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 Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 11:27 pm
Sascha had been practically vibrating through all of the scheduling and paperwork associated with being a hired lab rat. His lusus for once was pleased with Sascha's increase in energy instead of worried. Now that he had an official government-sanctioned outlet for both his powers and his attitude. Come the first day on the job, Sascha hadn't gotten much sleep, but somehow managed to be in the best of moods.
He had absolutely no idea what he was in for. Considering pretty much all the former helmsmen and their engineers had been off-planet at the time of the Vast Glub, most relevant research material was floating out in the depths of space somewhere. Sascha didn't even have a complete understanding of what the process of being a helmsman even was outside of "the ship is you."
Playing it safe, Sascha dressed for comfort and mobility, ate a light breakfast, and was right on time for his meeting. It was hard to keep the stupid grinning to a minimum as Dr. Casini offered to show him around. "Yeah! Lead the way!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:32 pm
“Wonderful,” remarked Casini. She turned on a heel and waved her hand for him to follow. “We’re going to go to your dormitory first, so you can see where your nightly routine will take place. Right down this hall, keycard here. You’ll be activating your keycard at the end of tonight’s training, of course, so you can get yourself comfortable post-haste. Your training schedule will be posted here.”
The two had tread into a hallway lined with many small respiteblocks for training recruits. Against the wall was a large, flat monitor that displayed a variety of schedules marked with times and troll names, as well as room numbers, testing types and other important information. “Once you’re in the system you can check here for your nightly schedule. We typically enforce a rest day or two between physical training seminars for starting Helmsmen in our technology program, and the rest of the time you’ll have one or two tests per day. Once again you’ll be receiving a document pertaining to these tests. They’re primarily physical, so don’t worry about your public speaking skills. You will, however, attend mandatory lectures on the nature of the technology, so you may want to adopt a note taking habit.”
Casini turned to the left and gestured to the door in front of her. “Here’s your respiteblock. There are very few trainees who live on our center grounds, but we insist on lodging potential Helmsmen for monitoring purposes. In short, you’re a very valuable asset here, but you’ll be under the microscope. Here, let’s take a peek at your block.”
The doctor pressed her card to the door lock and it slid open. The interior was tidy and spacious, with a huskhub in one corner and a plush recuperacoon in the other. A laundry chute was connected to the wall. Casini pressed a switch and a partition in the wall folded open to reveal a closet with hemotyped jumpsuits. “While you’re training, these jumpsuits and the footwear in the lower drawers of this mini-block are mandatory for quick movement and to eliminate any foreign materials that may get into the machinery. They’re a bit utilitarian, unfortunately, but they’re fit to your measurements and are comfortable at least. Not to mention your blood hue doesn’t clash as badly with the material as some of the other recruits,” She joked. Casini pulled out one of the jumpsuits halfway and presented it to Sascha. It was well pressed – his symbol shone bright in the center of the chest. “What do you think of your digs? Do you have any questions?”
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 9:52 pm
Sascha spent the majority of the evening completely overstimulated and loving every second of it. He may not have been academically inclined, but his combined excitement and determination forced him to mentally log each and every detail. "Hey my speaking skills are great. Got me in to see you, right?" Sascha joked as his gaze wandered up the walls of the facilities.
He turned the corner into his designated block. It was impossible to believe it belonged to Sascha. It was an acutal, physical testament to his importance as a troll, as well as way too clean to be a living space of his. He ran his hand across the crisp edge of the nearby desk.
The hiss of the sliding panel drew Sascha's attention back to Dr. Casini. He crossed the room to receive the jumpsuit. The material was stiff in its newness and heavier than the size of the folded clothing suggested. Durable. Sascha looked down at his symbol reverently. This was real; this was happening.
"...Thanks. I love it," Sascha said. It didn't take long for his excitement to wash back in. His grip on the jumpsuit tightened as he looked up at the doctor. "Too many, and probably a lot that'll get answered in the next couple nights. I just wanna get started on whatever comes next."
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:47 pm
“Perfect.” Casini smiled genially. “Let’s get you down to our testing facilities and I’ll show you around. The rest of the day won’t be so exciting – paperwork and such. TR will take you through that while I keep parsing Solkov’s notes in my office.”
The doctor turned to leave when suddenly another body appeared in the door. “Hello, Diacal. I didn’t expect our newest recruit to have moved in so quickly. Welcome. I’m Vostok Verier, research partner of Dr. Casini here.”
The speaker was a petite tealblood with short, cropped hair. Thin eyes looked up at Sascha from his vantage point as he put out his hand for the yellowblood to shake. He was a deceiving troll, small yet taut with confidence and prestige. A large electrical scar cut down from his hairline to the corner of his mouth.
“I hate to get in your way. I’ll be taking over your official training once that night comes. It’s good to meet you.”
With that, he was gone. Casini laughed. “He’s been with us for sweeps and he still has no bedside manner. Vostok is a pro, but he can come off as a tight-a**. Just know he has your safety in mind.” She gave Sascha a wink. “Come this way!”
She lead Sascha out of the respiteblock and back into a labyrinth of corridors. “If you get lost, there are a few touchscreens on the walls that have interactive maps built in. I know, sometimes trolls can actually be practical. You don’t exactly have a mess hall, but we do have catering in a couple of the lounge areas sometimes and there’s plenty to eat around here with your stipend. Here we are.”
Casini keyed in her card and the large door she was standing in front of unlocked and opened with a heavy hiss.
The lab space was immaculate, filled with steel, sparks of Alternian red paint and the silver sheen of prototypes. Various set-ups for testing were set up – a huge pool and a separate anti-gravity chamber, a pneumatic device for who knew what and a centrifuge for troll endurance training were among the standard pieces of equipment.
“Simple stuff in here,” Commented Casini, “But it pleases the wigglers when they come here on schoolfeeding trips. Your training spaces will include these and other fancy simulators, but for the most part they’ll be less glitzy. Helmsman training is intensive, and it’s not pretty. We’ll work you up to it, though. Follow me.”
She walked up one of the catwalks in the large space and back into a separate hallway. The further away from the main action they got, the duller and drearier the atmosphere got. It became apparent the section of the lab was separated for the purpose of isolation. Casini key-carded a thick steel door and leaned in. “This is something that even the Civisect folks haven’t perfected yet. To our research it’s practically a perfect replica.”
The door slowly slid open. A pristine helmsman station, fit in an appropriately cramped space, stood in front of them. Enormous root-like lifelines connected to the main station for a telekinetic troll to take a command. This was the powerhouse of the ship. Even lifeless, the command of the station was immense. An observation area was positioned safely behind thick glass looking into the room. “I get a little misty every time I come in here,” Casini admitted. “You can look around if you want.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:08 pm
Sascha filed Vostok Verrier's name and face away for later. He had a feeling he'd get all-too-well acquainted with them after a few nights at the facility. "Tight-a** is good. Tight-a** means no bullshit." As much as Sascha liked being snarky he had the heart and soul of an Alternian soldier. This was his mission.
Dr. Casini's wiggler comment probably should have offended Sascha, who was visibly awestruck by the amount and scale of the machinery. He was too far gone in his admiration to much care. This was cool! He was cool!! He followed Dr. Casini up the stairs to the catwalk two at a time. His pace slowed in time with the increased heaviness of the decor. The previously electric excitement settled heavily in Sascha's stomach as he watched Casini unlock the door before them.
It was... Sascha didn't know how to describe either the station or the feelings he got from looking at it. Any adjective he could supply sounded too small for the importance of this equipment. Sascha took a tentative step forward into the room. He suddenly felt very small. The equipment was looming and bulky in its period-accurate design. Despite looking quite durable, Sascha was afraid to touch any of it. His attention was drawn towards the centerpiece of the room.
Alternia was no stranger to biotech. More technology on Alternia appeared organic than not. None of it looked like this, though. Sascha's eyes trailed up the length of the cords running from the station's base to the ceiling. It looked like a brain stem. No, it was a brain stem. It fed signals from the control center to the furthest reaches of the ship. It made the ship fly. It made it alive.
It would be Sascha. If he'd been having trouble comprehending the weight of the situation before, it was impossible now. The hookups--the nerve endings--dangled lifelessly from the structure, but Sascha knew just from looking at them that they were anything but.
Sascha continued to stare up at the station, lost in his thoughts.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 9:53 pm
Minutes passed. “Whenever you’re ready.” Casini stated, quietly. There was a fond smile on her face. “If I spent my nights wishing I had the skills you do, I’d never get anything done. I’m glad you’re not taking your ability for granted.”
The rest of the facility stood ahead of the two. The remainder of the night was filled with introductions, paperwork, familiarity with the systems, more paperwork and at last – rest.
Weeks later…
Sascha’s name appeared on the monitor outside of his block. “Introductory Mental Connectivity Training – Midnight, Block R.”
It was time. This would be the first test directly related to Sascha’s helmsman training. The lectures, physical and mental training had led up to this.
Dr. Verier was waiting for the yellowblood when he arrived. Block R was a smaller, limited variation of the helmsman station – practically a simulator for novice telekinetics. Verier explained as much to Sascha.
“You won’t be in any danger, but you will feel the stress upon your body. If you can’t handle the test, there’s a large button directly in front of you that will stop the procedure immediately. Don’t d**k around in the machine, and don’t play with your life. This is the time where I learn how well you’ve been taking notes. No pressure. I’ll be watching.”
The tealblood raised and lowered his eyebrows with a grimacing smile. He excused himself and shortly appeared in the observational window. The crackle of the speaker clicked on in the room. “Proceed.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:48 pm
Sascha looked up and down the simulator with a pensive expression. Compared to the 1:1 replica he'd seen nights ago, this thing looked like a shower stall. That or a particularly soft iron maiden. He half-listened to Dr. Verier explain the gist of the procedure as he continued to theorize how exactly he was going to be hooked up to this thing.
Sascha's questions were soon answered. Like he'd suspected upon first meeting him, Dr. Verier was a no-nonsense kind of guy. It put Sascha's mind at ease, since he could hardly take suspense under the most mundane of circumstances. He wasted no time climbing into the base of the simulator.
For the sake of speed and accuracy, a couple lab techs took over in locking Sascha into the machine. His arms and legs were braced to prevent him from jostling the electrodes, or in the event of some kind of psychic backlash, accidentally levitating himself. It actually wasn't as uncomfortable as the diagrams had made it look. The electrodes weren't nearly as... fleshy as the helmsmen stations of old, but Sascha appreciated not jumping in quite that far on his first go. Hopefully the adhesive wouldn't hurt too much to pull off later.
Having successfully hooked Sascha up to the station, the lab techs took their leave. Sascha only just realized the vulnerability of his position once he was alone in the room, partially dangling from the ceiling. Dr. Verier's words of warning suddenly seemed a lot more relevant. Glancing down at the emergency release button gave Sascha some solace. While Sascha's hands were occupied, pressing the button was no problem for someone with telekinesis. Worst case scenario he could probably just bang his head against it, too. Sascha liked to believe Dr. Verier wouldn't let things get to that point. Sascha took a deep breath and returned his gaze to the window across from him. He was ready.
With a heavy sound, the lights immediately went dim as power was routed to the testing station. Sascha's memory whirled as he tried to remember all of the lectures he'd attended simultaneously. The air grew thick like the weather before a lightning storm. The mechanical whining above Sascha increased exponentially until, almost without warning, the device finally activated.
"Hhrk!" Sascha arched his back against the restraints. An immense pressure filled his body as his latent psychic energy was drawn to the machine like a magnet. It felt like his nervous system was being wrenched upward out of his body. Sascha instinctively rebelled against the sensation. The machinery groaned against the counter force. It snapped Sascha back to his senses well enough for him to remember what he was supposed to be doing. Reluctantly, he forced his mind and body to relax and let the helmsman station do its job.
Simply letting the energy leave his body was the strangest thing Sascha had ever experienced. Normally he had to force the act of telekinesis, which was what led to his many, many childhood accidents. The helmsman station made the the release of energy easy, or at least easier than resisting. On his own, the sensation of his powers manifested in a staticy, tingling in his scalp and shoulders. Unrestricted, he could feel the distinct hammering sensation that came with sustained electric shock resonate up and down his limbs. It probably would have hurt more if Sascha's body wasn't also coursing with adrenaline.
While Sascha had thought he'd understood his lectures at the time, he found it significantly more difficult to recall what he'd learned in the field versus his pre-recuperacoon study sessions. Focusing on anything but the ringing of his mind and body only became harder as the test wore on. It was as though his senses were beginning to tunnel until only the pulsing in his skull remained.
Suddenly, like waking up, the test was over. Sascha's lucidity returned all at once. It was overwhelming, but he kept his composure despite being visibly disoriented. He dangled limply from his restraints. The lights were back on. He didn't even remember the machine turning off. The sudden lack of background noise combined with the residual tingling in his skin was a surprisingly relaxing sensation. Sascha rolled his neck and blinked his eyes back into focus.
"How'd..." Sascha was surprised by the breathiness of his own voice, "How'd... I do..?" Willpower alone was keeping Sascha from falling asleep where he hung.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:04 pm
Lab assistants immediately emerged to help Sascha out of the machinery. The intercom clicked back on. “You’ll get a full report of your diagnostics later, but I’ll tell you right now you need some work. You’re lucky Casini doesn’t have Solkov’s plans up and running or she’d probably throw you into the helmsman’s chair right away, and based on what I just saw you were barely ready for this one. You’ve got the juice, Sascha – we got an impressive amount of energy from you in the time you had – but your endurance could use some work. The test shut itself off automatically, so you were never in any danger. I’m cancelling your second test today and will give the good doctor a chat about this later. I wouldn’t want her jumping the shark and putting you in danger. I recommend you immediately return to your respiteblock and rest.”
Verier grumbled and slapped his papers into a pile, then left the observation room with no further ado.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:14 pm
Sascha could feel strength quickly returning to his legs. Once removed from the station's base he moved to stand, only to fall back against one of the lab assistants. Not quick enough, apparently. He continued to brace himself against the edge of the station as the last few electrodes were pulled off his scalp. It hurt about as much as he'd expected.
He craned his neck over the other assistant to look at Dr. Verier on the intercom behind the window. Sascha knew realistically he wasn't going to ace his first time in a helmsman simulation. If literally no one else was off the ground yet, Sascha wasn't about to single-handedly provide the breakthrough to space travel. Still, he couldn't help but feel bitter at Dr. Verier's report. He needed to do better faster. That was all there was to it. He didn't need to say anything to the doctor to let him know he understood. Neither of them were the personality for such things. Sascha simply turned his attention away as Dr. Verier left.
"I'm fine. I've got this," Sascha shooed the assistants away and heaved himself off the station. They made motions to grab Sascha when he wobbled initially, but he steadied himself easily enough. He offered a wave over his shoulder to the assistants as he made a beeline for the exit. The sooner he rested up, the sooner he could get back to work.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:36 pm
Many weeks later…
“Sascha Diasis, please report to Dr. Casini’s office. Sascha Diasis, please report to Dr. Casini’s office. Thank you.”
The announcement was made early in the evening, through the testing rooms and even through Sascha’s personal respiteblock intercom.
Both Casini and Verier were standing side by side in the office. They appeared to have been having a heated discussion, but the warmth and excitement of something was still evident in Casini’s face. Verier, on the other hand, looked cold and dour.
“Mr. Diasis, I’ve done it. Myself and my assistants have been poring over these notes now for so long, and we’ve finally made some incredible calculations. Solkov was really onto something after all – independent spaceflight was still out of his reach, but we’ve finally hit his incredible telekinetic amplifications. This could be what gets us into space --!” She ranted.
Verier put up a hand as soon as he had an opening to speak. “This is speculation. Untested. You were called here by the doctor because you were the one who found the materials, so she plans to give you a fair shake at being the first one to test it out. But you’ve wasted your time coming down here. I must put my walkstub down and say no to this when we have more seasoned telekinetics and can afford to wait for the tech to impr—“
“Vostok, enough! This recruit is incredible; he’s caught up from ground zero in an incredible amount of time, and it’s now or never. Civisect is going to rend us if we don’t make a breakthrough soon, and the state of Alternia can no longer wait for these developments.”
“Sascha is – no offense, Sascha – doing well, sure, but he’s nowhere near good enough yet. We are talking about a test that previously destroyed a hivestem, Diacal. I don’t care about your damned competition with Civisect. We’ll be just fine waiting a few more seasons.”
“You don’t see the machinery – you don’t see trolls like I see them.” Casini spat. “You may have a military background, but I’ve been here since wigglerdom and I’m not abandoning this project. We all know a few more seasons means less funding and more damn information leaks from inside our walls.”
Both trolls fell silent. Verier put a hand over his eyes and rubbed at his temples, while Casini crossed her arms clumsily over her chunky headgear. “How about…” Casini began. Her voice was softer, more even. “We let Sascha decide. Sascha, will you take the test tonight? We’ll both be there. This could be your chance at something amazing.”
“Sascha, this is too dangerous. Don’t be an idiot.”
“What do you think, Sascha?”
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:50 pm
Being paged wasn't that new of an occurrence to Sascha. Hearing his name echoing throughout the whole damn building, however, had given him some cause for alarm. He practically ejected himself from his desk and loped down the hallway to Dr. Casini's office.
He didn't bother knocking once he got there. Obviously they knew he was coming and wanted him there. He pushed through the door to find Dr. Verier and Casini bickering. Sascha knew they rarely saw eye-to-eye on, well, pretty much anything. He supposed they both liked space and that was where the common ground ended. Still, it wasn't like the two of them had called him in to auspice.
Dr. Casini was quick to fill Sascha in, both quickly and loudly. Thankfully Dr. Verier cut her off and gave Sascha a chance to mentally catch up.
The research had paid off. The research that Sascha had retrieved actually paid off. It wasn't just coincidence that he'd happened into this position. His elation was quickly rising to meet Dr. Casini's, but for entirely different reasons. His attention rapidly bounced back and forth between the two doctors as they made their arguments.
It was unnecessary. Sascha had made up his mind the moment he walked into the Chittentown Technology Center that fateful night.
"I'll do it." It would take more than being called an idiot by Dr. Verier to put Sascha off of this pursuit. He'd been called an idiot for less. "I've seen first-hand what Solkov's research is capable of doing. There's no way a team of professionals haven't been able to improve on that mess. I'm not afraid."
Sascha's statement wasn't entirely true. There was no way he couldn't be afraid at the prospect of exploding violently. He was simply more afraid of missing out on such an incredible opportunity.
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:59 pm
Verier’s face dropped into the palm of his open hand while Casini clapped her own hands together.
“Very good, very good. Come with me at once. I’ve been making preparations.” She took Sascha gently by the shoulder and led him out, shutting the door on Verier’s flushed, seething expression.
The two were practically racing through the facility. Into the labs, and down the halls. The walk seemed like an eternity, but finally Casini slowed to a stop and caught her breath. Her hand was quaking as she pressed her keycard against the door lock. With what seemed like a ton more weight now, the door cracked open. The helmsman station was alive.
Pulsing cords and the tremendous hum of energy spilled through the open door immediately. The room truly felt isolated – it felt like space. Casini put her hand on Sascha’s arm. “Alright, Sascha. I believe in you. You can do this. Let’s go.” She said, practically convincing herself. Her chin was wobbling from the emotional toll of her breakthrough. Without another word, she slipped back down the hallway to retreat to the observation chamber.
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 12:18 am
Sascha didn't have time to even notice Dr. Verier's exasperation, much less realize how little he cared. Dr. Casini was already pushing him through the hallways of the facility with enough force to make Sascha wonder who the real telekinetic among them was.
Keeping up with Dr. Casini's long strides was almost enough to wind Sascha before he'd even made it to the helmsman station. The mounting tension of the scenario wasn't helping the pressure on Sascha's lungs any. Eventually the pair reached their destination.
Sascha hadn't seen the resurrected helmsman station since his first real night at the Technology Center. It was even more alien now that Sascha knew the scope of what it did--what it could accomplish. Sascha's fear and anticipation grew in tandem. There was no turning back. Even if Dr. Casini forgave him, he'd never forgive himself.
The doctor's touch drew Sascha out of his thoughts. He turned his head towards hers and nodded sternly. He could do this.
Then he was alone in the room. The station seemed even larger than Sascha remembered. He hesitated briefly before his nerves forced him to approach the base of the station. Carefully, and then with purpose, he climbed aboard.
The tendrils of the station looped in a tangled mess around Sascha's calves. The texture was indeed softer and more pliable than the cords of the less authentic testing stations. Blessedly, they weren't slimy. Sascha shifted his legs until he was standing comfortably among the station's anatomy. Drawing on what he knew from past tests, Sascha raised his arms into the tendrils that hung down from the ceiling.
Like a beast with a lure, the helmsman station constricted around Sascha with enough speed to startle and enough strength to keep him from jerking away. Individual tendrils lazily snaked down his arms and up his legs, sticking where they made contact with skin. Sascha hoped dearly that Dr. Casini had pressed a button or something, and that the station wasn't doing this of its own accord. Still, the situation was familiar enough from previous tests that Sascha was able to bring himself down from the initial fright. He flexed his hands against his restraints, feeling the smaller filaments tangle with his fingers. Deep breath. In. Out.
Sascha looked over to the window where Dr. Casini stood and nodded once. He was ready.
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 12:31 am
Casini nodded back at Sascha. Verier was nowhere in sight. She adjusted her notes, steeled herself, and began the testing countdown. Her voice carried over the intercom, faint and distant with the acceleration of the station’s energy.
The machinery came to life. In Casini’s view, the hot red energy pouring out of Sascha was a normal sight. She kept a close eye on the diagnostics, keeping her bloodpusher from leaping out of her chest at any moment. Everything was routine, but they hadn’t breached the typical testing walls yet. The machine jumped to the next stage of the test, and the room thrummed with a wave of energy. This was real. This was the power that could launch a spaceship. This power did launch a spaceship. For now the power was routed to energy distribution plants all over Chittentown. Casini couldn’t have been more proud.
Up until the machine hit “a hitch”. A jarring, deep bass drone pumped out of the station. The flow of red telekinesis turned ragged, crackling like a waterfall of electricity – one of the tendrils had released as a failsafe, wheezing black smoke. Now two. It wasn’t that Solkov hadn’t figured out how to amplify the power of a single psionic – it’s that he had gone too far. The doctor felt a hitch in her throat and practically bit through her lip as she scrambled to salvage the station – and Sascha. Casini typed an override into the system to no avail. She slammed down the intercom to cease the test, but as soon as her mouth opened the heavy glass of the observation room cracked. Casini drew back with a horrified scream as flames licked her vision from within. The emergency sirens immediately turned on and assistants rushed to the scene. She was motionless.
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Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 1:04 am
Sascha braced himself as he timed his breathing to the countdown. He knew what to do.
The system kicked on with a deeper, more guttural moan than any of the machinery Sascha had been hooked up to previously. For a moment he really was at the heart of a monster. Then the tendrils constricted, then pulsed. Energy in the air billowed up around Sascha like rushing tides. He gasped at the sensation, but held fast. He could feel the equipment so acutely. Sascha wasn't sure where he ended and the station began. This wasn't like in previous tests where the machinery had drained his powers. Here they were being fostered, seemingly looped around and around his body at impossible speeds. He and the helmsman station were feeding each other. What had once felt like hammering was now vibration as his psionic energy whirled. Sascha's eyes were aglow. He wasn't aware of anything but the station.
All around him, red lightning arced through the room. The space bristled with areas of high and low pressure. Equipment bowed under immense gravity, while debris floated skyward. It wasn't until the flames had begun to eat away at the helmsman station itself that Sascha began to intermittently regain consciousness.
He was in hell. The room was red with fire and lightning that crawled the walls, only to disappear into opaque clouds of black smoke. He could feel the nerves of the station disintegrate as though they were his own. He couldn't move.
Sascha's panic exacerbated the unstable manipulation of his telekinesis. Dents spattered the metal walls of the lab. The door was punched in on itself, rendering it incapable of sliding open.
The exertion, the fear, and the pain tore at Sascha as he thrashed against his restraints. He was like a fly caught in a spider's web. He didn't have the presence of mind to think about his own mortality. He was scared and it hurt.
it hurt it hurt it hurt IT HURT IT HURT IT HURT IT HURT
The last thing Sascha remembered was the wail of the sirens bearing down on the sound of his own screams.
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