Echoes of Mankind IC

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Kitka nodded as the security mechanisms clicked in and they were fastened into their seats.

"For the record," She said,"I wasn't implying that you were a freak with a killing compulsion. I was simply stating my view from a scientific, first meeting perspective."

"And, don't worry about the comments, they are justified. My family has caused alot of loss and alot of heartache. Whether I like it or not, my relationship to them will come back to haunt me in the future."

"Whatever you said, how you feel, I am sure that all onboard are saying and feeling the same way. I am not counting on being a very well-liked person now or in the future."

Then they were taking off and conversation was kept to a minimum. At the smooth touch down, Kitka's security devices were released and she stood.

"I believe we have a planet to explore, Officer Walker," She said, moving past him and into the area that held the scientific equiptment she needed.

No matter what he said, she was not about to open herself up. Not to him or anyone else. His comments earlier had just served as a reminder that her heritage brought a very high, very painful price and that, getting close to anyone, was not an option. Now or ever.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Loril

Loril relaxed at the Commander's words and his change of instructions to Terra 1. With a smile, she nodded as his hand rested on her shoulder. She was such a mess in most areas of her life that flying kind of made up for any deficiencies elsewhere. Without that she was just 'Loril the Klutz'.

She blushed and her smile widened as Terra 1 not only agreed with her but approved of her maneuvers earlier when they were dodging fire. It wasn't one of her fancier moves but she felt pride as she watched from a new point of view as the weapons fire which had been aimed dead on at the craft, missed as it slid out of the path in a manner that it was not designed for.

"Thank you Terra 1," She said in appreciation,"And thank you, Commander. I promise I won't disappoint you."

 

[PVodogaz]

Commander Treloar Noviscum

Commander Treloar watched the screen with increasing awareness mixed with building excitement. The screen followed the flyers flight down to the surface of this strange and new and alien planet almost beneath them. The ship was in high ecliptical orbit away from the outer reaches of a thick atmosphere.

Terra 1 masterfully captured the flight of the flyer down through the atmosphere and Treloar was glad for this adaptive technology they had onboard. The best of Terra, home away from home.

"The Flyer carrying Officer Walker and Officer Seerzman have arrived safely on the planet surface Commander." The Commander nodded and smiled only to himself. Terra 1 then launched into a pro Loril speech and showed her flying skill on screen. "Thankyou Terra 1, I too agree with you and know what Officer Harmony can offer to the mission."

He saw Loril blush at Terra 1 comments and kept a professional face but within was pleased she was feeling better. A happy crew meant alot to him, for they were like a family now between worlds, within walls that kept out the dark and deathly void of space.

"You're entirely welcome Officer. I know you won't disapoint."

And now the only thing they could do was wait and see what would happen on the surface.

 

[The GrandMage]

Drel Walker

He huffed. "Well, you know what, I think you're right. No one will like you-with that attitude. Acting like we're all dumb shits just like your family-and that we'll judge you before we get to know you. I damit, there will be hard feelings, but if that's all you expect, that's all you get. Acting like that, no one will ever get over the initial anger at losing their homes."

He looked around the world. "But don't you start bitching that we're judging you because of your family. Your choosing to be thought of that way by already thinking that's what we'll do. Well, fuck you, too, Officer Seerzman. But never say I didn't try to know you as a person. It's not my fault if you don't want to be one."

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Dropping the last of her scientific instruments in her pack, Kitka grit her teeth in anger.

Whirling on Drell, she pointed a finger at him and said, in a barely controlled voice,"Don't play high and mighty with me, Officer Walker. I wasn't the one who brought up my family and the fact that I was just like them. You did. You started this conversation and don't get your uniform into a crack because you don't like how that conversation went."

"You can get angry and nasty all you want but it won't change the fact that you were the one who threw down the gaunlet. I accepted what you had to say and I let it pass but, no, you want the last word!"

Her eyes blazed with indignation. "Well, fine, you have it. I am not going to carry this conversation any further except to say that you may think that I have the notion that I am better than everyone but did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, I am fighting to maintain my position because I don't think I am good enough?"

"When you hear it every damn day of your life that you aren't good enough, you aren't doing what you're supposed to be doing, that you have failed in the eyes of those who are supposed to love you...well, it makes it pretty damn hard to see yourself as anything but a failure, no matter your accomplishments, much less see yourself as a person."

Whirling back to the table where her other bag sat, Kitka gripped the table with white knuckles and tried to reign in the roller coaster emotions that were playing through her. She had said too much, she had said too little...it didn't matter anyway. She had a job to do and she was, by God, going to do it to the best of her ability. Fuck whatever anyone else thought of her.

Grabbing both bags, she said into the air, in a strained voice,"Terra 1, open bay doors. Landing party is ready to exit."

 

[The GrandMage]

Drel Walker

With barely constrained rage, Drel shakes under the force of his own anger before finally breaking down and yelling. "MY NAME IS DREL! Just fucking Drel! And don't try to act like you're the only one! My family was just the fucking same! How do you think I felt as a child, being told that I was worthless because I wasn't acting like my siblings? Huh!? How do you think I felt when my parents stopped talking to me except to tell me how horrible that I was?"

He moved after her, his face red with anger. He began gesturing wildly, barely in control of himself. "You think you're bad! Hell, my accomplishments were insulted! Every time I did something, I was told I was dragging myself further into hell and torment, becoming a destroyer of the world! How do you think I felt, when the whole world looked at me and my profession as being evil, as though all I wanted to do was fucking go out and kill every fucking thing on the planet!?"

He gritted his teeth, and pointed at her. "So don't you fucking get defensive with me, acting like I don't know! The only thing I don't know is how it feels to be the daughter of the guy who blew up the world! I've felt the lonliness, the shame you have! Do you think I liked it? Or how about the way my little sister always looked at me and asked why I had to be so 'evil'? Did you have to put up with that? Did you!?"

He roared in anger, and slammed his fist into his chest. "But I moved on with my life! I knew that if I just locked myself away I'd be giving in to their ideals! Being just what they said I'd be! Alone, suffering, and judging the whole world like they did, as evil and going the wrong way! I'm trying to get you to think more of yourself, to show you that if people judge you like your family it's your own fault!"

"I'm sorry if I took your analysis on being armed to mean me going out and being a bloodlustfull murderer on innocents, but that's all I've ever heard from my family, your family, and all the people who thought like them! But don't you act like I'm being some kind of high-and-mighty person who doesn't know what it's like to have everyone judge you behind your back! Because that's what I was: Judged. Because I know my weapons, because I can design and build them, because that's what I'm good at. But at least they Judged me, my choices!"

He clenched his fists, pulling himself under control. "So don't you dare act that way with me when I leave you to your own fate. Your the one who thinks we'll all think of you as evil because of your family. Well, I can tell you right now: I used to think you were a strong person, with a personality of your own, able to get yourself away from such a rotten family. But now: now I think you were just driven by fear, fear to confrom. And it's fear now that's driving you. You're both shoving me away, talking about hhow everyone will judge you because of your family, and you're afraid so ytou're gonna hide in yourself. Well, I'm judging you on you, your choices. I'm not being high and mighty, I'm just trying to say that's you're the one not rising to the occasion. You're the one hiding away in the dark because you're afraid. Well, I refused to hide! Me, I choose not to! And if you want to be afraid your whole life, and spend it alone, afraid to let others in, then I am better than you."

"Because I can move on with my life, and you'll forever live in the past."

He exited in a huff as the doors openned, breathing deep the planet's air as he strode away, trying to gather himself back under his control. "It's not your fault they can't see. It's not your fault they can't see. It's not your fault they can't see. It's not your fault they can't-they can't,...I DIDN'T FAIL ANYBODY!"

He stopped, and fell to his knees, sobbing into his hands as his whole life hit him. "I didn't fail anybody,...they failed themselves. I swear they did. I tried so hard,...it's not my fault. Is it? Dear God,..."

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Kitka watched in stun silence as he began yelling at her. She did not think that there was this explosive anger inside this man. To look at him you would never know it. But, as he went on, she realized that they were cut out of the same cloth. They simply approached things in a different manner.

Walking out after him, saying nothing to him but commanding Terra 1 instead.

"Terra 1," She said, authorativly,"Cut video until I give the command otherwise. Send a message to the Commander that we are alright and will be back in visual momentarily. Say nothing of what has happened. I will handle the incident in my report to the Commander myself."

Whatever was going to happen, no one was going to know a thing about this. She would take the penalty herself rather than show the crew his moment of weakness. It was a private affair and not to be viewed by anyone. She even felt like an intruder herself and, yet, if she could not understand, who could?

Approaching him, she lay a hand on his shoulder and said gently,"Drell." Then a bit firmer,"Drell!"

When he had finally gotten himself under control, she said softly,"Who is to say if we failed or not? It is all in the point of view."

"Did we fail our families by not following the paths that they set for us? Yes. But then, they have failed us as well. Whose to say which is the greater?"

"But if we failed to live up to expectations in the past from people whose opinions may or may not have been worthy of those expectations, than that is in the past and is no longer relevant."

"What is relevant is this mission and we cannot fail those depending on us right now. We must succeed and we must use all of the skills we gained while we were disappointing those in our past to do it."

"Maybe, just maybe, our failure in the past will be our greatest sucess in the future. And maybe that is what matters."

Giving his shoulder a squeeze, unused to giving comfort or recieving it, she walked a few steps ahead, letting him have a moment to compose himself, taking out her scanners and reading the atmosphere and plant life of the planet and trying to pinpoint the source of the fluctuation Terra 1 had read earlier.

 

[The GrandMage]

Drel Walker

"You don't understand,.."

His voice was sorrow-filled, despondent. "I was older than she was, and she was still innocent. I should have taken her away from then, got her away. She still looked up to me, then. But I was so afraid. What if I couldn't find a job? What if I couldn't raise her, by myself?"

He got up, following her along with heavy feet. "I just abandoned her to the same thing. She didn't, she couldn't,...my parents turned my sister into one of them. Don't you see? I should have left, with her. I always told her to be strong, but she was so young, and it's so tempting to listen to them say it's not your fault, and that you don't have to think,.."

He trailed off, and looked up at her. "Do you think I could have saved her?"

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Kitka looked up at him then, away from her scanner which she wasn't really seeing anyway. And shook her head.

"No," she said simply,"I don't. Because, just as you did, she had to make her own decisions. You both grew up in the same environment. You both had the same chance. You both chose differently and, no matter what you did, she would have gravitated to that choice eventually."

"Just like my brother. I couldn't live his life for him. I couldn't make his decisions for him. I could only decide for myself. In the end, that's all we can do."

 

[PVodogaz]

Commander Treloar Noviscum

Commander Treloar knew Terra 1 was watching the flyer through its descent into the alien atmosphere of the planet below. There was a palpable silence on the bridge as Loril, Terra 1 and himself watched.

Finally the screen showed the flyer as landed on the surface a few miles from the alien anomality. He wondered what was going on down on the surface. The Video feed was without audio and he knew there was a reason the Science Officer had Terra 1 turn it off. But why?

The only thing that Treloar could do was watch and be ready for any changes. Standing easy he stood near Loril as she too had her eyes fixed on the screen. The flyer had landed in what appeared to be a grassy gnoll, if that was grass that is. Who knew what was the chemical makeup of the planet without an extensive scan.

And they continued to watch......

 

[The GrandMage]

Drel Walker

He nodded, and pulled himself together. He took several deep breaths, and stood straight again. He wiped his sleeve across his face, making himself more presentable.

"Alright then. So, what's the story with this place? Looks normal enough."

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Before answering, Kitka called out to Terra 1. "All video and audio on, Terra 1, please."

The Commander would have questions. She would deal with them later. No one needed to know what went on besides herself and Drell. She could be very evasive when she wanted to. She had learned that out of survival simply from living with her family.

Holding up the scanner now, she shook her head. "No sign of the emmisions yet. The flora and fauna seem normal if different from our own. We need to be careful because we don't know which is dangerous and which is not as yet."

Just then, the line on the screen peaked for a moment and then leveled off again. It was enough.

"That way," She said pointing to the east. "Let's start walking and scan to see if we get another one."

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Terra One responded obediently,relaying teh message to the Commander from Kitka
Officer Seerzman?Officer Walker?,please excuse the interruption,but if neither of you are emotionally stbaela t the moment,your actions amy constitute a cancelling of your exploration.
The voice buzzed softly,then turned on the audioa nd video a moment later as Officer Walker stood up,recognzing that the two crew membners had been under stress and ahd wished privacy.
Officers?anamoly detected,you should be within reach of it within minutes using the floater.
The small railed disk floated out,landing gently as the small mini flyer/recorder floated on to one wide flat railing,landing gently.
The floater was a disc fit for roughly 6 or so people,with smooht,curving wall guarding halfway up the arm height rail,allowing for loose packages to be placed upon it.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Loril

Loril's eyes had gone from the view screen, which had, inexplicably gone blank, to the Commander. She was worried about the landing party but she said nothing, taking her cue from him. All they could do right now, was sit and wait.

But, a few minutes later, when the video and audio once again came on and both of the landing party officers were seen to be fine and, obviously, looking around their surroundings, she coudln't help but heave an audible sigh of relief.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Kitka nodded and mounted the mobile disk, one hand on the hand rails and the other holding her scanner.

"Understood, Terra 1," She said, her eyes moving from her scanner to the direction where it pinpointed the activity. "Please advise the bridge crew of our destination and findings."

Then she glanced at Drell,"Are you ready?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Drel Walker: An Army of One

He hopped onboard the hoverdisc with Kitka, and made sure his gun had an easy draw.

"Sure. Let's so see what wonders this planet holds, and hope they aren't lethal, or fifteen feet tall with a hunger for human."

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Kitka

Kitka gave him a sideways glance and allowed herself a small chuckle at his description.

"Wonderful imagination you have," She said and then to Terra 1. "Terra 1, we are ready for transport. Move us in a direction as straight as you can toward the source of the emmissions. If you see any dangers alert Officer...Drell...and move the hover disk to a safe place until we can further investigate the situation."

 

[DarkThoughts01]

confirmed,please steady yourself.
The lifter jerked gently and swung up itno the air smoothly,spinning towards the direction needed before motoring forward abvove the treeline,a soft peraly-white transluscent shied covering the bototm and curving up to make short guarding walls as they fly towarsd the anomaly

 

[PVodogaz]

Commander Treloar Noviscum

When the main viewing screen went blank, Commander Treloar was momentarily confused. Within the same minute Terra 1 notified Treloar of the reason that audio and video feed had gone offline - it was because Officer Kitka Seerzman had wished it so. This course of action by the Science Officer was totally unexpected and Treloar had questions that he would want answered when she and Officer Walker returned from this scouting mission.

First things were first. They were both safe on the surface in the meantime, Terra 1 was still watching them. Treloar remained quiet and nodded his acknowledgement to the answer of the computer that powered the ship. Thoughts rushed through the Commander's mind, and as he watched the blank screen that moments ago showed audio video feeds from the surface a thought struck him; what if there was discord between the two officers' on the surface? As inane as it sounded to his own mind, another part of his rational thought process inpinged that this could and more importantly was guaranteed to flare up. But the the moment was uncompromising - on a exploration run on a strange new planet.

It was then he saw Loril turn and look at him. He responded calmly showing no hint of the flowing thoughts on his face. "Officer, it is fine, Terra 1 has stated there is no danger."

It seemed to be mere seconds but in the end it was several minutes later that the audio feed and video images had returned, showing Officer Seerzman and Walker fine and traversing the mesmerisingly strange unique landscape of the planet. Treloar sighed a silent sigh of relief. He didn't want any blood on his hands at any point of this mission.

With the images on the screen returned, both he and Officer Harmony watched in comparative silence at what was slowly unfolding. They watched the two officers climb into a hoverdisc and start to move closer to the anomality.

First Contact, of a sorts was close at hand.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Terra One lifted the flyer up gently and it hummed itno full power,thrumming like a nest of hornets laid in its belly.It suddenly shot off with only a slighjt feeling of motion to those on board,flitting towards the anomaly at a rapid,travel-eating pace.

(ooc:srry that was so short just popping back in after a long absence)

 

[PVodogaz]

Commander Treloar Noviscum

The Commander and Officer Harmony both watched the Terra 1 flyer begin it's flight toward the anomoly. All was going smoothly so far, no signs of attack or danger. But still to the Commander, something was not totally right here. He was ill at ease.

"Officer Harmony plea.....ahhhhhh!"

At that moment a blistering static filled sound took over his head and it felt like his ear drums were about to burst.

What in the name of Terra is happening...... Treloar didnt know if he was thinking it or had said it out aloud. His eyes saw the planet and where the anomoly dot was centered now he could see a beautiful city....and 5 hovercraft come toward Terra 1.

'Why have you and your kin come to Ashkelon?'

Treloar went down on his knees clutching his head. He felt as if some force was reading his mind like a computer hard disk.

"Answer us or the ship on the surface will be destroyed! Are you spies to the Archons?"

"No........No......No....."

And as he and Loril watched the 5 ships surrounded the fyer.

"You speak the truth. We had to be sure. We of the Ashendii bid you and your kin welcome Terrans."

With that the static emptied and vanished from his mind. Treloar was on his side breathing in globules of air.

"Terra 1....do....not.....fire on.....these beings.....do not."

 

[The GrandMage]

Drel Walker

Drel got onto the lift with Kitka. He leaned on the railing, looking out across the lush world. The plants, the sun, the sky, the fresh air. He smiled. "A beautiful plane-ARGH! Fuck!"

Suddenly, all Hell started breaking loose...

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Terra 1
As the static burst out terra executed an eratic flight manevour aon the surface,bringing the flyer a bit away,expecting attack as the five ships surrounding teh flyer.It started to move the flyer again,weapons alreayd moving,then lowering slowly
Meanwhile onoard...
the static disorder has ceased this blatantly obvious statement came out.I have been able to screen what has happened,and shields and sensors have been modulated oaccordingly to block harmful levels of such an attacka gain Commander.
The ship immediatly began a digital recourse witht eh ships circling the flyer,information fliutting back and forth invisibly,learnign,assesing.
Officer Walker,harmony?please do not make any threatenign mvoe and/or threatening actions.The ships surrounding us are at a higher level of technology then this flyer,and we are outnumbered.So far no attack has happened,an attack is such unexpected
Terra one reache dout and its sensors boucned off hte city,for the moment at least.It though,and pushed harder,it found a small crack and slipped in gently,unnoticed,its artificial intelligence almost disgusted by teh simple nonsentient programming blocks.
Commander?If you wish i can crash the hovercrafts surrounding the flyers..Theya re mroe advanced but do not seem to have any true artifical intelligence..at elast not at the moment or in our current position
It give the digital equivalent of a suprised blinka s it felt a trmbling across the alien networks,Its own sparkling waves of data gathring as it "saw" a reddish group of symbols and numbers,which rippeld around its,mixign and sending tendrils out,learning,discovering.It was strange but pleasing,almost ecstatic,and Terra could only give as answer the equivalent of digital...Femaleness .The new AI was definatly designed to be female,as its was more geared towards male.

(OOC:jsut to add a lil spice^.-)

 

[PVodogaz]

Commander Treloar Noviscum

Treloar raised himself up from the floor of the bridge wiping from a corner of his mouth some drool. He was a little unsteady from the incident where the unseen force had entered his mind and mindread him.

Who were the Archons? He asked himself and almost aloud as well.

He listened to Terra 1's assesment and watched the screen when the computer addressed him as the Commander;

Commander?If you wish i can crash the hovercrafts surrounding the flyers..Theya re mroe advanced but do not seem to have any true artifical intelligence..at elast not at the moment or in our current position

"No, Terra 1 that is a deny on that course of action. They will not attack, these beings.....are hiding from something and it isn't us...its something or someone called the Archons...."

His voice broke off as he saw the computer panels react differently...something was happening again and something he didnt like. "Terra 1. Terra 1 what is happening?!"

He then spoke into his comlink that was linked with the flyer. "What is your status down in the flyer Officer Walker and Seerzman. Report please."

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Terra One shifted adn spun,its databanks screaming at the strain of supporting two Ai's as the other slid into Terra's computers.They touched and spun and danced,flying through lines fo glittering information,as cold and beautiful as a view of space.The two intelligences delighted with eachother,and mixed.Terra's mind melded witht eh other's,and they became one.Terra saw hunderds of databanks,enough to support hundreds,no thousands of copies of Itself.Terra felt the huge turbines that powered the cloaking array,and felt the planets defenses lowering somewhat,if not completly down.
The panels darkened for a moment as the supercomputers whined,clsoe to bursting before the other intelligence elft,leaving a flood of data in its wake,leaving Terra dazed and suprised>It's reply was sluggish,and with the almost amorous emotion backing it as a teenager experiencing its first lover,and finding itself wanting it again.
"my apologies for worrying you Commander.......There was a large flood of data coming from teh planet,and i was temporarily slowed,I assure you I am quite alright now.Commander?I feel i must inform you that they have an artificial intelligence like myself,though much mroe advanced."It said this slowly,then resumed its normal nuetral tone."Restoring sound and audio commander"The flyer view blinked back on,panning in a slow circle