Ciren glanced back at Smyth, clearly interested in hearing her answer to Lajira's questions. The Federation wasn't secretive about its involvement in the greater universe, but Smyth was fairly new to the organization, so she wasn't exactly sure that she would manage to represent them properly. As if sensing her companion's growing nervousness at being put on the spot, a dim glitter in the shadows of the hallway that they had passed into materialized into the form that Smyth had come to associate with the AI, Zuri.
Ciren leapt back, frightened by the sudden appearance of the strange, shimmering humanoid. The dragonet recovered quickly, however, and bared her fangs in a ferocious display. Smyth held out a hand to the little dragon.
"It's ok," she said quickly. "This is Zuri. She's here to help just as much as I am."
"I'm guessing I will be a little more helpful, actually," Zuri said. "I have a few more tricks up my sleeve than a hunter, afterall." The AI's image smiled to reveal two rows of sharp teeth, which were more draconic than humanoid.
"No doubt," Smyth replied, and she could hardly keep the relief out of her voice. "What took you so long?"
"I decided to take some time to scan the ships that came along with these interesting human specimens." Zuri locked her slited eyes onto Karjan, and her expression was serious. "Better to know more about what you are dealing with, whether or not they are friend… or foe." She turned her attention to Ciren and Lajira after this particular statement, and a smile crept across her face.
"So, you are both curious about why the Federation (in our own language it is Testasodo Fendasoanzet, but we accept the title Federation) is interested in Ordivak? And what our game plan is here?"
"I would have been more comfortable allowing Smyth to explain it herself, had she not been accompanied by unexpected strangers," Zuri continued. "Best to insure that things are explained in the most sensitive, politically correct manner. No offense…" Zuri patted Smyth on the back reassuringly, and the hard-light of her image made it feel as though the AI were truly present in some bodily form. That always made it easier for Smyth to communicate with and try to understand the AI, although she knew well enough that her understanding of Zuri wasn't even skin-deep.
"No," Smyth sighed. "I am happy to have at least some of the responsibility here taken out of my hands."
"Good," Zuri's voice was chipper. "First, I will answer your first question. Our interest in this world is the same as it is for any world. The Federation deals in what you might call universal ecosystem biodiversity and balance, as well as the maintenance of freedom. In simple terms, we believe that these things preserve the living structure of our universe. Ordivak, as it is, flies in the face of our most closely held tenets, and thus we have an interest in seeing this planet into the hands of the Ordivacians. It sounds unbelievable to most humans and human-based beings, as your species is notoriously motivated by greed and self-serving ethics, but we have no other concerns with this world. We will continue to maintain a relationship with interested Ordivacians when and if this world is freed, but otherwise, we will gain no benefits from the removal of Corin."
"As for our currently limited presence here, it is simply political." Zuri grinned in her inhuman way, and then gestured down the hallway. "Now, I suggest that we get a move on. There are more than just digital records in this building, and it is important that we get our hands on them before Corin catches wind of our activities. I don’t think the company will be too happy with our plans."
Ordivacian RP
Moderators: Mystic Dragon, Xalia, Shard
Re: Ordivacian RP
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
Idein and Shaltach twitched at the appearance of Zuri from thin air, their hands going to their weapons. Idein caught Karjan's gaze, and frowned at the tiny head-shake that the Capsuleer gave him -- surely, surely the man wasn't simply glossing over a potential threat just because it looked human? His helmet couldn't get a read on the figure at all, as if the figure wasn't there.
But, reluctantly, Idein released his weapon. Shaltach doing the same beside him.
Karjan, meanwhile, was watching the newly revealed Zuri with an assessing eye. He had caught the glitter of light that proceeded Zuri's appearance, had run several hypothesis, and concluded that this was some sort of projection, though on a scale the Empires and the Capsuleers rarely bothered with.
"I decided to take some time to scan the ships that came along with these interesting human specimens." Zuri locked her slited eyes onto Karjan, and her expression was serious. "Better to know more about what you are dealing with, whether or not they are friend... or foe."
That caught his attention, as he was sure Zuri meant it to. Karjan's eyes narrowed slightly, gaze becoming even more assessing. Had this being -- likely the AI that Smyth had mentioned off-hand earlier, and wasn't it both terrifying and exhilarating to know that these people had produced an AI, not just a highly intelligent system like Aura, but an AI -- had this being managed to find the Clearview even though it was fully cloaked and hidden well above the solar plane? His own people couldn't do that, couldn't see through the cloak, and trying to find something cloaked and hidden above or below the solar plane was considered an effort of futility.
(A fully intelligent AI.)
He could not assume it was impossible. Could not assume that Zuri was referring to the shuttles that were free, or to the ships carried within the Genthier's bay. Had to assume their method of immortality was vulnerable.
Lajira did not like her brother's conclusions.
But she said nothing, expressed nothing, kept her gaze curious and her expression stable. First rule of Capsuleers: he who breaks, loses.
She listened to Zuri's explanation, turned it over in her mind as they progressed down the hallway and into another. 'Living structure of the universe'...
::Sounds spiritual,:: Karjan said. ::Almost like some of the saner branches of Amarr.::
Acknowledgment. Disagreement. ::Amarr don't hold to balance.::
Acknowledgment. ::None of us do, unless it's the balance of our wallets.::
Lajira sent a mental jab at her brother. It may have been true, and she wasn't ashamed of it in the slightest, but the joke was still a bit tasteless. ::I wonder how far they take it.::
They shared a glance, considering and wary. In the face of an outside attacker threatening all of them, the Empires would (hopefully) unite. Even the Capsuleers in Null would likely unite and strike out, no matter how much like herding cats it was. But would it be enough?
(This place feels like Caldari Prime.)
Knowledge was power was wealth was safety was sanity.
Karjan mentally stepped back, shifted his viewpoint outward, observed the web of connections that were slowly forming. He was missing too much information, could not make appropriate calculations based on the behavior of species that were so alien of mindset. He felt like a green Capsuleer again.
"The maintenance of freedom? How do you decide what needs to be 'maintained'? Ordivak I can understand - what is here flies in the face of my Gallente upbringing - but is this the only situation you interfere in?" Lajira asked. She was old, powerful, distant from her origins (several billion voices screaming individuality in dissonant notes, drowning each other in a flood of sound that unites them into one) and disdaining of fanatics (fire and brimstone speeches on peaceful worlds, driving mass martyrdom of the enthralled). But she was Gallente, and she had been raised on individuality, on freedom, on profit and deals and do as you will, so long as you are the only one harmed.
But, reluctantly, Idein released his weapon. Shaltach doing the same beside him.
Karjan, meanwhile, was watching the newly revealed Zuri with an assessing eye. He had caught the glitter of light that proceeded Zuri's appearance, had run several hypothesis, and concluded that this was some sort of projection, though on a scale the Empires and the Capsuleers rarely bothered with.
"I decided to take some time to scan the ships that came along with these interesting human specimens." Zuri locked her slited eyes onto Karjan, and her expression was serious. "Better to know more about what you are dealing with, whether or not they are friend... or foe."
That caught his attention, as he was sure Zuri meant it to. Karjan's eyes narrowed slightly, gaze becoming even more assessing. Had this being -- likely the AI that Smyth had mentioned off-hand earlier, and wasn't it both terrifying and exhilarating to know that these people had produced an AI, not just a highly intelligent system like Aura, but an AI -- had this being managed to find the Clearview even though it was fully cloaked and hidden well above the solar plane? His own people couldn't do that, couldn't see through the cloak, and trying to find something cloaked and hidden above or below the solar plane was considered an effort of futility.
(A fully intelligent AI.)
He could not assume it was impossible. Could not assume that Zuri was referring to the shuttles that were free, or to the ships carried within the Genthier's bay. Had to assume their method of immortality was vulnerable.
Lajira did not like her brother's conclusions.
But she said nothing, expressed nothing, kept her gaze curious and her expression stable. First rule of Capsuleers: he who breaks, loses.
She listened to Zuri's explanation, turned it over in her mind as they progressed down the hallway and into another. 'Living structure of the universe'...
::Sounds spiritual,:: Karjan said. ::Almost like some of the saner branches of Amarr.::
Acknowledgment. Disagreement. ::Amarr don't hold to balance.::
Acknowledgment. ::None of us do, unless it's the balance of our wallets.::
Lajira sent a mental jab at her brother. It may have been true, and she wasn't ashamed of it in the slightest, but the joke was still a bit tasteless. ::I wonder how far they take it.::
They shared a glance, considering and wary. In the face of an outside attacker threatening all of them, the Empires would (hopefully) unite. Even the Capsuleers in Null would likely unite and strike out, no matter how much like herding cats it was. But would it be enough?
(This place feels like Caldari Prime.)
Knowledge was power was wealth was safety was sanity.
Karjan mentally stepped back, shifted his viewpoint outward, observed the web of connections that were slowly forming. He was missing too much information, could not make appropriate calculations based on the behavior of species that were so alien of mindset. He felt like a green Capsuleer again.
"The maintenance of freedom? How do you decide what needs to be 'maintained'? Ordivak I can understand - what is here flies in the face of my Gallente upbringing - but is this the only situation you interfere in?" Lajira asked. She was old, powerful, distant from her origins (several billion voices screaming individuality in dissonant notes, drowning each other in a flood of sound that unites them into one) and disdaining of fanatics (fire and brimstone speeches on peaceful worlds, driving mass martyrdom of the enthralled). But she was Gallente, and she had been raised on individuality, on freedom, on profit and deals and do as you will, so long as you are the only one harmed.
Re: Ordivacian RP
Zuri chuckled as she followed Ciren down the hallway, and Smyth hurried to keep up with the two of them. She wasn't keen on being left behind with Lajira and the others. She had slowly become more uncomfortable around them; they had seemed to get more and more inhuman as time went on. Smyth wasn't quite sure what to expect from the lot of them; they might continue to help them, or they might turn on them. Who knew what would happen to Ciren and the other Ordivacians if that happened. They didn't have a lot of time.
"Of course," Zuri's voice interrupted Smyth's thoughts. "It isn't a simple decision to make, but luckily, like most societies, we have laws to guide such things, and our councils must come to a consensus on such matters. It is a long and arduous process, and not one that I can really speak to; I'm not a politician myself." Smyth had not yet seen a Federation invasion, but she knew that Zuri had, and she couldn't help but wonder what the AI's impression of such an event might be. Zuri didn't seem all that concerned with loss of life, but she was a proponent of freedom, having once had her own limited (although Smyth could hardly imagine how anyone had accomplished that). At any rate, she could imagine how outsiders might see the Federation as something to be afraid of- especially those who were in a position of power, and had the most to lose.
"While I'm really learning a lot of useful information from this conversation," Ciren grumbled. "I think it would be best if we focused more on getting whatever it is that you guys need, and getting it without any of you being eaten. I'm sure you would all agree…" Smyth caught a glimpse of some beady, draconic eyes glittered in the darkness of distance passageways. They made Ciren's point for her. Even though there was food to be had at the moment, the pecking order was still maintained, and there were always those Ordivacians that would eat last… unless they could find themselves another source of meat while the stronger dragons were distracted. Smyth didn't relish the thought of having to fight and possibly kill more of the little creatures.
Ciren led them quickly past these particular doorways, and she let out a warning growl as they turned their backs on the starving younglings. No one attacked, and Smyth couldn't help but wonder just what Ciren's role among the other dragonets were. Whatever it was, the dragoness seemed to know the building quite well, and without hesitation she led them up two flights of stairs and through a small maze of hallways to a small room with a half open, armored door. Inside, was the electronic database, and whatever else it was that Zuri was after.
"There hasn't been power to this place for as long as I can remember," Ciren said, standing just outside of the doorway. "So, I am not sure how you are going to get these things to work… assuming the humans left anything behind, anyway."
"No worries, my dear," Zuri piped cheerfully as her shimmering holographic body wiggled its way into the cramped room just inside the door. "I have been working on that while you organic types were making your way up here." As if on cue, a bank of lights flickered to life, and Smyth heard the whirring of old machinery starting up again.
"Of course," Zuri's voice interrupted Smyth's thoughts. "It isn't a simple decision to make, but luckily, like most societies, we have laws to guide such things, and our councils must come to a consensus on such matters. It is a long and arduous process, and not one that I can really speak to; I'm not a politician myself." Smyth had not yet seen a Federation invasion, but she knew that Zuri had, and she couldn't help but wonder what the AI's impression of such an event might be. Zuri didn't seem all that concerned with loss of life, but she was a proponent of freedom, having once had her own limited (although Smyth could hardly imagine how anyone had accomplished that). At any rate, she could imagine how outsiders might see the Federation as something to be afraid of- especially those who were in a position of power, and had the most to lose.
"While I'm really learning a lot of useful information from this conversation," Ciren grumbled. "I think it would be best if we focused more on getting whatever it is that you guys need, and getting it without any of you being eaten. I'm sure you would all agree…" Smyth caught a glimpse of some beady, draconic eyes glittered in the darkness of distance passageways. They made Ciren's point for her. Even though there was food to be had at the moment, the pecking order was still maintained, and there were always those Ordivacians that would eat last… unless they could find themselves another source of meat while the stronger dragons were distracted. Smyth didn't relish the thought of having to fight and possibly kill more of the little creatures.
Ciren led them quickly past these particular doorways, and she let out a warning growl as they turned their backs on the starving younglings. No one attacked, and Smyth couldn't help but wonder just what Ciren's role among the other dragonets were. Whatever it was, the dragoness seemed to know the building quite well, and without hesitation she led them up two flights of stairs and through a small maze of hallways to a small room with a half open, armored door. Inside, was the electronic database, and whatever else it was that Zuri was after.
"There hasn't been power to this place for as long as I can remember," Ciren said, standing just outside of the doorway. "So, I am not sure how you are going to get these things to work… assuming the humans left anything behind, anyway."
"No worries, my dear," Zuri piped cheerfully as her shimmering holographic body wiggled its way into the cramped room just inside the door. "I have been working on that while you organic types were making your way up here." As if on cue, a bank of lights flickered to life, and Smyth heard the whirring of old machinery starting up again.
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
Karjan was... amused. Or at least as amused as he could be while still piecing as much of the web of connections together as he could. Smyth's reaction was telling -- it meant that even out here, beyond the reach of the Empires, Capsuleers were still beings to be wary of.
::Only because our forms reflect a humanity we no longer have.:: Lajira broke in, having followed his train of thought.
That... was true.
He wondered how these groups would react to the casual way Capsuleers and DUSTers shed bodies, like baseliners shed clothes after a hard day's work. How inhuman would they be declared after that?
Karjan allowed such thoughts to fade back into the background, as he absorbed the information Zuri was giving them. Laws and councils and politicians, debates and agreements and decisions... a political system to declare the fate of others.
More pieces clicked into place. No matter how odd their declared goal was, their methods were comfortingly familiar. And maybe if he twisted his mind a bit like so, viewed the universe through the lens of peace instead of profit...
Pride. ::Concord!:: Karjan sent to his sister, as the pieces began to fall into place.
Confusion. Query. ::Concord?::
::The Federation, albeit on a grander scale, and not policing just one group, but rather everything they can see.:: Karjan packaged his data-web up and sent the whole thing to Lajira.
The two of them fell into mental chatter as they progressed through the building, debating and altering and refining the web as best they could with the data they had. It was difficult to maintain the proper outlook -- neither of them had been part of Concord, nor ever wished to be, and the fact of the matter was that Concord only concerned itself with Capsuleer matters in High Sec. So it was a stretch, and not a mindset they would ever feel comfortable with, but it could be done.
Behind them, Shal and Idein kept a wary eye on the shadowed doorways and glittering eyes.
^How are you doing on clips?^ Idein asked.
Shaltach sighed, drumming her fingers gently against her thigh. ^Well enough. I won't need resupply for a while, at least.^
Idein made a noise of acknowledgment and scanned his helmet display again. Not that anything new had popped up. Darkness, more darkness, beasties hiding in doorways and hallways... it was getting a bit, well, boring frankly. And boring, while surrounded by potential enemies, meant the adrenaline was simply building in his system again.
Finally, finally, they came to the room Smyth was looking for.
"There hasn't been power to this place for as long as I can remember," Ciren said, standing just outside of the doorway. "So, I am not sure how you are going to get these things to work... assuming the humans left anything behind, anyway."
"No worries, my dear," Zuri piped cheerfully as her shimmering holographic body wiggled its way into the cramped room just inside the door. "I have been working on that while you organic types were making your way up here."
Lights flickered to life, and Idein caught the sound of machinery starting up after a long period of disuse.
Curious, he tilted his head slightly and frowned as he scanned his HUD. Zuri's talk about 'organic types' was the final clue he needed -- she had to be just a projection, which is why his HUD displayed only a faint impression of her. "So, if you can feed power into these machines and start them up from elsewhere, why do you need an organic to search the place?"
::Only because our forms reflect a humanity we no longer have.:: Lajira broke in, having followed his train of thought.
That... was true.
He wondered how these groups would react to the casual way Capsuleers and DUSTers shed bodies, like baseliners shed clothes after a hard day's work. How inhuman would they be declared after that?
Karjan allowed such thoughts to fade back into the background, as he absorbed the information Zuri was giving them. Laws and councils and politicians, debates and agreements and decisions... a political system to declare the fate of others.
More pieces clicked into place. No matter how odd their declared goal was, their methods were comfortingly familiar. And maybe if he twisted his mind a bit like so, viewed the universe through the lens of peace instead of profit...
Pride. ::Concord!:: Karjan sent to his sister, as the pieces began to fall into place.
Confusion. Query. ::Concord?::
::The Federation, albeit on a grander scale, and not policing just one group, but rather everything they can see.:: Karjan packaged his data-web up and sent the whole thing to Lajira.
The two of them fell into mental chatter as they progressed through the building, debating and altering and refining the web as best they could with the data they had. It was difficult to maintain the proper outlook -- neither of them had been part of Concord, nor ever wished to be, and the fact of the matter was that Concord only concerned itself with Capsuleer matters in High Sec. So it was a stretch, and not a mindset they would ever feel comfortable with, but it could be done.
Behind them, Shal and Idein kept a wary eye on the shadowed doorways and glittering eyes.
^How are you doing on clips?^ Idein asked.
Shaltach sighed, drumming her fingers gently against her thigh. ^Well enough. I won't need resupply for a while, at least.^
Idein made a noise of acknowledgment and scanned his helmet display again. Not that anything new had popped up. Darkness, more darkness, beasties hiding in doorways and hallways... it was getting a bit, well, boring frankly. And boring, while surrounded by potential enemies, meant the adrenaline was simply building in his system again.
Finally, finally, they came to the room Smyth was looking for.
"There hasn't been power to this place for as long as I can remember," Ciren said, standing just outside of the doorway. "So, I am not sure how you are going to get these things to work... assuming the humans left anything behind, anyway."
"No worries, my dear," Zuri piped cheerfully as her shimmering holographic body wiggled its way into the cramped room just inside the door. "I have been working on that while you organic types were making your way up here."
Lights flickered to life, and Idein caught the sound of machinery starting up after a long period of disuse.
Curious, he tilted his head slightly and frowned as he scanned his HUD. Zuri's talk about 'organic types' was the final clue he needed -- she had to be just a projection, which is why his HUD displayed only a faint impression of her. "So, if you can feed power into these machines and start them up from elsewhere, why do you need an organic to search the place?"
Re: Ordivacian RP
(( Hey! I have been out of town and won't be back till the 14th. Thought I would be able post while I was out here, but it doesn't look like that's the case. Just wanted to check in so you didn't think I had gone MIA mid RP. 
))
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((=P I figured you were out and about doing something, especially when I didn't see any art from you on DA. No worries, I'm currently trying to convert Heroes monsters into Fireborn statistics for a fall game I might be running that's set in Japan. It is... much more difficult than I expected >_>;; ))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Finally!!))
"Corin had more than a few things to hide in this place," Zuri replied nonchalantly. "Only part of the data that we are after are in these computers, the rest was hand written- easier to hide that way. Hopefully those records are in this room somewhere, otherwise, Smyth and I may be here for quite sometime. I don't imagine that you guys would have any second thoughts about packing out if that happens, however, so one way or the other, there's little for any of you to worry about." Zuri smiled knowingly at the almost-humans.
Smyth, on the other hand, had no idea what the AI knew, nor did she want to know. She was getting tired of mysteries and intrigue, and she really just wanted to get her job done. In the dim light of the room that Ciren had led them to, Smyth started to go through the dusty artifacts that were scattered here and there around the computers. It looked like whoever had been working here had left in a hurry… even in the middle of their work. That was a good sign, as far as Smyth was concerned, because that meant that it was more likely that the books they were after were here. It was a little hard to properly hide things when an emergency evacuation was in effect. Unless, of course, whoever had been working here had taken the books with them. After all, if Corin was trying to hide this information from digital hacks, then they might have good reason to keep the books close at hand. She would just have to trust that Zuri had good reason to believe that the information they were after was here.
As Smyth continued her search, Zuri watched the old computers start up, with Ciren near by. The otherwise old-beyond-her-years look to Ciren faded away into a child-like fascination at the lighting of the screens, and the flashing of old, start-up logos. Judging by the entwined images of humans and dragons, Corin had once been much more accepting of the creatures that they had brought here. It was a world that the dragonet knew nothing about, and any new vestige of it of intriguing to her.
There wasn't all that long to gape at the awakening computers, however, as Ciren caught the sounds of something worrisome coming from the other end of the hallway that their room sat in. It was a voice… a particular voice which belonging to a particularly problem-some dragon.
"Hey," the little dragon said to the Capsuleers and their DUSTers. "There's a big dragon on its way here. Maybe you'd like to help me keep it out of here?" Zuri glanced doubtfully at the dragonet. She couldn't say what their companions might do, but she worried that their interest in the current situation was waning. She didn't want Ciren to end up alone with the creature that was following their scent through the darkness. The younger dragon wouldn't stand much of a chance without the support of their companion's weaponry.
At just that moment, a dragon just large enough to fit into the building appeared out of the shadows. It was the largest Ordivacian that they had seen since they had first found their way into the old structure, and it seemed to be someone that Ciren knew fairly well… in one way or another.
"A little dragon in the company of humans," the dragon mused, a toothy smile on its face. "We can't assume that you are here to lure them to some trap… no, you look like a traitor…" The older dragon lapsed into something that sounded to Smyth to be some sort of verging-on-insane babble, but perhaps it was just because she couldn't hear it that well.
"Hurry, Smyth," Zuri hissed.
"Corin had more than a few things to hide in this place," Zuri replied nonchalantly. "Only part of the data that we are after are in these computers, the rest was hand written- easier to hide that way. Hopefully those records are in this room somewhere, otherwise, Smyth and I may be here for quite sometime. I don't imagine that you guys would have any second thoughts about packing out if that happens, however, so one way or the other, there's little for any of you to worry about." Zuri smiled knowingly at the almost-humans.
Smyth, on the other hand, had no idea what the AI knew, nor did she want to know. She was getting tired of mysteries and intrigue, and she really just wanted to get her job done. In the dim light of the room that Ciren had led them to, Smyth started to go through the dusty artifacts that were scattered here and there around the computers. It looked like whoever had been working here had left in a hurry… even in the middle of their work. That was a good sign, as far as Smyth was concerned, because that meant that it was more likely that the books they were after were here. It was a little hard to properly hide things when an emergency evacuation was in effect. Unless, of course, whoever had been working here had taken the books with them. After all, if Corin was trying to hide this information from digital hacks, then they might have good reason to keep the books close at hand. She would just have to trust that Zuri had good reason to believe that the information they were after was here.
As Smyth continued her search, Zuri watched the old computers start up, with Ciren near by. The otherwise old-beyond-her-years look to Ciren faded away into a child-like fascination at the lighting of the screens, and the flashing of old, start-up logos. Judging by the entwined images of humans and dragons, Corin had once been much more accepting of the creatures that they had brought here. It was a world that the dragonet knew nothing about, and any new vestige of it of intriguing to her.
There wasn't all that long to gape at the awakening computers, however, as Ciren caught the sounds of something worrisome coming from the other end of the hallway that their room sat in. It was a voice… a particular voice which belonging to a particularly problem-some dragon.
"Hey," the little dragon said to the Capsuleers and their DUSTers. "There's a big dragon on its way here. Maybe you'd like to help me keep it out of here?" Zuri glanced doubtfully at the dragonet. She couldn't say what their companions might do, but she worried that their interest in the current situation was waning. She didn't want Ciren to end up alone with the creature that was following their scent through the darkness. The younger dragon wouldn't stand much of a chance without the support of their companion's weaponry.
At just that moment, a dragon just large enough to fit into the building appeared out of the shadows. It was the largest Ordivacian that they had seen since they had first found their way into the old structure, and it seemed to be someone that Ciren knew fairly well… in one way or another.
"A little dragon in the company of humans," the dragon mused, a toothy smile on its face. "We can't assume that you are here to lure them to some trap… no, you look like a traitor…" The older dragon lapsed into something that sounded to Smyth to be some sort of verging-on-insane babble, but perhaps it was just because she couldn't hear it that well.
"Hurry, Smyth," Zuri hissed.
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:44 am
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((Hah! Welcome back.))
The four Gallente exchanged glances -- though Idein and Shal's could only be inferred due to the tilt of their heads towards the others -- then eyed the mess with a blank look.
^Hand written?^ Idein's voice was thick with disbelief. ^That's still a thing?^
Lajira snapped out of her brief mind-halt, quickly packed the data-web away, and focused her attention on the here and now. She swept her gaze over the scattered mess, the signs of hurry and disregard standing out like glaring markers all over the room. She'd seen the like before, watching images of war and mayhem and invasions, but never walked through such a piece of unintentional chaos. It was oddly breathtaking.
^It's common amongst those not part of technology like we are.^ Karjan answered Idein. He didn't know if he even remembered how to form the letters by hand anymore, so long had it been since he'd used the skill taught in his childhood. ^Even the greatest generals of the Empires still write things by hand on rare occasion. Or at least they did a few decades ago.^
^Paper trails are still a thing,^ Lajira confirmed with a nod. ^It's getting rarer though. I haven't seen a cubic meter of paper under a hundred thousand isk in over a decade. Easy money for Corporations, but who'd care to pay the price of a frigate just for something you can only use once?^
And therein lay the catch. True, it was more secure to use paper than anything else -- at least for those who were not Capsuleers or DUSTers -- but the cost of even synth-paper was prohibitive. And synth-paper could only be drawn on by special tools, which were also expensive, so the whole thing was... a bit of a joke. Only the poorest of the poor didn't have access to some form of tablet to keep notes and send mail with, so writing things by hand was a skill for the rich and powerful baseliners. On the other hand, floating in podgoo or being constantly on the move was hardly conducive to writing private notes by hand. Anything that Capsuleers or DUSTers wanted to retain perfectly was stored in their private logs, kept forever inside their heads, accessible only by them.
"Hey," the little dragon said to the Capsuleers and their DUSTers. "There's a big dragon on its way here. Maybe you'd like to help me keep it out of here?"
Drawn out of their conversation by Ciren's words, the four turned towards her. At a nod from Lajira, Idein and Shaltach drew and prepped their weapons once more, ready to face whatever it was that was coming their way.
Karjan merely raised an eyebrow at the sight of the large dragon that appeared out of the shadows, and raised his left hand slightly, palm facing the dragon and his ring and pinky folder over towards his palm. Behind him, the DUSTers raised their rifles to their shoulders and took aim.
"A little dragon in the company of humans," the dragon mused, a toothy smile on its face. "We can't assume that you are here to lure them to some trap... no, you look like a traitor..."
He didn't bother waiting to try and understand the crazed mutterings of the beast. Before it had spoken, he had considered ordering a warning shot, but this... no. He had no attachment to Ciren, but she was... useful. Instead, he allowed his hand to drop back to his side, signaling to the DUSTers behind him to shoot to kill. Two shots crackled past him, one aimed at the beast's head and the other at its chest. Hopefully the doorway and hall would keep the thing too constricted to dodge both.
As the shots passed him, he leapt backwards, allowing Idein and Shaltach a clean view of their new prey, while also removing his unarmored body from the immediate danger-zone.
"I suggest you leave," Karjan spoke, voice monotone and gaze bland, even as he drew his pistol and aimed, looking to take advantage of any damage done by the heavier rifle bolts. Across from him, his sister did the same.
The four Gallente exchanged glances -- though Idein and Shal's could only be inferred due to the tilt of their heads towards the others -- then eyed the mess with a blank look.
^Hand written?^ Idein's voice was thick with disbelief. ^That's still a thing?^
Lajira snapped out of her brief mind-halt, quickly packed the data-web away, and focused her attention on the here and now. She swept her gaze over the scattered mess, the signs of hurry and disregard standing out like glaring markers all over the room. She'd seen the like before, watching images of war and mayhem and invasions, but never walked through such a piece of unintentional chaos. It was oddly breathtaking.
^It's common amongst those not part of technology like we are.^ Karjan answered Idein. He didn't know if he even remembered how to form the letters by hand anymore, so long had it been since he'd used the skill taught in his childhood. ^Even the greatest generals of the Empires still write things by hand on rare occasion. Or at least they did a few decades ago.^
^Paper trails are still a thing,^ Lajira confirmed with a nod. ^It's getting rarer though. I haven't seen a cubic meter of paper under a hundred thousand isk in over a decade. Easy money for Corporations, but who'd care to pay the price of a frigate just for something you can only use once?^
And therein lay the catch. True, it was more secure to use paper than anything else -- at least for those who were not Capsuleers or DUSTers -- but the cost of even synth-paper was prohibitive. And synth-paper could only be drawn on by special tools, which were also expensive, so the whole thing was... a bit of a joke. Only the poorest of the poor didn't have access to some form of tablet to keep notes and send mail with, so writing things by hand was a skill for the rich and powerful baseliners. On the other hand, floating in podgoo or being constantly on the move was hardly conducive to writing private notes by hand. Anything that Capsuleers or DUSTers wanted to retain perfectly was stored in their private logs, kept forever inside their heads, accessible only by them.
"Hey," the little dragon said to the Capsuleers and their DUSTers. "There's a big dragon on its way here. Maybe you'd like to help me keep it out of here?"
Drawn out of their conversation by Ciren's words, the four turned towards her. At a nod from Lajira, Idein and Shaltach drew and prepped their weapons once more, ready to face whatever it was that was coming their way.
Karjan merely raised an eyebrow at the sight of the large dragon that appeared out of the shadows, and raised his left hand slightly, palm facing the dragon and his ring and pinky folder over towards his palm. Behind him, the DUSTers raised their rifles to their shoulders and took aim.
"A little dragon in the company of humans," the dragon mused, a toothy smile on its face. "We can't assume that you are here to lure them to some trap... no, you look like a traitor..."
He didn't bother waiting to try and understand the crazed mutterings of the beast. Before it had spoken, he had considered ordering a warning shot, but this... no. He had no attachment to Ciren, but she was... useful. Instead, he allowed his hand to drop back to his side, signaling to the DUSTers behind him to shoot to kill. Two shots crackled past him, one aimed at the beast's head and the other at its chest. Hopefully the doorway and hall would keep the thing too constricted to dodge both.
As the shots passed him, he leapt backwards, allowing Idein and Shaltach a clean view of their new prey, while also removing his unarmored body from the immediate danger-zone.
"I suggest you leave," Karjan spoke, voice monotone and gaze bland, even as he drew his pistol and aimed, looking to take advantage of any damage done by the heavier rifle bolts. Across from him, his sister did the same.
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Hey friend! Sorry I disappeared! I had to defend for my comps, and then I have been sick and stressed out for the rest of the semester. 
))
))~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((No worries! I was wondering what was going on, since you basically disappeared from here but were still posting things on DA. I was actually going to shoot you a note on DA in December, since by that point NaNo'd be over and the rest of the chaos that this year has been would have hopefully settled down a little. But it's good to see you're at least a little better!))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Yeah, I have really peeled back on my non-school writing. I think I was doing a little too much. I might come back here for art related things semi-soon though. Art is pretty nice and relaxing. ))
))~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((Mmm, art. I've been trying to do more of that, lately, because it is rather fun if I'm not stressing myself out over trying to do things. I don't know if I've managed to get any better, but at least I'm doing it again. Same with writing, really... ah well. When you feel like you can continue, go ahead, but don't stress yourself out trying to juggle this and more important responsibilities =P ))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((It has been more than a year, but I almost want to post to this again. Hahaha))
~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
- Posts: 3246
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((Hey, I'm totally up for more if you want to continue =P I had fun messing around with this. ))
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
- Posts: 3246
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:44 am
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((^^ Yeah, I'll need to remember mine too =P Especially those poor DUSTers I stuck with Karj and Ji. ^^ Looking forward to doing a bit more rping!))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Yes! 
This RP is so detailed and great too. I need to go back to the beginning and read. I will try to post this weekend!))
This RP is so detailed and great too. I need to go back to the beginning and read. I will try to post this weekend!))~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((^^ Sounds good! Hopefully I'll finally be over this head cold by then, so I can do something more than sleep and read. =P Getting to be a bit annoying.))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Ugh. I hate that stuff. Well, I am glad that my slowness will give you time to heal and feel better. :333 I just read through everything, and I have to say, I am proud of us! Our posts were SO long and pretty well written. XD I somehow doubt I am still that good, but hey, we will see.))
~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
- Posts: 3246
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:44 am
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((Yeah, my husband's running a small fever (only about 2 or 3 degrees, so not worrying) now, so yay. It's getting passed around the family. Ugh, so glad I don't have a kid yet. And yeah, we really went all out with this, it's pretty impressive =P But I'm sure a post or three will see us back to about where we were - just start scraping that rust off!))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((I hope so! XD I don't know that I will post things quite that long though! I mean, wow. Haha. I mean, a few paragraphs for sure, but not an entire book every time. hahaha))
~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((=P We did get pretty lengthy. Still, write however much you like -- having fun is the important part, not writing books ^^ ))
Re: Ordivacian RP
((One million years later))
The little dragon that Smyth had dubbed Ciren shot a few uncertain looks between the strange humans, and the full-grown Ordivak that had discovered them. The fact that it was paying undue attention to her was worrisome, to say the least. Like any youngling, Ciren enjoyed adventure, but she definitely didn't want to get eaten. She hadn't even earned a proper name yet… the one these humans gave her didn't count.
So, she did what the creature with its guns suggests, and dodged back between them where Zuri and Smyth were working. Ciren watched the fight warily, hoping that the weapons that they people had would do the trick. She had seen guns before, once or twice, but they weren't always effective. Against, hatchlings and dragonets, sure, but an adult. Ciren trembled a little bit out of sheer instinct. There were no real allies in her world. Other dragons were just as dangerous as the company humans, and she wasn't sure how long these strangers would work with her either. She was in over her head.
Smyth, for her part, didn't need Zuri to yell at her in order for her to hurry up. She could hear the dragon out there just fine, and to be honestly, she preferred to get out of this building as fast as possible.
"Ok," Zuri said. "I'm in the system, or… what's left of it. It looks like Corin did more than just keep partial records in digital form; they wiped as many systems as they could before they left. Not just sensitive information, everything. The computers are barely functional."
"Why would they need to do that?" Smyth wondered as she pulled more papers and books out of storage. The dust puffing out of the drawers as the construct yanked them open would have made any organic sneeze, but Smyth ignored it easily enough. Finally, she saw something that looked promising. She wiped off the cover, did her best to translate the scribbled notes on the front, and then waved to Zuri. "Got something here!"
The little dragon that Smyth had dubbed Ciren shot a few uncertain looks between the strange humans, and the full-grown Ordivak that had discovered them. The fact that it was paying undue attention to her was worrisome, to say the least. Like any youngling, Ciren enjoyed adventure, but she definitely didn't want to get eaten. She hadn't even earned a proper name yet… the one these humans gave her didn't count.
So, she did what the creature with its guns suggests, and dodged back between them where Zuri and Smyth were working. Ciren watched the fight warily, hoping that the weapons that they people had would do the trick. She had seen guns before, once or twice, but they weren't always effective. Against, hatchlings and dragonets, sure, but an adult. Ciren trembled a little bit out of sheer instinct. There were no real allies in her world. Other dragons were just as dangerous as the company humans, and she wasn't sure how long these strangers would work with her either. She was in over her head.
Smyth, for her part, didn't need Zuri to yell at her in order for her to hurry up. She could hear the dragon out there just fine, and to be honestly, she preferred to get out of this building as fast as possible.
"Ok," Zuri said. "I'm in the system, or… what's left of it. It looks like Corin did more than just keep partial records in digital form; they wiped as many systems as they could before they left. Not just sensitive information, everything. The computers are barely functional."
"Why would they need to do that?" Smyth wondered as she pulled more papers and books out of storage. The dust puffing out of the drawers as the construct yanked them open would have made any organic sneeze, but Smyth ignored it easily enough. Finally, she saw something that looked promising. She wiped off the cover, did her best to translate the scribbled notes on the front, and then waved to Zuri. "Got something here!"
~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
- Posts: 3246
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:44 am
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((And of course I promptly come down with a case of "AUGH SPRING!" Yay allergies.))
The first few shots made the huge dragon roar with rage, a horrible, deep sound that reminded Karjan viscerally of the sound of dying ships. He bit his lip and tamped down on that spark of wild fear, a feeling he hadn't experienced in... decades. It was exhilirating!
At his side, his sister faltered slightly, her eyes narrowing and the hand holding her pistol shaking briefly before she managed to clamp down on her body's reactions. The lapse was barely noticable, even compared to his millisecond's surrender to fear, but to him it was a glaring hole. If this had been a ship to ship combat between the two of them, he would have destroyed her in that second's faltering.
In front of them, the DUSTers were unaffected. Idein continued to rain a storm of charged plasma into the initial wound he had created in the thing's chest. The beast clawed and tore at the doorway, fighting to enlarge the opening in order to fit more of its body through.
Shaltach, dismayed at the slow wounding Idein's fire was dealing to the beast, paused in her own fire and reached into one of her satchels, drawing out a grenade and priming it one handed as she watched the beast struggle and fight to clear the door. Calmly, she waited for her moment, then lobbed the grenade straight at the hole Idein was carving into its chest. Immediately she drew her rifle back in position, and resumed her own fire.
The grenade exploded against the beast's chest, slightly off center of the wound being carved into its body, but still close enough to deepen the wound.
Karjan shivered at the scream the beast released, but didn't falter in his fire. If anything, his hands grew steadier, his nerves settled, and a tiny, cruel tilt lifted a corner of his lips, remarkable only in that it was an emotion on an otherwise frozen visage.
^Care for a bet, sister dearest?^ Karjan sing-songed, his battle-hunger shining through in his voice. ^We're just little Atron's buzzing about a Titan. Why not take out sensitive subsystems?^
^You're on,^ Lajira replied, even as she shifted her aim and promptly poured fire into one of the dragon's eyes. ^I recall being better at this than you.^
Karjan let out a bark of laughter, as he left his sister to take out the eyes and snapped off a shot into the creature's maw every time it opened it up. Trust his sister to forget who was the real combat pilot here!
The first few shots made the huge dragon roar with rage, a horrible, deep sound that reminded Karjan viscerally of the sound of dying ships. He bit his lip and tamped down on that spark of wild fear, a feeling he hadn't experienced in... decades. It was exhilirating!
At his side, his sister faltered slightly, her eyes narrowing and the hand holding her pistol shaking briefly before she managed to clamp down on her body's reactions. The lapse was barely noticable, even compared to his millisecond's surrender to fear, but to him it was a glaring hole. If this had been a ship to ship combat between the two of them, he would have destroyed her in that second's faltering.
In front of them, the DUSTers were unaffected. Idein continued to rain a storm of charged plasma into the initial wound he had created in the thing's chest. The beast clawed and tore at the doorway, fighting to enlarge the opening in order to fit more of its body through.
Shaltach, dismayed at the slow wounding Idein's fire was dealing to the beast, paused in her own fire and reached into one of her satchels, drawing out a grenade and priming it one handed as she watched the beast struggle and fight to clear the door. Calmly, she waited for her moment, then lobbed the grenade straight at the hole Idein was carving into its chest. Immediately she drew her rifle back in position, and resumed her own fire.
The grenade exploded against the beast's chest, slightly off center of the wound being carved into its body, but still close enough to deepen the wound.
Karjan shivered at the scream the beast released, but didn't falter in his fire. If anything, his hands grew steadier, his nerves settled, and a tiny, cruel tilt lifted a corner of his lips, remarkable only in that it was an emotion on an otherwise frozen visage.
^Care for a bet, sister dearest?^ Karjan sing-songed, his battle-hunger shining through in his voice. ^We're just little Atron's buzzing about a Titan. Why not take out sensitive subsystems?^
^You're on,^ Lajira replied, even as she shifted her aim and promptly poured fire into one of the dragon's eyes. ^I recall being better at this than you.^
Karjan let out a bark of laughter, as he left his sister to take out the eyes and snapped off a shot into the creature's maw every time it opened it up. Trust his sister to forget who was the real combat pilot here!
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Ooof. Allergies are no bueno! I just had a flood of grading, grant writing, and family come to visit. It was crazy! Plus drama... omg, so much drama. XDD))
Zuri was scouring what was left of the Corin systems, trying to get the computers to run was difficult, however, there was very little left to them. The AI would have to say, she was surprised by just how good of a job the company had done at clearing everything out. If they left in a rush, as she suspected that they had, then they must have had something in place to do something like this. As though they knew that they had something that could be harmful to them stored here from the very very beginning.
At the same time, she was watching Smyth as the construct pulled out the papers she had found, and she observed as the "DUSTERS" and their leaders attacked the dragon that had discovered them. Zuri felt very little pity for the creature, it was a feeling that was almost beyond her, but she was somewhat alarmed by the way that these people were enjoying themselves. It wasn't so strange for humans and their like to enjoy themselves while they got revenge and did a little killing, but they could also be such dangerous creatures. The AI had to wonder if Smyth had considered all this when she had started working with these people.
Smyth was holding something up, a schematic of the city… with layers… layers beneath the crumbling ruins that they had been exploring.
"We have nothing about this in our records," Smyth exclaimed. Zuri could see why the construct was distracted by this information, and she was sure to save the visual logs she had of the written records… just in case something were to happen to them. However, she wasn't sure what this data would do for them.
"Is there anything else?" Zuri asked. Smyth turned back to her search and continued looking.
"I doubt it," Smyth noted. "Most of this just looks like logs of the people who were moving in and out of the city."
"Funny thing to keep hard copy records of," Zuri frowned.
"What are you going to do now?" Ciren asked- keeping an eye on the other half of their group as they finished off the draconic attacker. The youngling seemed as wary of the apparent enjoyment that the others were getting out of the violence as Zuri was, but she was also worried about what would come next. As they had already discovered, Ordivacians were quick to appear when there was a corpse lying around.
"I think we're going to go under the city," Smyth said, the schematic still tucked under her arm. "We need to know what they're hiding down there."
"If they're hiding anything," Ciren said with a growl.
Zuri was scouring what was left of the Corin systems, trying to get the computers to run was difficult, however, there was very little left to them. The AI would have to say, she was surprised by just how good of a job the company had done at clearing everything out. If they left in a rush, as she suspected that they had, then they must have had something in place to do something like this. As though they knew that they had something that could be harmful to them stored here from the very very beginning.
At the same time, she was watching Smyth as the construct pulled out the papers she had found, and she observed as the "DUSTERS" and their leaders attacked the dragon that had discovered them. Zuri felt very little pity for the creature, it was a feeling that was almost beyond her, but she was somewhat alarmed by the way that these people were enjoying themselves. It wasn't so strange for humans and their like to enjoy themselves while they got revenge and did a little killing, but they could also be such dangerous creatures. The AI had to wonder if Smyth had considered all this when she had started working with these people.
Smyth was holding something up, a schematic of the city… with layers… layers beneath the crumbling ruins that they had been exploring.
"We have nothing about this in our records," Smyth exclaimed. Zuri could see why the construct was distracted by this information, and she was sure to save the visual logs she had of the written records… just in case something were to happen to them. However, she wasn't sure what this data would do for them.
"Is there anything else?" Zuri asked. Smyth turned back to her search and continued looking.
"I doubt it," Smyth noted. "Most of this just looks like logs of the people who were moving in and out of the city."
"Funny thing to keep hard copy records of," Zuri frowned.
"What are you going to do now?" Ciren asked- keeping an eye on the other half of their group as they finished off the draconic attacker. The youngling seemed as wary of the apparent enjoyment that the others were getting out of the violence as Zuri was, but she was also worried about what would come next. As they had already discovered, Ordivacians were quick to appear when there was a corpse lying around.
"I think we're going to go under the city," Smyth said, the schematic still tucked under her arm. "We need to know what they're hiding down there."
"If they're hiding anything," Ciren said with a growl.
~åi®¥
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StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
- Posts: 3246
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:44 am
- Location: Middle of Nowhere
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Re: Ordivacian RP
((Million years later on my part ^^;;; ))
As the huge dragon toppled, Karjan holstered his pistol and turned back to where Smyth and Zuri were standing. ^I believe that was my win,^ he told his sister, amusement and vindication in his voice. ^Six to five, little sister. Pay up.^
Lajira snorted, but reluctantly cycled an ISK transfer through her implants, sending it to her brother. That taken care of -- and Karjan's greed assuaged -- she turned her attention to the conversation that had passed between Smyth and Zuri, playing it back so that she had a grasp on what was occurring.
"Well, at least there shouldn't be any more big and hungry's below," Lajira said, as she holstered her own pistol and stepped closer to Smyth and tilted her head to catch a glimpse at the schematics. She honestly couldn't help it -- though her industrial focus was on building ships and components, building things was still of interest to her, and schematics for 'secret underground tunnels' was... well, fascinating. "So where's the nearest entrance?"
"Capsuleer, Hunter, I suggest we move quickly," Idein said, as he took a few slow steps backwards, his gun still readied and pointed at the corpse that was blocking the doorway. "I've got heat signatures starting to swarm towards us, and the number I'm picking up will have that corpse stripped in no time."
"This place just keeps getting better and better," Shaltach grumbled, as she slung her weapon back over her shoulder and grabbed a grenade with each hand, though she didn't yet prime them. "Capsuleer, did I ever mention you have fascinating tastes in missions?"
Karjan just glanced at Shaltach, amusement heavy in his gaze though his expression showed none of it. He had heard that complaint so many times he had lost count, and every time it only served to amuse him further. "No, DUSTer, your hazard pay will remain the same."
"But giant man-eating beasts out of legend!"
"Shouldn't be a problem for you, then," Karjan replied blandly, his words making Shaltach sputter and grumble.
Idein heaved a sigh, and prompted, "The entrance, Hunter?"
As the huge dragon toppled, Karjan holstered his pistol and turned back to where Smyth and Zuri were standing. ^I believe that was my win,^ he told his sister, amusement and vindication in his voice. ^Six to five, little sister. Pay up.^
Lajira snorted, but reluctantly cycled an ISK transfer through her implants, sending it to her brother. That taken care of -- and Karjan's greed assuaged -- she turned her attention to the conversation that had passed between Smyth and Zuri, playing it back so that she had a grasp on what was occurring.
"Well, at least there shouldn't be any more big and hungry's below," Lajira said, as she holstered her own pistol and stepped closer to Smyth and tilted her head to catch a glimpse at the schematics. She honestly couldn't help it -- though her industrial focus was on building ships and components, building things was still of interest to her, and schematics for 'secret underground tunnels' was... well, fascinating. "So where's the nearest entrance?"
"Capsuleer, Hunter, I suggest we move quickly," Idein said, as he took a few slow steps backwards, his gun still readied and pointed at the corpse that was blocking the doorway. "I've got heat signatures starting to swarm towards us, and the number I'm picking up will have that corpse stripped in no time."
"This place just keeps getting better and better," Shaltach grumbled, as she slung her weapon back over her shoulder and grabbed a grenade with each hand, though she didn't yet prime them. "Capsuleer, did I ever mention you have fascinating tastes in missions?"
Karjan just glanced at Shaltach, amusement heavy in his gaze though his expression showed none of it. He had heard that complaint so many times he had lost count, and every time it only served to amuse him further. "No, DUSTer, your hazard pay will remain the same."
"But giant man-eating beasts out of legend!"
"Shouldn't be a problem for you, then," Karjan replied blandly, his words making Shaltach sputter and grumble.
Idein heaved a sigh, and prompted, "The entrance, Hunter?"
Re: Ordivacian RP
Symth glanced one more time through the files, looking for anything else that was of interest, but as far as she could tell, there was nothing else. If anything, Corin had done its job of hiding whatever it didn't want the rest of the universe to see. It made the construct wonder if what they had found weren't some sort of trap. Would Zuri pick up on that if it were true? She could only hope so; then again, Zuri was not all that concerned about them dying… and Smyth didn't think that the AI cared for the little dragon that was tagging along with them now, or the DUSTERS. Her loyalties were limited, and perhaps with good reason. At the very least, they were warning them about the swarm of Ordivacians coming, so that was helpful.
"I've charted a way through the building," Zuri said. It wasn't difficult for the AI to calculate the best way for them to get out of the building and into the under city while avoiding the dragons now that she was jacked into the computers and had the building's schematics on record now. A blue, glowing line flickered and then held steady on the ground, leading further back into the processing center. Ciren leapt away from the part that appeared closest to her, but she seemed to grasp what Zuri was doing for them just as fast as Smyth. "This way!" The AI chirped at them all.
Smyth followed the line between the computers, and into the back of the room. But the line seemed to run right into a wall.
"Zuri, we don't have time for games right now!" Smyth yelled, frustrated. The AI appeared beside the hunter and smiled at her.
"No need to yell," she giggled. And as she did, the wall receded and them slid open with a rasp of unoiled runners on metal tracks. "I have enough data now to make good use of Corin's building plans. Mysterious bastards they were." Smyth stared down the narrow passageway, suddenly uncertain about the route that Zuri has plotted out for them. Obviously, no one had used this in… well, maybe since the last Corin employees had evacuated. There was only one dim light in the windowless hall, and while it was an engineering marvel that it was still operating, it flickered uncertainly.
Without waiting for Smyth to make up her mind, however, Ciren vaulted past. The dragonet had made it this far, and she wasn't about to let a dark, secret holiday get her eaten now. Smyth sighed, and glanced back at the DUSTERs and their leaders.
"Guess we're taking this down," she said with an uncertain grin, and then she followed Ciren into the shadows. At first, she figured that her fears for the strange evacuation route were unfounded, but then, she saw Ciren disappear from in front of her. The passage dropped suddenly, and the dragon had slid down it with little more then a peep of surprise. Having seen the kid disappear, Smyth had time to stop and consider the drop. It didn't look deadly. But then again, who knew where it ended. But… she really didn't have much choice at this point. There was a swarm of hungry dragons behind them, and it might be that Ciren needed her help. Was Smyth really going to leave the dragonet down there alone?
Nope!
Smyth dropped down the tunnel without any more internal debate, and had to hope for the best. She dropped through the darkness, luckily, there was enough of a slope to the passage that her back stayed in contact with the ground, hopefully that meant she wasn't falling to her death…
The next thing that Smyth knew, the passage had dumped her out into a bright room. Right on top of Ciren, who was sprawled out on the ground. The construct pulled the youngling out of the way, just in case the rest of their team was coming after them, and then she paused to look around. They were what looked to be some sort of train and maglev station, and unlike the building above, it was well-maintained… Ciren was so surprised by the place that she hadn't even complained about Smyth landing on top of her… Smyth was hardly better off. This was unexpected, to say the least.
((No problem! I made you wait literal years... so hahaha, I can wait a few days. XDDDDD Also, sorry for any typos in here!!))
"I've charted a way through the building," Zuri said. It wasn't difficult for the AI to calculate the best way for them to get out of the building and into the under city while avoiding the dragons now that she was jacked into the computers and had the building's schematics on record now. A blue, glowing line flickered and then held steady on the ground, leading further back into the processing center. Ciren leapt away from the part that appeared closest to her, but she seemed to grasp what Zuri was doing for them just as fast as Smyth. "This way!" The AI chirped at them all.
Smyth followed the line between the computers, and into the back of the room. But the line seemed to run right into a wall.
"Zuri, we don't have time for games right now!" Smyth yelled, frustrated. The AI appeared beside the hunter and smiled at her.
"No need to yell," she giggled. And as she did, the wall receded and them slid open with a rasp of unoiled runners on metal tracks. "I have enough data now to make good use of Corin's building plans. Mysterious bastards they were." Smyth stared down the narrow passageway, suddenly uncertain about the route that Zuri has plotted out for them. Obviously, no one had used this in… well, maybe since the last Corin employees had evacuated. There was only one dim light in the windowless hall, and while it was an engineering marvel that it was still operating, it flickered uncertainly.
Without waiting for Smyth to make up her mind, however, Ciren vaulted past. The dragonet had made it this far, and she wasn't about to let a dark, secret holiday get her eaten now. Smyth sighed, and glanced back at the DUSTERs and their leaders.
"Guess we're taking this down," she said with an uncertain grin, and then she followed Ciren into the shadows. At first, she figured that her fears for the strange evacuation route were unfounded, but then, she saw Ciren disappear from in front of her. The passage dropped suddenly, and the dragon had slid down it with little more then a peep of surprise. Having seen the kid disappear, Smyth had time to stop and consider the drop. It didn't look deadly. But then again, who knew where it ended. But… she really didn't have much choice at this point. There was a swarm of hungry dragons behind them, and it might be that Ciren needed her help. Was Smyth really going to leave the dragonet down there alone?
Nope!
Smyth dropped down the tunnel without any more internal debate, and had to hope for the best. She dropped through the darkness, luckily, there was enough of a slope to the passage that her back stayed in contact with the ground, hopefully that meant she wasn't falling to her death…
The next thing that Smyth knew, the passage had dumped her out into a bright room. Right on top of Ciren, who was sprawled out on the ground. The construct pulled the youngling out of the way, just in case the rest of their team was coming after them, and then she paused to look around. They were what looked to be some sort of train and maglev station, and unlike the building above, it was well-maintained… Ciren was so surprised by the place that she hadn't even complained about Smyth landing on top of her… Smyth was hardly better off. This was unexpected, to say the least.
((No problem! I made you wait literal years... so hahaha, I can wait a few days. XDDDDD Also, sorry for any typos in here!!))
~åi®¥
-
StarFyre
- Ancient Dragon
- Posts: 3246
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:44 am
- Location: Middle of Nowhere
- Contact:
Re: Ordivacian RP
((Bam, gettin' better at this =P ))
Lajira hurried after the young dragon and Smyth, no more eager to meet more hungry Ordivacians than the other two were. The jack on her lower back and the claw marks around it were still aching, though her implants and Aura were filtering that neural imput out as best they could. Still, it left a strange numbness along her spine that was highly unpleasant and she really wanted nothing more than to ditch this wounded shell and take up residence inside a new one.
Her brother kept pace with her, managing to look no more hurried than usual despite his longer strides to keep up with the rest of them. She envied him that cool sometimes, that tritanium will that saw him move from high sec mission runner to low sec pirate to null sec warrior with hardly a pause in between. She felt like she was always chasing him, racing after his flickering shadow across the galaxy, never catching up no matter what she tried. That he still deigned to acknowledge her, still called her 'sister' even after they both forgot what it meant to be blood related, even after they both forgot what it was to be baseline, was a miracle. She knew capsuleers that discarded everything, went insane with greed and power and destroyed even their own Corporations from within.
"Zuri, we don't have time for games right now!" Smyth yelled in frustration, drawing Lajira from her thoughts, as they reached a seeming dead end, the line disappearing into the wall.
"No need to yell," Zuri giggled, as the wall suddenly receded and slid open with the familiar sound of disused mechanisms forced to move once more. "I have enough data now to make good use of Corin's building plans. Mysterious bastards they were."
The revealed corridor was dark and narrow, smelling of dust and time, lit only by a single flickering light. Even as Ciren pushed past Smyth and started off down the corridor, Lajira eyed it dubiously.
"Guess we're taking this down," Smyth said, uncertainty threaded through both her voice and her expression, and uncertainty that Lajira definitely shared, before Smyth turned and began to walk down the corridor herself.
^Capsuleer?^ Idein asked quietly, as he came to stand at her shoulder, while Shaltach took a position on Karjan's shoulder.
Lajira shot a query to her brother, then grimaced at his affirmative. ^What other option do we have?^ she replied fatalistically. ^I suppose it can't be worse than exploring wormholes in those early days.^
^Then I suggest we hurry,^ Idein said, with a gesture behind him. ^Before that lot gets past the dead one.^
She sighed, then stepped through the door and moved on, Karjan following closely behind her. Idein snapped his plasma daggers active and raised one high, the bright blue again casting eerie shadows across the walls. Behind them, the sound of straining machinery sounded, as Shaltach dug her armored fingers into the hidden door and gave a great heave, pulling it closed and latched once more in order to protect their rear.
Lajira stopped abruptedly, as she saw Smyth disappear into the floor and out of sight.
^Sister?^
^Looks like there's some sort of slope ahead,^ Lajira replied.
^I'll go first, then,^ Idein said, as he squeezed past the two of them and stepped towards the descent, eyeing it with his HUD in an attempt to determine the safety. Seeing nothing that immediately screamed danger, Idein took the last step and dropped down the tunnel, his daggers still lit and ready, just in case.
His HUD suddenly flared dark, in response to the bright, well lit room that he tumbled out into. Landing as gracefully as he could without the use of his hands, Idein rose from his crouch and scanned the room.
::Safe:: he flashed a message to Shaltach above, then stepped aside as he received confirmation.
"What in the world," Lajira breathed, as she landed at Idein's side with a wince of pain, then took a few steps to the side as she continued to look around. Her brother and Shaltach followed after, one after the other, until all four of them were gathered in the brightly lit station.
Lajira took a few steps towards the tracks, then knelt near them and peered down at the bed. Calculations and estimates flickered through her mind, as she projected the cost of such a creation on a barren world like this, then extrapolated out into the cost of maintenance. The projection was almost staggering, even if she only included two stations that covered only the distance between the tower and the old spaceport. "I wonder how it's been maintained so well. Smyth, you had no record of something this complex?"
Lajira hurried after the young dragon and Smyth, no more eager to meet more hungry Ordivacians than the other two were. The jack on her lower back and the claw marks around it were still aching, though her implants and Aura were filtering that neural imput out as best they could. Still, it left a strange numbness along her spine that was highly unpleasant and she really wanted nothing more than to ditch this wounded shell and take up residence inside a new one.
Her brother kept pace with her, managing to look no more hurried than usual despite his longer strides to keep up with the rest of them. She envied him that cool sometimes, that tritanium will that saw him move from high sec mission runner to low sec pirate to null sec warrior with hardly a pause in between. She felt like she was always chasing him, racing after his flickering shadow across the galaxy, never catching up no matter what she tried. That he still deigned to acknowledge her, still called her 'sister' even after they both forgot what it meant to be blood related, even after they both forgot what it was to be baseline, was a miracle. She knew capsuleers that discarded everything, went insane with greed and power and destroyed even their own Corporations from within.
"Zuri, we don't have time for games right now!" Smyth yelled in frustration, drawing Lajira from her thoughts, as they reached a seeming dead end, the line disappearing into the wall.
"No need to yell," Zuri giggled, as the wall suddenly receded and slid open with the familiar sound of disused mechanisms forced to move once more. "I have enough data now to make good use of Corin's building plans. Mysterious bastards they were."
The revealed corridor was dark and narrow, smelling of dust and time, lit only by a single flickering light. Even as Ciren pushed past Smyth and started off down the corridor, Lajira eyed it dubiously.
"Guess we're taking this down," Smyth said, uncertainty threaded through both her voice and her expression, and uncertainty that Lajira definitely shared, before Smyth turned and began to walk down the corridor herself.
^Capsuleer?^ Idein asked quietly, as he came to stand at her shoulder, while Shaltach took a position on Karjan's shoulder.
Lajira shot a query to her brother, then grimaced at his affirmative. ^What other option do we have?^ she replied fatalistically. ^I suppose it can't be worse than exploring wormholes in those early days.^
^Then I suggest we hurry,^ Idein said, with a gesture behind him. ^Before that lot gets past the dead one.^
She sighed, then stepped through the door and moved on, Karjan following closely behind her. Idein snapped his plasma daggers active and raised one high, the bright blue again casting eerie shadows across the walls. Behind them, the sound of straining machinery sounded, as Shaltach dug her armored fingers into the hidden door and gave a great heave, pulling it closed and latched once more in order to protect their rear.
Lajira stopped abruptedly, as she saw Smyth disappear into the floor and out of sight.
^Sister?^
^Looks like there's some sort of slope ahead,^ Lajira replied.
^I'll go first, then,^ Idein said, as he squeezed past the two of them and stepped towards the descent, eyeing it with his HUD in an attempt to determine the safety. Seeing nothing that immediately screamed danger, Idein took the last step and dropped down the tunnel, his daggers still lit and ready, just in case.
His HUD suddenly flared dark, in response to the bright, well lit room that he tumbled out into. Landing as gracefully as he could without the use of his hands, Idein rose from his crouch and scanned the room.
::Safe:: he flashed a message to Shaltach above, then stepped aside as he received confirmation.
"What in the world," Lajira breathed, as she landed at Idein's side with a wince of pain, then took a few steps to the side as she continued to look around. Her brother and Shaltach followed after, one after the other, until all four of them were gathered in the brightly lit station.
Lajira took a few steps towards the tracks, then knelt near them and peered down at the bed. Calculations and estimates flickered through her mind, as she projected the cost of such a creation on a barren world like this, then extrapolated out into the cost of maintenance. The projection was almost staggering, even if she only included two stations that covered only the distance between the tower and the old spaceport. "I wonder how it's been maintained so well. Smyth, you had no record of something this complex?"
Re: Ordivacian RP
Lajira and her team weren't far behind Smyth and Ciren, much to construct's relief. Strange though these humans were, they were good fighters, and Smyth knew that she wouldn't have made it this far without them. It made her wonder if Zuri really didn't care about her life, or if the AI had known something that she hadn't coming in. Of course she had though… Zuri had access to all of the Fenda:soan databanks. Even so, was it really possible that she could have calculated that this would happen? Smyth had to shake off the thought. Even though she was a construct herself, she found it strange to work with Zuri. Federation AI's were unfettered, dangerous, and often hard to comprehend, but they were loyal to the cause. Smyth had to keep that in mind. And force herself to focus on the here and now… otherwise she would likely get herself killed.
"Nothing in the records," Smyth confirmed. "Corin was always secretive about Ordivak, but my people aren't concerned about resource use on uninhabited planets. The records were always incomplete."
"She's right," Zuri's image shimmered into life, hands on hips, amidst them all. "We assumed that the company had been trying to keep things under wraps because of what they were doing to the dragons here, but it looks like there was more going on here than we expected. The question is… what else is down here? Not even their own employees appeared to have known at the time of the evaluation. There are new sections of this network, things we won't have access to data on… unless we explore ourselves and find out what's down there."
Smyth stared down into the darkness of the tunnel.
"What do you know?" She asked the AI. Zuri locked her glowing eyes on the construct, and considered her for a few uncomfortable seconds. Smyth was disturbed by how unreadable the AI's face was. Finally, she smiled.
"Corin found something here," Zuri said. "There is no direct evidence of what that was, but I have my theories. What I do know is that it is likely very dangerous… but highly lucrative. They just need to figure out how to engineer a situation in which the benefits of upsetting anything here would outweigh the costs of doing so. They are getting close to taking action now, which is why they are looking to get rid of the Ordivacians." Zuri had taken on some more draconic attributes as she spoke. Smyth decided that this meant that the AI was excited about this- although it wasn't clear exactly which aspect of the situation had her so interested.
"So, what?" Ciren piped in. "We just need to go down there and find out what it is?"
"Of course not," Zuri replied with a toothy grin. "You'll have to do something about it. There isn't enough time to send anyone else."
"Nothing in the records," Smyth confirmed. "Corin was always secretive about Ordivak, but my people aren't concerned about resource use on uninhabited planets. The records were always incomplete."
"She's right," Zuri's image shimmered into life, hands on hips, amidst them all. "We assumed that the company had been trying to keep things under wraps because of what they were doing to the dragons here, but it looks like there was more going on here than we expected. The question is… what else is down here? Not even their own employees appeared to have known at the time of the evaluation. There are new sections of this network, things we won't have access to data on… unless we explore ourselves and find out what's down there."
Smyth stared down into the darkness of the tunnel.
"What do you know?" She asked the AI. Zuri locked her glowing eyes on the construct, and considered her for a few uncomfortable seconds. Smyth was disturbed by how unreadable the AI's face was. Finally, she smiled.
"Corin found something here," Zuri said. "There is no direct evidence of what that was, but I have my theories. What I do know is that it is likely very dangerous… but highly lucrative. They just need to figure out how to engineer a situation in which the benefits of upsetting anything here would outweigh the costs of doing so. They are getting close to taking action now, which is why they are looking to get rid of the Ordivacians." Zuri had taken on some more draconic attributes as she spoke. Smyth decided that this meant that the AI was excited about this- although it wasn't clear exactly which aspect of the situation had her so interested.
"So, what?" Ciren piped in. "We just need to go down there and find out what it is?"
"Of course not," Zuri replied with a toothy grin. "You'll have to do something about it. There isn't enough time to send anyone else."
~åi®¥