Elite roleplay: Off station

OFF STATION

Your ship, deep space, anything that is not happening inside the Citi Gateway or Ingaba...

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19 Nov 2024, 1:09pm
“Don’t, know.”, I cautiously said while coming out of the elevator myself.

“Before we do, we should, check what it is. And, it looks like… something, relays camera feed, from somewhere.”

Maybe it was the object, which I was having some fuzzy feelings about, but I wasn’t entirely convinced if it was actually the thing relaying the camera feeds. Seemed likely, though, given what we were seeing.

I also wasn’t sure if the cause of those funny feelings was down to the unknown nature of this… thing, or came from those certain components to my body which were neither quite natural, nor human. And had a tendency to dislike the exposure to the Guardian technology that Azimuth loved using all too much. I gestured for my companion to move ahead, carefully… was in no rush to get close to whatever that was, myself.

Hopefully, those rows of androids were somewhere other than this facility or wouldn’t wake up on us… considering their number, that would present a very unnecessary delay.
19 Nov 2024, 2:33pm
"It's a shame you're not a tech wizard anymore, we could really use your expertise right now..."

Slowly and cautiously, I approached the pyramid, my boots echoing against the metal floor. The air around me felt charged, and a strange shiver ran through my body as a low hum vibrated in the air, resonating deep within my chest. The symbols on the pyramid changed their pattern, pulsing more slowly and steadily now.

"Did you hear that? Something's going on here..." I said as I scanned the room for traps while trying to find out more about the technology in front of me.

My heart began to pound violently, each beat growing louder in my ears and drowning out the echo of my footsteps. The closer I got, the more I felt as if the pyramid was a living being waiting for me. Doubts and fears swirled around in my head and an inner voice urged me to turn and run back to the elevator, but I forced my feet to keep going.

When I finally stood in front of the pyramid, a shiver ran down my spine, not because of the cold in the room, but because of the profound feeling of being watched, observed by an invisible presence. Every hair on the back of my neck stood on end as the low hum of the pyramid grew louder and enveloped me. My breath caught as the symbols began to glow brighter, their light pulsating in sync now with my heartbeat. I couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just technology - it was something intelligent, something that recognized me on a level beyond comprehension.

Next, all the screens stopped showing their streams, and showed different perspectives of myself instead.

"It's reacting to my presence," I exclaimed, my eyes wide with a mix of wonder and dread.
19 Nov 2024, 5:35pm
I gave off a thoughtful sound.

“Hm… maybe, I do not, want to get close to it, then. Symbols, remind me of Guardian. I… think.”

It also reminded me that I still had that suspicion this woman had something inside her that hadn’t been shared to me. Maybe I’d be told within time, but it currently still created doubts lingering at the back of my mind.

Stopping where I was, I waited, to continue observing where this went. At least there was some space to give this device a wide berth, since it was… rather unlikely to respond positively to Thargoid things in me. And I didn’t feel like getting zapped or roasted by radiation.
20 Nov 2024, 7:22am
Vasil VasilescuCurious, Vasil looked for Dryo AOB UU-W B45-1 in the nav banks. “Of course,” he said, exasperated, once he found the system. "Why would I even think this might be less difficult than expected." What the hell were the pirates doing 5000 light years galactic west of Colonia?


The call had ended with Seraphine shortly before Vasil's voice came through the comms.

"W-wait...did you just say 5000 fucking light years?" Maul asked, knowing very well what Vasil had just said. He abruptly ended the call, shutting down the holo projector, and made his way quickly as possible to Vasil.

"They seriously ditched this dude 5000 light years from the bubble!?" asked Maul as he entered the room, still in near disbelief of this newfound information. He didn't expect a rational explanation from Vasil but that didn't stop the questions. "How come they didn't just axe him on the spot? Why would Vengerfield keep him alive? Why toss him? Reckon they're monitoring him or something, ya think? Err, wait, could he even survive all this time without outside help?"

"Fuck dude, after all that we've wound up with more Q's than A's." Finally taking a breath and ceasing his sporadic pacing and rambling, he looked at Vasil who was sat before a field of holo stars. "So what's that deep space explorer's gut of yours telling you about all this?"
20 Nov 2024, 12:52pm
Kasumi Goto“Hm… maybe, I do not, want to get close to it, then. Symbols, remind me of Guardian. I… think.”


"I would also prefer to be further away right now..."

And that was nothing other than the plain truth. I hadn't really been threatened yet, but I felt strangely exposed, almost naked. There must have been a thousand places I'd rather be right now.

"And you are right, except that this isn't tech that looks Guardian - it actually is Guardian tech. I’ve come across a similar pyramid in an ancient ruin before, but never one that’s active. Look at all these power lines hooked up to it... The energy needed to keep this thing running must be off the charts! They also connected a console to it."

It looked like the pyramid was functioning as some sort of computer, accessed through the console in a fusion of Guardian and Human technology. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was linked to the other pyramid we saw on one of the displays earlier, possibly through the monolith network. I had read about it before, but I found it hard to believe this network, or at least parts of it, could still be active after all this time. I also couldn't really imagine why this pyramid was even here. Apparently, this facility was about much more than just Helix.

"Do you think this has anything to do with the Black Ice we encountered? The program that was defeated by your hacking device seemed to me to be of human origin. As far as you can tell with a program..."

I was still standing where I was when the pulsing of the symbols on the pyramid had equalised with my heartbeat, not knowing what to do next.
20 Nov 2024, 1:17pm
Maul Montresor"Fuck dude, after all that we've wound up with more Q's than A's." Finally taking a breath and ceasing his sporadic pacing and rambling, he looked at Vasil who was sat before a field of holo stars. "So what's that deep space explorer's gut of yours telling you about all this?"
Guiding her Pyton out of the slot, eager to be away from Summerland and the Golden Jackal, Willow chimed in with her observations from Maul's holo-call with Seraphine

"Er, so the doc said the Offohis was in Dryo BO whats-O, when they got told to like, dump the guy, right? And ah, historically, leaving someone was like, a slow death thing, you know? Crule and unusual punishment style. Yeah, so it's not looking good for like, fining someone waiting for rescue, is it?"

"But what ever, that's only where they got told what to do with the guy, right? Doesn't mean that's where he is"

Willow realized she had no idea where this Dryo place was, and she'd never been to Colonia before. To get a grasp of how far out they would have to go, she plotted the fastest rout to Colonia. The big number of jumps it would take to get there, put her right off going 500 light years beyond that.

"Er yeah. So before we go looking for someone with a carrier to take us waaaay out there, I think we need more info, you know? Like, at least a body to start searching, right? It's like, they could have dumped him on an asteroid, you know?"
20 Nov 2024, 1:58pm
Haraldsen
"Do you think this has anything to do with the Black Ice we encountered? The program that was defeated by your hacking device seemed to me to be of human origin. As far as you can tell with a program..."

I shrugged in response.

“Looked, human, to me. But, would have to check, back on carrier. If, there is traces, of Guardian.”

I was fairly certain EDI would’ve been quite interested in analyzing the code of… whatever that AI - so much as it was one - had been. So once I was back on mine, I could freely and happily investigate that. I pointed at the strange device, then.

“Am not, touching, that, however. Also, I think, you should explain, to me, why it reacts, to you, like this.”

I was tempted to cross my arms under the chest, but wanted to keep them free in case I needed to grab ahold of a weapon. Like if I promptly had to shut down that device… by shooting it.

It certainly hadn’t eluded me what it seemed to be doing, almost syncing up to somebody that my not-entirely-natural body had been feeling like held Guardian technology inside it, or some form of it. Not intense enough to trigger the response that a full piece of it did, but still sufficient to cause unease.
20 Nov 2024, 4:15pm
Willow Thorn
Maul Montresor"Fuck dude, after all that we've wound up with more Q's than A's." Finally taking a breath and ceasing his sporadic pacing and rambling, he looked at Vasil who was sat before a field of holo stars. "So what's that deep space explorer's gut of yours telling you about all this?"

"Er yeah. So before we go looking for someone with a carrier to take us waaaay out there, I think we need more info, you know? Like, at least a body to start searching, right? It's like, they could have dumped him on an asteroid, you know?"


“My gut instinct is that he’s dead. And if still alive, he was either marooned on a garden world or is the luckiest person in the galaxy.“

Vasil focused the nav holo on Dryo AOB UU-W B45-1. “It’s galactic west of Colonia, about 25 thousand light years from here. Using neutron stars to boost jump range, it should only take a few days to get there. That takes into account occasional stops to repair FSD damage from supercharging the drives.”

“But that’s the easy part,” he said and expanded the view to a 100 light year radius. “Willow is right; finding him depends on knowing where they left him. Assuming they immediately marooned him within two jumps of a non-exploration craft, we are looking at a 50 lightyear radius search, 100 at the most.”

“For general surveying, planets in those systems could be mapped in maybe 12 weeks. However, finding one person in all that space is impossible. Even if we had a specific planet to search, we’ll all likely die of old age before he can be found.”
20 Nov 2024, 4:42pm
Kasumi Goto“Am not, touching, that, however. Also, I think, you should explain, to me, why it reacts, to you, like this.”


"I don't know why it acts like this," I replied. "But it feels like... it doesn't classify me as a foe..."

Basically, it was really more of a feeling than confirmed knowledge, because the mere fact that the screens had shown me didn't mean much more than that there must be a camera or something similar somewhere. Perhaps they would simply show anyone who approached the pyramid. But at least there had been no defense reaction.

"Maybe we can find out more using the console." I suggested and made a move towards it.

I hadn't even completed my first step when symbols and data streams emerged from the pyramid, merging into a vibrant and complex display of lights and information. It was both mesmerizing and intimidating, yet oddly familiar. I navigated the holographic interface with a mix of instinct and curiosity, my fingers moving through the air as if guided by an unseen hand.

Suddenly, a deep, resonant voice echoed through the chamber, emanating from the pyramid itself. "Welcome, Guardian descendant. Your presence is recognized and honored. State your purpose."

I stood frozen for a moment, the weight of its words sinking in. "You... recognize me?" I asked, my voice tinged with disbelief. I lowered my hand and looked over my shoulder for my companion, just to make sure she was on guard and keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
20 Nov 2024, 7:16pm
Vasil Vasilescu “For general surveying, planets in those systems could be mapped in maybe 12 weeks. However, finding one person in all that space is impossible. Even if we had a specific planet to search, we’ll all likely die of old age before he can be found.”


With that information, Maul felt the urge to melt into a dejected puddle of fleshy goop. While his face was already halfway there, the rest of him fought against the feeling.

"Well the doc sent over the Ophois' current location, maybe we can use that to our advantage somehow. Someone there's gotta know exactly where they dumped him, right? Finding out who exactly or even a way to get that info at all is another problem and discussion entirely. It's a long shot suggestion but at least it's one that'd clear our schedule up in our retirement years."

"The Anansi was under repair and that operation still proved to be a bitch, so with the Ophois being fully functional and active, I reckon that makes it a mega-bitch to infiltrate. Anyone have any other ideas? Is bartering out of question, ya think? Like a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' sorta thing, maybe?"
20 Nov 2024, 8:19pm
HaraldsenI lowered my hand and looked over my shoulder for my companion, just to make sure she was on guard and keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

Oh, I was watching. And now with a weapon raised, pointed at a spot in between both the device and whatever else I was dealing with.

Because I believed that action said more than words ever could about the uncertainty which I now faced, both due to doubts about the trust I was putting into this person in this pursuit of Azimuth's dirty works, to not stab me in the back, and what it was that stood in front of me. At this point, I could not even be sure I was actually dealing with another human.

There was no way she could deny this in my face now, not after that reaction. And even with the helmet completely obscuring my face, my general posture made it very clear that - with some of my suspicions now proven - I was only a short string off pulling the trigger and wiping both things off the face of reality with a hypersonic projectile.
20 Nov 2024, 8:45pm
Maul MontresorIs bartering out of question, ya think? Like a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' sorta thing, maybe?"



“Hmph. My first thought was to simply ask them where they dumped Goodness. My second was wondering what we have that they might want in exchange. They’ll have the superior negotiating position if we bring nothing to the table, and I doubt an appeal to doing the right thing would get very far. They are the types to do nothing unless they see profit in it.”

Profit, Vasil knew, was a tremendous motivator. It had been the primary goal in his younger days, and to a large extent it still served as a driving force for many of his decisions. Only now he tended to look at the long-term benefits of a deal, fiscal and otherwise, rather than an immediate financial return.

He was reluctant to fall back on the simplest bartering commodity, money, or anything else that could be traced back to him. It was essentially paying a ransom to find Creamy. With ransoms being an anathema to the Vasilescus, Vasil also considered Creamy not worth the bruised reputation to the Vasilescu family or ERS if it was revealed he had dealings with known pirates.

There was also the Goodnesses to think about. Their reputation would suffer if it was revealed that the Vasilecus , not them, paid for the return of their son. Though, Octavia might have preferred having that political leverage against the Countess if it was ever needed.

“I don’t know. Maybe something like a few hundred tons of minerals might work,” said Vasil, thinking aloud. “Something they can move easy that is all profit.”
20 Nov 2024, 11:48pm
Jumping to supercruise, Willow missed a little of what was said between Maul and Vasil, but she picked up the jist of it.

"Er, as long as the guy is like, the only human, and there are no human-like life forms where ever he is, the 3 of us can like, do a focused survey on even a large planet in a few days. Besides, I found enough of his genetic, and pheromone signature on his ship to make a scanner profile"

"So yeah, the GP scan only works at real close range, but its like, better than eyes and ears you know? But what ever, that only matters when we know where to look, right?"

Dealing with chancers, pirates and scavengers was a reality of the salvage work Willow and her family dealt with. Paying scavengers off was almost part of every large contract Thorn Reclamation took on. Pirates were business mem at the end of the day. Not working for credits was basically their thing.

"I think Vee has like, got the idea. So we used to drop off a few pods worth of high-tech goods, or valuable minerals when we had a work site we wanted the scavengers to stay away from. But the trick was always letting them know there was no more where that came from, and making sure they like, left us to it, you know?"

"And if that like, works. And we find out the dude IS way way over there" said willow pointing galactic west for no ones benefit "I am NOT neutron skipping Barb. That shit is scary AF, and it like, permanently damages the top end of a drives jump limit"
21 Nov 2024, 2:31pm
“Willow, I hope you did not go around sniffing the seats to get those pheromones. While I admire the effort to get the job done, that would be a bit... extreme.”

Vasil pushed the Umbrella into supercruise and started plotting a course out of the system.

“Bargaining with known criminals is also a bit extreme, but it seems to be the most direct path to the information we need. I’ll get Maul back to his ship and put the Umbrella in dry dock for repairs. What say we meet back at Willow’s shop and work out the best way to approach the Ophois?”
21 Nov 2024, 3:13pm
"Yeah, I'm like, cool with that. I got an idea for that covas the doc gave me. Odies got a real limited vocabulary, you know? Maybe I'll find a way to make it work with some version of Achillies android OS"

Happy to have a place to go that wasn't Summerland, Willow tapped Citi Gateway into the nav computer and plotted jumps for Inara.

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