A Universal Dawn - Space Adventure Game

[Humblerock Station]

Linda's brief moment of glee upon hearing the announcement that her flight was ready was very quickly dashed, morphing into despair as the thick crowd practically stampeded towards the on-ramp. She tried to hold her ground for a moment, then quickly gave up the mass of people all moving in the same direction threatened to sweep her away and possibly crush her. She grabbed hold of Harr's arm the way a swimmer might grab hold of a large rock if they'd been caught in the vicious currents of a river. "Hey, big guy!" she called, over the noise of the crowd. "If you could do me a big favour and prevent me from getting squashed, I'd really appreciate it!"

Ceres, Humblerock Station, Sol System

At long last, the ship was here. Finally they could leave this miserable rock.

Harr’s sigh of relief was cut short as the crowd began to move. Dozens of beings surged forward all at once, and the noise level redoubled as dozens of voices called out to each other, urging family to stay close, warning strangers out of their path, all shouting to be heard over the din.

He winced. The scar over his left eye was throbbing again.

His great size was proving both an impediment and a blessing. While the tide of smaller beings made it difficult to move forward for fear of trampling something underfluke, his sheer mass also meant that the inertia of the crowd couldn’t carry him forward. The tide of refugees parted around him like an island parting a river, giving him time to think and gather his wits.

By the time he felt Linda Kesyk grab onto his arm, he was relatively calm. He nodded down at her. “Grab onto the shoulder straps,” he said, “and mind the blowhole!”

Then he picked the lieutenant commander up with one hand and lifted her onto his broad back, where she’d have to share space with the bulk of his backpack vest. It would be uncomfortable, he was sure, but at least she’d be out of the press of bodies.

Once he was sure she had a firm grip and wasn’t about to fall off, he started making his way toward the embarkation ramp on all threes, clicking constantly and moving slowly to avoid crushing anyone. “Excuse me. One side, please. Coming through!”

Ceres, Humblerock Station, Sol System — Erruan

Erruan was pleased that the dotur hadn't decided to try restarting the argument, even if it probably wasn't for lack of trying. The minutes felt more like hours, trickling by with the agonising slowness that only extended boredom could provide. Lacking anything else to do, the broad shouldered sirian simply checked and rechecked small parts of her armour and spared the occasional glance around the room. Unsurprisingly, most of the refugees were of human stock, though there was no shortage of equally exotic races. Humans were clever and adaptable, but the same could be said of any species that actually made it to spaceflight and beyond - barring truly exceptional situations, the more inflexible or idiotic species were unlikely to survive long enough to get there.

The simple, repetitive motions of examining her armour reminded Erruan of the Ebenist tenet of prayer in motion. According to the Book of Spring, by exercising or carrying out other physical activities whilst praying, you could simply let yourself become part of existence. Therefore, you could become closer to Eben. Although not all Ebenists did it, it was nonetheless a popular choice.

At long last, the red light turned green. Erruan had hoped to beat the mad rush earlier, but it was not to be as the refugees swamped the entryway. She felt for the hapless spaceport official who had to manage this mess. Slowly working her way through the crowd, Erruan was careful to avoid accidentally stepping on a wayward being's toes or tail, murmuring apologies as she tried to get by. She sometimes found herself being crushed against similarly large individuals as she went, though it wasn't by choice. One of the few reliefs was the cool, fresh air that seeped through the seals of the entryway, removing some of the heat that had been trapped by her fur.

Somewhere ahead she could see the njaryleth getting through the mob in a rather unconventional manner with a human piggy-backing on him; the sight was unusual enough that she smiled to herself. But for now, the spaceship's entry - and the potential for a new life beyond its doors - called to her, and she responded.

Dinerrsa's attention waned as it seemed less and less likely that an all out fight was going to break out. She idly went back to waiting and wondering how much longer until the ship would finally be boarding, when then the light changed and of course the crowd surged for the gate. Before she could have time to be taken aback by the sudden movement of bodies, Dinerrsa gave a sudden howl as someone in the mob brushing past her stepped on her tail.

As Pendi whined in fear of the crowd moving past and her mother suddenly howling out, Dinerrsa grumbled and held her tail up. Now she just had to find a way to move along the crowd which was... Not looking promising. She feared that rolling her suitcase behind her could end up with it being lost as people bump into her; and while she had the strength to hoist it up and carry it with one arm and Pendi with the other, she didn't trust her stamina to hold out all the way to the gate doing so. Then she thought of a double solution; in addition to holding the handle of her suitcase with her hand, she looped her tail through it and wrapped it on the suitcase. That way nobody would step on her tail again, (Unless they just didn't care about stepping on her suitcase as well, which she didn't consider.) and she had more connection to the suitcase, making it less likely she'd lose grip and have it stolen in the crowd.

With that, she trudged forward, trying to keep herself right behind larger figures, where she thought it would be less likely for her to be trampled or swept along by the crowd.

Galactic Congress, Dama Latvama

Four soft feet padded their way down the rows of seats from the center section of the auditorium. A meter in length and just over half a meter high, the quehog known as Sosef Pesadalgo did not reach the top of most of the desks he passed. But carrying himself with such a lively sprint in his walk, he could not help but draw the eyes of everyone he passed.

Many mistook quehogs broad mouthed, default expressions as an out-of-place cheerful smile regardless of circumstances. Pesadalgo was a unique case where those assumptions were, in fact, accurate. A pleasantly plump fellow who always enjoyed a good joke and could usually find something to laugh at in any situation, he made friends even among citizens of ostensibly hostile powers. It seemed strange to those that knew him that he jumped at the chance to head up the Committee of Military Affairs.

"Friends and fellow delegates," he started once he made it to the front of the auditorium. "For the past week, this committee has gathered intelligence from across the galaxy concerning the state of military movements, readiness, and build-up. Let me start off by saying that despite certain flair ups, the galaxy is at the most peaceful state it has ever been in the past twenty years."

There was scattered displays of approval at that statement, along with a few glances towards the delegates of one of the source of the mentions flair ups, the He-Tai Nation.

"That being said," Pesadalgo continued, "Peace is a fragile thing, hard to build up and easy to tear down. The smallest of incidents can have an overblown affect on the affairs of the galaxy and send us all back into the maelstrom of war. Already rumor and suspicions arm leading to arms races among ourselves. Taking this into account this committee has the following proposition: A non-aggression pact among all our members."

edited 3rd Oct '16 3:39:24 PM by Parable

Galactic Congress — Azunn

Azunn had met Sosef a few times before - he found him an utterly pleasant person to work with, his easygoing nature melding well with Azunn's own approach to diplomacy. Pesadalgo was, in fact, probably one of the people in the room he felt most at ease with. Of course, that was a potential liability. Any such thoughts could wait, however, as the proposal that he and the rest of the committee had worked upon was tabled.

Almost as soon as Pesadalgo had finished speaking, Azunn had stood up. "Fellow delegates, I would like to make clear the Sirian Union's support for this motion. Perhaps of all the nations present at today's conference, we know most keenly the price of war. We will not - cannot - stand idly whilst others stand on the edge of repeating that all too common tragedy. It is in the galaxy's interests to ensure that the process of rebuilding and healing old wounds can continue unabated. For if we do not, we risk only magnifying the suffering of both ourselves and others. As a Ruzanni philosopher once said, 'If we draw our blade in anger, we are killing two people: our opponent, and ourselves.' Thank you for your time." He sat down and awaited the reaction of the other nations' delegates.

Ceneceros, City of Dama Latvama, Galactic Congress

Kaluu watched as the spokesman for the Committee of Military Affairs, a quadrupedal quehog, waddled up to take center stage. The little fellow radiated an enthusiasm that was almost contagious, and it took a conscious effort on her part not to smile.

But as he put forward the committee’s proposal, that smile was allowed to slip free. A non-aggression pact between the member states of the Galactic Congress was just the thing the fledgling government needed to bring its constituents together. It would promote peace and cooperation between them. It would permit trade and commerce to flourish. And it would allow those charged with its defense to direct their attentions outward, where other governments that had never been part of the League or the Pact might be looking on with covetous eyes.

She knew what her answer would be, even before the Sirian ambassador rose up. And when he had said his piece, her convictions were only reinforced. As he sat down, she rose in turn.

“Well said, ambassador.” She swept her gaze across the assembled delegates. “On Losshur, our people have an ancient custom known as the egg-truce. We are creatures of the sea, but our children must be laid on dry land before they can hatch. And on Losshur, such places were few and far between.” The Conductor hung her head, closing her eyes. “In those dark days of old, tribes would often war with one another for access to the best hatchery sites. And more often than not, the fighting was so fierce that those sites would be destroyed.”

She paused for effect, then lifted her head and opened her eyes. “The egg-truce was formed as a way to prevent such needless destruction and loss of life. I do not exaggerate when I say that it was the foundation of our very civilization; without it, the njalryeth might still be fighting one another with sticks and stones. As I see it, this non-aggression pact is the same. As the Sirian Ambassador has put it,” she said, gesturing to him, “this will allow our collective wounds to heal. It will allow us to prosper by standing together. For as the Great Mother teaches us, we are all Her children; though we may all have different forms, different lifespans and different languages, we are all equal in Her eyes.”

She brought her arms together over her chest and made the Sign of Concordance, curving her hands so that the fingertips of one touched the heel of the other, forming a circle.

“The Losshur Federation seconds this proposal. Thank you for your time.” With those words she settled back onto her folded tail.

[Galactic Congress] (Dama Latvama)

Shortly after the njalryeth ambassador was finished, Mnhiri took to the podium. "Let me begin by saying that the Dominion of Sakta does support the advancement of a non-aggression pact, and that I do intend to vote for this proposition's passage. However, I feel I must caution against the notion that this will ensure some kind of lasting peace. Such a belief, at this stage, would be rather premature."

She paused, briefly, staring down into the podium for a moment before continuing. "When I was a little girl, my father told me a story, that of the Rahnah Bridge. You see, centuries ago, on my homeworld, my people were divided up among several nations. Two of these nations had spent the past ten years embroiled in a vicious war, one which had only ended very recently. In an effort to ease any residual tensions, a bridge was proposed, directly linking the two nations. To shorten the story somewhat, let me just say that it was a marvel of engineering for its time and that it was a very widely celebrated idea." She paused again, looking all around the room.

"The day the bridge opened, it collapsed. Its foundations were solid, but the enthusiasm from all sides had led to the opening being rushed; it was held before the bridge was fully complete, leaving it unable to cope with the crowds of people who'd wanted to cross it. Now, in the story, no one is harmed and a new bridge is commenced upon right away... But of course, real life is rarely like the tales we might tell our children. Nevertheless, a new bridge was eventually constructed - on those same foundations, no less - and it remains in use to this day," she said.

"And so, my esteemed colleagues, my point is this: let us not cross the Rahnah Bridge before it is complete. Let us not fool ourselves into believing that we are here guaranteeing a peaceful galaxy for all future generations. But even so, let us not be blinded by cynicism. A non-aggression pact may not be the most substation of agreements, but it remains vastly superior to nothing. For even though many wounds still feel fresh and many tensions still remain, if we come together today, over this proposal, perhaps we can lay the solid foundations upon we can build a better future. Thank you all for listening."

And with that, she returned to her seat.

[Humblerock Station]

Getting a piggyback ride from a njalryeth had been very, very low on the list of things that Linda had thought might happen today. And yet, here she was, sharing space a bulky backpack and trying to avoid blocking a blowhole. Being picked up with one arm had really emphasized the size difference between them, to a slightly uncomfortable degree, leaving her to wonder, briefly, if perhaps Brenedida felt this way whenever she interacted with any of the other sapient species in the galaxy...

The discomfort soon faded, however, and Linda's mouth stretched into a mischievous grin as she resisted the urge to shout 'giddyup!' or 'onwards, noble steed, to glory!' and so on. As she looked around at the dense mass of people all around them, she became increasingly grateful that she'd bumped into Harr when she had. She didn't want to imagine being sandwiched between him and, say, that sirian from earlier. "Thanks for this, buddy," she said, patting him. "What's in this big ol' bag of yours anyhow? Anything interesting?"

edited 4th Oct '16 4:51:51 PM by Blackfire667

Galactic Congress, Dama Latvama

A great many delegates voiced their approval in their own fashions after each speaker ended their turn making a case for the proposal.

Then a dotur walk-hopped to the podium. Sheer white fur carefully combed and a plain dotur dress suite gave him an air of austerity. The nervous energy his kind were famous for channeled to his feet, which thumped on the floor to the point of distraction for those delegations nearest to him. Aloof eyes scanned the auditorium before he spoke.

"Fellow delegates." Tyvin Nguun began, speaking in the clear and firm voice of one who had been born and raised in a League military officer's family. "It may seem superfluous at this point, but the Systems' Alliance supports this proposition as well. The road to peace begins with mutual trust, and this is a step in the right direction. We have all felt the horrors of the war." He pointedly twitched his nose in Azunn's direction. "And we have all lost family, or homes, or know people who have. We were all sick and tired of it!" the little alien's voice rose in that instant. "We broke away from our overlords precisely because we could no longer tolerate being pawns in their schemes between each other, we could no longer tolerate being cannon fodder fed into the slaughter! Now we are in the midst of a grand experiment; to see if on our own, we can start anew, turn into something greater than the killing machines they intended us to be! We can start by putting down our weapons and engaging in honest commerce with one another."

"As our friend from Loshurr explained, historically peace is the bedrock of civilization. Let us take this proposal seriously and bring the Known Galaxy back on the proper course for advancement."

Polite applause arose from the same group of delegates. Once they had died down another dotur took to the floor. From what could be seen outside of his clothes, his fur was jet black save for a white patch on his ear. Hazel eyes moved from one delegate to another at random and whiskers twitched non-stop.

"The Moon Kingdom won't be puttin' up with that bloody proposal here!" Tyrir Lyngraal declared in a harsh, scratchy voice."Oi, sure, you lot be talkin' peace and feels and all this jazz, but that's easy for you to say!"

The last sentence seemed to directed at Pesadalgo, Azunn, Kaluu, Mnhiri, and Nguun, in that order.

"Look who be makin' off with the motherload of League leftovers, while the rest of us be makin' do with - with the table scraps. Nobody be botherin' you nobs with big guns and fleets, but for us little 'uns to not take the offensive when some tosser is clearly gunnin' for us is a lot of tosh it is! Why throw away the right to a preemptive strike when it be the only thing keepin' us safe when some bigger boggin starts eyein' us funny?"

edited 6th Oct '16 8:33:01 PM by Parable

Pursia hit the button to indicate she wanted to speak, and stood once her turn came up. "With all due respect, I must agree with the Moon Council, to an extent. And I insist on knowing more about the terms of this peace agreement" Pursia began, casting her masked gaze about the other members of the council.

"While the Savages has no desire for a pointless war," a couple of the Deathpanther sisters had their ears twitch, and one even turned her head to look at Pursia through her mask; Pursia continued regardless, "we will not agree to any terms that require us to disarm our only means of self defense. Furthermore, we resent the notion of having been nothing but mere pawns to the League and our Nomad allies."

Ceneceros, City of Dava Latvama, Galactic Congress

Kaluu listened to the Saktan ambassador’s speech without comment. The points she raised were fair, and Kaluu nodded in agreement with and approval of them. She was not foolish enough to think that all the galaxy’s problems would be solved if the Congress’s member states agreed to this non-aggression pact, and much work would be needed before the peace and prosperity she envisioned could come to pass.

Even so, it was a vital step in the right direction, and it warmed her heart to see that so many of her fellow delegates shared her beliefs.

When the Moon Kingdom’s representative spoke out against the pact, she weathered his outburst. That there would be opposition to the proposal came as no surprise. To achieve true concordance, all voices had to be heard, even the dissenting ones. Without discourse there could be no consensus, just a single voice dictating how others should act and think.

Once he and the Nisi representative had said their respective pieces, Kaluu signaled her wish to speak. “You both raise excellent points, ambassadors.” She clasped her hands. “I believe there is a certain saying amongst the humans: ‘si vis pacem, para bellum’. Roughly it means that if one wishes for peace, one should prepare for war.” She raised a finger. “Not that you should make war, but that you should be ready to defend yourself should the need arise.”

She nodded to the Nisi ambassador. “My inference was that the non-aggression pact will not require the members of this Congress to disarm their militaries, for that would leave many of our nations at the mercy of other powers. I need not remind everyone that the League and the Pact were not the only power blocs in this galaxy.”

Kaluu glanced at Pesadalgo then. She smiled, allowing a hint of her sharp teeth to show. “The Committee representative will, of course, correct me if I’m wrong.”

“Just my kit,” Harr said distractedly, “or at least what they let me keep of it when I mustered out.” Slowly but surely he was making his way through the throng toward the base of the boarding ramp. “Some rations, a pair of dental pliers, my old abysskin minus the helmet and oxygen tanks… not terribly interesting if you’re not into that stuff.”

He stopped short as something small and furry scurried through the space where he’d been just about to put his hand down. He growled in annoyance. The damned thing didn’t even have the decency to say “excuse me” or anything like that.

Shrugging it off, he continued on his way. As he moved, he checked to see if Brenedida Vandom was still hovering nearby.

Humblerock Station

Brenedida was closer that he might have thought. The tiny woman chose to copy Linda and hitch a ride on a larger friend as she struggled to avoid the larger flying beings in the room making their way to the ship. Brenedida chose Linda as the friend to hitch a ride on. Resting on Linda's shoulder and grabbing onto a tuft of hair to keep herself steady, Brenedida made herself as comfortable as possible. Which still was not very comfortable.

"You're really bony, you know that?" she commented as she adjusted her seating position on the human.

Atop Linda atop Harr, Brenedida had a decent vantage point to observe the refugees surging into the ship. As far as she could tell, no one actually became roadkill. In fact, a lot of smaller beings were sharing the idea of latching onto their larger compatriots, with or without their knowledge. She was almost certain that nisi did not realize there was a gleep child clinging to her back.

Five humans and a kinvesti over, the angry dotur finally broke free of the custodian's grasp and dropped to the floor. Ruffling up his fur to seem bigger, causing others to give him slightly more space, the dotur stuck close to the nearest large legs that were keeping pace with the crowd, Erruan's.

"Dear me. Oh, dear me." The wisp named Ti-Sol-Mi fretted while hovering above the crowed. It swooned about in excitement at the other beings pushing about. "I hope no one gets hurt in all this." Noticing the dotur sticking close to Erruan, it decided to stick close to the two most notable former League members to see if they caused another scene.

If the hundred or so new passengers of the Dawn expected cabins of their own, they were disappointed. The group was led down a barren metal hall to what had probably been a large storage area about 100 meters long and half as wide. Others were already there, a makeshift camp developing inside the ship. Tents and lean-to's dotted the floor, some in groupings, others off on their own. Many did not bother with the flimsy housing, and just rolled out blankets and sleeping bags on the hard floor. Cables and surge protectors formed makeshift power stations where passengers jostled each other for the chance to charge their personal devices. Others crowded around small holo displays, watching whatever movies, sports, or news the owner happened to have on at the moment. The scent of sweat, body odor, and various perfumes to mask said odor hit those with sensitive noses almost at once.

"There's no way this is meeting safety regulations." Brenedida muttered while taking in the sights.

edited 11th Oct '16 9:39:11 PM by Parable

Pursia didn't respond to Kaluu, as it wasn't her turn to speak at the moment. Not that Pursia wanted to say anything out loud anyway, though hidden by her mask she couldn't help but look ever so slightly perplexed. Why a human phrase? Does your species not have their own? Pursia thought quietly to herself.

As soon as Dinerrsa could, she turned to get herself out of the moving throng of various species and into the open floor space of the cargo area. At least in here there was plenty of room to stand in, even if the amount of people in here meant it was still by all means crowded. The pungent mix of smells hit her hard, making her cringe a bit, but she could handle it; being a former professional fighter used to locker rooms filled with other sweaty nisi women had done that.

Which speaking of, it had not escaped Dinerrsa's attention that there were some nisi- and gleep- in the crowd. But it didn't take much looking for her to decide to stay out of their way. Other nisi women were naturally with their families, setting up their own sections of the room to designate as their own, some with full camping supplies and others just winging it; one family had even claimed one of the ad-hoc power stations and were aggressively shooing away others. Nisi men^note Granted there probably weren't many this far from Savages space. would stick around the nisi women families just for the familiarity and because of their instincts to protect nisi women. Dinerrsa could also see that gleep in the room were either sticking with the nisi groups or as far away from said groups as possible.

But Dinerrsa was alone, with Pendi. Nisi women being alone just wasn't a thing for them, unless by chance the rest of their family was dead; or were, as Dinerrsa was, a disgraced outcast. Other nisi women would not be accepting Dinerrsa any time soon, so she was on her own in this crowd. But she'd accepted that quite some time ago, and it didn't bother her... Much.

What did bother her was that this was all one big open room. Now, the arrangement of maybe having to sleep on the floor wasn't that big a deal. Yeah it sucked that she had no sleeping roll or tent, but she could use her bag as a crude pillow and that would be enough for her. No, what bothered her about this was that all these other people would be in the same room as Pendi, with no walls or a door to keep them away; if any of them managed to sneak up while Dinerrsa was asleep... She didn't want to think about it. So she moved towards one edge of the room, looking for somewhere a bit more isolated, as far away from the other nisi, and any sirians, as possible.

edited 13th Oct '16 4:37:01 AM by FirockFinion

Dama Latvama

Pesadalgo trembled with excitement and gave a small jump in agreement. "Miss Kaluu is correct. No one is talking about a slash in military levels."

The delegates from the Independent Commonwealth were once again whispering loudly among themselves. Those with an eye for strife could see that the same woman who had spoken earlier was again opposing the others. After much finger pointing and arm waving the woman could be heard whispering loudly, "Fine! Fine!" before motioning to be allowed to speak.

"Then maybe we should be talking about arms reduction." she said to the congress. "No one suffered more than us in the late war! We know better than anyone else what overwhelming, unstoppable force can do to a people. How can we feel safe when the only thing keeping some of our more 'militant' members," Here she made air quotes with her fingers. "From walking over us is an agreement they can discard at their convenience?"

The heiwan woman stared defiantly at the proposition's supporters. There was a slight stir among the delegates as they murmured over each side's arguments. More than a few checked the Congressional database for the name of the IC's chief spokesman, unfamiliar as she was to the political veterans in the building. The search brought up a name; Rolihlahla, the standard life trivia, and precious little else.

[Humblerock Station]

Linda smiled wryly at her tiny passenger. "I'll be sure to wear shoulder-pads in the future," she said. "Just don't yank, okay?"

The journey into the ship was a slow and uneventful one, leading up to a disappointing conclusion in what looked like a former cargo bay-type area, emptied out to accommodate the thick crowd that now occupied it. The place was smelly, noisy, provided very little privacy, and was probably an enormous fire hazard, to say nothing of the fact that the lighting was so shoddy it might as well have been nothing more than a group of wisps gathering near the ceiling... But at least there was room to stretch.

Once Harr came to a stop, she patted him to get his attention. "I'll get off now," she said. "That kit of yours was digging into my back the whole time, but still, I appreciate the ride!" Then, turning to Brenedida, she said "Hold on tight! Or, you know, start flying. Up to you." And with that, she brought both her legs around to one side and slid off Harr and onto the floor. She took a good look around, then muttered "I feel so short now..."

Turning to her much taller companion once more, she said "I know I already asked what was in that bag of yours, but I don't suppose you conveniently forgot to mention that you're also packing a huge tent, huh?"

[Galactic Congress]

Before getting up to speak, Mnhiri very nearly rolled her eyes. "I think I can safely say," she began, after reaching the podium. "That nobody here is honestly considering any kind of large-scale disarmament campaign." She thought the idea was thoroughly absurd, but tried to maintain a neutral tone regardless. "While the galaxy is relatively peaceful, it is a new and fragile peace. And I'm sure I don't need to explain to any of you the role that armies and navies can play in maintaining sure things..."

She let that linger, but just for second. Was that a veiled slight against the heiwa ambassador, or not? Only Mnhiri would know for sure. Maybe playing politics wouldn't be so hard after all. "To say nothing of the effects large-scale job losses would have on the vulnerable economies of some of our esteemed members," she added, just for good measure.

"On my home-world, long before Rahnah Bridge was ever even an idea, the warriors of ancient empires fought each other with swords and spears. Those who were lucky enough to return home often found that they struggled to go about their lives when separated from their weapons. Some individuals lived out the remainder of their lives with a sword at their hip," she said. "And while we are not ancient warriors, I believe the sentiment remains relevant today. With the Final War still fresh in the minds of many, I suspect that very few people are quite ready to put their swords away... Thank you all for listening."

Dawn, Ceres — Erruan

Erruan's ears twitched this way and that as they picked up the patter of a dotur's footsteps. A quick glance confirmed her suspicions, though the lupine sirian maintained an expression that was the picture of indifference. If he wanted to pick a fight again, well, that was going to be entirely on him. She had no intention of giving the dotur - or anyone else for that matter - the satisfaction of seeing her get angry or cause trouble.

The first thing that hit her like a punch to the nose was the smell. She was no stranger to how hygiene tended to slip a bit in times of hardship - being stuck at a hasty observation post for days on end with the nearest vibrowasher many miles away came to mind - but it wasn't exactly an experience she welcomed the return of. Her muzzle wrinkled as she blew air forcefully out of her nose, as though that might somehow blow the stench away. That aside, the adaptability and ingenuity of her fellow sapients never failed to amaze her.

As she pondered the impromptu "power stations", she noticed a group of sirians off in one corner of the storage area - one of them male. A particularly mean and rough looking sirian woman seemed to be keeping an eye on the crowds. Her mind made the immediate connection that it was an arrun, the sirian equivalent to a family. Erruan briefly considered joining them, but thought better of it. For one thing she wasn't sure how the arrun would react to a stranger (much less a female sirian stranger in powered armour), and for another she was sure that they would want her story. That could lead to complications if they didn't like her background.

Instead, she settled for finding a relatively open space - or at least the most open space that the cramped conditions allowed - and unloaded her bag. The first thing to come out was a bivouac; it was one of the things she had taken with her when she fled, and it seemed the trusty shelter would be of help once more. At least it'd help make sure no-one tried to steal her spot. Actually setting it up could wait, though - for now she was just content to let her new reality settle in.

edited 11th Nov '16 11:43:28 AM by Flanker66

Dawn, Ceres

Upon reaching the ship’s hold, Harr could not help but let out a sigh. He couldn’t deny that their new… accommodations… were roomier than the cramped chamber they’d just left, but given the sheer number of passengers crowding into the cargo hold that would soon change. “Why did you expect any different, Harr?” he muttered under his breath.

He lumbered over to an unclaimed stretch of the deck and let his tail stretch out. Not only would this give his muscles a chance to relax, it would also let anyone who thought of muscling in know that this spot was taken.

When Linda Kesyk slid off his back and asked if he had a tent, he shook his head. “All I have is a bedroll.” He undid the buckles holding the straps of his backpack vest together. He carefully slipped his left arm through its strap, using the right arm to support himself, then shrugged his shoulders so that the backpack slid down to the ground.

With that weight off his back and his tail no longer forced into an awkward bend, Harr took a moment to breathe deeply and wiggle his flukes. Then he opened the backpack, dug out his bedroll and spread it across the deck. The roll’s batteries were sufficiently charged from all the ambient noise, and a flick of the power switch energized and inflated the fabric. As he lay down upon it, using the backpack as a makeshift pillow, a grateful sigh exploded from his blowhole; the mattress rocked and pulsed gently beneath Harr, and if he closed his eyes and let his mind wander he could almost fool himself into believing that he was back on Nan’she, dozing in the warm coastal waters on the shores of Crucis.

He sighed again. Cracking open an eye, he glanced at Linda Kesyk. “You can’t imagine how much I miss the sea.”

Having gone for one of the more open looking areas herself, Dinerrsa was annoyed to see a couple of large individuals looking to set up their own sleeping accommodations close by, then had to grind her teeth when she realized one was a sirian.

"Hey! Dinerrsa see this place first! Why doesn't sirian go be with others!?" Dinerrsa yapped at the larger alien.

She did not actually bother to have paid attention well enough to know if she was really the first to get to this particular section of the room, but that wasn't going to stop her from saying that she was. She also did not realize the obvious way her question could be directed back at herself.

Dawn

The galaxy was awash with dotur. An exaggeration, to be sure, but for those who lived in what had once been the League, there was some truth to it, as the species on a whole tended to move about it large numbers, making their presence felt wherever they settled. But the Dawn was not in old League space, and even with the mass migration the refugee crisis had caused, dotur were still only coming around in small numbers in Sol.

So for a certain angry bunny, the interior of the ship proved a disappointment. No other members of his species could be found among the passengers coming in or already on. Whiskers drooped. Then shot up again as a passing gleep stepped on his toe.

"Fookin' wanker!" he shouted at the reptile scurrying away, who took no notice of him. The dotur made to go after it, but found himself once again have to dodge about the legs of larger beings. Hopping this way and that, he made his way to one of the few remaining open spaces left in the cargo hold.

"Making my way here! No rushing!" he shouted to those around him as he scurried to the spot next to Dinerrsa's family's plot.

Several feet away, Brenedida nodded in sympathy to Harr's remarks. "Fresh air would be nice right about now too. I can't remember the last time I was planetside and wasn't breathing recycled oxygen."

Dawn — Erruan

"It's obvious they want to be left alone." Erruan gazed at Dinerrsa with a distinctly unimpressed expression. It wasn't a lie per se - the family seemed to be sending every possible signal that they wanted to be unbothered. And Erruan had no intention of sparking a confrontation with sirians who might be more than a little irritable. "One could ask the same about you - why aren't you with them?" She jerked her head to indicate the other nisi.

Oh, perfect. Erruan had just noticed the arrival of the dotur. She seemed to attract unpleasant beings wherever she went. If there had been more space, she might have simply packed up and hunted for another spot, but as it was she was certain that any search would be fruitless. Instead, she'd just have to grin and bear it.

edited 21st Nov '16 11:38:05 AM by Flanker66

In a move that most would probably consider hypocritical, Dinerrsa's answer to Erruan was short and simple, "not sirian's business!" With her ears pinning back and a little more of a growl, Dinerrsa then added, "and Dinerrsa want to be left alone too, so why not sirian leave Dinerrsa?!"

Something in the corner of her vision caught her attention, and Dinerrsa glanced over, a part of her subconscious wondering briefly, very briefly, if some younger Nisi-In had just come close to them; but instead, it was just the short dotur. "Grah! Dinerrsa hate stupid crowded ship!" Dinerrsa muttered in a frustrated tone.

[Dawn]

Linda sighed and sat down near Harr. "I miss all kinds of shit," she said. "Having a clear purpose in life, disposable income..." She glance down at the hard, metal floor she was sitting on. "Soft furniture..." She paused then and gave the notion some serious thought. "I miss noodles," she said, at last. "Real, Terran noodles. Mom would make 'em herself sometimes..." She trailed off, sighed again, and scooched over, finally coming to rest again as she leaned back against Harr's flank. "Although, really, anything other than rations or 'Scrounged-Up Surprise Stew' would be an improvement at this point."

Dawn

"Oi, luv." the dotur quipped at Dinerrsa, his big ears picking up her grumbling, "You ain't seen stupid crowded till you got a whole fookin' regiment packed like canned veggies in a transport."

He slung his pack, a League military issued backpack down onto the ground, unbuckling and rolling out his sleeping bag and lean-to with practiced ease. "Right cozy in here it is you ask me." He looked around at the assembled group, even Erruan, earlier hostility apparently gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"I saw someone selling noodles over in the corner over there." Brenedida said, pointing towards the corner left of the entryway to the huge cargo hold. "Bunch of people selling crap over there, actually."

There was a considerable distance from their current location to where the alien pixie was indicating, even as a straight line. As it was, there were several "blocks" of makeshift camps between the Sol refugees and the seller stalls.

Whether Mnhiri intended a dig at Rolihlahla or not, the IC delegate did not seem to take it as one. Her fellow representatives however, ruffled at the perceived slight. Literally ruffled their feathers in displays of anger. Rolihlahla motioned again to speak before they could start shouting. She looked directly at the Saktan delegation when she spoke again.

"Maybe it's time for those ancient warriors to beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks. The more this nation or that nation builds up it's military, the more we risk them turning into the next oppressor."

edited 27th Dec '16 11:09:28 PM by Parable

"Dinerrsa hopes never does" Dinerrsa muttered, scowling at the thought.

Behind her mask, Pursia frowned slightly, then she gently reached out her hand and pressed the button to indicate she wished to speak. Once her time came, she stood and faced towards Rolihlahla. "The Savages is in support of a galactic peace, but we cannot endorse this foolish notion of disarming. Supposing hypothetically that we all agree to lay down arms, then who will be enforcing this policy? And with what? Any one nation keeping weapons in secret would then be in an excellent position to perform a hostile takeover against any of us, or potentially even all of us; and with the rest of us having no weapons, we would have no chance of stopping them" Pursia said at length.

"And that's not to mention, how would we protect ourselves from those who are not part of this congress? Not all who were part of the League and Pact are members here; I see no direct representation of the Nomads, for instance" Pursia challenged, slowly turning about to look at the other ambassadors there, as if to add to her point about those where were not there, stopping as she got back to facing Rolihlahla. "This idea of having us all disarm relies on naive and foolish ideals of how the galaxy works that are simply false" she added, raising her chin up a little.

[Dawn]

Linda jumped to her feet at Brenedida's observation, then paused, and sank back down again, leaning back against Harr's side more dejectedly than ever. "I doubt I could afford it," she muttered. "I've barely got any cash left over!" She sighed and just stared at the ceiling for a moments, watching the Bobs float around among the lights.

An idea occurred to her, and she sat back up. "I mean... Unless you guys want to split a bowl?" she asked, a bit of a desperate smile on her face. "Between the three of us, I bet have enough money!"