|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 9, 2019 18:25:44 GMT -5
Entry 102.
August 22, 2042
This is my last day on Earth. That is for certain. It has taken me nearly 8 years to build my Space Craft.. I shall name her Mira, after my daughter - whom as you know... is no longer. The place I called home has disappeared from my grasps so long ago. Since I made the discovery - I have lost my way. Obsession came to the forefront and I let it destroy everything I had. Now, I finally have found the end to my obsession - by grabbing it by the throat and choking it out. NASA rejected my Light Year Speed theory, refusing to fund it, or to even hear of it again. So, illegally I have been spending all of the funds for the Coal Recycling research project I had been given. A whopping 6 million dollars, gone. I figure now is the best time to come clean, write it down some where. The guilt of it has been eating me alive... but if no one will invest in this - I must do it myself. I know, when I leave... I can never come back. Earth as I know it will be just a memory. I'll probably even die out there, or... maybe I wont. I believe there is more to the great beyond than anyone knows. All my studies, my science, my engineering, my work... this will be the greatest exploration in all of man kind...
So this is it. Last entry. The last day. To anyone who reads this - the code is 72.44.1844.02.001. You will find the results of my test there... you'll know what to do.
To what remains of my family - I am sorry, and I love you.
***
"Siri, Give me Diagnostics please" He sat in a pilot chair, his helmet upon his head. The visor over his eyes displayed a HUD, Temperature, Gas, Numbers scrolled fast. Before him was a huge dashboard of gauges and buttons, flips, screens.
"Yes, Ryder, You are max capacity on fuel, Secondary Jets are Online, N-Core Capacitors are 100%, CPU is 20%."
"Siri, what is the weather like outside?" he questioned as his gloved fingers flipped switches.
"Ryder, the weather is sunny with a small change of rain later today. High of 92, and a low of 85 later tonight."
"Alright... let's do this" his voice was deep, a kind of gristly tone. He leaned forward and lifted a can of redbull and drank the rest of it. He then tossed it behind him, the can hit the ground and rolled several times, until coming to a stop. He hit a button above his head. A huge door before him lifted. The spacecraft was held in an old abandoned plane warehouse in middle of no where Arizona. There was a long run way - perfect for his lift off.
His spaceship was not like the stereotypical Rocket NASA wasted thousands of gallons of fuel on. No, his would perform like a plane - and then at optimal height his secondary thrust would engage and push him through the atmosphere. He had pitched this theory to NASA several times - but was also denied. They argued such a ship wouldn't be big enough to create enough thrust, but he had come up with something new. Nuclear powered cores. Which...were extremely dangerous, should they malfunction - it would cause much destruction upon crashing. So, that made sense...
It wasn't much bigger than the typical jet. Because of the dangerous advancements - he could reduce the weight of his craft by nearly 600% of the standard rocket, this would give him untold speed. Exactly what he needed to go Light Speed, which is where his final trick would come into play...
"Alright, here goes" He placed two hands on the controls and then pushed it forward. The craft began to move forward, slowly rolling. It picked up speed - until it easily lifted off the ground, flying upward easily. His eyes read over the numbers and gauges, he pushed it further. The ship continued upward at an extreme speed and it was picking up faster and faster.
His radio blinked then. "Unauthorized Craft approaching Mesosphere - Please Respond" A male's voice spoke over the radio. He knew exactly what to dial into - to avoid the possible firing that would come his way. He grit his teeth. He pushed a button then - The Tertiary Hydro-Pumps kicked on, as the ship's external temperature was rising swiftly.
"Unauthorized Craft, please respond. You have one final warning"
Ryder grinned and then he tilted the controls, the ship then pointed directly upward, 90 degrees. "Eat my shi-"
"Unauthorized Craft, US Military Forces are Engaging"
His radar blinked then as something pinged - Two missiles has been launched. They were far though... He clicked a button on the top of his controls. His boosters kicked in and he picked up even more speed. Within moments he bust the sound barrier - a huge boom filled the air. His ship began to shake as it continued to pick up in speed. The missiles tried to catch up - but soon were out of fuel, and began to fall back to the ground...
"Alright!" He shouted with excitement, he pushed it further, to maximum. The ship shook wildly, it was gaining on the final atmospheric level. Then... It pushed through it, another boom. And then nothing. The ship shot forward now - into the great space. He laughed loudly, his hands white knuckling the controls. It wasn't over yet. There was a lovely band of satellites, debris and absolute shit surrounding the Earth. His hands guided the ship - until he pushed beyond them... He finally relaxed... "Siri, diagnostics" he spoke calmly now.
"Yes... You are at 96% fuel, Core Temperature is 204 and dropping. N-Core is 100%, CPU is 92%..."
Ryder leaned back briefly and then chuckled. "Not so hard, huh?" he grinned. "It's not over yet" he spoke. As if someone was listening. He then uncovered a switch, which he so delicately colored red. He grinned and then flipped several other switches. "This is the telling moment, Siri - you'll be the last to know. That I... Ryder K Martin went Light Speed. Oh George Lucas would be rolling in his grave!"
"I am sorry Ryder, I do not know what you mean. I can look this up if you would like"
"Ah - shut up!" He reached forward then and flipped the red switch.
The ship shook then - all of his thrusters engaged, everything he had. The ship burst forward with amazing speed - it grew faster and faster and faster. "Oh god" he shouted, the sound of the ship was unbearable. His nose began to bleed, his chest felt compressed. He was pushing close to 100 million miles per second. Lightspeed was almost 300 million miles. He grit his teeth. His hand reached forward and punched another key - the cabin suddenly released pressure. He gasped for air - it was moving fast now. 150 million. 180 million. 200. He let out a kind of scream, everything was a blur now. 250 million.
280. 285. 290. 292. 293. "COME ON" he shouted. It was leveling out. "NO NO NO" he pushed the controls as forward as possible. He hit about 5 other switches. 295. 298. The light around him grew longer and longer, until... He was surrounded by light. His eyes grew wide. 302 million. Completely surrounded in the rays of the sun. It was bright... but... relaxing.
He had planned this just right. From the exactly moment, with the earths spin - he would enter Space at the perfect angle - shooting away from the sun, and no where close to any planet. The fear of hitting something was huge - if he did, he would die. He had been planning this for years. What was the perfect date, time, to get it 100% right. So that he wouldn't have to steer at all. Any motion in the controls and the entire ship would go into a tail spin and rip itself apart...
The HUD began to flash at him now. Every gauge was at its maximum. The ship was moving at 330 million miles per hour, and still climbing. His hands were outright, but his eyes closed. He was knocked out cold.
"Ryder, I am engaging Failsafe A. 12 Seconds of Error report."
The rockets then switched - firing backwards, to slow the ship down. Finally, the ship came out of Lightspeed. Right as it came to a roll - the jets shut off.
"Ryder. Fuel capacity at 2%. Life support available for 102 hours."
Ryder suddenly gasped - the pressure had been released. Over his black suit was a trail of blood, which came from his nose. He held a hand up to it and looked around. "I did it..." he whispered to himself. His eyes looking out. Nothing looked familiar. Surrounding him was... more galaxies than he could count - stars, planets. Where was he? He coughed violently then and spat up blood, he held his hand out. "Ugh..." his organs were damaged, his body... he had not anticipated that...
Slowly he unbuckled himself and his body float into the air. He made his way over to the small lavatory and pulled at the roll of toilet paper. "Siri - put out a SOS..." he spoke as he held the napkin to his nose, wiping up the blood... He checked the transmission results - he had done it.The results of his travel were sent to NASA, just before he got out of range... He grinned then and went back to the seat...
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 9, 2019 19:46:27 GMT -5
Space, vast, empty and cold enough to freeze the blood in your veins within an instant. The endless void was also home to beautiful wonders. Cosmic clouds, planetary systems, and supernovas gave the bleak nothingness of the universe color and warmth. Each planet, star and cosmic anomaly also had its own voice that filled the universe with a chorus of haunting songs. There were only a lucky few that dwelt on the planets that were able to behold the wonders of space. To see the endless blackness that cradled the light of the twinkling starts in its grasp. Most who did see it didn't appreciate it either. They simply traveled from star system to star system to transport their goods or carry out the will of others who had sent them on various errands. Only a select few separated themselves from the alliance that ruled over the systems with a iron fist in order to enjoy everything the universe had to offer. Vandals, vagabonds, or raiders and pirates. Whichever name they went by they were the few who stepped outside of the law in order to live life to its fullest.
Living such a life didn't come without its hazards though. As Captain Tamari of The Intrepid was enjoying a bottle of a more refine refreshment when her console suddenly lit up at the ship's computer picked up a distress signal in the vicinity and gave the pilot options for changing the current course to intercept the ship that had sent out the beacon. The computer's display usually also gave the specs for the ship that had sent out the signal but this time there were only error codes and unknown data. It was as if it were a new type of ship that were sending out the SOS. Not to mention it was on a rather strange frequency as well. Normally Tamari ignored distress signals. They were often traps or alliance ships that would turn her and the crew over to the authorities as soon as they arrived. This one though, peaked her interest.
"Tamari, hit the damn button to shut up the alarm already!" A voice came from a room off to the side of the control room followed by the sound of running water. When the door opened a man wearing a brown jumpsuit looking outfit. The front was left open to expose a black undershirt with holes from excess wear. His skin was darker in color and his eyes a bright red with long vertical pupils that bore into the woman sitting at the console as he exited the washroom and made his way to a chair next to her.
"It's an unknown signal." She replied and brushed a strand of her silvery hair behind one of her pointed ears which exposed her multicolored eyes as she turned to look at him. "A new kind of ship. I'm curious if the alliance is testing something new we can get a good look at." She told him unperturbed by his harsh tone.
"Nah, it's probably another trap. Let's just skip over it like we always do." Replied the man as he touched the smooth black screen on the console to activate a couple commands to see if it would display any additional information about the ship sending the signal.
"I don't think so. Look at the frequency the signal is on. The alliance doesn't use that. No one uses that." She pushed her bottle of wine to the side and began to press more commands into the console in order to change the ship's course. The last thing she did was press an intercom button that would allow her to speak to the entire crew. "Attention all passengers we are changing directions to intercept something new and possibly quite interesting. Gear yourselves up for a bit of a welcoming party, eh?" She smiled and ended the comm-link just as she heard some laughter from down the hall and the the sound of boots on the metal floor of the ship.
"I hope you know what you're doing." The man said and sighed.
"When have I ever lead you wrong?" She asked rhetorically and grinned as they changed direction and headed towards the signal.
___________________________________________________________________
It was several hours before they were able to determine the exact location of the signal, due to it's strange output, and when they finally found the craft floating in the emptiness of space Tamari and her pilot, Jariel, were a bit confused by what they saw. It was a small ship. Like those they would see jump between planets of a single star system. Far smaller than their ship that was built for intergalactic travel and could house an appropriate jump drive. "What the hell?" Tamari muttered under her breath and turned on the scanners to see how many beings were on board. "Never seen something like that. Who's it belong to? There are no markings or anything on it to identify it."
"Yeah.. this is either still a trap or some poor bastard really fucked up their aim." Jariel commented and looked down at the scanner. "Only one more sap on board? Maybe the rest of the crew is dead." He speculated and looked towards the woman to wait for her reaction.
"Only one person and small enough for us to dock with. Lets see what they have and who it belongs to." She told him and flipped on a tractor-beam to pull the ship closer and into position with their dock so that they could board it without having to put on their suits.
"I don't like this Tamari. What if it's a crazed murderer or some kind of poisonous creature that could kill us all with a single lick?" Jeriel asked as he followed the woman out of the bridge to the cargo bay where they would enter the ship.
"If I had known you were such a coward with I hired you Jariel I might have reconsidered. Just be glad you're a damn good pilot." She replied and removed her gun from its holster on her thigh. "Besides, there is only one of them and a dozen of us. Relax. I'll make sure it doesn't get you." She told him and pat the man's arm before jogging the rest of the way down the hall and to the lift that took her down the bottom level. When she arrived the rest of the crew was already present and the airlock system changed from red to green as the ship was secured into place. "Alrighty, lets see what we caught boys." She told them and pressed the button on the door to slide it open and reveal the ship's contents.
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 9, 2019 20:36:15 GMT -5
Ryder sat in the chair, the lap belt holding him down. He sighed deeply and looked out into the great space. It was like nothing he had dreamed of. The colors of the nebula melted together into a seamless stream of beauty. They danced around and filled the deep space with a kind of life. This was greater than any sunrise, any sunset. No field of flowers or grand waterfalls could compare. He could see a planet - a good ways away. It was purple and even glowed slightly, he wondered then what that planet was made of. How much did Humans actually know? What if... they really only knew less than 1% of everything? It was always a thought, a possibility, but now it seemed a reality. That itself was enough to completely blow his mind.
"Siri, how much oxygen do I have left?" he questioned aloud.
"32 minutes and 52 seconds of Reserved Oxygen left, Ryder" the robotic voice responded. He let out a deep sigh. The lights in the cabin flickered, as the engine fought to stay alive. "Siri, Turn the life support off, keep only the heater" he spoke as he unbuckled.
He float over to a locker and opened it up - inside was 2 Oxygen tanks, he had 2 more on the opposing side. He picked it up and tossed it slightly, it float towards the seat and then hit the ground, until it came to a gentle stop.
"Well.. might as well spend my last moments well" he reached into the locker and pulled out a backpack. Inside was some clothing, but the best part - Oreos and Cheetos, and a single can of Dr. Pepper. He grasped the bag and closed the locker, with a shove of his foot he float towards his seat. He sat back down and strapped himself in, a arm looped through his book bag - which threatened to float away.
His hands opened the oreo's and he plopped one into his mouth and chewed happily. He reached in then and cracked open the Dr Pepper. He slung it slightly - so that little round balls of Dr. Pepper flew out. He leaned forward and caught one with his mouth and then chuckled to himself. He stuck a straw into the can and sucked it down happily. His last moments, that he worked so hard for, would be eating junk food - and peering into the great unknown.
"Ryder, Remaining Oxygen in the Cabin is critical. 30 minutes of Oxygen on Reserve"
"I know I know..." he reached down then and picked up the Oxygen tank. "Siri, channel all power to the heat system, power down everything else" he spoke.
"Yes, Ryder" All the lights turned off, the dashboard before him flickered and then shut off.
Ryder placed a foot on the dash and leaned back into the chair, strapping the oxygen mask over his head - he took in a deep breath. This was it...
Two hours passed, maybe, he had no way to tell time. Was time even the same out here? His thoughts roamed the concept. No, Humans based time off of the revolution of the planet... the location of the sun based on that rotation... now there was none of that. So, was it really 2 hours? Based on his empty Oreo's container... yeah, probably two hours. The empty bag of cheeto's float off in the cabin, not a care left. Not in this last moment. This final meal complete, he would pay the price for his deeds. For the theft, for the grand scheming, for the putting all of Earth in possible danger. He could care less. A true selfish act of greed. All to sit here. Sucking down on an oxygen tank, with the stars reflected on his green hues.
He had no idea how much time he had left. Siri was turned off. His displays were blank. He could die any moment, suffocate or freeze to death... Just as he contemplated his last moments, as the sweet fear settled in - something appeared in the distance. He leaned forward then, trying to get a closer look. It blocked the rays of a not far off sun, a shadowy beast headed his way. They must have received his SOS signal.
Just as the ship got closer - he marveled in its amazing size. It was an odd shape, one he figured wasn't so aerodynamic, but it was like nothing he could believe. Seeing it in Star wars and seeing it here was two different stories. Then... he realized. There are other beings truly out there. Capable of... amazing feats. It wasn't just the humans. This alone was a great discovery. Then... even worse fear struck him. They would kill him, surely.
Just as the ship grew closer - it's huge bay opened. A kind of beam grasped the ship and pulled it in slowly. He shifted and unbuckled. It was then that the ship's heat cut off. He grit his teeth - seconds passed and the entire ship grew cold. He felt his skin frost over - even through his suit. It was colder than he expected, colder than his part of space. What was this? His Oxygen tank suddenly bust from the pressure of the cold.
The tank burst forward as the air pushed out of the blown valve. It hit the hull of the ship and bounced back - slamming into his chest. He was thrown back swiftly, all the wind knocked from his chest.
Meanwhile his ship finally entered the larger. The door closed - and the pressure resolved. The ship hit the ground, gravity ensuing. He pulled his gun from the holster on his thigh and shot forward. Three shots. The windshield cracked. As if destiny planned it - the chaotic oxygen tank flew forward and bust the windshield open.Glass shattered over the front of the ship, the oxygen tank flying forward a ways before landing on the ground... Meanwhile a huge gust of air flew into the ship.
Ryder stumbled to his knees, coughing loudly - blood spewing from his lips. He was still greatly wounded from the trip. He had just been passing through the pain with a few opioids. He took in huge wheezing breaths, struggling to catch it. Though...when he did - he glanced up, looking to some being that stood before him.
He sat upward, still on his knees - he marveled the being for a long moment... Slowly he lifted his hand gun and set it on the ground - both hands upward in the air. "Peace" he spoke in English. He watched as the being held a gun towards him. Another stepped into the ship - their gun held up as well.
Ryder sat in his all black suit. A heavy chest piece, which had a thermal heater inside, which didn't do so great on keeping him warm. His cheeks were pale from the cold, though his skin was a kind of peachy tan, Arizona sun helped with that. His hair was a short auburn color, which was messy and unkept.
"Whatever you want... you can have it. Please... don't shoot" he pleaded - his hands still up in the air. Over his lips was crimson blood, fresh and warm. His gloved hand covered in a bit of cheeto dust... he was human in every way, even if he was likely one of the smartest of his kind.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 9, 2019 20:58:29 GMT -5
Just as the door opened there was a large crash and the sound of glass breaking. Nearly everyone flinched as they half expected some sort of creature to try and burst through the door only a second later. It didn't happen though. Instead there was only a hiss of some kind of gas and the groan of metal as the ship adjusted to the rough landing it had just had when the artificial gravity overtook it. So it didn't even have the proper landing gear or systems. What kind of ship.. Tamari paused as she entered the dock and looked up at the craft. What if it was from a primitive planet? That wouldn't be good. They weren't supposed to have interaction with primitive planets. For all the crimes she had committed in her lifetime that was one that she had never considered breaking. It was dangerous because you never knew what kind of things were on such planets and then the alliance would also put out an active search for you rather than just bounties for if someone happened to cross your path. No, primitive planets were not good things.
She was to close now however to just eject it back out into the space. She was overcome with curiosity, one of her major weaknesses, and wanted to at least see the being inside. As they entered she could smell and odd scent filling the air, metallic in nature, and heard hard breathing coming from across the room. As she approached she kept her gun up, just in case, and watched as the pale creature before her knelt on the ground and set some kind of tool on the ground before him before raising his hands and speaking in an unknown language.
"Well, he looks weird." Jariel said from beside her which she cast him a glare before turning back to the being before her.
"I don't know what you said." She told him slowly and holstered her weapon once more, letting Jariel keep his trained on the being, and put a hand into her pocket. She fished out a small round object and picked a bit of pocket lint off of it before holding it out to the man in an open palm. "Put this in your ear." She told him and turned her head slightly to point to her ear then pointed to the object with her free hand. It would take a little bit for the device to analyse his dialect and determine how to translate but eventually it would let him comprehend their words and the ones they wore would do the same for them. Hardly anyone actually spoke the languages of the universe, there were to many, but they had technology that let them simply skip over the hassle of having to know it.
"What is it?" Another crew member asked from the safety of the dock outside of the alien ship.
"Shut up!" She yelled back then turned her attention back to the being. She thought it was a man but some species it was hard to tell unless you got quite a bit more personal with them. She wasn't quite willing to check yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 9, 2019 21:13:36 GMT -5
Ryder's brows pulled together, an aged crease in his forehead. He was a 34 year old man, only in the past few years had that age seem to catch up to him. Minor wrinkles in his forehead, by his eyes slightly. Otherwise - he normally ate well, worked out everyday. Except today, that was for sure. The words from the beings were like a string of odd noises - a garbled variety that had many inflections in the voice. This one's, yet, was smooth. Like nothing he had heard before.
The being reached out to him - holding some kind of object. More odd language, and then a motion. He slowly reached forward and took the object from it. He turned it around in his hand - it was malleable, with a small device in the middle. If they wanted to kill him... she wouldn't have put away what ever kind of gun she had held. He lifted the device then and followed her motion - he pushed it into his ear. It formed perfectly, and then buzzed slightly.
He grimaced - the buzz turned into a tone, and then... nothing. Ryder glanced up then, the back of his hand brushed over his lips to wipe away the blood. He held his hands up once more and slowly stood. "I am harmless... no weapons" he spoke with a timid voice. "Please..." he gripped his side then and coughed roughly. His hand covered his mouth and he spat out more blood. His steps stumbled backward and he fell onto his chair. "Not sick" he held a hand up as the one in the back held his weapon up. Ryder knew what they could be thinking. You never knew what was out there - what kind of sickness they could bring, that could kill entire species. It was a basic lesson of history...
"Just..." he sucked back a breath, struggling to even talk now. "Hurt" he then lifted his hand and pointed to a black bag that hung next to one of the lockers. "I don't...have much, but what...you want is in there" he covered his mouth to cough again. It was an entire back full of assorted chips, more soda, and packs of oreo's. He then let a rough chuckle out. "That's...a joke" he slowly stood then, his hand holding him up at the chair. "So... you going to kill me, or not?" he questioned with a smirk on his face. He was becoming delirious, or maybe... he was just that much of a fool.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 9, 2019 21:41:49 GMT -5
Tamari was glad when he took the comm and though he was hesitant he placed the device within his ear. Now she would just have to wait for him to talk a bit before her own device would be able to translate his words for her. She continued to watch the man as he attempted to communicate with them but she couldn't yet comprehend what he said. When he coughed she quickly took a couple more steps back and eyed him suspiciously before looking towards the bag he motioned to. Curiosity gripped her once more so she walked around him, making sure to stay out of reach, and went to pick up the bag. She opened it and found several oddly wrapped packages inside. When she picked up one of the small orange and white and squeezed it slightly she felt something crack inside. She squeezed gave a puzzled look then dropped the item back in the bag, she would look into this some more later.
When he asked if they were going to kill him the translator was starting piece together his language and managed to give her the phrase "going to kill me" and since she heard the inflection of a question at the end of it she supposed he was worried about their intentions as much as they were about his. "No." She told him which her language should have translated perfectly for him. "We do want to know where you're from though and where you got your ship. It's strange and much smaller than I would have thought possible for being way out here." She tossed the bag over her shoulder and carried it back towards the opening of the ship and out onto the deck of her own. "Bring him along Jariel." She ordered her pilot to which the red eyed man motioned for Ryder to exit the craft before him so he could keep his gun trained on his back.
"You're in sector 37 zone C.. 48 I believe. Last time I checked the locator anyway. Humbly called the Grand Nebula by more local people. Are you from one of the nearby planets? If so I'm sorry that we picked you up cause I can promise that we are not taking you back home." She turned on the deck and smiled up at her new guest. Her crew was full of ragtag raced. Some had multiple limbs, others had no eyes but could "see" due to other senses. They were of all kinds of shapes and sizes as well as colors. Each of them looked to the strange being with wary or curious expressions while they waited for an answer.
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 9, 2019 22:10:05 GMT -5
Ryder watched as - she, he was going to assume this creature was a girl, for now. He watched as she lifted the bag and observed the chips inside. He chuckled slightly and then gripped his side. When she responded - his eyes lit up. He could understand her. He reached a hand to his ear and touched the device. "Wow" he muttered. What technology, that, how. What. He shook his head - the scientist within him was buzzing away with the questions.
"Strange, yeah. That's a good word, even from where I am from" he chuckled slightly and then slowly moved forward. He followed the woman, though the barrel of a gun could be felt against his back. He cleared his throat and followed them off the ship. "I am not from here, no. According to my calculations - I have traveled 1.2 million Light years away from my home. I am from Earth... which is - in the Milky Way Galaxy" he paused then "Though. I have no idea why it is called Milky Way..." he raised a brow "I doubt you call it that" he cleared his throat then.
"I am.... the first of my kind, the Human Race. My name is Ryder... I built the ship myself, though with hired help of course. But the engineering of it is my design. I am honestly surprised I'm even alive. I figured I'd die, this whole time. I did it anyways, to prove it could be done." his eyes fell upon the collection of.... beings in the room. "Um..." he continued forward. "We honestly - didn't even know there was life beyond us. Some guessed, others doubted we'd ever see it, but... here I am" he coughed then, though no blood this time.
"And uh... you? Where are you... from?" he questioned, as if he would know wherever that was. "And... are you Captain of this ship, and it's uh... people?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 9, 2019 22:36:07 GMT -5
Tamari listened, as did the rest of the crew, and though the name of his home world and the system he was from did not sound familiar when he said his race Tamari titled her head slightly and narrowed her many-colored eyes as if the word were familiar in a way but she couldn't place it. "Well, sounds like you're a very long way from home and a very long way out of our way for where we are going." She looked towards the rest of the crew who were glancing towards her to see what they were going to do about the man on board their ship. "We're on somewhat of a tight schedule so lets get back on course shall we?" She told them to which the various beings grumbled and nodded before slowly dispersing back to their stations.
"Your observation would be correct. I lead this vessel. My name is Tamari and this is my pilot Jariel. He's a bit nervous so try not to do anything sudden else he's likely to shoot first then ask questions." She told him and motioned for him to follow her once more. "I'm assuming that red liquid coming from your mouth is your life blood so lets see what kind of damage you've sustained shall we?" She led him to a lift and once the three of them were inside she pressed a button which resonated a low frequency sound before slowly starting their ascent further into the ship.
The lift was made of a metal alloy but the walls held no reflection in their smooth surface. It was as if they were made of cloth by their appearance but cool and smooth to the touch like steel. When they arrived on the intended floor the halls were made of the same type of material and the light coming from above seemed to emanate from the ceiling itself rather than light fixtures. There were signs posted in their alien language an even a few images of other types of beings. Almost like posters in a way but neither Tamari or Jariel paid them any mind. "In here if you please." She told him once they reached the fourth door down the hall and motioned towards a large silver capsule standing in the middle of the otherwise empty room. "Step up to it and once it opens step inside and turn around to face us." She instructed and waited for him to follow the command.
When he was in position she touched the smooth wall and a display appeared on the seamless surface and she punched in a few codes then crossed her arms to wait. "While the machine works and run diagnostics on your anatomy I suppose we can talk a little more. You said you're.. human, right?"
"Tamari, it's an old story. No one actually believes it." Jariel started to say.
"Why the hell not?" She snapped back. "A list of races and the only one missing is human and this one just so happens to call himself that?" Her eyes bore into the man and he turned his gaze away from her and remained silent as he lowered his gun a bit.
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 9, 2019 22:54:18 GMT -5
Ryder avoided the gazes of the beings on the ship. His booted steps followed behind Tamari. He entered what he would call an elevator, though it was different. His hand reached up and touched the wall - more questions. So many questions. He turned then as the door opened and he was nudged along by the barrel of the gun. "I got it" he spoke and followed.
He lifted his hand then - his blood had dried over his gloved fingertips. "Yes, um. Life Blood - yes" he nodded and raised a brow. Ryder stepped into the next room - his eyes looking over the pod. He titled his head... He wondered then what was their true intent? There was no way they were just happily going to take him aboard and help him out... there had to be some kind of motive. Though he felt the nudge of the gun. "Okay, I'm going" he held his hands up.
He stepped into the pod and then turned around. He turned his head to the side of the pod - which then a beam shot forward. Ryder turned his head then and looked back to the two. "Um yes, Homosapien, to be factual" he flinched slightly when the woman shouted. Ryder cleared his throat and then raised a brow. "So uh, what's that supposed to mean?" he questioned. He could feel the lasers crawling over his skin, analyzing him. This was amazing technology, he wondered then if it could break everything about him down, his DNA, his bone structure... It was a scary thought though. In a moment, could they have every bit of knowledge? Oh how his kind were so behind.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 9, 2019 23:35:49 GMT -5
Tamari turned her attention back onto Ryder and a smile touched her lips as she looked at him. "There's an old story that mentions a race called humans but no one knew where that race was from. We figured it was one of the primitive planets but since you made it all the way out here I would say you're not so primitive." She glanced back towards the screen layout on the wall and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth at what she saw. "You're more fragile than I expected." She sighed as she read over some more displayed details. "Nothing to worry about though. You have some bruising but you'll be alright." She told him and turned the machine off. "You can step out now."
Jariel lowered his gun as well and slipped it back in his own holster then made a sound between a growl and a sigh. "So what do we do with him? He can't just wander around the ship."
"No, we can't have that. We'll take him to the dining hall, I'm starving, then we'll ask some more questions and decide from there." She turned and clapped Jariel on the shoulder. "Don't be so jumpy." She told him and once again motioned for Ryder to follow her. She lead him through a series of corridors and up another lift to reach a open communal area where a couple of the crew members were sitting at table and talking among themselves. They stopped their conversation as the group entered and watched as they made their way passed. "This is where the food is. If you're hungry you come here. Do not eat anything or anyone else, understand me?" She told him in a serious tone as if both parts of the statement were a major concern.
She approached another smooth panel on the wall and placed her hand against it. "Salad, Tamari." She said and the screen lit up a blue hue before a small drawer beneath it opened and a bowl with very colorful looking leaves and even flowers was presented to her. "Just tell it what you want and your name and the computer will make it for you." She picked up the bowl and plucked on of the bright red flowers from it and tossed it in her mouth. "Go on. Give it a try."
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 10, 2019 19:57:58 GMT -5
"Primitive?" His brows furrowed, he was going to argue. Yet, there he stood in a seemingly magical pod that could observe his every wound. "Fair enough" he stepped from the pod and then forward. He followed then - his eyes observing the ship. He couldn't help but observe every tiny detail. The lights on the ceiling that seem to just glow. The sound his boots made on the floor. And then the beings that passed by. Their clothing, their oddities...
He snapped to when he stood before a machine. "Uh, do what?" he paused... he then slowly held his hand up and placed it on the screen. "Philly cheese steak sandwich and fries...uh, Ryder" he followed suit. The machine took a moment - and then the drawer opened. "What?" his eyes grew big. "That was a joke" he shook his head. "Does it read the recipe from my brain or something? Oh that's just creepy..." he reached forward and picked up the plate. He walked then as they came to a table and sat down.
It was a beautifully made Philly. The roll was lightly toasted, it oozed with cheese, and perfectly sliced steak, onions, it was craft worth a million dollars. He lifted a fry then and popped it into his mouth. "Oh man" he savored it. "It tastes just like Wendy's french fries" he bit into another. "That is.. amazing technology" he spoke as he wiggled a fry in the air.
"So - questions?" he raised a brow. "Well, first, as a response to a comment made... I can be useful. I hope. I am a world class Engineer, and I mop floors really well too... but I can't go home. I uh..." he chuckled then "Stole 6 million dollars to build my ship, and then disobeyed our Military as I bust through the atmosphere, and put my entire planet at risk" he took a bite of his fry then. "I'll probably be shot right out of the air before we can even get close" he leaned back then. "So I guess... I'll do whatever you can give me. I'll pay my way. I owe you all my life. I was ready to die earlier, and then.." he held his hands up, gesturing at the giant ship they were in....
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 10, 2019 21:33:49 GMT -5
His food choice sounded interesting, though when the meal was dispenses and the smell filled Tamari's senses she immediately lost interest. So his kind consumed meat. Not surprising. Most of the sentient races did. Her kind was a bit of an exception to that rule. While he explained his usefulness and situation upon leaving his planet she listened intently and munched on her salad. When he concluded his story she smiled then began to laugh. "Stolen money, illegal operations, and even a bit of danger in the mix. Seems you've found yourself among the right crew, Ryder." She nudged Jariel who had joined them with his own serving of smoldering meat and what looked like coal.
She turned towards the other crew members, who had been listening, and they nodded in amused agreement. "Going home was already out of the question, but I'm glad you think you're useful. Nothing is worse than a passenger who simply lazes about." There was a grumble of agreement to her statement. She looked over him for a moment in an appraising manner as she chewed another piece of flora. "Here's the thing. I'll be frank with you because it doesn't benefit me to lie. I'm a smuggler by trade. Wanted by the alliance with a good sized bounty on my head. At least last time I checked it was up to about.. 6 million credits. Funny coincidence actually. You see, I don't know about your kind but I don't plan on living forever and I sure as hell dont want to be doing this gig for the whole time. I've got plans to get my hands on the biggest score there is an then by a whole star system." She paused as she thought about the retirement she had planned. "And you're gonna help me, and I'll even give ya a cut if you don't die. How's that sound?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 12, 2019 21:11:35 GMT -5
As she spoke he took a huge bite of his sandwich - chewing as he listened. "Smuggler by trade aye?" he swallowed and then leaned back. "Well, I guess you are right. I've done my share of stealing, lying, cheating" he shrugged then and listened as she continued. "So" he pondered out loud. "From the bits you've told me - I gather that the Human Species is needed for something?" he gave a hmph.
"That means there has to be some higher power - I am literally the first human to go beyond our moon. So there is no way the rest of the galaxies could have ever known Humans exist." he shook his head "That in it self shakes the entire concept of everything my people believe in" he laughed then, just before eating a french fry. "Well, I guess all of this would" he sighed then.
"Alright, well. I'll take the offer, a cut of whatever it is we're going to do. Just tell me what I gotta do, and you've got it. I'm not a hard one to please." he spoke and wiped his hands of the salt. His plate was clean, and his stomach full and content.
"If I could request any kind of job... it would be... anything from assisting you, to working in the engine room. I want to learn the stars and galaxies, and I want to know how this thing does what it does" he sucked in a breath then and let it out slowly. "but I am at your disposal, regardless....captain" he grinned then, a kind of cheeky grin - and one single eyebrow raise upward.
It was then he glanced out the windows that peered to the great space. He lifted a brow and pointed outward. "I'm going to guess that...that is not a good sign?" he questioned. There were several ships headed their way, in a large pack in the distance. "I bet they heard my SOS and came to check it out too?" he stood then and approached the window. "The big one in the middle, oof. Has so big ol' guns" he turned his gaze to the captain. "Nice to know that people are so nice when a SOS goes out" he chuckled then.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nyte on Jun 12, 2019 21:40:42 GMT -5
It was good that he was so willing to perform any task that he was assigned. Made things easier if she wanted to stick him somewhere the rest of the crew complained about. Not that she ever had any issues with putting people where they didn't want to go. It was the nature of the best and the Intrepid was a demanding vessel. She was just munching on the last pieces of her salad when Ryder pointed out the window and commented about someone responding to the SOS signal. When she turned to glance out she paused mid-chew as she saw the black ships approaching. Then everyone simultaneously jumped up from their seats and ran for different doors. "Get our jump drive online and power up the shields. I'll be damned before I let them take us in!" Tamari yelled to which Jariel yelled back an acknowledgment as he followed after her up to the bridge.
Their new passenger was completely forgotten as they all scrambled to avoid the incoming ships. They were already much closer than Tamari was comfortable with. When she got to the bridge she threw herself into the seat and her hands flew across the console as she punched in various commands as she yelled back to Jariel. "Status Jariel!"
"Drive is at 65% and climbing but we need to put some distance between us and them." He replied.
"I can try for distance but if that drive comes back online you make the jump. I don't care if we tear their ships up." She told him and the whole ship gave a low frequency hum as their shields came online just as the black vessels outside launched a series of bolts at their hull. The whole ship shook with the impact and items that were not secured down slid back as they suddenly gained an incredible amount of speed. One that there should have been enough force to floor most of the crew, if not break a few bones from the force, but instead they were just shifted slightly. "Where's my jump Jariel?!" She yelled back after taking another barrage of fire from the ships.
"96%!" He yelled back as his hand hovered over a switch on his own panel as he watched readouts and displays flow across a screen within his panel.
|
|
|
|
Post by Raven on Jun 12, 2019 21:55:39 GMT -5
With his single comment... the entire room was suddenly empty. Plates sat in their place, some empty, some had barely been touched. Drinks sitting. He turned his gaze to a rolling device. It looked like a trash bin on wheels. It approached a table and two mechanical skinny arms reached outward and lifted a plate and dropped it into the bin. It picked up bit by bit, as if this was nothing.
Ryder turned then and glanced back out the window. He walked down the hallway then and made his way towards the elevator. "Hey son" he heard a voice, it was ragged and coarse. Ryder turned his gaze torward's a being. It was a very skinny, tall lanky person. Its neck was easily 5 times longer than a humans, its head was small and almost pointy. His skin was wrinkled, his hair thinning. The man sat before a table, his eyes squinting - nearly shut. "You'll want this..." he held up a bag then.
"What for?" Ryder questioned as he stepped over.
The old man chuckled then, a raspy chuckle, then a cough. "The first jump always rattles the insides" he laughed once more.
"Well.. thank you... uh... whats your name?" he questioned.
"You wouldn't be able to pronounce it. Just call me Seer." the old man spoke. He didn't move his head at all, his eyes didn't open.
"Seer?" it was then that the ship shook suddenly. Ryder stumbled and gripped the table, he had not expected the rumbling. "What is happening?" he questioned.
"Hmm...." Seer thought for a moment. "Ah... We are being attacked..." he paused. "Oh dear, oh dear" he leaned back then as the ship shook once more.
"What?" Ryder questioned.
"Huh? Oh..." The old man paused, and then was back in his trance. "Oh my..."
"Okay then..." Ryder turned as his hand gripped the bag and made his way down the hallway. As he walked he peered out the window. The giant ships fired one after another. He then heard the ship's engines fire up. He stopped an gripped the railing - eyes staring to the outside. Were they going to go Light speed? How would the ship do it? His eyes were beaming brightly.
Typically someone would be full of fear. A fleet of ships were attacking them. He rest out in the middle of no where space. His life before was gone. He had no idea if he could trust these...things. Everything as he knew it was... gone and over. But perhaps this very thing is what gave him no fear. He was ready to die before, he did his mission - or even his destiny. This was like the after life to him. It... didn't mean anything. He couldn't go home and rekindle with his family. He wouldn't land and be proclaimed the most successful Engineer in the world. It was... gone. In some ways that fact is what made him null to fear.
Fear is only for those with something to lose.
|
|
