Siri was frustrated and angry. All these hours spent on research. AND FOR WHAT!?
Ippolyta's consultation had been informative in that Siri now at least knew what was wrong with her - at least in theory. However, the cause of that problem still very much eluded her. While it was evident that she was apparently jealous of the sexual success of other women with Alaric, which in turn indicated her own sexual attraction to him, Siri still couldn't fathom why was she attracted to Alaric in such a way, and her inability to make sense of it was driving her crazy.
She had spent the better part of the day since leaving Miramar secluded in her quarters, barely sleeping at all and reading every available datalink on human and Sidh sexuality. By now, Siri had pored throug enough theory to get a sexologist's certificate should she ever desire one, but while all this information was very informative on how sexuality worked, it still left the primary question open - why?
The few crewmembers who attended the gym at this hour were surprised to find Siri furiously pummeling away at one of the boxing bags. Although Siri was the weakest and least imposing of the Judicators, even her modest hand-to-hand combat skills would have allowed her to stand her own against most regular soldiers, augmented or not. The recent humiliation by sparring droids had prompted Siri to practice her close combat skills harder, and she had applied the cold logic of science and her own extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology to that effect, devising herself an exercise program that targeted all the vital bones and muscles statistically the most often-used in close combat. The hellhound bite on her arm was still raw, sutured and bandaged, but Siri ignored the pain, deeming it a worthwhile element of exercise in itself, training her to resist pain from injury.
Siri kept beating the boxing bag until complete exhaustion. At least she had finally done something to take the strain off from her mind for a change. She hauled herself off to her quarters and into the shower, again starting to plot the course of her ongoing investigation.
As she let the warm water run along her curves, Siri thought that in order to understand her strange attraction to Alaric, investigating sexual attraction in general was perhaps in order. Maybe understanding what other crewmembers found sexually attractive was key to understanding her own attraction.
Siri decided that her coming investigation would focus primarily on female crewmembers, who would better understand attraction to men. Siri was aware that Serena and likely some of the other crew's womenfolk had more unorthodox tastes, and was hence divided about whether to include them in her research, but in the end decided to question them nonetheless. In the very least, they could give her a female perspective on unconventional sexual relationships.
The sources Siri had studied claimed that sexual attraction was, at least in humans and other naturally-procreating species, an evolutionary method of selecting the most suitable mate. That, however, failed to explain the existence of sexual attraction in deviant, i.e, homosexual subjects, and also among Sidhae in general who did not procreate naturally. While Siri was aware that sexuality was a vestigial set of instincts retained from Sidh fully-organic human predecessors, she was still baffled by it's continued existence among the Sidhae - without any practical procreative function, sexuality served no more practical purpose, yet it's retainment pointed out to it having one, it being too significant a segment of base-level operating code to be retained simply as a design oversight. Having extensive knowledge on the subject of synthetic biology, which included several courses on Sidh biosynthetics, Siri had a very good grasp on how new Sidhae were constructed and programmed. The fact that sexual reproduction instincts were not edited out of their base operating code signified there was some greater purpose to leaving them untouched.
Still in the shower, the ever-inquisitive girl already was already compiling a mental to-do list.
1. Investigate opinions on sexual attraction factors in males among the crew's female members. Compile their answers.
2. Find common elements. Determine the average set of qualities necessary to inspire sexual desire.
3. Devise a measurement system to measure and gauge mean sexual attractiveness by these qualities.
4.
The first three seemed simple enough, although Siri was convinced she would have to refine her scale afterwards, the small number of responders and their specific occupations and interests likely bound to make it somewhat biased. Number Four, however, looked like the real challenge, since Siri had no clue whatsoever as to what she found attractive in men. She was accustomed to viewing everybody and everything through the prism of science. When a handsome young lad like Alaric caught her eyes, her thoughts usually revolved around what augmentations he had beneath his skin, assessing his physical capabilities and estimating the cost of upgrading him to a specialist class of this tier or that. By the time that lad noticed her, smiled and said hi, Siri had already made a rough mental chart of his genome based on a vague genetic assessment made from his appearance, and weighted the pros and cons of implanting various gene sequences in it. And then her train of thought was usually disrupted, cut off with a proverbial axe by this lad, who was saying hi and more often than not shortly thereafter proceeding to ask her out for a date. This invariably left the poor girl in a state of anxious confusion - while Siri recognized that the guy in question was in all probability meaning well, she was at the same time completely unsure on how to respond to such advances without offending him or making herself look like a complete moron. Because Siri could readily endure being called feeble, naive, even cowardly, all of that being at least somewhat objectively true as far as she was concerned, but one thing she would never tolerate was having her intellect called into question, which was exactly what her own lobotomized interactions with the opposite sex would imply.
With that revalation, Siri wasn't anywhere closer to understanding what her preferences actually were, and decided to postpone herself for later, focusing on compiling the answers of the crew's other women first.
Since Ippolyta had asked not to be disturbed for the time being, Siri respected her wish and assessed other females on board as potential first candidates for questioning. General Trotskaya was likely busy with planning the next mission, and given her penchant for foul moods, Siri elected not to disturb her for now either. The Frenkish woman Rachel was one possible option, though her personality profile suggested unorthodox preferences, making her of limited utility for the pending study. Harper was also described in her dossier as having such preferences, and was currently resting in the infirmary injured. Serena, her proclivities aside, was also probably busy at the time. That left Siri with rather few options. She decided to start with that new Sidh decurion Adonis that Serena had brought along from the last mission.
The girl consequently got dressed back in her Judicatorial armor and set out on her quest.
---
After some searching, Siri located Adonis in the ship's canteen. She hadn't examined the decurion's personality profile yet, but from her appearance alone deduced that she was likely a cold and somewhat detached person, though this alone was insufficient to pass a reliable verdict. Her men were nowhere to be seen, probably sleeping, given the late time of the day.
"Decurion Adonis, can I ask for a moment of your time," Siri politely approached her. The decurion sported a black eye and a number of fresh light cuts on her face, indicating she had been in a fight recently, so Siri elected to be cautious around her with indiscreet questions of a sexual nature, unsure how the decurion would react to such breach of propriety. That her Judicator apprentice status would effectively shield her from pretty much all harm among her kind hadn't yet set in her mind.
"By all means," Adonis responded, somewhat surprised that a Judicatrix even bothered to be polite with her, having the mental image of Judicators as always just bluntly giving orders and expecting to be obeyed without question, "I haven't seen you around before, Lady Judicatrix..."
"Just a disciple," Siri humbly corrected her, "I am Siri, disciple of Judicator Olhon."
"Ah, that weedy Judicator who looks more like a spiker or IT guy in a fancy armor?" Adonis said, taking a swig of "screwdriver" from her glass, "No disrespect, but your master doesn't quite strike me as the Judicator type, were it not for his armor and surcoat. Nor do you, for that matter. I've somehow always thought Judicators were all tough and burly like the Abbess."
"My master is indeed an IT specialist," Siri stated, "He may not look very imposing, but rest assured, his fighting skills are more than adequate for his station. In any case, decurion, that is not the reason why I came to you. Would you mind answering to a few questions of a somewhat... indiscreet nature? For research purposes, obviously."
"Indiscreet?" Adonis chuckled, "Girl, the only discreet part about me I left behind when I got busted down to a prison guard. Lay it on me..."
"Really? So, uh..." Siri powered up her tacticom to record the responses, "What traits do you find sexually attractive in men?"
The question took Adonis by complete surprise. She had half-expected questions about her background, the young disciple in front of her again defeating her expectations about Judicators.
"Well, I..." she was about to respond, when the affectionate bass of Captain Nikolayevich interrupted their conversation.
"Well, well, well," he purred, approaching the bar, "What do we have here!"
"Rrrawk! A fine piece of ass and a pair of great tits!" the Captain's parrot squawked, earning a finger-slap from his master for the lewd remark.
"Oh, great..." Adonis sighed, "Here comes Mr. Wannabe-pirate Douchebag again..." The decurion had the questionable pleasure of already being acquainted to Nikolayevich and his ham-handed way with the ladies from earlier on, when Nikolayevich had tried to hit on one of her female comrades. Needless to say, without success.
"You know, Miss, I've always been partial on the tall ones," Niko leaned against the counter in front of Adonis, smiling and revealing his faux-golden teeth, another part of his self-assumed space pirate image.
"Good for you," Adonis retorted and continued her conversation with Siri in Sidh, "Tell you what, girl - I can't say for certain what I like in men, but I will definitely tell you what I don't like in men, and it's all in this guy!"
"Could you elaborate, please?" Siri asked, glancing at Niko and meticulously taking notes.
"Vulgar, lewd, rude, inconsiderate," Adonis spoke, giving the Captain a nonchalant glance, "A braggart, with no sense of style and a poor personal hygiene, drooling like a dog after every skirt. Hell, if he wasn't such an asshole, I might even feel a little bit sorry for him."
"I bet they are discussing your personal qualities, boss," the parrot squawked, unable to understand a word in Sidh. Niko, who had next to no knowledge of Sidh himself, just spent his time staring at the two Sidhwomen, rather openly evaluating their forms.
"I bet they do!" he agreed with his pet and turned to Adonis again, "You look quite tough with all those bruises and cuts there, pretty! Have you ever been mistaken for a man?"
"No," Adonis answered with the dignifiedness of a queen after giving him a long nonchalant look, "Have you?"
The response prompted peals of laughter from the group of Chernodrakony sitting and drinking nearby, the same men who had fought with Adonis and her troops just yesterday.
"Ooouch! Right in the nuts..." one of them remarked, seeing Niko look visibly confused.
"You seem like having an awful bad case of blue balls, pretty boy," Adonis continued in a tone feigning sympathy, "So here's a free advice - if you want to score with a girl, I suggest you try losing that mix of keratine strands and cat-shit you have on your head and get a proper haircut. Also, you might want to try putting more mouth and less ass in that orifice you have on your face, and use more toothbrush and less gold in it in the future. You could also try get acquainted to showers, and by that I mean more than just the weather phenomenon that happens to other people or learning how to spell the word."
The Chernodrakony were quite literally writhing in laughter, the Captain's face assuming the tint of ripe cherry in embarassment.
"I... you.. uh..." he struggled to find any response.
"Rrrawk! Evasive action!" the parrot announced.
"Rrright..." Niko muttered, snapping around on his heel and walking off, sniffing his armpit as he went.
"I don't smell THAT bad! Do I...?" he could be heard remarking.
"So, where were we?" Adonis turned back to Siri, who looked somewhat confused and not sure what to make of it all.
"I... uh... I understood that Captain Nikolayevich embodies everything you don't find sexually attractive, is that correct?" the young Judicatrix said.
"That's right, and I can't think of any self-respecting woman who would, for that matter, something you might want to consider for your... research," Adonis spoke, returning to her drink.
"Right... Well, thank you for your time, decurion," Siri stated, turning off her tacticom, quietly thinking over if her current research methodology was going to be sufficient for the task at hand.
---
...although the recovered fragments of the creature have not been properly investigated yet due to injury sustained by the team's technology expert specializing in nanotechnology and computer science, the combat assessment included in the attached files alone is a reason enough to be concerned and mark this creature, dubbed "Empyreal" in A-1, as a priority threat and investigation subject. The technological capabilities demonstrated by the aforementioned considerably exceed anything the Imperium can currently field. Recommend redirecting priority resources to determining the origin of these creatures and, if possible, obtaining more samples for technological assessment.
Serena was busy writing her latest report to be sent up the Order's chain of command. From what the other Judicators and the Russians who had faced the Empyreal had told and recorded, she had already determined quite a lot about the creature. It was evidently based on nanites, similar to the Sidh living metal, but way more advanced, combining the traits of polymimetic nano-composite alloy and "utility fog", a gaseous form of nanomaterial that had only recently entered it's first limited practical applications in the Imperium. It was apparently propelled by some sort of miniature anti-grav system similar to the one used in servo-skulls, and it's lifting capacity amounted to roughly two or three metric tons, as was evidenced by it's struggle to stay aloft with three armored Sidhae clinging on to it's tail. It's most disturbing features were it's uncanny ability to replicate organic beings and to almost instantly fabricate complicated systems like the energy weapon in it's tail, one that could easily defeat standard Sidh powered armor behind a 30-millimeter tungsten carbide-based composite riot shield. Unless this creature was a different one from that reported by Halko just now, it also seemed to possess some means of interstellar travel, that alone being worth a serious investigation. A star drive compact enough to fit inside an ordinary aerospace fighter would provide the Imperium with an incredible tactical advantage.
The creature has unparalleled self-repair capabilities, able to shrug off multiple shots by energy rifles and handblasters without suffering more than superficial damage. While powerful melee attacks are capable of damaging it, the creature's own formidable melee combat abilities and the ability to disperse and rematerialize itself at will make direct engagement highly unadvisable. The engagement with it did reveal it's vulnerability to plasma explosions, the combined high temperature and EMP discharge damaging it sufficiently to force it to disengage. Will investigate these vulnerabilities further when the tech expert recovers from injury.
At this moment, Serena's right hand began to shiver uncontrollably again, leading her to slap it down angrily against her knee repeatedly.
"Screw this..." she grumbled, electing to set work aside for a while.
Serena walked over to her shrine of the Emperor, intent on seeking His spiritual guidance to ease her current ailment. The Allfather looked upon her from the gilded icon with the same commanding yet gentle look, one of a king and a father in one. She knelt and bowed to the image, holding her hands in the sign of the Aquila as was customary before prayer or meditation.
"Great Father, I seek Your guidance," Serena whispered, kneeling before the shrine and using the matchbox in the drawer under the shrine to light the candles and censers around the icon. Assuming a meditation position, the Judicatrix removed the heavy tome of the Word from it's rest on the shrine and perused through the pages, seeking for a suitable passage to meditate on.
"Allfather, guide me in Thy Word," Serena muttered as she turned page after page, relying on her intuition and presumable Emperor's guidance to find the right verse to meet her current need.
A Sidh one is not born, a Sidh one becomes through pain.
"Allfather, have I not suffered enough in Thy name? Have I not proven myself Sidh enough?" Serena was discontent with such an answer, but then read the next verse.
Learn to embrace pain, for it is but weakness leaving the body and mind.
Serena's spiritual contemplations were unfortunately interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Yes, what is it?!" she responded impatiently, annoyed at the disruption of her meditation and half-expecting it to be Elena, again here to throw one of her usual tantrums about whatever had displeased her this time.
"It is Siri, Lady Abbess," the young Judicatrix spoke outside, "May I come in?"
"Come inside," Serena responded much more kindly. She liked Siri, and not just for her looks either. She was a bright kid, and a devout one too, if a bit naively so.
"Forgive me for interrupting, Lady Abbess," Siri said as she entered, immediately noticing the candles and smouldering censers by the shrine, "It is nothing of importance, I can wait for later..."
"Don't," Serena invited her with a smile, "I always have time for the students of my students. And it's Serena, no need to go all formal on me."
"Of course, Lady... uh, Serena," Siri nodded.
"Would you care to pray with me?" Serena asked.
"Certainly," Siri nodded seriously, kneeling besides the Abbess and making the customary light bow and Aquila-sign, "What are you praying for?"
"More of meditating, actually," Serena said, "Looking for answers in His Word. I sense that something is troubling you, child. You can seek for answers in the Word as well."
"I... uh... I do have some questions indeed," Siri spoke as she sat down next to Serena, "Though I am not certain the Great Father could give me answers to those."
"Well, it can never do any harm asking anyway, can it?" Serena smiled, passing the Word on to Siri.
Siri laid her hand on the Word, closing her eyes and concentrating on the questions on her mind.
"Allfather, guide me in Thy Word," she whispered the customary invocation and began to peruse through the book, finally stopping at the page and verse that felt right.
He who loves shall conquer a hundred of those who hate, for those who hate live merely with their hatred, while he who loves lives for his love.
"Umm... It is not quite what I was hoping to find, but... Ave Imperator, I guess..." Siri wasn't certain how to respond. In truth, the logical, scientific aspect that dominated her mind put little credence in the Sidh practices pertaining to the Word, but then again, she was born and bred a Sidh, and knew enough to dismiss any such reservations as heretical.
"Ave Imperator," Serena smiled, "The Great Father always answers our questions and prayers to Him, just not always the way you would want Him to answer."
"You are wise and have many years behind you, Abbess. I must ask for your guidance," Siri turned towards Serena with trusting eyes and professed her concerns, "I must profess, I oftentimes lack faith in His Word. You know I am a woman of science, dedicated to hard logic. Is it wrong for me to doubt the Word that our people have followed for many centuries and trust only in my own knowledge?"
Serena did not respond with words, instead smiling and taking the Word from Siri. She spent some time turning the pages, evidently looking for something she knew by heart and this time looking for a particular verse. Finally, she found what she looked for and handed the tome back to Siri, pointing at the particular verse.
Faith is weakness, knowledge is power. To conquer, do not believe - know.
Siri said nothing for quite a while, pausing to reflect on the revelation. Being a proper Sidh, she had never doubted the veracity of the Word or the Emperor's wisdom over all men, her problem being more of reconciling her own thoroughly-logical take on life with the spiritual, at times irrational aspect of Sidh lifestyle.
"There is a reason why our people follow the Word in all things, Siri," Serena grasped her hand with a gentle smile, "The Allfather may have been the greatest of all men to have ever lived, but He was still a man, prone to the same pains, temptations and questions that all of us are. What He had that we do not is the wisdom to find answers to these questions, leaving them behind for us to learn from and better ourselves."
"I wish to learn more from His wisdom," Siri whispered reverently, "And yours, Abbess."
"I am but His humble disciple," Serena smiled gently, grasping Siri's hand more tightly as she placed the Word back in it's place on the shrine, "Let us meditate together on His Word, and then you can ask me whatever it is that troubles you."
With that, the two women turned to the shrine, closing their eyes and concentrating on their respective questions and the revelation that the last Word verse had contained in itself, still holding hands. Siri's rapid, youthful and energetic pulse reminded Serena of her younger days, while the slow and steady beat of Serena's heart reassured the young Judicatrix with the presence and support of an older, more experienced and wiser mentor.
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