Futuristic Star Knights-Dark Empire Rises

[Deepfish]

Admiral Promenade

The Urgossi Space port was abuzz with activity, as were most of the spaceports in thandren, after all this was an important day, arguably the most important day to have happened in thandren yet. Today was the launch date of the Kerlassi Super Dreadnaught, and its payload of Thandrens new nigh godlike forces. The Cargo haulers would hiss as they lifted off carrying supplies up to the city sized fortress of the stars. Contributing to the din of ships lifting off was a large army of workers loading them, inspectors doing last minute checks, Vendors trying to lighten the pockets of the crewmen as they got ready to leave homes behind. The weeping of families saying goodbyes to Mothers and Fathers, Sons and Daughters, Brothers and sisters, the tears were bittersweet but nonetheless contributed to the Din that the admiral so loved, for they were the sounds of a people who were alive and filled with purpose.

Admiral Promenade walked flanked on both sides by personnel, Engineers and Officers Alike running the specs and progress by the admiral who would nod or shake his head accordingly. “The Astral engines are primed and ready for transport, the trip to Vargiss should take three hours.” the engineer would say earning a nod from the admiral, and after a few moments of silence the admiral would speak up. “What about the Bridge field?” he would say casually. “Almost done sir, the generation sorcerers are resting, the weavers are ready though.” the astral engineer would be the one to respond this time. “Is my Great nephew on board yet?” The admiral said casually. The Astral engineer would pull up the name log and Nod to the admiral. “Good, have him finish it, the longer this thing sits on the edge of Thandrens Field the more likely the risk of it coming under assault is. I want that thing done Before we finish loading the sorcerers and knights.” The group would continue walking with the Astral engineer pressing a few buttons and fulfilling the work order from the admiral to put Liam Promenade to work. As they neared the private shuttle of the admiral he turned on a heel causing the crowd to pause. “Have the rest of the reports sent to my datapad, ill handle it from there. You’ve done excellent work gentleman, your first dri..”he started but was interrupted by a woman who had slipped the rope lines and made a rush to him.

She wouldn't have gotten far, had the admiral not signaled at the approaching security guards to stop. Whirling on his heel to face the woman he eyed her with a gaze that seemed to melt her courage. Still she swallowed hard and reached into her bag, the admirals hand twitched near his sidearm but he kept it still, something in his gut told him he wouldn’t be needing it. Luckily for him he was correct as the woman produced a hologram disk and pulled up a young man’s picture. “You picked him, my son, my only son and you chose him…” the admirals face softened a tad, but it still had its seriousness behind it “Yes ma’am i did, private sanders is a 99th percentile Gunner. His accuracy is re-“ he had started to explain himself recognizing the boy nearly immediately, he made it his purpose to remember each man and woman he would take into battle. “I know WHY you took him, i just need you to make absolutely Damn sure you bring him home.” the guard’s patience must have been waning as he placed a hand under her arm, yet the momma bears gaze did not leave the admirals. A smirk crossed his face this woman is something else He thought to himself as he took off his hat with his left hand and tucked the arm behind his back, the right hand would curl into a fist which he would slam audibly into his left shoulder so that his arm made a V across his chest. At the same moment his heels would click together as his toes were pointed outwardly. The salute one would give a superior officer as they acknowledged the orders they were given. Then with a nod to the guard he would whirl on his heel and board his shuttle as the woman was carried off to the security checkpoint.

Out the window he watched her until his shuttle broke into the clouds. Leaning back he would close his eyes and take a deep breath steadying himself. Yet the emotions he was feeling were quickly drowned out by awe as he approached the Kerlassi. It was slowly being loaded with supplies and personnel for the past two weeks and he had to admit she looked much more like a battleship than she did just a few weeks before. She was bigger than the damned star-port he had just left and looked to have nearly as many people moving around her surface. As his shuttle neared the autopilot would begin steering it towards the hangar on the underside between the two superstructures. Soon he would be on the bridge, and by the time the sun came back around he would be more than halfway to Vargiss. Part of him wondered what was going to await him, but another part did not want to know until he faced it. Such was the Way he operated, worrying about tomorrow will only cause you to slip up today. “Sufficient for the day are the troubles thereof, let tomorrow’s problems be tomorrow’s problems.” he muttered to himself as began entering the dock…

~~~
Neil Alexzander Promenade

Neil sat with a bored expression on his face as his screen showed a Woman around his age crying to him. He had just started unpacking his room when his datapad began to chime. It was his girlfriend, or rather i guess his ex now. Thats why she was crying after all, with good reason too, six years they had been together, she was one of the only people that was willing to deal with his bullshit while also being bold enough to stand up to him despite his power. He knew she loved him, he could see it, not in some nebulous way either, he could actually SEE how much she loved him. Thats why it took so much effort for him to maintain his look of indifference, he knew she deserved better than to wait for him. firstly it could be decades before they come back, if they came back at all. Secondly, he wasn’t exactly the guy worth waiting for, and she had so much more to offer. She still had her whole future ahead of her, while he had sealed his fate in a stupid attempt to get back at that damned lady sergeant. He knew this would be hard for her, so he braced himself for what he thought he had to do. He had to make her love turn to hate, and he knew just how to do it, she had long since been worried that he was a bird that couldn’t be caged. He would tell her otherwise so she would keep trying because he absolutely loved that she did, but that meant he knew just what to say.

“Look, imma be straight up 100 with ya, i cant get interplanetary booty while I’m tied down alright, you gotta be joking if you think im gonna pass all that up. For what, for you? Honey you aint that special, you said it yourself…i cant be caged“Even as he said it he felt his a pain in his heart. But he could see that hers was shattered. For a moment she looked like she was going to say something, but as the tears welled up her voice caught in her throat and he couldn’t bear it any longer, he Disconnected the line. Leaning back in his chair and running his hand through his hair he shouted. “F**K!” loud enough that his neighbors probably heard him but he didnt care, they were gonna get used to loud noises wether the liked it or not. Taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of his nose he groaned out another curse before he got up to finish uppacking, only for the datapad to ring again. He was about to ignore it thinking it was Minna calling him back, but a glance showed that it was actually The Astral Engineering department. Rolling his eyes he would answer the call crossing his arms in front of him to make it as apparent as possible that he was not in the mood to hear from them.

“What the F**K do you want. Now is not the time for some BullS**t paperwork.” The engineer on the other side furrowed his brow then rolled his eyes. “Check your attitude Sorcerer, the admiral has ordered you to finish the Bridge field, i have work to do on my end so save your lip and whining and get yer ass to astral command.” the guy mustve been serious about being busy because he hung up before Neil could crack off a rebuttal. Touché mr engineer man, you win this round.
He would think as he made his way lazily to the astral deck. He stopped to use the restroom, made sure to wash his hands extra thoroughly, and moseyed on to the vending machine where he took five minutes to pick out a snack, and another five to get a drink. With all his stops and his travel speed he had the Weaver sorcerers waiting on him for nearly a half hour. By the time he showed up they were very much sick of his crap, especially when he showed up with snacks and a drink nonchalantly barging in spouting words through a mouth stuffed with powdered donuts.

When it was apparent that they couldn’t understand him with his mouth full and he was done with the gag he simply thought to them. “Hope your ready to start scrubs, i dont have all day and this “hour long job” is not where imma spend the rest of the day doing. So I’m gonna crank out enough juice to get this done in a few minutes, and YOU are gonna shut up and weave that stuff into the strands. We clear?” the others were all about to begin saying something back but Neil cut them off by bringing his headphones down over his ears and maxing out the volume. Any further arguments were silenced when he linked to the Astral Command Deck and brought the whole room into the astral plane. The others drifted to form a hexagon around him and get in their spots, with enough obvious irritation to get Neil’s smirk. He could’ve sworn he saw one of their mouths moving and could faintly hear himself being called an asshole. Which was enough to get him to “Share” his music.

The sound being blasted into his head was being mixed with astral energy and with every thump of the bass it would build. For about thirty seconds this energy would build until Neil seemed to shimmer with multi colored fire rippling off of his body. This all transpired while the song playing from his person was in its intro phase. As the first drop of the beat kicked off he would unleash torrents of energy off of his body at each of the weavers. Looking like a human fire hydrant with six openings and ludicrous water pressure these beams slammed into the other six Sorcerers. Each would coat their hands in their own energy and “catch” the energy, pulling strands off and casting them into the growing net around the astral space where the Kerlassi was. If their obvious strain was any sign it was a job they were Just barely managing. Luckily for them the Drop ended shortly after wards and silence filled the astral realm again for a few seconds. Mutters of complaint filled the air but that’s something Neil expected, however hearing an out of breath weaver say “Is that…all you got…i thought…you were supposed to be a problem…” Was not at all something that Neil expected. Neil absolutely loved this man for surprising him, so he decided to return the favor.

When the beat dropped for a second time all of the sorcerers whipped up their defenses again and began making their strands, but Mr.is that all you got, well his portion was tripled. By the time the second drop ended the poor weaver was nearly passed out, but to his credit he did the job, having no time or energy left to complain. Looking around himself at the sphere like net they had constructed he grinned. “Y'all might need to space it out some more, but it looks like it’s all here. You can handle the rest I’m out.” he said as he disconnected from the ship and brought himself back from the astral plane. He figured they would be done in a few minutes so he doodled up a note and left it in front of where the weaver that challenged him would come back.

He would leave the Astral command and walk the ten minutes back to his room with a much less procrastinated trek. When he finally made it back to his room, he found himself getting lost in the unpacking but was snapped back by the whirling sound of a portal and would turn just in time to see a hand retracting into a portal, leaving a note on his large holoscreen that answered his previous note.

The question: What did you learn?
The Answer: That your an Asshole!

Admittedly this response did not surprise him but was still amusing as hell to him. Maybe this trip wasn’t going to suck as much as he thought, these people clearly had some fight in them and that meant he was going to have a lot of fun here…

~~~
Landry Klimpt/Phobos

The Black board hovered a little over 110 kilometers from the Kerlassi, and even at that distance she looked bigger than Landry would have thought. Yet his attention wasnt on The Kerlassi currently. He sat in the tip of his board with his legs hanging off and watching the slowly turning planet below him. It was peaceful out here in the void. Granted he was still a bit amused by the armor allowing him to sit in the void without breathing for hours, maybe even days he had never really tested it that far. “We are…bored…that is the word right?! Yes bored, there must be something to do…someone to kill.” The thought sounded like his own, but he knew better by now. “correction, You are bored. I am TRYING to enjoy the last bit if peace i am liable to have in a long time. Would you please be silent?” For a second he thought he actually might get his peace but he heard “Peace is overrated, oooo, compromise. We go eat something that was killed…recently.” with a sigh Liam began to rise from his board. “i suppose I could eat…perhaps sushi, or a rare steak.” he reached his feet and began his way towards the Kerlassi, Surely they had filled the food stores by now. “Yesssss the rare steak, we want the blood.” His armor hissed at him again in his own voice. He was about to correct the armor but he didn’t. He knew he couldn’t lie to phobos and he did actually like the bloody steaks, a little more after the process granted, but it was always one of his favorite ways to prepare a steak.

In a matter of seconds the two were entering the docks, earning glances of unease from the dock crew as he stepped off the board with a Clacking of his metal clad feet on the dock floor. His cloak would retract into the board before the board spit out the rod that was the hilt of his sword. Then all by itself trailed off to find a space where it could lie in wait. The Hilt affixed itself to his hip, Likely Phobos way of saying “Never be unprepared” Strangely enough he found himself agreeing with Phobos in this case. He still had yet to convince Phobos or himself for that matter that everyone on board this vessel was trustworthy. And if the worry and fear plastered on the faces of the Dock workers was anything to go off of, the feeling was mutual. He would continue on towards the public activities sections of the ship spotting the sign on the restaurant reading open and grinning. He wondered for a moment if his was the only Theolium entity that would crave blood? Maybe there would be another there? It was less of a thought of comfort and more one of concern. What would actually happen if two knights were to clash seriously on the Kerlassi? “Blood…Lots of it…you shou-“ Phobos was about to go on a rant again and landry could feel it, so he responded quickly, this time Speaking audibly “No. You be quiet now, we will get you your blood and you will speak to me no more for at least an hour. If i hear you again before an hour has passed, i will request a transfer to the Rearguard.” That last one seemed to do it as Phobos did not respond and thus Landry fulfilled his end of the bargain. He would walk into the restaurant and find a nervous looking Waiter who was funnily enough waiting to escort him to his seat…
~~~
(The Kerlassi is 95% loaded, personnel have been arriving for about a week now. The launch is in about two hours. The warp jump will take about 3 hours. it is currently about 2am on the side of the planet that the Kerlassi is on and its clocks are reading that time. You can be boarding, already there and doing stuff, or whatever you would be doing but either way, you post should end with you on board the Vessel. Introduce your character as you see fit, and have fun.)
​

 

[Mechking]

Minerva has been on the ship for the last couple of days. If she's going to spend her time in it for the foreseeable future, why not get used to it earlier? It also gave her the opportunity to get parts of her personal laboratory installed into one of the ships labs. Others would need approval from her to use it but aside from that there wasn't a reason to deny her request.

The Kerlassi is still going through the last steps before leaving Thandrems orbit but Minerva was already working in her lab with other researchers and assistants. She never had too much attachment to where she lived so acclimating to her new room didn't take long. An assistant joked that Minerva was more attached to her lab equipment than her home but one icy glare from her shut them up.

"Uuughhh" Minerva let out a loud sigh. She just finished telling her speech-to-text AI her thoughts for adjustments to the brainwave translation tech from Neil. Minerva envisioned that once it has been developed far enough that one could simply wear a visor, an AR headset, or glasses, in order to interact with technology and transmit ones thoughts into reality. Or written text and menus. Hologram displays have come far after all. However, Minerva is less interested in the entertainment side of this and more interested and just no longer needing to type anything. As she considers her current arrangement as less tan ideal.

Because Minervas thoughts and ideas are often faster than what even her multitasking abilities can handle. She has three holoscreens in front of her. On the left one she types any stray notes and ideas she has. On the right one she is currently typing a proposal for development of several designer organs that would replace their original counterparts: A liver that could filter out even severe poison and venom, a stomach that could quickly digest anything barely edible into usable nutrients, and intestines that would efficiently deposit these nutrients into the bloodstream.

On top of that Minerva is currently reading several reports about the astral realm, especially about the discovered ruins. There was still much to learn and even the smallest things could lead to massive breakthroughs. She made a note about the mentioning of "ascension". Considering the implications, it was definitely noteworthy.

And because just three screens and two hands weren't enough, Minerva would use a speech to text AI to write more stuff simultaneously. And sometimes she would have earplugs in that would tell reports or other things to her. Damn she wishes that biological brain enhancements were more advanced. Guess she would have to do it herself.


As a researcher Minerva doesn't have a fixed workload, rather an adjustable deadline. Although she mostly doesn't care much about it as it would just dictate an order in which she might do things. Might. There isn't really anyone who can tell her what to do, despite several highranking officers seemingly thinking otherwise. As she just finished reading and writing what she considered her current workload, Minerva switched through denying multiple proposals of developing some of her projects for military use. Some things are inevitable but she will still see things through that it doesn't come to the worst. However that might look like.

"Sigh, if any of those government bastards lied about the severity of the situation then I will show them what hell is really like. For each and every project of mine they misuse. And I will make sure that they're alive, conscious, and sane for every second of it..."

Although Minerva said it out loud and with little intonation, the seriousness of her statements spread silence through the lab. Everyone else might not have known her for long, but they all knew she was serious.
"What the hell are y'all staring at? Get back to work before I find some work for you!"

After answering several mails and approving or denying research proposals Minerva began on her personal pet project. A literal pet project. Considering animals don't like her and she wanted a pet, why not make one herself?

 

[ItcamefromtheVoid]

General Commander Lennox Armanis stands on the dock of the Urgossi space port. His family stands with him as he kisses his wife and says his goodbyes to his grandchildren. This would be his final deployment before he took a long needed retirement with a good pension. He kisses his youngest grandchild's head as his sons and daughters all came to see him off with their own families. He turns as his officers come to pick him up in the cruiser. Lieutenant Walker and his Chief Navigator Jah'Lea Beaxmont are already aboard. Walker had a strange way of naming his ship. The numbers and letters all represented a code that could identify the ship, but Walker still refused to call it anything other than "The Samurai." Lennox chuckled at the thought in his mind. But he remained placid with his composure. The personnel ramp came down and Beaxmont waved out to him to come aboard. Though he has worked closely with Walker in the past, Beaxmont was a new face.

"General Armanis, it's good to meet you." Beaxmont offered her hand as Lennox boarded the small ship. With only room for a crew of 5 the cruiser class ship was small enough to be carried by the Kerlassi and used for scouting or probing. Like the personnel carriers already aboard the Kerlassi, though the Samurai was even smaller than those. It was a ship designed to be a solo space deployment or could be compact and light enough to be carried on a larger ship. The general nodded to Jah'Lea as she saluted him. When he finally stood next to her, he couldn't help but feel small from the tall, muscular woman's sheer size and height, and the general was not a small man by any standards.

"Likewise, Beaxmont, Walker has told me good things about you. I run a tight ship Beaxmont and I expect you to deliver nothing less than perfection." Lennox told her with a stern voice. As they walked through the fuselage to the navigational sector where Walker was standing at the small hollow table.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" Beaxmont saluted and followed the general. Walker looked up from the holo table at Lennox and Beaxmont. He steps away from the table and greets Lennox with a handshake.

"Lenny, good to see you, Mate." Walker said.

"Good to see you, Walker. How long has it been?" Lennox shook his hand with a slim smile, getting work with an old friend once again. The three of them gather around the holo table.

"Welcome aboard General." Integra the Samurai's AI spoke over the intercom within the ship her voice feminine, "Lady and Gentlemen we will now depart from the dock and board the main vessel, The Kerlassi, please find your seats and keep all extremities within the vehicle. Enjoy your quick trip and thank you for choosing the Samurai for your travels." Integra spoke as the Samurai took off from the Urgossi port. It was a brief trip for the quick ship the small crew was in as Integra took them to the Kerlassi. Walker, Beaxmont and Lennox were all seated in the cockpit. Walker manned the pilot's seat.

"This is Samurai, to Kerlassi requesting permission to board." Walker said over the radio. The ship approached the large vessel, along with other traffic, as the ship was finishing up the last of the loading for their long voyage. Walker flipped switches to take control of the ship on their approach.

"Kerlassi to Samurai, you are clear to board in bay six." The Kerlassi responded to Walker. Beaxmont looked at the maps that would be the voyage into the void they would take as Walker made his approach. Lennox looked at his datapad that held the same information, with more details about his Planetary Assault Force. The knights they would work on and off with, and some sorcerers that would work closely with him. There were ones he liked, others that he felt would be hard to manage if they didn't fall in line when needed. But none of that mattered. If he had to pull rank over them, then it wouldn't be a problem.

The Samurai came into a lifting door that had 6 painted on the front. "Lady and Gentlemen, we have arrived at your generation. We ask that you remain seated until we've landed and thank you for choosing Samurai ventures for your travel agency. I am your AI flight attendant, Integra." The entrance was smooth and slow, there was no rush to get boarded, so he landed in the bay without a problem. After the safe landing, Walker Beaxmont and Lennox stood from their seats leaving the Samurai.

"Lock it down Integra, I don't want anyone messing with the ship." Walker said being the last to leave the Samurai following Lennox behind Beaxmont.

"You got it Walker." Integra said as the ship powered down and secured its doors. The three heads of the Planetary Assault Force would head towards their quarters first. Shortly after dropping off his bag, Lennox took it upon himself to reach out with the Admiral. He would work closely with him. Walker and Beaxmont headed to the food sector. Walker didn't really eat anymore, but Beaxmont ate enough for the both of them, so it worked out. As they approached, a Star Knight came down and seemed to put others on edge. Walker and Beaxmont barely acknowledged them as they looked for a place to grab some grub.

---

Zero 9 is an interesting case for the Thandrian forces. He is classed as a Star knight but because of his lost memories locked away somewhere in the Astral Plane, he believes he is a cyborg built for the mission, technology meant to rival the Star knights and sorcerers that was expendable and could be discarded when needed or if he is captured. Currently, Zero 9 stands on top of the Kerlassi exterior watching the fellow knight descend to the interior of the ship. Zero 9 follows suit as the Star knight disappears into the ship Zero 9 follows the old ship that approached bay 6.

Inside he walks through the fuselage, to the main network of areas where one could navigate to any sector of the ship, the central district of the Kerlassi was busy with all the personnel boarding and navigating their way to the designation they've been assigned. Zero 9 went into the restaurant and up to the counter looking at his options, debating which of the choices he would enjoy. When the counter attendant asked him what he would like the only thing that was conveyed, an image of a strawberry milkshake and a bowl of soup was displayed on the front of his helmet. The server gave him an odd look, but Zero payed for his selection with a meal card and found a place to be seated.

 

[AnonyMouse]

Marceline DeWynter​

The Kerlassi and the surrounding spaceport buzzed with activity as people moved in and around the massive ship. Freighters swarmed around the super dreadnought's hull, appearing tiny by comparison, carrying crew and the last morsels of cargo to be fed into this giant. Somewhere deep inside, Marcy DeWynter quietly hummed a tune to herself as she walked the ship's pristine corridors, pushing an empty handtruck.

She had been one of the first to arrive, over a week ago, when the ship was virtually empty. In those early days --too early, actually-- there were still areas where technicians were laying wire and contractors were fitting panels and trim. They didn't need a sorceress, nor a medic, and she was met with strange looks. In those days, she had often been met with the question, "why are you even here?" The answer was the same as it had always been: "To help, of course."

Unfortunately, most of those people were gone now. They were only temporary. Once their work was finished, they departed. The Kerlassi was meant for a higher purpose, a greater calling, and not all had risen to the occasion. Back then, the mental rhythms were serene, the sea of thoughts, tranquil. The men and women who built this ship had a blueprint and a deadline. They knew what they had to do, did it, and left. But now, the ship was brimming with emotions. Anxiety. Fear. Uncertainty.

The people aboard this ship now were gazing into the unknown. Some were terrified of it. Some, indifferent. Some, steeled by it. She could feel their determination as she passed them in the halls. Marceline usually avoided crowded spaces, due to the mental 'noise.' It felt like an invasion of privacy and one of the less desirable aspects of being a sorceress. But, today, she drank it all in. These were her people. She ought to know how they think and feel... and how she can be of service.

She entered an elevator where two men were waiting, each pushing handcarts identical to her own. One was a young man in a ruffled labcoat and dirty sneakers, smiling despite the beads of sweat on his brow. He held the elevator door as she entered. The other was a grimacing, bespectacled fellow in a business suit, leaning on his and breathing heavily.

"Th-this is bullshit," the older man said as the doors shut. He paused to catch his breath and wipe his glasses on his tie. "I'm a doctor. A goddamned doctor! Why are we hauling our own supplies up from the cargo bay? Don't we have people for this shit?"

"Language, Doctor Lambert," Marcy said as she softly laid her hand on his shoulder. He appeared to stand a little straighter and breathe a little easier, as if he found his second wind. "We are nearly done," she said. "One or two more trips should do it."

"Chill, doc," the young man in the labcoat said. "If ya need a rest, we can take it from here. I appreesh the help, bro, but don't push yourself."

Doctor Lambert's aura radiated spikes of anger and indignation, triggered by the young man's words. Oh, now you've done it, Marcy thought as she took a half-step back.

"Rest!?" the doctor said, glaring at the boy. "I don't need rest, Kyle. I can handle this. And I'm not your 'bro,' bro." He stood up straighter and fixed his attire, as if the unintended insult had reinvigorated him. A moment later, the elevator doors opened to the cargo hangar and he charged out, taking the lead. "I won't be outdone by an intern and... and... what are you again?" he said, glancing at Marcy over his shoulder.

Marcy merely shrugged as she and the young man fell in line behind him. "I am not entirely sure," she said. "I am assigned to the medical wing, but wasn't given specific instructions beyond that. That being said, I try to make myself useful wherever I can."

"Wait, so, you don't have to report to the labs or nothin?" Kyle said. "Must be nice to just do whatever. That's awesome!"

"I... don't think it works that way," Marcy said.

"Stupid boy. This ship is the crown jewel of Thandren, Kyle," Lambert said. Pride. "They don't just bring people in here and say 'okay, now do whatever the hell you want.' Some pencil pusher upstairs probably fucked up her paperwork."

"Perhaps it wasn't an oversight," Marcy said. "I suspect they wanted to keep my schedule open, since I'm a-"

"You should join my team," Doctor Lambert cut in. "You're not a slacker, like Mr. Intern here, and I can always use an experienced woman beneath me." Despite how that sounded, she didn't sense any lewd thoughts from him. "Better with me than with that Minerva bitch."

For some reason, he looked to his left and his right before uttering that woman's name and she sensed a brief spike of... Fear. Jealousy. And perhaps even a sprinkle of... admiration?

Interesting, Marcy thought.

By now they had arrived at the hanger, where a small stack of crates marked 'medical' awaited them. They were last-minute requisitions, things the medical staff didn't realize they needed or had space for until recently. The stack had been much larger two hours ago, when Marcy took it upon herself to start hauling them upstairs and unpacking. She met Kyle Bowman, a young lab assistant about half an hour later, when he asked what she was doing and joined in. He was a pleasant young man, very down-to-Thandren and a good conversationalist. And, last, Dr. Giles Lambert joined about twenty minutes ago and had done nothing but complain ever since. Frankly, she wasn't sure why he even chose to help if he was going to be such a sourpuss about it.

"I shall... umm... think on it," Marcy said, in response to his offer of a place on his research team. She began loading her handtruck. "But first, let's finish this, shall we."

"Take your time. But know that we're doing some really cutting edge stuff. Groundbreaking stuff. Real 'change the world' type of shit," Lambert said with a cunning grin as she and Kyle began loading crates onto their handtrucks. "A woman of your talents ought to be on the winning team." Ah, there it was, the lewd thoughts. That didn't take long.

"Bro, I work next door to you. Dr. Minerva may be a hardass, but you guys ain't got shit on us," Kyle said, laughing. "Besides," he nodded to Marcy, "don't let the pretty face fool ya. She's got combat experience, man. Miss Marcy's a fuckin' action hero, dude. She ain't here to swab your Petri dishes."

"'Action hero?' I wouldn't say that," Marcy replied with a slight frown. "Fifty years in the Navy, mostly embedded with ground forces, but I also did two tours on the Tiburon, one on the Astrea, and-"

"Oof, didn't that one get blown up?" Kyle said. "I saw somethin' about it on the news."

"Only a little," she said cheerfully. "That was my first time experiencing explosive decompression and treating patients in zero g..."

"This ain't story time!" Lambert said as he finally joined in the work, but not the small talk. Terror. The moment she said 'explosive decompression,' his heart rate doubled. "We gonna move these crates or what?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry," Marcy said as she focused on that instead of recounting old experiences. "My point is, I only have a tiny bit of lab experience in the private sector, sir. Thus, I don't think I am qualified for your team, Giles, but I wish you the best in all of your endeavours. Besides, I will probably be too busy, since I'm a sorc-"

The hum of engines drowned out her words as another freighter touched down in the hangar. Marcy, Kyle, and Dr. Lambert finished loading the last of the medical crates and were just about to head back to the elevator when the doors of the freighter opened and workers began hustling out cargo.

Lambert was just about to turn to leave when something caught his eye. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me," the doctor growled as he stared in shock at the newly-arrived cargo: a stack of at least a hundred more crates, all marked with the red stripe of the Kerlassi medical division. More work. "Am I a joke to you? Un-fucking-believable," he said as he slammed down his loaded handtruck and threw up his hands in surrender. "I give up. You guys can take it from here," he said as he stomped away, but half-turned to point at Marcy: "Offer still stands. Think about it!" he said as he disappeared around a corner.

Kyle simply laughed. "What a douchebag."

"Now now, be nice. He's just afraid. A lot of people are and they all handle it differently," Marcy said. "Dr. Lambert might be a very kind person, once things calm down."

"Doubt," Kyle sighed as he gazed at the stack of crates. "But he's half-right: I'm gonna need some chow before tackling that. What ya say we drop off this load then swing by the mess hall?"

"Tempting," Marcy said, "But I have a better idea. Leave that here and you go ahead. I'll catch up after a quick chat with these workers. Maybe they can help us, if it's not too much trouble."

"Hah, look at you, bein' a go-getter, makin' moves. Keep that up and you're gonna find yourself on his team in no time," he joked. "Anyway, catch ya later, Miss D. I'll save ya a seat," Kyle said as he placed his load of crates next to the one the doctor had abandoned. He gave her a lazy wave before thrusting his hands into his pockets and strolling to the elevator.

What a nice young man, Marcy thought as she watched him go. People with a good attitude are something of a rarity these days. And he didn't let a minor setback discourage him. We'll need good folks like him where we're going, she thought as the elevator doors closed and she turned her attention to the freshly-unloaded crates.

Marcy approached the cargo and stood before it. Two pallets of white composite cases, each stacked as high as she was tall, and marked with a red stripe. She assessed the payload for a moment, as if considering what to do next. Take them all at once, or one at a time? she thought as she paced around them. To be honest, she could do this with her eyes closed. It wasn't a matter of skill or difficulty, but a question of how this might look to those around her. She ultimately decided that repeated trips might attract too much attention. She didn't want to make a spectacle of this, so it would be best to do this all at once.

Marceline took a deep breath and dove into the astral plane. She was only there for a fleeting second, but it was enough to hear that the astral plane was thumping with obnoxious music, likely the work of an eccentric sorcerer. The sound and rhythm itself wasn't what annoyed her, but the intent behind it. Each bass thump was laced with playful malice, like an insult and a challenge, a perversion of what this peaceful realm should be. Beyond the noise, she could sense that the weavers had nearly completed their duties despite all of this, so Marceline re-focused her attention on what she was doing instead.

A moment later, she reappeared on the material plane, now in a storage room in the medical ward. A very startled girl in a labcoat was rummaging through one of the crates already there and she gave the girl quite a fright. Gloves. Gloves! Gotta find some gloves before Dr. Minerva yells at me again! Gotta find some - HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUUUUCK! She sprang back so quickly, Marcy thought she might hit the ceiling.

"Oh... pardon me," Marcy said, gesturing for her to step aside. "Would you mind moving just a little to the left?"

The trembling girl crept a few inches to the side.

"A little more. That's good. Thank you. Don't move." She could have used her power to move the girl or displace her during the teleportation... but that would be rude. With that out of the way --literally-- Marceline vanished again, back through the astral plane and to the cargo hangar. Pinpoints of light began to swirl around her, swiftly coalescing into a pair of luminescent wings. They unfurled, stretching outward until their wingspan enveloped the pallets of crates, catching the attention of some of the workers in the hangar. But they didn't have much time to gawk at this spectacle. Marcy's wings of light folded inward, enveloping herself and the crates and, in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

A moment later, she and the cargo reappeared in the storage room, without fanfare or preamble. The only sign of their arrival was a barely-audible "foof" as the air expanded. The lab technician was still there, with her back pinned to the wall, trembling as she staring in disbelief. Her mind raced with thoughts of this ship being haunted. Confusion. Fear. Fascination. Admiration.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Marcy said as she closed and latched the crate the girl had been rummaging through and opened another. She retrieved a box of gloves and approached the girl. "This is what you needed, right? See, not a ghost." She smiled as she extended the offering. "Anyway, sorry for startling you. We'll get this unpacked and sorted later, so everything will be easy to find. Take care."

With that task complete, Marcy departed the storage room on foot. I think that's enough teleporting around for now, she thought as she casually strolled down the hall of the medical ward, humming a tune to herself as she wondered where else she might be of use.

 

[Holyhalo]

Eremis Tasstritor
Time: Six days to departure, 13:00 planetside​

Among the first thousand arrivals was a simple looking businessman. Aside from a curious glance here and there during boarding and during arrival, nobody really paid attention to him. He was just another guy here for some sort of work, management or finance or something like that. He definitely wasn’t dressed to be here as a laborer or technician, that was certain. He looked a little older than most of the people around him, which could mean anything from him actually being older with no access to de-aging tech or some sort of three hundred year old eccentric choosing to look around forty years of age with access to the tech. Visual cues for age had come to mean very little on Thandren.

As Eremis adjusted his tie, he stepped off the transport ship, carefully walking around crates of supplies being delivered here. Once he’d found a little spot a ways away from the crowd, he closed his eyes and took a moment to breathe in the air of the ship. As he exhaled, future statisticians would see a steep increase in efficiency aboard the ship, rising to a peak of thirty percent over the course of two hours, where it would then sit until the next batch of arrivals. People would find their way to where they needed to be just a little easier, supplies would be unloaded and stored more easily, people embarking and disembarking would flow smoothly around each other and those in search of others would accidentally bump into them somewhere in a hallway. Despite all this, nobody would really notice as there wasn’t anyone who had the time to check records and shipwide, AI gathered data at this point in time.

As the week continued on, more and more of the permanent crew of the Kerlassi would arrive and the statistical spike would even out, balancing around a rough fifteen percent overall. The businessman would occasionally be seen around the ship, enjoying the amenities and on board entertainment. An hour in the gym one day, a movie at the cinema another day. A casual stroll through the kitchens here, a kind conversation there. Always around, never actively questioned as to his purpose. Just one of the many regular people on board the Kerlassi.

Eremis was walking down the hallway, apparently thinking really hard about something. He turned a corner and walked into a larger relaxation zone, finding himself a comfortable bench to take a moment on. He leaned casually on the back rest as invisible faces, dozens, hundreds at a time, would jump past his eyes, each one demanding, requesting or benefiting from his attention for even a second. The briefest of mental connections, long enough to slip a small thought or idea in, and then the next face would slide into place in front of his eyes. One second, two faces, five faces, ten, dozens, hundred, two-hundred, five hundred faces, two seconds. Outside onlookers would only see a simple man, casually looking at the surroundings, perhaps a little day-dreamy.

A young man in a ruffled lab coat, wearing dirty sneakers would suddenly notice the woman stepping into the elevator and think to himself how nice it would be to give her a friendly smile and hold the door for her. It would draw her attention to him for a little longer than she would normally have.

An older man wearing glasses would find his situation insufferable and had a sudden need to complain loudly about it in an elevator. His feelings would drive his thoughts away from his desire for the woman entering the elevator, at least for a little while. It would balance her day a little, impressed and disappointed.

A young woman, already tightly strung, would find her desk gloveless. Perhaps someone had cleaned them up by accident or maybe she had misplaced them. Panic and an imaged reprimand jumped to the front of her mind and she hurried over to the nearby storage room. Gloves. Panic. Must find gloves. Panic! Panic! Wound ever tighter, to snap when prompted. It would amuse her for most of the rest of the day and he would enjoy the little tune she would hum.

The businessman would go about his business, whatever people seemed to think it was, and the Kerlassi continued on to its completion over the course of the week. Friends would bump into each other, dorm managers would be amenable to rearrange sleeping arrangements so old friends could spend more time together, work crews would have even spreads of veterans and newbies and workloads would be shared fairly. Efficiency would be at a record high for a record period of time, according to the researcher who would comb through the AI gathered numbers some years from now.

Time: Day of departure, 2:00 planetside​

In a nicely decorated room, a carefully folded suit hung on a coat hanger, with nicely shined shoes resting on the floor underneath it. The businessman, Eremis, was wrapped up cozily in his bed, dead asleep, like any regular person on board the ship at this time of night. As long as none of the paths with emergency calls went out during departure, the older man would sleep peacefully through the night, knowing that the paths without calls were safely catered to in the days prior.

Still in the midst of adapting to ship time, from planetside time, a young waiter on ‘nightshift’ regretted his thought to volunteer for the shift. Nervous for his new job and aiming to make a good impression, he found himself ready to escort a new guest to his table. It would pleasantly surprise him and keep the voices at bay for just a little longer.

 

[Jigajig]

Xavier gazed upon at the large hologram like projection before him studying it. He flicked his hand to the left the hologram shifting. What he was looking at was image of the Kerlassi, the Super Dreadnaught, which was a behemouth of a spaceship. He rose his other hand and with another flick of both hands the image suddenly seperated, the ship dividing into multiple parts. The main focus of his gaze was that of the engines. Glancing over at a massive chamber to his side, he moved across the floor, almost gliding as it were. Gazing up at the behemouth of a chamber Xavier tapped upon it thinking. Glancing down to his left as if he was looking at something he nodded to himself. "Hmm yes.. that could very well be a solution.." Clicking his fingers Xavier manifested two small solar suns within the chamber. Said chamber was constructed out of Adamantine, woven with Orichalcum and Mythril to make it into a nearly indestructible battery as it were. The whole concept behind the chamber was to try and find a better way to power the ship. What they had now of course was good yes, but Xavier wanted to try an make something even better. Something more powerful that could cut travel time in half or even more.

Taking two steps back to observe the chamber Xavier began to put his theory into action. With a simple wave of his hand the two sun began to slowly move towards each other. Xavier was hoping that the collison would give him the readings he needed to further his theory. He watched as the two suns slowly slammed into on another. The result was of course instantaneous, the two suns mergining into one. The resulting energy reading were of course to be expected. The chamber was holding up to it's task of containing the two micro suns as they merged together. Xavier waved his hand weaving a barrier around the chamber just to be on the safe side. The power output was however lacking. It wasn't good enough. The thought of adding another sun to the mix crossed Xavier's mind however he did not want to push it. He knew all to well that pushing things could lead to... extreme consequences. Sighing he clicked his fingers and the coliding suns vanished. The power was not good enough. "Well... back to the drawing board" He sat back down into his chair and spun around gazing up at the massive whiteboard infront of him. It was covered in a plethora of equations, formulas and theories. One of which dominated a vast majority of the board. He stared at it for a good while pondering it. That particular line of experimentation was... dangerous to say the least. Whilst he could do it it would require not only complete concentration and no distractions but also he'd have to get authorisation as well.

Sighing Xavier shook his head and got up. Taking one last glance at his lab he left the room, the door sliding open as he stepped out into the hallway. Glancing about he headed off down the hallway.