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Post by ch00beh on Mar 8, 2016 12:39:49 GMT -5
She danced in freefall around a large ball of rock orbiting an even bigger ball of water orbiting a somewhat larger ball of fire. Unlike those behemoths, the Lady Valentina was a tiny pinprick of reflected light. Her form stood in even more contrast: the celestial bodies were imperfect orbs formed over mind bogglingly long timescales by a series of mind bogglingly violent explosions, but the Lady Valentina was a glass cigar, shaped over a couple (not counting prior R&D time) years by exacting (mostly) human (more or less) hands. This is not to take anything away from the sheer scale of the ship. Compared to the universe, only a handful of things warranted significant digits. Turning away from the pockmarked gray landscape over which the Lady flew, and readjusting our scale to look at things in the hundreds of meters rather than millions, we find that the Lady Valentina could be considered a titan in her own right. Dozens of shuttles flew in and out of her many hangar bays, engines flickering like fireflies around a redwood. Smaller still were the more numerous crew members on EVA performing the final external inspections over the Lady's latticework of gilded struts. Inside the ship and monitoring the last preparations was the ship's owner, Alia Maersk. In her left ear, she heard a mix of engineers rattling off diagnostics, managers taking inventory, and technicians guiding shuttle traffic. In her right ear, she heard her husband's rich baritone greeting each passenger as they they arrived on the lower deck. Tall, blonde, and handsome Jesper Maersk was playing the captain for the Lady's maiden voyage. Alia Maersk was content to simply be the paycheck guiding it all. While of course there were other investors for humanity's first interplanetary cruise, Alia maintained majority share. The woman was well into her 40s but refused to act the part. She completed another lap around the Lady's top deck, a dome of moon and stars glowing overhead and lush, flowering gardens stretching around her. The jog wasn't for anything so shallow as vanity; Alia ran because she didn't like being still, and her heart wouldn't be beating this hard until they were finally breaking orbit. Space! This was a thrill Alia hadn't even dreamed of until a few years ago when a business partner suggested it. Back then she had actually considered conquering Everest to be her pinnacle achievement. Alia's reverie was interrupted by a repeating vibration on her wrist. She slowed her jog to a stop and checked the screen on her watch. One hour to launch. Alia grinned and turned toward the ship's center then started running again. In her left ear, through the cacophony of intermixed communication channels, Alia could pick out the traffic controller's voice guiding the last passenger shuttle into bay 42. In only a few minutes, Alia would hear her husband's voice greeting those passengers at the central elevator shaft like he'd done with all the guests prior. With the ship nearing launch and everyone onboard, that meant it was time to get dressed and play the affable hostess for some moments. Alia came to a stop just outside the mahogany and brass elevator doors. As she hit the down button, one of the six doors slid open and several guests--obvious as none wore silver-trimmed black staff uniforms--filed out. Alia smiled amicably at them, though for the most part she was only briefly noticed. The guests were otherwise immediately captured by the fragrant gardens and chittering birds under a speckled expanse, and all were busy with more or less the same conversation of disorientation with the front of the ship actually being the top deck and the gravity only being about 80% as strong as Earth's. Alia grinned wider as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her suite. The guests reminded her of the first time she herself stepped upon the Lady Valentina, and this would be a voyage they would all remember. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EXY Also in the interest of being slightly more organized than LTR: For those who can't read my handwriting, it goes Observation/Gardens, Pool/Spa, Gym, Courts/Recreation, Shops/Restaurants/Main Dining, Casinos/Bars, Clubs, 2BR Suites, Luxury Suites, Personnel/Life Support/Storage, Hangar, Power/Life Support, Warp Drive. Multiple floors where multiple floors are needed. ALTHOUGH as you can tell, I did have to make things confusing somehow because the engines are down, not back. The observation deck is up, not front. Deal with it.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Mar 8, 2016 16:59:03 GMT -5
Hangar Bay 42 was a fairly standard double-action airlock design; the external bulkhead opened to receive a ship, and the internal bulkhead opened to disembark its passengers. Unfortunately for the shipwrights, this design had been conceived with industry in mind, and had proved disastrous in early focus testing for luxury liners; 'frightening' had been the consensus, with 'deafening' following close behind. The bays were enormous, and the sheer volume of air to be pressurized mandated that each transfer gate be several meters in thickness, and the machinery required to move the massive gates up and down made a considerable amount of noise. Therefore, the Maersk Group devoted an even more considerable sum of money to the design and engineering of an internal bulkhead well insulated to the harsh environments just on the other side of its substantial walls. The end result was an opulent passenger reception deck so quiet the company eventually elected to pipe in Muzak to break the silence and further augment the elegant design. It was this design, this marvelous design, that three young black men in even blacker clothes, and one large humanoid robot, in no clothes, found themselves admiring as they stood at attention before it. 'So you're saying... we'd be sucked into space.' the leftmost man asked, mouth slightly agape as he stared up at the monolithic bay doors, stretching dozens of feet overhead. 'If this bulkhead failed, yes. Right now the outer gate is open. That means only this wall separates you from.. poof.' The man in the center gestured as he talked, gloved hands flourishing grandly. The leftmost porter's mouth opened even further as he contemplated. 'I don't hear anything. Is the shuttle here?' The rightmost man shifted nervously, hands folded behind his back, as he'd been instructed. 'It's here. When the bay is depressurized, sound waves can't propagate.' '...huh?' 'You can't hear anything in space.' <I DO BELIEVE THE SHUTTLE HAS COMPLETED DOCKING PROTOCOLS, SIR> the android boomed in a rich, proper English accent. It stood a full head taller than the tallest of the three men, smooth chrome skin covering its stocky humanoid frame. A shudder passed through the floor and a low vibrating hum filled the room. The man in the center smiled slightly, immaculately white teeth peeking from behind his dark lips. 'Alright boys, just like we practiced.' ------------------------------ The bulkhead hissed as the pneumatic arms holding it in place released. Slowly the massive gate crawled upward, a low thrum reverberating through the bay as it slowly folded laterally into the high raftered ceiling. The shuttle had already been clamped into place, and the passenger ramp was slowly descending from the ship's belly. As it touched down with a satisfying click, the three men stepped forward in perfect lockstep to greet the Valentina's newest arrivals. 'Good morning! Welcome aboard!' the man in the center boomed, his smile now dialed up to several thousand watts. He took two practiced steps up the ramp and extended a gloved hand to a smartly dressed woman who was carefully making her way down with her young daughter in tow. The leftmost man had moved to the left side of the ramp to receive luggage from the shuttle porters, fluidly turning to set down a piece before rotating back to grab another in perfect rhythm. The rightmost man moved to the right side of the ramp to greet the steward and take the necessary passenger and luggage documentation. The android remained in the interior, prepared to greet each guest warmly (the DCA-18X-RB Robotic Butler or 'RoBie' was also enjoying its maiden deployment aboard the Lady, and thus was more tourist attraction than service robot). The smiling man guided the families down the ramp with ease, arms carefully articulated to bring them forward to the interior bulkhead. As the last of the harried toddler-toting fathers stepped off the platform, he moved gracefully around the gathered herd and positioned himself in front of the glittering brass elevators, trimmed neatly in oiled mahogany and dripping with the grand opulence that the Valentina so diligently advertised. 'Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Waylon, and it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you all aboard the Lady Valentina on her magnificent maiden voyage! In just a few moments we'll be stepping into these lovely lifts behind me, and you'll be off to meet our fearless leader, Captain Maersk.' A few passengers exchanged glances and began to rustle nervously. Waylon gestured to the two other porters, who had remained by the shuttle to load the luggage onto a series of mag-lev trays that sagged lower and lower with each bag they laid across the bare metal. 'Not to worry, my colleagues are attending your luggage, and will be taking it to our sorting facility, which will place your things in your suites momentarily. I'm pleased to announce that we are currently operating at a 100% success rate for sorting, and in all of our voyages aboard the Lady, we have yet to lose a bag!' Waylon paused for a brief moment to let the joke sink in. After a beat, he waved towards the RoBie, and the passengers immediately lit up. 'I can see you're all excited to meet my friend, and he is just as excited to meet you, I assure you - let's all gather together for a quick photo op!' The android raised itself to its full height and gave a perfectly human wave to the throng of passengers snapping photos with cameras and camera phones. <DELIGHTFUL TO MEET YOU ALL. GATHER IN CLOSE, NOW. ON THREE, EVERYBODY SAY 'INCORRECT SYNTAX; ARGUMENT NOT RECOGNIZED'>The group fell silent, and more nervous glances were exchanged. The RoBie's face, little more than three rectangular cutouts that lit up as it spoke, could not express much emotion, but as it tilted its head slightly and shrugged its shoulders, the levity was clear. <A BIT OF ROBOT HUMOUR! SAY CHEESE!>Now they were laughing out loud and smiling, and as the robot's eyes flashed brightly, Waylon gathered them together and herded them onto the elevators, where they would travel to the central shaft to meet the Captain and then be dismissed to their suites or any of the other leisure decks. The RoBie would upload the picture to the CIC mainframe, which would log each passenger's face and match it to their passport to bolster the ship's onboard facial recognition surveillance. It looked down at Waylon, eyes flickering as unknown subroutines ran in the background of its digital mind. < IF YOU PLEASE, SIR WAYLON, I AM REQUIRED IN THE SUITES> Waylon smiled, 'On your way, then,' and turned back into the hangar, where the other two porters were returning from placing the luggage onto sorting conveyors to be shipped to Central Storage. 'All set, fellas?' he asked, clapping his gloved hands together. The leftmost porter, a bear of a man named Chaz, snorted through his nose indignantly. 'Alright, Bell, that's all the passengers. You told us you had A JOB lined up on this ship - you didn't say anything about it being an actual job.' 'Yeah, boss. If we wanted honest work, we'd be back home standing in line to pull freight at the railyard.' The rightmost porter, Terry, was rail-thin and the lightest of the three, his olive skin and golden eyes standing proud against the sateen black of his uniform. 'This line of work don't suit us one bit, man.' Waylon sighed, placing a gloved hand on Chaz's shoulder. 'Patience, my brothers. I brought you with me on this grand endeavor because it is worth it. You're correct, Terry, you're too right, this line of work doesn't suit us one bit. We are above these things. Destined for greater.' He extended his other hand across the air with a flourish. 'My plan will take us higher and farther than anyone from the corners of Thistle and Sumac Street ever could have dreamed of going.' He turned back to Chaz. 'I can't do this alone. I need my soldiers with me. I've always had your back, Chaz. Stay with me a little longer, and all will be made clear.' Chaz snuffed again, but nodded. 'Yeah, I got you.' Terry nodded in agreement. 'With you, boss. So what now?' Waylon turned his eyes back to the interior, with its rich red carpet and shiny brass elevators. He watched as the RoBie lankily shuffled down the hall and out of sight, chrome plates glittering in the soft glow of the frosted overhead lamps. He smiled again, pearl-white teeth shining just as brightly. 'Oh... I have an idea.'
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Post by Beelzebibble on Mar 8, 2016 20:44:17 GMT -5
all were busy with more or less the same conversation of disorientation Getcher fresh hot ORP commentary here
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Post by Loogs on Mar 9, 2016 18:14:55 GMT -5
“Wow.”
Ivan was a man who was known for the ability to wax poetic about the cosmos for hours. He could prattle on about red giants expanding and dispersing into misty nebulas. He could ramble at length about the possibilities of other forms of life in the universe. He could maunder all day about the valleys of Mars and the storms of Jupiter.
However, when taken out into actual interstellar space for the very first time, one would find that his commentary becomes rather limited.
“Wooooow.”
“Mazel tov, Ivan.” Dimitri strode over next to Ivan, whose face was pressed to the window, and handed him a glass of champagne. He smiled and lifted his glass to initiate a toast. “L’chaim, buddy. Happy birthday.”
“Cheers!” They clinked their glasses together and took a sip. “Dimitri, I still can’t believe you did this for me. How much money did you dr—“
“No, don’t worry about how much I spent on this. I’ve been saving since I’ve known about its development. I knew I had to get you on this ship somehow, and no offense, but I really do think you deserve better than the stowaway route we took on the last luxury trip.” Dimitri leaned back in his sumptuous armchair and gazed out the window at the stars. He had to turn up the hustle and work double at the law firm to make enough extra money for a luxury suite for two on the Lady Valentina (and perhaps called in a favor from his birth mother, Queen Marimai of Raiixia, to borrow the last of the funds needed), but to see his stargazing best friend completely verklempt over actually traveling through space as opposed to simply studying about it on Earth or astral projecting made all the grueling hours worth it.
“Thanks so much, Dimitri, I can’t begin to express how much I appreciate this.” Ivan put down his glass to take a bite out of a slice of the rich, decadent black forest cake that they had room service bring to them to celebrate the occasion. He couldn’t help but grin goofily and chuckle. A dorky, baby-faced mage, dressed in the blue and gold light traditional Stargazer Mage tunic he wore for social occasions, sitting across from the bespectacled up-and-coming lawyer from Whelkshore, clad in a crisp white dress shirt, gray vest and black tie. The upscale suite was a far cry from the rustic comfort of his humble cabin on the summit of Gulo’s highest mountain.
“Don’t mention it.” Dimitri took another sip of his champagne, a demi-sec Veuve Clicquot he handpicked to pair best with the chocolate cake. This time, they’d be indulging and enjoying their stay in the utmost comfort, not sneaking around in cargo containers and crawling from the top of the train from car to car dangerously. While he enjoyed the thrill of risky adventuring from time to time, Dimitri would rather have everything planned out such that the evening would go smoothly and optimally. After having to inhabit the body of a small furry animal and thus playing to the more improvisational whims of Ivan and Hector for years, it was nice to be the one in control of the occasion for once. He savored the very satisfactory first bite of his slice of cake. How nice to be able to finally taste chocolate.
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Post by Yoshimitsu on Mar 12, 2016 17:56:11 GMT -5
HEY HAVE A SUPER SHORT POST but man this could be fun "We're going to get caught." "No we're not, stop thinking negative." "Seriously, we're going to get caught. We're the only passengers without a golden ticket." "Claire, I can hack our way through any situation, we'll be fine if you'd stop worrying." They were walking through the observation area, surrounded by plants that Tallis couldn't name and didn't really care to figure out. It was pretty. Things were good to look at. He didn't really care about them after seeing the colours you see one flower, you've seen them all. He didn't mind walking over the fake-pavement at his own pace, glancing around the different trees and flowers and whatever, casual as he liked because why the hell not? A trip to space was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and he wasn't about to ring Garth up for a one-way trip instead of a leisurely cruise. The ship wasn't moving yet, but it was enough that they were actually on board. Claire wasn't as convinced. "Have you tried looking at what anyone else is wearing yet?" He asked casually, gesturing vaguely towards a couple sat near the windows. One of them was in a black tank-top, toned muscles and questionable tattoos, the other apparently ignoring him with headphones on and purple hair looking almost black in this light. Tallis flicked his gaze back to the vast windows of the ship, wondering when the ship was going to take off. "Yes, and there's nothing worth commenting on," Claire responded. He glanced back and saw her sweeping her bangs from her face, the train on her top flowing behind her. He couldn't argue with her. "Some upper-class in suits, some lucky winners in casual clothing. Nothing has the right fit." "No couture?" "No couture." Tallis grinned at her.
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Post by ch00beh on Mar 12, 2016 21:54:13 GMT -5
OOC: COUTURE IS DUMB "Thank you, RoBie," Alia said as the robotic butler finished styling her hair in an elegant bun. Alia was seated in front of a bathroom mirror applying her own makeup. She kept it simple--just enough eyeliner and foundation to make the eyes pop and hide any minor blemishes, but otherwise Alia wasn't going to glam up like a model. <DELIGHTED TO BE OF SERVICE AS ALWAYS, MISS MAERSK. WHAT ELSE CAN I DO FOR YOU?>"Can you find my black heels?" <CERTAINLY, MISS MAERSK.> The robotic butler stepped out of the bathroom and made its way to one of the walk in closets to carry out the task. Alia had picked up a dangling silver earring and another gold one and was holding them by her ears, comparing them against her navy cocktail dress. It didn't take long for Alia to settle on the silver ones, and she grabbed a silver necklace to match as well. By the time she was finished putting on the accessories, RoBie was back with her shoes. Alia turned in her chair and held one leg up then the other for the butler to slip the appropriate shoe on. "Thank you, RoBie. You are dismissed for now. If you have no other duties to perform, go ahead to the gardens to entertain our guests." <MY PLEASURE, MISS MAERSK. I WILL SEE YOU IN THE GARDENS SHORTLY.> RoBie bowed and exited. Alia applied some lipstick then stood up and went out to the main room. A full body mirror was nearby, and Alia turned quickly to make sure everything was in place. The dress had been custom made, so it almost always fell perfectly around Alia's athletic build, but it never hurt to double check. Satisfied, the woman walked to the suite's exit. As she reached for the door handle, she held out her other hand. From across the room a slim white purse flew from its resting position on the bed and into the air. Alia caught the purse without really looking, its contents jingling as it hit her palm, and stepped into the hallway.
Rie found her mouth agape for the third time today. She closed it. Awe. This emotion she was feeling while staring out of the garden's glass dome and into space was awe. Rie didn't like it. She kept looking out at the stars anyway. A vacation had seemed like a good idea at the time. Since getting lobotomized by Catch via rifle, Rie's head hadn't been working right. A vacation from the entirety of planet Earth seemed like a good way to clear the mind and just take a break. It wasn't until after Rie had finished purchasing a ticket that she realized prior to the incident, she would never have considered "taking a break" to be useful for anything. Panic. That was the emotion she had felt after waking up in Sly's lab and being told about the damage to her implants and brain, and it was also the same emotion that she felt when she realized that she was thinking differently. Rie knew what panic was on an academic level--it was the response that prompted adrenaline being pumped into the system--but she hadn't experienced the irrationality that came with it since she was 13. The fuck have you done to me Ysane?Rie pounded a fist into the glass wall and then realized after a hairline crack formed that this was a terrible impulse. Rie's heart started pounding again with that panic reflex, and the girl jumped back as warning klaxons fired off. Less than a second after the alarms had started, a silverish substance seeped out of the floor and crawled its way up the wall and seeped into the crack. Arcs of electricity flashed through it, then the substance fell like ashes back down. More silver goo moved like an amoeba over the fallen particles, then seeped back through the vent from which it came. The crack in the window had disappeared completely, and the alarms had turned off. Anger. That was the emotion that Nat did. Rie didn't like it either.
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Post by SHADOWMASTER89 on Mar 13, 2016 17:37:36 GMT -5
Just after the blaring of klaxons had ended the doors to one of the gilded elevators in the observation gardens opened. Out poured numerous men in expensive, stylish suits wearing single ear pieces and fanning out across the deck as if securing the location. They were obvious bodyguards, but for whom wasn’t apparent until a dashing young man in an expensive, Italian made suit strode out of the elevator followed by more bodyguards and two hovering spheres that remained directly at his back, each marked with a picture of the globe and F.I.I. superimposed over it.
Wolfgang Brahms was a ravishing, charming figure with well kept blonde hair, mesmerizing blue eyes and the style and swagger of a typical young highroller, but without the snob factor. A gold plated rolex adorned his left wrist and a cocktail was perched prominently in his right hand. His father had passed away nearly five years ago in a freak helicopter crash and left the entirety of his global conglomerate of corporations and his vast fortune to his son, Wolfgang. Unlike most young highrollers, however, instead of squandering it all he showed immense ambition and sound business sense and managed to grow it all even bigger. Wolfgang, still only in his late twenties, was now not only one of the richest and best established business men in the world, but perhaps one of the most eligible and sought after bachelors in the world. It was not uncommon for women of all ages to throw themselves at him everywhere he went, not that he encouraged it, most of the time.
“I’m certain that Miss Maersk will be here shortly to greet all of her guests, I want to make a lasting first impression.” He said in a low voice with a slight German accent, his head slightly cocked towards his security chief.
“Of course sir, I’ll make certain my men don’t crowd you too closely once she arrives.” The dark skinned man responded in a rough, slightly French sounding accent. Arnaud Jacquemin was a stern faced man of slight build and while he had been Mr. Brahms’ security chief since his father’s passing and become used to his laid back demeanor, he still took his job very seriously and would yield only so much at his employer’s requests for space.
“Not to worry, I’ll keep the security drones close. I just don’t want my…”, he looked around a bit, “...overzealously sized? Security detail suffocating my natural charm.” He finished with a grin as he straightened his tie.
“As you wish”, Arnaud responded simply.
Wolfgang rolled his eyes a bit, “you’re like a robot, try to live a little, yah?”
“She is a married women”, Arnaud argued slightly, looking around at the crowd.
Wolfgang frowned a bit, confused. “Wait, you thought I was hoping to try and bed Alia Maersk on this trip? No, no...I mean certainly she’s a gorgeous women and...geez, I know my interest even in older women is well known, but...this is strictly business. I was one of the biggest investors in this project.”
“My apologies sir, I didn’t mean to imply---”
“I mean, I suppose it isn’t a terrible idea, she is a gorgeous women.”
Arnaud frowned slightly, “and there he goes.”
Truth be told Wolfgang had bedded many married women in the past, most of them admirers of his and it was to the point that much of the hate mail and death threats he received now a days was from livid ex-husbands. Alia Maersk, on the other hand was a women that had launched one of the greatest achievements in human history. The maiden space flight of the first warp capable ship of human construction. She was a pioneer for humanity and more someone that Wolfgang wanted to partner with in business than anything else. He had invested much in this project and had refused to miss the final result. If, however, he did find that the amazing Alia Maersk could be charmed into his bed, he would certainly entertain the idea of utterly ravishing her given the chance. The idea of bedding a married woman always made his toes curl with ecstasy. He found it to be an exhilarating prospect, but in the case of Miss Maersk, he needed to first ensure that it would not endanger any potential business relationship going forward.
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As soon as Bay 42 was clear of passengers and staff and pilot disembarked from the cockpit and began his inspection of the craft to ensure that everything was in top form. Even a glance inside the storage compartment confirmed that all necessary emergency equipment was in its place. Once finished the pilot headed to the gilded elevators to proceed to the personnel section of the ship for debrief. To conserve power most of the lights in the now empty bay dimmed considerably. There was a slight hiss as the storage compartment on the shuttle opened slightly and a dark shape leaked out across the floor. It was like a shadow, a haze, a mist. It crept across the floor, never touching the light. As it neared a vent on the wall it seemed to twist up from the floor right through the air, effortlessly drifting between the open shutters. Within it seemed to materialize into a three dimensional object, a knelt humanoid figure took form.
Within seconds it was a thin framed, young woman in a black tank top and black knee shorts, her feet bare, her black hair styled in a short, boyish style and a katana sheathed within a black scabbard rested in her right hand. Her eyes remained as black as the abyss for several seconds before she finally blinked and they gave way to white, with brown irises. Ono Karigashi was onboard and was now one step closer to exacting vengeance upon the man who had cast shame and dishonor upon her family. After nearly four years, this was it. Onboard the Lady Valentina would be the best chance she might ever get to end her quest once and for all.
She brought the sheathed katana around in front of her and held it vertically before her. Closing her eyes gently, she spoke in a hushed whisper, “spirits, ancestors, it is time. By your will, may my movements be silent and swift. May my skill be flawless and my actions true. May the shadows be my veil and your wisdom be my guide. Grant me strength, grant me resolve and when the time comes...grant me my revenge.”
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Post by ch00beh on Mar 26, 2016 1:26:29 GMT -5
Field Agent Alexander Price was conflicted.
On the one hand, he was in fucking space. On the other hand, he was technically on the clock. The Maersk Group had insisted that everything on the Lady Valentina was made with mundane human technology, but Saeptum was always paranoid about sudden leaps in human understanding. Made sense. Ever since they found out about the first iPhone prototype... Price shook his head and suppressed a shudder. He didn't want to even think of something so terrible.
Price settled into his "park" bench, staring at the dark moon and clear stars overhead, though he occasionally stole glances at the central elevators. Price was on the Lady Valentina for more than just observing the ship's technology while it was operating: he was here also on suspicion that Alia Maersk was secretly a Power.
The woman was exceedingly private in her affairs--nothing too out of the ordinary for a fucking billionaire--but there had been rumors from people who accompanied her on her treks, even a couple anonymous reports from who knows where. Price's inner conspiracy theorist was betting those anons were business rivals, not real witnesses, but Saeptum didn't take chances with the unknown.
The lights on the elevator indicated that door number five was about to open. Price stole a glance down but ended up staring as suited bodyguards filed out and surrounded a pair of better dressed guys. Several other civilians were staring as well, so Price didn't bother to suppress his raised eyebrow. He did, however, stop himself from taking a picture with his phone to run a face search on who the hell brought a burly entourage on a spaceship. The agent could get that later.
On the other side of the central elevator shaft, elevator one's dark wooden doors slid open and Alia gracefully stepped out. A RoBie showed up within seconds bearing a tray of champagne flutes. Alia took one and smiled her thanks at the robot. RoBie jerked into a bow, then clambered off to the next guest to offer them a drink.
Alia's left ear was still listening in on the entire ship's chatter, and while the chatter grew sparser as launch neared, her right ear was entirely silent. Alia held her arm out to check the countdown timer then raised her wrist back to her mouth.
"Jesper," she said.
"Yes, dear?" said Alia's right earpiece.
"Fifteen minutes 'til. Does everything look good?"
"Never better. I always loved that necklace."
"Jesper." Alia smiled and winked at one of the nearby cameras. "You know what I'm asking."
Alia heard chuckling in her right ear. "Oh, with the ship! Yes, everything is ready to go. All engineers have given the go, and we have the full path to Jupiter plotted out."
"Wonderful."
"Nothing less. And now, I think I have an announcement to make and you have a small toast to prepare for."
"Of course, Captain. I'll see you soon."
"You, too."
Alia's right ear piece made a clicking sound, then right after, a high fidelity chime sound could be heard on every deck of the Lady Valentina through hidden speakers. There was another audible click, and Jesper's lightly accented voice sounded live over the PA. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Jesper Maersk speaking. On behalf of myself, my beautiful wife Alia, and the rest of the crew, I'd like to welcome you all for a second time aboard the Lady Valentina's. In fifteen minutes, we will be setting out on a grand tour of the outer solar system--the first grand tour any human in history has seen! But before we break orbit, I would like to invite all of you who are not already enjoying the gardens to make your way to the top floor of the Lady Valentina. Trust me, you'll thank me for the views."
Rie didn't thank him.
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Post by Loogs on Mar 26, 2016 17:11:46 GMT -5
Ivan and Dimitri finished their cake just as the announcement was made over the PA system. “Oh! Guess we should start making our way to the garden, then?” Ivan put down his fork on the plate and rose from his seat. Dimitri picked up a small remote lying on the table and clicked a button. Within a minute, a RoBie strolled into the room, carrying a bus tray.
“Would you please take all the dirty dishes away, RoBie?”
<AS YOU WISH, MR. GALETSKY.>
“Many thanks.”
Ivan was intrigued by the subservient android. “Wow, it recognized you? That’s amazing… Technology has advanced so quickly since I was a little boy.”
<IS THERE SOMETHING YOU NEED, MR. SERGEYEV?>
“Oh, nothing! I was just admiring you, pay me no mind.” He gave the robot a pat on its metal chest and chuckled. “Shall we head off then, Dimitri?”
“Yeah, I’m ready, let’s go.” Ivan and Dimitri left their suite and walked over to the elevator, filling up quickly with people on their way to the same destination. Trying to be heard over the loud chatter, Dimitri asked Ivan, “’Sergeyev’? How come I didn’t know what your surname was until now?”
“Oh, has it not come up? I figured it would have, you’ve met my parents once or twice, haven’t you?”
“No, I must not have caught it.”
“Yeah, my full name is Ivan Juoksa Sergeyev, son of Juoksa Sergeyev, renowned seventh-level Stargazer Mage and astronomer, and grandson of Alexei Tuomas Sergeyev, who helmed a team of Mages working on Vostok and Venera.” Ivan smiled and winked at Dimitri. “I come from a long line of people who know a thing or two about space.”
Dimitri raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Impressive.” He wasn’t sure how this had never been mentioned. When he thought about it, however, it made sense: Ivan never talked at length about himself, only about what he studied. I should make an effort to get to know him better. We’ve been friends for a decade, and I didn’t even know his full name.
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Post by SHADOWMASTER89 on Mar 29, 2016 16:32:27 GMT -5
Wolfgang had been strolling around the observation deck admiring the gardens as well as the views of the moon and stars as well as the fact that there were actual birds living onboard the ship. How they had managed to construct and maintain an actual, living ecosystem on part of the ship was beyond him, but it was truly fascinating. “Mr. Brahms”, Arnaud started as he approached his employer. “Miss Maersk has arrived.” “Ah, wonderful”, he responded as he whirled around to look in the direction of the elevators. He caught sight of her just as she was taking a champagne flute from a tray carried by one of the many RoBies aboard the ship. He grinned slightly as he admired how radiant she appeared in her navy colored cocktail dress accented by her choice of silver jewelry and black heels. He had always been fairly observant and there was something too perfect about the fit of her dress for it to be anything other than custom made. With her kind of money, however, he wasn’t exactly surprised by this and it accented her figure quite well. “Sir?” Arnaud repeated. Wolfgang blinked and shook his head as the voice of his security chief pulled him from his daydream. “Ah, yes. What were you saying?” “I was saying that the itinerary indicates she has a small toast planned. I wasn’t certain whether you wanted to approach her before or after.” Arnaud tried not to sound impatient. “Hmm, I think i’ll wait until after her toast. I don’t want to interrupt her launch plans.” He responded as he held up his left wrist to check the time on his gold plated rolex. “Very well sir.” Just then a RoBie carrying a tray of champagne flutes strolled up beside them. Wolfgang smiled and took one in his left hand and placed the empty cocktail glass in his right on the tray. “I’ll just let you take care of that.” He said as he turned away and went back to eyeing Alia Maersk from across the room as her husband’s announcement began. <AS YOU WISH, MR. BRAHMS.> Somehow knowing that Alia’s husband was the Captain of the ship made her all the more enticing to Wolfgang. He’d never had the pleasure of enticing a married woman into his bed with her husband so close at hand. Wonder how solid their relationship is, he thought as he grinned darkly, swirling the champagne in his flute slightly. He’d decided that pursuing her was worth any trouble it might cause. He was still one of the project’s largest investors, he figured that had to get him some business credit no matter what happened. “Cheers”, he said quietly before taking a swig. Didn’t originally intend for this guy to be a bit of a wacko, but that just seems to be where he’s heading so i’ma just roll with it.
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Post by ch00beh on May 2, 2016 23:13:58 GMT -5
Field Agent Alexander Price held two glasses of champagne close to his chest as he followed the crowd in the odd twilight environment. He looked up again--definitely stars and the moon in the "sky"--then he looked down--definitely could see colors and facial details. Hologram, maybe? It would probably be in the briefing files he got before coming here. But those were all the way back in the room.
A platinum blonde attendant made direct eye contact with him, breaking his reverie. "The podium is just up ahead," she said, still smiling. How did her cheeks do that for so long? Also a robot?
Price took a larger sip, poured the rest into his other flute, and brusquely handed the woman the empty glass. He thought he saw a break in the smile, or maybe that was his imagination. He didn't stick around to make sure and walked on. As the man moved along, he felt something land heavily on his shoulder. He turned his head sideways and saw a splotch of white on his charcoal suit, then looked up to see a brightly colored bird sitting a branch overhead. It flared its plumage proudly.
"Son of a..."
Alia paced thoughtfully at the base of a temporary stage expertly brought together by her staff twenty minutes before she arrived. She stopped every now and then to greet and clink glasses with early arrivers, mingling only lightly before letting them find a place to sit or stand. A couple thousand lawn chairs were set out in neat rows in front of the stage, and they began to fill up nicely.
Hello, I'm indeed Mrs. Maersk, but please, call me Alia. The pleasure is all mine. Welcome aboard my ship, etc etc, yes she is beautiful isn't she? Well, we'll be casting off--well, blasting off! haha--soon, so please take a seat.
And so on and so forth.
Alia navigated conversations like a ballroom dance, verbally engaging just long enough to ingratiate herself before physically stepping to a new partner. The steps to the dance--the introductions and banter--were all approximately similar, and Alia easily guided any missteps her partners made so that she could politely excuse them after a few quick smiles.
The lighting in the area began to dim, and Alia felt a buzz on her wrist. Five minutes. Alia interrupted her current conversation partners, a young, unmarried couple, mid-sentence with a hand on the young lady's elbow. "Alice, Robert, sorry to interrupt, but that's my cue to get on stage. You absolutely must tell me more about Machu Picchu. Are you free for dinner tomorrow?"
"Oh, um," Alice glanced at her partner who just gave her the deer in the headlights look. "Yes, of course."
"Perfect. Room 814, right?" Alia didn't wait for them to confirm. "I'll send a message later tonight with details."
With that, Alia turned to the stage and hopped onto it, not bothering to take the stairs off on the side. An attendant ran to her with a fresh glass for her hand and a tested mic for her collar. The sky had dimmed to an actual nighttime darkness and sof tred lights on the ground continued to illuminate pathways. Alia stepped to the center of the stage and watched the thousands of silhouettes mill to their seats. In her left ear, she heard a countdown. Three. Two. Alia put on a bright smile and held her champagne flute at waist level. One.
A spotlight came on, directly illuminating the woman standing with the easy grace of someone who owned not just the ship, but everyone in it. The PA chimes sounded.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the gardens. I told you all you would thank me, ya?" Jesper chuckled over the comms. "But the view is only one reason that we brought you here. I would like to introduce everyone to my wife, Alia. She is one of the biggest reasons we have this ship at all, and she'd like to share a few words with you all."
Alia waved as she received polite applause. She waited a few beats for the volume to die down, then raised her hand once more to bring full silence. "Thank you, Jesper.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to once again welcome you all aboard the Lady Valentina. It is a pleasure and an honor to not only host, but to travel with all of you to a frontier no human before has been.
"Ten years ago, the Lady was all just a pipe dream, something out of science fiction. No one believed that humans could even make it to Mars within a decade, let alone the outer planets. But thanks to countless individuals this ship is no longer just fantasy, and all of you standing here will be more than just witnesses to humanity's greatest achievement.
"And it is to us, the intrepid explorers, that I'd like to make a toast!" Alia lifted her glass. By this point, everyone would have been given an appropriate drink by the RoBies, possibly even a second or third. More importantly, but this point, the Lady Valentina reached the point in its orbit around the moon where Earth would appear to rise over the shadowed, pockmarked horizon. The ship had been rotated earlier such that this sight happened directly behind the stage. Alia smiled widely at the looks of awe appearing on the faces before her.
"Thank you all for being a part of this. Here's to a wonderful trip full of unimaginable experiences and lifelong memories."
The crowd applauded and glasses clinked. Alia simply smiled and took it all in, letting the sound dwindle naturally. She then raised a hand for silence again. "Now for the fun part. Jesper?"
The PA chimed on, but in addition, the "glass" dome behind Alia flickered into a screen, and a square man with a black uniform appeared. His back was to the camera, and in front of him were dozens of individuals staring intently at bright monitors. A countdown appeared at the bottom corner of the audience's screen.
"This is Captain Maersk conducting launch status check, " Jesper bellowed. "All stations verify readiness. Crew?"
"Crew is go."
"Engineering?"
"Engineering is go. Everything is humming pretty."
"Navigation?"
"Navigation is go."
"Medical?"
"Medical is go."
"Telemetry?"
"Telemetry is go."
"Communications?"
"We can hear you loud and clear; communications are go."
"Warp?"
"Clear skies, Captain. Warp is go."
"All stations are confirmed go," Jesper said. He clasped his hands behind his back. "Navigation, give me warp course for Jupiter insertion. Received. Pilot, set heading 22.9 degrees along the ecliptic and 1.3 degrees north."
The rising blue marble and gray lunar landscape started to pull away and out of view as the Lady Valentina rotated to point toward the stars. Alia noticed that she was holding her breath.
"Engage stabilizers," Jesper said. "Initiate warp countdown on my mark. Mark."
The gardens were still cast in silence as filaments of a shimmering non-color started wavering outside beyond the ship's transparent dome. They seemed to thicken and knot together at the edge of Alia's vision, but when she tried to focus on them specifically, it all looked like normal, still space.
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Warp, engage."
Despite having experienced it on the shakedown, Alia was not tired of the warp drive's spectacle. The shimmers at the edge of her vision exploded into a cascading rainbow of light surrounding the entire ship. The stars still showed, but the Earth and moon were nowhere to be found.
Jesper turned to the camera, his broad, toothy grin framed by his blonde beard. He simply winked, and it was Alia's turn to start the applause. Once she was satisfied, she turned back to the crowd.
"Thank you all again for being here. We're now on our way to our first stop, Jupiter. It will be a few days before we reach the planet, but don't worry! We've got plenty of entertainment planned in the meantime. Now that we're done here, the amenities--casino, spa, mall, etc--are now open to all of you, and our staff will be taking care of you along the way."
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Post by SHADOWMASTER89 on May 10, 2016 19:05:15 GMT -5
Wolfgang watched Alia’s every move as she effortlessly glided across the room, interacting with guests and introducing herself as she made her way to the stage. His eyes were glued to her as he ignored everything else around him, not that he needed to worry about anything. His entourage of bodyguards had secured a small section of the deck close to the stage, but sort of off to the side close to the window. Only he and his security chief Arnaud stood within this secured area and the two security spheres hovered silently at his back. Arnaud remained at his side with his arms crossed, paying more attention to the updates from the guards, echoing in his right ear, than anything else.
Wolfgang took a sip of his champagne as the lights dimmed and Alia prepared to begin her speech to the audience. When a spotlight suddenly illuminated her he noticed how the unflattering light highlighted her confident stance which Wolfgang found very satisfying. He had always prefered women that worked and lived the same lifestyle as him, but were simply and gracefully confident rather than appearing stuck up. He smirked a bit, ignoring her husband’s announcement and then moments later her speech began.
It was eloquent and well thought out and as she made her toast he lifted his champagne flute into the air as did most of the audience. What happened next confirmed that this was indeed well thought out. As the ship’s orbit around the moon caused the Earth to appear to rise above the moon’s surface there was nothing, but awe from the audience.
Wolfgang laughed lightly and smiled, “quite the show they planned eh Arnaud?”
“Yes sir, it’s quite charming”, he responded in his stoic, monotone voice.
Wolfgang sighed and rolled his eyes, “lighten up Arnaud, there’s no need to be so grumpy all the time.”
“You don’t pay me to act like a tourist and grin like a fool sir. No offense.”
“None taken”, he responded with a shrug. “Your loss if you don’t want to enjoy the sights.”
As Alia wrapped up her speech the part of the glass dome behind the stage suddenly became a screen showing what appeared to be the ship’s bridge. Wolfgang looked on as the captain and the crew went through their final status check of all systems before launch. He eyed the countdown timer in the corner of the screen. He grinned almost like a giddy child as the verbal countdown began.
“Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”
The shimmers outside of the ship’s glass dome exploded into a cascading rainbow of light that seemed to surround the entire ship and suddenly the Earth and Moon were nowhere to be found. So, Jupiter is our first stop. Thought for sure we’d make a stop at Mars, but Jupiter should be far more interesting anyway. Wolfgang pushed his thoughts aside as Alia spoke once more, announcing that there would be plenty of entertainment and that all of the amenities were now open to everyone. It seemed with that announcement Alia’s speech was finished.
“I suppose that’s my cue Arnaud. I’d rather the boys didn’t crowd me for a few moments while I approach Miss Maersk”, he announced while straightening his tie.
“As you wish Mr. Brahms.”
Wolfgang strode briskly and confidently to the edge of the line of bodyguards surrounding the section of the deck he’d claimed for himself. They did not turn to face him as a single guard walked forward from the line and proceeded to the stairs on that side of the stage. Wolfgang followed the guard, the two security spheres hovering close at his back. The guard reached the top of the steps first and whispered something in the ear of a female attendant at the edge of the stage who then proceeded to walk across the stage to Miss Maersk while the guard remained by the steps. Wolfgang strode confidently up the steps and stopped on the side of the stage and faced towards Alia. He shoved his left hand into his pocket and waited patiently.
The female attendant leaned in and whispered in Alia’s ear, “Miss Maersk, Mr. Brahms is seeking an audience with you. As I understand he is one of, if not the, biggest investor in this project. He’s waiting at the side of the stage for you if you wish to speak with him.”
Wolfgang gave a courteous smile and tipped his champagne flute to Alia as she glanced at him.
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Post by Loogs on May 12, 2016 3:21:08 GMT -5
”…to travel with all of you to a frontier no human before…” Ivan and Dimitri squeezed out of the elevators and dodging throngs of people, they made their way to the gardens where Alia was giving her speech. ”…mans could even make it to Mars within a decade…”
“I can’t wait to tell my parents about this trip.” There was a twinkle in Ivan’s eye as he listened intently to Alia’s speech. He deeply appreciated any and all romantic odes to outer space and astronomy; Dimitri on the other hand appeared slightly bored. The darker-haired man stood with his arms crossed, unimpressed with Alia’s rambling. “Humanity’s greatest achievement” doesn’t seem as magnificent when you know you’ll probably be around long enough to see the next several greatest achievements, and longer still to see humanity’s last achievement… But maybe now’s not the time to contemplate your own immortality.
Dimitri accepted the flute of champagne offered to him by a passing RoBie and glanced over at Ivan, who smiled back at him sweetly and pointed at the spectacle behind Alia. A thin sliver of blue crowned the horizon of the moon, waxing brilliantly out into the darkness of space. It was the sight of their very own Earth, witnessed from afar, that captivated Dimitri at last. He would have meditated on the sight further, were it not for Alia’s call for raised glasses.
"And it is to us, the intrepid explorers, that I'd like to make a toast!" Wave by wave, champagne flutes went up in the air; Ivan and Dimitri followed suit with their own. While Alia made her toast, Ivan turned to face Dimitri, holding his flute in front of him.
"Thank you all for being a part of this.” “Thanks again for the birthday present, Dimitri.” Ivan, enraptured by the moment, brought his glass closer to Dimitri’s. ”Here's to a wonderful trip full of unimaginable experiences and lifelong memories." “To many more years with my dearest, closest friend in all the universe.” Dimitri stared blankly and blushing in response to Ivan’s toast. They gently tinked their flutes together and Dimitri swished some champagne into his mouth in lieu of a proper verbal reply.
The audience erupted into deafening applause before petering out in deference to Alia. Suddenly the pair was staring quizzically at the view of the captain’s cockpit on the dome screen. "Crew is go… Engineering is go… humming pretty..." The before-takeoff checklist eluded their attention, but soon enough the cockpit disappeared and they watched the Valentina slowly change its trajectory out into deeper space.
An uneasy feeling began to crescendo in Dimitri’s stomach, perhaps it was… Fear?
His eyes darted nervously to either side as sparkling threads of energy spiraled around the ship. Once the countdown began, Dimitri’s breathing quickened and intensified. ”Ten. Nine. Eight...” He found himself paralyzed in place with nowhere to run, his vision beginning to fuzz and sounds echoing incoherently. At his side, Dimitri could faintly perceive Ivan’s concerned voice, but failed to register exactly what he was saying to him. ”Six. Five…”
”Three. Two. One.” And the terror finally came to a vertiginous head.
”Warp, engage.”
Dimitri shut his eyes, took one last breath, and braced his body in anticipation.
When he heard the crowd cheering again, he opened his eyes to find that he was not, in fact, being flung backwards by the immense momentum shift he was expecting, but was instead standing firmly in place as he was before the warp drive. More importantly, he looked over to find that his free hand was grasping Ivan’s hand tight enough to turn his knuckles pale, Ivan still smiling calmly at him despite the uncomfortable vicegrip Dimitri was applying.
Upon realizing this, Dimitri quickly retracted his hand. “I, uh, I didn’t… Sorry about that, Ivan,” he muttered, looking away and trying to hide any sign of the ardent flushing that had spread across his face with a long swig of champagne.
Ivan, meanwhile, nonchalantly glanced down at the nail marks left in the palm of his hand, then up at a very embarrassed Dimitri, and chortled as he took another sip from his glass.
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Post by AngelicTragedy on May 15, 2016 14:09:42 GMT -5
"Boy howdy, that what something, wasn't it?" A strong hand landed on a shoulder of both Dimitri and Ivan. Behind the pair stood a tall man, black as coal, with a huge gap toothed smile as white as freshly fallen snow. The mans crisp cream colored suit, copper colored vest, and pressed white shirt made him appear to be some sort of time traveler, a person plucked from the old west and dropped on an interstellar ship that by all rights shouldn't have existed by conventional science. He had a thick gunslinger mustache and topped his balding head with a cream colored Stetson hat with a copper ribbon pinned around the crown with a small golden bull pin. "I never in my wildest dreams thought that an old boy like my would be somewhere like this. If my daddy could see this he'd be havin' a heartattack!" the man continued to smile a he applied a bit to much pressure to both of the shoulders of the men in front of him. "Criminy, I'm sorry boys. Didn't think that I was squeezin' y'all so hard. Name's Hutchison Lee Ayrshire, but y'all can call me Hutch, or the Dairy Baron if you prefer." Hutch grabbed both Dimitri and Ivans hands in turn and shook them vigorously without waiting for them to offer them. Hutch continued to smile like and laugh like there was some kind of joke being told that only he could hear as he moved from his seat. Hutch pulled a chair from the row in front of the pair and straddled it, his pot belly pushing against the slats of the seat. "What brings y'all on this little vacation we got going here? Myself, I supplied all the dairy for this here excursion. Well, my company did. I own Copper Farms Dairy and we are the sole provider of everything milk, cheese, and cream related on this here ship. I got invited on board for the generous donations we made to the cause of getting' this boat afloat too.," Hutch beamed about his company almost a bit more than seemed possible. "So, y'all here on a honeymoon or something? I seen y'all holdin' hands and all." A bit short, but I feel it's an ok in for Hutch
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Post by Yoshimitsu on May 16, 2016 16:18:48 GMT -5
"That was anticlimactic," Claire commented.
They'd made their escape from the big speech by whoever-that-was public speaking and that outfit, really? without incident and made their way back to the observation deck. It was pretty much how they'd left it, maybe a few less people and the windows above them were showing them... The vast expanse of the galaxy was boring. Being in space was cool, sure, but it was getting very boring, very quickly. He wouldn't have even noticed the shift into Warp Drive™ if Claire hadn't grabbed his hand.
"Look."
He stopped, turning to look his friend in the eyes and what's so interesting he followed her gaze. Outside the ship looked the same, white spots in the distance and the still-empty expanse of space. Hell, if whatever-she-was-called hadn't announced the sudden departure, which he had barely paid any attention to, he would have guessed they'd be floating in the same spot for the entire ride. Made sense, con the businessmen out of money and throw some good publicity out for the prize-winners.
"Claire, it's space. You're showing me space," Tallis said slowly, trying to ignore the way Claire was still gripping his hand. It wasn't a particularly tight grip, but Tallis still wanted his hand back.
"No, Tallis," Claire said, and it was that tone of voice, the one what he hated because he was about to be shoved into something he didn't want.
He looked again, and he saw the same things that Claire saw. He saw the nuances and the vibrancy of the windows, the way the light was filtered through but amplified, the way it refracted from the stars in the distance and the way it conflicted with the light from the ship they were on. It was an explosion of colour and movement, everything shifting in a kaleidoscope that would have overwhelmed his vision once-upon-a-time this is the shit she can see, it's like interfacing all the time. Ignoring the sensory overload that was what he could see, he focused in on the circle that Claire was showing him.
A couple of guys. He recognised them, they'd walked right past them not that long ago. A kinda chubby dude and a thin guy in formal wear if you're on a luxury ride why are you wearing a waistcoat and tie? and he knew what Claire wanted him to focus in on, even without her constantly zooming in and out on the couple holding hands.
"Claire, no."
"Tallis."
"No."
"It'll be good for you."
"It'll be a train wreck."
This is the worst idea I've ever heard.
"Fine."
Pretending that he didn't feel the tap on his back Claire, you can't shove anyone, don't start now he pushed away from the wall, ignoring the traitor friend that he'd brought with him for the trip. Sure, go approach some other gay dudes, everything will be great, they can be my fucking gurus or something.
It was bullshit. Whatever.
He approached the couple, now apparently with a third-wheel dude stepped out of the old westerns and thrust his hands into his pockets. They were wearing discount clothes, even the dude at the back, with nothing fitting right and the colours matching their skin tones. At least the pale dude had stuck with shades of no-colour black and white can work even though his outfit was way too restricting.
"Yeah, so, my friend put me up to this," Tallis said as he stopped in front of them, deliberately looking out the windows above them. "You guys are gay, she thinks you can be my gay gurus or something."
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Post by Loogs on May 16, 2016 20:59:11 GMT -5
Dimitri cringed when he felt the sudden, unexpected hand clap down on his shoulder, and cringed further at every other instance of unsolicited physical contact from this stranger. “Yeah. It was, uh, certainly quite something, yes.” He persevered to keep as polite a countenance as he could bear. Socializing with others wasn’t exactly on Dimitri’s itinerary for this trip; in fact, he would have been perfectly satisfied with a quiet, private getaway for himself and Ivan. I suppose we must be cordial and friendly with the others sharing this vessel, though we could have done without the touching part.
Ivan, once again, didn’t mind. He greeted the stranger with the same warm smile he usually wore, and returned the handshake in kind. “A pleasure to meet you, I’m Ivan and this is Dimitri. I don’t have a profession nearly as enterprising as yours, as I am but a humble fourth-level Stargazer Mage living and working on Mount Charbak. I do some meteorological work for the Gulo-Prostrel-Permata metro area as well as some mage work helping combat the effects of rising sea levels for the Archipelago as a whole. However, I must admit that my true life’s work lies in studying the complex infrastructure of the cosmos and…”
Thank heavens for Ivan and his art of rambling incessantly. I’ll just let him do the talking for both of us—
"You guys are gay, she thinks you can be my gay gurus or something."
Dimitri grew increasingly consternated as more strangers accosted him. Are you fucking kidding me? This is getting ridiculous. He knitted his eyebrows and sighed. “Okay, look, he’s not really my signif—“
“I don’t know about honeymoons or gay gurus or anything, social formalities and labels aren’t really my thing. I much prefer to just go with the flow and let the universe carry me where it may, and it just so happens that this particular occasion it decided to take me on a luxury ride around the solar system for my birthday.” Ivan grinned and cast Dimitri a knowing wink.
How on Earth does he do it? I have to deal with talking to people on a more regular basis than he does… and yet somehow he always knows just what to say to get us out of awkward situations.
Now that he had a little more time to process the new information he was presented, there was something about that Hutch fellow that struck him as familiar. "Wait, I think I actually know you...?" Dimitri racked his brain, trying to put an identity to this man. "Wait... Copper Farms Dairy.... No, I do know you!” The cognitive gears began to spin at last. “You used to buy feed and stuff from my family's farm in upstate New York, right? From my dad, Mordechai Galetsky?"
"Wait, you're Morty's son?” Hutch’s reaction was much more bewildered and a little horrified upon fulfilling his end of the recognition process. “But Morty said his son died several years ago..." His feelings then started to translate into suspicion. “What the heck is goin’ on here?”
It then occurred to Dimitri that his, ahem, unique situation had yet to be revealed to those in his former life. “Yeah, uh, it’s a long story. A very long and fantastical story that you may or may not believe. I can explain further if you’d be so kind as to join us for drinks at the bar.”
“Dimitri, can Carlos come with us?”
“Ivan, ser—ugh,” Dimitri scoffed and rolled his eyes, quickly losing control of the situation once more. “He’s not even—what the hell is the Archipelago’s drinking age?”
“Eighteen,” Carlos piped up oh so helpfully.
OY VEY, I GIVE UP. “Okay, fine, kid, I guess you can tag along too.”
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Post by ch00beh on May 17, 2016 2:07:19 GMT -5
Rie leaned against a tree well outside the crowd during the speech, arms folded but senses alert. Alia's words meant nothing to the girl and neither did the toast. Rie had already finished her champagne and had set the flute on the ground by her feet.
The stars, though... those were nice. On Earth, under all that atmosphere, they twinkled as their light refracted through the air. Up here, they were static points of white on a canvas darker than pitch. On an academic level, Rie knew that up close they were each roiling nuclear dynamos of both destruction and creation, but from here, even her own enhanced eyes couldn't see the difference. It was comforting, in a way.
Those static, unchanging stars stood in so much contrast to the gardens around Rie. She watched them all move around, simultaneously with and without purpose. They mingled when talked to, they sat when they were told to, they raised their glasses and clapped their hands like they were trained to. Regret. Rie felt a little of that with her eyes aimed at the crowds, so she turned back to the stars.
Regret for what, though?
The speech had obviously reached a crescendo as the gardens filled with applause and light clinking, and, most spectacularly, a giant blue and white marble began to rise behind the stage. Rie stared. She managed to keep her mouth closed this time. She took in the sight, though. Appreciated it, even.
The sight didn't last as long as Rie would have liked as the bridge cameras flickered over the sky. The spectacle was lost on the girl. The iridescent nothings that waved outside the window just obscured the girl's view. She eyed her empty flute of champagne then sighed.
Rie shifted her weight and started walking toward the crowd--or more importantly, the robots carrying alcohol. She approached the first one holding a full tray and took a glass without asking. The RoBie didn't seem to mind.
Mrs. Maersk's speech seemed to have come to a close, and the smarter ones in the crowd were starting to get out of their seats to get away from everyone else as soon as possible. Rie felt the same and started to turn away when she saw someone staring at the edge of her vision. Rie snapped her eyes toward the person only to find nothing. Just the shifting throng of people trying to get out of an auditorium.
Rie kept staring. She felt comfort from the slight weight in her right arm. She backed away slowly, then as the crowd enveloped her, she followed the flow to anywhere but here.
Field Agent Alexander Price desperately tried to rub the bird shit out of his jacket using a single cocktail napkin. He had barely paid attention to the speech. He could get that all on video whenever he wanted. This jacket, though, cost quite a bit.
Price glanced around and saw the platinum blond attendant from earlier. He waved at her. He thought he caught her hesitating and her eyes narrowing, but after he blinked he found her approaching with that same frozen smile. He smiled back and held his jacket up. "Hey, uh, you wouldn't happen to have more napkins on you, would you? Little gift from nature I need to take care of."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about that sir," she said. Her voice was like an answering machine. "Unfortunately, I just ran out of napkins. You should be able to find some at one of the bars four floors down."
Price's smile faded. "That's really the closest? There's gotta be a bathroom or something on this floor, eh?"
"Of course there is, sir, but I recommend getting some club soda at the bar to make sure that stain doesn't set."
Aw fuck. "Yeah, alright. Thanks."
Price turned away and power walked toward the elevators. When he arrived, he found a weird looking group already waiting for the next elevator--a couple kids, an odd pairing of men, and a guy who seemed 100 years out of place. Price faked a smile at them as he approached the elevator buttons and pressed down a couple more times for good measure.
As the attendant spoke into her ear, Alia turned toward the side of the stage where a large security detail stood at attention around an exceptionally young man raising a glass at her. Alia tapped a finger on the stem of her glass as she racked her memory for this man. One of the investors, claiming to be one of the biggest. Right, of course. There were three major players for the ship's majority share--Alia, Mr. Brahms, and one other party that wished to remain nameless during bidding--but of course Alia had won. Alia always won.
"Mr. Brahms, of course. Martha, if you'll excuse us?" Alia said to the attendant. "Oh, and make sure those suits by the stairs don't come up here. I'm not sure if the stage can take their weight." At least not their weight plus this man's ego.
Alia then turned to the young man and gave him a bright smile and held out a hand. He took the hand and made a motion to kiss the back of it, but before he could pull too far, Alia simply squeezed with a firm handshake. Her palms were calloused from rock climbing, and her grip had the strength of someone who only knew the words "acquire" and "compete", never "merger."
"Mr. Brahms, how wonderful to finally meet your acquaintance." Despite the crushing handshake, Alia's smile didn't waver, nor did her brown eyes break contact. She finally let go and raised her glass. "How has your stay on the Lady been so far?"
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Post by SHADOWMASTER89 on May 30, 2016 0:31:21 GMT -5
Wolfgang gave a charming smile as Alia approached him, “The pleasure is all mine gnädige frau and please, call me Wolfgang.” He made a move to kiss the back of her hand, but before he got very far she gave him a firm handshake. This caught him off guard somewhat and he awkwardly shook her hand back, but his charming smile did not fade and his crystal blue eyes made contact with her brown eyes. She had kept the encounter very much business oriented and this meant his chances of successfully wooing her were drastically lower than he’d hoped. He always did love a challenge. Though the handshake had been unexpected and caught him off guard he still learned quite a bit from it. Alia was a very strong woman in far more ways than one and her strong grip and calloused palms were indicative of a woman who worked with her hands often and likely had the drive to get her hands dirty in the name of business. He knew she was likely far more interested in competing with him than doing anything ‘intimate’. Competition was nothing new to him in the business world and he welcomed it as well. Wolfgang raised his glass in response to Alia raising hers. “My stay on the Lady has been wonderful so far. She is a magnificent achievement indeed, though I must say that her radiant beauty is rivaled only by your own.” He maintained eye contact with her for several seconds after saying that, a suave half grin on his face before taking a sip of his champagne, swirling the remainder in his flute as he turned his gaze to the gardens. “I simply must know something Miss Maersk. What is your secret to creating this wonderous living ecosystem aboard the ship? An indoor garden with live plants is one thing, but live birds as well? I’d love to develop something like this for my new office tower in Berlin.” I feel like this post is short and blah, but it's the best I could come up with.
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