<b>The Great Unknown. (Running RP)</b><br/><br/>The Great Unknown(Running RP/see app thread)<br/><br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-01-05 09:05:31	Chapter 1: Red Letter Day<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>It began much as it had ended. With a woman.<br/>The joys of the senses he had known, of the smell of her rose scented perfume, the glassy ocean of blue that was her eyes, the delightful taste of cherry lips, the opalescent sound of her voice whispering his name...and the warm texture of her bare skin.<br/><br/>All these pleasures, derelict now, Garrick strapped tightly into the seat. Almost welded in, his entire body felt numb, his mind no longer the boundaries between metal and flesh. It was a cruel reality one that he welcomed within the deep recesses of his mind.<br/><br/>Garrick idly tapped his food against the deckplate, his mind wandering a bit. On the surface, his thoughts were on the mathematics...angles, elevations...the calibration of weapon sights and the like. His mind was turning spinning always flowing always smooth and then he would see something, that would trigger a memory, even before he had thought about it, her face would pop into his mind and his mind would become jumbled and chaotic again.<br/><br/>It was a distraction, a damned good one too. His inner voice grinned and told him that women were createdin a lab by the Alliance to vex and frustrate men, utterly destroying their concentration and leading to the downfall of the Empire.<br/><br/>He smiled, laughing inwardly at his own joke. The marine that was sitting opposite of him simply glared at him, obviously thinking that Garrick was laughing at him.<br/>Jarheads almost always thought that they were the brunt of all Navy jokes. For good reason...they usually were.<br/><br/>Garrick looked at him still chuckling softly, he opened his mouth for a moment, as if to explain...but thought better of it. He bit his tongue softly as the smile died on his lips.<br/>He looked the tiny portside window out into the vast void that lay spread out before them.<br/><br/>Garrick knew he should be excited. It was the most important day of his life, indeed that of the entire species.<br/>He just didn't feel it.<br/><br/>That is...until he saw it...there across the expanse....only a glimpse only a fraction, but there it was.<br/><br/>"Ladies and gentlemen...if you'll look out portside you will see the fleet...and the Flagship herself."<br/><br/>Garrick strained his neck to try to get a better view....he could only see the starboard engine...but it was huge...easily the size of two frigates stacked one on the other. The marine across from him was craning his neck as well trying to get a better glimpse, Garrick could almost heard the muscles in his neck tense.<br/><br/>Garrick frowned and pulled the safety harness away, breaking protocol but he needed to see it.<br/><br/>There she was....as plain as the stars themselves. She was massive, even with his face plastered to the window he couldn't see all of her. Still in the drydock rings of Titan's shipyards, the tiny sparkling of welding torches like fireflies on a dark summers night could be seen even from this distance.<br/>She was gorgeous. Like a woman in her finest dress, she was beyond words. Garrick smiled heartily, his thoughts of her banished.<br/><br/>He felt the tugging of eager hands on his uniform, his comrades too had risen from their seats much to the crew chief's duress, and were pulling him away from the viewport so that they too might gaze upon the Flagship.<br/><br/>Garrick sat back down in seat, the others crowding around the port.<br/><br/>"Please return to your seats" the captain's voice came across calm and authoritative.<br/>"We shall begin docking sequences momentarily."<br/><br/>Garrick smiled to himself again, refastening the harness around him, the Flagship growing bigger and bigger in the viewport.<br/><br/>Garrick chuckled. "Freedom."<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Command was a hive of activity. Everyone buzzing and rushing about, performing last minute checks of systems and weapons. New crew members had been arriving in droves, large and small from all professions and backgrounds. They were the life-blood. The soldiers and civilians that would keep the ship alive and running for the next six months.<br/>Admiral Hawkins smiled wearily at the latest batch of recruits brought aboard from the gantry that overlooked the main hangar. Soldiers and pilots from the Empire. Brave young eager faces ready to serve the Emperor.<br/><br/>James still recalled those days fondly, before the War, when he too had been like them.<br/><br/>"Admiral Hawkins sir." one of the engineers addressed him, giving a sloppy civilian salute. Hawkins nodded and returned the salute before accepting the data-pad that the engineer offered him.<br/><br/>"We still can't get the calibrations on the main gun just right, sir. It's in working order, but targeting's a mess. Coot says we won't hit anything but 'star farts'...Sir."<br/><br/>Hawkins reviewed the pad his grey eyes quickly scanning the report before handing it back to the enginner with a nod<br/>"Tell Mister Delacroix that fixing the targeting system is a low priority. See to it but I'd rather him get the Point Defense cannons up and running first. This is a exploration vessel, not a warship."<br/><br/>The engineer nodded and saluted again. "Yes sir. I will tell him."<br/>Hawkins returned his salute and watched the engineer scurry off before turning back to the window.<br/><br/>"This is a Red Letter Day, Sally." he said quietly.<br/>"I just wish could be here to see it."<br/><br/><br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-01-06 05:21:27	((I hate to be a bug, but could you have a bit of interaction in this particular scene with me? Mostly so that we don't end up getting lost after our first posts. The fact that Arya and Mordecai have mutual skills would at least help in having excellent smalltalk material.))<br/><br/>Mordecai Jonathan Smythe was bubbling inside with excitement. Though neither his face nor any other form of body language would betray him, he could feel his guts writhe, his heart throb and his lips tingle with that electrical feeling of anticipation. He'd already boarded the ship, along with many others, to aid in any particular finishing touches needed before they made liftoff; after all, if there was any one thing that was flawed or absent when they were to take off, it put the entire ship and all its inhabitants in jeopardy. Though he usually showed little by way of remorse for the misfortunes of the rest of the crew, Mordecai cared more than enough to ensure the safety and well-being of them, for if it were to be missing any important piece, either living or mechanical, the entire thing would be a flop, and most likely cost thousands of lives.<br/><br/>He, personally, was examining the probes that would be used for reparations where a person would be unable to reach, such as the far reaches of the outer hull, essentially "crossing the t's and dotting the i's," as one of the more carefree workers had put it. He put forth genuine effort to make certain that every minute detail of the robotic repairmen was perfectly functional and operating to their fullest, lubricating joints, tightening bolts and examining the hydraulics that gave the many limbs of the machines the necessary strength to work the durable and resilient materials that the ship was fashioned with.<br/><br/>Upon finishing the last probe that he'd been assigned, Mordecai stood and admired his work, if only for a moment. He took the time to wipe the sweat from his brow, using the dark gray bracer that replaced his usual white glove. Over his torso was a tight working vest that had the left side held together with buckles, so as to allow him to get his monstrous cybernetic arm into the piece of clothing. An unyielding belt was slung about his waist to hold not only a set of tools, but also his somewhat loose and very comfortable trousers. Placing his normal-sized hand on his hip, Mordecai sighed, the only sign that he'd been feeling rather tense all day, and that the work was only able to do so much to relieve him of the stress. From there, he slowly paced back and forth about the workshop, monitoring what others were doing and pointing out any visible flaws in their work. Not that there were very many, as everybody aboard the ship was very good at what they did, but still.<br/><br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-01-08 03:41:34	Lines upon lines of readings being transmitted from all the active computer systems, and the adjacent AI platforms that controlled the entire mothership scrolled over the dozens of holoscreens around the circular computer control room. All of them the readings and status of the entire computer and communications architecture of this huge ship being sent from the half dozen AIs visible to the crew. The screen in front of the blond haired Alliance technician was being filtered down by the AI that was invisible to most other than the AI technicians, and that tech's own creation that rested in the orb in the center of the sealed room through the plasti-steel window in front of her console. Shakti filtered only the important reports for the AI technician onto the screen while the rest were saved for analysis by the other technicians later after she looked over them.<br/><br/>“Mother. Another Tyrend Empire warship approaching, ship ID marks it as authorized for approach.” came a young woman sounding female voice over the speakers of her console as a box appeared in the corner and showed the approaching ship. Ok, being called mother by a machine had been weird at first, but she got used to it after thinking about it, Alicia had created Shakti, so of course she technically was the AI's mother/creator. It was just weird that a machine would call a human mother. Good thing she never did it when other people were around, and never talked to her through the ships main intercoms outside her room or the tech lab. If that was necessary she used the headset in Alicia's right ear.<br/><br/>The external visual feed supplied by the multiple sensors outlined and then filled in the ship for the study of the woman, the colors coming from the database that had information of what the ship. Tyrend seemed to have an interesting, if a little Dull, design to their ships. No creativity. “Yeah, I see it Shakti. It looks like the register on the ship has it carrying a lot of Tyrend personnel for this Flagship. Think I should go down and meet the bunch of 'branniac' morons?” Se asked the computer, debating that option itself, not exactly pleasant thought to try socializing with them at all. They had no fun ever. She could swear they all had a stick shoved up their asses.<br/><br/>“I would recommend it. Get a good look at who else is joining the crew, and I believe that there are a couple AI Techs aboard that have high marks in their fields. I know how you feel about others working on us without you actually knowing them.” the 7th, least known, and least used AI suggested, and Alicia knew she was right. It was a pet peeve of hers when she watched people messing with the AIs when she wasn't sure of them.<br/><br/>With some grumblings, Alicia picked up the small headpiece that she could put in her ear and receive communications from anything transmitting to it's frequency. With that in place, and checked with Shakti, Alica made her way out of the computer control room, out of the tech bay, and then into the halls to the passenger terminal attached to the docking bay where the people from a ship could offload from the ships. She would position herself in a corner and watch the groups disembark from behind her hat and covered in her Alliance researcher's uniform. Her blond hair handing in a ponytail behind her. Soon as they started to walk off the ramps to be processed, Odin would voice the basic instructions for them.<br/><br/>…...........................................<br/><br/>Quick, light exhalations of breath, the stench of sweat, and the sight of the men and women in the room, their skin drenched in the sweat that's odor filled the exercise room. Most were obviously soldiers by the muscles built by constant workout when they had nothing else to do, and now that they were on a ship, workout would be much more entertaining than their sitting around and training. Well, it would help some of them catch up with the others and get in top condition.<br/><br/>Among those that were close to top condition and showing it with the muscles through the slightly loose and drenched tan short sleeved shirt above black exercise shorts. He was there at the side of the room curling what looked only like an empty metal exercise bar. But it weighted at least 50 pounds over the man's weight, which couldn't be less than one hundred eighty pounds, due to electro-magnets in both the metal bar and the floor that pulled at each other to simulate the proper weight they were set to. All that was muscles in his six foot four inch frame. He looked like a soldier who had been on the battle field before, and had always prepared for it, but didn't body build just to make mass, but for strength and to hold his own against Tyrend's Soldiers who seem to be built mostly.<br/><br/>Well, this Gym was in the 'Alliance' section of the ship, so it was unlikely to come in contact with any Tyrends. Okay, technically it wasn't officially just Alliance at this section, but they seemed to gravitate there, and the Tyrends avoid it unless they want to start a fight. The good thing was it gave the Wolves here some peace. Well, at least until the sparing started.<br/><br/>“Hey Sarge, you gonna sit there curling, or you gonna come here and get your face ground into the mat?” came the first call for Darion, and eliciting a grin from the man who turned off the bar and set it to the side. The call came from a large redhead, shorter than darion, but looked more like a body builder. Darion turned his green eyes to the man as he approached. “Red, we all know the last time you made that threat, I whooped you. But if you insist, we can try again.” And thus it started, the black wolves, the unit Darion belonged to, and his squad gathered around a sparring mat to watch the match/training.<br/><br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-01-09 10:46:18	The young blue haired technician felt like electricity was coursing through her body, which was really something, because she knew what that felt like. Fifteen years. For the entire fifteen years of it's creation she had worked on that ship along with some of the greatest Alliance and Empire minds that this galaxy had ever produced. Now, at long last, it was all about to begin. She was confident that everything would run smoothly. People that she'd grown so close too that she trusted them with her life had worked on this ship, and she'd checked practically every inch of the massive structure herself during it's construction. If they'd let her, she would have kept checking everything all the way up until the very last minute before they left. But, unfortunately, that hadn't been an option. They had to take all of the technicians off so the military and all of the passengers could load on, as well as all of the resources they would need for a trip like this. Now, she had finally made it back. Back to her life, something that she could count among one of her greatest accomplishments, even though she'd only worked on a portion of what hundreds had worked together to create.<br/><br/>Now all that was left was to make sure everything else was operating at optimal efficiency as well. Like many of the other technicians, one of her biggest concerns was potential damage to the outer hull. It would be immensely difficult for any of them to actually get out there to repair the damage themselves, so they'd designed a bunch of probes to do the work in their stead. However, Arya had learned two things during all of these years she'd spent working with technology. It had unlimited potential, and it was also unpredictable. Even if she checked every single one of the probes personally, and made sure that they were all in perfect working condition, somehow, someway, something would go wrong. Knowing that, she had still come to check as many of them as she could. They had told her to sit still, that she'd been working herself constantly for fifteen years, and that she should just leave the final preparations to the other technicians so that she could get herself some rest. But, she just couldn't do that! The more she tried to sit, the more the electricity built up inside her and made her want to explode. At least working, she was doing something. As unpredictable as technology is and no matter what goes wrong, as long as she is there, she wanted to know that she would be able to fix it.<br/><br/>And so, she was working on the probes, along with a number of other technicians. Sitting on a stool in front of one of the probes, Arya's work boots swayed back and forth excitedly. Every now and then she reached into the tool belt that was hanging from a pair of old fashioned denim overalls, grabbing whatever she needed. Her personal favorite seemed to be a large wrench, customized to be able to grip any type of bolt or screw. It was also fearsome among the technical crew as her preferred bludgeoning weapon, when dealing with slackers or gropers. Under the overalls a simple t-shirt offered no protection whatsoever to her arms, which were covered from the elbow down in more scars than a technician who was twice her age, especially her hands. Despite this, her work was impeccable. When she finally sat back and allowed herself a sigh of relief, the probe she had been working on was now in perfect condition. If anything went wrong with it now, it was the will of some cybernetic god, and certainly not any of the working parts that the pod contained.<br/><br/>She sat back in her stool, looking around to see how the others were getting on, checking their assigned probes. Only a few of them were finished, or anywhere near finished. One of them had a very distinctive arm, one that she would give her own to disassemble and reassemble at her leisure. She knew that people with robotic prosthetics were sensitive about that kind of thing though, they usually didn't like being without their limb, so she knew better than to ask about it. He was going around checking on everyone's work, she liked that. You should always have someone check your work for you. She waves politely, smiling excitedly as he comes near the probes that she had been assigned. Unlike Mordecai, she didn't appear to have any problem showing how excited she was about the approaching journey.<br/><br/><br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-01-09 13:35:34	Though his face continued its neutral masquerade, Mordecai nodded in acknowledgment of the woman's hand wave, and looked at her work. His brief, yet thorough examination revealed no flaws on the fine-tuning she'd done, and to that he nodded again, this time accompanied by a few words. "Impeccable work, Miss. I don't believe I could have done better myself."<br/><br/>As much as the comment resembled flattery, it was sincere. He hadn't ever come across many that were able to handle robots as well as himself, and what especially impressed him was that she wasn't even an Imperial, and she worked among the best of either faction. The quirkiness that she seemed to have, obvious with how much her choice in clothing contrasted that of the rest of the crew, he did find a tad annoying, however.<br/><br/>He furrowed his brow slightly, seeming to be recalling a distant bit of information. "I believe your name is... Arya?" his head twisting a little to the side in emphasis of his slight fuzziness of the memory. He offered his covered hand with a straightened face, and greeted her, "I am Mordecai Jonathan Smythe. A pleasure to meet you," bowing his head curtly.<br/><br/><br/>Xract<br/>2011-01-09 19:53:31	Sophia walked down the line of probes being looked over by technicians along with the other engineers responsible for their programming. While this group of engineers simply built and maintained the probes, she respected many of them for their vast intellect. She walked down the line and plugged her data-pad into each probe, double-checking to make sure the software side of the machine was in working order. So far each one she checked had been fine although they could all be improved in some way. She continued her walk down the line monotonously, barely able to muster up a smile in face of the sheer boredom she was experiencing.<br/><br/>Sophie came upon the final probe to check for the day, recently checked for physical capability by who seemed to be the head technician in the area. She overheard him say his name, Mordecai Jonathan Smythe, before bowing his head to the small but built woman before him. Surely in congratulations for the fact that she was one of the few to actually complete the physical probe before the software inspection. When she truly noticed the man though, the bored gray tint of her goggles shifted to a slightly amber hue indicating a sense of unease. She had seen his arm. If he had such a large prosthetic he might have another one, maybe even an eye that would reveal her own prosthetic. Her heart rate quickened, why was he looking at her that way? Does he know? With a small whir her own prosthetic eye jumped into action, scanning the man for anything of threat as she continued her hesitant walk towards the pair and their probe.<br/><br/>Her scan revealed nothing of note, putting her back at ease for the most part, the amber hue of her goggles dulling a bit with that. "H-Hello, I'm here to check the probe for any software problems.", she quickly stuttered before averting her face from their view and getting a good look at the probe. Frankly, she was impressed with the work although she didn't have as much knowledge about the mechanical workings of the machine. Quickly looking over for the port, she stabbed her data pad into the machine and commenced her scan. After a few agonizing seconds feeling as if she was being watched by everybody in the room, the data-pad beeped in approval of the machine. She quickly ejected the pad. "Impressive work, technician.", she said with a quick nod. Sophia took one last wary glance at Mordecai before hurrying out of the room.<br/><br/>Making her way back into her quarters, she made none of the normal conversation she would have during her way to her room. Instead she muttered quick apologies and small fibs about how much work she had to do and how she must be on her way. Her boots clomped against the floors and echoed around the hallways as she finally reached her sanctuary. The door opened with a hiss and did the same on closing. A small red light lit up as the door was locked. Sophia rushed to her desk and sat down, shoving a pile of books aside to reveal a small hole in the wall, a jack used for charging and updating data-pads. She gasped in pain as the needle quickly slid out of her arm. Lining it up, Sophia connected herself to the ship.<br/><br/>Her body felt as if it was pushed in some new direction unattainable by her three dimensional body. The room around her melted away in a blur and was replaced by a new room. The room was a perfect cube and colored a blinding white. She looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting. She sat down in a chair that appeared at her will, waiting for her acquaintance. A dark figure seemed to appear in segments before her, shadows appearing from nowhere to amass into a humanoid form. The shadow spoke in a deep gravelly tone, "Hello once more, Host Sophia", a screen where its face should be flashing a dark blue with each syllable. "Hello Epsilon", Sophia replied coldly, still distrustful of her longtime partner. "It is curious that you so thoroughly resist my attempts at human politeness. The usual, my friend?" "Yes, yes. And I'm not your friend, Epsilon, find any new ones." Epsilon laughed, a deep, bass buzz that made the room rumble. He stepped forward, took her hand and both were gone.<br/><br/>Seconds later, the both phased into what looked like a valley of metal, lined with millions upon millions of cabinets. Lines on Epsilon's form flashed a blue similar to that from the screen on his face and both of them were rushed forward at mindbending speed. They came to a sudden stop, inertia not a factor to throw them and stepped towards a cabinet. With a simple touch, Epsilon unlocked the cabinet with restricted information from the ship regarding certain operations Sophia was obsessed with. He reached inside and grasped what looked like a simple file folder before reciting in his mechanical tone, "5 humans have received new prosthetic since Host Sophia's last checking of the Prosthetic Log. 3 received fingers, 1 received a lower leg, and 1 received an eye." "Check it." "Check what?", replied Epsilon with a faint snicker. "Your ability to cause me stress knows no bounds. The eye." "The eye can only mimic the function of a normal human eye. No additional functions are possible." Sophia sighed in relief before a sudden rumble shook the near-infinite valley of information. "It seems our presence has been detected , we must depart.", stated Epsilon as he returned the file to its place. He grabbed Sophia's arm and both were gone, leaving a cabinet door shaking open and closed with the rumbling.<br/><br/>Sophia was once again in her room, sitting in her chair as if nothing had happened. The only evidence of her excursion was the rapidly rising feeling of nausea and the louder whispering of Epsilon in her head. "You should do that more often Host, those excursions are truly the most invigorating." Sophia stood up unsteadily, moved her books back into place a left the room, making her way towards the mess hall for some coffee.<br/><br/>(If you want a better image of how Epsilon looks like, he looks like Abraxas from Tron: Evolution but with the circuits the color of his text instead of yellow)<br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-01-09 22:03:22	After Alicia logged off the terminal she was using, Shakti immediately put all her focus to studying the logs and scans of the computer systems on the ship that were networked with the central core. It was necessary to ensure no users brought along anything harmful that could disrupt the actions of the AIs, or could infect any data to the point that it had to be deleted. So far they had caught any viruses due to the software written and distributed by the Tech teams, and nothing had been affected. Though it was true that very few Malicious codes could affect an AI, some could, and those were what needed to be found and erased.<br/><br/>While she was scanning the thousands of data files and logs, she ran over a strange code that seemed familiar. It was sophisticated, but it didn't come from any of the AIs on the ship that she knew of, and that left very few people able to perform such access as she was detecting. Only an AI or a computer tech could create a code like what she was detecting the program of the search. The code had been popping up every couple days since the technicians had been brought back aboard after the military personnel. It always seemed to be searching for something by the inquiry path each access went by. Whoever had made it had been gone by the time she detected the access to the systems. They were fast.<br/><br/>This was one time she wished she hadn't recommended some of the limiters placed on her. It would make discovering the unauthorized hacker so much easier to locate, and probably catch while he/she was accessing the system. Once detecting the code this time, Shakti pushed off the analyzing of the more basic data to the much slower programs she had placed in the consoles in her control room before delving all her attention to the location of the hack.<br/><br/>Her data traveled through the lines of the computer system of the ship, her looking like just a spot of light until she located the data-cache that had been activated. Once there that light materialized into her programmed image of light blue cloth dress with glowing patterns over a quite attractive form. Around her floated two long streamers of thin cloth with glowing blue digital patterns. Down her back flowed streaming black hair to her waist. Her eyes matched the glow of the pattern. The only difference to this all was half a dozen pitch black bracelets on her bronze arms, each with red glowing digital patterns. Those were visualizations of her limiters on her system.<br/><br/>“Well then, let's see what you were looking at...” She muttered as she looked at the open cabinet of the data-cache. With a wave of her hand she changed the color of the code she was detecting from the intruder on the system before pulling it off and analyzing it. It was turned into a rusty red color as she handled the piece of code in her hands, immediately working on writing her own code that would alert her immediately and of the highest priority if anything it was placed on was accessed by that person's code again. Once started, she passed the building code into one of her cloth streamers for low priority writing by her processors while she investigated what it had all been looking for.<br/><br/>She opened the cabinet and pulled up the previous search that had been performed. She immediately knew all the information that the hacker had accessed. “Human's who received Prosthetic Implant? interesting.” she muttered to herself, processing the information. The beginning of the search was the exact date and time of the previous time she had detected the anomalous access. With all that information in her hand, she passed a copy of it to Alicia's console for study before closing and securing the cabinet again. She placed her newly written program on the cabinet's access to alert her of the hacker touching the data. She had written it so that it would be invisible to all. Only a Class 3 AI like her would be able to find the detection program before it alerted anyone. But even then, if someone tried removing or touching the program, it would alert her immediately.<br/><br/>With that, she returned back to her core and control room before distributing the program to all the actual databases that contained similar information as to what was searched before collecting the data together for her mother, and providing a list of all known crew with a prosthesis. Alicia or someone else would actually have to go find the hacker themselves if Shakti didn't encounter him herself. and to look for anything on the cameras... even without her limiters, that would take days to watch all the video streams from the thousands of cameras, even just for the time of the access. Like writing the program before, she put studying the video data itself as a secondary process before going back to checking all the data scans. but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was a rogue AI causing the anomaly, and not a hacker... it was just too fast. but a Class 1 and 2 wouldn't be able to leave the type of data she was detecting.<br/><br/>(Here is what I think my Class III Shakti will look like, just with the colors I described in the post.<a class="externalLink" href="http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/</a>[fc01.deviantart.net] ... 36mkt7.jpg</a> )<br/><br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-01-12 04:53:30	With every breath and every second brought them closer, yes even in the lifts Hawkins could feel the excitement coursing through the ship, all its parts humming smoothly and powerfully, coursing with energy. Even the soft "ding" of the lift's comm system purred silky as he lift came to a halt and the doors whoosed open to reveal the tumbling landscape of the bridge.<br/><br/>It was massive, easily the largest bridge he had ever seen, here was Command, the officers and engineers that held the ship together, spanning the length of nearly a hundred yards and two stories tall its rectangular walls were home to the various cubicles that would serve as interface been man and machine. Great banners hung from the metal walls and from the second story, Bearing the emblems of both the Empire and the Alliance joined in their greatest work. Both farcing forward, to the bow of the ship which held a great paine of transparent tritanium alloy, as if gazing out into the vastness of the stars and looking for the truth it held.<br/><br/>Hawkins smiled as he walked slowly down the metal floors, his leather jack-boots gently snapping the cadence of his stride.<br/><br/>He was well aware of the eyes upon him, crewmen and women previous occupied with their tasks paused to stare at him, as he made his way down towards the window, passing the chair that had been set aside for him as ship's captain.<br/>Hawkins instead looked out into the void...and whispered to a star.<br/><br/><br/>Meanwhile...<br/><br/>Harkin was in a rather good mood today, and it wasn't because it was his birthday. Lord knows, that day was starting to become a bit of a dread for him. No, rather today he finally got to see her at last. The great warship that would carry them into the stars.<br/>Oh sure, it was offically an "explorer" or "science" vessel, but Walter had never seen any explorer or a science ship carry a goddamn Leviathan-class MAC cannon.<br/><br/>Call it what they want, Walter was eager to check that baby out. The first thing he was going to do when this old bucket pulled into dock was head down to the ship's bow and check out the weaponry.<br/>"Raise."<br/>He growled as he threw a couple of chips on the makeshift table they had erected in the armory out of an ammo crate. The three other Marines sitting around the table looked at their hands, each one of them weighing in their mind the risk vs the benefit.<br/>The oldest of the soldiers, Lucas Simms, looked up at Walter his green eyes locked with Harkin's grey.<br/>"Fold."<br/>Lucas set his cards down on the crate, two kings and triple threes. Full house.<br/>The two other men looked at each other uncomfortably.<br/>Walter and Lucas went way back, all the way back to basic.<br/><br/>The younger boy, Franklin looked his friend Marcus in the eye and shook his head in resignation, laying his cards down silently.<br/>Two pair.<br/><br/>Marcus raised his eyebrow, meeting Walter's expressionless stare with an impetuous grin.<br/>"I raise..." he said, plopping the chips down one by one.<br/>"And I call..."<br/>Straight Flush.<br/><br/>Walter grinned impishly.<br/>"You've got balls, boy."<br/>Walter laid out his hand.<br/>Royal Flush.<br/>"But you don't have luck."<br/><br/>Marcus's smile disappeared as Lucas laughed loudly.<br/>"One thing you've got to learn, Corporal..." he said as he racked the chips into his pile,<br/>"Is that I never lose."<br/><br/><br/>Krolik<br/>2011-01-12 08:35:49	"Flagship control this is the Kaiser, sorry that we are late" the destroyers communication officer says waiting for a response as the ship jumps into view of the much larger flagship. Despite not being the biggest or one of the more powerful warships in the imperial fleet the Kaiser has made a name for itself none the less. The ship gleams red and gold, painted in regal colors with the thick black letters of its name etched into the plating on the side. “We have rear admiral Rommel aboard and in command, he is requesting a meeting with the current empire military leader for this mission” the coms officer continues, the Kaiser drifting lazily along towards the flagship, slowing it’s approach and getting in line with the other imperial naval ships.<br/><br/>As the Kaiser drifted into its placement in the line of ships Wilhelm looks at himself in the mirror of his privet washroom, making sure everything looked to be in order. The man gently affixed his ancestor’s iron cross to his neck, letting it hang out for all to see the pride he had in his family name, untarnished by a war never forgotten. He looks over a couple of photos on his desk, important people in his life, father, grandfather, mother, although his loyalty was to himself and his family name he always looked to them for guidance. He tugs at his jacket and walks out of his quarters, boots clicking on the floor, sword and pistol swinging on his side.<br/><br/>“Good morning sir” people say as he walks through the halls, tilting his hat to those under his command, the rear admiral had made a name for himself and his ship as a place where people could be accepted, as long as they did their job he did not care about their past. The Kaiser was a new start for many as long as they served the empire and through serving the empire they served Wilhelm… for now at least. The rear admiral held no thoughts of disloyalty to the empire that his family helped built but he believed in his dues and the continuation of his family name, and if that lead him away from the empire and onto glory, so be it.<br/><br/>“Good morning commander” the communication officer says as he walks into the ships command center, taking a seat in his chair. “Good morning miss Naica, how is traffic looking?” he asks shifting and leaning back into the cushions of the chair. “Very well sir waiting for a response from command about your meeting request” she says as he simply nods “Very good, XO make sure the ship is ready for anything, as much as I believe in this project I still do not trust the alliance, keep all hands prepared for everything” The man that acted as his second nodded and looked over the holographic tactical grid in the middle of the room, outlining the flagship, empire ships, and alliance ships “Very good sir” he says “The Kaiser is at your command” he says as the rear admiral nods again “I know it is….me and only me” he says relaxed and content in that knowledge.<br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-01-13 07:00:42	The young technician didn't have much of a chance to respond before a rather nervous looking young woman arrived to check the programming of the probe that Arya had just finished with. She hopped down off of her stool, pulling it out of the woman's way so that she could do whatever she needed to do before scurrying nervously out of the room. Arya wasn't well versed in the deeper aspects of programming. Sure, she could program some simple maintenance routines, or a simple AI, but anything more complicated than that was far beyond her ability. She preferred working with the physical aspect of machinery.<br/><br/>She raised an eyebrow curiously as other woman ran off, wondering why she had been so nervous, and why she was in such a hurry. There was nothing she could do about it however, so she turned her attention back to the other technician, the man with the prosthetic arm. Mordecai, he'd called himself. He referred to her as Arya, which she appreciated. Most of the other people on the ship usually, at least the higher ups and the people who she didn't know personally, usually referred to her as Lunamarya or as Miss Esteed. She wasn't sure why he hadn't used a more formal title, since he'd had to think about it, it was probably just what he remembered most of the other technicians calling her, who she had become much more familiar with. Regardless, she was glad for it. She preferred her shorter name to any of the formal varieties.<br/><br/>Now that the other woman was gone, she returned her full attention to Mordecai, smiling at his compliment and reaching out to take his offered hand, shaking it firmly. "Yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you too. I appreciate the compliment. We didn't have a lot of the newest gear and equipment on Mercury, so we had to get by with whatever we could find and the skill of our own two hands. It's good to know that all of my hard work still pays off."<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-01-13 12:48:29	Garrick looked up across the great hangar bay. He had never seen once so big! It stretched for what seemed like miles in both directions. It could easily fit an an Impervious-Class Battlecruisder in here maybe even two! All across the flightdeck and the construction gantries further there crewmen and equipment shuttled about in transports or small-inter hanger hover-pads as they were carried to and fro from destination to destination.<br/>On the ground floor, it was an absolute hive of activity as troops and equipment were offloaded by the thousands as shepherded into large standing circles as quarters and duty stations were assigned.<br/><br/>The quartermaster that Garrick had been ordered to report was a short stocky man, that wore a thick beard and an Imperial officer's cap, over his balding head. Though, Garrick could barely see him, the sea of royal blue and dark grey uniforms in front of him made it nearly impossible to see anything more than a meter away.<br/><br/>Garrick simply filed into line with the rest of the personnel to await his assignment.<br/><br/>"Hell of a thing isn't it?" A young man wearing a Imperial naval trenchcoat much like his own piped up, indicating the vast chamber in which they stood.<br/>"I reckon that thats at least a hundred square kilometers of deck space they have here, not to mention if they have some grav plating in the ceiling.<br/><br/>The man who address Garrick was a young man, maybe a year two younger than Garrick. He was average height, slim almost gangly build with short brown hair and hazel eyes.<br/>Garrick nodded stupidly, somewhat taken off-guard by the friendliness in his voice.<br/>He composed his thoughts and replied, "Oh aye, they could even use the side walls if they wanted, attach some gantries and use it for strike craft storage."<br/><br/>The young man nodded, adjusting his luggage so he could offer his right hand<br/>"Name's Todd, 2nd Lt.Todd Winters."<br/><br/>Garrick smiled, and took his hand.<br/>"Garrick. 1st Lt Garrick Lancaster."<br/><br/>Todd's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition, "Oh are you any relation to General Lancaster, you know the one at New Kobe?"<br/><br/>Garrick's turned a bit flush and looked down abashedly at the deck plating. "Yes...ahem...He's my father."<br/><br/>Todd suddenly looked remorseful, sensing that he had tread on a sensitive subject.<br/>"Sorry."<br/><br/>Garrick shook his head, looking up and grinning nervously. "It's okay. It's just that me and my father never really saw eye-to-eye on alot of things, and his legacy seems to follow me where ever I go."<br/><br/>Todd nodded symapthically, "I know me and my old man haven't gotten along since I joined the Navy. He was a Marine, fought in the War and lost his leg during Southstrike."<br/>Todd chortled bitterly, "To this day he still calls me a 'flying weasel'"<br/><br/>Garrick snorted, "A flying weasel?"<br/>He paused for a moment and looked Todd up and down, from his somewhat messy brown hair to his undermuscled limbs. Garrick cracked an impish grin.<br/><br/>"I can see the resemblance."<br/><br/>"...Shove off, you bastard." Todd grumbled, giving Garrick jocund kick as he howled with laughter.<br/><br/>Todd shook his head in resignation.<br/>"You know what's sad, mate? I think I'm going to like you."<br/><br/>"Oh?" Garrick grinned as he stepped up to the dias where the quartermaster was standing.<br/>"Lancaster, Garrick T." he stated to the officer, who scanned through his datapad for a moment before printing out a small piece of paper and handing it to him.<br/>"Next."<br/><br/>"Aye. I think you are me are going to get along quite well."<br/>"Winters, Todd F."<br/><br/>"Next."<br/><br/>"So what did you get?" Todd inquired after moving out of the way and glancing at his piece of paper.<br/><br/>"Deck 47 Room 103" Garrick replied, his brow furrowed as he checked his WMI(wrist-mounted-interface)<br/><br/>"Awesome I got, Room 111. We're like just down the hall from ea-....what's wrong?"<br/><br/>Garrick turned back and walked back up to the dias.<br/><br/>"Excuse me sir..." he said forcing his way past protesting soldiers to the quartermaster.<br/>"There seems to be some mix-up... could you check your room assignments again for Garrick T Lancaster."<br/><br/>The quartermaster gave him a bit of a soured expression but complied with his request.<br/><br/>"Lancaster,Garrick T. Room 103, Deck 47."<br/><br/>"But sir...this can't be right...I'm roomed wit-"<br/><br/>"Look kid," the quartermaster spat sharply, "room assignments are what they are. if you have a problem with it take it up with the Quartermaster General, but for now you're holding up the line, so please move along."<br/><br/>"Yeah, get lost, spacer." grumbled one of the marines as Garrick was pushed back out of the way.<br/>He took a few steps back, still clutching his piece of paper in mild disbelief.<br/><br/>"What? What is it?" Todd inquired as he looked at Garrick's room assignment.<br/><br/>Garrick shook his head disgustedly.<br/>"They roomed me with Alliance."<br/><br/>"Lunamarya Esteed?" Todd read aloud.<br/><br/>Garrick crumpled the paper in his hand and sighed.<br/>"This is going to be a long six months."<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>"So...thats the Flagship,huh?" Walter croaked as he stared out of the Kaiser's hangerbay into the starry beyond, with naught but a thin stream of electrons protecting him from the void. Walter munched on his cigar slowly, drawing in a long puff of smoke into his lungs as he beheld the great behemoth of a ship, still nestled within the Forge-Rings of Titan.<br/><br/>"Ive seen bigger." Lucas injected nonchalantly, as he hauled his favorite toy, a shoulder-mounted Type-77 LRM into the dropship.<br/><br/>"Bullshit you have. No one's seen bigger. She's the biggest ship in the fleet!" Walter shot at Lucas with a tart glare.<br/><br/>"Oh..." Lucas sad, with his characteristic stupid, smug grin. "I've seen bigger...and your mother has too." He whooped and thrust his hips out suggestively to the snickering of some of the younger marines.<br/><br/>Walter wrinkled his brow, "What are you...five? Stop fucking around and get that heavy kit loaded."<br/><br/>"Sah, yes sah!" Lucas saluted mockingly as he picked up another crate, muscles in his arms bulging with effort.<br/><br/>Walter turned back to the void, trying not to chuckle. "Goddamn it, Lucas..." he murmured to himself as he tittered quietly into his hand.<br/><br/>Walter stared out into space once again, at the Flagship.<br/>He was beginning to wonder about it again, his purpose in this whole grand scheme.<br/><br/>He had been a soldier all his life, a damned good one too. He had survived everything the Nine and the Alliance could throw<br/>at him. And the Ninth...well there was not finer unit in the entire Korps than the Ninth Legion.<br/><br/>Yet, Walter wondered if he had done enough. If being a good soldier was all that there was for him. He hardly had thought of anything else in all these long years. He had always done his duty always done what was best, for the squad, for the Legion, for the Empire....<br/>Walter chewed his cigar thoughtfully.<br/><br/>It was what he wanted, this was sure. He hated the thought of still being stuck on Iapetus, working the farm all his life. Expected to die only a few hundred yards from where he was born.<br/>But, still he wondered, what it would be like to come home...to a wife...and children. To a family that loves and cares for you, and a son that looks up to you, as Walter once looked up to his father....<br/><br/>"Hey, Walt. Time to go buddy. This train's leaving town!" Lucas yelled at him over the slow increasingly loud hum of the dropship's engines.<br/><br/>"Yeah." Walter said, taking the cigar out of his mouth and flicking it into space. For a moment he watched it twirl end over end out into the deep black eternity.<br/>Walter sighed wistfully before picking up his helmet.<br/>"I'm coming."<br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-01-14 03:48:09	Alicia watched the crowds from the wall of the hanger, silently watching them all, and listening to some that looked like thye were actually smart enough. After all the time watching newcomers, Alicia had become very good at guessing general groups that the Imperials belonged to. A good thing about their lack of real individuality. Soldiers were generally bulky, and carrying most of their dark armors and weird helmets. Scientists always a bit overboard with their work, and thinking they were better than anyone else, and pilots and Navy in their uniforms. Nothing really interesting had come from this new ship so far, and Shakti was being strangely quiet, likely investigating something.<br/><br/>Though some entertainment that always showed itself was when the Imperials learned their room assignments and who they were boarding with for the journey. She couldn't help but grin malevolently at them all, and laughed inwardly at their reactions. It was so hilarious every time one of them was so disgusted with their room assignments when it coincided with an alliance member's room as well. Strangely she laughed when the Alliance had similar reactions, they were more overboard. So far Alicia didn't really know who her room mate was, she never saw him/her, nor really ever cared. She spent most of her time with the AI's and Shakti.<br/><br/>Her grin on the last one, a Garrick Lancaster had such a disgusted reaction, was interrupted though when the small headset in her right ear chimed with Shakti's call. She sighed before tapping the thing and activating the call. “Go, I'm listening.” She said into the microphone at her cheek while looking down at the deck. “Mother, I caught that strange Code again. I was unable to catch it's hacker in the act or trace them again. But I placed warning codes on all the data caches I could reasonable manage. And I have a few clues as to what he was looking for. I downloaded the data to your datapad.” her AI stated into the headset, silent to anyone but Alicia.<br/><br/>“Damnit... Ok, I'll look over it when I get the chance, maybe we can find him soon and stop the attempts...” she said into the headset while pulling her datapad from her belt and looking over the data displayed on the screen. “... Most likely some idiotic Imperial thinking he can do whatever he wants with my network.” she said, not seeming to care that she was in a Hanger of mostly those said idiotic Imperials, and she was the only alliance person close by, though her pistol was displayed openly on her right thigh.<br/><br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-01-14 07:47:25	((FUCK demotivating headaches. I'll manage to pull myself through this one, though.))<br/><br/>The woman that came by to ensure the inner programming of the probes was up and running flawlessly set Mordecai off to a degree, His brows furrowed so hard at the thing's nervousness one would think they were one. Something harried her mentally, and he did not like it one jot. As soon as she was gone, Mordecai's attention was drawn back to Arya, his face relaxing back to the apathetic expression he was known for among any comrades he might have had.<br/><br/>He too had a tight grip on Arya's hand as they shook, making sure not to squeeze it hard; the nanotechnology in the hand allowed him to feel pressure, but no pain, and the massive arm felt nothing at all. For the better, most likely. "Indeed," he replied to his fellow technician, "There are some things that can't be learned from a mere textbook or simulation. The best always learn in the field."<br/><br/>Though he usually didn't look for conversations, there was something about Arya that made him want to continue chatting, and it irritated him slightly. He didn't show his frustration towards this feeling, instead asking a question in a calm, almost serene voice, "Mercury, hm? Though I haven't been there myself, I understand that it's a very harsh climate, even whilst underground, am I correct?" As he inquired idly, Mordecai's hands went behind his back, the massive gauntlet gripping his smaller hand.<br/>Xract<br/><br/><br/><br/>2011-01-19 21:25:06	Sophia stumbled towards the mes hall, her nausea growing stronger along with Epsilon's voice in her head. "What is wrong Host? Maybe you should let me take over.", he said in her head as she felt herself sway to the side with her steps. Her arm jerked slightly forward under Epsilon's command but just as suddenly it relaxed as Sophia forced her will upon it. The shade of the goggles covering her eyes were stuck between a sick green and an angry red with a slight tint of orange. Sophia stopped and leaned on the wall, breathing heavily like one who had just ran a marathon.<br/><br/>A few passersby gave her odd looks but continued walking, not offering a hand. Sophia took a deep breath before continuing to the mess hall. She sat down at a lonely table and took a sip of coffee, thinking of what to do. She was lucky for now, her room was hers alone but with that extra bed in there it was likely that it would be filled by a body. When that happened how could she jack into the ship without revealing her abnormality? "Kill the roommate and eject her from the ship", whispered Epsilon. "Shutup", Sophia said under her breath. She took a larger gulp of coffee and set it down with a sharp crack. A large crack appeared in the cup before the material repaired itself.<br/><br/>Sophia was looking down into the black coffee as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She snapped to attention, looking up at the uniformed officer before calming down. "Yes?" "New quartering situation, Ms. Castillo", said the officer, butchering her name. She scowled before answering, "A new roommate?" "Yes. You will now be bunked with a Ms. Alicia Miranda." "Thank you" finished Sophia as she took another sip, analyzing this new information. She didn't know what this woman did but she had heard her name thrown around the ship lately. This could be rather interesting. "Kill her and eject her", shouted Epsilon savagely, making Sophia drop her coffee to the floor where it splashed everywhere. "Oh dear", Sophia said as she knelt to wipe it up.<br/><br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-01-19 22:06:01	James Hawkins nodded at the young Ensign.<br/>"Very well, but tell them to stay out of the way." He said with a little sigh of resignation as the recruit snappped a quick salute and scurried off to docking bay.<br/><br/>"I suppose it was inevitable." he murmured to himself as he walked over to his chair, pressing a button on the small console which opened a link to the ship's A.I.<br/><br/>"Shakti. It seems our friends from the news have come aboard. Could you send out an invitation to all the fleet's starship captains to come join us on the bridge?"<br/><br/>Hawkins paused for a moment in thought, biting his lip. "Oh and see if any crew members wish to join us as well."<br/><br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-01-20 19:58:51	Arya did notice how the woman who suddenly popped up concerned the man she was talking to, but the way she suddenly popped in and back out again had concerned her as well. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the woman had seemed perturbed, maybe obsessed about something, for her to act that nervous and fidgety for no apparent reason. Regardless, it wasn't any concern of hers. The probes she had been assigned were now in perfect working condition, and she was done with her work, though she wished she could go about checking the probes that the rest of the crew hadn't had a chance to check yet. She snapped back to the conversation at hand rather abruptly when the programmer was gone, grinning broadly and kicking her feet slowly back and forth, she was obviously excited - and proud of her skills as a technician, and the years that she had put into it.<br/><br/>Mordecai didn't seem like the type to stick around and converse, so she expected him to find some excuse to hurry off for one reason or another. She was surprised when he offered up a new topic of conversation. She took a moment to think about it, she'd been born on Mercury, so the strange climate hadn't seemed anything but normal to her. She assumed he was comparing the climate to a world that didn't have such high temperatures, like the third planet out - the one that was used as a government seat for the Alliance. Finally she shrugged, "the climate? Yeah, I suppose if you compare it to a cooler planet the climate can be pretty harsh. It gets really hot there, even in the underground. That was one of the reasons why we didn't usually wear the thick work clothes that you see out here, anyone who tried would get too steamed up to concentrate on their work, since we couldn't afford any of them fancy ones with the personal temperature control units built in." she rolls her eyes at the mention of fancy work gear. She obviously respected the power of technology, but even more so the ability of technicians who could get their work done with their own two hands, instead of relying too heavily on their creations.<br/><br/>Krolik<br/>2011-01-21 04:18:37	"Commander we have a request from the flagship to have you visit with her commanding officer" Miss Naica says the commander leaning on one of his hands, the elbow caught tightly on his arm-rest. “that is not what I had in mind…but it should work” he mumbles to himself shifting and standing up, straightening out his jacket and pants, making sure everything is once again in order. “Xo, you have the bridge” he says the man giving a simple salute. “Very good sir, I will make sure a shuttle is prepared for you in the docking bay, and an escort is prepared.” Wilhelm thinks for a few moments before saying “No escort” his XO a little shocked at the statement. “But sir…we do not know how the alliance will react to any of this, for all we know an assassin is waiting in the wings, the honorless dogs wishing to remove our presence as the ship goes about its journey” he says the Rear Admiral nodding. “I understand your concern but I will not show cowardice, my chin will be held high and besides, the Kaiser is as good as 4 of the rust buckets they call ships, they make an attempt on my life I would expect you to show them as such” he says the XO flashing a grin saluting again “aye aye sir” he says as Wilhelm makes his way off of the bridge and towards the docking bay.<br/><br/>Stepping onto the docking bay he made his way towards the prepared shuttle, stepping calmly into it and taking his seat, waiting for the pilot to get launch clearance and make their way over to the flagship, intrigued by what it's captain had in mind. His thoughts wandered to the issues of the meeting on the flagship, he clearly wanted to gauge what the commanders of each ship were like, seeing as how they would be working together for some time, this was his chance to make good impression both as a great commander and a good solider. He hoped a little that his reputation preceded him, or atleast the reputation of his family, it may help having such a name behind him, help further his goals.<br/><br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-01-21 06:37:02	((Grrr. Takes me too long.))<br/><br/>"Hm. I'd heard that Mercury was so hot that it would burn a man alive if he wasn't prepared for the sun's barrage with protective suits. And for it to still be hot underground, I don't think I would be able to tolerate such a merciless atmosphere," he answered thoughtfully.<br/><br/>"But yes, I do understand the satisfaction of doing something yourself, though I may have a bit of a problem to do anything without any special equipment." The joke was fairly dry, perhaps a bit much so for many of the other crew members, not to mention that it referenced a rather grim trait he had. Not that he could hide it, but it still was not a great topic, and he cursed himself in his head for bringing up something like that.<br/><br/>The intercom system spanned the entire ship, at least one speaker in every room, if not more, and the crew and officers were all thankful for it, at least in most cases. This was such an instance, and Mordecai turned his head in the direction of the sound, the call for all officers and any crew members that were interested to attend the meeting at the bridge. The piqued Mordecai's interests, as he desired to know at least some of what scheme they were all to follow in their journey through space. Looking back down to Arya, he brought her to her feet and said, "Come. It would be helpful to have an idea of what we're to do."<br/><br/>As the both of them walked down the halls, Mordecai appreciated that they were so close to the bridge already, and so they had only so far to go. He had his doubts over whether Arya actually wished to follow, but he was glad that she did so anyway. Continuing their somewhat idle conversation as they trod the paths, Mordecai said, "I hope we will be given something a tad more entertaining than upkeep for the drones and probes. We can only know when we're told though, so..."<br/><br/>And as they opened the door to the bridge, he finished, "...we'd best not miss our chance to find something better."<br/><br/>Stepping into the bridge with Arya walking beside him, peppiness oozing from her with each and every footfall, Mordecai approached the officers' table, though he did not take a seat. If there were to be that many officers and others of significant importance, than he would not occupy something of his superior's, and so he stood at the side of the table, his arms crossed behind his back again.<br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-01-21 19:53:22	Mordecai had a point, if nothing else being present at this meeting might give them an opportunity to work on something more important than probe maintenance. That being said, she was quick to get up and follow him. Despite her small stature, her excitement and energy made it easy for her to keep up with the taller man's longer strides, and she didn't seem to be running out of breath either. She didn't even have any trouble continuing their conversation while they were running.<br/><br/>"That's true, up on the surface, and in the tunnels right under the surface, you have to wear protective gear to avoid getting cooked alive. In the lower tunnels we have external temperature modulators though, which keep the living and work spaces considerably cooler than in the outer tunnels. We can wear whatever we like, within reason. It's still pretty hot down there, but not enough to roast us." she explains, without missing a step. She heard the joke, and chuckled softly, but decided not to comment on it. It was true, having prosthetics Mordecai couldn't exactly do any work without the help of technology, but she didn't look down on him at all for that. They were still his own two hands, even if they were made of something other than flesh, blood, and bone.<br/><br/>"Good idea, we'll certainly get orders faster going up there than waiting down here." she comments, just before they got to the bridge. Before going inside she took a few moments to compose herself and quiet down, then she followed Mordecai in. Arya folded her hands behind her back to keep them from fidgeting and stood politely next to Mordecai, letting all of the higher ups take their seats before she even considered looking at one. Despite being considerably calmer, she still couldn't keep her feet from fidgeting in excitement, and she was still fighting to keep herself from smiling - she couldn't help it, that was just how she was.<br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-01-23 05:11:07	Shackti got the communication on the console that belonged to the captain James Hawkins, and specifically asked to speak to her. At the request for her attention, the AI grumbled to herself in her little world where she was studying the days worth of data. Butting the scanning on a secondary processor in her core she turned her attention to the captain and appeared on the small holographic projector next to his console. She always made sure to program it so that she only appeared six inches high and all blue, no different colors. It wasn't necessary because she got her 'order' clearly though the console, but it helped the image of giving some personal attention to the humans when she appeared on the consoles. She had added all the programming to the entire set of AIs that ran the ship.<br/><br/>“Of course Mr. Hawkins.” she said a bit before passing the order off to the Class 2 AI Thor. He was meant primarily to serve the Imperials, he would do fine for this order. A second later the announcement went over the speakers in the common areas and rooms of the ship as well as private invitations sent to all ship captains. “Attention all Crew. Attention All Crew. Any not occupied by duties are invited to attend a press conference held by all ship captains at 1500 hours ship time.” the announcement by the bland male voice made, the time decided upon by Shakti to give all the ship captains any anyone who wanted to attend time to gather in 2 hours. Of course some invitations were sent out some sooner invitations to key personnel and higher ranked crew.<br/><br/>Once that was done the holo image on the console looked up at the mad who had ordered the invitation sent out. “the other AIs are online Mr. Hawkins. They can perform the same tasks I just did. And I have studies of the computer systems to complete. Ms Miranda wished to have all computer systems up and running perfectly without issue by the time we depart.” she said to the man, though she felt a bit of data transfer to Alicia's datapad from her personal console in the woman's room. She split her attention again and opened a line to her mother's headset, this unheard by the captain. She also contacted the quartermasters to begin moving her mother's new roommate's belongings to the room while beginning to study all she could find about this Sophia.<br/><br/>…..............................<br/><br/>In the Main hanger, Alicia began moving from the wall towards the exit, paying little attention to the people like they didn't matter. She was thinking about the network intrusion on the ship that her AI had detected, and trying to figure out who it was when the announcement came over the intercom system. She was already in the halls when she heard the announcement, likely thinking it would probably be good to get there early. They may want to talk to some of the senior people earlier too, thus the second personal message to her datapad. With a sigh, the AI tech decided to make her way to the bridge and see what was going on.<br/><br/>On her way though she got the message from Shakti over her headset. “Mother. The Quartermasters have assigned you a roommate. A Ms. Sophia Castillo. Good thing that she is also a woman, she doesn't have to worry about your habit of walking around in only your underwear in private.” She said, a little chuckle in the AIs voice at the comment before Alicia turned the headset off to not listen to any more comments. Ok, the AI may call her mother, but she hadn't given her the personality to try embarrassing her. "I'll look to meet her later and see how annoying she will be."<br/><br/>Alica moved into the bridge where the little meeting would be and saw the people who were there already. Alicia wasn't really all that excited about being up here. She hated the press, and the bridge she had seen before when she was setting up the AI holo-pad that displayed an image of Shakti on the captain’s chair, and could do the same over the conference tables throughout the ships.<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-01-23 13:55:00	"So what you have to room with Alliance? I mean it can't be all bad..."<br/>Todd interjected as they walked down the long tight corridors of the crew quarters on deck 47.<br/>Garrick snorted.<br/>"You don't know my luck mate. I swear its got to be something in my genes. I have the absolute worst luck in room mates dating all the way back to the academy."<br/><br/>Todd shrugged, "Yeah but...I mean its a girl...should could be cute."<br/>Garrick shook his head, turning his shoulder to avoid hitting a couple of Imperial marines as they naviagated through the hallway with their baggage.<br/>"No mate. You don't understand. I've had female roommates before. I even had one that was a engineer, she was a mean old bag. Always complaining about something or another, running off my mates, never letting a girl stay overnight...it was hell. I doubt this will be much different."<br/><br/>Garrick looked at the wall numbers...they were in the 250's.<br/><br/>Todd nodded sympathically, "Well if it makes you feel any better you can stay in my room if you want, according to this they haven't assigned my roommate yet, but I usually have good luck in that area."<br/><br/>"Lucky you." Garrick muttered distractedly.<br/>"107...105...here we are...one-oh-three."<br/><br/>Garrick put down one of his bags and swiped his palm across the keypad.<br/><br/>"Welcome, Lt. Lancaster." the ships automated female voice chimed coolly.<br/><br/>"You coming?"<br/>Garrick asked, picking his bags up again.<br/>Todd nodded. "I need to drop my stuff off first, but maybe we can go up to the mess and get some coffee? I hear they went all out up there...you know for the civvies. Real three course meals everyday and the snack bar is always open...I heard they hired the best chefs in the system."<br/><br/>Garrick grinned, "Bout time. I was getting rather tired of those rations and that replicated stuff. They never can seem to get it quite right."<br/><br/>"Im with you there...but look let me go drop this shit off and I'll be back in a jiffy, 'kay?"<br/><br/>"Righto."<br/><br/>Garrick hefted his dufflebag through the doorway and onto one of the cots that jutted out from the side of the wall.<br/>The beds were made in a perfect military fashion stretched tight enough you could bounce a coin on it, with a basic blue comfortor and an inner white sheet that felt soft and smooth to the touch.<br/>"Silk...nice."<br/><br/>"They really did go all out..."<br/><br/>Garrick looked around at the sparse metal walls that were slightly decorated with a few nicer looking lamps, a coat-rack and a few hooks for various gear and/or decorative items such as posters.<br/><br/>"Geez. You aren't exactly fast are you?" Todd smirked fro mthe doorway.<br/>Garrick turned, suprised but also slightly annoyed.<br/>"How did you get done so fast? Did you even look at your quarters?"<br/><br/>"Nope don't need to. They are all the same, just different."<br/><br/>Garrick turned his quizzically at Todd, furrowing his brow.<br/>"And how exactly does that make sense?"<br/><br/>Todd shrugged. "Don't know. Now are you coming or not?"<br/>"Fine. I'm coming. Geez."<br/><br/><br/>Meanwhile<br/>"Fancy."<br/>Lucas commented as he pushed his finger into one of the pillows on the cot.<br/>Walter was already busy squaring away his gear at the far end of the room in the footlocker that he used for storage of personal effects. Mostly weapons and gear. He had little use for anything of a sentimental nature.<br/><br/>"So this is what it's like to be a civvy." Lucas murmured dreamily as he laid back on the pillow, crossing his arms behind his head and cupping his hands to hold his head.<br/>"I had almost forgotten what it feels like."<br/><br/>Walter didn't respond, he was busy putting on his dress uniform and "field bathing" himself with a wet rag.<br/>"You know there's a shower right there..." Lucas commented after a few moments of watching him.<br/><br/>"No time. It's almost 15:00 now."<br/><br/>"Yeah...and you don't have to be on duty till 16:00."<br/><br/>Walter shook his head, still going about dressing himself, pulling on his jackboots over his socks and securing them tightly to his calves only an inch from his patella.<br/>"If you're on time you're late. besides. First day, it's good form to be early."<br/><br/>Lucas sighed heavily. "You won't do. This is a babysitting job. They hardly need us here at all."<br/><br/>Walter looked up at Lucas, giving him that "we-have-a-duty-to-uphold" scowl.<br/>"Fine fine...go. Stand gloriously at attention while the civvies smirk at you. Just wake me when we get there." Lucas grumbled as rolled over, turning his back to Walter.<br/><br/>Walter wrinkled his nose a bit in exasperation. He decided that it was best to just let the issue drop for now.<br/>Lucas was a good soldier, but had never been one much for the formalities.<br/><br/>"I'll be back at 21:00."<br/><br/>"Yeah yeah...just go."<br/><br/>Walter paused for a moment, and opened his mouth as if to retort...but instead he just quietly exited the room and headed to the lift.<br/><br/>The press conference was due to begin in only a few minutes.<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-01-24 10:22:38	"...and here we have Communciations. We use a Class-three communication array that transmits data via Heisenberg particles. It allows us to send messages instantaneous from point to point so that we will remain in contact with Sol throughout the duration of the mission."<br/><br/>Admiral Hawkins explained to the various gathered reporters and media as they toured the bridge.<br/><br/>"Admiral Hawkins. If I may?" said one young woman from ABN, raising her pen in her hand.<br/>"Yes go ahead."<br/><br/>"My viewers are wondering, why don't outer colonies have this technology? As it stands now, any news we receive from them is over a decade old."<br/><br/>"Ah yes." Hawkins nodded. "The old method of sending messages relies on 'piggybacking' messages onto photons or other electromagnetic radiation which are limited in speed by Einstein's Law of Relativity. The Heisenberg comm arrays are still in the prototype phase of development, but we intend to leave working models with all the colonies."<br/><br/>"Admiral?" spoke a man from the TNN.<br/>"Yes?"<br/><br/>The man cleared his throat.<br/>"Admiral, with your permission, we would also like to get some interviews with some of the crew members about their experiences of the Flagship so far and their expectations for the voyage."<br/><br/>Hawkins paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder at the ship's XO Captain Graves.<br/>Pressly furrowed his brow a bit, but nodded curtly at Hawkins in the affirmative.<br/><br/>Hawkins turned back to the eager-faced reporters.<br/>"I suppose it would be alright, but I do ask that you don't disturb anyone that is currently on-duty. We have a schedule to meet after all."<br/><br/>The report from the TNN nodded enthusiastically.<br/>"Of course, we won't be a bother."<br/>Hawkins watched them for a moment as they dispersed out amongst the crew. Asking for interviews and recording the responses of the various crewmembers.<br/><br/>Hawkins turned to Graves.<br/>"Whats our status, Captain?"<br/><br/>Graves looked at the Admiral, his countenance stern, as he often looked when he was concentrating on a task.<br/>"We are nearly ready sir. All personnel are aboard and we are making some final system checks on primary systems. Engineering is ready to start the core...sir."<br/><br/>Hawkins shifted uncomfortably.<br/>"Well...I hope it works this time...otherwise this might be a very short trip."<br/><br/>Graves scowled darkly<br/>"Chief Engineer Walsh assures me that it is safe...but I have my doubts following the incident at Lynchfield."<br/><br/>Hawkins nodded. "As do I...I suppose I should go check up on them. Don't start the party without me, eh?"<br/><br/>"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."<br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-01-24 19:49:58	Mordecai's back stiffened as the reporters were given the go-ahead to start asking questions everywhere. Though he wasn't queried at first, he was eventually hammered with various questions. But, before he was being asked anything, he'd caught ear, however muffled, of "I hope it works this time..."<br/><br/>This time? What had happened the time before? Thinking back to anything that could be comparable to what must have happened, Mordecai traveled back to Earth's history, something that he'd read happened centuries ago, the massive explosion of the Hindenburg. An idea that was supposed to be genius, and ending in a terrible failure, taking many lives. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of the scale that would have happened with something of this size. Taking that into consideration, Mordecai vowed to himself to do as much as he could to prevent anything happening like that.<br/><br/>His attention going to the reporters again, he answered their inquiries with short, sometimes one-word answers.<br/><br/>"Yes."<br/><br/>"Yes."<br/><br/>"No."<br/><br/>"Weapons development and robotics engineering."<br/><br/>"No."<br/><br/>As he was peppered with the unending questions, Mordecai hoped that Arya could deal with her own barrage better than he.<br/><br/>Krolik<br/>2011-01-26 07:29:39	As the reporters peppered the engineer with questions one of the side doors opened, Whilhelm slipping in with his hands folded behind his back, taking a place towards the back of the room. Although he should be up there he did not feel like answering questions for vultures just yet. He licked his lips a little and leaned against the wall, his hat low over his brow, covering his eyes in shadow as he looked across the assimilated people who were waiting to be questioned. two engineers, an XO the captain, well those were the only 4 he could really pick out. He made his way through the crowd of reporters, taking a side rout and leaning on one of the walls closer to the front of their media firing squad, if he was going to be questioned alright but until then he was going to appraise these people, meet with the captain and maybe find some nice folk he could steal away from this ship, to help with his own gains of cores.<br/><br/>The engineers...they both looked like fine catches to keep the Kaiser in working order, he has lost his last chief engineer in a pirate attack, idiot had forgotten to secure his main line when he was working above the generators, fell down into the electrical discharge field when the ship was hit by a torp, shame really brilliant man but sometimes people die and that leaves room for...improvements. Yes the man with the arm or the girl, either would do nicely, he just needed to find out something on them. "Miss Naice" he says into his earpiece his coms officer coming back a few moments later with a simple "yes sir?" "Pull me up the files on one Mordecai Jonathan Smythe and Lunamarya Esteed" he says taken a glance at their name tags. "Forward them to my PDA, i think i need some light reading" he says. "Yes sir" she responds before the connection cuts, information streaming onto his little personal assistant. He looks over the knowledge, funding may be a good draw for either of them, after the media was done he had a few questions of his own.<br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-01-26 07:40:22	With all of the various captains and commanders being called up to the bridge, Arya had expected something really important to be going on. A chance for her to learn about some larger project, something to work on as they began their journey. At the very least, something important enough to warrant a gathering of this kind, and even calling off duty workers from the ship up to the bridge. What she had not expected, was a press meeting. Why in gods name did they think it was important enough to warrant all of this publicity when everyone was in the middle of the final and most crucial preparations for their departure? The press had been covering the construction for it's entire fifteen year duration, surely they could have been satisfied with talking to a few commanders before they'd come to board the ship, and getting some pictures of the massive structure from afar. Was it really necessary to have them all up here in the bridge?<br/><br/>Obviously, being a technician, she didn't have a choice in the matter. At least, it wouldn't have bothered her half as much if they hadn't turned the animals loose on the crew. If the higher ups wanted there glory, that was all well and good, but they shouldn't have forced the workers to submit to those verbal assaults as well. Arya was about to look for an opportunity to form a hasty retreat, when she found herself surrounded by the vultures, picking and prying at her consciousness, trying to find some morsel of information that she couldn't possibly give them.<br/><br/>It took her a few moments to find her voice, unused to being surrounded by so much attention. However, she knew that she wouldn't be able to get them to go away unless she gave them what they wanted. She tried to keep herself as cheerful as possible. After all, she didn't want to show a bad image of the crew's technical department.<br/><br/>"Arya, you could call me."<br/><br/>"Well, technically I specialize in star ship technology, but I'm also skilled with robotics and weapons development technology."<br/><br/>"Yes, I've been working on this ship since the beginning."<br/><br/>"No, I hadn't worked on anything larger than a standard military vessel before this."<br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-01-28 06:02:04	Alicia yawned quite often during the whole Press conference, not enjoying the whole affair of promoting the ship itself. No, she wished she could be back in the computer lab working on the Ais, and going over the checks of their systems... and watching some of the camera feeds that she had found... interesting. But this here, was boring as hell listening to everyone spout and boast about their achievements to the cameras. Annoying, especially when the media went from the captains to the actual workers who did all the hard work. There they would get real opinions, and not politically charged statements.<br/><br/>This second part she had to avoid, Alicia hated cameras, and most of the questions she heard them asking would make most alliance citizens did not look highly upon the focus of her job thanks to Sci-Fi apocalypse, mostly centering around AIs. Heh, though that would be funny to see some reactions that there were the form of AI featured in said films on this ship. Oh, that would be just hilarious. But that was still something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Thus, Alicia stood in a while the Reporters were going around the people and made her way to the back of the room to sneak out around the soldiers there before she was caught.<br/><br/>She wasn't so lucky as a reporter finished with a tech, and spotted her as she made it into the ramp to the exit. “Crap...” she muttered before turning with a fake smile. "Of course, I would love to answer some.”<br/><br/>“Alicia Miranda, nothing special there...” of course it was an alliance reporter that was asking her questions and knew her mother as soon as the name was mentioned. “...Yes, my mother is the sculptor, and no, before you ask, I don't do anything like her on this ship. There is no need for sculptures, and I could never make them... next question please...”<br/><br/>“I am a... an information system technician and administrator. I am the Head of the engineers in charge of maintaining all the networking systems on the ship.”<br/><br/>“Only been working on the ship since an atmosphere was established and me and the other technicians could work.”<br/><br/>“No, never worked on a military ship before... this will be new... and I don't feel like answering any more. Can't answer any more, got work to do.” With that done she turned and continued her retreat from the bridge, happy that she was able to keep the mention of AIs from her answers, and beating a retreat before the questions came up.<br/><br/>Xract<br/>2011-01-30 23:26:11	Sophia had finished cleaning up the spilled and scalding coffee as the announcement came out over the P.A. System, "Attention all Crew. Attention All Crew. Any not occupied by duties are invited to attend a press conference held by all ship captains at 1500 hours ship time." Sophia stood up and placed the coffee-soaked napkins in the trash before making her way towards the main hangar. Thankfully, the announcement had given her 2 hours time to make it, since she arrived with only minutes to spare.<br/><br/>She sat down in an empty seat watching the reporters almost nearly froth at the chance to get statements and ask questions. When a small bell rang to signify that questions were now allowed to be asked, it was as if somebody had blown up a dam, as the rabid reporters pounced on the crew with questions that forced sensationally negative answers, cameras, and great hair. Despite being the head software technician, she did not try to gather the reporters' attention. She had not sat in the chair she was supposed to up near the other head officer's seats, she had blended in with the common workers, and the media almost never looked at them.<br/><br/>She almost giggled as the higher-ups were hounded and relentlessly interrogated by the packs of reporters. She stood up to try and make an escape but it seemed that her goggles had become well-known among the media, and soon they were upon her, sniffing and digging for answers.<br/><br/>Her goggles had become a deep amber indicating her stress, although the media never had realized that the goggles indicated her mood. She put on a smile as the cameras and recorders swarmed her. "Yes, I am Sophia Castillo". "Yes I was actually not in my seat, I was actually attempting to escape", she said in a joking manner despite the truth in the statement, causing the ignorant reporters to chuckle along before bombarding her with more questions. "I give the machines here the ability to function by giving them their programming as well as to fix any sort of bug that may arise." "My favorite color is steel" Thinking quickly she put her fingers to her ear, turned her mouth into a serious line, and nodded. "I'm sorry I just had a message from a techie down in the lab regarding one of my projects. I must attend to it. If you'll excuse me."<br/><br/>Sophia continued her escape from the conference and bumped into a women as she cleared the exit. She looked and smirked, "Sorry. Seems you don't like the reporters either?"<br/><br/>(If it wasn't evident enough, the woman is Alicia. Just stating to avoid any confusion)<br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-01-31 04:10:11	Alicia let out a relieved sigh as soon as she escaped through the sliding door from the huge bridge into the hallway outside. She was just happy to have escaped the whole press conference with the hounds in reporter clothing. It was splendid that they hadn't followed her out of the room and on her way back to where she needed to go, to her room to make sure the movers didn't dump her new roommate's stuff somewhere they weren't supposed to, or ruin any of the computer equipment there by setting something heavy on something they shouldn't. At least very little actual work was stored there. Well, other than some personal projects, upgrades for some of the Ais that were stored on her computer that she was working on.<br/><br/>She was standing there for less than a moment before the door opened again and the second woman came from the room, also fleeing from the reporters. There was really no chance to avoid her as Alicia was bumped into, and stumbled a step or two away before she turned and looked at who it was while rubbing her arm where the other woman had hit her by accident... ok, that bump felt a little harder than what the woman could do. “Sorry about that, I was lost in thought for a moment. My bad." She said for a moment in her own apology. A smile crept itself onto the blonde's face at the mention of the reporters. “Nope, not at all. They are like jackals, and no matter what you say, they will try to make you look horrible or like a monster.” plus what she actually headed would frighten most Alliance.<br/><br/>It was then that her headset decided to turn itself on and she heard Shakti's voice over it. “Mother, that is your new roommate. I advise you introduce yourself.” The AI said into the device, obviously watching from one of the cameras in the hall, and identifying the woman. “How did you... oh never mind...” Alicia herself muttered into the device before turning to the woman with a smile, and offering her hand. “Well, isn't this a coincidence. Looks like your my new roommate. I'm Alicia Miranda.” Ok, she was being nice now. There was no clue yet as to how much she should like or hate this woman yet at all.<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-02-01 13:00:06	Admiral Hawkins left the engineering feeling a little uneasy, but somewhat better about the Cerberus core.<br/>"The Rosenberg Drive," the Chief Engineer explained, "uses a series of quantum pulses that vibrates the molecules of the core in multiple dimensions until they attune to the subspace continuum. A breach in Space-time is created and the resulting wormhole allows us to travel quickly between destinations."<br/><br/>"Has there ever been a successful jump to another system?" Hawkins had asked with bated breath.<br/>Even though he already knew the answer.<br/><br/>Engineer Walsh glanced down at the floor sheepishly.<br/>"No...sir. We couldn't produce enough power in the experimental phase to stabilize the subspace tunnel long enough to pass a ship through."<br/>"At least...not until now."<br/><br/>Engineer Walsh looked up at the massive metal sphere.<br/>"But we've run the numbers using the Cerberus core, we should have more than an ample supply of power for the Rosenberg Drive."<br/><br/>Hawkins furrowed his brow.<br/>"And what of the Lynchfield Incident?"<br/><br/>Walsh blinked for a moment, the red-haired engineer bit his lip visably before answering.<br/>"Sir, we had made major strides since then...major strides. The research team at Lynchfield didn't follow correct containment procedures. They were too eager, and they got sloppy."<br/><br/>Walsh looked up at Hawkins, his eyes betraying his pain.<br/>"I will not make my brother's mistakes, sir. You can count on us all to get the job done right."<br/><br/>Hawkins crossed his arms and considered the engineer painstakingly, scanning for signs of flaws of logic or any hidden lies within his words.<br/>"Very well, Commander. I suppose I'll have to trust your expertise. We all will. Remember what's riding on this. We are all counting on you."<br/><br/>"Yes, sir!" Walsh barked as he saluted the Admiral, a slight victorious grin lurking at the edge of his lips.<br/>"Dismissed."<br/><br/><br/>In all honesty there was little Hawkins could have done anyway, the Coalition had already deemed use of the Cerberus Core an acceptable risk in such an undertaking. Without it, the Alliance's subspace drive might as well be collecting dust. Nevertheless, it was hard to shake those images.... they still would find their way into James's dreams from time to time.<br/><br/>The lift chirped its melodious chord as the doors opened to the bridge.<br/><br/>James stepped out onto the plated decks once more, his eyes scanning the horizon of faces that were going about their work.<br/><br/>"Captain Graves"<br/>The XO saluted sharply.<br/><br/>"Yes sir?"<br/><br/>"Ready the crew and the ship. Offload all personnel not accompanying us on our voyage."<br/><br/>Hawkins paused for a moment, his words seem to lay thick on the air, as there was a sudden quieting of chatter in the room.<br/><br/>"....Prepare to jump."<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-02-02 02:56:09	Chapter 2: Prepare to Jump<br/><br/>Arya signed and relaxed visibly as the captain returned, and the security finally began to usher the press away. Then, finally. She heard something that she had waited fifteen years, and worked harder than she ever had in her life to be able to hear.<br/><br/>"....prepare to jump."<br/><br/>She had to pause, and look up at Captain Graves. Was it true, after all this time? They were finally going to begin? She felt a shiver run down her entire body, from her head to fingers and her toes, to the point where her hands were visibly shaking. They were going to launch, not only that, they were going to make history. Not only were they in the largest working ship in recorded history, but they were going to attempt a jump. Sure, if the rumors were true there was just as good a chance that they would all die horribly, but there was just as good a chance that it would work!<br/><br/>Did she have a place? A station? She was so excited that she had to think about it. No, not really. She was a technician. Unless something broke, the only thing she really needed to worry about was periodic maintenance. She also knew how to manually operate just about every weapon on the ship, if she had to. But they didn't need weapons right now, they needed a prayer. She'd said it before, and she would say it again. This was technology. She believed with all of her heart that there were two things that would always be true about technology, and that was more true now than ever. The question was, would this power core be up for the job? Or were they all about to turn into the first blood stain big enough to be seen from earth?<br/><br/>Regardless, it wouldn't be happening for a little while. They had to unload the press, and everyone who wasn't going to be leaving on the journey. She looked around her, for Mordecai, for a guard, for anyone. Where was she supposed to go? What was she supposed to do? She couldn't just sit around and do nothing when the biggest technological undertaking of the millennium was about to take place. Her body was fidgeting so badly that she probably would have been hopping up and down with excitement if she weren't using every ounce of restraint she had to keep from doing just that.<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-02-03 12:30:40	Garrick smiled heartily. He wrapped his fingers around his mug happily, the warmth of the liquid inside slowly ebbed out insulated container into his palms and fingers.<br/><br/>He took a tentative of his coffee, the dark bitter taste mixing with the sweet tang of sugar and soft silky creme. Garrick closed his eyes and slowly inhaled the scent. It reminded him of home...his parent's house early in the winter mornings after a snow. The normally dark forest behind their house blanketed in the purest white snow.<br/>The bold, rich smell of coffee beans roasting over an open wood fire...father cooking the turkey and mother attending to the potatoes and greens.<br/>And real sugar. It had been so long since he tasted real sugar...ever since he left home.<br/><br/>Garrick grinned bittersweetly, his gaze wandered to Todd as they both stood there outside the mess, overlooking one of the many docking bays.<br/><br/>Todd noticed his gaze and raised his mug with a grin.<br/>"Here's to the civvies, eh? They may not be able to tell the butt of a pistol from the muzzle but they can make damn good food."<br/><br/>Garrick tipped his mug and knocked it against Todd's.<br/>"Here here. I just hope they still have some of those donuts left tonight."<br/>Garrick said, turning to eyeball the large plate of frosted sugary treats laid out in the banquet hall for the senior staff.<br/><br/>"Aye, I've had my eye on the eclairs for the last thirty minutes. Chef won't let me near em though. I think hes afraid I will eat em all."<br/><br/>Garrick eyed Todd's midsection suspiciously.<br/>"You look like you would." he jibbed.<br/><br/>"Shut up." Todd scolded in mock annoyance, before quickly pointing a finger out the window.<br/>"Hey look over there." he exclaimed, clearly changing the subject.<br/><br/>"Aren't those Noble Guards?"<br/>Garrick followed Todd's finger to a trio of blue specks on the landing bay deck near an Alliance shuttle.<br/><br/>The three soldiers were at a extreme distance, but it was apparent that they were drawing alot of attention. The royal blue power armor of the Noble Guard was very distinct in an ocean of grey and navy uniforms.<br/><br/>"Noble Guard eh? Aren't they some big deal on Earth?" Garrick said dismissively, even though he knew full well the Noble Guard's reputation.<br/><br/>"Are you kidding? Yeah they are a big deal. They are the Alliance's elite soldiers...the genetically modified and power armoured kind."<br/><br/>Todd shook his head his incredulously at Garrick.<br/>"They protect the Senate and the Prime Minister...to see one in person is...extremely rare."<br/><br/>Todd lowered his voice a little, doing a quick head-check for eavesdroppers before leaning in to whisper.<br/>"They even say that they are a match for the Immortals."<br/><br/>Garrick raised an eyebrow. "I would be careful saying that. You know that sort of thinking will get you in trouble."<br/><br/>Todd bit his lip, "I know, but it doesn't make it not true. I had a friend in the Marines, served at New Kobe. Said that a Noble Guard soldier took down an entire platoon, mechs and all before an Immortal put him down...and it was a tough fight at that."<br/><br/>Garrick bit the inside of his cheek, turning the thought of a single Alliance soldier besting fifty trained Imperial Marines over in his head.<br/><br/>"That seems a bit far-fetched if you ask me."<br/><br/>Todd stared at him for a moment, he looked as if he wanted to say something more but he simply shrugged and resumed his upright posture.<br/><br/>"It's just what I heard. Take it for what you will."<br/><br/><br/>"All hands...report to action stations."<br/>Came the blaringly loud report over the comm system.<br/><br/>"I suppose that means we will be getting underway soon." Garrick said, his thoughts suddenly miring his speech.<br/><br/>Todd looked over at Garrick, sensing that he had said something wrong.<br/>There was a bit of a pause before Todd clapped his hand on Garrick's back.<br/><br/>"Well come on then. Let's get to the bridge. After all...who would want to miss this?"<br/><br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-02-04 07:57:10	Personally, Mordecai found it very unnerving and embarrassing to show emotions, deeming them a weakness. They clouded judgment, made people act rashly, distracted people from their duties, and were an all-around source of trouble. Mordecai himself had never managed to find any amount of good that ultimately outweighed the negative aspects when one was to succumb to their viciously clawing grasp.<br/><br/>And so, it was perfectly reasonable that he would be near-constantly irritated, the condition only worsening as it lingered and refused to leave him be when the announcement was made. The excitement increased tenfold from what he'd felt while working the probes, and so did the aggravation. Somehow, he managed to repress the feeling from becoming visible, and took three deep breaths before looking about to see what the others were doing. The first one he'd seen was Arya, and he took note of just how twitchy she was. The feeling about her was much more than what would constitute a few nervous spasms. Were he naive, Mordecai would have been under the impression that the girl's head would have exploded in a gloriously massive mess as she attempted to keep herself from having a nervous breakdown.<br/><br/>He stepped briskly to her, having been only a few strides away, and said, "Since we have nothing better to do, perhaps we should make our way to the bow and get a decent view when we jump? We still have time to get there and witness it while the unnecessary are evacuated from the area," offering her the idea of something to do and pass the time, maybe even get the burden from her shoulders of all of the excitement. He would do well with the relief himself, and at that, Mordecai waved for Arya to follow him as he made long strides to leave; it was noticeable that he was gripping his hands together just a touch more tightly than he should, subconsciously telling the others that he was, like the entire crew, he presumed, overly anxious and tense.<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-02-04 11:52:50	Garrick and Todd had made their way through the long corridors of the ship to the onboard tram. From there it was just a lift ride to the bridge.<br/><br/>Garrick felt a palpable sense of excitement as they neared their destination. All thoughts that weared heavy on his mind vanished like a thick fog on the moore in the morning sun.<br/><br/>This is what he had been waiting for. This moment, this place. He felt it, as if he was meant to be here.<br/>As the doors opened a flood of sights and sounds greeted him, the great hall that was the bridge was bustling with activity.<br/>Todd pulled his arm, making a gesture towards the front of the ship, where the bridge ended at the void began. The balcony before it was filling up fast with people, all eager to get the best view of the proceedings.<br/><br/>Garrick pushed and prodded his way through the crowd, Todd following closely behind.<br/>He could hear the excitement in the voices of the bridge staff.<br/><br/>"...IFF systems online, targeting scanners online, bring up point defense systems...."<br/>"...roger that Titan Control, all worker-drones are clear of the scaffold, bringing primary..."<br/>"...Control we have guidance lock. Ready to sever umbilical towers on your mark."<br/><br/>Garrick continued to push his way to the balcony. Almost tripping several times on the feet of the onlookers.<br/>Finally he reached his goal, he grabbed a spot on the wail and pulled Todd over towards him rather bodily, losing his balance in the process. Garrick felt himself slip and fall backwards as Todd impacted him.<br/><br/>He fell suddenly and bumped his head against another bystander.<br/>"Owch!"<br/><br/>Garrick fumbled to right himself, rubbing his head as he turned to face the person he had accidentally tackled.<br/>"I'm terribly sorry." Garrick said, offering a hand to the young woman he had knocked to the ground.<br/><br/>"Are you alright, miss?"<br/><br/>bkwm0190<br/>2011-02-04 13:16:01	((godmod-flirting at it's finest. =P))<br/><br/>Luminarya was fidgeting about like a mad woman, so incredibly nervous that she really just didn't have even the slightest idea of what to do with herself. She started when somebody suddenly addressed her, but sighed in relief when she realized that it was just Mordecai, and not more press. She listened to him, trying to keep herself as calm as possible. She took deep breaths, hugged her arms across her chest to keep them from moving, but she just couldn't seem to keep herself still for more than a few moments. Mordecai had a good idea though, going to get a front seat view to the proceedings would definitely get her mind off of all of the different things that could go wrong. At least, she hoped it would. But staring out into the abyss of space usually got her thinking about plenty of other things.<br/><br/>So, she took his advice. She fell into step behind him, finding it relatively easy to move through the crowd with such a large and imposing figure in front of her to clear a path. People didn't seem to need to think for more than a few seconds about getting out of Mordecai's way, and that made it incredibly easy for the little blue haired girl to slip through the crowd behind him. In no time at all they had made it out to a great spot on the balcony, the bad part was that they were near the back of the crowd, and here it was too dense to try to move up.<br/><br/>The small girl was considering her options, Mordecai was large enough to see over most of the other little people, so if she got him to let her climb up on his back she'd be able to see perfectly. She could also hang down off of the balcony, or climb up on the railing, both of which would give her an excellent view, but she wasn't sure if there would be some sort of kickback, she'd never exactly experienced a 'jump' before. Hell she'd never been on a ship any larger than a little transport vessel before. At least, not when they were flying. She was about to mention this to Mordecai, and see if he could help her get a better view, when she suddenly saw stars before her eyes - and felt a blinding pain shoot through the side of her head.<br/><br/>Arya crumpled and tumbled over, her legs giving out as she became dizzy and fell heavily to the ground, slamming her arm into one of the metal poles of the railing and wincing loudly. She stays on the ground for a few moments, resentful of all of the people standing around her who didn't seem to give a shit. Only when her vision had cleared and she no longer felt lightheaded did she look up to see who had bumped into her so violently.<br/><br/>Of course, it was a man. She grimaced up at him, and at his offered hand. Her own left hand was rubbing the tender spot where her right arm had slammed into the railing, so she had to reach out with her right hand to accept his help in getting back to her feet. She wondered for a moment if he had done it on purpose. She knew men did that sort of thing, though why they would think hitting into a woman would make them like you was a concept that was beyond her. She didn't think that was the case, everyone was pushing and shoving to get a good view. She just didn't like the fact that he'd just had to be one of the taller people in the crowd, slamming all of his tall-ness into one of the short-... okay, so she was the shortest person in the crowd. But she had the biggest mouth.<br/><br/>"You've got to watch where you're going, man! You could have given me a concussion!" She snaps, more annoyed at the fact that he'd made her think about how short she was than actually being knocked down. Her arms were already covered in so many scrapes, cuts, and old scars that one more bruise wouldn't make much of a difference.<br/><br/>Manly Man markII<br/>2011-02-04 20:08:46	((Figure I'll just put in something short.))<br/><br/>As Mordecai walked through, his intimidating presence and outright scary arm parted the crowd while he walked through. He assumed Arya was behind him on the way there, and though it probably took several minutes, even with his clear path, time seemed to fly as they made their way to the massive window at the bow. They were a ways back in the crowd, but they could still see the vast sky of Titan, and they were just about to launch. He was very excited at the whole situation, and was getting a bit impatient with how long they were taking.<br/><br/>A blue-eyed, blonde-haired man caught Mordecai's eye, if only the corner of it. He seemed to be in a hurry- such a hurry that he smashed into Arya. As the smaller girl was laid out, Mordecai bent down to bring her to her feet, but soon saw that the man had beaten him to the punch. He was just as tall as Mordecai, and looked to be very fit as well, mostly just lacking Mordecai's prostheses. He drew back as Arya was lifted to her feet by the offender of personal space, getting the urge to teach him some manners. He decided against it, since he would rather not be taken to the brig before they even launched off. Instead, he offered harsh words as well. "Crowded or not, you should still at least pay attention when you dash about like that," his voice stone cold.<br/><br/>Turning to Arya, he made a quick observation of where she'd struck her arm, and deemed it to be nothing particularly serious. Judging by her multitude of scars, it was of little matter to her at all, the greatest injury having been done to her pride, it seemed. After all, she was standing between two men who were probably the tallest people on the entire ship. Sighing, he said, "Well, since we can really do nothing about what happened, perhaps we could at least watch the jump and introduce ourselves. It would be best to at least know each other before something else happens, and we know who to blame what on. I am Mordecai Jonathan Smythe, at your service." A curt nod of his head, and he looked to the other man, expecting a similar introduction.<br/><br/>Xract<br/>2011-02-04 22:48:34	Her breathing slowed now that the intense excitement of being questioned and outwitting the reporters had subsided, she let out a breathy chuckle, "Definitely, those reporters are ruthless, even if they are just doing their job." She thought of spitting to add emphasis but quickly thought of the horrible that would make, then laughed at what could have occurred. She looked up and down at the woman, her headset gave her the idea that she was some sort of technician, maybe even a higher up who would need it for communication. Her arm twitched under Epsilon's control once more. Stop, she thought before it was followed by a deep buzz almost resembling laughter.<br/><br/>She heard Alicia mumble something into her headset but paid it no mind, probably just a message about the ship or something. “Well, isn't this a coincidence. Looks like your my new roommate. I'm Alicia Miranda.”, said the woman before offering her hand. Sophia was taken aback. How had she known? Sophia had never seen this woman before, is that what the message she had mumbled to been about? A fresh wave of paranoia washed over her and in response her eye whirred to life behind her goggles, the only indication being the slight glow under her left lens. The eye rolled around in the eye socket scanning everything it could. Epsilon's voice filled her head, "No prosthetic can be detected in your roommate, and we are being watched by 2 cameras at the moment." Sophia smiled and took her roommate's hand in a hold that may have been slightly too tight. She shook twice, "And I'm Sophia Castillo as you seem to know." She looked around and saw the two cameras pointed at her, "Perhaps if you are not too busy we can get better acquainted before the ship launches."<br/><br/>NightArcher<br/>2011-02-05 06:54:31<br/><br/><br/>Alicia's smile itself wavered a bit at the look on Sophia's face at her knowing the girl's name without having been introduced. The barely noticable light that appeared under the shades she wore, and it grabbed Alicia's attention. A prosthetic? Was Sophia on the list of registered people with them? She would have to check that later. Right now, she was happy that the woman returned the handshake without any prompting. Maybe not the most friendly people, but at least she wasn't going to be a girly'girl roommate and put annoying decorations up in the room. “Yeah, it helps having friends that have seen you before and showed me what you look like.” partial lie, she did have a friend that was watching now, but didn't show her until speaking into her headset.<br/><br/>“Yeah, it couldn't hurt to get to know each other better before...” Alica began after taking her hand out of Sophia's before the announcement came over the speakers, and the reporters began to be escorted out of the ship and the captains returned to their ships. “Prepare to jump.” That ended most of any chances of quietly getting to know her new roomate. “... well, maybe after now... or we could just go somewhere and watch the takeoff and jump? The observation decks should have somewhere to stand.”<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-02-05 06:58:51	Garrick's face went flush as he helped the girl to her feet, taking her criticism squarely.<br/>"I am immensely sorry, milady. I tripped trying to help my friend here...I should have been more careful."<br/><br/>"Crowded or not, you should still at least pay attention when you dash about like that."<br/>Garrick turned to face the man behind her, a rather imposing figure with rust coloured hair and a cybernetic arm that looked like it could punch a hole through a mech. Garrick instantly disliked him.<br/>It wasn't because of his comment or the tone in which he spoke. No it was in his stance. It was confident, proud and cold.<br/>It was uniquely Imperial. Though he wore an Alliance uniform.<br/><br/>Garrick squared himself, in his customary stance, that is, of an Navy officer.<br/>Despite his dislike of this intruder, he still conceded his mistake.<br/>"Yes you are right, sir. I should have watched where I was going."<br/><br/>"Well, since we can really do nothing about what happened, perhaps we could at least watch the jump and introduce ourselves. It would be best to at least know each other before something else happens, and we know who to blame what on. I am Mordecai Jonathan Smythe, at your service."<br/><br/>"My name is Garrick. Garrick T. Lancaster, and this is my friend Todd Winters."<br/><br/>"Pleasure." Todd said, extending his hand. Garrick did the same.<br/><br/>After they exchanged pleasantries, Garrick nodded and turned his head towards the young woman he had accidentally knocked over, his voice formal and smooth as silk<br/><br/>"You must allow me to make amends, miss. What say you to dinner in the mess tonight? My treat."<br/><br/>"And you as well, sir. If you wish to join us." he nodded Mordecai.<br/><br/>Krolik<br/>2011-02-06 11:59:00	Wilhelm was lucky enough to avoid being questioned by the great carrion bird that was the media and let out a soft sigh as the crowd dispersed. "Get the kaiser ready to warp, close enough to tail the ship through the wormhole" he instructs his ship getting a simple 'yes sir' in response before the connection was cut. The rear admiral moved through the crowd, keeping his head down as he checked his PDA, looking over statements from old friends of the two engineer's he had been eying, one seemed to have an affinity for building robots....no transforming battle suits...interesting yes funding could diffidently attract her but the other, he was a specter. As he strolled through the people he watched the girl engineer get bumped into by another man, looked to be alliance by the looks of him, he did not have any respect that the empire had put into their youth. He folded his hands behind his back and stepped forward, listening to the pleasantries be exchanged and to the offer of dinner... that opened an opportunity. "Or perhaps you would more prefer dinner mixed with business at a much finer table with much finer food." He says looking at both Mordecai and Luminarya, all but ignoring Garrick. "I am rear admiral Wilhelm Marcus Rommel, of the destroyer Kaiser have a proposal for you both if you would be willing to hear it, if not than i can at least treat you both to a nice dinner." he says glaceing over at Garrick "your presence is no longer required here" he says his voice cutting and cold, filled with the authority of his station.<br/><br/>Shadowmourne<br/>2011-02-07 10:12:56	Garrick squinted a bit. To be suddenly and rather rudely interrupted stoked his already smoldering temper, but for that to be an Imperial Navy officer no less....he would have expected more gentlemanly conduct from his own kind.<br/><br/>Yet, even so, Garrick had noticed the insignia on the officer's collar that marked him as a Rear Admiral. Disappointment and indignation grew in his mind.<br/>He could see it in Todd's expression as well, that he didn't think much of this intruder, but instead of allowing himself be to flustered, Garrick pushed down his feelings and saluted sharply.<br/><br/>"Yes sir. We were just leaving."<br/>"Come on." Garrick murmured to Todd<br/>"Sir." Todd muttered, with no little venom.<br/>They worked their way back through the crowd to find a different spot on the balcony. Todd waited until they were well out of earshot before he spoke up.<br/><br/>"Can you believe that? Who does that guy think he is?" Todd growled as Garrick picked out a little spot near the wall well away from the main mass of the crowd.<br/>It was hardly a good vantage point but it had the solitude that Garrick enjoyed.<br/><br/>"An admiral. That's who...but still it was rude." Garrick said, leaning over the railing casually so he could get a better view. Todd leaned his back up against the rail, still fuming about it.<br/>"Hell yeah it was rude. I mean, what the hell, as soon as you make Captain you become a complete dick?"<br/>"Yeah, I think it's in the regs." Garrick smiled mirthfully. Todd grinned a bit, shaking his head hopelessly.<br/><br/>"I don't get how you can laugh about it, Garrick. It was you he cut off."<br/>"Yeah, and you're pissed enough for the both of us."<br/>Garrick quipped.<br/>Todd rolled his eyes in resignation.<br/>Garrick smiled, he dropped his head a little, his face turning serious again.<br/><br/>"Honestly, I don't see any using staying mad. If you can't do anything about it...move on. That's just how I've always been."<br/><br/>Todd raised an eyebrow mischeivously, "Oh really. Good to know...If I ever piss you off, I'll be sure to quote that back to you."<br/><br/>Garrick's face dropped into an annoyed frown, "Try it and I'll nut you."<br/><br/>Todd shoved him playfully. "But that Alliance chick was pretty cute wasn't she?"<br/><br/>Garrick chuckled and nodded, "Aye. She was."<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>