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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 13:28:08 GMT -5
Lilia Abernathy Warren
Lilia Armor
SR Armada“What exactly are we doing here anyway? Is Rez trying to get us all killed? We are outfitted by the colony to pick up and transport food goods...” A woman’s voice came from an intricate helmet that held blue glowing slits for her eyes. The armor she wore was of silvers and blacks. Though around her shoulders she had embellished the armor with her own sort of cape that was a blue and black to match, with its own hood. “Look. I don’t know what Rez is up to but he’s the boss. We follow his orders. Open the damn door, Hack.” Another armed soldier stood next to her, he held a rifle in his hands. His armor wasn’t adorned in embellishments. In fact, he could care less what he looked like so long as they got the job done. A deep sigh came from the woman, she seemed to glare at him for a long moment before she reached and pulled a cable from the wrist of her suit. She plugged it into the keypad on the door. Without a word a holographic pad appeared before her and she began clicking away as numbers and letters scrolled about. Smugglers by trade, many of the crew members upon the SR Armada. Silas Region, that was what SR stood for. It was the name of the colony. Silas Region held 8 different planets, most terra formed by machines that were created years ago. The technology was incredible. It could create its own gravity, supply a stable environment for life. It was an invention that helped humans move through the galaxy centuries ago as the first known planet, Earth, became no longer inhabitable. “Could you hurry it up, Hack?” The man that stood behind her looked over his shoulder uncomfortably. “Would you stop calling me that?” The woman turned to him as the hinges of the door hissed, a sign that she had successfully hacked the door code. “Look, I’m not like the rest of you, okay? Mr. Rez brought me on board because he needed a mech. The rest of you couldn’t tell a positive side of a battery from the negative.” She unplugged her cable and then pointed into the room. “After you, meat head.” The man moved swiftly forward and slammed her back against the wall, his forearm pressed against her neck. “You’re not in a position to be calling anyone names, Hack.” He snarled. “Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Stop it!” Another soldier came rushing down the hall. “Miller, knock it off!” He pulled the man from the woman and sighed. “Let’s just get the artifact and go, huh?” He wore a mix of armor pieces that looked that he had repaired poorly over the years. He paused and looked to the woman, “You okay, Lilia?” He asked as Miller walked into the corridor that she’d unlocked. The woman held her hand up to her throat for a moment and then gave a nod. “Yeah, just Miller being an asshole. What else is new? Thanks Warren.” She turned and rushed down the hallway after the other soldier. They came to a room that held several crates. “Fuck. Which one is it in?” Miller started opening boxes and tossing the lids to the side. “Did you listen to Rez at all?” Lilia questioned in a snarky tone. “It’s over here.” She stepped up to a box. “017538 – transport to Harvan via Silas Authorities.” She spoke as she read the tag on the item. “Fine. Let’s get it and go.” Miller nodded to Warren whom helped him lift the crate. The men groaned as they lifted it, it was a good 200 pounds at least. “What the hell is this thing?” Miller complained as they started out of the facility. “Who knows. The boss wants it. Says he was paid well to get it. If we all get a cut it doesn’t matter.” Warren spoke as they continued down the hallways. It was an in and out operation. With Lilia’s help the crew was able to hack into the room that held the artifact without tripping any alarms. She was an engineer by trade, the colony had decided that though. She had taught herself how to hack into computer systems at a young age. Hunger drove her. Being an orphan she wasn’t given much, even less than those with families. She had to do something to feed herself. So she learned how to hack the vendors. From there she worked on her skill for other such things and unfortunately….or fortunately depending on who you ask. Rez found her. Or caught her. Again, it all depends on who you ask. Rather than turning her in, he brought her onto his crew. It made his smuggling trips easier to have an engineer on board that could also hack security systems. The colony allowed him to take her, because she was an engineer and he had recently lost his other engineer. Accident. At least that was what the paperwork stated. The crew approached the loading docks and set the crate upon a pallet which was quickly piled beneath boxed food goods. It was well hidden. Lilia looked up to the ship it was large. It held crew quarters, a loading dock, cargo bay. A large cockpit. It was paid for by the colony. Though it wasn’t as nice as the military ships, it was better than most smuggler ships about the stars. Rez ran a thin line between law abiding citizen and outlaw pirate. “Come on, let’s go tell the box the news, hm?” Warren pat Lilia on the back and walked up the loading ramp onto the ship. Rez stood at the top of the stairs, he was a hearty built man with a thick beard. A cigar always seemed to be hanging out of the corner of his mouth. He wore a brimmed brown leather hat upon his head and a leather vest. His clothing had seen better days, but that was his style. “Well? How’d it go? Have you finally made me millions of coin, Lilia?” He held a big grin upon his lips before he puffed from his cigar and blew the smoke toward the two. Lilia was thankful for her helmet in that moment. “We got it. No alarms tripped. Just like you asked boss.” Rez chuckled and grasped her shoulder. “Hm, maybe one day you’ll pay off that debt you owe me? Eh?” He snickered before he turned to the pallet and began ordering the other crew members around. He wanted the artifact brought up to his quarters so he could inspect it. “Warren, get us off the ground, huh? We don’t want to wear out our welcome here.” “Of course boss.” Warren spoke and nodded. “Come on, Lilia.” He turned and climbed a ladder to the upper deck of the ship. He walked down the corridor that held white lights along the pathway, computers scrolled and chirped. “How much do you owe him?” He asked as he pushed a door open and walked into the huge cockpit. The glass allowed for a good visual of their trajectory. Two seats sat at the helm of the ship. “Sit down.” He spoke as he took his own seat and he began clicking away. “Where to?” The AI flickered to life in a hologram before them. “Captain wants us in the air, he hasn’t given us an order yet. Just get us off this planet, Sam” Warren spoke as he flipped a few more buttons. “Of course. Warren.” The AI spoke with a smile before she turned and disappeared. The ship whirred to life and soon enough they lifted off of the planet and away from the landing pad. “So. How much is it?” Warren turned to Lilia. “You never talk about it and he hold it over your head all the damn time. What exactly did you do?” Lilia pushed her hood back and she lifted her helmet from her head. Beneath the helmet was a beautiful woman with blonde hair that held strips of red and black, and a few other various colors. She had forest green eyes that stared to Warren a long moment. “More than enough for him to keep me on this ship until another ‘accident’ happens.” She spoke the word with quoted fingers. “I’m going to go get out of this armor.” She gave a soft smile. “I’ll see you soon, Warren...” She stood and then paused. “And...thanks...again for helping out with Miller.” She then walked away. ** It was nearly 6 hours later that a wave of red light raced through the ship. They were enroute to their drop off location in Waldron. “What the hell was that?” Lilia sat at the table in the kitchen. She wore a blue top that had a grey cuff design that reached up to her neck, black long sleeves rippled down her arms to meet her fingerless black gloves. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun atop her head. She wore black mechanic pants that had several pockets for her tools. Warren sat across from her, he wore a black t-shirt beneath an old leather jacket. His hair was well kept and short, black as the night, and he had well trimmed beard upon his jaw. “I don’t know.” He spoke as he stood. “Come on.” The was a yell from the crew quarters. “Captain?” Lilia questioned and drew her brows together before the two took off running toward the quarters. They sprinted down the halls and up the stairs to the captain’s deck where they found their captain on his knees before the crate. Both of his hands had sever burns upon them that seemed to be crawling up his arms. “Captain?” Lilia stepped forward quickly. “Wait.” Warren grasped her shoulder and stopped her. “What happened?” He questioned as he watched the captain writhing in pain as he struggled to lock the crate once again. “This….damn...thing...” The captain groaned. “They said it was dangerous...I just wanted...to get a look.” He screamed as the burns melted away at his body. “We have to help him, Warren.” Lilia tried to move forward but Warren kept her there. “No we don’t. This asshole has kept us locked down for years.” He scoffed. “Besides. Who knows what would happen if you touch him.” He glanced to her just as Miller ran into the room. “What are you two doing?” Miller snapped as he rushed to the captain’s side. “Boss?” He grasped onto him. Red glowing light transferred to his skin and he began to burn as well. Miller started to scream as the chemical like burns crawled quickly up his arms. “Don’t.” Warren spoke as he backed Lilia from the room. Other crew members began to gather. He turned and looked to the crew as they tried to look around the two. “There has been an accident.” He spoke. “Captain suffered fatal injuries...that leaves...” He glanced to Lilia. “Lilia as our captain. She’s the most qualified.” Lilia’s eyes widened slightly. “Warren.” She spoke under her breath. “I’ll be her co-captain.” He smiled. “Now get back to resting, we will be finishing our trip to Waldron in a few hours.” He nodded and then led her down to the cockpit. He had been on the ship since it was commissioned, he was a kid then. “I’m not a captain. I don’t even...” Lilia followed him as they made their way through the corridor. “What is going on?” She questioned. “We just watched Rez die!” She was a bit hysterical. “He did it to himself.” Warren gripped both of her shoulders. “We finish this. We distribute the money. Then we can get off this ship, hm?” He nodded as he sat down in his seat. Lilia took the other seat, her breathing was quick, she could feel her pulse in her ears. She was silent for the time being. At least, for the thirty minutes it took for the military cruiser to find them. “Halt! Power down your engines at once! This is the SRRA. Lay down on the deck with your hands palm down. This is not a drill!” The lights shone into the cockpit like the rays of the sun. “Shit.” Lilia spoke. “Warren...what the hell was that thing? SRRA? Really? We’re going to be off the damn ship in prison.” Warren grit his teeth, “Just hang on.” He reached over and strapped the belt around her before he clicked a few buttons. “Manual override Sam.” He spoke before he grabbed the joystick and craned the ship to the left as he punched the throttle. “Halt! Stop now or we will shoot!” the SRRA military cruiser ordered. Moments later the sound of gunfire erupted. “Warren!!!” Lilia cried as an explosion sounded from the aft of the ship. “You’re going to get us killed!” “Engage slip drive!” He punched in coordinates to an empty space in the system. He clicked the button and the ship lurched forward. An explosion sounded as they came out the other side of the slip. Red lights began to flash. “Engine 2 failure. Propulsion engine 2 systems failure. Navigation system 2 failure. Slip failure. Power drivers failure.” They were spinning out of control. Warren grit his teeth as he pulled at the joystick and managed the ship with the only thruster left. Though as their spin came to a halt something very concerning came into view. A whole planet. “What the hell...this is supposed to be...” “Gravity increasing. Propulsion systems unable to navigate.” The AI spoke as the ship was sucked toward the surface of the planet. Lilia could only watch with terrified eyes. “Warren….we’re coming in too fast….Warren! Pull up!” She cried as they plummeted from the skies, flames surrounded the craft. “Pull up damnit!” She jammed the stick back and the ship pulled violently up before another explosion came from the back of the craft. Engine 1 had failed. “I can’t control it.” Warren turned and pulled the rest of the straps over Lilia. “Just hold on!” He ordered as he sat in his seat and clipped the straps in place. He pulled up on the joystick and try to get the wings to adjust their descent. It was pure chaos. Other crew members screamed as they plummeted toward the planet that was a lush green color with blues and other various bright hues. It was beautiful. Almost like a gaseous planet. “Warren!!! Look out!” Lilia cried as they bounced off of a boulder atop one of the beautiful mountains and went into a violent spin. She gripped onto the belts and squeezed her eyes shut as they tumbled toward the ground. The sound of metal scraping against the rocks and soil filled Lilia’s ears. The groan of the metal as it plowed over trees. The crash of the glass of the cockpit. Things flew in through the cockpit and slammed against the two. Though, eventually the ship came to a stop. Lilia was sobbing. Her face was covered in dirt from the crash, her nose was bleeding from the impact. A slice along her cheek from debris. “Warren?” She whimpered as the dust began to settle. Warren lay slumped forward in his seat, a metal rod from the ship had impaled his side. He had a gash on his head from the debris. Lilia fought with her buckles. “Warren!” She cried as her hands shook. “Hold on.” She shakily stood from her seat and looked at the object. “Come on.” She rushed to the back of the cockpit. Red lights continued to flash. The AI continued to speak over the intercom about system failures and broken pieces of the ship. Lilia broke the glass of the medkit cabinet and pulled it out. She rushed back to Warren, her vision began to haze. “Come on.” She unbuckled him. “Come on Warren.” She grit her teeth as she ripped the bar from his side and he slumped into her arms. Lilia lay him on his back on the floor as she began to pack the wound with a special gauze to stop the bleeding. She grit her teeth as her muscles ached. “Lilia. You appear to have suffered severe damage from the impact. I suggest seeking medical attention.” The AI spoke as she flickered to life upon the dash of the cockpit. Lilia brushed blood from her nose. “No. I can’t leave him.” She continued to bandage his wound. “Multiple internal lacerations detected. Shall I radio for assistance, Captain?” Lilia had tears streaming down her cheeks. “No...no we can’t...where...where the fuck are we?” She sobbed as she finished packing the wound, her hands were covered in Warren’s blood. “We appear to have made a poor landing on an unknown planet.” Sam spoke as she flickered once again. “Do you want me to radio for assistance, Captain?” Lilia could taste blood in her mouth as she placed the final piece of the dressing on Warren. “Are there...any other...survivors?” Her vision was beginning to fade. “Let me see.” Sam spoke as she appeared to pull up a system before her. A sigh came from the AI. “Unfortunately, Captain. You and Warren are the only remaining survivors.” She flickered and glitched for a moment. “D-do you wish me to call for aid?” Lilia lay on her back on the floor of the cockpit. “Just...let me rest...a minute...” She breathed before she fell unconscious. |
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 15:10:54 GMT -5
 Raven Suramar The history of Planet Dulaman is ancient. In the times of the initial colonization - Dulaman was discovered in the far reaches of the solar system. It was a swift moving planet which made it nearly impossible to track. Over the years - depending on how close the planet came to the sun - it would rotate around the sun. Though its orbit would intersect with a near by black hole - which would cause the planet to slip off of the orbit about the sun, and circle the black hole instead. Though the odd gravitational pull from the black hole - never drew the planet in, rather it circled it like it might the sun, in a very abstract pattern. One that could never be explained. The planet was on the teetering balance of potential chaos, but it sit in the most perfect of positions, speed and size - to manage between the two orbital paths. This made the planet nearly untrackable, and the most ideal for a colony that wished to stay hidden. Dulaman Cezar was once the leader who colonized this already thriving planet, no terraforming was required. The humans landed - and it took several generations for the mutations to begin. Being so close to the black hole - a mystical force emit from the cavity of it, seeping into the planet and its people. The planet itself was a perfect balance, just like Earth. It had very smilier gravity, densities and the like. Flourishing over the entirety of the planet was plants, and its mystical counterparts that covered any thing that wasn't a body of water. Huge giant trees towered over the thick forests... Coming from the ground were huge glowing mushrooms - who's spores emit into the sky and brushed the atmosphere with gorgeous glowing colors. Colors of purples, blues, and various shades in between were always cascading over the skies in a beautiful painted scenery. The clouds that covered the sky were either white or gentle hues of red, the lightning always tinted a shade of purple or red. It was an amazingly beautiful place, with tall colorful abstract plants, and waterfalls that seem to come directly from the trees themselves. As if they drew the water upward and released it from its thick trunk. The people of Dulaman were passive, in their entire history there was never a single war. They were very spiritual people, and did not get wrapped up in technology and its advantages. They had a unique gift beyond technology. They were gifted with magic, from the source of the black hole itself. Each person was born with gifts - each person different. They had created a religion which personified the Goddess of the Dark, the black hole, of whom gave them their beautiful planet and gifts. They promised to maintain peace and order on her planet, ensuring that the fate of Earth would never come to her creation. Practical rituals would occur - the bloodletting of creatures into the soil, the singing to the skies, things of this nature - which was influenced by ancient Earth cultures. The leader of their people is those born with a special gift, the ability to hear the voice of the Goddess herself. This person would be coined "Seeker", and would be expected to rise as the leader of the people - to guide them in their spiritual ways... Though the Seeker on the rise - was not so inclined to this position herself... *** "It is nearly the Blue Moon" A slender woman placed a dish onto a dining room table. "Might I beg you to contemplate your services?" she questioned, looking to another woman that sat at the table. Sitting at the table was a woman with short white hair, spiked to one side but yet with bangs and hair that came just past her ears. She did not hold herself in the same way - while her mother had braided hair and leather robes that fit over her attire - the young woman wore something more modern. It was frowned upon to show interest in technology, but over the years - she had become rather interested in it. "Raven..." she spoke softly and looked to her seriously. "Our Father Seeker is growing old..." "You know how I feel.. just because I was born into it - does not make my obligation a requirement, I did not ask for this.." Raven spoke softly, her hands cupped around a hot cup of tea. She bare her shoulders with a top that began mid chest, the leather corset like top came to several belts that crossed her hips. Wrapped around her arms were red leather straps, and the same about her shins over her leather pants. She wore a pair of tall boots - scavenged from the wreckage that she maintained. "I have a lot of work to do, mother..." she spoke and then stood up. "It was nice to see you" she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon her mothers cheek. Her mother sighed softly and nodded. "Take some to go, at least" she packed up some of the casserole meal she had made and handed the glass Tupperware over. Raven accepted it and then smiled "I'll bake you something this weekend" she smiled and then left the small brick home. As she came to the cobbled path way - purple small blades of grass slipped through, flowers blooming from them. Her eyes looked to the hazy sky, it was midday. She peered down the hill to the several other homes, and then she made way from the center of their village. She passed through a small forest - the trees were alive today. They moved in the wind, their blue and green leaves flittering through the hair and past her. Vines of several glowing colors circled the large trees, creatures could be heard jumping from top to top. She was a ways from the village - and came to a large open area. It was a junkyard, of which she maintained. Every now and again a ship would crash upon the planet. She would relocate the wreckage to this singular location - so that no one would have to accidentally come across it. While it was not sacrilege, many frowned heavily on any structure. The people feared the power of technology, how destructive it was, and the greed that comes with it. Though, it made Raven curious. She had found mechanic manuals that made it through the wreckage, and learned as much as she could - though much she was lost to. She didn't intend on building a ship and escaping - but the science that came with it was beautiful. She believed a combination of magic and science could reinvent life, and maybe even bring peace to the galaxies. Her people did not have television, or anything of the like. Though - she had been able to fix up a holographic screen, which could tap into a few distant channels. She knew only bits of pieces of the state of the universe... Her curiosity nipped at her brain and soul, which keeping occupied with the unknown was better than the distant whispers of her brain that she fought so often. She came upon a large ship which was half buried into the ground. It had a fabricated stairs that went directly into the cock pit of the ship. Over the years she had built this one up, being one of the few of decent shape. It had become her home. It had power - which she had generated from solar panels that she salvaged. This meant working lights and air conditioning, plumbing - which also meant she was the only one in the planet with a shower and toilet. She never really shared the place with anyone, not that anyone wanted to see it. At first the colony had been angry with her over it, but over time they come to accept it. She proved she meant no harm, and had no intentions. She informed them - how she had an interested, and would maintain these artifacts and keep it away from everyone. To do this - she was paid food rations, and occasionally she would gather scrap metals for the colony to use in their creations. They were able to make modern day things like pots and pans, cans, and things - but the limitations on what they were able to make was high. Though, none of them really existed for Raven - as if anyone were to punish her. She was the Seeker, despite her abandoning her duties... the people took it as her path, and this is what the Goddess of the Night had planned. It was a lucky scenario, in truth. Raven was holding a wrench up to a bolt, trying to salvage a water pump, but the rust was making it difficult... when a large boom hit the air. She recognized it almost instantly - the sound of something breaking the atmosphere. She dashed out side to a manufactured deck. She looked upward towards the mountains - to see a barreling ship headed down. She turned her head as her radio went off - though it was broken crackling from the ship, she could hear bits and pieces. "SR...Crashing..Unknown...SOS" then several beeps. Raven grit her teeth and watched as the ship hit the peak and went spinning wildly. Raven lifted her hands then and squeezed her fingers together. A burst of purple energy rushed forward, it took several seconds for it to reach the ship - but it moved like a beam of light. She gripped her hands, as if holding the ship it self. She did everything she could to slow the speed of the ship, hoping maybe she would be able to preserve more of it - and possibly anyone on the ship. Though, in truth - she assumed everyone would die, as they always did. In her lifetime she had witnessed roughly 12 crash landings, of which no one ever survived. To crash on the planet - always meant a warp drive surprise, she called it. Not knowing Dulaman was there, and moving too fast to avoid the crash's likely doom. She finally stumbled backwards as the ship hit the ground, there was nothing she could do at that point. It was just a few miles away, which was quite lucky in truth. She pulled her brows together and grabbed a backpack, also something she had salvaged. Raven began running forward then and rushing across the hilly plains. She ran for quite some time – though her species of human was slightly more physically capable the typical Earth humans. She had a 5 minute mile, which meant she came upon the wreckage in less than 20 minutes. Raven gasped as she came over a hill, which reveal the ship. It had uprooted trees, and dug into the earth quite deeply. She grit her teeth and ran forward – lights from within the ship flashed – a gaping hole in the side of the ship allowed her access. She could barely see into the cock pit – as the earth covered up most of it. She stepped inside and glanced about. She found a set of stairs that led upward to the main deck… Everything had been thrown around, she gasped as she looked to the mangled body of a man – his arm was twisted behind his back, his neck snapped in half. He had likely been slung from one side of the ship to the other, and impact broke his neck. “Passenger on Board – Hello, I am AI Sam of the SR Armada. There are only two survivals left on board post collision on Unknown Planet in Sector Y Zed 4 of the Western Universe. Please see yourself to the forward hallway which will lead you to the cockpit” “Uh...” Raven pulled her brows together and then rushed forward as commanded. She came into a small cock pit and fell to her knees before the woman. “Uh - “ she looked around. “Sam?” she questioned. “Yes?” The AI responded. Raven looked around again – trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. “Can you .. uh tell me anything about these two?” she questioned, not even sure if it was something she could ask. “The woman before you is Captain Abernathy, she is suffering from Internal organ lacerations and minor surface hematomas,” “Abernathy” she whispered and then pulled her back pack off swiftly. She began to dig through the bag until she pulled out a little tin. In it were several crushed flowers, she sifted for a purple one – which upon her touch began to glow. “Come on” she then pulled away the clothing over the woman’s stomach. She placed the flower upon her skin and leaned back – watching as the flower began to glow brightly, its natural magic seeping into the woman’s body. It would cause her blood to react at a rapid pace, clotting swiftly and even beginning the regeneration internally. She then glanced over to the man, who was steadily bleeding, though it appear the wound was clotting over. “And him?” “Co-Captain and General Warren, he suffers from a deep puncture wound, and a possible concussion.” She then opened her bag once more and pulled out a long linen cloth, she packed his wound with several herbs, though she didnt even really check to see which ones. She knew all of them on hand were medicinal, given to her by the medical seer in the village – as she was always hurting herself on sharp metals and the like. She wrapped the linen around him, her fingers and hands becoming bloodied in the process. The process was tiring for her – even though it hadn’t been long. Though the act of assisting the ship with its landing was draining as well… she finally slumped back, her back pressed against some unit behind her. She leaned her head back and looked up to the roof. “Did I help at all?” she muttered to the AI... |
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 16:06:03 GMT -5
The lights flickered as the ship continued to speak of the outages and failed units of the ship. The AI flickered to life before Raven. She had a blue hue to her body as she looked to the two injured crew members. “Yes. You’ve done quite well. It appears that Captain Abernathy’s vitals are improving. General Warren is stable as well.” She held her hand forward and a screen appeared before her hand. “Medicinal of unknown origin.” Her hologram glitched and her words stuttered slightly. “Critical power failure.” Her image flickered once again and all the lights in the ship suddenly shut down. The ship went silent. Dark. The metal was cold. Aside from the groan of the metal every now and again.
There was a click sound as the power recirculated through the ship. The lights powered back on, though the alarms no longer sounded. Once again Sam appeared before Raven. “A-a-a-apologies.” Her voice skipped several times. The red lights within the ship gave an eerie hue to the cold metal surroundings. “Back up power initiated. 4 hours of power supply remain.” The AI looked worried. She stood before Raven the same size as a human. She was lightyears ahead of many of the other AI from Silas Region. Lilia had crafted the modifications to her carefully over the past few years. She was capable of carrying on a conversation, she was capable of emotion, of understanding, reasoning. She could run everything on the ship down to the toaster oven that now sat on the floor tossed from the counter.
Warren began to stir then, a groan came from him. He cringed slightly as his eyes fluttered open. “Oh good! General Warren is awake! How are you feeling Warren?” Sam knelt at his side and held her hand over him. She was scanning his vital signs.
Warren batted at her hand. “I’m fine.” He drew in a breath. “What the hell happened…” He pushed himself up and winced as he felt the pain in his side.
“Well...” Sam crossed her arms as she stood back up. “All was going well until you took over the controls. Then you manually entered slip space. Which might I add is illegal in Silas? When we exited the slip we lost an engine---”
“That’s enough Sam. Thank you.” He turned and his eyes fell upon Raven. He drew his brows together. “Who are you and what are you---...” His eyes looked to Lilia. The blood that had run from her lips and nose. “Lilia...”
“Captain Abernathy suffered multiple lacerations to her internal organs from the poor landing on unknown planet. This woman appears to be of the planets inhabitants. She saved both of your lives, General.” Sam spoke in a matter-a-fact tone, her hands upon her hips.
Warren drew in a breath as he held his side. His other rest upon the hilt of his pistol that was attached to his thigh. “Where are we?” He questioned as he looked to her.
“The planet that we have poorly landed upon is unknown.” Sam responded promptly.
Warren looked to Lilia a long moment he watched the rise and fall of her chest, he looked over her to the cuts and bruises that she had sustained from the crash. “Sam, give me a moment to talk to our new friend here, hm?” He lifted his icy blue eyes to look to Raven. Sam’s expression fell as she crossed her arms. She lingered for another moment before she disappeared. Warren looked about the cockpit. “God damnit...” He muttered as he saw one of the crew member bodies. He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the board which power flickered through. “I’m not sure who you are, but thank you.” He spoke finally as he spun his chair around and sat in it. His hand still held his side. “I’m certain that Sam has already introduced us, but you can call me Warren. That is Lilia, or Captain Abernathy.” He gave a weak smile. “Now...could you tell me where we are?” He asked curiously.
Lilia began to stir in that moment. Sam reappeared quickly. “C-c-c-captain Abernathy. Y-y-your vitals have improved significantly.” Sam’s image glitched once again and the power within the ship flickered.
“Please...don’t call me that...” Lilia whispered. The haze in her mind was gone, the fresh taste of blood in her mouth, gone. She opened her eyes to see the woman sitting next to her. Lilia’s heart immediately began to race as she rolled to the side and quickly pulled her pistol. “What’s going on?! Who are you?” Her voice was full of fear.
“Lilia.” Warren was at her side, he gripped the barrel of her gun and pushed it down. “Hold on. She saved us.” He nodded. “Just relax.”
“Relax?!” Lilia pipped up.
“Captain. General Warren is correct in the benefits that you would gain from lowering your stress levels.” Sam spoke, “You are still recovering from near fatal injuries. If it was not for...” Sam paused and looked to the woman as she realized that she did not gather her name. “This woman. You would not have survived over thirty minutes.” Sam flickered and stuttered through a few of the words.
Lilia took in quick breaths, her vision blurred slightly. Her hands trembled. Warren removed her gun from her hands and stuck it behind his back in his pants. “Come here.” He helped her to her feet and walked her to her chair and helped her sit down. “Breathe.” He nodded before he took his own seat again, he grit his teeth. “Alright...now...for the third time.” He gave a charming grin. “Where are we? And who are you so that I can thank you properly with coin once we have fixed our ship.” He gave a slight chuckle at the end.
Lilia flipped through a few of the screens that popped up before her, the screens all flashed red. It was an overview of system problems upon the SR Armada. “We aren’t going anywhere anytime soon...” She sighed softly as she relaxed back into her chair. Her eyes looked to the woman before them. She was dressed a bit differently. She even looked different. Where had they landed?
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 16:40:38 GMT -5
Raven looked up to Warren as he stirred – she scoot back slightly as he engaged with the Captain. Though as the captain woke – her reaction was defensive. Raven leaned her head back away from the gun, her brows pulled together tightly. The AI, Sam, came to her defense thankfully. Finally after they gathered their bearings – Raven slowly stood and lifted her back pack. “My name is Raven, you’ve landed on an isolated Planet by the name of Dulaman. You are In for quite the surprise...” she spoke and then walked towards a ladder, which lead upward to a sealed hatch – ontop of the ship. She opened it and climbed upward. She stood and looked out to the rolling hills – the junk yard in the distance…
“Hold onto something” she spoke and then lifted a hand into the air. She had done this 12 times so far, and few other cases of straggled parts and ships from ages ago. The ship began to glow slightly and then slowly lift into the air. Chunks of earth fell off the bottom of the ship as the lower half lifted. They did not go far into the air, just enough for the ship to clear the earth. They then moved forward, each passing second it began to move faster and faster.
They flew over a a hillside and came to a huge open area. It had parts of ships – laying about along the ground. The only ship that was even partially together was that of her home. There were wings, a few engines, metal chunks, all sorts of things laid about, which spanned roughly 30 acres or so. She lowered the ship slowly and it seated nicely…
Raven then slipped back into the ship and looked to the two. “This place is a lot different than you’ve seen before...” she spoke and waved them forward, to follow her out the gaping hole in the side of the ship. “I’ve read the journals of those who did not survive...” she chuckled “we are a little more… primitive on this Planet” she spoke and lead them to the out skirts of the junkyard.
“This is it… all the technology we have. All salvages from ships like yours – except, you’re the first to land semi-intact… My people do not believe in the technologies, for fear it will destroy our people and planet...” she looked to the Captain and sighed softly. “I tend to the ships, and keep them out of my peoples way… so if you are trying to get off this planet – this graveyard is your only shot..” she crossed her arms. “But you both need to rest” she lead them through a worn path, towards her ship. They walked up a set of stairs and entered the ship. It was much smaller than theirs, and older technology – but it all still worked for the most part..
“I’ll make you something to eat… sit” she pointed to a bench style seat that was before a table. Raven stepped over to a fridge and pulled out the casserole that her mother made. She turned on the toasted and then placed the glass ware in it. “Kidding, I rarely cook” she chuckled and turned around. “So uh… What caused you to crash land?”
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 17:27:30 GMT -5
Lilia and Warren exchanged glances as Raven introduced herself and her planet. “A surprise?” Lilia questioned she stood from her seat and glanced up the ladder. “Hey wait.” She spoke and placed her hand on the rung just as the ship began to move. She groaning of the metal and the sound of the soil falling away. Her eyes widened as she watched the ground fall beneath them as the ship was lifted into the air. “What...sort of….” Her jaw was slack.
“Unknown origin of power.” Sam stated as she stood with her screen popped up in front of her. “Unknown power. Unknown plants. Dulaman is an unregistered planet. I do not have any information on it.” She lifted her eyes to look to the captain. “Do you want me to radio for help captain?”
“No.” Lilia spoke and shook her head as she held onto the ladder and watched in awe as they moved through the sky.
“She wasn’t kidding when she stated we are in for a surprise...” Warren stood with his hands upon the console, his eyes looked out the broken window as the breeze pushed through his short hair. “Just look at this place.” He looked to the beautiful colors of the sky, the plants and trees. “Wow.” He grinned as he looked back to Lilia. “Maybe I just hit my head really hard, eh?” He laughed lightly. “This place looks like a dream.” He looked up as Raven began to climb down the ladder.
Lilia gazed to the old ships as they landed in the junkyard. “Holy shit is that a X-3022 fighter?” Her eyes were wide, a grin split her lips. She then turned her attention to Raven as she spoke. “I’m surprised we survived that landing to be honest...” She whispered more to herself than anything. She started to follow Raven out of the ship.
“Captain.” Sam appeared before her. “I...won’t have power for long...” Her eyes glistened with tears.
Warren was already out the door behind Raven, his eyes took in the scenery. “These are some old ships...” He spoke with a loose jaw.
Lilia took in a breath, “Well...um...I’ll catch up in a sec.” She called to Warren. “I guess we can try it, Sam, I just can’t...promise anything...” She walked up the stairs and stepped over bodies of the crew members. “This is horrible...” She whispered to herself as she made her way into her trashed room. Her clothing was thrown about, her items were all over the floor. Lilia reached into her dresser and pulled out a small box. It had a device in it that she could wear like a belt, it was meant to hold an AI. She had been tinkering and working on it for nearly a year now. It was powered by a crystal that she’d happened upon in one of the shops of Hyram. It was a power source, they use larger crystals to power parts of some cities on Hyram. She walked back to the cockpit and took in a breath. “Alright Sam. Let’s try this.” She pulled an ear piece from the belt and placed it into her ear before she clicked a few buttons upon the dash of the cockpit. The small chip that Sam was living inside of ejected and the hologram of the AI disappeared. Lilia plugged it into the device upon the belt and a blue glow came from it. “Sam?” She asked. Several silent moments passed. “Damnit...” She muttered softly.
“Captain?” Sam replied in the ear piece. “Can you hear me? Did it work?”
Lilia grinned. “Yes.” She chuckled, “Alright let’s catch up hm?” She rushed outside and caught up with the two.
“Slow down Captain. Your vitals are becoming unstable.” Sam warned.
“Lilia.” Warren reached out and steadied her.
“I’m alright.” Lilia gave a nod as she walked forward. “Just tired.” She nodded to Raven. Primitive. Her people didn’t believe in technology. In fact it sounded like they would shun anyone whom had technology. The graveyard that they stood in was their only chance to get back into the skies….that certainly wasn’t reassuring. She looked at the ship that they walked toward. “FC-230, this is one of the first ships that Silas Region used for cargo transports. A lot of these have been decommissioned now and are used by smugglers. Most are very dangerous, unreliable deathtraps of rust.” She gave a soft laugh as she looked around the cockpit of the ship. She’d worked on a few back before Rez took her.
Warren looked about at all the switches with a smile before he stepped over to the bench and took a seat. He let out a sigh of relief. “Lilia, sit.”
“Captain it appears this ship has a vacant AI slot.” Sam spoke.
Lilia took in a breath and stepped over to the console. She brushed a bit of dust off of it and flipped a few of the switches on. She clicked her tongue before she slipped the drive from her belt and plugged it in. “Food sounds nice.” She gave a smile as she clicked another button.
Sam appeared in a small holographic form on the console. “Well this is less than stellar, but I will take what I can get.” She looked around. “Functional. This ship has been made into a home. Interesting.” She disappeared again.
It was then that Raven asked what caused them to crash. She glanced to Warren whom also looked to her. Telling her the truth. Well. That could cause things to get messy. The people of this planet already didn’t trust technology. To tell her that they were smugglers and they had stolen an artifact...that would get rather tricky. Lilia came to sit next to Warren. “Warren here is a terrible pilot.” She gave a grin to him. “He thought it would be a good idea to manually override Sam. He punched in some coordinates and we hopped into slip space...when we came out the other end we lost an engine...and we found your planet. We were already too low to stop the descent, especially with only one engine.” It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the whole truth.
“Running from authorities will do that.” Sam appeared on the console.
“Sam!” Lilia exclaimed and gave an exasperated sigh.
“Inherently either scenario would have ended badly. From my calculation. Our previous captain is to blame, if it was not for his carelessness none of this would have happened.” Sam stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
“We may have gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble...” Warren spoke and bit his lip slightly. Leave it to Sam to spill the secret.
“A lot. From my calculations that crate that the old captain had you steal is worth over a million coin.” Sam replied sharply. “His indications were to sell it to make more of a profit….”
Lilia pinched her bridge of her nose slightly, frustrated. “You don’t know much of the colony, I assume.” She spoke as she looked to Raven. “We are born, we are given a job. That is our job. No matter how glamorous it is. We are a food delivery ship. However our previous captain whom met an untimely demise because of his greed...he had us smuggle things, steal things. It was our largest profit. He owned his crew according to colony law, so we could not leave the crew no matter the mission….” She glanced to Sam. “There, better?” She questioned.
“Yes, Captain. Thank you for clarifying in a truthful manner.” Sam nodded before she looked to Raven once again. “My captain is not by any means a criminal in nature. It was by the hand of our previous captain that we were pulled into this mess….”
Lilia sat with a blank expression. It was all more than she truly wanted to say. She didn’t know this woman. For all she knew...this woman could kill her with her magic. She rubbed her brow once again, her head was beginning to ache. “Do you have any tea?” She asked.
Warren drew in a breath and leaned back against the bench. This was becoming quite the situation and the more Sam divulged their information the deeper the hole was that they were getting sucked into. “So….um...we will fix up our ship...and uh...get out of your hair...” He cleared his throat slightly.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 17:53:15 GMT -5
Raven chuckled to herself when the Captain recognized the ships. “I’m glad someone knows what they are looking at..” she spoke softly. Once the toaster was done she served up the chicken casserole on three plates and set them at the table. She also poured three glasses of their kind of lemonade. She looked over to the console to see a small version of the AI. She slowly stepped over to the AI and gazed at it. “I almost thought you were a human before...” she muttered and then turned back to Lilia and listened to the story. Normally by now she would hear a noise of some kind, either a low hum or a winey pitch… but nothing. She looked to Warren – a winey pitch began the moment he began to speak. A lie. She smirked slightly, and then even chuckled when the AI forced them to tell the truth.
“I like her.. Sam..” she smirked. “I could of used a friend like you, you know” she turned and then walked back over to the counter top and leaned against it, her arms crossed in front of her shoulders. “I know a little bit about your colonies. You are manipulated and controlled for the benefit of the greater beings, or some thing like that… What you do is no different than what I do, in a way. I go against my people and their believes everyday, essentially for the sake of my own curiousity and greed” she shrugged. “I cannot judge you any harsher than I’d judge myself”
She listened as the AI spoke of the crate. “Hmm...” she took in a breath. “Most people that run into our planet – were running from something. Came out of warpdrive and right into the planet, not expecting it to be here. Which, in a week or two – it wont be there, it will be nearly 15 thousand miles away already. The elusive planet, moving swiftly as can be…. At least that is what I’ve been able to figure out, watching the constellation change nearly within the span of 3 hours” she lowered her arms.
“Anything in the graveyard is yours for the taking” she spoke and then cleared her throat. “But I have a proposition for you...” she walked over infront of the dining table. “Take me with you...” she spoke and then looked to the Captain. “You dont have to answer it now, but I want you to consider it… I’ve been sitting on this god forsaken planet – with all these machines of mystery and wonder, I’ve read journals and books – the world beyond is fascinating, cruel, and outrageous. It beats this hell hole...” she leaned back. “I’ll save you, if you save me… if you need to see it that way...”
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 19:34:51 GMT -5
Lilia looked to the food and a grin split her lips. “Holy shit, real food?” She practically giggled as she looked to the casserole. She reached forward to the fork and lifted it eagerly.
“Captain Abernathy and many of the crew have only been able to afford what they call supplemental nutrition in Silas. For lack of a better term it is liquid garbage.” Sam spoke as she looked to Raven, a smile upon her lips. She grinned as the woman mentioned that she thought that she was human. “Ah yes, Captain Abernathy has worked very hard over the past few years to give me these qualities. I take it that it is to your liking?” Sam beamed.
Warren frowned slightly, the smirk that the woman gave after he’d spoken told him that he had blown their story before Sam could fully derail it. “She’s all yours.” He grinned.
“Hey!” Both Sam and Lilia spoke with an accusation in their tone. Lila cleared her throat, “Absolutely not, I adore Sam’s company, even if most don’t.” She finally took a bite of her casserole as she listened to Raven speak of what she knew about their colony. At least the woman knew something of their people. “You said you didn’t cook this?” She questioned before she took another bite, it melted in her mouth. It was absolutely delicious. “You have to tell whoever made it that it is simply amazing.” She took a drink of the lemonade and then smirked. The food and drink on this planet were incredible. It wasn’t processed. It was pure. She could taste it. Feel it. She sighed with content.
“It is unfortunate that your planet isn’t in any known coordinates. That’s what happened to us. Out of slip space, our engine blew and we were rotating out of control. When I got control of the ship...bam!” Warren threw his hand up. “We couldn’t do anything to stop it. We would have barely been able to stop if we had both engines. That damn ship isn’t built for that.” He shook his head and took another bite.
“That’s truly incredible the speed that your planet moves.” Lilia spoke, “It makes it completely unpredictable, you’re correct. Even if it was marked by some form of our technology, it would never be where we indicate it. No matter how much math we put into it.” She smirked slightly before she took another bite of her food.
“Remarkable.” Sam pipped up. She had a screen pulled up in front of her. “The trajectory for this planet, we have already moved quite a ways from where the planet was when we first landed….” She continued clicking away.
Lilia lifted her eyes and stopped eating when Raven spoke that she had a proposition. She set her fork down and drew in a deep breath when the woman stated that she wanted to come with them. She glanced to Warren and then back to Raven. She clicked her tongue slightly as she thought a long moment about it. “You would likely never be able to return. Given the state of your planet, how it moves, how unpredictable it is….” She pressed her lips together. “I have to think on this, Raven.” She drew her brows together slightly. “As fascinating as the world may be, the amount of cruelty that is within the Silas colony is something of hell itself.” She ate her last bite of casserole. “Sam.” She spoke then and looked to the AI. “List the critical failures of the SR Armada, please.”
Sam pulled up a second screen and turned. She began clicking away and let out a sigh. “It would be easier to list what is working, Captain Abernathy.” She spoke as she pulled up a holographic image of the ship. “Both engines have some form of failure, you will have to get into the engine bay and have a look...the slip drive was damaged...the power module melted...” She took in a breath. “Shall we start there?” She questioned. “Not to mention the giant hole in the side of the ship...”
Lilia gave a slow nod and sighed softly. “It will take time for us to patch it….”
“But first you need rest Captain.” Sam pipped in.
“Yes, Sam. I do.” Lilia nodded, her AI wasn’t wrong. She could feel the pain in her body. Broken ribs were the least of her worries. It was still a wonder that she had even survived. Warren was lucky as well. “I’ll make a deal with you, Raven.” She gave a warm smile. “I’ll teach you of Silas, of our colony. The people. I’ll even show you the mechanical of the engines, Warren can teach you of our weapons if you wish. I know quite a bit of our computer systems as well. I’ll show you all of these things with no string attached. If by the time we have completed the reconstruction of the SR Armada and I believe that it isn’t a mistake for you to leave, and you still feel strongly that you want to leave this place. You will be granted your own quarters within the ship. You can bring anything you like.” She searched her eyes. “But first, we have to see if I can get it running again.”
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 20:03:00 GMT -5
Raven chuckled to their comment about the food “My mother.. actually” she smirked. “I can cook, she made this for me though. I can’t quite get the recipe right, so I break her arm to make it for me” she pressed her lips together. Her expression fell slightly as she was only partially declined, stating that Lilia would need to think on it. Perhaps that was the wisest…
Raven stepped over to a cabinet and pulled a large piece of paper out. She set it down on the table “It’s a map of the graveyard. It is organized in two ways… Collections that belong to certain ships.. labeled as best as I could manage. And the second organization is by part, mostly stuff I could not identify, or partner with a known ship. Over the years I’ve pulled a lot of stuff out of the dirt, and even from other parts of the planet. This collection has been a life long job of mine….” she pressed her lips together.
“There is something though” she spoke and she stepped over to a old worn journal, that looked waterlogged. “I fished this out of the river, which streams downward from the mountain side to the east. It is the Journal of Dulaman himself, he was a renown Engineer of the Colonization times” she delicately flipped to a page. “Take a look at this” she turned it around. “I believe this is blue prints to some kind of mega-engine, powered by a Gamma-Crystal” she sat down across from them, allowing them to look at the faded etchings.
“Gamma Crystals are magic infused crystals, they are found in the mountain caverns… Dulaman had an entire expedition, which is now all ruins. Its known entrance buried, my people have harvested a few crystals and use them worship. But I see them as powerful elements of amazing potential, and so did Dulaman. He was not the dreamer like my people, he saw something in this planet and worked very hard to find it, and land on it… this much I’ve gathered from what I’ve been able to find”
“I’d say… if you are here, it might be something worth while looking into” she was excited, her face and voice beamed it. In truth she had always wanted to be apart of something like this – to finally put all these parts to use. To dream of the great expanse, to catch up with the technological age. She hated reading about the future to her – the things we could already do. Yet her people refused them, she found it foolish.
“As for the hull repair, leave that to me. I can probably patch your baby up and make her goods as new in just a day or two. Just part of my gifts” she smirked. “Otherwise… there is 5 other cabins in this place, a little small but it’ll do. My home is yours… I’ll weigh over if I think I should tell my people yet… I don’t fear what they would do, they are passive. I worry of their own fears, I don’t want to freak them out” she shook her head “I don’t know, I’ll.. think on it...” she spoke and sighed.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 20:44:06 GMT -5
Lilia grinned and gave a chuckle. “It’s a deal breaker if you can’t make this stuff.” She finished off her lemonade.
“The captain is merely joking.” Sam spoke up.
Warren chuckled lightly, “Sam has to bring everyone back down. She keeps us straight.” He leaned forward and looked to the paper that Raven set upon the table. “Well organized. I like it.” He looked through the items. “Lilia can teach you all the ships, what they are. She’s truly a mechanic. Hm?” He looked to her with a smile.
Lilia nodded as she looked over the page, “Yep, that’s me. I was basically born with the wrench in my hand.” She let out a soft laugh. The exhaustion was beginning to show in her expression, though she held herself well. At the mentioning of Gamma-Crystals her eyes lifted to Raven. Intrigue took over her expression. Magic to power a ship. It was unheard of. Magic was a thing of books in the colony. Perhaps because the people whom colonized here never returned to the horrible hell of society. She looked over the etchings and a look of awe came over her expression. “This is genius.” She ran her fingertip gingerly over the page, reading it carefully. “If I could modify our engines with this.” She grinned as she looked to Warren.
“Don’t look at me, I’m just the gun of this operation.” He gave a smirk.
Lilia rolled her eyes slightly, “You’re more than that, Warren.” She spoke.
“Yes he’s the gun and the co-captain that wrecked our ship on an unknown planet.” Sam spoke up with a smirk upon her lips. “I do not have any information on Gamma Crystals...” She spoke as she flipped through screens.
Lilia stared at the notes as she smiled, “This, would make our ship faster than even the military fighter jets.” She looked up to Raven. “This, would definitely be worth our time.” She nodded as she held the book back toward her, “I may need to borrow that in order to make the proper modifications to our ship.” She then sat back in her seat as she drew in a long breath. As exciting as this all was, she could hear her heartbeat within her ears. She gave a nod and a smile. “I’d pay you in coin, but I’m certain that your people do not carry such a thing.” She smirked. “I’ll have to repay you for saving us, as well as the hull repair. We will figure out a payment. Hm?” She stood and staggered slightly.
Warren gripped her shoulders as he stood. He steadied her and gazed into her eyes a moment. “You’re a bit pale, Captain.” Warren’s eyes widened slightly as Lilia’s eyes fluttered. “Damnit Captain.” He grabbed her as her body became slack against him. He moved and lifted her into his arms and frowned slightly. “She’s a tough one, but I think she’s trying to push her body more than it really can handle.”
“Affirmative General. The captain is in dire need of rest from the injuries that she has sustained. Your injuries appear to be nearly healed. Peculiar.” Sam turned her eyes to Raven. “I must know what items you used to heal him so quickly. Perhaps there is something more that we can give to the Captain after her rest?” She shifted her weight. It was clear that Sam cared for Lilia. As was expected, Lilia had basically given her true life and meaning.
Warren shifted Lilia’s limp body in his arms. “I’m going to go tuck her in.” He turned and looked to the stairs that led up to the small cabins. “Thanks….again.” He spoke as he carried her up the stairs.
“I’m fine...” Lilia muttered as her eyes fluttered.
“No, you’re clearly not. Now come on Lilia.” He spoke as he reached the top of the staircase.
Sam stood idly as she clicked through a few of the screens. “I must note that it is rather incredible what you have done with this ship in order to get the power system functioning. The modifications that you have made are impeccable. Especially for someone that does not have any knowledge on the subject.” She smiled as she looked to Raven.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 21:12:19 GMT -5
Raven watched as the Captain was toted away to one of the small rooms.. she turned back towards Sam and approached the image. “Everything on this planet is enchanted, in a way. Part of my people’s fear of technology – is the concept that people might find us, and well.. abuse us for our abilities..” she gave a weak smile. “Here..” she clicked a few buttons and a small scanner powered on. “I wonder if you can make this work” she spoke and pulled out some dried flowers. She set them on the scanned and looked up “maybe you can scan it for its uh.. biometric breakdown, I read something about scanners that can do it. This is.. Everbloom, Queenstail and Lotus. Each have different healing traits, from cell stimulation, to fever control, several others”
“Thank you” Raven blushed slightly. “In all the wrecked ships I’ve salvaged some books, documents, on engineering. I think I get some of what I’ve found. How electricity works and circuits, I understand that. Most of this has been trail and error” she chuckled. “But I had no idea about.. AI’s, I knew they existed but just never had one. So, this conversation in general is pretty mind blowing to me” she smiled then and then pulled a knife from her pocket. “Here, because you like to know.. so much” she chuckled and removed the flowers after the scan. She pricked her thumb and dropped a bit of blood onto the scanner. “Nothing tells more than the DNA, right? I read that some where...” she chuckled and stepped back.
It was then that there was a knock on the door. “Sam, please disappear and stay silent” she spoke, her eyes watching Sam disappear as she asked. Raven opened the door to see her mother, arms crossed.
“Yes?” Raven spoke uneasily.
“Anything on that ship you salvaged? It looks pretty decent over there...” her mother spoke. “Where there any survivors?” she questioned.
“Uh..”
Her mother pushed past her and walked into the ship. She stepped down the hallway and pushed open a closed door. The woman smiled slightly as she peered upon two people. Raven rushed behind her - “Mom - “
“Don’t worry...” she spoke softly and “Hello” she smiled to the two. “I am Yenna, Raven’s mother...” she came over to the edge of the bed. She looked to the woman “She is fighting an infection” she whispered “Not quite showing it yet...” she knelt down. “Raven, get me some hot water” she called.
Raven sighed and walked over to the kitchen and lifted a glass of water upward – with her left hand a flame generated over her palm and she held the glass over it, the water boiling instantly. She walked back down and held it. Yenna took the glass, the heat not bothering her. She then held her palm over it and the water began to glow a gentle blue. “Drink my girl” Yenna spoke as she helped lift the Captains head upward. “You’ll feel better..” she smiled.
“You can trust her..” Raven spoke and crossed her arms as she stood behind them. The drink would completely cure Lilia. Her mother was born with healing powers, making her one of the few Medical Priests…
“Lets talk… Young Raven” Yenna spoke and left the room. They entered another room and closed the door. Her mother crossed her arms and then sighed. “Well… you saved their lives, no doubt. I saw you casting on their ship…You know our fears, and now we are at risk… you know this”
“Yes.. I know” she whispered. “I think.. I trust them”
“You might trust them, because right now you are their only hope to getting out of here...” she crossed her arms.
“I.. want to go with them” Raven spoke softly.
Yenna sighed “I figured as much the moment I saw the ship...” she sighed. “I cannot stop you, I know this much. I’ve never been able to stop you, you stubborn little girl” she huffed once more.
“You wouldn’t have me any other way...” Raven smirked.
“I will have to tell the village” Yenna spoke softly. “If for some reason they cannot lift – and must stay here… the village would not stand us lying to them…I’ll take care of it though… you just.. stay away from the village for a little. I am sure they will not be very happy about it, but this is the reality. You befriending them may be the only chance we have to gain their trust, and word” she spoke and then she pulled Raven into a gentle hug.
Raven sighed softly “They really like your casserole” she muttered.
“Everyone does” she smiled and then pulled away. “I’ll bring some more by later” she spoke and then Yenna slipped out of the ship..
Raven sighed and then made her way to the deck that wrapped around the front of the ship.. she sat down in a chair and gazed outward – the sun was setting in the distance, lighting the sky up in a furious of colors...
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jun 20, 2020 21:49:52 GMT -5
“Magic is not something that is of our world. Though some of your people might consider some of the technology that Silas is capable of to be magic.” Sam spoke as she watched Raven. She frowned slightly. “I’m afraid that fear could be rather true. The greed of the leaders of the colony is rather disturbing. It is was drove Captain Abernathy into the position she is in. She was chosen to become an engineer as a baby. Taken from her family. Placed in school. She was an orphan, and she nearly starved...” Sam sighed slightly. She then crossed her arms. “Many stories from Silas are much like that. But I do not want to press by telling you everything about the Captain. She would not appreciate it...I believe.”
Sam made a screen appear and the scanner whirred to life. “Ah interesting.” She spoke. “You just needed an AI to help. The processor needed a reset.” She clicked away happily as she brought the scanner back to life. It lit up with a beautiful blue light. “Everbloom, Queenstail, and Lotus...” Sam repeated. “This is the unknown substance that you used on Warren.” She stated as she held the DNA strands in front of her. “How interesting. This is like nothing I have seen from our world.” She had a lovely intrigued smile upon her lips.
Sam then turned as she let the information continue to scroll, it would load into her memory she would have an understanding of these plants now. “It seems that you have a knack for circuitry.” She nodded, “Very well done, for such little knowledge….” She then tilted her head slightly. “Well...I’m not like most AI...you see the Captain gave me the ability to have emotion, to have understanding and reasoning. Much like a human. At least. She did her best. I know I have flaws. But don’t all humans have flaws?” She questioned and then gave a soft chuckle. “Perhaps I can help salvage an AI for you, the Captain would be able to make it work. She has her ways with electronics. Better than any electric in Silas Region that I have seen.”
The AI watched curiously as Raven pricked her finger. As the blood dropped onto the scanner she popped up three screens and words and information began to scroll over it. “Oh...how interesting….you...your entire DNA make-up is completely mutated from that of those in the Silas Region.” She clicked away happily as she compared Raven’s DNA to that of Lilia or even their previous captain and crew. Sam turned her eyes to the door and then she looked to Raven. “Say no more.” She smiled. Her image flickered slightly and then she disappeared.
**
Warren knelt at the side of the bed, he had tucked the blankets in around Lilia. “You don’t look so great, Lilia.” He muttered softly.
“I’m...just tired.” Lilia could barely keep her eyes open.
It was in that moment that the door pushed open. Warren turned and stood rather quickly, ready to defend himself. Though he heard Raven’s voice call the woman that stood before him ‘mom’. He looked over her features and then he looked to Lilia. “Hello.” Warren spoke back, he gave a soft smile. “I’m Warren...and this is Lilia...uh...” He watched as she stepped to the edge of the bed.
Lilia took in slightly faster breaths, her body was starting to warm from the infection that was brewing within her. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to focus on the woman that spoke. The words were muffled as she looked to the blurry image. “Warren?” She questioned, her voice soft.
Warren shifted uneasily, “She’s hurt a lot worse than it looks...huh?” He muttered softly, worried for his friend.
Lilia took the glowing drink into her hands that shook. She was thankful for the woman’s help. The drink was warm as it rolled over her tongue and she relaxed back against the soft pillow. Her eyes slipped shut as the magic took hold of her body to heal her. Warren sat on the chair next to the bed as he watched the two leave the room. “You can’t go out like this Lilia...we’ve so much to do now that we landed here.” He gave a soft chuckle. “You’re finally free. That’s all you’ve ever spoken about, the day you are free from the debt that Rez held over your head. Now...you’ve got that. You have a whole planet to explore….” Warren sighed softly as he stood. “Get some good rest...Cap.” He slipped from the room and made his way into the small room across the hall.
**
Lilia woke from her heavy dream-like state. It felt as though she’d slept for a year. Had she? What happened? She sat up slowly and to her surprise...without pain. She stood and glanced around the cabin a moment before she slipped into the hall. She walked down the stairs to the cockpit.
“Captain Abernathy, you look well.” Sam spoke as she appeared on the console.
Lilia gave a soft smile. “Surprisingly, yes. How long was I unconscious?” She questioned curiously.
“Not long at all, Captain. Under an hour.” Sam clicked a few things on a screen. “You appear to have healed completely. I must know more about these people and their magic.” Sam hummed slightly as she clicked away happily, looking through Raven’s DNA once again.
Lilia glanced around and gave a chuckle. “Yes, magic...crazy thought...where is Raven?” She questioned.
“On the deck just outside.” Sam responded as she continued to click away.
“Thank you Sam.” She stepped out onto the fabricated deck. She stepped around to the front of the ship where Raven sat. Her eyes gazed to the lightening show and a smile curved up her lips. Turgsten, the planet she was from had nothing but dust storms. So this, was an incredible sight. “It’s really beautiful here.” She spoke as she came around and sat down. “I uh...I don’t remember getting to the room, or what really happened...but...thanks.” Lilia spoke as she looked to Raven. “I don’t have a scratch left on me. How is that possible?” She questioned softly, her eyes full of curiosity.
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Post by Raven on Jul 2, 2020 15:33:16 GMT -5
Raven turned her gaze as she heard boots slack over the wooden surface of the deck. She was sitting in a low tanning chair, leaned back and staring to the sky. Next to her was a small low table which normally would hoist a cocktail of some nature, but she did not drink today. It was evident she spent much time on the deck. By the wooden rails were pots each with a growing plant, all of some use – hoisting some fruit or vegetable of the sort. She may have been different from her people but she certainly embraced the culture of nature, and surrounded her home with it.
“Take a seat” she pointed to a chair next to her. “Just wait” she smirked. “Night goes pretty quickly here in comparison to most places” she watched as the sun faded past the horizon. The dark sky then fluttered across the world. There was stars and more stars, one could see the layers in the distance. A flowing blue and purple liquid like color washed over the sky, as if one were right in the core of the milky way. The planet moved with such a speed that within 10-15 minutes the stars had already shifted, but slowly enough to not be aware of the movement.
She took in a breath and slowly let it out. Within just the few minutes the temperature dropped to a soothing brisk. Several of the local plants released their scents and the air became sweet and almost tangy. “I can’t imagine a life without magic, but I’ve read about it, you know…” she closed her eyes for a moment. “But that is all it is, each of us here have unique gifts, born with them. My mother is a healer, she also can cause nature to grow quicker too” she smirked “I have telekinesis – I can bend the atoms that make up matter, even to the point of combustion, giving me a bit of fire too” she chuckled. “When your ship came barreling downward – thankfully I was close enough to assist. There has never been a ship that has crash landed with any survivors, most of the ships become so mutilated. Yours would have been too, I think…” she turned her head and then smirked. “Not that you need to thank me, or anything” she laughed for a second and then sighed.
“So, I lift the dead ships from the ground and bring them here. I can fabricate from scraps and sort of patch them up. I’ve just always had this fascination of the ships, and the world beyond – that my people do not really condone. Mostly, because they fear that people would do if the universes found out about us. They could come cultivate my people, or kill us for our differences.” She paused and took a breath and let it out slowly. “To protect ourselves – over the years we have made the concept of machines, and the outer worlds a thing of taboo, against our religion and culture, a very decisive tactic” she chuckled. “but this place is boring” she turned her gaze to her again and chuckled.
“There are world and worlds of interesting, different places – full of chaos, hope and change. You may laugh at my naïve nature, but like you may have issues conceiving thoughts of magic – the knowledge of the Expanse is equally so. Even if it is as troublesome as I’ve read.. there are also good people out there, who need help. But living this platonic life here, is not quite living. We exist like the flowers, produce our fruit, and we die. That is it.” She sighed and then chuckled. “Sorry – uh. I’ve been talking a lot. I don’t really.. get visitors at all” she pointed to one of her pots which had a smiley face on the brown of the clay. “That’s Jerry, and that’s all I have to talk to” she laughed then. “Occasionally Playdough, the wild cat, stumbles by” she shrugged. “So, uh. Tell me about your crew, your ship… what do you guys do out there day to day?”she looked to Lilia with hopeful and young eyes, full of curiosity…
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 2, 2020 16:34:36 GMT -5
Lilia gazed to the beauty of the sky, the colors that shifted swiftly. The stars. A smile upon her lips. This was freedom. She didn’t have Rez over her shoulder bossing her around telling her to fix a panel on the ship. She didn’t have the other crew members complaining to her to complete long overdue maintenance on the Armada. Most of all she didn’t have the stresses of being in debt to her captain or to the colony. She’d….never quite felt that. It was a strange feeling, one that almost felt like a dream. “Incredible.” She spoke as she gazed up to the stars that fluttered through the skies. It wasn’t disorienting, but it was stunning. The way that the skies changed. She looked to the plants that sat in the pots along the edges of the deck. They were unlike anything that she had seen in the colony. Then again, food wasn’t really a thing anymore. Not...fresh food at least. Canned, dried, manufactured….everything came from a manufacturing plant. She sat back in her chair and gazed up at the sky in silence. Peace. Silence was something she wasn’t used to.
As the temperature dropped Lilia felt a shiver move through her body. She hugged her arms over her chest, a soft smile still upon her lips. Her icy eyes turned to look to the woman as she began to speak after such a long silence. A life without magic. Something that she couldn’t imagine, and yet, Lilia had led her entire life without it. “This entire planet is gifted?” She questioned curiously, she looked back to the skies. Her mother was a healer….that explained her injuries being suddenly gone in what felt like the blink of an eye. Telekinesis. That was an interesting gift. Far more interesting than even the power to heal. She’d seen it first hand as the woman lifted the crashed Armada into the air and flew it to her home, a graveyard of lost ships.
Lilia shared the laugh with her and smirked slightly, “Don’t worry, you’ll be properly thanked. Actions speak far more than words, some say.” She gazed back to the sky and watched as the atmosphere seemed to change more. As Raven spoke of her people Lilia gave a slow nod. It made sense. No contact with the Colony. That lowered their dangers, certainly. If not completely. The Colony was run by a power hungry government. What the leadership of Silas would do with these people, she didn’t want to imagine it. She could only imagine Silas Colony turning them into whatever the colony needed, they wouldn’t be given any choice. Just as Lilia wasn’t given any choice in her life thus far. But...she had heard of a colony outside of Silas. Yurri. It was at the far reaches, a trek that couldn’t be made with just any ship. The SR Armada could make it, but she’d always had Captain Rez to stop her. Now, however she had different problems. But...it was a thought. They could escape entirely.
“I can’t say that I blame your people.” Lilia finally spoke after a long silence, she had seemed deep in thought as she stared to the beautiful sky. Almost as if she wasn’t there at all. “You do not need to apologize for talking to me.” She chuckled lightly before she finally turned her gaze to Raven once again. “I know that you say that you’ve read of the Silas Colony….but I imagine that the books you have read were that of published material.” She gave almost a sad smile before she crossed her arms a bit more tightly and looked to the sky again. “Much of what is published makes our colony sound incredible. We have 9 different planets, most terraformed. I am from Terragon, it’s one of the original planets of Silas. It is full of dust storms, plants cannot grow there. The soil is barren with cracks running through it. It’s uninhabitable if it were not for the Colony. Because it is one of the original installments of the system it lacks many things...”
Lilia was focused as she spoke, “But our people survive from the rations that are offered to us from the Colony leadership. I was born an orphan. I never knew my mother or father. For all I know I could have been one of the test tube experiments...” She paused a long moment after she spoke this. It was something that had always bothered her. Not knowing who or what she came from. She drew in a long breath, “So….” She cleared her throat. “Since I was an orphan I was destined to be indebted to the colony. I was given my job, an engineer or mech as most would call me within the colony. I worked on the machines within the factories on Terragon. I taught myself simple computer skills...because...since I was an orphan I was starving from lack of rations...so I did what I needed to survive. I learned how to hack into the vending machines to get more food….” She paused another moment. She didn’t tell anyone of this, only Rez knew. She was so afraid of becoming a criminal of the colony. She could only imagine the punishment that would follow. “One day, the previous captain of the SR Armada caught me...that was quite sometime ago...”
“He took me as part of his crew and I have worked upon the crew ever since. We would fly from planet to planet to collect and deliver food goods for the entire region of Silas. Though, we did plenty of other jobs, things that are very illegal.” She bit her lower lip slightly. “I owed him a debt for his purchase of me from the colony. So I had to do as I was told. Even if I didn’t like it.” Lilia drew her brows together as she spoke. The amount of distain in her voice was only the tip of the iceberg. She’d really never spoken to anyone about these matters. “So, we smuggled goods to buyers that paid good money for things in the black market trade. Things like the artifact that sits upon the Armada right now. I don’t know what it is...I don’t plan on touching it. All I know is that it is very dangerous, so the container is staying sealed.”
Lilia glanced to Raven a moment, “I’m...sure that’s quite a bit...huh?” She shivered slightly again and sighed. “Not the glory of space exploration that you wished to hear.” She gave a light defeated laugh. “Though, when I get the ship up in the skies again, I think I may see where we are in your orbit….it may just be the extra kick we need to get out of the Silas Region...I’ve heard great things of another colony. A smuggler told me the tale though.” She shrugged slightly. “But it is worth a shot, I can make that choice now.” She smiled finally, “So tell me of this mine you spoke of before.” She turned and pulled her knees up into the chair as she relaxed into it a bit more. “And...even with what I’ve told you...do you still want to leave?” She smirked.
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Post by Raven on Jul 2, 2020 20:45:58 GMT -5
Raven pressed her lips together and thought for a long moment, listening to the words of the woman. She was waiting for the humming sounds of her final power – the ability to feel the static frequencies of the brains around her. Sometimes even in the form of actual thoughts, but in this case – just the drones of truth. There was no low hum, or high squeal. It was silence. For the first time in her life – she could simply just speak to someone, no distractions to pull her away.
“I’ve read a few things from the journals found in the wrecked ships. I…know more than you think. Some real cruel stories of the treatment of your government, but that doesn’t mean good people exist, you know?” she shrugged. “Grass is always greener” she looked back out to the skies and then lifted a hand. From a tree that sat in a large pot – she plucked two Apple like fruit with her powers. They both float slowly over to them and she reached outward to grasp one, then she bit directly into it. It was juicy, full of sweet flavors, a lot like an apple but a little more concentrated.
“I still want to come” she spoke after she took her bite. “I know too much to sit idly here, in this daydream of a planet, doing nothing meaningful or adventuring to my full capacity” she chuckled. “I’ve read stories too, from the same who suffered. The experiences and opportunities, the sights to see and people to meet. Freely among the stars. Not all pictures are as dark as the colors that surround it…” she took another bite then and listened to her next ask.
“Ah, right. The true reasoning for this planet, the reason it has been colonized was for the extraction of the Crystals. Though, over time as people began to morph – they succumb to their fears, and decided it was better to remain hidden. Like I said – we have a single Crystal which powers our entire village. I have heard there are actually several large Crystals, roughly the size of your head, that are full of charge. We could easily take a few. Granted a single crystal should honestly fuel the ship for several hundreds of years, a few backups are not a bad idea…”
“Though, over the years – animals have been morphed by the power. We don’t normally make our way into the mines because of the creatures, it is certainly not safe…” she smirked then. “but what is a little challenge, hm?” she leaned back and took another bite of her apple. “Once we get what we need, I can start patching your hull, we can see about getting your ship off the ground. We will be able to do a few test drives, but an actual launch – we will only really have one shot at. Once we leave, we must stay gone, so we will need the confidence that it can be done” she nodded.
“Oh, and if you let me come.. don’t worry, I’ll bring my lovely plants” she winked and then stood after she finished her apple. She chucked it over the deck and then yawned. “Off to bed, I’ll wake you up with the sweet scent of breakfast” she spoke and then stepped down and back into the ship.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 2, 2020 22:06:35 GMT -5
Lilia gave a nod with an intrigued smile as she listened to Raven speak. “Ah yes, some do keep journals, hm?” She then grinned at the next statement. “Well, when you come from my planet the grass certainly is greener.” She chuckled lightly. She then watched in awe as the woman used her magic. It was something she would need to get used to. She felt her heart beat quicken within her chest. Was it fear? This woman was powerful, even if she did not realize just how strong she was. Lilia could feel it in the air. Almost like an electricity. She reached forward and grasped the fruit and turned it over in her hand as she inspected it. She gave a smile as she heard the crunch of the apple like fruit from Raven. Lilia hesitated slightly before she took her first bite. The flavors burst within her mouth which caused a grin to curve up her lips. It was like experiencing food for the first time. Everything had so much flavor. A laugh came over her lips and then she shook her head. “Apologies. I’m not used to...food...per say.” She took another bite and then focused on Raven listening to her.
She munched on the fruit as she listened to her speak about her reasoning for wanting to leave. Adventure? The stars certainly offered that. Especially now. Lilia planned to go into the ships hardware and strip it of its tag that marked it as a Silas Region spaceship. She would create her own tag for it so as to not draw attention to them as they took flight. Especially if they had to fly through the Silas Region to get to the colony of Yurri. She only hoped that it wasn’t just a myth. Her thoughts were halted as she listened to Raven speak of the crystals more in depth this time. “So...I wouldn’t need a new power module...” She pondered out loud. Lilia scrunched her brows together slightly. “That may be the only trick to leaving the planet. Most ships, if they suffer engine failure or any number of catastrophic damages...well...hm...” She took another bite. One shot. She would have to carefully calculate their position and the trajectory. No room for error, everything on the ship had to work. “Well...with the list of items that were damaged...it is going to be awhile...there are quite a few things that were destroyed….” She let out a breath as she looked to the stars once again.
When Raven made the comment about her plants Lilia let out a playful chuckle. “Oh well that settles it then. Doesn’t it?” She spoke as she stood and tossed her fruit as well. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared to the Armada for a long moment before she turned and walked back into the ship that Raven had made into her home. Lilia had a lot to think about. A lot to process. She climbed into the bed and pulled the blankets up, as her head hit the pillow she slipped off into the world of sleep.
**
The next morning Warren yawned as he stepped from his room. “Lilia?” He knocked on the door across the hall from him. “Hey.” He leaned against the doorframe. “Um...the sun is up….are you alright in there?” He waited a moment before he pushed the door open. Warren glanced around the room and gave a slight sigh. The bed was made. The room was pristine. Where was she? He walked down the hallway and to the kitchen, he squinted slightly as the smells of breakfast filled his nostrils. “Morning...um Raven...” He looked around the kitchen. No sign of Lilia. “Sam?” He asked and looked to the port on the dash of the ship. Nothing. He stepped forward to it to see that the drive was empty. “Have you seen Lilia?” He questioned with a raised brow. He stepped to the window and glanced to the Armada. “I bet she didn’t sleep...” He sighed slightly he could see light coming from inside one of the port windows.
**
Lilia was elbow deep in the engine of the SR Armada. She had a few grease marks on her cheeks. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. She had only slept a little over an hour before she got back up. Her dreams were filled with the sounds of the crash. The screams of her crew. She’d dragged the bodies of her crew members from the hull of the ship into the forest and she’d dug graves with one of the tools from the ship. It was meant for excavating but, it had done the job. Lilia had climbed into one of the old ships at the back of the graveyard to find parts for one of her engines. The wrench slipped and Lilia’s knuckles slammed against the case of the engine. Lilia let out a cry as she dropped the wrench and a few choice words came over her lips.
“Captain.” Sam stood in her projection next to her. “Might I suggest a break?” She spoke as she looked over the engine. “There are plenty of things to be fixed on the ship, but it will not happen in one day. You said it yourself.”
Lilia rubbed the back of her hand which was bleeding from the cut that she received from the impact of her knuckles against the side of the engine. She leaned back and pressed her back against the wall as she wrapped a dirty mechanic cloth around her hand. She winced as it stung from the cut. “Valid point Sam.” Lilia chuckled lightly. “How’s this engine looking now?”
“Running diagnostic.” Sam pulled a screen up in front of her and began clicking away. “Hm….” There were several red blips that appeared on the screen. “It’s better. But, you’ll have to go digging for quite a few more items…..might I mention the bad news? This engine isn’t nearly as damaged as the other.”
Lilia let out a sigh, “You always gotta bring up the bad news huh?” She smirked as she stood. “Maybe I can find an engine that isn’t damaged in another ship...the sun is up now...it’ll be a bit easier, huh?” She walked from the engine room and climbed down a ladder before she came to the captain’s deck. She paused as she stared out the broken windshield.
“Captain?” Sam asked after a few minutes that Lilia stood silently. “Are you alright?”
The sounds of the explosions as they raced toward the planet filled Lilia’s ears. Her expression was almost pained. As Sam’s voice broke her gaze she drew in a long deep breath. “Yeah...just...thinking.” She spoke as she stepped to the driver and pulled Sam from it before she powered down the ship. She had managed to wire the main board to an old battery that she’d found. Luckily it had charge. Lilia clicked the drive into her belt device and she stepped from the ship.
“Your heart rate spiked slightly. Captain are you feeling ill?” Sam spoke in her ear.
“Yes...I’m fine, Sam. Thank you.” Lilia spoke as she walked across the graveyard to the ship that Raven inhabited. She walked up the stairs and came into the kitchen.
“Lilia!” Warren sat at the table, he seemed quite relaxed. He stood and stepped to her, a chuckle came over his lips. “You’ve got a little...uh...” He reached forward and brushed the grease from her cheek before he looked to the rag that she had wrapped around her hand. “What’d you do?” He questioned as he reached to her hand.
Lilia side stepped around him. “My wrench slipped.” She spoke as she moved to the console and plugged Sam’s driver in. “I’ve nearly got one of the engines back together.” She gave a smile as she moved and sat at the table.
Sam appeared on the small projector of the console, “Captain Abernathy has been hard at work.” She spoke with a nod as she looked about the ship.
Warren let out a chuckle and shook his head. “As always. You know...if I wanted to know where Lilia was...all I had to do was go to the engine room.” He smirked as he looked to her.
Lilia rolled her eyes at him, “Certainly I’ve maintained more than just the engine room of that ship, Warren.” She spoke as she tied a knot in the cloth that was wrapped around her hand. “So...” She looked to Raven. “I took some parts from the ship at the back of the yard...” She gave a soft smile. “It had nearly the same components as the Armada. There’s a lot of work to do on her before she will fly...” She rubbed the cloth that was wrapped around her hand. “You spoke of the creatures in the mines...what should we expect? We have guns...and armor...but I imagine that….that won’t be enough on this planet. Will it?”
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