Elite roleplay: Off station

OFF STATION

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

General Roleplay Etiquette:

1. Control only the actions of your own character(s). (AKA: God Mode)
This doesn't matter how small the action is, even if it is as simple as scratching their nose or a direct reaction to something else that just happened. This applies to everything from casual conversation to full blown fight scenes. If you'd like someone to do something specific, PM that person, however keep in mind they are completely within their rights to say no. Especially if said action is inappropriate to their character and/or circumstance.

2. Don't brute force your way into another persons RP.
Approaching with a conversation starter is fine, or indeed some other small action. However charging in, guns blazing and disrupting the flow of another person/pair/groups conversation/arc is about as rude as doing so in real life. If something is going on that you'd like to participate in, be subtle about it. Put out a gentle hook for someone to take, but again, be aware that said hook may not be taken. If you fear it was simply unnoticed, PM the person or people it concerns. Or even leave a message in the OOC forums.

3. Good grammar and spelling is preferred.
We're not asking you to be perfect, but please at least demonstrate willingness. no1 iz gna tak u srsly usng txt spk. There's a wide variety of people here, many who speak English as a second, or even third language. There are even some with varying degrees of dyslexia and/or likely other issues that affect spelling/grammar. We accept them all here. However, people who aren't accepted, are those unwilling to accept polite correction. Remember that even a small thing like the placement of a comma, or the wrong use of there/their/they're can completely change the definition of an entire sentence.

4. Accept constructive criticism gracefully and politely.
If someone spots an issue with your writings, they may wish to help you improve that writing. They may do this through PM or even publicly air their thoughts on the OOC forum. If they have taken the time to be polite and explain what is wrong with your writing, the best way to behave is to respond in kind, using the same manner they have approached you with. It means they have taken an active interest in what you have written and wish to see more. Basically, you have a fan!

5. Don't take the actions or opinions of things done IN RP, to be directly relevant to the writers thoughts or opinions.
Basically, if some ones character calls your character a jackass, it doesn't mean the writer thinks you are a jackass. It's a ROLE they are PLAYING. Watch a movie. The argument between the characters isn't an argument between the actors involved. The same applies here.

6. It's not a popularity contest.
Your RP might be bustling with participants. You have 3 people off station in a fire fight, while another 2 are infiltrating the darkest areas of the station, meanwhile a group of 4 others are tracking your movements in an effort to stop you. Good for you, I'm sure it will be a thrilling read! But you know what? Sometimes the absolute BEST work, comes from two RP characters having a simple heart to heart. Both are valid, both are great, but NEITHER is categorically better than the other. Period.


Inara RP Etiquette:

1. Respect the setting and rules of the universe.
Inara is an Elite: Dangerous 3rd Party Tool. The RP Forums are set in the Elite: Dangerous universe. Elite: Dangerous has rules, as any fictional universe does from Lord of the Rings to Star Wars, or Game of Thrones to Star Trek. If you intend to RP within the Elite: Dangerous universe you are bound by the history and rules of that universe. Simply put, this RP forum is bound by the same rules as the game, so if it can't be done in the game, it is not permitted here. This applies to things from a 50Ly Jump Range on a normal, unmodified Sidewinder, to the destruction of entire stations.

2. Respect the characters created by others.
We have a wide variety of characters already here. It's expected that some will be similar, just as it's expected that two characters will be vastly different. Opinions of each persons character will naturally be varied, but all are valid provided they follow the rules of the universe. You are allowed to interact with, or avoid interaction with, any character in the RP forums. But you have no right to belittle others for their creation. You are not an authority figure on writing, nor are you directly affected by another persons imagination. You might not like it, but you MUST respect it.

3. Be caught up on current events before joining in.
You need basic things like character descriptions in order to interact with them. You also need to know what's going on in the surrounding areas. This is simply because the people you are hoping to RP with, might be gearing up to something that you might not want to be part of. Or simply that the most recent post, out of context, could leave a different impression on the goings on than if you gather that context. We don't expect you to read every single post from the beginning of the forums, just enough to get that basic understanding.

4. Either subscribe to, or frequently check, the Roleplay: Q&A and OOC forum.
People may be discussing something relevant to you there, or even discussing you directly. Perhaps someone asked what the general consensus on the existence or non-existence of a certain object. Or we're just chatting about random gibberish. Either way, be aware of it and use it. If you're unsure about something, such as how guns would look and or behave, or even the music selection, use the OOC forum to ask. We don't have all of the answers, but the collective knowledge and logic usually allows us to overcome an issue and come to a decision on what should be allowed. Frontier Developments, and even David Braben himself, don't have the answers to every possible question that can be asked.

5. Large Scale events exploding out of nowhere are a complete no go.
We get it. Everyone wants their character to be noticed and for people to be tripping over themselves to interact with them. In some audiences, an introduction involving you blasting in for landing in a fiery wreckage of a ship, before cart wheeling out and sword fighting 35 Ninjas before whisking off with the local celebrity for a glorious night of passion, is in fact, cool. This is not one of those audiences. It is generally considered better to build your character up slowly over time. Eventually, you might even have a legitimate excuse to fight those Ninjas. Maybe even with other RP participants by your side.

6. Perfect characters are boring.
The point of a character arc, is that it is in fact, an arc shape. One who is morally unquestionable, fully kitted out and an infinite fountain of knowledge, cannot go through an arc. Give your character flaws. Be it a tendency towards befriending the wrong people, or a bad knee that frequently gives out at inopportune moments. It gives readers something to latch onto and empathise with. You can give your character exceptional capabilities at something, but it requires balance. She's a damn good pilot with no equal, but can't drive an SRV for peanuts. It can lead to some very interesting moments between characters, be it heartfelt or comedic.


Other Notes:
It should be noted that there can be exceptions to these points. For example, good grammar when a character is speaking is actually rare. Few people in real life actually speak with perfect eloquence after all. Or previously arranged actions during a fight scene, such as someone stumbling back after a punch. What's key to remember is context.

All in all, remember this is purely for fun. We have some seriously talented writers here, and others whose writing history starts and ends at high school. But many are willing to help out in whatever way they can. All it takes is that you ask nicely.

Also keep in mind that many people who RP here, also have logbook stories related to the character, or characters, they portray. If it looks like there's an "in joke" going on that you're unsure of, it's probably in those.

In fact, some users have even gone to the trouble of creating "alts" to RP with. If you read back far enough, it's usually pretty clear who has and hasn't, and which ones are the "alts". It's therefore not unheard of to see the apparent seizing of control of other characters. If you do spot one, point it out in the OOC section. If intervention is needed, it will be sorted quickly and (hopefully) politely.

Most, if not all RP participants here have Logbook stories pertaining to their character(s). These are for the reading pleasure of anyone who wishes to do so. While it can be useful to read them in order to gain a bit of backstory on a character you wish to interact with, it should not be assumed that your character shares that knowledge. Within the E:D Universe, these Logbooks either don't exist, or are private diaries kept by the characters. Either way, without explicit statements to say otherwise from the writer, your interactions should reflect that your character is in the dark about any information you, the writer/reader, have gained from reading the stories.
15 Apr 2024, 8:15pm
Timeline: 04 March 3310, shortly after the destruction of the Taranis

"Yeah, exactly." I nodded, "No matter what other people might think or say. Trying to please everyone is damn pointless."

"Some people think you're too fat. Others think you're too skinny. Too tall. Too short. Too crazy. Too boring and standard. Too 'A', too 'B', 'C' and fucking 'D'," I counted with my fingers demonstratively and stopped only when I used all of them on both hands.

"Those idiots only feed insecurities and make them grow."
16 Apr 2024, 5:24pm
"Oh. Yeah. I could totally see a few people telling me that, you know, this ..." I threw a not-so-subtle look down, particularly at the lower half of my body. "... would be too fat. If I committed to that thing. Even though it wouldn't affect them in any way."

"But that's just like, human nature. Isn't it? So it's not a thing I'd care about even slightly. Not worth getting upset over, or even wasting time on, unless it's to make those idiots fume a bit more at how you don't care. In that case, it's not a waste of time because you get some amusement out of it. I think so, anyway."

A thought appeared both in my head, and on my face.

"Though, I think people might just be too busy staring to get words out, if they were to see Kas like that in public. And somehow, I suspect she wants herself to appear like she is now."
16 Apr 2024, 7:55pm
"Captain, the beacon is active. Its coming from Imperial space. Zeroing in now sir"

"Sweet! Get that location" Said Vodan relieved the wait was over "Did Bell get a message out too? Is she ok?"

Carson slowly look over his shoulder and the captain with a confused expression. It was strange for him to show concern for Belladonna; after all, she had pretty much stabbed him in the back a few times. Once almost literally.

"Did Bell get a fucking message out?" He repeated with menace in his voice.

"Er, no sir, its just the beacon right now, no message or shit it the signal that could be a code"

"Right right. Get me on to everyone that said they would come, sept those cocksuckers from the armada. Those shit for brains would steal the deed right from under me if they got even a slight whiff of it"
16 Apr 2024, 11:50pm
Timeline: 04 March 3310, shortly after the destruction of the Taranis

The last sentence said by Jana had me thinking. My stare wandered around the cockpit for a few moments and, as a part of some remaining subconscious reflexes, I rubbed my lips with a fingertip, as if preparing to say something, but not yet. As if I needed a few more seconds to think and find proper words. Finally, I silently placed both hands on my thighs and replied.

"Human appearance works both ways. And, if we want to change something, from simply wearing something different all the way up to plastic surgery, both these ways are at play. How we want to look and what we want other people to see in us. Our bodies are our manifestations in this world, since our appearance is what people see first, and what they recall first, remembering us."

"It's difficult to figure out which component has more weight, but certainly they both should be active. And, living in society, getting to know how other people look, is the best way to develop the concept of what we like. And what we may want to have for ourselves. Yet... It isn't about that classic boring 'what other people may say' thing. More like about... How you want them to see you. What you want them to see in you."
17 Apr 2024, 8:12am
Direct continuation of this interaction

April 4, 3310
Near the Zurara


I held the small orb containing a communication device between two fingers, moving it around to let light reflect off of its surface, only some of it coming from the local K-type star.

Now what have you been doing while I was out here?

I couldn’t know too well if the orb had sent anything without my knowledge, not without hacking into it… which would probably trigger a failsafe and kill it off. So I hadn’t. I placed it on a circular indentation on the desk in my personal cabin of the fleet carrier, and turned it on. A holo-display kept me informed on its status.

Communication device active. Verifying encryption keys…
Encryption activated. Establishing connection.
Please stand by …
Communication link active. Recipient : Tear of Raxxla


Of course that was the name of her carrier. I took a deep breath, and began typing up a message, with a data file attached.

Hey, it’s Kasumi. So, I got to the Zurara. And there is something out here. A plan to scatter terraforming equipment around worlds, or beacons around existing Earth-like planets. References to “Exodus” and “Dynasty”, something about ensuring the continuity of humanity, I think.

People went space mad for this. Some died to neutron stars. Others got pulled out of hyperspace by… something. Thargoids, maybe, but that far out? Or killed because they noticed a weird transmission from a beacon. Nobody in the mission told of its purpose. No questions, just take the money. All hidden, too, so no one back in the Bubble would find out any of this existed. The Zurara was sabotaged by mind-wiped sleeper agents. The crew froze to death when the reactor died. And someone came out here a few years after that… looking for it. Not sure why, something about the person losing memories, but there is a connection to whoever did this. This person left logs in the Teorge system in the Bubble too, identifying themselves as “R.”… it might have been one of them, once.

I found those outposts I mentioned too. Not that they were hidden. Some people tried to stop me at the last one, but I fought them off. Have not yet gotten anything useful on what I could recover from the data core, but… I have enough. The data from the megaship and outposts says it, and you will find it attached to the message.

I will return to the Bubble in… a few days, a week, maybe. Leaving this place soon, but it is far away and I don’t want to rush my crew. And I will visit Salomé’s Requiem, whatever it is, before we meet again.


I uploaded the files to the device as a single folder titled ‘Zurara’ and waited for them to be compiled, then sent off the message. And waited again for whichever reply I might receive.

——————

OOC note - I realize that I haven’t posted any of the logs relating to the Zurara investigation and its outposts yet, but at the same time, I didn’t want to wait another month to kick this RP exchange off because I’m currently rather limited in time and motivation to write proper logbooks. So you can consider this like a window into those events, while the logs themselves will offer greater detail.


Last edit: 17 Apr 2024, 8:21am
17 Apr 2024, 5:39pm
[Transmission Sequence Initiated: Carrier Tear of Raxxla]
[Encryption Matrix: Engaged]
[Chronicle Fragment: 001-Echo]
[Temporal Marker: 3310-04-04]

[Datastream Category: Kasumi Communique - Zurara Revelation]
[Communique Classification: Arcanum]

Hello, Kasumi.

Your message received, and with it, the weight of a thousand silent stars. The Zurara's logs, the scattered remnants of a plan grander and more foreboding than I dared to imagine, now rest within this ship's data vaults. "Exodus" and "Dynasty" seem to be fragments of a grander mosaic, a tapestry woven by the hands of those who dare to sculpt humanity's fate. The outposts you uncovered, the data you've secured, they are the beacons that will hopefully guide us through the dark. We will analyze the information you've attached with utmost care and urgency. Were you able to identify who attacked you near the last outpost?

The presence of Thargoid interference remains an enigma, yet it is a variable that cannot be dismissed. The sabotage of the Zurara by sleeper agents is a disturbing revelation, indicating a deeper conspiracy at play. The sacrifices made, lives lost to the indifferent embrace of neutron stars, or to the unknown entities that lurk in the spaces between, are a testament to the gravity of our mission.

[Directive Logged: Investigate "R" Connection. Update Mission Parameters Accordingly.]
The frozen choir of the Zurara sings no more, their requiem a stark monument to the price of silence. Yet, from their eternal slumber, a trail emerges, a path carved by the mysterious "R" and their fragmented legacy in the Teorge system. We should follow this trail, however faint, in hopes of piecing together the fragments of a memory lost to time and treachery. Further research and analysis is required as that person may hold the key to unlocking the full scope of this enigma.

[Recommendation Encoded: Visit Pirate's Lament Station. Potential Meeting Point Identified.]
Should you wish to continue your odyssey to Salomé's Requiem, know that it lies within the system where my own journey began. The designation of this system is HIP 17519. I suggest you to grace Pirate's Lament with your presence. There, amidst the echoes of laughter and the specters of old, our paths may cross once more in the pursuit of truth.

Until our paths converge in the intricate dance of fate, wander boldly, Kasumi. Safe travels.

[End of Transmission.]
17 Apr 2024, 6:35pm
I hadn't shut the comms device down yet and saw reason for a reply, so I went on to send one, hitting the appropriate button on the control interface.

[Initiate new transmission.]

Finding this "R" might be difficult... the Teorge logs - scattered across eight different beacons... or at least, I think it was 8 - are... old. Almost 40 years. Their timestamp dates them to 3275, and the Zurara's own logs... were only 5 years before that. The person who recorded them says they are old, then, already. Could no longer even be alive... sounded old in the additional Zurara logs, too. Even if the connection is worth looking into because that old woman admitted to being a part of whoever these people are. Some call them the "Club", whatever use that might be.

I also remembered, these logs and beacons from Teorge were titled with "Ragazza". Maybe you could do something more with that? Think it makes sense to give these to you as well, now that I'm at it.

Will try to remember to visit the station. If I am interested. Or if I don't, I guess you might take me along for a tour... eventually. I can share what I find at Salomé's Requiem too when I'm done there, and back in the Bubble.

(It is seven beacons/messages.)


> Data file uploaded: Ragazza
> File content: Text logs (Amount: 7)
> Attached to transmission

[Message sent.]
[Date stampt: 04/04/3310]

While waiting for an eventual reply, I started toying around with what I could do in the Bubble on my return... definitely still nothing relating to the Thargoids, as much as that was possible, because I'd... gotten no less annoyed about that. Particularly not with the pushback around Oya causing it to create a mess of what looked much like a panic strike, of sorts... the "noise" of which I was thankfully spared, this far away from all the madness. But there was still that option of kicking Azimuth in the teeth where they'd attempted to expand their holdings into, last month.

And it occurred to me that, despite some less-than-subtle hints in the Dynasty logs toward Thargoid interference - the outcome of which was not known - and some more subtle ones in the Ragazza logs, I hadn't found any active trace of their presence around these regions of space whatsoever. I quickly sent a second followup message.

Actually, just remembered. There are only hints toward it being Thargoids this was all made for. I have not even found any traces of them out here, near any of those locations. No signals, no activity. I'd rather, these... 'contingencies', for the event of a destruction of the Bubble, don't find any use, anyway.


Last edit: 17 Apr 2024, 9:45pm
17 Apr 2024, 9:18pm
[Transmission Sequence Initiated: Carrier Tear of Raxxla]
[Encryption Matrix: Engaged]
[Chronicle Fragment: 002-Echo]
[Temporal Marker: 3310-04-04]

[Datastream Category: Kasumi Communique - Ragazza Revelation]
[Communique Classification: Arcanum]

Kasumi, your findings on "R" and the Teorge logs are invaluable. The age of the logs does present a challenge, but it's a thread we can't ignore. The "Club" remains as elusive as ever, and any connection to them, especially through someone directly involved, is a lead we must pursue.

The mention of "Ragazza" is intriguing. It's a term that's come up in whispers around the fringes of known space. We'll delve into the archives and see what correlations can be drawn. Your intuition to pass this on was correct; these pieces may fit into a larger puzzle we've been trying to solve.

As for the contingency plans of Project Dynasty, it's becoming increasingly clear that they may not be a shield against the Thargoids, but rather a safeguard against a threat we have yet to fully comprehend. The absence of Thargoid activity in the area suggests that we may be dealing with something else entirely, something...

[Transmission becomes erratic.]
Wait - what's that? Alert! We're picking up an anomaly. Systems are - no, it can't be. Shields up! I repeat, shields -

[Static crackles, a low hum builds in the background.]
All hands, brace for-! It's like nothing we've ever seen. The readings are off the charts. It's phasing through our shields as if -

[Another voice, possibly a commanding officer, shouting over the noise]
Hyperdrive is offline! We're sitting ducks here. Deploying countermeasures and-

[A sudden silence, then a deep, resonating hum fills the transmission, eerie and unfamiliar.]

[The officer's voice returns, a note of fear creeping in]
What in the galaxy is that sound? Is someone trying to communicate? Or is it some kind of weapon- [the hum intensifies, drowning out the words.]

[Another voice, barely audible:] It's like it's inside our heads, that sound - it's everywhere. We can't-

[The sound of alarms blaring, metal groaning.]
This isn't a Thargoid signature. What is this? Kasumi, if you can hear this, get to-

[Transmission cuts abruptly, replaced by a haunting silence.]


Last edit: 18 Apr 2024, 1:58am
17 Apr 2024, 10:08pm
Connection interrupted.

Those words, displayed in bold, red and all caps, showed up on the holo-screen. I wasn’t sure what I could do about this, and swiped it away when a few attempts to reconnect yielded little of use. Whatever could be done… I wasn’t able to out here.

Sensor readings of the carrier still showed nothing out of the ordinary. The Zurara and the local DSSA carrier, plus the terraformable planet below, which all three ships in this system were orbiting. And I couldn’t see anything off, visually, either, looking out of a window.

All quiet out there. Yet, much like the early explorers of the Formidine Rift, it began to feel like something was here, watching, looming. Something beyond the space madness which had gotten to some of the people in the deep void, of an outer arm, where stars were much fewer in number, and made them hear “whispers” where there seemed to be none.

My eyes fell on a piece of what looked like scrap. Some kind of metal, with a deep metallic blue color, glowing slightly like a piece of a Guardian machine, or the hull of something they made. I couldn’t remember where I had this from, but it didn’t appear to originate from any Guardian site, which puzzled me. Especially since there was nothing in my ship logs, to tell me what caused me to be in the possession of this curious artifact. EDI hadn’t been able or willing to tell me more than that it was only here since around about a year ago. So I had to have picked it up around the time which Seo revealed the existence of Nemesis to everybody.

I left the communication orb in place on the desk, in case whatever madness was going on over on the other end passed. It seemed to me that the other woman was in the slight misconception of the Dynasty Project not being about Thargoids through a lack of presence out here, but if they overran the Bubble, its purpose would still be valid. Not that it mattered if they were aware of human activities in deep space as well.

Or for me to want to make a correction if the individual it was meant for was dead.

I sighed, deeply breathing at the same time. I definitely needed to leave from here tomorrow, but we’d already crossed tens of thousands of light years in less than a month - so unless absolutely necessary, I had no intent of putting further stress on them or the capital ship itself. Jumping once every twenty minutes was more of the ‘bare minimum possible’ rather than standard operating procedure, unless limited to just a handful of jumps per day.

For now, I could just wait, and see what twists the universe held for me next - if any. At the moment, it was just me, a ghost ship and the stars.
18 Apr 2024, 2:56am
[Transmission Sequence Resumed: Carrier Tear of Raxxla]
[Encryption Matrix: Re-engaged]
[Chronicle Fragment: 002-Foxtrot]
[Temporal Marker: 3310-04-04]

[Datastream Category: Kasumi Communique - Ragazza Revelation]
[Communique Classification: Arcanum - Update]

[The sound of labored breathing and the hum of emergency systems can be heard.]
Kasumi, this is Haraldsen. I've managed to reestablish a temporary link. The Tear of Raxxla got damaged, but we're still here. The anomaly that struck us was beyond our understanding, phasing through our shields as if they were mere shadows. In the aftermath, we found ourselves adrift, systems failing, the crew in disarray.

But amidst the chaos, a miracle happened - our core systems began to reboot, one by one. It was as if the ship had brought itself back to life. If I didn't know any better, I would say that our carrier had somehow evolved. We're not sure exactly what happened, but it seems that the Tear of Raxxla is more resilient than we ever imagined. By now we have regained control of all critical systems and are trying to restore the jump drive capability.

The anomaly has left us with more questions than answers. The pulses are a kind of code - a complex pattern that oscillates at a frequency that is almost... musical - but so far we haven't been able to decode it. The anomaly has now dissipated, but we've deployed a sub-space beacon with all the data we've collected. If you receive it, you may be able to make sense of it with your analysis systems fully intact.

We'll send updates as we can. For now, know that the Tear of Raxxla endures, and our mission continues.

[End of transmission]
18 Apr 2024, 8:16am
I’d carefully listened to that new transmission, standing by the desk with my arms placed on it. Then hit the ‘Respond’ button.

Response protocol active.

And I decided to actually talk, rather than write text comms.

“I don’t know what you encountered, but I don’t like it. If your carrier just repaired itself without explanation… you need to check it. Everything. It is not supposed to do that by itself.”

I spoke with a certain urgency, and firmness, in the tone, then cut off the link momentarily.

“EDI.”

“Yes, Kira?”

“Monitor that link. Whatever they encountered… I do not want it coming through to here too. It left something behind on their systems, and - “

“I already was.”, the AI replied, interrupting me. “I will isolate any data sent through the device and examine it before allowing it onto other systems. It seems likely an autonomous program was left behind on their carrier, but I cannot determine its nature without further information. It should, however, be assumed that it is unlikely to be friendly in nature, given how it got into the carrier in the first place.”

I nodded. “Good thinking ahead. Will resume the link now.”

I tapped on the ‘Reconnect’ button.

“Sorry, there was a… flare, from the sun. It disrupted comms, for a moment. Please explain what happened. And sorry, for only sending text, until now. I sometimes still get ‘stuck’ speaking, and it is easier to write.”
18 Apr 2024, 1:15pm
Onboard the Tear of Raxxla

The corridors of the Tear of Raxxla hummed with a peculiar tension. The crew moved with hushed urgency, their faces etched with a mix of fear and fascination. The past hours had been a descent into the unknown. They had stumbled upon an enigmatic program nestled within the labyrinthine systems of their carrier, an autonomous entity whose initial interference had led to cascading malfunctions. Yet, as time unfurled, it began to mend the very systems it had at first disrupted. The autonomous program they had discovered was no mere glitch; it was something… other. Its presence was an enigma, a whisper from the void that had begun to weave itself into the very fabric of their carrier.

Haraldsen, the ship's seasoned commander, convened her most trusted officers in the dim glow of the command deck. "We must tread carefully," she asserted, her voice a blend of command and caution. "This program is unlike anything we've encountered. It's repairing our systems, yes, but to what end? It's as if it's alive, learning, evolving. We need to understand it, but be wary. We don't know what it truly wants."

The officers nodded in agreement, their eyes reflecting the screens' dance of cryptic symbols and diagnostics. They had decided to examine the systems in a methodical sweep, each subsystem undergoing a rigorous check while the program's activity was meticulously logged and analyzed, each member acutely aware of the program's invisible gaze. It felt as though it was watching them, its code slithering through the ship's network like a spectral serpent.

Lieutenant Mara, the ship's chief engineer, reported the program's unnerving efficiency. "It's not just fixing the jump drive," she said, her voice a hushed tone of disbelief, her fingers dancing across the holo-interface. "It's optimizing our power distribution like... like it knows the ship better than we do. And our shields are... different. Altered. As if being tuned to frequencies we can't understand."

The officers continued their examination, each discovery leading to more questions. The program, for its part, interacted with the crew in bursts of binary and complex algorithms that slowly began to take on a more coherent form. But communications with the program remained cryptic, its responses a tapestry of archaic symbols and data streams, like shards of a long-lost language.

The examination became a haunting journey through their own carrier, each system revealing more of the program's inscrutable intent. It was as if the Tear of Raxxla had become a living entity, its heartbeat a rhythm dictated by the will of this foreign code. The program's origin remained shrouded in mystery, its purpose cloaked in the whispers of a civilization long vanished. Yet, as the Tear of Raxxla's systems hummed back to life, it was certain that the program not only repaired but also improved the carrier.

Haraldsen stood at the center of the command deck, her gaze fixed on the main viewport as stars started to streak by. The enigmatic program had finished its work on the propulsion systems, and the carrier resumed its initial course. It was time to report the unexplainable.

"Comms Officer, open a secure channel to Kasumi," she ordered, her voice cutting through the low murmur of the deck. "Priority one transmission."

The Comms Officer nodded, fingers flying over the holographic interface. "Channel open, Commander," he confirmed, the usual static of space communications eerily absent.

Just another thing that got improved, Haraldsen noticed.

"This is the Tear of Raxxla speaking," she began, her tone measured but underscored with urgency. "We've encountered an autonomous program of unknown origin. It's... it's not just a part of the ship; it's become the ship. Repairs and system optimizations are underway, but its intentions remain unclear. We believe it may be some kind of autonomous shipyard. Proceeding with caution. Haraldsen out."

With the message sent, the crew waited in a tense silence, the weight of the unknown pressing upon them. The program continued its work, the ship's systems responding to an unseen architect's design.
18 Apr 2024, 2:02pm
“So… do you need help? Because I cannot be there quickly, this far away, if you are near the Bubble. And you should… keep things locked. If this can damage ships, you don’t want it to spread. If you even can. Whatever it is you found… might be designed to take ships over. Make sure it is not.”

I began to get a feeling that I was going to be required over there at some point. To help out… or stop something dangerous from spreading. And Thargoids were not known for any program such as this, while there was nothing human in existence that I was aware of, and this advanced. Which only really left one culprit… if my gut feeling was right. I muted the link on my end for a moment.

“EDI… do you think they encountered a Guardian program?”

“Possibly. Their technology is certainly advanced enough to achieve a level of sophistication where it is possible to cripple an entire vessel within an instant.”, the AI replied. “And you may wish to know - “

I held up my right hand. “Shh. Later. Don’t let it on my ship.”

I unmuted the link, and spoke again, hoping the other side still heard me.

“I suspect something. Check for Guardian signatures, in the program. Code, energy emissions… anything.”
18 Apr 2024, 6:54pm
"You mean this thing could spread from our ship to others and take them over? Oh, I’ve got a wicked spark of genius… we should jump straight into the heart of the next enemy armada and..." Despite the heat on us, I couldn't help but crack myself up over this one - I just imagined the face of my counterpart and was having the time of my life, barely managing to stifle a laugh.

"Just pulling your leg... but do keep in mind that a pair of sky-high brows never did anyone any favors..."

"All right, seriously now. I probably won't be able to solve the real problem at hand. How am I to check if this nasty trick is jumping ship? And putting the brakes on it? Appreciate the gesture, but looks like your hands are tied on this one."

"And.... what can I say, from the emission it just looks like... our ship. No big surprise there, I guess. We are not shining blue or something. Despite everything, it's still our technology, I think...? The language artifacts are unknown to us, but could well be related to what we know from the Guardian ruins."

"Any smart ideas?"
18 Apr 2024, 7:00pm
Previous post

"So, then, I guess... Kasumi no longer cares about hiding her weird side, then? I don't know. Can't yet say I actually know her that well."


I shrugged.

"As for myself... well, I think it's more abouthow I want to look and, really, being me, over caring about other people's opinions. Unless they're someone that I care about, why should I really? There's trillions of people out there, and you'd just drive yourself mad if you cared about all their opinions to the point of trying to conform to them. Okay, a little exaggerated maybe, but you get the idea. And it wouldn't be the good kind of mad either ..." I winked at her. "... unlike you and me. Or a certain someone with really goddamn oversized curves."

And, in that last sentence, I particularly emphasized each of the four final words.

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