Fantasy Starborne - Spare parts

[SilverFlight]

This thread is for small side stories, and interactions that may not involve the entire group. They can occur at any time, between any characters.
In order to keep track of things, you will need to do a few things to each post you add here.

First of all, every interaction should be written in their own colour. You can add the code for the colour at the bottom of your post, so the others involved can use it too.
Secondly: you must add the place, time and tag the people that are part of the interaction. For example

Place: Imperial courtyard
Time: During the rest at Corska
Characters: Your own character, Rusty (@ this player) and Luna (@ that player)
Colour: COLOR=rgb(44, 130, 201) (or the html #code)

Do this for every post and we can have multiple short stories going at the same time.

If you have any question just post them in the OOC or the discord chat.​

 

[Hazmat44]

Killerie ambled around the side of the counter and stopped beside Elnaril. A small part of her felt alarmed that she was about to break her promise to her best friend, but since it was for the sake of another best friend it was probably alright. Careful not to touch him, she quietly asked, "Are you okay? I've only had one friend before today, but I'd still feel really bad if she left me behind. Do you want to talk about it?"

Place: The Galley
Time: Right after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Elnaril Naberius
Color: #9365B8

 

[Naberius]

Place: The Galley
Time: Right after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Elnaril

Sitting in just a small chair in a corner of the kitchen back behind the counter, Elnaril hadn't been expecting anyone to notice. In fact by now it was just sort of a habit to make himself scarce around other people, a sort of second nature so much so that he never noticed himself doing it consciously. He hadn't heard her at first but looked up at his latest large friend and gave a small, weak smile.

"It's nothing. I'm used to being treated like that and I suppose I shouldn't have believed them in the first place. But honestly I guess what I was always looking for was a place to feel like I belonged, even if that belonging was just an excuse for them to pick on me exclusively. Though to be fair if I hadn't been left behind by them...I wouldn't have made any real friends before. But now I have several that actually, genuinely like me. It's not...something I'm used to. Even being checked on by someone is a new experience for me. Sitting alone like this is just how I've always been, if I was out of sight people couldn't tease me, you know?"

Hazmat44

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: The Galley
Time: Right after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Elnaril Naberius

Killerie quietly listened to her friend talk, trying not to make the rising horror in her gut immediately apparent. Once he was done, she thought for a long moment, then cleared her throat. "I am not going to tease you," she stated, absolutely certain of at least that. "You're cool and funny and nice and really good at making food. I like you a lot, and not because you're a punching bag, whatever that is."

Her antennae twitched as a stab of homesickness hit, unconsciously trying to find another member of her species in range and finding none. "Back home, we never teased each other because we all knew what everyone else was thinking, all the time. If you're sad, there's a billion people instantly there to comfort you, even if you're on Zilian's head and they're on his tail. So... you can't be out of sight there, but you're never going to be teased."

Killerie's legs drooped. "I can't - I can't hear anyone from home nearby. It's way too quiet. I'm used to hearing everybody all at once. But you're... kind of like a few of my friends back on Zilian. You're really-" She stopped, suddenly unsure of what to say next. "You're really cool," she finished lamely. "And kind of shy, but in a good way."

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen SilverFlight

Killerie paused outside the place she knew to be the captain's quarters. Shen's quarters.

She didn't know very much about the man aside from the fact he'd wanted to throw Anna in the ship's jail, which hadn't exactly earned him any favors in her eyes. At the same time, she had a lot of questions that needed answering. Her best friends were off doing their own activities and she didn't want to bother them, which brought her to here.

Besides, she'd caught a hint of something when he had decided Anna could help out. A vague impression she hadn't fully understood.

Perhaps talking a little more would help her figure it out.

With a hesitant breath, she opened the door and walked in. "Mr. Shen? Are you in here?"

 

[SilverFlight]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen


Shen surveyed the captain's quarters. In true Imperial style, they were lavishly decorated, with silk and deep wood, oil paintings in gilded frames. He felt almost guilty taking it for himself...almost.

With a sigh he collapsed backwards onto the plush, feather bed, canopied with heavy drapes, embroidered patterns of curious alien animals galloping over a wide field of blue. At the back of the room, shaped to the rear of the ship was a vast window, double-shielded and reinforced with organic, metal framing. Beyond that, the stars burned placidly in their sea of inky black.

He barely had time for a moment's reflection before there was a voice at his door. He drew in a breath, stifling his dismay.
"Yes, enter." When he looked up he could see the shedling already had.

"It's customary to wait for permission," he chided, but there was no malice in it.

"What can I do for our new weapons expert?"


Hazmat44

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen


Killerie nervously scratched at the loose flesh just underneath her mandibles, largely ignoring the wealth on display. "Well," she hedged, "I'm not much of a weapons expert. I've only built a few bombs, and..." She meaningfully glanced at her bandage-wrapped side where a leg was missing. "I'm not great with rifles or anything. But I wanted to ask..."

She paused. She really didn't know very much about Shen, but he hadn't seemed angry when she'd entered, even though she hadn't asked for permission first. Always knock, her best friend's voice chided her in old memory.

Gathering herself, she asked, "What's a princess? I mean... the bad people wanted to kill her, and... well, the others are saying you kidnapped her, but you seem too nice for that. So I wanted to ask you and see if you knew. And also if..."

Her words trailed off again, and when she spoke her voice was much quieter. "...I don't want to hurt anybody." Least of all Anna, she inwardly finished, but Shen was in charge, and she didn't want to risk... anything. She didn't quite know what yet.


SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen

"I am not nice." Shen snapped at once. "Let's get that straight." He reclined on the bed with a disinterested expression.

"Unfortunately you are likely the most experienced we have in terms of weapons--Don't think I didn't notice that little explosive you were carrying around--I'm afraid you'll have to do."

He sat staring at the canopy of the bed for a little while, thinking about how to answer Killerie's odd question.
"I'm not sure how familiar you are with the Imperium, but, there is one, solitary leader. No different than any other Imperial person, except for a given right to rule. Some claim that right is divine, but whether it is or not, the passing of that line is hereditary, meaning, it is given from parent to child. The princess, our little Anna, is the daughter of the empress of the Imperium. So, you'd think she'd be quite valuable to it wouldn't you? Which is why it such a great mystery that the empress seems to want her dead..."

He was frowning now, deep in his own musings. "...a mystery indeed."

"I don't want to hurt anybody."

Shen sat up, looking at the massive creature. His expression softened. "Killerie...ah." He sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck, wondering how he should respond to that.
"You've a good heart, I see that now...but the world we live in...I'm not sure you can get through this without causing any harm."
He looked at her with resolution. "There will be people who would be more than willing to hurt the ones you care about...sometimes...it might come down to your action...or you risk losing them."

For those last words, Shen's eyes lost focus, as if he was looking through the shedling and not at her. In a moment he returned.
"Do you understand?"

Hazmat44

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen


Killerie intently listened as Shen described royalty. It sounded a lot like Zilian, although it seemed as if the position of parent to a kingdom passed from person to person. Which made sense - it wasn't as though they could live forever. She almost growled at the recollection that Anna's own mother wanted her dead, but long practice prevented the sound from escaping between her teeth.

As for the weaponry, she still thought Alaric or the bird-lady would be better for handling all the rifles and whatnot, but it technically meant she'd be able to examine and deconstruct the new technology, which also meant she'd have a ready supply of high-end components to mess with. That wasn't an opportunity any Engineer worth her salt would ever pass up, least of all one as inexperienced as Killerie.

And then he finished speaking, and she was briefly silent. She knew, in a detached way, that Zilian had almost definitely killed a lot of people to keep the shedlings safe. He was thousands of years old at least.

She wondered what would happen if someone had a weapon like the one that had removed one of her limbs to her friends' head. A rifle's barrel aimed at Elnaril, or Charlie, or Anna. It made her want to bare her mandibles and... do things she didn't have a name for. It worried her a little bit.

And now it came down to her final question, one she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to voice. Her voice was barely a whisper as she hesitantly asked, "Do you have to hurt Anna to save your people? I mean... I know she can't go home right now, and - well, I know you're a lot older than me, but... is she going to be okay?"

Killerie had no idea what he thought of her, but her best friend had drilled it into her chitin that honesty was always always necessary. It was with that nerve-wracking thought in mind that she added, "I... don't really know anyone. My best friend is back in Imperialis, and there aren't any shedlings nearby. Elnaril and Charlie and Anna are the only people I..."

She trailed off, thinking about what he'd said. "I think they're the people I'd want to fight for. I still don't want anyone to get hurt... but you're right. That person in black, with the knives. He wanted to k-kill Anna. So... if I had to, I'd-" She paused, then forged onward. "I'd fight him."

Staring at the ground, she tentatively asked, "Is that what you meant?"


SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen

Shen was surprised by the question. So much so that the cultivated veneer of indifference he worked so hard to maintain...cracked. For a moment, Killerie was looking at a different Shen, lost, almost vulnerable. In a heartbeat, his mask returned.
"I don't have people." He answered quietly. "So no."

He seemed suddenly uncomfortable, he was sitting on the side of the bed, the casual ease at which he usually carried himself was now gone.
"Honestly...the most powerful force in this galaxy wants her dead, so I can't say if she'll ever be all right."

He raised his head again to look into the glossy black eyes of his unusual crew mate. "I can only say that now, in this moment, on this ship, she is under my protection...and no harm will come to her. That's about as good as I can give you."

Shen offered a wry smile to her commitment. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. You would be very surprised at how fast bonds can be made between good people."
It seemed again as if he was speaking to more than just Killerie's example.

"Did you have any other concerns Killerie?"



Hazmat44

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen


Killerie almost laughed when Shen described Anna's mom as the most powerful force in the galaxy. An old lady didn't seem as scary as a hundred-thousand-mile shedling. Zilian was definitely much scarier than Anna's mom, and nobody could change her mind on that.

Her humor was tempered by Shen's tone. She may have not been the most insightful creature in the universe, despite being a whole five hundred and eighty-six days old, but she had a feeling there were once people he'd had. His promise that Anna would be safe was reassuring, but she wouldn't ever forget that he was the one who'd almost thrown Anna in the ship's jail.

"Did you have any other concerns, Killerie?"

She thought about it for a moment. There actually was something she'd been wondering.

"Since I'm friends with Elnaril and Charlie and Anna, I'm supposed to do whatever they ask me to do, but they haven't asked me to do anything," she explained, clearly recollecting the information her best friend had taught her. "Do I just... do something ahead of time? I don't know what they like doing."


SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen

"You're supposed to do whatever they ask..because they're your friends?" Shen repeated, not quite sure he had heard correctly.
"Where'd you get that rubbish?" It brought a smile to his face. "By that logic, why shouldn't they do whatever you ask?"

He folded his hands behind his head. "I've got plenty of friends, and I never do what they tell me. Listen, the only command you should be worrying about on this ship is mine. Captain's give orders, friends? Well, I think you should ask Charlie and Elnaril and Anna what their take on friendship is. However...if it's work you want, you can clean the beam cannon decks, make sure the tech is running as it should. Wouldn't do to run into pirates or bounty-hunters with our proverbial trousers down now would it?"

He regarded Killerie out of the corner of his eye. "Will that be all? Last chance now."


Hazmat44

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen


Of all the things Killerie had been expecting to hear from Shen, this was hardly one of them. Doing whatever your friend told you to do was non-shedling friendship 101, she'd known that for ages.

But... He had a point with his logic. How would one determine who was allowed to give orders and who followed them? There was no immediately obvious hierarchy between Elnaril and Charlie, although since she knew what a princess was and Anna was one of those, she might technically be allowed to tell Killerie what to do.

She resolved to ask her friends about it. Further information was how one accelerated experience.

Shen finished speaking and she gave him a nod. "Okay, I'll go do that. I need to... think about some things."

She almost asked what trousers were, but since her time seemed to be running out, she shook her head and left the captain's quarters.

Right before she closed the doors, she paused, looked straight into Shen's eyes, and told him, "You said you're not nice, but I don't believe you."

With that, she headed off to the gunnery, wondering how much trouble she was in.


SilverFlight

 

[SilverFlight]

Place: Captain's Quarters
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Shen

"I am NOT nice!" Shen barked, and as he did he grabbed the nearest pillow, plush and harmless, and lobbed it at the closing door. It bounced off without a sound and hit the carpeted floor.
"Ugh!" Shen threw himself backwards onto the bed again like an unruly child.
"Bloody shedling and her bloody insight..." Shen grumbled.


Hazmat44

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Armory
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Killerie, Rhea Saturn_moon


Killerie stared at Rhea, the android (android!!!) gently illuminated by the lights embedded into the ceiling. A number of discarded tools lay around, embarrassingly out of order from the various weapons she'd already dismantled. She'd gotten a stool and a long bench for Rhea so that she would be able to properly fix her up, but just looking at the android was making Killerie irrevocably excited.

"Okay, sit still for just a moment..." Leaning down, Killerie carefully examined Rhea's damaged arm. The exterior had been torn open by a great force, revealing a titanium skeleton beneath to reveal immaculate wiring and circuitry lying dormant. The engineering visible here was staggering, on a level entirely separate from anything Killerie had ever seen. Nothing except maybe the gravity engine came close to the grade she could see here, and this was just Rhea's arm. Granted, titanium might not have been the best decision - for maximum strength, sure, it worked great, but when it came to long-term durability and flexibility, luminium was always the better choice.

She paused. Luminium was a shedling-made alloy. There probably was no way Rhea's makers could've gotten their hands on the material, so... it was most likely fine that they didn't use it in Rhea's construction.

"So," Killerie started as she telekinetically brought a few power tools and a soddering iron over. "Who made you? How long have you been a robot? What does it feel like? Do you eat food!?"

 

[Saturn_moon]

Place: Armory
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Rhea, Killerie ( Hazmat44 ) , Anna, Zark ( SilverFlight )
Color code: #2969B0

Rhea sat stock still on the stool with her arm perched on the bench as Killerie loomed over her to assess the damage. The armory which wasn't very large to begin with now felt even smaller with the addition of their presence and the extra furniture brought in.

"Shen asked me the same question earlier," Rhea responded. "Unfortunately I do not have the answer to that question. However, the very first memory in my data storage was awaking for a brief moment on a table in some sort of workshop. There was a man there. Human I think. Looked to be in his fifties. I am sixty-eight percent certain of this. I believe they might have been testing my systems before they shipped me off to the Van Ecks."

She paused, considering Killerie's next questions deeply. "I am as much robot as you are shedling. And no, I am unable to consume nourishment the same way all of you do. My power systems are recharged with solar energy. My synthetic skin is infused with photoelectric particles that have the ability to absorb sunlight." Had they been inspecting her skin under bright sunlight, they would have seen the faintest hint of a shimmer as the particles worked to keep the android powered. "However, in dire cases, I also have access to this." Bending forward, she lifted her hair revealing a small catch at the nape of her neck. Underneath was a charging port that allowed her to be connected to any electrical socket.

 

[SilverFlight]

Place: Armory
Time: Some time after the escape
Characters: Rhea ( Saturn_moon ), Killerie ( Hazmat44 ) , Anna, Zark
Color code: #2969B0

Footsteps could be heard from the stairs at the end of the room and Anna's voice drifted up around the corner.
"Killerie do you have a kalrexian spanner up there? That really big one with the little nob on the--oh!" As Anna came up into the room she caught sight of Rhea. Zark wiggled past her and trotted up to them.
"Zark zark!" He greeted warmly and headbutted Killerie's flank with affection.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to interrupt. Oh! Are you doing repairs? May I watch? That isn't strange to ask is it?" She was looking at Rhea, not wanting to offend the synthetic being, wondering if she could.
"I think I owe you no small amount of thanks Rhea, for helping us get away from the Imperial guards."

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: The Armory (or it will be soon, anyway)
Time: Shortly before reaching the Port
Characters: Killerie, Alaric ( andujarprime )

Killerie traipsed around the ship, trying to figure out where on earth Alaric had gone off to. He was supposed to be steering the ship, but a mop had been shoved through the spokes of the wheel with a note attached that simply read "Don't touch". She felt like perhaps that should have been concerning, but since it was Alaric it was probably fine.

Crawling above and under the ship's innards, occasionally using the ceiling or walls as an alternative path, she found him silently staring through a portside window at the stars outside.

Here was where she hesitated. She wasn't entirely sure how to breach the topic, so she decided to opt for the most honest route.

Taking a deep breath, she asked from the ceiling, "Mr. Alaric, sir? Can I take a look at your hand now? You said I could back on Imperialis."

 

[andujarprime]

Place: The Armory (or it will be soon, anyway)
Time: Shortly before reaching the Port
Characters: Killerie ( Hazmat44 ), Alaric

Alaric found himself deep in thought. It had been some time before he had made contact with his folk back home. He needed to make sure things were still going well. Needed to make sure they were doing well. He absently flexed his prosthesis, as he continued to stare out at the cosmos. "Gonna need ta get ya checked on soon as I'm done wi-" "Mr. Alaric, sir? Can I take a look at your hand now? You said I could back on Imperialis." The voice cut through his train of thought like a vibraknife through the wing membrane of a flying noperope. He chuckled to himself and nodded before turning around. "Right, I did didn't I?! An here I was just about to come looking for ya!! You were interested in this weren't you? have any know how with this tech?" He asked genuinely curious. He was prepared to deflect their attention if it would cause him trouble. But if someone other than him could help with his arm, it would be a great boon to his arsenal. "I'm thinkin if ya know your way around things like this it would be a great boon to my, er our team!" HE smiled at her as he held his arm up, flexing it in the eerie glow of stars through the window.

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Hallways
Time: Shortly before Port
Characters: Killerie, Alaric ( andujarprime )


Killerie sighed in relief. "Oh good. Come on, I can't wait!"

Turning around, she scuttled across the floor through the hallways, carefully navigating her way through the maze of doors and vents and pipes.

"I've been looking at your arm for a while," She threw over her shoulder. "Was it damaged? You move it like it doesn't work right."

 

[andujarprime]

Place: Hallways
Time: Shortly before Port
Characters: Killerie, Alaric ( andujarprime )

Alaric followed close behind. Chuckling to himself he opens and closes his hand again. “Nah, it works just fine. At least as fine as I could hope for. It’s been too long since anyone besides me took a look at it. An’ I ain’t claimin to be no engineer or mechaniker.” He shrugged and let his hand fall to his side. “Why the fascination with my arm? Sure there’s plenty more fancy things to play with.” He suggested slyly, knowing full well that his hand was a marvel amongst prosthetics. Especially those available to the general public.

 

[Hazmat44]

Place: Hallways
Time: Shortly before Port
Characters: Killerie, Alaric (@andujarprime )

"Well yeah, but I'm not allowed to look at any of them," Killerie admitted, no small amount of frustration in her tone. "The gravity engine is apparently too dangerous and important to take apart. How am I supposed to know how to fix it if I don't know what it looks like when it's working properly!?"

Fuming inwardly, she slowly returned her attention to the strange four-armed man, taking one final turn into the armory. "Besides, I really want to know more about humanoid prostheses. It'd be nice if I could give thumbs a shot, and I'm not going to be able to equip a prosthetic for much longer." She ruefully indicated the pale section of flesh along her side where her leg had been... shot off. That moment was still giving her nightmares.