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The Dead Star System

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From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:16:40 AM | Message Detail

Then. A long time ago... a VERY long time ago, this part of the universe was nothing. It was just a space of void, with nothing in it. Silence, blackness, darkness. Not a living thing. Not a single sign of life. How could there be life, anyway? There were not even planets. All there was, was Space, and gas. Gaseous clouds of Helium, Hydrogen and other primitive gasses drifted, with no purpose, no meaning. Then, one day, there was. No one knows exactly what happened... People created myths, legends, and stories. But all of them revolved around the speculation that in the middle of the "Cold Era", a dead star formed in the middle if the system. The gasses around in the vicinity converged, probably "bumping" into one another, maybe due partly to luck. No one knows what happened, really, but scientists from around the system presume that there was a chain reaction in these gasses, and a big ball of energy formed. The ball of energy grew with time. Sooner or later, the mass got too big, and the inevitable happened. It exploded, sending the gasses outward, in all directions. The gasses, after time inside the energy sphere, formed compounds and other gasses. Theoretically, the explosion divided the submolecular particles of the original gasses, which once again formed. Now, there came a vast variety of other elements formed as the submolecular particles found their places. These gasses again formed spheres, but this time, not of energy. The element named "Carbon" was where almost everything came into existence. Carbon is the element that almost everything is made of. Planets, huge chunks of rock, formed. Some smaller pieces formed moons, and circled around the Planets' gravitational fields. There were also remnants from the explosion, left in what is now known as the "Orbis Casso". An area surrounding what is said to be where the Ball of Energy once rested, where a strong gravitational pull rips everything that enters into shreds. No one knows what's inside this dense cloud, for none have come back to tell the tale. Once the Planets settled down, the planet cooling after time, life began to sprout out, from the ground. No one also knows how, but the Theory of Abiotic (Chemical) Genesis states that they were also formed from these gasses. Until now, no one knows what really happened that day. And no one knows if what happened, will happen again. What if this "Energy Ball" occurred once more? What will happen to the various prosperous planets now thriving in the area? No one cares. Everything's just a theory, anyway. There. After Several Hundred Million years, there were now numerous planets, almost impossible to number. Recently however, there has been a significant change in the large system of planets, dubbed the "Dead Star System", after the myth. Scientists from all over the region have noticed a slight increase in the gravitational pull of the "Orbis Casso", and predict that something quite "interesting" may happen, which may give clues about the origin of the system, but may also be the apocalypse. The scientists, however, have been neglected due to the ongoing war between the planets, after the Planet, "Otium Terra", was obliterated. Yes, it was completely wiped off the system. No one knows how, or why. It was the Planet nearest the "Orbis Casso". One day, it was suddenly gone, without a trace. Expectedly, the horrifying turn of events threw each planet into unrest. The dark planet known as Nocens, saw this as an opportunity. With most planets scared and afraid about who will be next, Emperor Juschuan, ruler of Nocens, used the time of when the planet's defenses were down, due to civil wars, riots, and the like, to his advantage. Now, not only is he the emperor of Nocens, but also, the Emperor of most of all of the Dead Star System. Only a little of the planets in the system have stayed independent, and unconquered. Of course, this was just temporary in Juschuan's eyes.

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:17:08 AM | Message Detail

Now, 100 years later, the neglected problem rises again. The planet Hordice, the second closest to the "Orbis Casso" also met the same fate as Otium Terra. The Nocens empire was struck off-guard, and did not know what to do. Seeing this also as an opportunity, just as Emperor Juschuan saw, now 203 years of age, the Drelian Alliance has started a campaign to rid the system of the chaotic, dictatorial rule of Emperor Juschuan... yet they still neglect the problem that has shown itself once more. The "Orbis Casso" has fed itself again, and continues to grow in density, and its gravity ever stronger. A war begins between the "freedom fighting" Drelian Alliance, and the forces of Emperor Juschuan, as the inevitable destruction of the system draws closer... Intro The conflicts between the Drelian Alliance and the Nocens Empire had escalated into an all out war. No planet was to be spared, and no planet was to be left alone. It's either destroy, or be destroyed. Drelian Alliance, or Nocens. There are no neutral sides in a war that will affect the entire system. If you're on the losing side, you WILL be destroyed. Emperor Juschaun made a decree stating that all planets known to be involved with the Drelian Alliance, or even just have a small trace of the Drelian Alliance, will be destroyed, and none spared. One by one, he knows that the planets will fall, and finally, he will have control over the entire system without resistance. Only a few planets are now associated with the Drelian Alliance, and they are being pushed against the wall. Now, the future of the System rests in the hands of a few men, whose seemingly unimportant decisions will change the course of history. An end to this war was inevitable. Is an end to this system inevtiable as well? (Somewhere In Nocens) Three men sit at a table, having a boisterous conversation over a cup of tea. A guard then comes into the room perspiring and trying to catch his breath, disrupting what seems to be a very important matter. The three men eye the soldier, peering at his nametag. The guard cowers in fear, almost pissing his pants. "S-Sir!", the guard screams slightly stuttering, "It's a-almost t-time..." The guard bows, and leaves the room still shivering. These three men's presence together was like no other. Each and every important decision made and rejected was because of them. In Nocens, they were the powerful. In Nocens, they were the shepherds that lead the flock of sheep that had little or no choice. The man, dressed in metallic silver and wearing an elegant robe with a crown that nests on his long, gray hair, nods, and stands up. He looks at the other two men, one looking like a very young, yet wise adviser, wearing an ordinary shirt and a pair of pants, and one who looks like an army officer dressed in his greens. He grins, moving his silvery hair away from his face. He strokes his beard slowly as he thinks. "Heh... Now people will see the true power of the Nocens Empire," the man in silver declares. "Yes, Emperor Juschuan. Once the "Fathom Apocalypse" Project is finished, nothing will stand in our way," the army officer replies. "Good... good... Now, let us be off to the bridge. I must make sure things are perfect," Empreror Juschuan says. "..." a sentiment often said by the adviser, a quiet man who assesses each situation perfectly. The three begin to walk out of the room, with a large grin on each's face. As they pass through the large, elegant halls, men scurrying about in panic stop, and take time to kiss the Emperor's ring as a sign of respect. The walls were plastered with paintings of the Emperor, and paintings of Nocens in its beauty before the "industrialization", a period which most find to be its Dark Age. Nocens used to be a planet rich in life. Now, it spins in its orbit as a metal shell of what it used to be.

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:17:47 AM | Message Detail

They reach the bridge and the Emperor sits down on a royal chair, a magnificent piece of furniture made of wood. A large crest, the same kind seen on his robe, is engraved above the chair as a sign of his position. The other two stand, and watch from the glass room that hangs above the Main Bay Area. They were inside "Karneva", His Majesty's personal ship. "Begin countdown!" Juschuan says as he strikes his fist to the table beside him. "Yes sir!" replies the comm officer. The Comm officer presses a button down, and a bright, white flash fills the room. The countdown has started. On a large screen high above everything, the countdown is shown starting from 1:00 downwards. The whole building stops, as well as the entire city, as if anticipating the next event. :10, :09, :08..... 0:01, 0:00. A large rumbling sound is heard all throughout the land. It's the Bay doors opening. Creaking and mechanical sounds are heard as the large gates open a passageway into the bleak night sky. Then, just as a subtle silence rises above the noise, the sound of engines fill the air. One by one, large battleships take off into the night sky, filled with stars and moons. Yet, all everyone could see was the thrust of doom-bringers. The sky was covered in the same black cloud as always, the artificial center star revolving around the planet on the other side of it. Slowly, the burning light from the death machines fade into the evening sky. "Now, those pitiful planets supporting the Drelian Alliance will fall... and finally, the entire system will be MINE! HA HA HA HA!" Juschuan bellows evilly. "Now, Sir Aldrich, what do you propose we do about 'it'?" Juschuan continues, looking at Aldrich. "Well, sir, I believe we have been neglecting the problem for too long... maybe it's time 'he' came back," Aldrich says, rubbing his chin. Then, an interruption. A man rushes in with three stars hanging on his shoulders. "Sir, great news! Everything is going according to plan," the general says. "That's great, General Martick. I believe you have matters to attend to, also," Juschuan says back to him. "Yes, I do. I must take care of the invasion. Now, if I may take my leave..." General Matrick answers. "I shall be off too..." Aldrich adds as he walks out of the room. All three part ways for a while, as the last days of the war begins...

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:18:22 AM | Message Detail

====Traell Syles==== (Somewhere in Chaang Palace) "Sir Syles, we have news from our spies!" an army officer screams beside my ear. I look back, holding my right palm close to my ear. I look that the officer that had just screamed into my fragile eardrums, and give him an angry look. I slap the back of his head in annoyance. I was busy working on some papers, and typing a report. How could I not have jolted in surprise? My office was pretty large, and his scream echoed through and back the room. "If I weren't so pre-occupied..." I say, as I look down at my sheath, "..heh. Just kidding, Doc." "Threaten me again and I'll inject you with a virus the next time you come crawling to me with an injury," Doc says laughing. Doc sits down beside me, and turns his chair to face the landscape, looking in awe through the large glass window. A bird flies from the bottom left corner diagonally upwards, and Doc follows it with his eyes. He sits there, staring at the green and beauty of the land. I move closer, wondering. He was just sitting there... I lift my hair away from my face, and smile. "What was it you were going to say?" I inquire. "The Nocens Army is coming." "WHAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER?!" I scream, flailing my arms like a madman. "Ouch! My eardrums... I couldn't tell you because you were too busy with..." Doc mumbles before I cut him off. "Yeah, yeah I know I said 'Don't disturb me', but this is an exception! Are we even ready...?" I say back. "I think so... The men can probably hold out, but you're gonna have to hurry. Oh, and here are the files you were asking for," Doc replies. "Alright... just give me a few hours to get ready," I tell him, as I walk out of the room. I look up at the ceiling as I walk through the empty halls of Chaang Palace. Reaching the stairs, I head downward to the ground floor, leaping over the gold railings and landing perfectly on the marble floor below. I turn left, and head straight, passing through another set of halls. A faint honking was evident in the background. I was to take a ride on the Special Rail Transit to go back home for a while. The train was mostly blue, but had orange highlights with the company's name. It was sleek, and looked like a hover-bullet train. I slowly enter, ducking my head before entering. A few minutes pass, and I am sitting, alone, in a long metal tube. It was a private car. The walls were painted white, and the silver window frames were the eyes' only refuge. Looking out, I stare as trees and other objects speed by in a blur. I gaze, eyes half open. Meandering in thought, my eyes hopelessly peer into Chaang's beauty. If war comes, nothing will be left. The trees covering most all the land will be burned, and the oceans covering over half the planet will dry up or become polluted. Chaang's natural resources will become diminished, and chaos will reign. Most of all, my family, friends, will be harmed. I wanted nothing of this. Suddenly, I feel the train jolt up a bit, the file handed to me by Doc slowly slip through my fingers. I reopen my eyes quickly and lunge forward, reaching for the brown folder. Since it was taking a while, I decided to open it and begin reading. And the file read...

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:18:54 AM | Message Detail

"Nocens Decree #4352 Signed by: Emperor Juschuan 'I hereby decree that war shall be declared on all planets not aligning themselves with the Nocens Empire. In recent events, the rebel group known as the Drelian Alliance has been raiding settlements in the planets Vijur, Locan, and Yingwee. In order for peace to reign once again in our galaxy, we must rid the system of the nuisance that is the Drelian Alliance. In order to do so, all known allies of the Nocens Empire are expected to persecute and dispel of anything, and anyone that has anything to do with the said nuisance. The on going war may be costly, not only in a financial point of view, but also in an emotional and relational point of view. There will no doubt be losses, but we must accept that we have to sacrifice in order to gain. And in this circumstance, we must sacrifice some lives for the betterment of the entire Empire. In accordance to the declaration of war, I bestow upon Sir Aldrich absolute power over the Nocens Army and all its affiliates. His command, is my command. Treat him with the respect that you would treat me with. I expect this war to end quickly, for we all do not wish for this horrid turn of events to last more than tolerable. ' Note: 'Fathom Apocalypse' shall still be under Emperor Juschuan's direct command. Once finish, the final stage shall be set." 'How... silly..." I thought, scratching my head. Another piece of paper was dangling from the side of the folder. It was a small note left by Doc. "The following information is about the 'new' compound explosive Nocens has been developing." I remove the sheet, and begin reading what seems to be a confusing list of specs and formulas. "Compound Name: Plutonium Radonide Chemical Symbol: PuRn Description: PuRn is an artificial compound, joined together by using a stream of electrons giving the compound a negative charge. The bond between the two elements is Ionic in nature, for Pu is a metal and Rn a non-metal. This compound breaks certain Bonding Laws, however. The reason why elements join together to form compounds is to become more "stable", which often means "acquiring" eight valence electrons (Valence electrons are electrons in the outermost shell). An element's stability relies mainly on the number of valence electrons it possesses, also known as the "oxidation number". The halogens, already having eight valence electrons, are the most stable among all the elements. The alkali metals are the most reactive, because they all have one valence electron. This compound, PuRn, does not, and cannot happen in nature because of the fact that Rn is a halogen, which is already stable and already has eight valence electrons. Because of new technology, however, scientists have discovered a way in order to fuse elements together and "force" them to donate their electrons need be or not. Pu has two valence electrons, and gives up one to Rn. Rn then acquires a negative charge, and a valence of one electron, since there are already eight in its last shell. The formation of a new shell or orbit, and the acquisition of an oxidation number of 1, causes the element to become unstable and highly reactive. Also, Pu, having two valence electrons originally, ends up only having one, and thus also becomes highly reactive. The artificial ionic bond is then surged with electrons, forming a stream of electrons that hold the element together. The result: a highly reactive, explosive new compound.

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:19:37 AM | Message Detail

Properties: The compound PuRn is highly reactive, and must be kept in a specialized glass case. The compound can also be used for energy, acquiring this trait from Pu. Another acquired trait is Pu's nuclear potential. With enough force, Pu can become a deadly nuclear weapon. This is Nocens true plan for PuRn. A glass case, 2cm (length) by .5 cm (radius) contains enough PuRn to destroy the heaviest armored spacecruiser. A glass case 5cm by 1.25cm containing the compound has enough power to heavily damage a battlecruiser. Of course, the compound is still being tested if it is stable enough to be fit into missiles and other projectiles. When it explodes, it sends a negative shock wave radius of about 3 miles per [pie]ml and releases enough energy equal to that of 12 hydrogen bombs. Others: PuRn, though still being tested, is being carried by most, if not all of Nocens' prime battlecruisers. " I close the folder, and sigh. It had been a while since I last studied chemistry. My mind was a bit rusty, but it managed. I understood everything, but I did not understand why Nocens would require such a powerful weapon. I also remember that it was already outlawed, to create weapons of mass-destruction which had the potential to destroy planets. Considering PuRn was artificial and could be made in any quantity they pleased, there was no doubt in my mind that the idea of the destruction of a planet was feasible. The train suddenly screetches to a halt, and I grab my long, deep red coat. It went well with my black shirt and pants--fashionable and comfortable. The coat had a insignia on its back, a black outline in the shape of a demon's fangs. I toss my hair, covering my ears back, and slowly step out of the silver door frame and disappear into the crowd.

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:20:03 AM | Message Detail

====Corbus Tenthol==== In a dark room, Corbus is sitting on a wooden stool, mixing some chemicals. The different colors glow in the depth of the night, tubes and beakers running along the sides of lengthy table. "*** Damn idiots... 'No, you're wrong' my ass..." he mutters to himself. Flashback! Corbus stands in the center of a large glass dome, surrounded by numerous high profile scientists and a few spectators. In front of him, was a holoboard to project the data he had collected and to show graphs and whatnot. Corbus lifts a piece of paper, and reads from it. [To make the long story short...] "... and that's my thesis. I believe that in a matter of months, the 'Orbis Casso Assimilation' may come into effect." Corbus takes a bow, but not before being booed off stage. The crowd stands, slightly shocked at his findings. They could not believe, let alone accept what he presented. They did not believe, therefore they believed it was untrue. "Idiot! That is preposterous!" one scientist screams at the top of his voice. "Imbecile! Nothing such as that will happen," another says waving his fist. "Yes! Otium Terra was destroyed by a High Energy field formed by a passing asteroid. The gravitational pull so near the planet caused it to implode!" one more adds. "You are all wrong! You must believe me! The fate of the system rests in our...." "BOO! You're thesis is one of a fools! BOO!"........ Corbus walks away, angered and annoyed that his thesis was deemed idiotic, and wrong. After decades of research, he cannot believe that anyone could deny the supporting facts that proved his thesis correct. "Never mind", he thinks to himself. He walks away and enters a small ship at the building's roof, and takes off into the night sky. End Flashback! "Heh... they'll see... I'm glad I met Dracov so long ago..." Corbus mumbles to himself. Corbus stands from his seat, and leaves his work. He walks towards the adjacent room, up a set of stairs. What seemed to be a cave was his lab, stalagmites and stalactites rising and hanging from everywhere respectively. The earth was autumn brown all year 'round. The planetoid only known as T-33 was a testing ground for Corbus' experiments. It was a barren, yet sometimes beautiful place, especially during sunset when the earth turns into a crimson shade because of the iron in its composition. It's been 7 years since they first arrived here. "Dracov, any calls for me?" Corbus yells over to Dracov. "None, yet, Corbus... but I am quite sure that they will come," he answers. "..." Corbus knocks on the door frame, and waits for Dracov's acknowledgement for him to enter. Dracov looks back, and Corbus enters silently. He moves closer to Dracov, and watches over his shoulder as his mentor scribbles some figures on a notebook. Dracov glances back once again, to find Corbus reading over his shoulder. The old man quickly shuts the notebook, and pushes Corbus away. "You should learn some manners. It is impolite to read over others' shoulders," he says, reopening his book. "Sorry. I was just interested in what you were working on," Corbus replies. "Do not worry. You'll find out in time." "In time? Why must I wait...?" "You see, what I am writing has no significance now. But it will have, once I am gone and you are alone." ".... what..?" "Nothing... just humor this old man by listening to his babble."

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:20:42 AM | Message Detail

Corbus squints, and stares at his elder. Corbus was already a veteran to science, but Dracov was far older, and far wiser. Even a man like Corbus didn't understand Dracov's words. "Now, please leave this old man be. He has more writing to do..." the old man humbly requests. Corbus nods before leaving the room. He descends the stairs, and goes back to his lab. As he reaches the last step, he hears a clicking sound, possibly the locking of Dracov's door. Not minding it, he continues to walk over to the lab. Suddenly, the doorbell sounds. It rang twice. 'We don't have mailmen here..' he wonders to himself. "Dude, it's me, Lieutenant Maur. I'm here to take you back to the boss," a young, vibrant voice says declares from the other side. Corbus walks over to the door, and opens it. "Yes?" he asks. "I've been sent by the Emperor to bring you back. He wants to know what you've found out and crap," Maur answers. "Bah.. already?" "He also says for you to continue your thing back at his place." "..." "Now come... he expects you back in time for the Mogwati Festival. Don't pack your bags. There's no need. You won't be, and can't come back. Leave everything." "...what?" "Just follow orders." "..." Corbus glares at Maur, and decides to reenter the house. Maur frowns, and scratches his head in wonder. Corbus runs up to Dracov's room, and knocks, but no one answers. He knocks again, and receives the same response. "I'm being called. See you soon, Dracov," he says, shaking his head as he walks back down the stairs. Corbus quickly grabs his finest robe and his favorite staff, heading back out the door in a flash. It was simple silver robe, but its fabric was very fine, much like silk. "Ready?" "Yes," Corbus says without regret or hesitation. Corbus and Maur enter the small starship transport of the finest type, its metallic surface glistening in the planetoid's red glow. Its main engines begin to roar, and the turbines begin to whir and churn. Without delay they set off back into coldness of space, headed for Nocens. The flight was boring. There was nothing in space that Corbus has yet to see... except what was inside of the Orbis Casso. "Approaching Nocens, sir," an officer informs Corbus. "Finally," he answers with a smirk. Watching from space, Corbus notices Nocens' black shade and most likely polluted atmosphere. He latches on his safety belt, and grasps his staff tight. The transport, shaking and stirring wildly, slowly descends into Nocens' cloudy atmosphere. After a few seconds, the transport reaches the "clean zone", below the hazardous clouds of smoke. It was a horrid sight for nature lovers, but a dream for the technologically inclined. Although the landscape was dull and either in gray or black due to the smoke bellowing from almost all the high rise buildings, it was bustling with activity, seen in the constantly moving torrent roads and mechanical objects moving about. The transport slowly approaches the landing pad near what seems to be a regal building. It had a large dome on its roof, most likely housing a telescope. It was a wonder, however, what the telescope could see past the dense blackness of the planet's atmosphere. The ship finally touches down, a noisy banging sound a result of the pilots poor handling. "Sorry, sir. New pilot," the officer across the room says. He stands, and walks nearer to Corbus. "Emperor Juschuan is waiting, sir," he adds, opening the door.

From: Traell Syles | Posted: 8/30/2002 2:21:43 AM | Message Detail

A 'breathing' sound echoes through the ship as the doors open, as a result of the difference in gas composition. Nocens' atmosphere was filled mostly with Nitrogen, and had equal amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide. An officer hands him a mask, to enable him to breathe properly. Many years ago, Nocens' atmosphere had your typical, inhabitable composition. But through the hundreds of years, the amount of nitrogen and carbon dioxide has increased and the amount of oxygen decreased-- one of the factors being over-population. Of course, the mask also provided protection from any smoke that was to stray from its path into the sky. As he steps out of the transport, he looks up into the sky, ships and the sort whizzing about. "Such a noisy planet..." he tells himself. Another guard, wearing blue overalls and holding what seems to be a plasma rifle, leads Corbus through a metal door. The doors slide open, and slide back into the middle, a clutching sound as it closes. The halls of the building were very, very different from the outside. The walls has three-dimensional projections of plants and landscape, seemingly to provide sanctuary from the horrid industrial city outside. The hallways were long glass tubes, intersecting and twisting here and there. After a while of walking, they finally reach a room with a royal crest hanging above it. To the right of the door was a keypad. The guard punches in the code, and the doors slide open. His right hand gestures Corbus to enter the room, and he does so. Inside, was Emperor Juschuan. "How goes your research on the Orbis Casso?" he asks immediately. (OOC: Okay, so that's the intro. It may be too short for a few of you, but I have school and I'm supposed to be retired and such. So... if this isn't up to your standards, I'm sorry. If you don't want to join, okay. I just hope someone does. This is my final... yes... final RPG. After this, I'll be permanently out of the RPing biz. I'll be around, though, but like I said, not as much. Also, my "I challenge everyone" topic will be my last duel. Look there to find out more. Oh, and one last thing... I hope this RPG goes well. If I'm retiring, I want to retire with a bang. May this RPG succeed and crap. Blah. Post, damnit.)

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 8/30/2002 5:45:43 PM | Message Detail

Space was cold, black, devoid of life, or that was what lay beyond the magnetic force shield. It was an inky blackness with small dots of light signifying the existence of stars far beyond, but ahead, not more than a mere hundred thousand kilometers away, no light entered. In fact, it seemed to bend inwards and just disappear, as if one were in hyperspace. It was a black hole, and this starship, the Lusankya, was just out of reach of the gravitational pull of the black hole. The constant hum and vibration of the floor decking led one to believe that the engines were on steady, keeping the Lusankya from being pulled inwards. All around, technicians and scientists alike ran about, consulting scanners and computers, imputing values and coordinates and receiving projected analysis of what might happen and deeming whether the data was flawed or trustworthy. In the center of it all lay a one hundred, twenty-foot long ship, a test ship of sorts. The vessel looking akin to a fighter jet, the fore of the craft being a cylindrical cone of sorts with the bulbous shell of a window acting as the cockpit area. The cockpit fit only five people, a pilot and copilot, a navigator and tactical officer, the lead science officer, and a medic, if one was wanted… It angled back a bit into a set of downward swept wings that angled forwards and down in a curve. Two large nacelles were in the rear of the craft, a single stabilizer fin attached just fore of the nacelles on outward angles. The craft was a navy blue in color, the insignia of the Chezic’tanian Republic, a longsword, blade facing down, with a ‘C’ on the left and an ‘R’ on the right, emblazoned on each of the stabilizer fins as well as the tip of the forward swept wings. The vessel held one small craft, a fifty foot long fighter craft of a new design named a variable fighter, in a cargo bay of sorts which was situated along the centerline of the entire vessel roughly near the middle of the craft. Just behind the cockpit was a set of sleeping quarters holding four bedding compartments, a latrine, a small kitchenette, and a tiny cargo compartment for other needs. It was all situated along a narrow hallway, which led straight to the cockpit of the variable fighter, allowing for quick access. It was all experimental, everything about the whole thing. Technicians and scientists barked out commands to support staff, called out warnings or other information. “Stabilizer fins, right, left, nominal… alpha and beta waves nominal… Intake manifold of the main thrust is offline… anti-gravity projectors are offline… influx capacitor is nominal…” Onward they called out key points, saying which parts were working, and which weren’t. They continued their bickering, the scientists, some beginning to lose tempers showing just how short the fuse between calm and anger really was. I shook my head at it all. Most of it didn’t make sense to me, but I got the gist of it. They were going to launch that craft straight at the black hole and initiate a molecular de-stabilizer as well as a back-feed pulse of energy, which in layman’s terms would fling the craft into a new dimension. I did understand the main concepts behind it all. From what I heard, the back-feed pulse was designed to create a singularity from which a wormhole could be devised extending to another wormhole within an entirely new dimension. It was mind boggling, to say the least. I again shook my head, not in confusion, but in simple disgust. I was just one of the two test pilots for this craft. It wasn’t going to be a fun ride, I was sure of that. If things went wrong, my body would be crushed in an instant resulting in an untimely death. It wasn’t that I feared death, it was the fact that if I did die, it would be in a manner not control be me. Tomorrow, that was when everything would start, and until then, I had a lot of time to burn. “Now testing both engine drives!”

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 8/30/2002 5:46:29 PM | Message Detail

I looked at the craft and watched as the nacelles began to move around, then opened up, blossoming like a flower. The engines started, and a bright trail of blue efflux trailed from the nacelles. What I found odd with the whole thing was that the engines made little, if any noise. The roar of clapping and cheers was louder than the engines. Apparently this craft was also designed for stealth, and I had an idea that it also had a cloaking device readily available. “What’re you up to?” I heard from my right. I stood up from my leaning position on the railing and turned my head in the direction of the voice. It was Kristav, and I smiled slightly, turning back to the sight of the engines as the nacelles were closed and the engines switched off. “Nothing. Just standing here, thinking about tomorrow.” “Ah, yes. The day when we all die in a void instantaneously! Oh, Wolfie, hold me!” Kristav said mockingly in a high pitched tone. I gave her a wry look, shaking my head. “I think I might want to commit suicide tonight…,” I said, and it was Kristav’s turn to give me an odd look. We both laughed at the irony of the situation. We looked on at the craft. We would be joined by two others, a technician/scientist and a copilot, as Kristav was fulfilling the role as tactical and navigation. We would all be an odd group. I knew everyone in the group, save the technician/scientist. Kayland and myself would be the pilots, though I still wondered why they didn’t use criminals as the guinea pigs for this experiment. At least criminals were expendable, unlike military officers such as Kayland, Kristav and myself. “So, when are you going to actually sleep?” Kristav said, nudging me, bringing me out of my reverie. “I don’t know. I guess I should, shouldn’t I?” “Well, with only nine hours before we’re sent off to die, I would at least want a good nights sleep, wouldn’t you?” I laughed, standing straight and stretching. It felt odd, talking on these terms with Kristav. We didn’t share quarters, but the way we talked, one might think we did. “Well, then,” I said, embracing Kristav in a hug. I had the strange feeling that she was crying, but I wasn’t sure. “I guess I’ll be off to bed. Night, Kristav. I’ll see you tomorrow.” We backed away from each other, but Kristav wasn’t crying. He face was clear, calm, and she nodded, letting off a slight smile. “Night, Wolfie,” she said, and I began to walk down the catwalk towards the exit. In less than nine hours I would be strapped into a seat and sent rocketing towards what might be my very death, or what would be the discovery of a lifetime. It would all begin tomorrow…

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 8/30/2002 5:46:58 PM | Message Detail

I sat there in a light blue jumpsuit strapped into the pilot’s seat. A breathing unit attached to the chest of the suit. I wore a helmet with a HUD built into the visor and a secondary face shield attached to the top that slide down. The secondary shield acted as a reflector from bright stars. I look through the cockpit window, the window itself also a HUD. Fixed between my legs was the control stick, yaw controls attached to pedals at my feel. Acceleration controls were on my left, to my right being secondary controls. It was the same for my copilot, Kayland, who sat just to the left of me. Behind me slightly to the left was the technician/scientist, while behind Kayland and slightly to the right was Kristav. I had finally learnt of the technicians name as well as gender; Nizara M’kiel, an Albeado female. She was of my own species, which didn’t surprise me. The only none-Albeado here was Kayland, and even he had some Albeado blood in him, he was a Jan’ri. Under normal circumstances, I would have killed Kayland upon first seeing him, my loathing for the blasphemy that is his creation; but, to do so would offend the gods, as they had granted him his life because of his service to them. His life was against my very religion, a religion he followed as well, but I could not harm him, and he had proven his worth many times over in the past years. “All systems check. We are ready to launch,” Nizara said. Her voice was crisp, clean and business-like. Not one to mess around it seemed, which reminded me of Kristav. Nizara was slim, only five feet nine inches tall, with dirty blonde hair and sky blue eyes. Her form was slender and akin to that of a dancer, as was her grace. She held herself up with much pride, as well as an ego unlike any I had seen. She believed she was right, and any other idea was flawed, only accepting ideas from her scientist peers. “All right. Main thrusters and maneuvering thrusters online and optimal,” I said, flicking several switches to my right between Kayland and myself. Just prior to suiting up an hour ago, I had learnt of the very crafts’ name as well, Krieger, named after a Hydra Class Battlecruiser. Slowly, Krieger lifted off the landing bay floor, the main thrusters flaring into existence. A bright trail of blue efflux came from the nacelles and the craft slowly moved through the magnetic force shield out into the cold of space. “Command, this is Krieger. All systems optimal. Heading, zero, nine, seven, mark,” I said into the comm. “Acknowledged, Krieger.” So far so good, it was all going to plan, or so I hoped. We traveled in silence, heading towards the black hole. The gravimetric readings were going while, as were the gamma radiation sensors.

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 8/30/2002 5:48:15 PM | Message Detail

It would be another thirty minutes before we reached the edge of the safety zone. From here on in, our acceleration would be further increased by the gravitational pull of the black hole. “Command, we’re heading in. Nice knowing you,” I said bleakly. “Affirmative. Once you reach the other side, report in.” “Acknowledged,” I said, hitting the main thrusters to full capacity, launching Krieger at the black hole. Krieger began to shudder slightly as the gravitational forces began to exceed the haul integrity. “Anti-gravity projectors online,” Nizara said, and the shaking stopped. The outer haul looked glazed slightly making it difficult to see; though there really wasn’t anything to see. “Approaching the event horizon. Initiating the back-feed pulse to create the singularity,” Nizara said. She sounded so calm despite that fact that if this failed, we’d all die. I wanted to hit her, make her see that a simple mistake would kill use all, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from the controls. Slowly, I began to see light just outside the cockpit, a swirling vortex with a slight pigment of blue. My eyes flew wide, and then I felt a crushing feeling. “Power failing! Anti-gravity projectors are offline! The singularity is destabilizing!” Nizara screamed, and then I knew, it was all over. Surges of electricity ran across all the control panels, surging into me, and everything went black. I opened my ice blue eyes, peering out at my surroundings. I was strapped into my seat still, my jumpsuit appearing to be in good condition still. I turned slightly, looking back at the other occupants. Kristav, Kayland and Nizara were still there, but I wondered in each were still alive. I looked back out the cockpit window and saw bright stars, twinkling in the distance. Well, I was alive. I released the straps, pushing myself of my seat. I floated momentarily and pulled myself along. The first I had to see was Kristav. I floated over to her, and shook her jumpsuit, hoping to wake her. The visor of her helmet was foggy, meaning she was breathing, if shallowly. I shook her again, causing her eyes to drift open. As her eyes cleared, she looked into my own eyes, and she began to cry. She threw her arms around me, pulling me close. “Wolfie, I thought… I thought we were dead,” Kristav said. I had no idea what had been going through her mind just before everything went black, but I had my ideas. “So did I. So did I,” I said in return, pushing away. “Have to wake the others.” I moved to Kayland next and began to shake his jumpsuit. He startled awake rather quickly, his left purple eye and right black eye staring out at me. I nodded once, Kayland returning the nod, then turned to Nizara, floating over silently. I didn’t bother to shake her jumpsuit. Instead, I tapped on the visor of her helmet. Her eyes slowly drifted open, the sky blue, an image to behold. She screamed loudly, and I would have slapped her if not for the helmet she wore. “Shut up! We’re alive!” Kayland began to yell back, released his straps as well and floating over. Nizara quieted, looking around, seeing that we were all alive. The cockpit cabin was pitch black; no lights were on, suggesting a total loss of power. Either way, we would die here if we had no power at all. “Do we have power?” I asked tentatively. “I… I don’t know. Let me check,” Nizara said, turning to her console. She began to hit switches, checking again and again. Several lights flickered into existence, screens coming to life. “Well, at least we have power. Kristav, think you might be able to find out where we are?”

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 8/30/2002 5:49:46 PM | Message Detail

“I’ll see,” Kristav said, sniffing slightly. She typed in a couple things, then a holographic projector appeared in the middle of the cabin. “We aren’t in any known area of our galaxy. All the constellations are off, as well as the star positions. But, I do detect several planets in system, roughly in the range of… my god, over thirty planets in one system? It’s not possible, is it?” “Uh, hate to burst your bubbles, people, but we’re running at seventy five percent efficiency. And to top it off, the anti-gravity projectors are offline, as well as anything we would need to head back home,” Kayland said, sitting in the copilots seat. “That and I’m detecting a black hole no more than a hundred thousand kilometers behind us, suggesting out entry point. We need repairs to head home, so, what now?” “We head for the closest planet, and hope they’re friendly, otherwise we’re screwed,” I said floating over to my seat and strapping in. Well, we were alive, but for how long? (OOC: This has to be my biggest intro ever. I hope it's at least partially well written. I'd certainly like to think so. It is actually 2,466 words in length. Hope you all enjoy, for this wont by my last large post.)

From: The Hunterminator | Posted: 8/30/2002 8:12:02 PM | Message Detail

(All OOC)Partially well written? That's an incredible post. Could easily make a good book from that. Anyway, I'll join soon, just thinking about my app and planning it. --- Hunterminator: You're practically the Pioneer of Vodkofee! I worship you! *bows and pays her respects* -Skye Anchors Co' Founder and Co' Leader of VodkofInc™.

From: The Hunterminator | Posted: 8/31/2002 10:35:38 AM | Message Detail

The Hunterminator was peacefully relaxing in his home and watching a Worker Level 3 augmented worker building the new water production plant and looking at a bunch of flight augmentation lvl 1 augmented kids playing tags around the skyscrapers when his comgun beeped. Picking it up and switching to communication mode, The Hunterminator raised it to his ear. The Hunterminator: Yeah? Corporal Kazinsky: Sir, I've just received our new assignment. -Ok, what is it? -Well, you probably heard about the massive launch from Nocens? -Yeah, let me guess, the Drelian Alliance ambassador doesn't want to leave the planet so that we get attacked by the Nocens and we are forced to join with them? -Pretty much yeah. -Damn, what are we supposed to do about it then? -Well, basically, watch him, closely and make plans in case we need to kidnap him to deliver him to the Nocens to avoid getting destroyed. -Oh, just that? Why did they choose us. A bunch of artificial would've done that easily. -They just don't want them to be seen and we can't afford to fail if we have to. -Sigh, ok. Where's his current residence? -Apartment 34896 of sector Alpha NO 4592. -Ok, meet me with the rest of the unit at the closest transport station. -Yes Sir. Corporal Kazinsky out. -The Hunterminator out. Responding to the audio code, The Hunterminator's comgun switched off and got back to it's default mode, in his case, it was the Semi-Auto Non-lethal Silenced Mode Aka SANLS Mode. I left my apartment and quickly went to the Transport Station #773 to teleport myself to my destination. --- Hunterminator: You're practically the Pioneer of Vodkofee! I worship you! *bows and pays her respects* -Skye Anchors Co' Founder and Co' Leader of VodkofInc™.

From: Skye Anchors | Posted: 8/31/2002 11:38:35 AM | Message Detail

(OOC: *swears to get something up by tomorrow because school is starting* Even if I have to hit my head against a brick wall...) --- Blackbird sings through night and day, till he ceases I will stay. Free me from my misery, the endless throbbing agony.

From: The Geomancer | Posted: 8/31/2002 5:09:26 PM | Message Detail

(OOC: For anyone still unclear, this is your favorite Color/Number combo.) I awoke to the sounds of ice jingling against the side of a glass, and light classical music. At first, confusion swept over me, then I gradually remembered where I was. The transport ship, Condor. A nice craft, I was sure, but I still felt uncomfortable here. Too damn cozy. I felt like someone was trying to suffocate me with a silk pillow, or something to that effect. I shouldn't complain though, I was going home for the first time in many years, after all. It had been a long time since I had last seen Aracos, its vast oceans, or its huge cities. Just for a laugh, I pulled up a description of the world meant for tourists on my monitor. An attractive woman popped up on the screen, with a view I recognized as an airborne shot of the Great Shelf behind her. "Hello, and welcome to the "Oooh, Pretty" Productions guide to Aracos. Behind me you see the majestic..." I tapped the skip key, and I was presented with a menu of basic info catagories. I selected History, and let the woman speak of something actually interesting. "Aracos was once populated solely by a species known as the Aracians. These people somewhat resemble the Angels of ancient Christian myth, and tend to be rather talented in magic. They lived in constant war with each other until they were discovered by Nocenian Pioneers, and subsequently pacified, about 500 years ago Pacified. Hmph, even if I hadn't been born here, I would have known what that meant. Those that could have participated in wars were slaughtered by the Nocens and their superior technology, not so much to stop them from fighting each other, but so they couldn't resist the Nocen colonial parties. Now less than 5% of the population of Aracos was Aracian, and less than 1% of those still practiced their cultural tradition, Geomancy. Though they weren't land bound, the Aracians had honed the practice into an art form, even having succeeded in creating true floating gardens, unheard of by any others who had the ability. I had been abandoned at an early age, and had been taught by one of these masters of Geomancy, a being known only, even to me, as The Positive. Of course, I could have merely mistranslated the moniker. It sounds a lot less cheesy in their language. "Attention, passengers. We will be landing on Aracos, in the New Nocen Spaceport shortly. Please fasten your safety belts now. "Ugh... terrible place," I thought as I clicked the viewer off and buckled myself up. --- They always said I was meant for greater things... But did I ever ask for that?

From: Skye Anchors | Posted: 9/1/2002 11:36:16 AM | Message Detail

(OOC: *swears again* It's 1AM... school tomorrow... handling dangerous chemicals... Ugh....Sorry) --- Through all windows, I see only infinity. What you are, I was; what I am, you will be.

From: Dispeyr | Posted: 9/3/2002 8:14:46 PM | Message Detail

(OOC: I've been working on my intro, but you all can move ahead a bit without me if need be. I may be another day or two due to <various profanities here> work calling for two-hour early morning meetings most of this week, on top of 12-hour days. I'll catch up if at all possible.) --- ~=<{Misery's Dark Shadow | Ocissor of the Crimson Void}>=~ Sin - "I am the demon all must face, the darkened void of hope forsaken."

From: The Geomancer | Posted: 9/5/2002 8:38:42 PM | Message Detail

As I disembarked from the Condor, my humanoid nasal passages were greeted with the clean disinfectant smell, mixed with Eau de Jet Fuel, and the scent of spaceport cinnamon buns. You know the kind, they bewitch you with their pleasing aroma, but they always leave you thirsty, sticky, and vaguely displeased. Having fallen victim to their sweet, yet disappointing promise, I pushed my way into a surprisingly vacant restroom, and washed my hands. Finally free of the crowds and enclosed space of the ship, I spread my Aracian wings, and studied myself in a mirror. Like all Aracians, I looked almost identical to the average caucasian human, except for the presence of wings, in my case light brown. It was an odd freak of genetics that many scientists had investigated, but none had come up with a logical explanation. I brushed some pastry crumbs off of my Diplomatic business suit, and noted that I needed a shave. Drying my hands, I left the bathroom and awaited my cab outside of the busy port. In the outdoors, an entirely different set of smells awaited me. You always forget what a city smells like after leaving them for any extended period of time, but upon your return you immediately recalled it. Well, not so much recalled it, as had its horrible essence thrust upon you. I was still trying to adjust to it when the somewhat dented yellow car that would serve as my transport arrived. Another reminder of the city smell awaited me inside it. I silently cursed my oversensitive nose as I set a destination into the keypad on my seat. "The Pit, 4030 S 210 N" Again, a horrible place, but one I was known at. Before being accepted and trained by The Positive, I frequented that bar and lived in the surrounding slums. Not a pleasant place, but I had been forced to call it home. Well, **** hole mostly, but either one was correct. Semantics, and such. Much to my chagrin, I arrived without suffering any gruesome crashes the robot cab drivers were known for. The damn things had an unstable OS, so they frequently failed to report their location to other automated cars. Unsurprisingly, it had dropped my several blocks from my destination. Damn technology. I remembered the topography, and selected a narrow alleyway that I knew would take me to The Pit, irregardless of whether I wished to go or not. "Hey... Turkey-Boy... We wanna 'Talk' to you" A voice sounded from behind me. I recognized the lingo. Nocen humans, the more speciesist ones anyway, frequently called my people by that slang, among several other more colorful phrases. I turned and shot them a glare. Normally, my fierce green eyes and tannish brown wings would identify me as one that shouldn't be messed with, as I had built up quite the rep on these streets, but these punks either didn't know who I was, or my suit was throwing them off. Even the most ignorant of the humans knew not to try and mug one of The Positive's boys. They screamed several more obscenities, and demanded my money, then drew their weapons. Vibro-Knives? They're trying to take a geomancer with melee weapons alone? I transferred some of my consciousness into the ground, channeling much of my energy in after it, and waited. They charged, a column of rock arose before them and they all crashed into it. No need to kill the ignorant, they're their own punishment, I had always thought. I rubbed my temples. Performing geomancy in the city was always hard. The polluted concrete didn't have the energy to move, unless you gave it some of your own. Annoyed at the intrusion, I continued on. --- They always said I was meant for greater things... But did I ever ask for that?

From: The Hunterminator | Posted: 9/6/2002 11:04:40 AM | Message Detail

(OOC:Hey Geomancer, I love your nasal description of the place. Eau de Jet Fuel lol.) The Hunterminator was now in position in a room across the "street" from the diplomats quarters. He had some hearing aids that enabled him to get everything the diplomat said. Diplomat: What do you mean, I can't leave? Goverment representative:Well, with the war with Nocens under way, leaving the protection of the planet is dangerous and we wouldn't want you to leave. Me:Bull****. You guys just want to keep him as a potential gift to Nocen. Rep:Besides, we recently detected a ship coming out of a nearby black hole and it's energy signature fits no known ship. Could be the first ship of an invasion from another system, as wild as it may seem. Me:Yeah right. I read the report too and that thing is all broken down. You're just using him as an excuse. I bet that you're instead planning to contact them and hope to get an ally in the war. God I hate politicians. Diplomat: Hmmm hmmmm. Very well, I'll stay on the planet for now. Can I have access to a communication device so that I can tell my government that I might be unable to get back? Rep:Of course With that, the representative left. The Hunterminator activated the communicator in his helmet. Me:Black Unit. Report. Ghost:2. Nothing wrong here. Death:3. Nothing wrong here. Wraith:4. Nothing wrong here. Boomer:5. All's fine boss. 3:5, stay with the protocol. 5:Come on baby. Those protocols are boring. No one too important is listening anyway. Me:HEY! 5:*Laughs*Except for the boss of course. Me:The hey was to ask you two to shut up, I just missed something the Diplomat just muttered to himself, did someone get it? 4:I think it was something like "Danger? Yeah right. I believe that one." 5:Bah, we all knew that guy wouldn't fall for it. I would've bet all my augs on that. Me:5, I can understand that maybe your previous commander didn't mind but you're in black unit now so shut up and stick to protocol. Ok, looks like the Diplomat is going to call, 1 out. With that, The Hunterminator switched the communicator off. --- Hunterminator: You're practically the Pioneer of Vodkofee! I worship you! *bows and pays her respects* -Skye Anchors Co' Founder and Co' Leader of VodkofInc™.

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 9/6/2002 4:22:23 PM | Message Detail

We floated mindlessly in space. The holographic projection of the entire solar systems was kept up at all times and Kayland had taken to counting each of the planets to keep himself amused. After reaching the computer-calculated estimate of forty-three planets, he gave up. “Bah! This system is an anomaly in itself,” Kayland said, pointing up at the representation of the Krieger on the star map. “We’re here, not too far from a black hole, and there are dozens upon dozens of planets out there. I’m not science-type guy, but how I see it is that the black hole’s getting larger.” I waved a hand at what Kayland said. He was rambling on, making suggestion after suggestion as to the origins of the planets and the black hole. Donavan had been the only person to give us as much information about black holes than anyone and he went back to his own dimension long ago. I turned my attention back to Kristav and Nizara. Both had a condescending attitude towards one-another, Nizara believing she was the smarter. Kristav was a little more difficult to read, but I knew she had a dislike for Nizara already. Nizara knew how everything on this ship worked, but didn’t have the training on how to fix it. Kristav enjoyed studying mechanics as a hobby, though I still couldn’t comprehend why she did. Kristav’s experiences as a mechanic made her the prime subject to fix everything. “Attach the red wire to circuit board Tera-C, making sure that you don’t scorch the circuitry or chips,” Nizara said, reading from a manual she had brought. “You say that one more time and I’ll make sure to scorch your circuits!” Kristav retorted. She had had it up to ‘here’ with Nizara, and it was showing. With every replacement of jury-ridged board, our power levels jumped ever so slightly, but we couldn’t last to long unless we found proper parts and soon. “Kayland,” I said, getting the his attention, “how long can you get us to a roughly technological planet in; a rough estimate of time, of course.” “Well, I could start doing so scans now, picking out which planets would make prime subjects. But I’ll also factor in the fact that we don’t want them too technological. I would of course like to see some trees again, or something,” Kayland responded, drifting off as to what would be an appropriate planet. “How long?” I repeated, beginning to lose my own nerve. “Well, about one to two hours in hyperspace, discounting the time it’ll take to find a good one,” Kayland said promptly, shutting up. “Then do it, and no babbling. I’m ready to kill something if I hear anymore comments.” This brought a rather funny look from Kristav, who too, was ready to kill something. It would be another several hours before Kayland’s search gave us any information of use. “This planet,” Kayland said, pointing to a blue sphere, “has some technological value to us, but it’s one of the further planets in-system. Would take us roughly an hour to reach there, but I’m not too sure about it.” “I need more parts to fix this hunk of junk-“

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 9/6/2002 4:23:12 PM | Message Detail

“It is not a piece of junk!” Nizara said in outburst to Kristav’s comment. “It is a highly tuned scientific vehicle that is on the cutting edge-“ “Of killing you,” Kristav said cutting Nizara off, who gulped once and became deadly silent. “Anyway, back to the subject at hand. Will this planet work?” I asked, looking directly at Kayland. “It should. Long range sensors aren’t telling me anything too useful on the planet, ‘cept that the planet is mostly oceans.” I nodded once. “Anything else?” “I have been picking up all sorts of comm. garbage, but mostly just, well, garbage, nothing of any use to us.” “Well then, every body strap in. We’re heading off to this planet,” I said, then turned to Kayland. “Does it have a name?” “If it does, we’ll find out when we’re on planet.” I nodded, strapping into the pilots’ seat. Kayland and I began to startup sequence, initializing the main thrusters, as well as warming up the engines. Lights began to dance across my console, some holding a steady green while others burned a bright red or orange. Slowly but steadily, the lights turned green one by one, except those indicating the anti-gravimetric drives and the feedback pulse generator. I engaged the cloaking device, the ship turning transparent in the darkness of space. Even the blue efflux of the engines ion drives was cloaked, hidden by an energy field that would befoul all types of sensors. I looked behind myself quickly, making note that Kristav and Nizara were both strapped in, then began a hyperspace jump countdown, initializing the hyperspace drives that would launch us forwards. Though this entry would be a much slower one, as there was no need to go as blindingly fast as normal, we would still feel the same feelings when entering hyperspace. I looked out the cockpit window at space beyond, watching as it contorted into a vortex of swirling lights similar to the black hole, sucking the Krieger in. In an instant, we were in the drone of hyperspace, travelling towards the planet, hoping for the best… (OOC: A short set of posts. What with school, I'm having to cut down a bit. Don't worry, my next set should be a bit longer.)

From: Dispeyr | Posted: 9/7/2002 3:55:41 PM | Message Detail

(OOC: Profuse apolgies as to the quality, but I've had a heckuva week. Further posts will be much better, I assure you.) The sun hammered down on the lush canopy overhead, bathing the jungle in a verdant glow broken only by tiny, scattered shafts of pure white light. A thin haze rose in the air, beaten from the thick undergrowth by the relentless heat, lending a soft, blurred cast to the environment that transformed individual clumps of leaves to an abstraction of swirled and mottled shades of green. Within those leaves, nothing beyond a breeze stirred; nothing gave away the presence of the pack, not even the twitch of a solitary antenna. It was quiet in the jungle, far too quiet, though it was not the Chk'ilz, the People, who made the forest hold its breath. They themselves stared raptly at the source of the unnatural silence, some with their own eyes, others through the borrowed eyes of those who watched. Though the jungle was devoid of all sound, it was as filled with speech as it always was for the People. Only one stood apart from the ceaseless mind-sharing, letting the waves of others' knowledge wash over him in an indistinct babble. Sphir - how odd, that...that "word," as these warmblooded prey spoke with - hunched low to the jungle floor, watching the prey with his own sight. No matter how sharp the eyes of his kindred, too many of them simply did not understand what things they saw of the warmbloods; their images were vague in spots, as foggy as the jungle air. Unreliable, unacceptable. Sphir knew much of these mammal-men, much more than he would have wished, and yet the Chk'ilz would not accept his mind-sharing of them. Could not, for the things he had seen were so beyond the elegant simplicity of the pack, of hunting in unison, bringing down prey, and sharing the feast. Even now, the others' thoughts buzzed with questions, with wonder at what the prey could be doing. Sphir could provide no answers, for even his experience with the prey that called itself "Nocens" gave no clues. Whatever it was, it struck him as ominous, a portent of things far worse than the storm-season. The two-legged creatures seemed to be...leaving? There must have been sixteen claws' worth of them, milling about the underbelly of one of those silvery beast-rocks that flew, crawling in and out of its innards with those blocks that contained things. Those alone, the Chk'ilz that studied such things would have split their chitin for; one of the flying beast-rocks the prey called "transports" had never yet been taken. Opening himself for a moment, Sphir sifted through the mind-shares of his kindred: only ten claws' worth stood with him. His antennae nearly twitched before he stopped them. It would be difficult; every last warmblooded there was wrapped in that shiny rocklike substance, so hard to tear through with claws, and all held those "blasters." The - word - irritated Sphir, nearly enough to hiss his distaste. Why anything would ever develop such a cowardly way to hunt was beyond not only him, but virtually every other Chk'ilz in Sthis Xill. Some of those that now referred to themselves with images of spinning "gears" and tiny crackles of lightning, however, seemed to love nothing more than picking over such things. They were more than welcome to it, as far as he was concerned.

From: Dispeyr | Posted: 9/7/2002 3:56:55 PM | Message Detail

Sphir continued to stare, the warmblooded scurrying about in seemingly frantic fashion, dashing as if always on the chase. None seemed very alert, all with their eyes down, more on the lookout for roots and sticks than any actual danger. It was as if they were unable to taste the wind, with its endless swirls and tinges of feeling, of color. For Sphir, that was merely a memory; there were things on the breeze far, far too lethal for males. His strange black cocoon cut him off from those, and most everything else the wind could tell him; he could only experience that through the mind-sharing, which meant he could know nothing truly of the twolegged's wind. Images in the back of his thoughts called Sphir's full attention from watching the warmbloods, pictures of sudden rushes, charges that ended in the tang of blood on the jaws and a great feasting. The Chk'ilz were discussing simply trying to overpower more than one and a half their number, all armed with those cowards' tools. Sphir listened, his own thoughts spinning. Some of the pack would die, yes, there would be no way around it, but all did not have to. His mind shaped itself around an image of the clearing, surrounded on all sides by a thin line of the People. Within his thoughts, those along one side of the "transport" did indeed charge, tapping into the mind-shares of the prey with shrieks of hungry intent. The "blasters" spewed out their deadly lines, all in the direction of the rushing People, while the rest crept out towards the backs of the warmblooded...a wash of assent flooded through Sphir as his kindred viewed his mind. Without any delay, Sphir's thoughts buzzed with the odd vibration that heralded the mind-share's contact with the pulsing, disjointed minds of warmblood prey, the jungle opposite his crouch exploding in a rush of motion. Two-legged figures staggered around the beast-rock's shadow, their noises cutting sharply through the silence of the jungle. "Gelugons! Gelugons attacking! Get your asses out here!" Humming sounds filled the air, scarlet streaks of light lancing through the Chk'ilz that had sprung forth; the mind-share was filled with flashes of pain, feelings of limbs no longer responding, and a wash of blood-need that made the blasters' lights seem faded and dull. Sphir slipped forward, brushing quietly through the thick undergrowth to emerge into the clearing, joined by the remainder of the kindred. The prey was oblivious; a hazarded brush with one's mind showed only a darkness surrounding the image of a hunter, so that its carapace was the only thing registering to the warmblood. Rapid thumping echoed through its mind, alongside an urgency, a focus...one moment of shock as a high-pitched whine sounded behind him, an image of the ground rapidly approaching, and nothingness. Sphir sprang from the headless corpse towards the next, the strips along his arms beginning to glow even as the blood sizzled off. He was only half-aware of his own movements, buried in the avalanche of elation and agony that battered at his consciousness, darting and weaving in the dance of the hunt amongst the screaming prey.

From: Dispeyr | Posted: 9/7/2002 3:57:54 PM | Message Detail

Rumbling, the ground beneath Sphir's feet lurched as he drew his arm back from the shattered, dripping remains of a warmblood's skull. Straining against the onslaught of sensations, he clawed through the mind-share, seeking...and was rewarded with a pair of images flaring white-hot and ceasing abruptly from one end of the boxy transport. A memory flashed before his vision for an instant, of a silvery beast-rock descending from a strange, dark sky, twin streams of sun's fire streaming from tubes on it. The cowards were trying to flee! Dropping to all fours, Sphir whirled and threw himself towards the opening the prey had been using, soaring through the air towards the end of the retracting rampway. He struck solidly, claws scrabbling for purchase on the hard, ridged surface, hurtling him up into the belly of the beast-rock just ahead of the spiralling mouth that hissed shut in his wake. A quick scan of the mind-share showed two claws' of the People still speaking, all standing in the blood-soaked clearing. Fifteen claws of Nocens littered the dirt around them, as well as the majority of the Chk'ilz. Fifteen...that left a single claw's worth. Abandoning the thoughts of his kindred, Sphir gently probed about the innards of the transport, seeking, hunting; there were thoughts, brimming with the coldness the warmbloods called "fear", that pounding feeling hammering away within them. A pair of minds held only thoughts of twinkling lights on flat silvery things before them, of odd black branches twisting in their hands; a lone thought-voice bespoke a picture of the jungle below, over which a pair of hair-thin lines crossed, giving it a warm, flat sensation that overwhelmed the chill. As Sphir began creeping towards the images, brilliant shafts of crimson light flashed across that image, again and again, spearing down into the clearing below and its surroundings. Clouds of dust and debris scattered from each blast; Sphir didn't even bother to confirm the inevitable deaths of the last of the pack. A shiny gullet stood open in the wall of the transport's stomach beyond a few last stacks of blocks, beckoning with the promise of fresh blood. Sphir approached slowly, moving on all four limbs, and gave a short hop as he reached the lip of the opening. His claws dug into the hard surface of the gullet's roof with soft squeaks, barely audible even to himself beneath the thunder of the transport's flight. He eased his way down the gleaming throat, belly flat to the ceiling to which he clung. The cold-fear of the Nocens ahead had faded away, replaced with the trilling, stacatto sounds they called "laughter" and tingling waves that coursed through their bodies. Despite himself, Sphir's antennae twitched wildly, thrashing in a display of pure need to kill. These prey thought it amusing to fly safe in their armored transport, raining down fiery death from a distance upon those who were true hunters...he would show them amusement. The end of the tunnel was before him, sealed off by another of those spiralling jaws. Sphir's mandibles twitched slightly in amusement; this shiny rocklike substance had yet to prove a match for the razors his tinkering kindred had created. With a brief instant of concentration, the weapons whined to life, and the Chk'ilz leapt forward, lashing out and down. There was a momentary shock, and then the silvery wall parted as easily as a warmblood's skin. --- ~=<{Misery's Dark Shadow | Ocissor of the Crimson Void}>=~ Sin - "I am the demon all must face, the darkened void of hope forsaken."

From: Dispeyr | Posted: 9/7/2002 3:58:43 PM | Message Detail

In the space beyond, three figures spun, their strange eyes bulged wide. Sphir hissed his anger, lunging instantly for the one who had dared to hunt his kind with the red light. The prey was fast, managing to snatch one of those blasters from its side even as the claws speared straight into those eyes. The brilliant beam slashed a track across Sphir's leg as it swung wildly downwards, melting instantly through suit and chitin alike. His hiss transformed into one of pained blood-need, Sphir slammed his free arm across the prey's twitching torso, splitting it cleanly in twain to hurl the upper part towards the others. It struck one full on, sending him to the floor in a mess of limbs and gore, a second blaster spinning away from its flailing hand. Sphir promptly came down on all fours, one of his foreclaws squishing straight through the warmblood's neck. The third prey seemed very calm, just staring at Sphir with those wide, white-rimmed eyes, perhaps a true warrior with some concept of the hunt. Sphir reached out with his mind-share, touching a wall of icy cold "fear" and wildly scattered concepts, none complete enough to even make out beyond an overwhelming pair of urges to freeze or flee. Sphir hissed again, antennae weaving in the bobbing rhythm of disgust, and focussed his thoughts on smashing through the warmblood's mental weakness. It gave way with a ripping sensation not unlike that of tearing bark, plunging Sphir's awareness into the depths of the un-weaned brain even as the prey slumped limply in its seat, its mind simply unable to cope with such a shock. The Chk'ilz hunter sought only for a way to take the hulking transport to its kindred, yet scenes and images kept appearing before his mind's eye. Sphir did not understand them in the least, none except for the fleeting pcitures of a vast array of gigantic "transports," followed by sights of orbs hanging in speckled darkness, much like the way he had seen Sthis Xill upon his return, suddenly engulfed completely in fire like tiny suns. Immediately, the blood-need flashed through him, his rattling hiss sending chittering echoes throughout the belly of the vessel; that same hiss spread out in a wave across the verdant land below, filling the air with the promise of death. (OOC: Cut one of those posts just a paragraph too short for three posts, damnit...) --- ~=<{Misery's Dark Shadow | Ocissor of the Crimson Void}>=~ Sin - "I am the demon all must face, the darkened void of hope forsaken."

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 9/8/2002 4:06:42 PM | Message Detail

In a swift reentry into real space, the Krieger slowed quickly. Below, spinning in a rotation was a blue sphere, a planet. The pearly white of clouds swirled around the edges of the planet in a haphazard fashion. The planet was almost entirely succumbed in water with little land at all. It was a beautiful sight to behold, little to say. The stealth system was engaged, the craft a black silhouette against the crystal blue planet. I stared out the window in awe of the planets’ beauty, only to be brought back to reality by warning bells. It appeared as though our entry had been detected, but that our ship itself wasn’t. “Uh, let’s get this thing on the ground before they decide to open their eyes to find us,” Kayland said, and Kristav voiced her consent for the aforementioned plan. I nodded once, gripping the thruster controls tightly and bringing the engine power up to its max setting. The Krieger barreled downward, heading on a collision course with the planet below. The nose of the craft soon turned a bright red, the ship taking on the appearance of a shooting star. The shields would keep the craft from burning up, but Nizara began to pray in spite of this knowledge to all aboard. I didn’t feel ready to tell her to cut it out, but another part of me wanted her to shut up so I could concentrate so that we wouldn’t die. Water surged towards us, a bright blue maw readying its jaws to take us under. And then, we hit. The inertial dampers did wonders, blowing off much of the kinetic energy that had been built up and dispersing it into the waves. Pillars of steam rose up from where we landed, rolling high into the sky like a beacon to the entire world where we were. The Krieger slowly sank downward into the icy depths. Red lights came on, illuminating everyone in the cockpit. “Everything okay?” I asked, taking a quick look around. “Well, I’m fine, but it looks like Nizara fainted. At least she isn’t screaming anymore,” Kristav said, and I had a faint memory from a moment ago that she was screaming. Had I become so accustomed to the sound that it no longer registered in my mind? I brushed the thought away and turned my attention to Kayland and the task at hand. “I’m good to go, as is out little baby,” Kayland said, giving his console a little tap. It appeared he was becoming attached to the Krieger. I nodded, then began to punch in several buttons and keys, bringing the sensors online. “Looks like there’s a city of sorts built on the ocean no more than a hundred kilometers away. Shouldn’t take us more than an hour to get there. I’ll need you, Kristav, to stay and watch the ship with Nizara, as well as go over what we need to fix this thing. Kayland and I will scout around in the city, once we reach it,” I said, looking at both Kayland and Kristav in turn. Both nodded in affirmation to my orders. There wasn’t much left but to sit back and enjoy the ride, as in an hour things would become just a rad bit more complicated. (OOC: One post! Actually, I just needed to get a single post up as an introduction to the new world. My next "set" should be either two to three posts in length.)

From: Wolfgang Visarett | Posted: 9/12/2002 10:43:06 PM | Message Detail

(OOC: What happened? Where is everyone?) --- “Tis but a moment in time and space, and yet, it holds a meaning far more than anything ever to be seen..." <http://thepage.imess.net/>

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