Chapter Two: Full Stop The violence on the
Defiance had left six of her crew dead along with one of the escaped prisoners. A further four had been imprisoned pending their decision on whether they wanted to stay with the ship or not (including Cridrac). Amlai had already agreed to stay on the ship and had been given free run of the place, along with the prisoners and the three crew members who had joined in the mutiny.
Nobody was really in charge, though Thanica and Vrondich, who were the ones who knew how to run the ship, had agreed to bring the
Defiance to a stop, temporarily, while Vrondich did an inspection to make sure the ship hadn't taken any serious damage in the fighting. There was reason to be hopeful, people hadn't been discharging blasters all too often, but owing to a combination of age, poor design and bad luck, it had...
The Mess Hall - Thanica, Carter and Sshalah (co-written by Dyelli Beybi, Arengin Union and Harbertia.)With the ship lying idle for a time, Thanica was left without much to do. The experiences of the day had left her feeling conflicted, both sickened and liberated. Worried about what she had given up but excited about the future. She ditched her uniform first off, switching it out for a black tank top and cargo pants that wouldn't have looked out of place on Earth and strapped a blaster to hip (just in case).
Then, seeking to set her mind to rest she dug out a large bottle of Raz'lak and went in search of Carter (it really was an odd name), dragging him away from where he had been making sure the Kiellar prisoners were properly locked away, to a table in the mess hall. There she sat the bottle down and a glass in front of each of them, "Right Carter... You know I'm brimming with questions and I'm imagining you have a few as well. How about we answer a few for each other? Want to go first?"
Carter himself had acquired a cleaner outfit, still wearing his astronaut trousers and boots but now wearing a black v-necked t-shirt, he had also acquired a Kiellar marine’s jacket and armour but had opted not to wear it yet, setting it on the bridge.
Now in the mess hall and with Thanica setting a glass for each of them he found himself rather perplexed at the colour of the drink, still he was not going to refuse it. Thanica’s much gleamer and excited mannerism made the Earthling give an awkward smile as he inspected his glass.
Taking a drink from the glass Carter set it back on the table making a funny face after taking in the very heavy and bitter drink, then looking at Thanica, “Since you were the one that freed me, I think you deserve the honours” he said while setting his arms on the table and resting his back further in.
Thanica smirked slightly, topping up Carter's glass before pouring herself a shot's worth. She downed it immediately, then poured another. Hopefully she would still be in a condition to pilot the ship later... "You seem like a male who keeps his secrets close to his chest." she remarked, "How did you ended up on this ship?"
Taking a hold of his newly filled glass Carter first gave a slight move of the mouth and head as he began reminiscing about the events before this whole mess. Over a hundred days in the trip, weekly logs and conversations with the ships AI, Olorisa, and drifting slowly on the empty vastness of space. Back then he had complained about the sameness of it all, how he longed for action like back in his piloting days, oh how he regretted it now.
“Well,” he let go of the glass and looked down on the table then back to Thanica “Our ship was heading to a long uncharted planet long seen as a beacon of achievement, it was supposed to last 300 hundred days, with the trip back being much smoother. I remember a light, something very flashy that absorbed the ship, it all went blank for me after that, I then remember our ship getting boarded with red alarm lights going off and Olorisa going offline. He then remember Olorisa, the
Destiny Artificial Intelligence which seemed to have slipped into the
Defiance’s own network somehow, she was now stuck in a sort of limbom unable to do much of anything and all Carter could do was hope that Thanica’s engineer friend could repair her.
Carter went back to his answer, “We were captured very quickly and suddenly, these people wearing armor not unlike these soldier types in this very ship restrained us and we were inspected by some people in different outfits before getting send to this ship” he took a drink from the glass and again squinted his face as he continued “They put that chest thing on me and covered my mouth since I wasn’t very… Cooperative. They then injected something on my neck” Carter moved his head to show Thanica the back of his neck which had some punctures on it, “All I know is that I could understand what they said and also read the gibberish on the walls. And now in what seems to be either sheer luck or divine intervention… I’m here talking with you…” Carter let out a small chuckle as he began considering it all looking to no where in particular as he slowly realized he was indeed in an uncharted world, completely different to his.
Thanica looked a little surprised, downing her second shot and pouring out a third, "That's quite remarkable." she paused, sipping at the drink thoughtfully this time. She sat back in her chair, crossing her legs, her brows furrowed together for a moment in thought, "It sounds like they injected you with translator microbes." she said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. To her, it was, though to Carter it seemed like a novelty. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something wasn't quite adding up.
"Carter..." she said, rolling the r's in his name a little more than was normal for an English speaker, "When I concentrate on your voice I can tell you aren't speaking a language I have heard before, which is strange. I had the injection for translator microbes shortly after I was born. Even my clan, who lived in hiding, were able to culture the microbes and give them to our children. How could a Dhasath colony have lost the knowledge? Unless it was deliberate?" "Sorry!" she added with a smile, and slight shake of her head, "That wasn't a question for you! It was purely rhetorical. What was your colony called again? Ert?"
Still scratching the scars left from the injector Carter took in Thanica’s explanation, “Huh… microbe, interesting” he murmured as he began to consider that a microbe was flowing through his vein to make him understand other species language, it truly was odd. Then Thanica followed up with another inquiry, one relating to Carter’s very own way of speaking, his language. The reference to a Dhasath colony made him confused, the fact that all through his stay in this ship he’d been directly addressed with that term, it bothered him not on a personal level but more of a curiosity one, did Dhasath meant human? Earthling? Foreigner?
But Thanica had brushed off that matter and moved on to ask him another question, what was ‘Ert’ like? Upon further thought Carter realized she had been saying it wrong, with lack of the a and the e on the very middle, it was more of a pronunciation mistake he believed.
“Earth. Pronounce E arTh,” he took another sip from the drink, it started to become less abhorrent with each one, “Though don’t let the name fool ya, only a portion of the planet is covered with land, about two thirds of it is blue ocean water, rivers and lakes… Very green too.”
"Oh, Earth!" she said as if she were about to say she knew where it was, but after a moment gave a slightly sheepish smile and shook her head, "That is an unusual choice of names though... So when did you settle there? After the Ragon invasion or was it a bit later?"
With a perplexed look on his face and just very much tired of confusions Carter drank the rest of his glass, setting it back on the table as he proceeded answered, “Listen, I think we’re both a bit muddled here,” he took a short paused as he began to think through what he was going to say “Earth is not part Daseat or Ragon or any other race you know. We’re Humans, that’s what we call each other, human. We evolved over millions of years to become what we are and until a few months ago I was just in training to be in the very first mission to an uncharted planet in the Solar System” Carter’s blunt words took Thanica by surprise as he continued “I don’t even know if I’m in the same Galaxy, I don’t know anything anymore other than we were taken off course and the ship’s log detected a paradox before being taken offline” he paused as he looked at Thanica, “I’m sorry if I disappointed you… But I don’t think I’m what you believe I am.”
"Hang on... you're from a planet that doesn't have faster than light travel?" Thanica looked.... well, blank. It took a good few moments for what Carter was saying to sink it, at which point she abruptly burst out laughing, buckling over and slapping the table. It might have been the alcohol talking (Dhasath were notorious light-weights), but she seemed to think that Carter's revelation was the funniest thing she had heard all day. Eventually the laughter subsided enough for her to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, "Oh that cheeky Kiellar son of a hazmot!" she buckled over again, reaching out to touch Carter's hand as if half expecting him to sprout a tentacle, "You look just like one of us.... but I knew something wasn't quite adding up."
"Hang on..." she stood up, doing a slow pirouette for Carter's benefit. From his perspective, she was, for all intents and purposes, a human woman in her late twenties. The differences were all on the inside, "Do I like like one of you or is there something a bit off? No strange bumps or curves in the wrong places? What was it you called yourself, a hamun?"
Carter found himself clueless at Thanica’s laugh and her words which even though he understood it was hard to see what was so funny at first. The human simply remained completely shocked and still, she touched his hand which he allowed as she inspected his skin, the touch between the two felt different despite apparent similarities, a lot softer on Thanica, much softer than any human Carter could’ve met.
Thanica looked so human yet Carter could tell she wasn’t, not only by the setting she was in but also just by the unnatural eyes, blue eyes which contrasted her skin. They were captivating, beautiful even, but so unhuman, but not in a weird way by a long shot. “You… you look just like us, but also much more unique… I wouldn’t know how to describe it.” He kept looking at her eyes, he couldn’t believe he had just noticed but given how this all had started it was no surprise now that he had a moment of tranquillity for a long while. “Yeah, humans. Homosapiens its the scientific name,” he smiled.
Then he asked another thing, something irking him for a while since being set free “W-what about you? Your people… Why are you here in this ship? Why did you help me?”
As they spoke, the Ragon, Sshalah attracted by the scents of Raz'lak and Dhasath, was now watching the odd scene from the threshold of the mess hall. Sshalah, her arms crossed, a faint smile on her face leaned against the threshold, tail close though loose- casual about her feet.
"Really? I'll take that as a compliment." Thanica chuckled, shaking her head slightly, at Carter’s description of her, "Though honestly, you could easily pass for one of us.... not that you'd want to."
She left the rest of the questions unanswered, mostly because Thanica had spotted the huge bulk of the Ragon filling the doorway. While it's presence made her stomach lurch, the Raz'lak in her system was making her feel bolder than usual, and besides she was finding the situation far too funny, "Hey!" she called, "Can you tell the difference between the two of us? You can smell Dhasath out right?"
Carter looked behind him, the massive lizard like creature sitting at the threshold of the room just a few meters back. While Thanica asked it question Carter for his part moved his rifle from being set at the side of the table to being set on the table, as a subtle sign of distrust.
Sshalah with as warm a smile as she could manage answered, "I can, your scent is far sweeter while his brings to mind memory of grease." She lowered her head to look upon Carter who moved his rifle to the table, "I meant no offense, merely to state a fact."
"None taken..." Was Carter's only response to the reptilian.
The comment, however, drew a laugh from Thanica who really did seem to be in a good mood, "If you're happy to agree that neither of us is prey for the next few hours, I'll pour you a drink." she offered the Ragon, "... which might actually be a historic first."
Sshalah, a smile upon her still happily nodded a 'yes' to not considering them food for the next few hours. "I accept your offer," she said taking little note of Carter's response as she passed the threshold into the mess hall towards them, "I have already eaten," she said as if to a friend in gratitude, "and I thank you for that." she awaited her drink, eager to have it.
Thanica poured out a shot... then looked up at the Ragon, at the sheer size of the creature, and shook her head, filling the glass to the brim, "I figured you need a bit extra for it to work." she explained, pursing her lips thoughtfully, "So tell me, and don't worry, I'm not going to get upset, but were you considering taking me on the bridge before?"
She wasn't going to be offended, but now she was sitting next to a Ragon, which was only the second strangest thing to happen in the last five minutes, their meeting on the bridge was the only thing she could think about! How close had she actually come to being lunch?
"I remember your words from the time you freed me, while my blood was flowing and heart racing I kept them in mind. I used your scent to find the bridge, aware that the avian was going to the armoury- having heard that much before you came to my cell. I determined that I would follow your scent to find answers, and it took me to the bridge- I do not think you would have faired well had I not arrived. Which is fortunate, as the only one who can fly the ship your lose would have stranded us all- and I for one would not have wanted to send a signal to anyone- we are I gather from your announcement still in Kiellar space." She took her drink, her voice getting smoother, "Moving towards the neutral zone."
Having a new drink poured by Thanica, Carter gave a question of his own "What is this Neutral Zone?"
"A place where neither the Ragon Empire nor the Kiellar have the resources to conquer." Thanica explained, "Full of tiny states and pirates. It is not entirely charted. Some might say colourful? Either way its somewhere we can lay low for a bit while we figure out what our next move will be."
She paused... the Ragon had an very good point. It had actually saved her from getting killed in retribution for her mutiny by her former crew members, "Thank you." she said before going back to the gallows humour she seemed to so enjoy, "I said I wouldn't be offended, but geez... you could have couched that a little! I must be losing my Dhasath touch..." she said, shaking her head, "And all your perfectly logical reasons, when I thought the deciding factor in my survival was my winning personality."
Sshalah had a soft smile, "Honesty is the path to trust. I would be devious to respond in any way other then that which is true. I have no desire to dwell among you without trust, and am comforted by the present lack of distance between us."
So long as nobody else figured out how to work the controls, everything would be fine...
Engineering - Vrondich, Rabaech and Cridrac“It’s broken.” Rabaech supplied helpfully.
“I know that.” Vrondich sighed, “But the question is can we fix it?”
“No probably not…. Well actually yes, but we’d need spare parts.” The two of them were almost finished in Engineering and things did not look entirely promising. They had also taken Cridrac along with them on the general principal that an android would understand machinery.
“You see.” Vrondich explained, “The
Defiance was always a bit of a shonky ship. Not a problem, most of the time, but after someone went into a kill frenzy upstairs, there was a lot of blood spilled, a large volume of which drained into the inter-floor space and because the wiring is old and horrible, somehow we managed to short out the Skrim Drive Coolant System, which, given the fact that Skrim drives tend to overheat anyway, is bad.”
“Very bad.” Rabaech echoed.
“Now because I…”
“We.” Rabaech interrupted.
“Fine, ‘we’, are technical masterminds, we have come up with a solution… but it involves venting the reactor core directly into space.” Vrondich explained animatedly, “Which will mean that we can probably only pull of one jump before we need a lot of spare parts.” He paused as he got to the end, “We should probably make sure there is a planet in range before we do that or tell our pilot.”
“Also, the stasis pod system is broken.” Rabaech continued, “It looks like someone went through an unorthodox shutdown procedure…. But the upshot is there was a system crash and now we can’t open the pods and have no idea who, or what, is in any of them. So we’ll need to figure out a way to fix that as well.”
“Do you know anything about stasis pods?” Vrondich asked, giving Cridrac his first opportunity to actually get a word in edgewise, “Also, have you decided if you’d rather join us or get off the boat?”
The moment of silence from the pair was spoiled a few seconds later by an ominous hissing noise from the floor below, a noise that Rabaech hurried off to discover the source of… a few moments later his voice came drifting up the stairs, “Ah… guys. One of the pods is opening on its own. Vrondich, I hope you still have that blaster!”