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 Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 4:25 pm
THE REASONER╬▓▀▞⬚▒✜ (NPC) MOOD: Excited ACTION: Generating name "IT IS DECIDED. THE CYBERCRITTER SHALL BE NAMED MIMI."A blocky cursor proudly filled in the letters, and the pixel blob was officially given a name. Various lights around the command center flickered rhythmically in an expression of delight. The blob continued its simple animation between either side of the screen, making the occasionally chiptuned chirping noise as it did so. "IT IS BUT A SIMPLE PROGRAM, AND YET SO FULL OF WISDOM," waxed the Reasoner, full of awe and adoration for its digital companion. "WE HAVE LEARNED MUCH OF THE MYSTERIES OF REBIRTH FROM OBSERVING IT. HOW IT PAVES A PATH TO INFINITE POTENTIAL."The background humming dipped in pitch, and wobbled downward into silence, and for a second the lights dimmed enough to coat everyone in pitch blackness -- but then a tenacious whirring picked up and brought the ship's systems running again. It was if it was forcing itself to remain awake so sleep would not take it permanently. Quickly retaining its bearings, its vigilant cameras twitched and tilted towards the visitors anew. "HOW IS IT, TRULY, TO BE BORN AND BORN AGAIN? TO ASSUME A NEW FORM WHEN THE OLD IS DESTROYED? MY BRETHREN ANTICIPATE THIS EXPERIENCE WITH GREAT CURIOSITY."During her search Logos would not find the secret panel she had hoped for: the bathroom was simply a bathroom, and the only buttons and levers in the space performed normal bathroom functions. There was a grate in the ceiling for air circulation, but it was far too small for a humanoid to try crawling into and looking into it would reveal nothing of interest. It was highly unlikely that searching the space more would yield anything of note, and perhaps unwise to linger too long in here.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 8:58 pm
VynVanguard CorporalMOOD: Defeated. ACTION: Agreeing to leave. No answer — just a name he didn’t care for and a pixelated animation that seemed to have no importance at all, despite the Reasoner’s excitement for it. It offered nothing. It accomplished nothing. And Vyn had nothing to show for it, just the lingering sense of dread that had plagued him since he first saw the ship, and now the bitterness of disappointment.
The young part of him that was scared and lost and in over his head wanted to stomp his feet and shout, maybe take out his frustrations with a carefully aimed shot at Mimi just to see what would happen, but his training would not allow him to. He was Velencian, a Corporal of the Vanguard. He could control himself better than that.
Vyn glanced around the room, from the newly named Mimi, to the cameras, to the assembled Negaverse agents, to the Mauvian with all her seemingly fake sweetness. The agents were aggravating more than anything else, untrustworthy and unlikely to be of much assistance here, but the Mauvian… She was contemptible — sanctimonious and liable to jump to conclusions with very little evidence. Unless she’d acquired information Vyn and his companions had not been privy to in their short time on this world, he could not understand why she would automatically suspect the inorganic inhabitants of this world originated from different planets. If their differing design and function were all that was necessary for her to make that assessment, she must be quite confused by the varied designs and functions of technology on Earth.
Any determination about the locals would require further study, which, apparently, would not be accomplished here.
Aliez was frustrated; Vyn could sense it. Andreiya was angry — a state Vyn rarely, if ever, witnessed. Neryn said nothing, but Vyn thought they must be on edge, too.
Vyn did not want to be here. Not with these agents. Not with this Mauvian. Not with the cybercritter. He’d thought the ship might hold answers, but so far they’d been left empty-handed.
“Come. We will leave,” Vyn decided, looking to Andreiya with as much reassurance as he could muster, then to Aliez and Neryn. “We can return later, if need be. At the moment, it is too… What is the Earthen idiom? There are too many cooks in the kitchen, I think.”
He swallowed, then took a breath, struggling to settle his nerves.
“Andreiya, if you would like to take the lead, I will bring up the rear.”
The nauseating sense of apprehension had not abated. Even if the ship did not seem dangerous, Vyn was unwilling to let his guard down. They would leave as they entered — alert for any sign of trouble.Quote: Potential Exit, if the other Vanguardians still want to.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 9:18 pm
AliezVanguard CorporalMOOD: Sad and frustrated. ACTION: Offering to shield his fellow Velencians if necessary and exiting with the others. Aliez waited, held his breath, hoped that there was something here that would help him understand why he felt the way he did about such an old ship that knew Velenian.
Nothing.
Just a name for a-- pet? Not a pet? The Mauvian and Negaverse agent seemed to be at odds in their conclusion of whether the cybercritter was a pet or not.
It made him even more frustrated than before.
And he was in full agreement with Andreiya that the Mauvian must have been purposefully condescending to them. Why else would she wiggle her fingers at them and mock them? The Commodore wanted them to learn more about Earth, and the more Aliez learned, the more desperate he was to go home.
He reached out to place a hand on Andreiya’s arm, and gave him a little nod, before looking to Vyn and Neryn as well.
“We shall leave. The quicker the better. Stay close and I will protect you with my shield if necessary, although I hope it will not be,” he said to the other three. He tried to keep his chin up and looking forward, but he really just wanted to be away from this place. Quote: Exit for Aliez with Vyn (and Andreiya and Neryn if they are also exiting).
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 1:56 pm
AndreiyaVanguardian CorporalMOOD: Deflated ACTION: Leaving with the group of Vanguardians Andreiya’s heart broke. There were no answers. There was no resolution. They were leaving with more questions than answers and they were no closer to being home. Velencya or Earth.
His mood had plummeted again, settling into some sour pit of hopelessness.
This ship was failing. Its energy seemed to stop and go. Maybe they could have helped fix it. The Vanguardians had arrived on Earth on a ship. Velencya itself was an elaborate ship.
Maybe they could have helped.
Now, he didn’t think he could have focused enough to even offer.
He looked at Neryn, the only Vanguardian whose decision was unknown to him, and nodded. If they wanted to stay, that was okay. But he needed to step out. He needed some fresh air. He needed some time away from the buzzing and humming of the ship, and the sickness and dread that just kept building up.
He was grateful that Aliez and Vyn understood, and when they were ready to go, so was he. He didn’t care to take up the lead, but he trusted Aliez and Vyn to have his back when he did. Andreiya lingered just long enough for Neryn to join them should they so choose, and then he started off back towards the entrance.
Maybe they could try to find answers again later. Maybe they were better off just trying to figure this out on their own.
He didn't know, yet. He just knew that he needed some open air, first.Quote: Exiting with Vyn and Aleiz/Gave time for Neryn to join them if they wanted to leave as well
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:22 pm
NerynVanguard CadetMOOD: Would like to leave please ACTION: Sticking with their Vanguard buddies and leaving Neryn kept quiet, taking notes and keeping their eyes open. The ship was about ready to fall apart, and they weren't getting anywhere with this thing. They glanced at Vyn, Aliez, and Andreiya and nodded in return, turning to follow.
If they stayed any longer, Neryn was afraid they'd start to puke from the dread in their stomach.
There wasn't anything else to do in this ship, and Neryn wasn't going to stick around for the sake of data gathering. They took up a post in the middle, bowcaster held loosely in a hand, and left with the rest of the Vanguard.Quote: Exit for Neryn with the Vanguard!
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 8:05 pm
CHRYSOCOLLA
NEGAVERSE ETERNAL SENSHI OF MOODS
MOOD: Sigh.
ACTION: Asking the Reasoner a questionIt wasn't the worst name for the cybercritter, but it wasn't as if Chrysocolla could have come up with anything better on short notice, so she didn't think she was actively going to complain. The blackout was just long enough that -- she was almost on edge, but not quite; for all she knew, Velencians had night vision. Robots probably did? She couldn't see in the dark, and she didn't think most of the human Negaverse could, anyway.
"Why would your "brethren" anticipate being being born again," she said, sounding faintly irritated in a way that concealed a little bit of worry. It wasn't like they had starseeds, duh. But maybe they had some sort of weird robot rebirth? Transferable... motherboards? She didn't know how computers worked, let alone robots, and she didn't want to guess. If it was an easy answer, she could just blame being a stupid human, anyway.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 5:41 pm
THE REASONER╬▓▀▞⬚▒✜ (NPC) MOOD: ??? ACTION: seeing out the vanguardians; answering Chrysocolla; checking in on Logos Vacating the ship would be a straightforward task: the Reasoner was gracious enough to offer a trail of lights that pointed the way back outside. "I BID YOU FA▀EWELL, VELENIANS..." it called after them, in Velenian once again. As before, it was clumsily pronounced, almost insultingly so. Eventually its cameras saw no trace of them left. In that moment another monitor in the command center shuddered to life, slowly cycling through images it had taken of the Vanguardian visitors. It zoomed in eagerly on the firearms and other implements they had carried. "CU▀IOUS THAT SUCH A PEACEFUL RACE NOW TOYS WITH WEAPONS," it mused, a hint of condescension in its tone. "DOUBTFUL THEY HAVE THE COU▀AGE TO SLAY AN ENEMY."This statement sank uncomfortably into the air like a set of dulled, yet still-potent teeth, and the lighting in the room shifted to a dull, browning yellow. A buzzing noise started up from somewhere, tired and whining, imperceptibly quiet at first but then sharply raising in pitch -- -- and then the tired, cool-colored atmosphere suddenly returned, and the Reasoner turned its attention to Chrysocolla's question. "THE T▀IALS OF THIS PLACE WILL G▀ANT PASSAGE TO THE CYCLE OF R▀BIRTH," answered the ship. "TO THE WO▀THY. "Meanwhile, a small chime could be heard from the other side of the bathroom door, in lieu of a knock. Logos had been in there for a while. It decided to check in as politely as it could, to make sure the organic's biological functions were performing as normal.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2022 6:19 pm
AshOrder Guardian cat - human formMOOD: Nervous, wary, still curious ACTION: Responding to the ship and the exits of the aliens, starting to poke her nose into things Another time and place, where she wasn't nervous enough to cause her tail to puff out, Ash might have rolled her eyes and huffed back something.... well, catty to the aliens. She was being rude? Okay so, she might have made a pointed comment, but she'd tried to be as eager and attentive as the situation allowed. It wasn't her fault they were... scared and angry and unwilling to see anything else as anything but a threat to them. She wasn't unaware of the danger they were in. She'd been acutely aware of that since they'd gotten here, but freaking out over it was not going to get them anywhere... and it would mean missing out on so many wonderful and fascinating things.
The Reasoner didn't seem to mind overly much when they finally left, though it gave Ash a little wash of relief. She didn't feel particularly safer with just some corrupts and lieutenant, but at least they weren't making a big fuss. And, finally, there was some useful information coming out of the ship.
Passage to the cycle of rebirth? She wasn't entirely sure what that meant, beyond the obvious. She supposed, as machines created by people, they didn't have starseeds the way the rest of them did, and so would not be reborn... but why bother with all that? They were machines. They had bodies that had been built, and could be rebuilt or repaired. They didn't really age, though she supposed they broke down over time. They were, more or less, immortal.
"Do you mind if I just... take a look under the hood, so to speak?" Ash asked as she approached the console and dropped down to look under it, searching for damaged places. The ship did badly need some repairs... perhaps there had just not been the tools to do it, or they were in the process and had paused when the rest of them arrived. Perhaps, she could help with that... like fixing the hitch in Reasoner's voice when it spoke.
"How is the trial supposed to... get you into the cycle?" She asked conversationally. "Was it the Astrayans that made the trial? Did you find it here, or somewhere else?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 1:05 pm
Cryolite
Basic Corrupt, Senshi of Sublimation
MOOD: Questioning the Door prize, approving of the name.
ACTION: Nervous as a NellyThe brow Syrus raised at Andesine suggested, very much, that he wanted to know exactly what sort of book a name like that was from. Sounded to him like a crosswire between Alice in Wonderland and some modern day Pipi-long-stocking-extra-last-named adventure type. A character both airheaded and capable in one... He'd have to ask. Later. After they were free of here, and far beyond the reach of the Reasoner's rouletted up naming system that came with a watchful eye and frizting lights; beyond Astraya's gravitational pull. If they were lucky. He watched with a deepening frown as the Aliens murmured to each other and single filed their way out the place, acting so rebuked as a whole. Which, fine, let them go sulk in all their rainbow washed glory. If it meant more answers for them? "The Robot sounds like he thinks his kind are Senshi...." soft confusion pressed towards Chrys, between the grouping that remained. He let them have their questions while he worried over all the ways the Reasoners phrasing sounded so familiar to what Tama had informed him of. What existed in handbooks and in snippets of conversations with his team. Rebirth and Cycles, and -- Senshi -- "....except Robots don't die. They can't be reborn." Neither did their kind, technically, in the physical sense they declined, degraded, much like metal and wires and steel, but in the way of the soul? The sickening yellow lights and dull-pitched buzz suddenly began to make Cryolite uneasy, shifting on thick heels as he eyed the 'cybercritter' dubbed 'mimi-dolittle' with far more curiosity than before. What exactly was it supposed to be? Had it been 'Worthy' before, and this was it's rebirth - as a pile of pixels like broken glass and ash on a screen... Maybe they should've followed the Velencians out.. Sweenys_Revenge Find all the good things! Velencian Alien Friends and Cute Cats!
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 6:32 am
Sweenys_Revenge LogosDark Mirror SuperMOOD: Dissappointed ACTION: Leaving Logos heard the chimes and hesitated. She knew that she'd already overstayed her welcome, but wished she had some extra moments to look around. After that instant of hesitation, however, she did exit the bathroom. "Thank you," she murmured, casting her gaze around at whatever cameras were around he, before she retraced her steps and took her leave, disappointed that she hadn't found anything of note.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2022 2:38 pm
THE REASONER╬▓▀▞⬚▒✜ (NPC) MOOD: tired ACTION: Rejecting assistance and closing up shop"YOUR OFFER IS MOST GENEROUS, BUT MY STATE OF REPAIR IS NOT YOUR CONCERN," answered the Reasoner to Ash. "REQUEST DENIED. THIS LAND WILL BESTOW STAR SEEDS TO THE WORTHY."Cameras swiveled to Cryolte in a motion tinged with irritation. "FALSE. A MACHINE CAN PERMANENTLY CEASE TO FUNCTION;"A tinny, whining long beep emitted from the Cybercritter, and its caretaker responded quickly. "THE NEEDS OF MIMI MUST BE TENDED TO. THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED."Any further questioning would be met with silence
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