Meeting An Unusual Traveler (Collab with Sylvie Wayfare)
22 Jan 2022KazukoHimura
Kazuko docked her Krait Phantom at Station X, having arrived for the pre-party meetup fairly early. She disembarked her ship, and slowly made her way over to the ship’s concourse. Upon arrival, she was disappointed to find out that nobody else had arrived yet, and that there were no appetizers at the bar. The slightly exhausted woman decided to make her way to the window overlooking the docking area, only for something to pique her interest.“A Beluga? All the way out here?”
Despite the very brown and orange setting of the hanger, the Beluga Liner’s hull shined it’s trademark white. As it flew over the concourse in order to land, it’s name was visible on it’s side. The Southern Sun. A few minutes later, a few people came up from the elevators. None of them really scream commander by appearance, most likely passengers from the Beluga. One of them was very familiar. Kazuko’s eyes widened a bit upon seeing a passenger she recognized. Once the group was settled in the concourse, the lithe woman made her way over to the man she owed a lot to.
“Dr. Victor! I wasn’t expecting to run into you out here,” Kazuko greeted.
“Ah, Kazuko. Glad to see you’re doing well! I was about to say the same thing,” Victor replied.
“Oh, I’m one of the explorers that signed up for the CEA 4 expedition.”
“Ah, I bought tickets to ride on a luxury vessel for the entire route-The Southern Sun.”
“That must be the Beluga I saw out there-now I’m curious who’s flying it…”
The elevator pings as a woman steps out of it. An older woman with red hair with a few stray gray strands, and a somewhat pale complexion with freckles on her nose and cheeks . She was dressed fairly casually, and wearing a white flight jacket with the Saud Kruger logo on the shoulder. She had a slight smirk on her face as she checked her slate, also with the same logo on it’s back before slipping it into her jacket. She headed for the bar, forgoing getting a drink and taking a seat at one of the tables. Having noticed the flight jacket logo and slate, Kazuko headed for the bar herself, taking a seat at a table near the older woman’s-also not getting a drink.
“Never expected to see a Beluga out here.”
“Not your first choice for an exploration ship I take it?” The woman asks sarcastically with a smile. “She’s more capable than she looks, miss…?”
“More like I was recommended a different ship when I started out for exploration, and just settled into that one,” Kazuko explained, chuckling. “Belugas, like Dolphins and Orcas, can be used for things that most wouldn’t expect-friend of mine brought an Orca out here. Oh, and Kazuko.”
“Sylvie, Sylvie Wayfare. Retired Saud Kruger flight attendant, now I do pretty much the same thing, but with a smaller crew and a slightly more modified design.” She sat back a little as she said this, clearly proud of her time with the company. “I know the Dolphin and Orca models are better equipped for being made into explorers, but that beauty you saw is my one and only ship. I saw an opportunity to take people on a vacation for a while, so I made plans and here I am with some very happy sightseers.”
“Of which it turns out I know one.” Kazuko added. “Long story, and now is not the time for it.” She turned her chair so she was now facing the older woman. “So you said this particular Beluga is slightly modified? Color me interested.”
Sylvie’s smile widens slightly. “I’m glad you are. Most of the upgrades made to it I’ve done myself. All to make the ride more comfortable for myself and the passengers of The Southern Sun. Perhaps I can even be convinced to upgrade the ship of an aspiring commander, with the right offering. Care for a little tour to pique your interest?”
“I’d love to!” Kazuko exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “Please, lead the way.”
With an hour or so to kill before the real meetup starts, the two took the elevators to reach the hanger Sylvie was using. It takes a while for both of them to reach the airlock, but once inside, Kazuko was greeted with a very high end Beluga interior.
This was far from the stock Belugas that Saud Krugar offers, and Sylvie mentioned during their walk to the ship, that most of The Southern Sun’s space is dedicated to passenger comforts. She showed off one of the many private rooms on board, set up like something for a very high end hotel room back on earth. Very comfy bedding, a nice view out the window, granted all that was outside was rock and metal of the hanger. The beds themselves could be adjusted to suit a passenger’s needs, either in terms of temperature or alignment. A separate bathroom, a little small, but very welcoming. Clearly luxury cabins, but with a few extra bells and whistles, as well as being split into several rooms to accommodate more than just one party per module.
As far as on-ship activities, The Southern Sun sported a few common viewing areas in the upper levels of the ship, with the secondary bridge containing a fully functional pool. The area that would normally contain a fighter hangar instead had a small movie theater, stocked with many different films and media, some dating back to before the 3rd world war.
The second to last stop on the tour, and one where they would get more privacy from the rest of the passengers, was the cockpit itself. It was as wide, spacious, and giving a great, unobscured view of what lies ahead as any other Beluga Liner. However, Sylvie offered Kazuko to sit in the pilot seat as they talked. It was far more comfortable then what came standard, extra cushioning and padding felt rather nice, but Sylvie pointed out a few extra buttons on the console. The seat could recline fully to a lying down position, it had seat warmers, even massagers built into the back.
“Exploring the galaxy all on your own is nice, but if you’re going to be stuck in a chair attached to a jump drive, wouldn't you want it to do more than give you a sore back after four or five jumps?” She said, smiling, happy to show off her work. Kazuko quietly looked around as the tour went on, and she eagerly sat in the pilot’s seat when the offer was given to her-the extra cushioning and padding felt amazing, and she certainly did turn the seat warmers and massagers on-and reclined the chair slightly.
“I could get used to this…” she trailed off. “And I have to agree with you. I could be here all day.” The lithe woman had to struggle a bit to keep herself from dozing off in the pilot’s seat, as it was quite close in comfort to her bed at home.
“Glad you like it. But we just scratched the surface. What if I told you I could make your supercruise assist actually take you down to a planet’s surface rather than having to do it all on your own?” Sylvie stands up and walks around the back of the seat Kazuko was in as she continued. “What if I said, I could make that same computer, also take care of the auto dock sequence and save you some additional space? Oh, and one other minor thing while you’re in that seat before you answer - why don’t you see how much time this ship gets on life support. And keep in mind, you’ll be seeing how much it gets with passengers.”
“Hell, that’s amazing!” She exclaimed. “Could save some space in my ships, and be good in case of emergency. As for the life support, let me check on that,” Kazuko then activated the right panel, and looked in the modules list, at the specs for the Beluga’s life support module. “By all the gods, forty minutes!?”
“That's taking into account the passengers as well. Granted they will need to stay in select parts of the ship, but the safety demonstrations cover that already.” Sylvie moved behind the seat, and tapped a few buttons to return the chair to a normal position, turning off the heating and back massaging elements of it. “Let's negotiate at the bar. After all, like most of my… colleagues, I don’t give out my services for free.”
Once the seat was returned to normal, Kazuko stood up, standing next to the chair.
“Wouldn’t mind making negotiations. Please, lead the way to the bar. Hopefully it serves more than just alcohol,” Kazuko remarked, giving a small smile. She suddenly clapped a hand over her stomach as it let out a loud growl, a dark blush forming over the embarrassed woman’s face as the two headed to the bar. The sound made Sylvie stop, looking back in Kazuko’s direction, still smiling some before continuing back into the passenger section of the ship. “Of course it has more than alcohol dear. I’m not going to take a cruise ship full of passengers out here for a month on booze alone. Taking politicians for one way trips causes me enough trouble.” The familiar sound of a received message comes from the cockpit, stopping her in her tracks. She lets out a small sigh. “Speaking of. I’ll meet you there. Just head straight out and look for the signs taking you to the restaurant. You can’t miss it. Just let Susanne know I sent you.”
“That’s fine, I understand.” Kazuko stated, continuing on. She indeed did check the signs, following them into the bar area.
Kazuko eventually came to a set of double sliding doors that lead to the bar and restaurant. The bar was plain to see, but nobody seemed to be staffing it. Instead there was a single, rectangular screen with the Saud Kruger logo, a solid line under it, and the name ‘Susanne’ under that. These screens were dotted around various parts of the ship, but seeing this large one at the bar made it stand out. There were also some tables and seats set up in front of the bar to make the appearance of a restaurant. A few of the passengers were already seated at tables having meals or chatting. Once inside, Kazuko made her way to the large screen at the bar, seeing as it stuck out the most-plus didn’t Sylvie say she’d meet her there? Best be in an area where she’s easy to find. Another grumble escaped the lithe woman’s stomach, and she immediately looked to the screen, looking over the menu-partially to hide the sheepish look upon her rose-from-embarrassment face. A couple heads turned in Kazuko’s direction at the sound, but they went back to minding their own business soon after. A feminine, monotone voice comes from the monitor. The line on the screen shifts in tone with the voice.
“I assume you’re only here to visit? You are not part of the passenger list for this expedition.”
Kazuko thankfully didn’t notice the turning heads, but she did notice the voice, causing her to look up.
“Mhm. I’m just visiting,” she stated. “I’m on the expedition, but I’m flying my own ship.”
“I will inform the pilot. Please help yourself to something on the menu while you wait.”
A thin panel slides up from the bar table in front of Kaz. On it was a menu. The menu in front of Kazuko had a few pages with quite a few high end meals. Everything from the fancy, small portions one would expect to more generous but high end cuts of steak. Of course with a complement of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to choose from. Kazuko’s mouth watered as she began to look over the menu panel, scrolling through the options. She frowned upon seeing how some of the portions were on the smaller side, moving closer to options with fairly generous portions. However, that only narrowed the options down some for her. The food being high-end didn’t seem to phase her too much, hinting at her being of some form of Imperial origin.
As she went through the menu, the monotone voice asked, “Will your pet be having anything as well?”
“Wait…pet…?” Kazuko trailed off. “What do you mean? It’s just me here.”
“I detect a non-human signal in your vicinity. Pets are not allowed, however, as a visitor, there is an exception.”
“I….please don’t tell anyone…it’s a parasite,” Kazuko quickly and quietly replied, trembling a bit. She didn’t want anyone to know because it was a clear sign of weakness-and to her, weakness meant punishment. The… monitor that was speaking, briefly shows the text ‘pilot profile - updated’ before the voice speaks again. “Passenger and visitor information is kept confidential. Your order is on it’s way.”
“I didn’t exactly order yet,” Kazuko insisted, only shutting up when her stomach let out another protest.
“Given your present mood, I made a choice for you. I hope you do not mind. This action can be disabled if needed.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine. Saves me from having to decide.”
The menu slides back down into the bar. A few minutes later, a section in front of Kaz on the bar opens up. A bowl comes up from inside of the bar and presents itself in front of Kazuko. An ice cream sundae, complete with chopped peanuts, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. Kazuko’s eyes lit up, and she immediately dug into the ice cream sundae. That’ll hold her over for now. Next to Kaz soon sat Sylvie.
“Sorry about that. Sometimes people don’t appreciate my ferrying services.” The menu panel starts to slide up, but Sylvie presses a finger onto the top of it, making it slide back into the bar. “And I see you’ve met Susanne.”
“I have. She’s quite nice,” Kazuko replied, still eating her ice cream sundae. “By the way…do you know how to bring the menus back up?”
“All you have to do is ask her. She was made to serve and give some assistance to anyone on board. This is just her main terminal. You’ll get more complex interactions here as opposed to the panels spread around the ship.”
“Cool, so an advanced COVAS?” Kazuko asked. “Susanne, can you please bring the menu back up? I’d like to have a meal with my dessert.” The menu, as requested, comes back up in front of her. It has changed slightly from the last time she saw it, with that same dessert as the first thing she sees, but the other pages and selections remained. Kazuko gave a small smile upon seeing her previous order show up, but scrolled through, back to the more generous portioned meals, ordering herself a nice steak.
“A bit like one, yes. Only with a little more utility.” She turns, looking at the screen. “Susanne, would you mind introducing yourself properly for our guest?” The monotone voice chimes as it speaks, clearly with a pre-made response.
“Hello. I am the Social Utility System and Neural Network Equerry, but you may call me Susanne. I was designed by Sylvie Wayfare to assist passengers and pilots on board the - Southern Sun -. Please feel free to call on me for assistance during your time here. Enjoy your stay.”
“Makes for a unique passenger experience, I take it. May have to book a trip,” Kazuko mused out loud, finishing off her ice cream sundae, gently setting the bowl and spoon aside. “Anyway, Sylvie, you said something about negotiations?”
“You’re welcome to book one. Just not at the moment. As for-” She was cut off as the ordered steak came up from the bar. “As for negotiating, it's rather simple. You’ve already seen my theater. If you can bring me some media that would be fitting for it, and as long as I don’t already have a copy, then my services are yours.”
“I’ll have to look into what I have aboard my ship,” Kazuko stated, before digging into her steak. While she did check her own slate to see if there was anything of note, she personally wanted to double-check the inventory by hand before anything was set in stone. As she did, Kazuko noticed something that Susanne pointed out immediately after.
“Sylvie. 5 minute notification for the - pre meet up party -” Sylvie sighs as she gets up.
“Time sure does fly. Susanne, send notifications to anyone who got off the ship.”
“Doing so now” the monotone voice responds in turn as Sylvie makes her way to the airlock.
“I’ll take this food to go, then,” Kazuko remarked. “Any disposable container I can put this in?” After a few moments of silence, the section of the bar Sylvie was just at opens up. A small white container sporting the Saud Kruger logo on top appears. “Would this be acceptable?”
“That is perfect, thank you,” Kazuko replied, placing the remainder of her meal into the container, before closing it. “I shall hopefully be back soon.” The lithe woman then took her leftovers and left the bar, heading for the concourse of Station X.