[Railing]
"You're correct. The rank is...more for the comfort of others involved in the project, then anything else." She closed her eyes a moment. "A little of the enlisted or commissioned pilots debate, a little of being unwilling to send someone into combat without them being an actual soldier, some examination of the raw power of the weapons system they actually created being a little too much to feel safe trusting to someone who's enlisted."
Anne grimaced. "It turned out that after twenty years of developmental and design and finally building the prototype, perhaps a thousand people were capable of interfacing with the system. And all of them were under eighteen. And there's no time to go back and spend another twenty years developing an alternative, or even the five years it would take figuring out why this is so. So, I'm a lieutenant in the army."
The grimace acquired some, but not all, aspects of a grin. "Like I said. It's mainly for the comfort of others. Though I probably will be shipped off to OCS so I legitimately earn the rank."
[Bar]
Samuel looked up. "In all honesty, no. I recognize some of the bottles and logos," he was pretty sure that was a rare Belkan whiskey on the second shelf there, and where they'd gotten boggled the mind, "but I just asked for something with a kick and got it. And it didn't have the slightest effect on me. Downside of being a cyborg I guess."
Nous restons ici.[Restaurant]
As Cain went through four scoops of his dessert, Jane gobbled up a sundae about twice the size, with bananas and chocolate fudge covering the ice-cream. She managed to finish it before Cain, letting out a deeper belch than one would expect from a woman of her size. Could go for. . . round two. . . Her thoughts moved at a snail's pace, still savouring the aftertaste.
"So, after you finish yours is there anything you want to do before the drill?"
Right now she has an ice-cream mustache that she hasn't noticed.
My name is darthnazgul and TV Tropes has ruined my life.Museum
Talitha looked back at the map. "Hmm..." she said before looking around the geology section again. "Well, personally I find looking at rocks to be rather boring. 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' be damned. On the other hand, if we get this section over with first, we'll have more time to look at the more interesting parts after the drill."
Her thoughts were interrupted when someone else, introducing himself as "Wanderer Suliver," entered the museum. Talitha turned to face the newcomer, and gave him a brief look over. Not exactly the sort of person she was used to seeing, but compared to some of the other beings on this ship he looked quite ordinary.
"Wanderer," huh? He definitely looks the part, she thought. Either way, he seemed friendly enough, so she might as well return the favor.
"I'm Talitha Davis, and this is Whitney Morgan," she replied, motioning to herself and Whitney in turn. "We were just deciding which part of this museum to go to first."
Icon by Civvi the Civilian![Railing]
The Ambassador tapped one claw against the other thoughtfully. The situation had definitely just taken a more serious turn.
"Why is it so urgent," he said, "that there is no time to study this - 'weapons system' - or even to wait for those who can use it to mature? Among my people, it isn't seen as wise to send pre-adults into battle, and ours have less, sss, developmental issues then human adolescents often do."
[Bar]
Kazuko shrugged again. "Well, I expected something like that. Inter'dimensional' cruise, and so forth."
She motioned the bartender over and glanced at Samuel. "Didn't know anyone still used the term 'cyborg' anymore. I mean, I know you're from Somewhere else and that, but given that it sounds like your civilization's higher-up the technology ladder then we are... well, kinda weird."
"Nice to meet you... and what exactly is this place for?" He asked, the confusion easily noted in his voice. He continued before they could respond. "Besides nearly giving me a heart attack with the giant skeleton.... thing."
At least it wasn't a Wraith he told himself, and shuddered visibly. "I'm suprised they let me keep my sword and shield"
Ship Deck
Seleeth stared coldly in the direction she came from, before slowly crawling out and straitening her shirt. Unnoticeable to most people unless they where looking closely at her, but her claws had grone a few inches longer, and fur was starting to grow on her body.
"Great, i haven't even done anything yet and i'm already being assaulted. It's nice to know that racists exist in the realms." She mumbled, before hopping onto the chair, curling up, and napping in the sunny spot.
edited 14th Sep '12 11:38:38 PM by Brotherz22
I don't normally have to think. When I do, things have gone terribly wrong for everyone.Resturant
As the waiter came over Sukio nearly jumped out of her skin.
"What can i get you?" he asked casually.
There were to many windows, He could show up at any time, she was starting to panic, "Something simple and quick, surprise me." she said shoeing the Waiter off, thinking 'The sooner i can get out of here the sooner i can hide under the bed from Him.'
Taking a long breath she opened her hand, a candy cane eforming in it she sucked on to sooth her nerves.
7 friends, a robot, and a spirit, will find a way to protect us...if it kills them.[Restaurant]
Cain finished his dessert, but not quite as quickly as Jane here, who now sports a fancy ice cream mustache. A tiny, crooked grin escaped from Cain as he noticed the moustache. "Not really, I suppose we could talk, besides," Cain added in slight sarcastic tone, "I haven't told you all my weaknesses yet."
Just a little retcon here because apparently I fail English Vocabulary, even though I KNOW what 'deadpan' means.
edited 15th Sep '12 11:48:30 PM by Tehpillowstar
"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - R. W. Raymond[Railing]
"Because we're out of time. The enemies it was created to fight arrived." Anne regarded the water quietly for several long moments. "Cliche, attacking Japan first. The next one isn't expected for a couple of months."
She stretched her arms. "They'll probably look for gaps in the coverage. Poke around another continent besides Asia. Hope they don't try South America, that'd be awkward. I don't think they have any of the new stuff."
[Bar]
Samuel examined his empty glass for a moment. "Cybernetics aren't recent. They simply weren't considered a worthwhile avenue of development for us, we had other methods of achieving the same effects. The occasional mad science type or criminal dealt in them, but considering their lesser resources and questionable morality...well. We lifted the design I use from such a criminal, in fact. Not really more moral, but more confidant he could command the loyalty of people without a backdoor."
He raised his right hand and wiggled the last three fingers. "But it's easier to fix a cyborg than it is to fix someone unaugmented. And that's important now. Not enough people in the service to let them spend long periods of time out of action if there are options."
edited 14th Sep '12 10:54:25 PM by Night
Nous restons ici.[Railing]
"Your Earth is being... invaded?" the Ambassador asked, his tone hard to read. "By what?"
[Restaurant]
Kazuko thought for a few moments, then ordered a glass of cold water; getting anything more interesting was something to do later in the evening, not right away.
"See, where I come from, the reason we don't use 'cyborg' anymore is because everyone's augmented," she told Samuel, "at least everyone within the GA Mainstream. It took a long time to get to that point - we still might not have if they hadn't cracked the Kovrons' nanotech back in the twenty-first century - but it's been like that for a while."
She grinned a little at herself. "God, I sound like Carter now. So what's these 'other methods', anyway?"
What time is it?
edited 15th Sep '12 12:46:45 AM by nrjxll
[Restaurant]
"Weaknesses?" Jane went back to sitting more straight instead of gradually sliding off her chair, Curiouser and curiouser.
"Instead of that subject - well, still related but beside the point - you seem to be rather trusting with such information. Talking about weaknesses, dead parents and dark magic, not exactly the kind of things you'd talk about with just anyone. Especially considering-" Jane caught her tongue before it ran off and declared her job description, "Whatever it is that I do. No, instead of weaknesses I have a different question; Why?"
My name is darthnazgul and TV Tropes has ruined my life.Resturant
Sukio was starting to relax as she sucked on her candy cane, to the point she almost forgot to keep a eye on reflective surfaces as the Waiter brought over a saled and burger.
"Here you go miss. Quick, simple, but filling"
Sukio smiles "T-Thank you." she said picking at the saled first
7 friends, a robot, and a spirit, will find a way to protect us...if it kills them.[Restaurant]
"It would be rude not to answer your questions, besides, I have told you little that could not be figured out if you talked with my companions," he said, a slight condescending tone entering his voice. He noticed the pause, whatever she was about to say, it was of sensitive matter. Interesting. Her sarcasm detector probably wasn't quite as good as his, if she took his weaknesses comment seriously. Not as interesting.
In truth, he told her because mostly he could, but also to gain her trust, and to be whatever this 'friendly' means. (Obviously, that last part was a joke.) Perhaps if he were careful, he could get her to mention her own past and profession.
"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - R. W. Raymond[Resaurant]
"It's just surprising," Jane gestured towards the empty bowl in front of her, "I shown you my weakness but you're handing them out on a silver platter. And letting them be known, even by friends?"
She shook her head, leaning on the table. "Sorry. Maybe I'm just not used to this kind of thing, meeting people so. . . open. Or maybe I'm just selective, who knows. Still have to get it all into my head that this is a vacation, not work. I still remember my first 'social night', at a bar. Let's just say we'd be thankful such places carry first-aid kits."
edited 15th Sep '12 3:53:12 PM by darthnazgul
My name is darthnazgul and TV Tropes has ruined my life.Museum
"This is a museum. Strange that they managed to fit one onto a cruise ship, but...." Talitha responded. Then it occurred to her that this man might not know what a museum was to begin with. As odd as that might be, the nature of this cruise certainly allowed people from places where this sort of thing didn't exist.
"To elaborate a little bit, a museum is a place where stuff from the past, such as fossils, artifacts, and sometimes art, are put up for display so the public can learn about the time they were from. They generally have their own building because they tend to be...really big. You wouldn't find one on most cruise ships since most don't have the space."
After she was done with that, she turned to Whitney. "I'm thinking we should just look around this section. I don't think we'll have to time to look at something else before the drill starts, depending on how long we spend searching for it. Are you okay with that?"
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!Suliver listened intently to the explanation. Wait a second...
"Your saying that skeleton used to be ALIVE?... I would hate to see one of those in action. Although... nah, never mind." After listening to the two women talk to each over, he began thinking. suddenly, his eyes shot open.
"I got two more questions. One: do you mind if i join you? i really have no idea where anything is on this ship." He started looking a little embarrassed when he began asking his second question....
"Second: do you know anything that might keep cats out of here?"
I don't normally have to think. When I do, things have gone terribly wrong for everyone.Resturant -> Main Deck
After finishing her meal Sukio had all but forgotten what she was so afraid off. Leaving her tip she got up and made her way back to the main deck, taking in the fresh air before comming to the side looking out at the ocean and smiled.
then a cat appeared in the reflection of the water, her heart stopping as she dropped to her knees, shivering, her voice low as she sut her eyes tight, "just go away, just go away."
7 friends, a robot, and a spirit, will find a way to protect us...if it kills them.[Railing]
"Difficult to explain." Anne said softly. "We don't know that ourselves. We call them XTs. We know they can be vastly powerful. But they cover a wide range of apparent abilities, their responses to our actions whether hostile or not cover a broad range too. We're not even sure they're intelligent. If they are, they either don't recognize we are, or don't care, or can't communicate. Which is possible since we don't even know if they talk to each other."
A several seconds long pause. "When people talk about alien invasions, they usually think of...something like you. I suppose when your people thought of such things, they probably thought of things like me, too. They rarely envision something truly and completely alien." She shook her head. "To us, they are such. To them, we may well be as alien as everything else on Earth. And impossible to distinguish."
[Restaurant]
Samuel held out his hand, cupped slightly, fingers spread. Small points of light of a deep blue appeared above his fingertips. "The inborn ability to violate thermodynamics and generate energy from nothing. It isn't, on the surface, as useful as it sounds. You can just blast something without much effort if you have enough aptitude to generate the raw energy. But aside from simple offensive use, you need to be able to do complex math in your head, quickly, to do something useful."
He let the lights go out and offered a grin that had just a hint of the predatory. "Combine that ability with an extremely portable, extremely powerful computer that can interface with your nervous system, however. Your abilities are limited by what understanding of physics and dimensional mechanics you can cram into the computer, the efficiency with which it can use energy, and what you can provide in terms of energy or imagination. Flight without wings or visible thrust. The ability to turn or nullify attacks that would destroy large buildings. Most people born with the ability aren't that talented, of course. But they can still punch well above the normal weight of a single person on foot."
edited 15th Sep '12 8:56:18 PM by Night
Nous restons ici.[Restaurant]
"I simply answered your questions," he answered, "I told you nothing of considerable importance. If I truly wanted to tell you how to defeat me in battle, then I would have drunk whatever the person Melvin was drinking and sing coarse songs." He was getting quite sleepy. He hoped the drill won't take too long. Perhaps afterwards he could take a nice nap in the sun, or at least under some shade from an umbrella or plastic palm tree.
He was telling the truth, which if Jon were here, he probably would of laughed. Quite frankly, he could of whipped up an elaborate lie to Jane here, but such things can get out of hand too quickly to be worth it, besides, this was a Cruise. There is no life-threatening situation to bluff out of.
"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - R. W. Raymond[Restaurant]
"Yeah," Jane began to chuckle, "drinking that stuff probably would prompt a fight. At least on my side of things." She then couldn't escape (nor did she want to) the mental image of Cain performing drunk karaoke. Master plan for the evening; Set.
"I haven't met someone so honest since. . ." Jane remembered the artificial intelligence from earlier, "almost an hour ago. It's kind of refreshing."
My name is darthnazgul and TV Tropes has ruined my life.[Railing]
The Ambassador turned his head slightly, staring at Anne directly with one brass 'eye'. "I think you would be wrong about what we imagined," he said.
He thought for a moment, one claw flexing against the railing. "The modern gluvpaki - my species - were not the first form of our kind. We're a mutation, one that formed following the so-called Great Devastation: a nuclear war that led to the extinction of the original baseline gluvpaki. Most records of that time were lost, and it was a long time before we learned the cause: a powerful, hostile, and - so we thought - incomprehensible enemy had invaded our homeworld, one that the ancient gluvpaki could only defeat by turning their own nuclear arsenal upon themselves."
He glanced away. "Four hundred years ago, that same enemy returned - but, as part of an alliance with the humans of our reality and other species, the gluvpaki defeated them. A victory that came, in very large part, because we looked past this supposed 'incomprehensibility' and managed to learn something of why the enemy did what they did. I know nothing of your reality or your enemy beyond what you have just told me, and certainly one thing that history teaches us is not to rely too closely on it. But I would not be so quick to assume that you can know nothing at all of these 'XTs'."
[Restaurant]
"...Huh," Kazuko said. Now getting drunk sounds a bit better. "That's, uh... interesting. Definitely nothing like that where I come from."
The bartender came over with the glass of water she'd ordered, and she took a sip: nice and cool, just the way she liked it. "Anyway, I... I... yeah, kinda lost my train of thought right now. That's one hell of a reality you come from."
[Railing]
"Perhaps. But asking the ants to comprehend us...is about the level of difficulty here." Anne shrugged. "And in the end, one does not truly need to understand one's opponent to kill them. It helps, sometimes. But it's done above my level of interaction with them."
She sighed and leaned heavily on the railing. "Little girl. Big war."
[Bar]
Samuel chuckled. "It's a living. Someone apparently did their homework enough to know what each of us can safely have for food and drink." He ordered a water as well. "So I suppose none of us will have an allergic reaction and die, which is both thoughtful and implies our hosts are pretty busy people."
He took a long gulp of water. "As one of my instructors said, hydrate or die."
Nous restons ici.

-Museum-
"I'm sure we can look at one section before the Drill." Whitney said. "But which one?"
Just floating around...