them as the commandos began their sweep of the hold. After the initial breach, they moved through the bay in near silence. Quiet's ears were held attentively on the bulkhead before she ushered them forward into the near pitch darkness. After a moment, when she was sure the intrusion team had passed, she lit the way by activating light panels on either side of the pathway. It wasn't much, but it was enough to see where they were going. Except for the occasional maintenance crew, these corridors never saw organic traffic.
"This won't take us all the way," she informed. "But it will get us close enough..." she paused for a scant moment at an intersection where a gray tabby watched them curiously. Quiet started to breathe a sigh, but it turned into a devilish chuckle. "Hey. You want to play a game?"
"Do I? That's a dumb question, you should know the answer is always yes!" it answered excitedly.
"Gather some of your friends, you'll need two teams for this game..." she started... if cats could grin, there would surely be one plastered across Quiet's face. They communicated silently for a few moments, evidenced by the data-flash in their eyes before the tabby ran off down one of the other corridors.
"That sounds like a great game! I'll get started right away!" It called back.
"Hah... that should keep the kids busy for a little while," she snickered, and then ushered the others forward again.
The rest of the trip through the construct corridors was largely uneventful, though they would occasionally hear an alarm through the bulkhead, followed by a chorus of giggles echoing through the hallways. At last, after what felt like miles across and several decks up Quiet stopped them and opened one of the bulkhead panels out into a brightly lit corridor that was oddly devoid of traffic. She led them down the empty corridor a ways until they reached what looked like a small lobby area with a lift on one wall. The doors swished open when they arrived, and a short ride later landed them directly in the med-bay where they were swamped by the medical team and quickly relieved of their wounded cargo.
"I imagine the captain will want to question you both in the near future. Don't worry, I've added you both to the passenger manifest so you won't get thrown in the brig or anything, but don't leave the area for the time being. There are a couple of spare beds you two can rest on until I can arrange living spaces... just don't cause any more trouble and you two should be fine," she leveled her yellow eyes at Raikor in particular. "If you'll excuse me, I have a 'diagnostic' to attend," she quipped, then hopped back into the lift.
OOC Notes
Raikor nodded in response to the cat's words, taking in the information she was giving. His body started to shake slightly at the mention of the captain interviewing them - his time on this ship was most definately coming to a close. His legs and body felt a little weak from the fear of upcoming events, and so once the cat had left the young man took a seat on the bed nearest him. It was with intrigue that he then turned his gaze to the woman who was with him. When they were helping the injured woman he hadn't been able to take her physical appearance in, and now his eyes scanned her whole body, from each individual facial feature to the clothes she was wearing. Raikor realized he didn't even know her name. He was, however, unconcerned with it - he had no desire to know anything about her and he figured that she no doubt felt the same about him. He already had enough on his mind without another name to memorise. With a silent sigh, he reclined on the bed, his eyes staring up into the distance, everything slowly falling from focus as his eyelids drooped for a short sleep in order to recover some energy.
The smell of burning flesh hung in the air, suffocating the long haired man who stood alone. Before him lay a burning ship, fires spreading infectiously through the once green valley in which the ship had crashed. The pained and desperate screams of dying men and women echoed hauntingly in his ears. He tried to cover them with his hands, to block the sounds of despiar from reaching him, but nothing worked. Blood stained his vision, blurring the sights before him as a thick and heavy fog began to set around the scene. As the blood cleared from his eyes, he noticed that the ship was gone and began to shiver as the temperature dropped rapidly. His breath surrounded his head in the cold, dispersing with every slight movement he made. He knew that he'd been here before, but where it was he couldn't tell. As he searched for signs of life, he felt his heart stop as his eyes caught something. A woman. With great speed he ran to her, trying to get close, and as he did so he noticed the blood pouring from wounds all over her body and pooling into crimson lakes on the ground. He increased his speed, his running frantic as he went to reach for her and save her in her last breaths. No matter how hard he ran or how far he stretched his hand he could not get to her dying form. Tears formed in his emotionless eyes as an unknown force pulled him back and away - her body growing smaller and smaller until all of a sudden it was gone. He screamed.
"Lila!" Raikor gasped, sitting upright on the bed, his eyes wide with shock. He hadn't had that dream for so many years. He clenched his jaws and narrowed his eyes as he thought of the woman they had just saved - curse the fact she had to look so much like Lila! Wiping the sweat from his brow, Raikor let his head fall into his open hands.
The smell of burning flesh hung in the air, suffocating the long haired man who stood alone. Before him lay a burning ship, fires spreading infectiously through the once green valley in which the ship had crashed. The pained and desperate screams of dying men and women echoed hauntingly in his ears. He tried to cover them with his hands, to block the sounds of despiar from reaching him, but nothing worked. Blood stained his vision, blurring the sights before him as a thick and heavy fog began to set around the scene. As the blood cleared from his eyes, he noticed that the ship was gone and began to shiver as the temperature dropped rapidly. His breath surrounded his head in the cold, dispersing with every slight movement he made. He knew that he'd been here before, but where it was he couldn't tell. As he searched for signs of life, he felt his heart stop as his eyes caught something. A woman. With great speed he ran to her, trying to get close, and as he did so he noticed the blood pouring from wounds all over her body and pooling into crimson lakes on the ground. He increased his speed, his running frantic as he went to reach for her and save her in her last breaths. No matter how hard he ran or how far he stretched his hand he could not get to her dying form. Tears formed in his emotionless eyes as an unknown force pulled him back and away - her body growing smaller and smaller until all of a sudden it was gone. He screamed.
"Lila!" Raikor gasped, sitting upright on the bed, his eyes wide with shock. He hadn't had that dream for so many years. He clenched his jaws and narrowed his eyes as he thought of the woman they had just saved - curse the fact she had to look so much like Lila! Wiping the sweat from his brow, Raikor let his head fall into his open hands.
OOC Notes
Meanwhile...
Down on the small flight deck where the battleship's handful of fighter-craft, gunships, and shuttles were held, cocky pilot Leonardo Phoenix waited impatiently for his cargo of marines. He tapped his foot and routinely checked his chrono while the huge robotic arms on the deck removed the rear-facing turret from his Sabre class gunship so an auxiliary crystal core and the dorsally mounted artillery laser could be fitted to the ship. It was a last minute equipment change, and since the marines he was supposed to transport were more than an hour late, he figured he had the time. They were sending him alone out to dock with a potentially hostile Black Ship and hadn't thought to mount any heavy weapons to his gunship... psh. How much firepower was enough? His father used to always say "Hope for the best, but bring 'P' for 'Plenty.'" On that thought, he whipped out his data slate and punched in a requisition to replace one of the pair of plasma bombs in his load out for a boarding torpedo. That should kill another ten minutes or so...
What was a Phoenix house pilot doing on a Daine battleship? Even though the ship itself belongs to house Daine, it's crewed by a number of houses. The Daine house simply didn't have the technical expertise to run such a huge ship by themselves... actually they probably did, but they didn't want to commit the manpower necessary to do it themselves. Leo was on hire as an independent contractor, as many of the other crew members were. He had his own equipment... the Sabre was his ship; he and his father built it from scratch, and Leo flew it in tandem with his personal ARTEMIS unit.
"Aren't they here yet? Seriously, isn't it like a ten minute tram ride from the barracks?" The large black and white tuxedo poked his head out of one of the maintenance panels. A pair of miniature, tinted welding goggles covered its eyes, something Leo found amusing... Phoenix androids didn't have the emotional limiter that inhibited personal tastes and strong emotions since they believe it reduced the performance of the android.
"Patience, Mau... it gives us more time to prepare."
"Whatever, I see you there hawk-eyeing your chrono and tapping your foot. You can't fool me! But you're right... rear stabilizer has been making that noise again," the cat answered gruffly and then vanished back inside the hatch. "When are you gonna buy me thumbs?! The drones are retarded, it'd be much faster if I could do this electrical work myself!"
"Yes Mau, but with thumbs you would rule the universe, I can't have that," Leo quipped with a grin.
"Damn straight I would! I'd let you be my minion though... if you're a real good pet I may even promote you to sidekick!"
Leo couldn't help but chuckle, and was too busy trying to look angry when his marines finally piled out of the lift... all two of them. He quickly put on a straight face, thankfully before either of them noticed his goofy, crooked grin. Leo folded his arms and tapped his foot menacingly.
"... Aren't there supposed to be more of you?"
*ksshtOh god! Somebody let me out! It's dark and I'm claustrophobic, I need an adult!kssht*
"Um... we're the only ones who made it," one of the marines answered, looking to his partner and giving him the "cut him" signal. Without answering the call they both switched comm channels. Leo raised an eyebrow and punched the cancel button on his slate without looking down. One of the arms stopped mid-swing with the boarding torpedo and moved to put it back on the rack. No point in launching just a pair of marines... if things went pear-shaped he'd just strip the frigate's barriers and let the battleship tear it apart.
"What the fuck is going on up there?" Mau flattened his ears at them from the maintenance hatch, though the intensity of his glare was lessened by the ridiculous goggles he was wearing.
"...Did that ARTEMIS just swear at me?" The marine asked with a tone of incredulity. Leo just pointed to the Phoenix insignia emblazoned on the side of his ship. "Oh... um. We don't know... somebody has been separating the commando teams and locking them in supply closets; we just got caught in the middle of it on the way here. Marines just vanish and all we hear is this creepy laughing," he shuddered. "Let's go, I'm dying to get off this ship, even for a little while."
"You and me both..." Leo answered, tossing his slate inside the airlock and shaking his head. "C'mon Mau, I need you up front, we'll fix it later."
Leo secured the maintenance hatch, and then he, his cat, and the two marines piled into the airlock of the Sabre. Moments later, the flight deck's monstrous robotic arms moved the gunship into a launch tube, sealing the door behind them. The ship lurched as the catapult arm locked into place. The cabin came alive and they were thrown out into the void. Leo opened communications lines first with the Grudge Bearer, so they could hear what was happening, and isolated the comm line so that when he talked with Azile's ship, they couldn't hear the chatter from the battleship.
"Black Rose this is Flight Lieutenant Leonardo, we are away and estimate time to dock in... twenty mikes. We will be utilizing your forward airlock to transfer the search team, and then we will maintain a holding pattern while the operation is underway. Please hold position and await the signal to dock."
OOC Notes
"Black Rose this is Flight Lieutenant Leonardo, we are away and estimate time to dock in... twenty mikes. We will be utilizing your forward airlock to transfer the search team, and then we will maintain a holding pattern while the operation is underway. Please hold position and await the signal to dock." Azile looked to the comm, which was open on her end as well. About bloody time...feels like I've been sitting here forever! "Holding position Flight Lieutenant Leonardo sir." there was a bit of anger in her voice, she didn't like just sitting and doing nothing. She wouldn't say anything about them taking so much time, they were military she was a bounty hunter, they outranked her. She sighed and looked to her cats again, which were all watching her now. Creepy little AI's. She sneered at them, and they looked away, well except for Snickers. The turtle shell calico continued to look at her, awaiting orders.
OOC Notes
Nineteen minutes and thirty seconds later, the Sabre sidled up alongside the Black Rose and prepared for docking maneuvers. Leo nudged the gunship's lateral thrusters with his toe, and a few seconds later, a deep thrum through the hull of both ships announced a secure hold of the Sabre's docking clamps. Leo disengaged the main engines, but kept them primed and warm just in case he needed to perform an emergency separation. He keyed the ship's PA even though the marines were only a handful of meters behind him in the gunship's common area.
*Bing* "This is your captain speaking, our flight to the Black Rose is at its end. Connecting flight information can be found in the lobby, and if this is your final destination, your luggage can be found in baggage claim B. As always, thank you for choosing Phoenix Void Transport Services for your travel needs," Leo snickered, and then signaled the Black Rose that they were ready for airlock transfer. He grabbed the wireless headset out of the charging dock and trotted to the airlock to meet the marines.
"Real funny. Thanks for the lift though we appreciate that you have our backs."
"No problem, boys. The Sabre wasn't designed for ship-to-ship docking: it's a gunship not a shuttle. I'll extend the plank as far as it goes and shoot the mag-line across so you have something to hold on to. I'll be maintaining a close holding pattern, so if things go pear-shaped just get off the ship any way you can and I'll pull you in. Oh, and before you leave my ship, it's customary that we have a drink!"
The marines tried to protest, but Leo refused to open the airlock until they had a drink from his flask. Resigned, they both knocked back a healthy swig and pulled their HEV helmets on. The click of suit locks and the hiss of environmental seals engaging drowned out the coughing of the marines... Leo always packed some strong liquor.
"Holy crap, do you de-grease the plasma guns with that shit?"
"Nope... this is what I throw into the reactor when I need a speed boost," he grinned, slapped them both on the back and then opened the inside airlock door, closing it behind them once they were inside. "Mau! Fire the starboard mag-grapple," he called up to the cockpit as he vented the airlock and opened the outer door. Leo pressed the wireless headset to his ear and keyed the plank controls, looking through the port to make sure the mag-line hit the right spot.
"Nice shooting as always, Mau. Black Rose this is Flight Lieutenant Leonardo, we have entered a docking position with your ship. Please open the outer door to your forward airlock and the search team will space-walk over."
"Leo," Mau called from the cockpit. "I'm picking up a faint transmission... It's not one of ours. I can't quite pin it down, but it's definitely not coming from the FTL network."
"Huh... is it an Exile broadcast?"
"Can't say for certain. Approximate origin is from farther in dead-space, so it's a possibility but... here, let me play it back for you."
*Ksssshhhh... planessshhhhhhh... Aerodaenah-shhhh... kssshhht... battlebssshhht** Parador has-ksssssshhhhhht*
"That's everything that's even slightly intelligible: it goes on but the rest is static and garbled words. I've run the names through the database, but Aerodaenah doesn't come up as a planet, colony, city, town, suburb, or rural area in the Territories, and Parador doesn't match anything in the ship registry... I assume Parador is a ship anyway. I'm running it through the planetary database now, but so far there aren't any hits."
"Interesting. Add it to our collection of cosmic noise recordings and then forward it back to the battleship. 'GB's' communication array might be able to get more out of it."
*Bing* "This is your captain speaking, our flight to the Black Rose is at its end. Connecting flight information can be found in the lobby, and if this is your final destination, your luggage can be found in baggage claim B. As always, thank you for choosing Phoenix Void Transport Services for your travel needs," Leo snickered, and then signaled the Black Rose that they were ready for airlock transfer. He grabbed the wireless headset out of the charging dock and trotted to the airlock to meet the marines.
"Real funny. Thanks for the lift though we appreciate that you have our backs."
"No problem, boys. The Sabre wasn't designed for ship-to-ship docking: it's a gunship not a shuttle. I'll extend the plank as far as it goes and shoot the mag-line across so you have something to hold on to. I'll be maintaining a close holding pattern, so if things go pear-shaped just get off the ship any way you can and I'll pull you in. Oh, and before you leave my ship, it's customary that we have a drink!"
The marines tried to protest, but Leo refused to open the airlock until they had a drink from his flask. Resigned, they both knocked back a healthy swig and pulled their HEV helmets on. The click of suit locks and the hiss of environmental seals engaging drowned out the coughing of the marines... Leo always packed some strong liquor.
"Holy crap, do you de-grease the plasma guns with that shit?"
"Nope... this is what I throw into the reactor when I need a speed boost," he grinned, slapped them both on the back and then opened the inside airlock door, closing it behind them once they were inside. "Mau! Fire the starboard mag-grapple," he called up to the cockpit as he vented the airlock and opened the outer door. Leo pressed the wireless headset to his ear and keyed the plank controls, looking through the port to make sure the mag-line hit the right spot.
"Nice shooting as always, Mau. Black Rose this is Flight Lieutenant Leonardo, we have entered a docking position with your ship. Please open the outer door to your forward airlock and the search team will space-walk over."
"Leo," Mau called from the cockpit. "I'm picking up a faint transmission... It's not one of ours. I can't quite pin it down, but it's definitely not coming from the FTL network."
"Huh... is it an Exile broadcast?"
"Can't say for certain. Approximate origin is from farther in dead-space, so it's a possibility but... here, let me play it back for you."
*Ksssshhhh... planessshhhhhhh... Aerodaenah-shhhh... kssshhht... battlebssshhht** Parador has-ksssssshhhhhht*
"That's everything that's even slightly intelligible: it goes on but the rest is static and garbled words. I've run the names through the database, but Aerodaenah doesn't come up as a planet, colony, city, town, suburb, or rural area in the Territories, and Parador doesn't match anything in the ship registry... I assume Parador is a ship anyway. I'm running it through the planetary database now, but so far there aren't any hits."
"Interesting. Add it to our collection of cosmic noise recordings and then forward it back to the battleship. 'GB's' communication array might be able to get more out of it."
OOC Notes
Azile opened her airlock door, and only saw two marines. Two? They usually send more than that...something odd must be going on on the Grudge Bearer. she stepped aside for the two, letting them on her ship. Once they were on, she closed her airlock door and went to her seat. She did not sit down this time, knowing the marines would probably pat her dawn. She spread her arms "Well boys get to searching, my ship is yours for the looking." she lowered her arms keeping a close eye on the two.
OOC Notes
Ella was staring blankly at the wall, her eyes thoughtful. Around her people buzzed, tending to the girl. Someone was fussing around her, but she paid them barely any attention. In fact, she didn't look at any of them. Not even the man on the bed across from her, who she had recused the woman with. Since they had been brought to the medical bay, she hadn't said a word. How was so supposed to explain her presence on the ship? The Captain was never going to believe her. Perhaps she should create a story. But that wouldn't matter either. She was authorized to be on board and that was the end of it. Silently she was formulating a plan to get herself out of this situation. So far, she'd drawn a complete blank. There was no way out of this. At the end of the day a Captain would believe his men, not some random girl who had been discovered in his cargo bay. It look rather suspicious as well, three of them in the cargo bay, each of them as mysterious as the last. If they each displayed a different story then they were in more trouble. But she would worry about that when the Captain's attention turned to her. For now she was content to stare at the wall. Well, perhaps not.
Finally, Ella found her gaze traveling upwards. Her eyes found the man across from her. He was watching her, as though sizing her up. She offered a small smile, but he'd already looked away. Running her hand through her hair, she chanced a glance over at the woman and the Captain. He was talking to her, which caused Ella to frown a little. It took her a moment to release that someone was touching her wrists. Looking down, she watched them being bandaged, neatly and sufficiently. For the second it took her focus away from the other two. But only for a mere second.
"Excellent... which brings me to my first question: what the hell are you doing on my ship?"
"Lila!"
Ella shot the man a questioning look, silently asking if he was alright. There seemed to be panic on his face. She frowned at him, brushing strands of hair from her eyes. But, there were more pressing matters at hand. They needed a story and it looked as though she would have to provide it.
"I brought her," The words came to her lips before she even had a chance to stop them. Her eyes widened slightly with shock at her own words, but she masked it with a quick smile. "I brought them both with me. I had a....vision of this ship. We were checking it out from the outside before you left when two buffoons from your crew took us hostage." She held up her bandaged hands to show him, an eyebrow arched. "She escaped," She gestured to Rhea on the bed, only giving her a passing glance to warn her of saying any different. The story was not great, but it was the best she had. And some of it was at least true. "The two idiots who took us found her and obviously shot at her. They didn't want her to find anyone who could help us." Ella held the Captain's gaze, her eyes never faltering. She was a good liar. She always had been, but she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest. It was her only hope that he believed that they were there innocently. Well, she was most definitely there innocently. She didn't know why she was defending the other two with her lies, but the words had come before she could stop them.
A quick glance at the man to tell him to keep his mouth shut as well, Ella slid off the bed. "Don't worry, I won't be looking for any compensation," She said with a glimmer in her eyes as she smiled at the Captain. "But I will expect those two fools to be sorted out." A cheeky look passed over her face as she went and seated herself on the edge of Rhea's bed. "I'm sure me and my friends will be welcomed though." She grinned at the Captain.
Finally, Ella found her gaze traveling upwards. Her eyes found the man across from her. He was watching her, as though sizing her up. She offered a small smile, but he'd already looked away. Running her hand through her hair, she chanced a glance over at the woman and the Captain. He was talking to her, which caused Ella to frown a little. It took her a moment to release that someone was touching her wrists. Looking down, she watched them being bandaged, neatly and sufficiently. For the second it took her focus away from the other two. But only for a mere second.
"Excellent... which brings me to my first question: what the hell are you doing on my ship?"
"Lila!"
Ella shot the man a questioning look, silently asking if he was alright. There seemed to be panic on his face. She frowned at him, brushing strands of hair from her eyes. But, there were more pressing matters at hand. They needed a story and it looked as though she would have to provide it.
"I brought her," The words came to her lips before she even had a chance to stop them. Her eyes widened slightly with shock at her own words, but she masked it with a quick smile. "I brought them both with me. I had a....vision of this ship. We were checking it out from the outside before you left when two buffoons from your crew took us hostage." She held up her bandaged hands to show him, an eyebrow arched. "She escaped," She gestured to Rhea on the bed, only giving her a passing glance to warn her of saying any different. The story was not great, but it was the best she had. And some of it was at least true. "The two idiots who took us found her and obviously shot at her. They didn't want her to find anyone who could help us." Ella held the Captain's gaze, her eyes never faltering. She was a good liar. She always had been, but she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest. It was her only hope that he believed that they were there innocently. Well, she was most definitely there innocently. She didn't know why she was defending the other two with her lies, but the words had come before she could stop them.
A quick glance at the man to tell him to keep his mouth shut as well, Ella slid off the bed. "Don't worry, I won't be looking for any compensation," She said with a glimmer in her eyes as she smiled at the Captain. "But I will expect those two fools to be sorted out." A cheeky look passed over her face as she went and seated herself on the edge of Rhea's bed. "I'm sure me and my friends will be welcomed though." She grinned at the Captain.
OOC Notes
Aboard the Parador
Lord Commander Gabriel Blade sat in the command throne brooding on the events that had led to his current dark situation. His chin rested in the palm of his hand and one claw tapped rhythmically on the scar on the left side of his face. His handsome patrician features were set in a pensive scowl.
‘Thirteen thousand years of service, and now exile, all because of a blow to the pride of a few individuals.’ He thought to himself, growling menacingly as he did so. The human ensigns nearest the command throne glanced up nervously. The commander was known to have some very dangerous temper flares and more than one crewman that got in his way had to be taken to medical to have a limb repaired or replaced. Gabriel opened his ice cold blue eyes and stared at the holo-screens, before him was a full diagram of the Warbarge. He sent a thought through the neural link in his armor, which caused the diagram to break apart and give him individual systems information. From here he could monitor every piece of the miles long ship from the aerial communications relays to the warp drives.
“Aerien, status report on the psychoreactive shielding if you please.” He said, his thunder like voice rumbling through the cathedral like bridge in a wave. In response to his request the ships AI construct materialized next to his throne. The holographic human female glanced up at Gabriel to assess his mood then reached out to manipulate the holo-screen.
“Shielding is holding stable at ninety three percent my lord, “she said briskly, hoping that a chipper mood would be absorbed by the massive draconin.
“Thank you Aerien, have you anything to report otherwise,” replied Gabriel, his demeanor unchanged.
“Nothing other than a few garbled real space vox transmissions that were very hard to make out, something about a search and being locked in a closet….” Said Aerien, trailing off as she combed her databases for more useful information.
Gabriel’s eyes flashed dangerously “You mean to tell me that we have spent three weeks riding the tides of the warp, with not so much as a scratch of static and now that we picked up a legible transmission you failed to even notify me!?” he growled, his voice steadily rising until he could be heard for three decks in every direction.
“I jus..” said Aerien as she began to explain herself, but she was swiftly silenced by the look that Gabriel gave her as he rose to his full sixteen foot nine inch height.
“I should melt your processor into beaded glass for this you infernal machine!” he roared, “Prepare to drop out of warp and open the ship wide vox, we are probably right on top of them by now so we are going to make quite an entrance. “
Gabriel sat back down in the command throne and waved the holo-screen away angrily, causing it to dissipate like smoke. “Open forward exterior view screen,” he barked. The crew of the bridge immediately came alive, and the forward shielding opened like the pupil of a great eye to allow in the myriad hues of light from the emperyan tides. After a nod from the AI, Gabriel began his speech to the crew and citizens aboard the ship.
“People of Parador, this is the Lord Commander. We have intercepted radio transmissions from real space, and we are about to drop out of warp transit and reenter the material plane. We do this in hopes of finding a home, or at the very least to resupply. The Parador is all we have left of our home. We ten thousand have been cast off. But we will be strong again. We are still a force to be reckoned with. We are the strongest of all of our races, the best and brightest minds. We may never again see the jungles and mountains of Aerodaenah. But we will find a home, even if we have to battle the galaxy to get it. Aboard this Battle Barge, this warship with a mission of peace and hope, we will find a way. And if there is no way to be found, We Will Make One!” he cried, drawing cheers and praises from every denizen of the ship.
Aerien’s eyes glowed bright green as her subsystems cycled up to rip open the fabric of space so they could translate back into the material plane “Ready for reentry my lord on your mark.” She uttered tonelessly.
“Bring void and reactive shields online and divert power to warm up the weapon subsystems, if these ships are hostile I will not be caught unawares,” said Gabriel as he locked his helmet into place and sealed his Mark V Terminator armor. He stood from his throne, set his feet in a wide stance, and engaged the mag locks in his boot soles. “Brace for reentry in my mark, Three, Two, One, Mark.”
Ahead of them electricity arced off the Parador’s dozer bladed prow, lancing out into the madness of the warp. Three parsecs off of the bow a small black stain appeared and began to grow larger and larger. The rift grew until it was large enough to admit the massive ship’s passage. Gabriel smiled as the sublight engines powered all ninety seven miles worth of the Parador’s keel through the rift and back into real space.
“Commander, scanner auspex indicates two vessels in proximity, First contact bearing two-zero-two off the port bow at one parsec and closing, second contact bearing two-zero-four off the port bow at one point two five parsecs and closing,” cried the monitoring station officer, “Looks like a battleship and a light cruiser of some kind.“
“All stop, passive scanners only, let’s give them some time to realize what just happened then open a hailing frequency.” Ordered Gabriel, his voice made metallic by the speaker grille in his helm. Several long moments passed then the vox operator quietly said “Frequency open commander, now hailing the battleship.”
Gabriel took in a deep breath, exhaled, and then spoke. “This is Lord Commander Gabriel Crozius Blade of the Battle Barge Parador. We come of friendly intentions, and on a peaceful mission. Are you friends or foes?”
Gabriel placed his taloned right hand on the pommel of his nexus broadsword, using its jade channeling vanes he reached out with his mind and felt the emotions from the unknown ships. Panic. Fear. Intrigue. Curiosity. ‘This could either go very good or very bad…’ thought Gabriel as he waited tensely for the reply.
Material space outside the Grudge Bearer
All was calm in the void outside the Battleship. Any one viewing from the starboard bow would have seen nothing out of the ordinary. That is until the stars began to distort in a small area of space that was rapidly growing larger. All at once the fabric or reality was ripped asunder and millions of colors and wavelengths of light played across the hull of the Grudge Bearer. At first it was just a rift, then something began to come through.
Slowly but surely a monstrous pointed plow blade, colored in a shade of brilliant crimson appeared, followed by miles and miles of what appeared to be cathedrals bristling with weaponry and surrounded by faintly glowing blue shields. The structures themselves would’ve been nigh on invisible had they not been trimmed in crimson and gold. Cavernous Embarkation decks large enough to house up to three Grudge Bearers at once loomed from her flanks between torpedo tubes and pintle mounted lance batteries. Then finally the massive engines appeared, their exhaust cones leaving brilliant blue plasma trails in the wake of the ship. Then just as quickly as the portal had opened it twisted closed, leaving behind the most gargantuan spacecraft that any of the crew had ever seen. Then the fires died in the engines of the black and crimson ship and she was silent, like a sleeping predator that could awaken at any moment and consume them whole….
Lord Commander Gabriel Blade sat in the command throne brooding on the events that had led to his current dark situation. His chin rested in the palm of his hand and one claw tapped rhythmically on the scar on the left side of his face. His handsome patrician features were set in a pensive scowl.
‘Thirteen thousand years of service, and now exile, all because of a blow to the pride of a few individuals.’ He thought to himself, growling menacingly as he did so. The human ensigns nearest the command throne glanced up nervously. The commander was known to have some very dangerous temper flares and more than one crewman that got in his way had to be taken to medical to have a limb repaired or replaced. Gabriel opened his ice cold blue eyes and stared at the holo-screens, before him was a full diagram of the Warbarge. He sent a thought through the neural link in his armor, which caused the diagram to break apart and give him individual systems information. From here he could monitor every piece of the miles long ship from the aerial communications relays to the warp drives.
“Aerien, status report on the psychoreactive shielding if you please.” He said, his thunder like voice rumbling through the cathedral like bridge in a wave. In response to his request the ships AI construct materialized next to his throne. The holographic human female glanced up at Gabriel to assess his mood then reached out to manipulate the holo-screen.
“Shielding is holding stable at ninety three percent my lord, “she said briskly, hoping that a chipper mood would be absorbed by the massive draconin.
“Thank you Aerien, have you anything to report otherwise,” replied Gabriel, his demeanor unchanged.
“Nothing other than a few garbled real space vox transmissions that were very hard to make out, something about a search and being locked in a closet….” Said Aerien, trailing off as she combed her databases for more useful information.
Gabriel’s eyes flashed dangerously “You mean to tell me that we have spent three weeks riding the tides of the warp, with not so much as a scratch of static and now that we picked up a legible transmission you failed to even notify me!?” he growled, his voice steadily rising until he could be heard for three decks in every direction.
“I jus..” said Aerien as she began to explain herself, but she was swiftly silenced by the look that Gabriel gave her as he rose to his full sixteen foot nine inch height.
“I should melt your processor into beaded glass for this you infernal machine!” he roared, “Prepare to drop out of warp and open the ship wide vox, we are probably right on top of them by now so we are going to make quite an entrance. “
Gabriel sat back down in the command throne and waved the holo-screen away angrily, causing it to dissipate like smoke. “Open forward exterior view screen,” he barked. The crew of the bridge immediately came alive, and the forward shielding opened like the pupil of a great eye to allow in the myriad hues of light from the emperyan tides. After a nod from the AI, Gabriel began his speech to the crew and citizens aboard the ship.
“People of Parador, this is the Lord Commander. We have intercepted radio transmissions from real space, and we are about to drop out of warp transit and reenter the material plane. We do this in hopes of finding a home, or at the very least to resupply. The Parador is all we have left of our home. We ten thousand have been cast off. But we will be strong again. We are still a force to be reckoned with. We are the strongest of all of our races, the best and brightest minds. We may never again see the jungles and mountains of Aerodaenah. But we will find a home, even if we have to battle the galaxy to get it. Aboard this Battle Barge, this warship with a mission of peace and hope, we will find a way. And if there is no way to be found, We Will Make One!” he cried, drawing cheers and praises from every denizen of the ship.
Aerien’s eyes glowed bright green as her subsystems cycled up to rip open the fabric of space so they could translate back into the material plane “Ready for reentry my lord on your mark.” She uttered tonelessly.
“Bring void and reactive shields online and divert power to warm up the weapon subsystems, if these ships are hostile I will not be caught unawares,” said Gabriel as he locked his helmet into place and sealed his Mark V Terminator armor. He stood from his throne, set his feet in a wide stance, and engaged the mag locks in his boot soles. “Brace for reentry in my mark, Three, Two, One, Mark.”
Ahead of them electricity arced off the Parador’s dozer bladed prow, lancing out into the madness of the warp. Three parsecs off of the bow a small black stain appeared and began to grow larger and larger. The rift grew until it was large enough to admit the massive ship’s passage. Gabriel smiled as the sublight engines powered all ninety seven miles worth of the Parador’s keel through the rift and back into real space.
“Commander, scanner auspex indicates two vessels in proximity, First contact bearing two-zero-two off the port bow at one parsec and closing, second contact bearing two-zero-four off the port bow at one point two five parsecs and closing,” cried the monitoring station officer, “Looks like a battleship and a light cruiser of some kind.“
“All stop, passive scanners only, let’s give them some time to realize what just happened then open a hailing frequency.” Ordered Gabriel, his voice made metallic by the speaker grille in his helm. Several long moments passed then the vox operator quietly said “Frequency open commander, now hailing the battleship.”
Gabriel took in a deep breath, exhaled, and then spoke. “This is Lord Commander Gabriel Crozius Blade of the Battle Barge Parador. We come of friendly intentions, and on a peaceful mission. Are you friends or foes?”
Gabriel placed his taloned right hand on the pommel of his nexus broadsword, using its jade channeling vanes he reached out with his mind and felt the emotions from the unknown ships. Panic. Fear. Intrigue. Curiosity. ‘This could either go very good or very bad…’ thought Gabriel as he waited tensely for the reply.
Material space outside the Grudge Bearer
All was calm in the void outside the Battleship. Any one viewing from the starboard bow would have seen nothing out of the ordinary. That is until the stars began to distort in a small area of space that was rapidly growing larger. All at once the fabric or reality was ripped asunder and millions of colors and wavelengths of light played across the hull of the Grudge Bearer. At first it was just a rift, then something began to come through.
Slowly but surely a monstrous pointed plow blade, colored in a shade of brilliant crimson appeared, followed by miles and miles of what appeared to be cathedrals bristling with weaponry and surrounded by faintly glowing blue shields. The structures themselves would’ve been nigh on invisible had they not been trimmed in crimson and gold. Cavernous Embarkation decks large enough to house up to three Grudge Bearers at once loomed from her flanks between torpedo tubes and pintle mounted lance batteries. Then finally the massive engines appeared, their exhaust cones leaving brilliant blue plasma trails in the wake of the ship. Then just as quickly as the portal had opened it twisted closed, leaving behind the most gargantuan spacecraft that any of the crew had ever seen. Then the fires died in the engines of the black and crimson ship and she was silent, like a sleeping predator that could awaken at any moment and consume them whole….
OOC Notes
"They're with you..." Elias leveled a dubious gaze at Ella, made slightly more ridiculous by his frumpy appearance and his tropical vacation attire. The corners of his eyes were red from lack of sleep. He and his team had spent the past forty-eight hours tracking down "intruders" and rescuing marines imprisoned in supply closets by malfunctioning androids. He sighed and punched a command into his data-slate with one hand, releasing the restraints on Rhea's exam table.
Mention of visions meant Ella was part of house Orion, which also meant she was probably out of her mind and there was just no arguing with crazy people. He sighed and thumbed through the information on his slate, keeping one eye on both women. Rhea slowly sat up, rubbing her wrists, but didn't get off the table in case it was seen as an act of aggression. She didn't have to fake not knowing anything, since the med-techs had found evidence of tampering in the memory center of her neural structure.
"Quite a motley-crew you keep with you," he leaned back in his chair, propping one of his flip-flop clad feet on a knee and haphazardly tossing his slate onto the counter across the room. He was clearly not pleased. "Well, the sweep teem captured a pair of 'maintenance' workers fleeing the cargo deck babbling something about a portal and a crazy person," he paused for just a moment, looking over at Ella to see her reaction before he continued. "When we scanned their IDs, one came up as forged and he became combative, pulled a lance on the commandos and tried to fight his way free," he informed, folding his hands in front of his face and looking menacing in general. "The survivor is being held in the brig for questioning. The infiltrator's quarters are being searched right now for any kind of clues as to what his mission was." Elias sighed and just looked exhausted for a few moments.
"Even the captain needs to sleep sometime... if you need anything you can talk to Quiet... I've assigned her to take care of your needs since she's taken such an interest in your group," he said, pushing himself to his feet and moving towards the door. "In the meantime, I do apologize for the way that you were treated on board my ship, please make yourselves at home," he said, and then paused in the doorway. "Raikor... this changes nothing," he said in what was very nearly a growl and then stepped through, allowing the infirmary door to close behind him.
Rhea gave a curious glance to Raikor, but decided not to voice any questions. Instead she got up carefully, flinching at the twinge of residual pain in her rib cage and moving over to her things to inspect the damage. She tightened the ties along the waist of the gown they had given her so that her ass wasn't hanging out, although she did still feel quite exposed. What she really wanted was a shower to get all of the residual "ick" from the nano-reconstruction tank off of her skin. Even her feet felt... "squicky" on the deck. She shuddered at the sensation.
"Thanks," she said quietly as she reached her things and then sighed when she saw their condition. The med-techs sure didn't mess around, even her HEV had been cut down either side and peeled off. At least her cloak was intact. "For saving me, I mean. I can tell by the inflections in your voice that you don't actually know me, but I appreciate it. There are those who would have just left me..." she trailed off while she gazed at her sword. She was almost loathe to touch it while she was so dirty.
The infirmary doors swished open and Quiet trotted inside, leaping up to the exam table next to Ella and sitting on her haunches. She watched Rhea for a long moment before she swung her head around to check on Ella and Raikor. The cat waited, looking up at Ella expectantly, sitting just inside petting distance. If cats could speak, right? Oh wait...
"Glad to see you're up and about. I've secured living spaces for the three of you. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I've secured living space for you. The ship is on an exploration mission, so it's quite full with scientists and extra crew shifts. It's the ambassador suite, a lovely little place just over the rec-deck and short lift ride to the mess. It has three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a fully functional kitchen, stocked bar, and integrated entertainment and extranet terminals... plenty of space, but you'll have to share it."
"Dibs on first shower... if I don't wash this goop off soon I may stab someone," Rhea quipped, gathering her things and slipping the fluffy blue sandals the medics had left with her onto her feet. "I also need clothes... mine were destroyed. If it wouldn't be stepping on any toes, I'd be willing to pay for a new HEV, mine is kind of ruined," she shrugged, holding up the front half of her HEV, allowing the fluorescent light to shine through the dime sized hole over where her heart would be.
"Hmm," Quiet contemplated, her yellow eyes flickering. "I've sent an order down to the armory. If they have anything in your dimensions it will be brought to your suite. We do not, however, keep any ultralights on board due to this being a military vessel; the closest we could come is a scout suit. You should be able to find regular clothing to suit your tastes in your suite: ambassadors have varying tastes so it's kept stocked with a wide array of clothes. If you'll follow me," she finished and trotted off towards the lift. Rhea was right on the cat's heels, excited to finally get a shower.
It had finally been quiet for hours and the bridge crew was relaxing. The intruder situation had been dealt with and a quiet murmur of conversation about the whole ordeal buzzed about. Bryce, the tactical officer was leaning back in his seat with his feet up on the console and his hands folded behind his head, and the calico that had replaced Quiet at the navigation station had found a bit of lint to play with. Kay, the helm officer was focused on a lump of metal in the palm of one of her hands which slowly morphed into the shape of various animals while Jax at communications was busy working at that transmission the Sabre had sent in.
"Hey Jax, do you have anything yet?" Bryce asked while staring at the ceiling.
"Kind of... there's not a whole lot there to clean up, so I've been trying to get a better bead on the origin to see if we can pick up a cleaner signal. I think I almost got it."
"So where's it coming from?"
"I can't pin down the origin, but I've got it narrowed down to a general direction. If the ship were just a few hundred kilometers starboard..." he pointed, and was just about to continue when the ship's AI interrupted him.
"Uh..." Jax was dumbfounded, as was most of the bridge crew as they stopped what they were doing to look out the windows. At first there was nothing there, and then space-time was ripped asunder, showering the bridge with a rainbow spectrum of dancing lights. "You guys see that, right?"
They all gripped their consoles to stay in their seats as the ship began to drift towards the expanding rift and the gigantic object that was flying out of it. The crew almost felt as though the ship were on its side before the internal gravity began to compensate. They hastily strapped themselves into their stations.
"Kay!"
"I know! I'm working on it!"
Grudge Bearer was actually quite agile for a ship of its size: the bow of the ship leaped upwards and away from the massive vessel that was appearing as though a heavy fist had punched down on the back end. The ship's cat scrabbled fruitlessly along the deck plates against the swing of the ship inside the gravity well, but ended up standing on the starboard bulkhead and then slid with a dismayed cry towards the lifts as the main and auxiliary engines fired to correct their trajectory. A few harrowing moments later and the collision alarms ceased to scream at them. Kay breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into her chair.
"We've achieved a stable orbit, Bryce what the fuck is that thing?"
"Uh, silhouette doesn't match anything in the database... hey are we far enough away to flip over and take a look at it?"
"Should be, gravitational compensators were activated when we got pulled inside so we should stay 'upright' even in the gravity well. Just a sec," she answered and then sent the Grudge Bearer into a slow roll, allowing the vessel below them to come into view. They gave a collective gasp and sat there dumbfounded for a full minute. It definitely didn't match any design in Kizaran territories, nor any Exile ship they'd come across. It was like an ornate cathedral palace floating in space. Kay pulled out her personal comm and took a picture with the integrated camera.
"Is... is that just open to the void? Whoever's flying that has to be hardcore... speaking of, should we be in orbit around an unidentified titan? What if it's hostile?" Bryce's question hung in the air for a long moment while they all looked at each other with growing looks of horror. Bryce typed furiously at his station while the disoriented calico climbed back into its station. "Without a preexisting profile to compare to I can't be sure, but its thermal signature suggests that they could be powering their weapons."
"Shit... we have to escape its gravity well before the FTL will spin up," Kay spat, but just as she was about to begin the maneuver she was interrupted.
"We're... being hailed, hold on I'll put it through..."
"I've notified the captain, he should be here shortly," the calico informed.
"Could we take them?" Jax wondered aloud, to which Bryce only scowled at him. There was no way he was going to knife-fight with that ship. The thing about titans was that it didn't matter what the actual quality of the ship was: if your opponent didn't have one it could be made out of scrap metal and duct tape... it's still a fucking titan. The bridge doors swooshed open and Elias literally slid onto the bridge in his flip-flops looking like he'd just finished a marathon, and it probably wasn't far from the truth. He held up a finger, signalling Jax to wait so he could catch his breath before he flopped into his chair and gave the nod.
"This is Captain Elias Daine of the house battleship Grudge Bearer, here to welcome your friendly arrival into the edge of house Phoenix space. We're glad your intentions are peaceful, you gave us quite a scare!" he paused for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. "Your ship profile doesn't match anything in our registry, which territory did you originate from?"
Leo waited until the marines were safely in the Black Rose's airlock before unhooking the mag-line and closing his outer airlock door. He ambled up to the cockpit and unhooked the docking clamps, letting his ship drift away for a few minutes before spinning up the main drive and entering a standard diamond pattern outside of what he considered was the lethal range of anti-fighter batteries. Inside, the pair of marines walked in, pausing to give Azile a salute. They were identical, being in uniform, but their helmets set them apart. Their HEV suits were standard military gunmetal and black with a faint digi-cam pattern printed on them, rifles hooked to slings and hanging within easy reach at their sides. Their helmets covered their faces completely, and were smooth except for the indent over their mouths for the external speakers and the round, glowing visual sensors over their eyes.
"Ma'am. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Your ship is registered correctly within the Imperium database so we're not here to go through your things or anything," the slightly taller marine began. He had an ornate Celtic knot design painted over his left eye.
"Captured Exile vessels are unusual, they tend to be rather adamant about re-taking or destroying lost ships so we're just sweeping for trackers or dormant beacons that could activate and alert them of our location. Do you mind giving us a tour? We'll do our sweep as we move along," the other explained. On the face of his helmet was painted an imposing looking skull.
"Never been on an Exile boat before," the first one noted while looking around.
"I know, it's cool huh?" the second answered with a grin in his voice.
Mention of visions meant Ella was part of house Orion, which also meant she was probably out of her mind and there was just no arguing with crazy people. He sighed and thumbed through the information on his slate, keeping one eye on both women. Rhea slowly sat up, rubbing her wrists, but didn't get off the table in case it was seen as an act of aggression. She didn't have to fake not knowing anything, since the med-techs had found evidence of tampering in the memory center of her neural structure.
"Quite a motley-crew you keep with you," he leaned back in his chair, propping one of his flip-flop clad feet on a knee and haphazardly tossing his slate onto the counter across the room. He was clearly not pleased. "Well, the sweep teem captured a pair of 'maintenance' workers fleeing the cargo deck babbling something about a portal and a crazy person," he paused for just a moment, looking over at Ella to see her reaction before he continued. "When we scanned their IDs, one came up as forged and he became combative, pulled a lance on the commandos and tried to fight his way free," he informed, folding his hands in front of his face and looking menacing in general. "The survivor is being held in the brig for questioning. The infiltrator's quarters are being searched right now for any kind of clues as to what his mission was." Elias sighed and just looked exhausted for a few moments.
"Even the captain needs to sleep sometime... if you need anything you can talk to Quiet... I've assigned her to take care of your needs since she's taken such an interest in your group," he said, pushing himself to his feet and moving towards the door. "In the meantime, I do apologize for the way that you were treated on board my ship, please make yourselves at home," he said, and then paused in the doorway. "Raikor... this changes nothing," he said in what was very nearly a growl and then stepped through, allowing the infirmary door to close behind him.
Rhea gave a curious glance to Raikor, but decided not to voice any questions. Instead she got up carefully, flinching at the twinge of residual pain in her rib cage and moving over to her things to inspect the damage. She tightened the ties along the waist of the gown they had given her so that her ass wasn't hanging out, although she did still feel quite exposed. What she really wanted was a shower to get all of the residual "ick" from the nano-reconstruction tank off of her skin. Even her feet felt... "squicky" on the deck. She shuddered at the sensation.
"Thanks," she said quietly as she reached her things and then sighed when she saw their condition. The med-techs sure didn't mess around, even her HEV had been cut down either side and peeled off. At least her cloak was intact. "For saving me, I mean. I can tell by the inflections in your voice that you don't actually know me, but I appreciate it. There are those who would have just left me..." she trailed off while she gazed at her sword. She was almost loathe to touch it while she was so dirty.
The infirmary doors swished open and Quiet trotted inside, leaping up to the exam table next to Ella and sitting on her haunches. She watched Rhea for a long moment before she swung her head around to check on Ella and Raikor. The cat waited, looking up at Ella expectantly, sitting just inside petting distance. If cats could speak, right? Oh wait...
"Glad to see you're up and about. I've secured living spaces for the three of you. Well, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I've secured living space for you. The ship is on an exploration mission, so it's quite full with scientists and extra crew shifts. It's the ambassador suite, a lovely little place just over the rec-deck and short lift ride to the mess. It has three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a fully functional kitchen, stocked bar, and integrated entertainment and extranet terminals... plenty of space, but you'll have to share it."
"Dibs on first shower... if I don't wash this goop off soon I may stab someone," Rhea quipped, gathering her things and slipping the fluffy blue sandals the medics had left with her onto her feet. "I also need clothes... mine were destroyed. If it wouldn't be stepping on any toes, I'd be willing to pay for a new HEV, mine is kind of ruined," she shrugged, holding up the front half of her HEV, allowing the fluorescent light to shine through the dime sized hole over where her heart would be.
"Hmm," Quiet contemplated, her yellow eyes flickering. "I've sent an order down to the armory. If they have anything in your dimensions it will be brought to your suite. We do not, however, keep any ultralights on board due to this being a military vessel; the closest we could come is a scout suit. You should be able to find regular clothing to suit your tastes in your suite: ambassadors have varying tastes so it's kept stocked with a wide array of clothes. If you'll follow me," she finished and trotted off towards the lift. Rhea was right on the cat's heels, excited to finally get a shower.
Meanwhile, on the bridge...
It had finally been quiet for hours and the bridge crew was relaxing. The intruder situation had been dealt with and a quiet murmur of conversation about the whole ordeal buzzed about. Bryce, the tactical officer was leaning back in his seat with his feet up on the console and his hands folded behind his head, and the calico that had replaced Quiet at the navigation station had found a bit of lint to play with. Kay, the helm officer was focused on a lump of metal in the palm of one of her hands which slowly morphed into the shape of various animals while Jax at communications was busy working at that transmission the Sabre had sent in.
"Hey Jax, do you have anything yet?" Bryce asked while staring at the ceiling.
"Kind of... there's not a whole lot there to clean up, so I've been trying to get a better bead on the origin to see if we can pick up a cleaner signal. I think I almost got it."
"So where's it coming from?"
"I can't pin down the origin, but I've got it narrowed down to a general direction. If the ship were just a few hundred kilometers starboard..." he pointed, and was just about to continue when the ship's AI interrupted him.
*Bong!* A gravitational anomaly has been detected!
"Uh..." Jax was dumbfounded, as was most of the bridge crew as they stopped what they were doing to look out the windows. At first there was nothing there, and then space-time was ripped asunder, showering the bridge with a rainbow spectrum of dancing lights. "You guys see that, right?"
*Bong!* The ship has entered a gravity well. Alert! Collision imminent!
They all gripped their consoles to stay in their seats as the ship began to drift towards the expanding rift and the gigantic object that was flying out of it. The crew almost felt as though the ship were on its side before the internal gravity began to compensate. They hastily strapped themselves into their stations.
"Kay!"
"I know! I'm working on it!"
Grudge Bearer was actually quite agile for a ship of its size: the bow of the ship leaped upwards and away from the massive vessel that was appearing as though a heavy fist had punched down on the back end. The ship's cat scrabbled fruitlessly along the deck plates against the swing of the ship inside the gravity well, but ended up standing on the starboard bulkhead and then slid with a dismayed cry towards the lifts as the main and auxiliary engines fired to correct their trajectory. A few harrowing moments later and the collision alarms ceased to scream at them. Kay breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into her chair.
"We've achieved a stable orbit, Bryce what the fuck is that thing?"
"Uh, silhouette doesn't match anything in the database... hey are we far enough away to flip over and take a look at it?"
"Should be, gravitational compensators were activated when we got pulled inside so we should stay 'upright' even in the gravity well. Just a sec," she answered and then sent the Grudge Bearer into a slow roll, allowing the vessel below them to come into view. They gave a collective gasp and sat there dumbfounded for a full minute. It definitely didn't match any design in Kizaran territories, nor any Exile ship they'd come across. It was like an ornate cathedral palace floating in space. Kay pulled out her personal comm and took a picture with the integrated camera.
"Is... is that just open to the void? Whoever's flying that has to be hardcore... speaking of, should we be in orbit around an unidentified titan? What if it's hostile?" Bryce's question hung in the air for a long moment while they all looked at each other with growing looks of horror. Bryce typed furiously at his station while the disoriented calico climbed back into its station. "Without a preexisting profile to compare to I can't be sure, but its thermal signature suggests that they could be powering their weapons."
"Shit... we have to escape its gravity well before the FTL will spin up," Kay spat, but just as she was about to begin the maneuver she was interrupted.
"We're... being hailed, hold on I'll put it through..."
"I've notified the captain, he should be here shortly," the calico informed.
“This is Lord Commander Gabriel Crozius Blade of the Battle Barge Parador. We come of friendly intentions, and on a peaceful mission. Are you friends or foes?”
"Could we take them?" Jax wondered aloud, to which Bryce only scowled at him. There was no way he was going to knife-fight with that ship. The thing about titans was that it didn't matter what the actual quality of the ship was: if your opponent didn't have one it could be made out of scrap metal and duct tape... it's still a fucking titan. The bridge doors swooshed open and Elias literally slid onto the bridge in his flip-flops looking like he'd just finished a marathon, and it probably wasn't far from the truth. He held up a finger, signalling Jax to wait so he could catch his breath before he flopped into his chair and gave the nod.
"This is Captain Elias Daine of the house battleship Grudge Bearer, here to welcome your friendly arrival into the edge of house Phoenix space. We're glad your intentions are peaceful, you gave us quite a scare!" he paused for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. "Your ship profile doesn't match anything in our registry, which territory did you originate from?"
Elsewhere...
Leo waited until the marines were safely in the Black Rose's airlock before unhooking the mag-line and closing his outer airlock door. He ambled up to the cockpit and unhooked the docking clamps, letting his ship drift away for a few minutes before spinning up the main drive and entering a standard diamond pattern outside of what he considered was the lethal range of anti-fighter batteries. Inside, the pair of marines walked in, pausing to give Azile a salute. They were identical, being in uniform, but their helmets set them apart. Their HEV suits were standard military gunmetal and black with a faint digi-cam pattern printed on them, rifles hooked to slings and hanging within easy reach at their sides. Their helmets covered their faces completely, and were smooth except for the indent over their mouths for the external speakers and the round, glowing visual sensors over their eyes.
"Ma'am. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Your ship is registered correctly within the Imperium database so we're not here to go through your things or anything," the slightly taller marine began. He had an ornate Celtic knot design painted over his left eye.
"Captured Exile vessels are unusual, they tend to be rather adamant about re-taking or destroying lost ships so we're just sweeping for trackers or dormant beacons that could activate and alert them of our location. Do you mind giving us a tour? We'll do our sweep as we move along," the other explained. On the face of his helmet was painted an imposing looking skull.
"Never been on an Exile boat before," the first one noted while looking around.
"I know, it's cool huh?" the second answered with a grin in his voice.
OOC Notes
"Ma'am. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Your ship is registered correctly within the Imperium database so we're not here to go through your things or anything," the slightly taller marine began. He had an ornate Celtic knot design painted over his left eye.
"Captured Exile vessels are unusual, they tend to be rather adamant about re-taking or destroying lost ships so we're just sweeping for trackers or dormant beacons that could activate and alert them of our location. Do you mind giving us a tour? We'll do our sweep as we move along," the other explained. On the face of his helmet was painted an imposing looking skull.
"Never been on an Exile boat before," the first one noted while looking around.
"I know, it's cool huh?" the second answered with a grin in his voice.
"Right...a tour." Azile had to resist an urge to sneak a peak at the marines with her other eye. She wanted to see how else they were different from each other. If she did they might want to take her aboard the Grudge Bearer...people with 'the eye' weren't exactly common. Not wanting to deal with the questions that always came when people found out about her other eye, she turned and started showing the marines around. "As you can see, I am the only person on this ship. The rest is taken care of by the cats on board." she noticed that the cats were watching as she gave the marines their tour. "They were already on the ship when I...captured it. I made sure to get them checked out and registered before using them myself." She turned to face them "It's not as grand as a military vessel, but it suits my needs just fine...better than the heap of junk I started out with in any case." Azile took in her ship with a sweep of her head, then faced the two marines again. "Any special parts that you need to check besides the main deck?"
"Captured Exile vessels are unusual, they tend to be rather adamant about re-taking or destroying lost ships so we're just sweeping for trackers or dormant beacons that could activate and alert them of our location. Do you mind giving us a tour? We'll do our sweep as we move along," the other explained. On the face of his helmet was painted an imposing looking skull.
"Never been on an Exile boat before," the first one noted while looking around.
"I know, it's cool huh?" the second answered with a grin in his voice.
"Right...a tour." Azile had to resist an urge to sneak a peak at the marines with her other eye. She wanted to see how else they were different from each other. If she did they might want to take her aboard the Grudge Bearer...people with 'the eye' weren't exactly common. Not wanting to deal with the questions that always came when people found out about her other eye, she turned and started showing the marines around. "As you can see, I am the only person on this ship. The rest is taken care of by the cats on board." she noticed that the cats were watching as she gave the marines their tour. "They were already on the ship when I...captured it. I made sure to get them checked out and registered before using them myself." She turned to face them "It's not as grand as a military vessel, but it suits my needs just fine...better than the heap of junk I started out with in any case." Azile took in her ship with a sweep of her head, then faced the two marines again. "Any special parts that you need to check besides the main deck?"
OOC Notes
Raikor cringed a little at the Captain's words. He hoped there wouldn't be words later. With silent curiosity, he listened to Quiet speak, telling the about the living space she had aquired for them to stay in during their time on the ship. He didn't mind sharing with the two women, after all it wasn't as he he had to speak to any of them and he had his own room which allowed for further soldiarity. His ears caught the sound of the injured woman's voice. He was surprised to see her up and walking, and so assumed that her wounds had been simple to fix or weren't as deadly as previously assumed. Either way, he felt somewhat pleased that she appeared healthy - perhaps it was because she remineded him of Lila. He knew he'd thought about them being similar far too often since he had first laid eyes on her, but it was something that refused to leave his thoughts. The dair haired man watched with emotionless eyes as the woman claimed the first shower and followed hastily after Quiet, little blue slippers on her feet. She looked so delicate to Raikor, although he figured that she was probably a lot more powerful than she currently looked. He spared a glance to the other woman before deciding that he should follow Quiet and the other woman to the living space, otherwise he was bound to get lost and run into other members of his house. So, he rose from his seated position and sprung lightly from the bed on which he had been sleeping and landed with delicacy, making no sound as he did so. Without another glance to anyone in the room he proceeded to follow the cat.
Upon reaching the living space, he ignored the injured woman and instead explored the area, cheking out all of the various luxuries they had been given. The kitchen was what he had been most looking forward too - entertainment systems didn't interest him, but the prospect of food certainly piqued his interest. His stomach growled as he neared the food, as if ordering him to feed it. Raikor realized at that point that it had been several days since he had last eaten a proper meal. He decided that it was only polite to make food for the others too, despite not being too keen on either of them. However, as he was already in trouble he should probably continue to try and keep his head above the water. Reluctantly, he gathered a few pots from the kitchen cupboards and placed them on the hob, heating them before placing any sort of food in them. It was as he was choosing what to cook that the whole ship felt like it had tilted, causing the pots to slide off the hob and down the counters. Raikor cursed silently as he held on to the counter to prevent himself from following the pots. He waited for a moment, still holding onto the counter, his grip slipping a little as the overhang was only a few centimetres long. Once the ship felt normal again, he released his grasp - which had left the counter a little sticky and damp from his sweat in the effort to hold on - and collected the pots that had decided to flee to the other end of the room. When they were back in his arms, he returned them to their previous positions and resumed his previous task of picking what to cook. After a long moment of contemplation, he decided to cook a garnished plain pasta-type dish that would restore energy and leave the people eating feeling satisfied afterwards. He wasn't sure what to garnish it with, but figured that he would think of that later, once everything was cooked.
Upon reaching the living space, he ignored the injured woman and instead explored the area, cheking out all of the various luxuries they had been given. The kitchen was what he had been most looking forward too - entertainment systems didn't interest him, but the prospect of food certainly piqued his interest. His stomach growled as he neared the food, as if ordering him to feed it. Raikor realized at that point that it had been several days since he had last eaten a proper meal. He decided that it was only polite to make food for the others too, despite not being too keen on either of them. However, as he was already in trouble he should probably continue to try and keep his head above the water. Reluctantly, he gathered a few pots from the kitchen cupboards and placed them on the hob, heating them before placing any sort of food in them. It was as he was choosing what to cook that the whole ship felt like it had tilted, causing the pots to slide off the hob and down the counters. Raikor cursed silently as he held on to the counter to prevent himself from following the pots. He waited for a moment, still holding onto the counter, his grip slipping a little as the overhang was only a few centimetres long. Once the ship felt normal again, he released his grasp - which had left the counter a little sticky and damp from his sweat in the effort to hold on - and collected the pots that had decided to flee to the other end of the room. When they were back in his arms, he returned them to their previous positions and resumed his previous task of picking what to cook. After a long moment of contemplation, he decided to cook a garnished plain pasta-type dish that would restore energy and leave the people eating feeling satisfied afterwards. He wasn't sure what to garnish it with, but figured that he would think of that later, once everything was cooked.
OOC Notes
"This is Captain Elias Daine of the house battleship Grudge Bearer, here to welcome your friendly arrival into the edge of house Phoenix space. We're glad your intentions are peaceful, you gave us quite a scare!" he paused for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. "Your ship profile doesn't match anything in our registry, which territory did you originate from?"
Gabriel smiled at the friendly return signal, "It is good to hear a friendly welcome, Captain Daine. We have been riding the warp for a great deal of time and it was beginning to wear on the conscious of me and my people. We are not of this galaxy, we are outcasts from the planet Aerodaenah in the Deluthe system, approximately seven hundred and fifty thousand light years outside the galactic rim of the Oberon Segmentum. We happened to catch a partial transmission dealing with a search of a vessel and some one being locked in a closet, I trust everything is well aboard your fine vessel yes?" He asked, smiling to himself at the thought of someone like himself finding themselves locked in a closet then continued on, his naturally charismatic personality taking over.
"I have a request Captain, I like to meet those who i would call friend face to face before an formal ties are cast. With your approval I would like to come aboard your ship, with two others, a diplomatic mission if you will. I must warn you however, my people are very fearsome in appearance to those who are... unaccustomed to us. Of course if you would rather come aboard the Parador I can arrange for our frigates to tow you in safely, as it appears your engines lack the ability to cope with our gravitational field. As a token of good faith, at this time i will deactivate all shielding and power down all weapons systems."
Gabriel hoped against all hope that the good Captain would accept his request, he had to see them he had to know they were real. He disengaged the mag locks and sat tensely on his throne, his hands clamped firmly on his knees, awaiting the reply.
"Commander do you think that it is wise to deactivate our defenses?" asked Aerien nervously.
"Just do it you damnable woman!" snapped Gabriel, forgetting for a moment that Aerien was a computer.
"Very well my lord, Powering down void shields to o2 retention levels and deactivating reactive shielding, weapons systems are now offline." replied Aerien. Her tone was cold, but it looked like hurt in her eyes when she looked at him.
'Damn the idea of having them create a computer that could feel, because now i feel like an ass.' thought Gabriel to himself, He offered only a momentary remorseful glance to the construct before looking out the forward view port once more.
Gabriel smiled at the friendly return signal, "It is good to hear a friendly welcome, Captain Daine. We have been riding the warp for a great deal of time and it was beginning to wear on the conscious of me and my people. We are not of this galaxy, we are outcasts from the planet Aerodaenah in the Deluthe system, approximately seven hundred and fifty thousand light years outside the galactic rim of the Oberon Segmentum. We happened to catch a partial transmission dealing with a search of a vessel and some one being locked in a closet, I trust everything is well aboard your fine vessel yes?" He asked, smiling to himself at the thought of someone like himself finding themselves locked in a closet then continued on, his naturally charismatic personality taking over.
"I have a request Captain, I like to meet those who i would call friend face to face before an formal ties are cast. With your approval I would like to come aboard your ship, with two others, a diplomatic mission if you will. I must warn you however, my people are very fearsome in appearance to those who are... unaccustomed to us. Of course if you would rather come aboard the Parador I can arrange for our frigates to tow you in safely, as it appears your engines lack the ability to cope with our gravitational field. As a token of good faith, at this time i will deactivate all shielding and power down all weapons systems."
Gabriel hoped against all hope that the good Captain would accept his request, he had to see them he had to know they were real. He disengaged the mag locks and sat tensely on his throne, his hands clamped firmly on his knees, awaiting the reply.
"Commander do you think that it is wise to deactivate our defenses?" asked Aerien nervously.
"Just do it you damnable woman!" snapped Gabriel, forgetting for a moment that Aerien was a computer.
"Very well my lord, Powering down void shields to o2 retention levels and deactivating reactive shielding, weapons systems are now offline." replied Aerien. Her tone was cold, but it looked like hurt in her eyes when she looked at him.
'Damn the idea of having them create a computer that could feel, because now i feel like an ass.' thought Gabriel to himself, He offered only a momentary remorseful glance to the construct before looking out the forward view port once more.
- 96 posts here • Page 1 of 4 • 1, 2, 3, 4
The Chronicles of Kizara: Out Of Character (OOC)
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The Chronicles of Kizara
1 ... 11, 12, 13by XianEvermor on Wed May 25, 2011 2:36 am
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on Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:34 am
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The Chronicles of Kizara
Most recent OOC posts in The Chronicles of Kizara
Re: The Chronicles of Kizara
Just want to let you guys know that I'm on a writing course in Devon from Monday 16th - Saturday 21st of April and there is no internet connection there so I will be unable to post until the Saturday night.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
Alright it's been like two weeks since I've made a post. I'm going to reply to what I have this weekend and Kirin will just have to catch up.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
No problem Kirin. Take your time. I was going to make replies as I got them, but I decided to wait for you after Tigg's post went up. It's probably better anyway I've had a bunch of papers to write this week and no motivation to post. :) I'll try and get my post up shortly after whenever you finish yours.
-x
-x
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
hey guys I'm sorry i haven't posted yet I had a car accident a few days ago and screwed up my wife's car pretty bad, so i have been wrapped up in working on it. I'll have something up here in the next day or so.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
No rush guys. This is supposed to go at whatever pace is comfortable for you guys. I am, however, going to start responding to replies as I get them each week. I think this will spread out the work load a little better for me and keep me from having to write one gigantic post at the end of the week. :)
Spring break this week so I have plenty of time to give it a go. I'll have something on the board for Gob tonight probably.
-x
Spring break this week so I have plenty of time to give it a go. I'll have something on the board for Gob tonight probably.
-x
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
I'm attempting to write a reply, but something always distracts me. I'll have one up soon!
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
That's fine, totally understandable what with midterms and - most importantly - Mass Effect 3. ;)
I'm drowning in coursework right now, but I should be able to get something up mid-week.
I'm drowning in coursework right now, but I should be able to get something up mid-week.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
My post is finally finished and up. :D It's that time of the semester where projects are due and exams pop up so I'll understand if people are strapped for time these next couple weeks. I certainly am. After next week though my schedule should free up a little and things should be back on their regular schedule.
I, however, would not count on me posting next week... because I will be attending the midnight launch of Mass Effect 3 on Monday, and I'm sure days of my life will be zorbed by that game, but I promise I will make an effort to respond to any replies during the weekend :P
-x
I, however, would not count on me posting next week... because I will be attending the midnight launch of Mass Effect 3 on Monday, and I'm sure days of my life will be zorbed by that game, but I promise I will make an effort to respond to any replies during the weekend :P
-x
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
Rrrgh. Sorry for the epic delay guys, midterms snuck up on me. I'm mostly done with my post, but it's rubbish. I've been so busy lately I can hardly sit down to write two words. I should have some time when I get home on Friday to finish up my post and get it on the board. Thanks for being so patient with me, as always.
-X
-X
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
Guys, I'm really sorry it took me so long to post last time - my internet was down and when I posted from my phone it didn't show up on the actual RP. It won't happen again and I'm back to being able to post on a regular basis so yes, thanks for the cooperation. >_< I wish this site had a way of emailing me when there was anew post up.
/hangs head in deep shame and apology
/hangs head in deep shame and apology
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
It's no problem Tig. I haven't quite finished my post even though I started it on Wednesday D:<
Have had to do a lot of work for my public speaking class this week, and goddammit it was supposed to be an easy A wtf@! lol. I will have my post up soon.
Have had to do a lot of work for my public speaking class this week, and goddammit it was supposed to be an easy A wtf@! lol. I will have my post up soon.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
I've posted now. Sorry it's taken so long and it's a bit rubbish but college is destroying my soul xD
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
Hey guys!
Thought I would give Tig a few extra days to post. I also got a little bogged down between work and school, but fear not: I had a mental health day... I played Mass Effect 2 for 14 hours straight today in preparation for the March 6th release of ME3. I'm about to jump the Omega 4 relay for... probably the 7th or 8th time now and I still need to finish my renegade playthrough. The trophy for beating it on INSANITY still just outside my grasp.
It really is insane... I dump 80 rounds from my REVENANT MACHINE GUN with level 4 tungsten ammunition into generic soldier B... He brushes flattened slugs from his T-shirt and kills me.
"SILLY MORTAL," he laughs mockingly. >.<
Anyway. I'm gonna go ahead and make my next post Wednesday evening / Thursday morning.
Thought I would give Tig a few extra days to post. I also got a little bogged down between work and school, but fear not: I had a mental health day... I played Mass Effect 2 for 14 hours straight today in preparation for the March 6th release of ME3. I'm about to jump the Omega 4 relay for... probably the 7th or 8th time now and I still need to finish my renegade playthrough. The trophy for beating it on INSANITY still just outside my grasp.
It really is insane... I dump 80 rounds from my REVENANT MACHINE GUN with level 4 tungsten ammunition into generic soldier B... He brushes flattened slugs from his T-shirt and kills me.
"SILLY MORTAL," he laughs mockingly. >.<
Anyway. I'm gonna go ahead and make my next post Wednesday evening / Thursday morning.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
That would be a great idea, but I will trump it with logic. :)
The 'Bearer is currently travelling faster than light.
Communications signals, even those communicating with the FTL beacons all travel at LIGHT speed.
Therefore, a communications signal sent at light speed, to the bearer which is travelling at faster than light... won't reach the bearer until after it stops. :D
If the Parador has the capacity to send a faster than light transmission, the 'bearer probably wouldn't have the capacity to receive it because that is more advanced technology than currently exists in Kizara.
Also it hinders one of my plot hooks ;)
The 'Bearer is currently travelling faster than light.
Communications signals, even those communicating with the FTL beacons all travel at LIGHT speed.
Therefore, a communications signal sent at light speed, to the bearer which is travelling at faster than light... won't reach the bearer until after it stops. :D
If the Parador has the capacity to send a faster than light transmission, the 'bearer probably wouldn't have the capacity to receive it because that is more advanced technology than currently exists in Kizara.
Also it hinders one of my plot hooks ;)
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
I'd like to make a note that we need to post date Gob's post sort of.... let us assume that he arrived there before the shit hit the fan and we now are not sure what has become of him, perhaps Astaroth will find him. Also might it not be prudent for Quiet to send a priority vox transmission to the Bearer?
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
It's no problem. As the GM, sometimes I have to put on a stern face. :P Poke successful ^.^
Welcome back everyone and congratulations Kirin. I apologize, Tig I just got too busy last night to finish writing. I should be ready tonight after I get home from work, and I should be ready to put my post on the board friday or saturday.
Welcome back everyone and congratulations Kirin. I apologize, Tig I just got too busy last night to finish writing. I should be ready tonight after I get home from work, and I should be ready to put my post on the board friday or saturday.
Re: [OOC] The Chronicles of Kizara
hey X I offer my most sincere apologies I admit that for the last 3 days or so I haven't logged on however my not posting is not entirely my fault alone, Gob had messaged me saying that he was going to post up his arrival on the bridge and subsequent destination, as such I had assumed that he was in contact with you. and you know what they say about assuming things, it makes an ass outta you and me. at any rate I'll formulate this post now, If you would be so kind as to direct Astaroth to the Engine room via a vox transmission from Gabriel. I'll send a compliment of Domimus Terminatus Draconin Troops (Platoon strength 20, 4 squads of 5 men WH 40k rules apply relentless and fearless rules apply as well) as well as 50 Ursalore shock troops (khorne Berserker rules apply). There will be a surviving unit of 10 human Cyber-soldiers trying to fight their way back in. The Terminators will each have either a power fist, lightning claws, or thunderhammer, as well as either an auto cannon (exploding shells), heavy bolter or melta cannon. The shock troops are equipped with storm bolters as a default ranged weapon and either chain axes, vibroblades, power swords, or their own cyber enhanced claws (cybernetic hybrids only) The Cybersoldiers have between one and six extra mechanical appendages and mid strength reactive plate armor. each arm is capable of effectively wielding either ranged or melee weaponry. Each soldier has enhanced vision with targeting assist to aid the arms in engaging multiple targets. *Breathes* now to post!
by the way, welcome back tig! and also I started a new job last week so I'm employed again! yaaaay me!
**EDIT: my post is up!
by the way, welcome back tig! and also I started a new job last week so I'm employed again! yaaaay me!
**EDIT: my post is up!
