Some Guy Or Something
Tranquility
Rrroriksix raised an eyebrow when the Solaris representative spoke. While he was well-aware of the so-called Freedom Wars, that the Solaris representative would be so brazen about it in such an open setting... Rrroriksix allowed himself a small grin. He enjoyed a few unexpected variables to keep things interesting although he was sure the Council wouldn't. But with the threat of both the piracy and locating the warcriminals, the Solaris Republic would have its metaphorical hands full, regardless of size. The Rakashian noted this down and selected Piracy within Solar Republic and Border Stars.
He stopped after the selection as he re-examined the choices and thought long on the different subjects presented. There was a worrying amount of potential for major conflicts to arise and even Rrroriksix didn't want that.
Titania
Rrivel did a slightly mocking salute as he walked back towards the ship, sneering at the thugs nearby. He contemplated provoking them but the slightly more sane part of him knocked that thought away. Still, he ensured that his rifle and pistol were ready and visible. If the show of force dissuaded them great. If they came at him, they started it. It was a flawless plan.
edited 28th Nov '13 3:15:10 PM by eviipaladin
"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val
huzzaaaaaaaah
Tranquility
"Yes, but... there's still so much to discuss!" Piper said, nodding a little bit too much. "Like, what do you want it to look like? Do you want it to impose fear or make people look at you in awe? A statue is not to be dismissed, Blue. It is an eternal representation of your figure, and every detail, no matter how small, will determine how future generations define you. Too faithful, or a little bit dramatic? Just you or maybe you want something big surrounding you? There's so much to talk about! And talking about things over, let's say, a piece of cake is just a delightful idea, don't you think?"
Caroline
"We call ourselves 'members of the Society'. Yes, it's incredibly pompous and somewhat stupid, but I am not the one who makes the rules." Johnathan said, once again making his wings flutter, knowing that women always fell for a man with wings. "As a Master of the Tongue, I have expert knowledge of a multitude of tongues- too many to count- and written languages. I have also been taught for years about the art of deciphering codes, and when it comes to using machines, no matter what machines, as communication devices, I know everything from this console to the telegraph. And yes, milady, I can sing. But perhaps that is something you would like to witness in a more... private location?"
Dreams of Revenge
Azunn — Tranquility
Azunn eyed the display coolly. He didn't even have to think twice before lightly tapping on Trade Route Patrol. If he played his cards right, well, it would garner a lot of goodwill toward the Union (something which his masters at home would greatly appreciate). And if nothing else, there were always other topics in which to strengthen his civilisation's position.
Adjusting his clothing so that he would look presentable - very little was quite so amateurish as appearing to have been dragged through a hedge backwards when speaking to other delegates - Azunn slipped out of the chamber with a quietness that was at odds with his bulk, not that it really mattered, as his security detail immediately latched on to him as soon as he left. He did not feel particularly hungry; indeed, if anything politics made him less hungry. Instead, the Sirian ambassador elected to try stretching his legs (or at least as well as he could) by taking a meandering stroll.
He pointedly ignored his escorts, who never seemed to be anything other than perpetually alert. Attempts to crack jokes had fallen flat, and queries about them tended to be deftly side-stepped or simply stonewalled. Although it meant that the highest standards of security were maintained at all times, it made any time away from the other diplomats highly aggravating and filled with boredom more often than not.
Erruan — Titania
Erruan snorted under her breath at the captain who had chosen to come alone. She guessed that he must have been too much of a skinflint (or genuinely in dire financial straits) to not have brought bodyguards. The alternative - that he was seriously that stupid or overconfident - didn't bear thinking about. She gave Rrivel a glance over her shoulder. She didn't doubt that the comparatively dimunitive alien could handle himself, but she still felt that if he wasn't careful he could easily bite off more than he could chew.
The Sirian noted Hrof moving up beside Solaris with quiet approval. Good. If they needed to protect her, the man was in a perfect position to get the captain down and out of their line of fire - and he could also get a good view of the surrounding area. Erruan hung back slightly, her gaze sweeping over those around her for any suspicious behaviour. If she had decided to stay right next to the others her size meant she would just get in the way and make it more difficult to do their jobs. Not an ideal state of affairs.
edited 29th Nov '13 3:16:42 PM by Flanker66
Locking you up on radar since '09
THE SLORG!
"Just make it look like how I usually do. It'd be best for the future generations to interpret it for themselves, yes?" Blue said dismissively, turning away from Piper and to the diner entrance. "Right now I need to speak with Lord Tebigon, about business" he added, motioning at the Verandi ambassador.
Blue headed inside, and the two Military caste worked their way past piper to follow.
You are reading this.
huzzaaaaaaaah
Tranquility
"O-okay! I'll see you later tonight!" Piper said, waving at Blue, before noticing that sounded like they had just organized a date. "For your modelling!" No, wait, that got worse. "For that statue I'm going to make of you because I'm an artist!" There, good. Now give everyone a thumbs up and walk back to where you were... Piper stopped once he saw Rrroriksix still on the conference room. "Hey! You're not going to eat?..."
Some Guy Or Something
Tranquility
Rrroriksix looked up at the winged humanoid with surprise. "Hmm...? Ah yes, my apologies. I find myself lost in thought far too often than what is to be considered normal." He paused when he realized that he had never properly introduced himself. "Ah yes, my apologies. I am Rrroriksix, High Diplomat of the Rakashian Consulate." He bowed to Piper, his robe's hood flipping onto his head.
"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val
huzzaaaaaaaah
Tranquility
Piper looked down at Rrroriksix bowing and mimicked his action, smiling. "I'm Piper, I represent the Free Mind Society. Would you like to..." He pointed at the restaurants across the street with his thumb. "... go get something to eat? We could talk on the way."
Tranquility
Tebigon had left his retinue of servants and guards behind while he selected his eatery. It did not take long to notice the soft thumps of kangaroo feet coming up behind him. He turned around to face the Norb representative.
"Ambassador Rufus." he said in greetings. "Will you be joining me at the table?"
Looking passed her, Tebigon noticed his old Grexian contact approaching as well. He changed direction slightly, moving to one of the wider tables that could seat more people.
International Space Colony Tranquility, Sol System
"I would be honored, Lord Tebigon, and it appears we are not alone" Rufus replied, following the man to the table. "I hope you are doing alright, given today's news broadcast. I know that Political Unit Linus will do his best to get along with Queen Amelia."
Bobby had ripped out some redundant components of a tertiary backup for a disable system of the ship, far away from the bridge, and returned a short while later. He resumed his task of upgrading the Captain's chair with a programmable seat warmer of his own design.
edited 1st Dec '13 12:38:29 AM by nman
THE SLORG!
"Lord Tebigon, it's good to see you again" Blue said aloud as he approached, stopping near the table. "I was hoping to speak with you about your late king. That is, unless you're busy" he added, glancing over at Rufus.
You are reading this.
Some Guy Or Something
Tranquility
Rrroriksix was rather confused by this. Sure, diplomats of the Galactic Nations were to be treated with respect but it was no secret that the Rakashians had certain... unfavourable stereotypes associated with their kind. The High Diplomat, preferring to make himself look incompentent, smiled and nodded. "That is a kind invitation, Representative Piper." Rrroriksix recalled hearing about this Piper now; he had held some sort of cooking event with a few of the human members of the council. "I hear you are quite the cook yourself. Tell me, if you don't mind, do you enjoy cooking for the process, the resulting food, or the contentment of others?"
"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val
huzzaaaaaaaah
Tranquility
"It's a combination, really." Piper said, walking towards the restaurant with his hands behind his back. "I was taught the art behind cooking. It's all about capturing the attention of whoever's going to eat your food, making sure to create an unique blend of taste, sight and smell so that it evokes perfect memories in the eater's head. So, yes, I cook mostly for the contentment of others..." He scratched his chin as they entered the restaurant. "How about I cook you something? That's it! I'll cook you a quick dish, right now!" He grabbed one of the waiters by their sleeve. "Hello, I'm Piper, representative of the Society of the Free Mind. May I go into your kitchen to cook something?"
Tranquility
Tebigon gave a slight nod of his head towards the Grexian. "Not at all, good sir. In fact, you are welcome to join us for a meal. I feel you and Ambassador Rufus have similar sentiments to express."
Tebigon pulled out a chair for himself at the table. "Have you ever been here before? I recommend the fish casserole. Meat is brought up live from the mother world down there." He tapped his foot on the ground, indicating Earth. "It is surprisingly high quality for an establishment such as this.
Some Guy Or Something
Tranquility
Rrroriksix twiddled his thumbs nervously. Some of it was playing the role, sure, but he was genuinely baffled by this 'Piper'. He was rash and seemingly too trusting yet also very independent. The High Diplomat made a mental note to have the Council open up a file on this new variable. Not that he thought for a second it would be much help in dealing with this strange fellow.
"Please Representative Piper," began Rrroriksix, his voice a little shaky. "You needn't trouble yourself; we Rakashians are sparce eaters by nature. Your cooking would likely be wasted on me."
"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val
huzzaaaaaaaah
Tranquility
"Then I'll make a small yet incredible dish!" Piper said, suddenly grabbing Rrroriksix's hand and taking him to the kitchen, following after the waiter. "Chef!" He yelled once he got into the kitchen. "You are doing a phenomenal job, but today, I will cook something for my friend!" Any complaints falling deaf to his ear, he immediately put on an apron, moving over to the chef's side. "What ingredients do we have? Oh, wait, Rory!— I'm going to call you Rory because your name has Rrrori in it, okay— what ingredients do you like?"
Titania
The uninviting atmosphere of inner Titania differed from the docks by only a few degrees. At least in here everyone did not like like they were sizing the Caroline's crew up for breakfast. The reason, though, was because there was a distinct lack of people going about city. Titania barely boasted a population of two million souls, including Norbs, scattered about the moon's surface, yet even this settlement should have seen some large scale activity at this time of day. Few of the shops displayed any sign of being open for business. In fact, the few with actual holo-signs in their windows all displayed the symbol for CLOSED.
Solaris had a bad feeling about this. Nevertheless, she continued on. The storage warehouse was not too far off. All they needed to do was inspect the cargo, haul it over to the ship and take off again. The dark vibe of this place was overbearing and Solaris had no intention of sticking around longer than necessary.
She was oblivious to the fact that several men not unlike the thugs at the docks had begun trailing them.
Caroline
"Depends on what songs I hear." Sharla said with a grin.
There conversation was cut short by a lurch of the ship. Nothing to violent, at least not as far as anyone could tell. The ship still seemed to be in one piece at least.
"The hell was that?" The Tuarian XO wondered aloud.
"Did something hit us?" Sharla asked after steadying herself in her seat.
John brought up the status screens "I don't know! I got no warning..." And then he turned to the comms officer "And Captain have not responded, quick, check if something is jamming us!"
When he turned back to the control screens he mumbled to himself "They want a fight... They'll get one."
huzzaaaaaaaah
Caroline
"Dude, relax." Johnathan said, a bit too calm for this situation, as he went back to his console, sitting cross-legged on his chair. He put on the headphones, immediately trying to contact the Captain. "Captain, this is the Caroline, come in." And while he did that, he started running tests to see if their comms were being jammed like John had suggested.
Some Guy Or Something
Tranquility
Rrroriksix cleared his throat, deciding that maybe he should try and stop Piper before the joke got too far. "Representative Piper, in my culture being addressed without the proper amount of r's is rather insulting. If my name is too much of a bother for you to pronounce, simply address me as the Rakashian Representative or something to that extent. I know it is not your intention but this 'Rory' talk is incredibly offensive." The High Diplomat sighed. "As for my diet, we Rakashians have grown to have a taste for fish over the years. My personal favourite would be a charred seisma salmon drizzled with rapier wasp honey on a bed of black asparagus. If you need assistance..." Rrroriksix rolled up the sleeves on his cloak, a small smile sneaking its way across his face. "I should be happy to oblige."
edited 6th Dec '13 2:03:13 PM by eviipaladin
"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val
International Space Colony Tranquility, Sol System
"Unfortunately, this unit's biology is incapable of adequately consuming and processing animal tissue," Rufus told the ambassadors. "I will order a socially acceptable salad when the time comes. But enough about me. How are you doing, Lord Tebigon? I hope you are doing as well as the current state of affairs allows."
Bobby continued to wordlessly work at his upgrade of the chair, despite the commotion. Physical time was valuable, and several seconds of work could be lost if he stopped without having a new task to occupy himself with. However, while his body continued to work at the chair, electronically, he pinged the ship's systems in order to get a status report and hopefully determine the current situation.
Caroline
Johnathan would find that John had guessed correctly. Outward transmissions failed to reach their intended targets and nothing but blank noise was on all the open channels. The Member of the Society would discover that the comm channels were indeed being breached from an external source.
Meanwhile Yeslah was barking orders at crew members on the lower decks, trying to determine what was going on. While he conferred with those on their way to the scene Bobby had the ship's layout brought out of his memory. There was a breach on the haul, one of the emergency hatches had been blown clean off. The secondary gate had already been reported as sealing itself but no sooner had it done so that the door leading to the venting chamber report itself as having been breached as well. Something from outside had just gotten into the Caroline.
Tranquility
"Very well then." said Tebigon as he adjusted his seat. "All things considered I must admit I am somewhat relieved. It was no secret the king's health had been failing rapidly since the death of Princess Nonette. The nerve wracking the capital bureaucrats have been going through was driving everyone up the wall. After the coronation ceremony we will at least be able to return to a sense or normalcy."
Sweet Caroline - Bridge
Being a good neighbor, Bobby sent the ship's status information to the others on the bridge, those who would need said information in order to make a more-informed decision on their following course of action.
He also sent a message to Yeslah's terminal.
Dear First Mate and Current Acting Captain Yeslah,
I apologize for the hurried and possibly cold nature of this message, but due to the urgency of the situation my processing has deemed it necessary to removed portions considered superfluous for the purposes of this communication.
Attached is the current status report of the ship, which you are encouraged to peruse at your leisure at a later time. However, my assessment is that there is a high probability that an alien object is now in the ship, which could potentially be dangerous to the crewmembers under your command. Possible types of danger include unexploded munitions, a boarding party, or ERROR: UNTRANSLATABLE which could pose a threat to uninformed workers. I wish to inform you of that.
Sincerely,
Employment Unit Bobby
One more turn of his vibro-monkey wrench, and the Captain's seat warmer was installed. Now the seat looked exactly as it had before his work. The only visible difference was a small set of buttons on one of the arms to control the new components, on which he had etched small indicators of their function.
International Space Colony Tranquility, Sol System
"Normalcy is a preferred status, indeed," Rufus replied. "I am glad to hear that potential inefficiencies that would hinder the capabilities or affect the well-being of you or your people have been handled."
edited 7th Dec '13 2:20:41 PM by nman
huzzaaaaaaaah
Tranquility
Piper stopped rolling up his sleeves, turning to Rrroriksix and bowing. "I-I'm sorry!... would Rrrory work?" He shook his head. "Sorry again!" He wrapped a white rag around his forehead. "I'm gonna make you the best meal to make up for it!" And then, right after Rrroriksix offered his help, Piper was off, collecting ingredients on a basket and bringing them back to the cooking table. He turned on the fire and pulled out a knife, smiling as he cut the vegetables to pieces, all of them the exact same size and density, his movements seeming more like a dance than actual cooking.
Once he got to cooking the fish, he procceeded to throw the fish into the air, spinning around and catching it, and while one might think that he was exaggerating, it was clear that every move of his had a reason to exist. Even as he quietly drizzled the carefully prepared wasp honey over the charred seisma salmon, the black aspargus forming a bed under the salmon, also tenderly washed and cut, there was a smile on his face. Not fifteen minutes had passed, and the dish seemed almost ready, but Piper spent an additional five minutes just... rearranging pieces of the dish, moving one black aspargus one centimetre to the left, spreading just a tiny bit more wasp honey here, all stuff that, once again, seemed useless.
He finished the dish, ringing the bell. There was no sweat on his brow as he walked to Rrroriksix, placing the dish on a table in front of him. "Here it is." He said, bowing to him as he waited for the Rakashian Representative to dig in. The moment the first piece of the salmon entered his mouth, Rrroriksix would feel a myriad of wonderful tastes, like every atom of this dish in front of him was crafted by a cooking god. Every part of the dish was made with perfection, and they tasted so much better than the best version of that dish Rrroriksix had ever had. Some might say that it was because Piper added a secret ingredient, or because he made it with love, but no: the dish in front of Rrroriksix was the result of a combination of genetics and years of learning how to cook from some of the best teachers in the galaxy, just one of the reasons why Piper was his country's only Master Artisan.
"... did..." Piper looked up, a hopeful smile on his face. "... d-did you like it?"
Caroline
"... shit." Johnathan said, tapping the controls. "We're jammed. Probably thanks to something outside the ship. I'm gonna try to use a secondary method of communication, see if that can get through whatever's jamming us." He spun around in his chair, looking at John. "I suggest you send a group to find out what's doing this to us. Fast." His wings fluttered as he reached for a cigarette pack in his pocket, putting an unlit cigarette on his mouth as he switched from channel to channel, trying to get some kind of response from anyone outside the ship.
THE SLORG!
"The last time I had fish, I hated it. But that was fish native to another world; I'd be delighted to try some from Earth" Blue said, the general Grexian opinion on Earth slipping through a little as he sat down.
"And yes, my condolences about the king, but as I said, that is actually exactly what I came to talk about" Blue mentioned with a respectful bow of his head, before opening his briefcase to fish around inside and retrieve a smaller folder. "Though the relevancy between the two of us is rather low, I feel it only right to mention to you Lord Tebigon that our company has likewise been anticipating the possible death of your king. See, a good number of our civil defense and border patrol contacts with Verandi were technically signed in the king's name, especially the border patrols; and as the terms of our contracts state, when he died those contracts technically ended as well" he began as he opened the folder and quickly glanced over the contents.
"Normally we would just take our payment and leave immediately under such circumstances. But seeing as the Verandi empire is our largest and most loyal customer base, we decided some time ago that it did not seem fitting for us to do so. Now, due to the communication lag, I don't have confirmation that my counterparts in Verandi have actually gone through with our plan, but I can only assume they have" Blue went on, closing the folder and sliding it towards Lord Tebigon. "That plan goes simply as follows: first we refund all the voided contracts in full, even those near completion. Of our forces with those voided contracts, the ones within the borders of Verandi would immediately leave, so as not to appear as if we were trying to occupy the space; the ones on border patrol would pull out to just outside Verandi space and hold position, to continue to deter any would-be troublemakers who might try to enter Verandi during such a time period" he explained at length, bringing his fingertips together. In the folder was indeed a more lengthy and fine-texted version of exactly what Blue had just told Tebigon.
Hrof stayed in step beside Solaris, noting both the lack of people and the majority of the shops being closed. He had little to think of regarding the lack of people, other than that it would make a potential firefight less likely to include collateral injuries/deaths; it was the shops being closed that was starting to tip him off to something being wrong. Grexian society didn't really include shops, since they had no real form of currency, but as any Military caste member sent out on assignment, he'd been given a crash course on the idea of it and what to generally expect, from a tactical standpoint, when dealing with them.
These shops should be open Hrof thought to himself, still vigilantly looking around. He did notice the group trailing them, but his obligation about not getting non-combatants involved in a fight forced him to accept the possibility that it was a coincidence. That didn't stop him from informing the others though.
"Those men behind us may be following us" Hrof said, trying to make sure the rest of their group could hear him but not the thug-like individuals in question.
edited 8th Dec '13 1:17:13 AM by FirockFinion
You are reading this.
"I sent you a message about your previous questions, mister Piper. I am unsure what else there is to talk about" Blue said, still looking ahead as he walked. "Although you mentioned I'm going to have to hold still for a while, yes? Would it be a problem then if I put on something to watch as long as I'm not moving?" he asked, stopping near the entrance of the diner to turn and look at Piper.
"A master artisan such as yourself can surely work through some side distractions" Blue added, figuring a little flattery couldn't hurt his odds of accomplishing what he'd wanted to do.
Hrof likewise noticed the display of the thugs being apparently more for intimidation than any actual intent, but being a Military caste member that did not stop him from assessing the possible threat of the thugs deciding to open fire anyway.
He followed Solaris as they moved forward, taking up a defensive position beside her. Hrof kept his rifle in hand, sparing a glance at the thugs and keeping an eye out for any threats that may be using the thugs as a distraction; like a rooftop sniper or such.
You are reading this.