NationStates Jolt Archive

The Aellis System was once the capital of Xanthal, a glorious jewel of the universe advanced far ahead of most others, both technologically and societally. The star and its thirteen planets, four of which were inhabited at the time of its disappearance, has been lost now for over three and a half centuries, along with its two billion inhabitants. Where it was taken, or even if it still exists, is a mystery among the known universe. Though there are always new theories and investigations, the system itself has slipped into the realm of legend, and many doubt it will ever be found again.

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Eiko Oishi, Third Alphin of the Socialist Republic of Xanthal, is an older woman, the only xanthalian Alphin, and a member of the Xanthalian Socialist Party. Today her focus is not so much on international affairs, in which there are no significant goings-on, but on a book written by Lintrich Gledrael of the Xanthal Clan, those abh that remained behind when their empire retreated back into unknown space. None of the abh left knew where their empire could be found in relation to known universe, or if they did refused to say so. However, in this particuar book, published only a few weeks ago, long after the man's death at the age of 69, 213 Earth years, the abh leaves a cryptic message about the location of his comrades; oddly written in Galactic Standard.

"Though you were close, you are now far away;
but Xanthal's lost star may still be regained.
Steer for the center from where light once shone.
Where stars are born is the door to our home.

Lost without reference, what is wrong must be right.
Where all else is stopped you alone must take flight.
Set a course from the moment perfection was lost:
To the right fourteen points, though your life is the cost.

A child of suns marks your path from the void,
If you were where you are the scythe was your guide.
Where a blade cut a path in the open you'll know,
Straight on through the plane is where you should go.

When you arrive in the heart of our home,
If you can make peace your path will be shown.
The stones that once carried utopia's race
Might yet shadow your eyes from the glory of space."

This is the first credible clue of the lost homeworld's location to surface since the Humankind Empire left the Milky Way, from an abh no less. It was worth looking into. The junior executive begins making calls. She is going to need the Alphashra to pursue this, and it won't be easy to book such an important ship for a long-term mission seeking the unfindable with only a dead man's poetry as a guide.

President Bastidas raised a brow as he scrolled down his LCARS computer screen reading an odd article from a distant nation the federation had little contact with, he thought for a moment then pressed a flashing button on his desk , witch made a blip sound, “Delores, get me Xanthalian government please.”
The secretary in a nosey voice said “yes sir” s

he pressed a couple of buttons trying to raise the government once that was done a message was sent

“this is the president of the United federation of planets, we have read an intriguing article from your nation possibly concerning some lost secret, since our nation is interested in going were no man has gone before and seeking out new civilizations, we wish to learn more and possibly help you in searching for his lost place”

The message finds its way to Eiko's office after about a day, and she reads it over with a measure of confusion. United Federation of Planets? We have not had formal diplomatic contact with them... she does a quick search on her computer, ...ever. She smiles, then composes a reply.

"I will need more information if I am to give you an accurate reply to your message. What article and lost place are you referring to?"

A reply was sent accordingly “we are referring to the article on The Aellis System, that is also the lost place we have interest in.”

"To United Federation of Planets President Robert Bastidas:
I assume you are referring to Lintrich Gledrael's book, "The Path of the Stars' Kin." The Socialist Republic has committed KLZ-01 to the task of investigating the validity of the cryptic instructions of that book. What is the nature of your interest in the mission? Do you wish to send a delegation aboard the vessel?

Eiko Oishi
Third Alphin of the Socialist Republic of Xanthal"

A simple reply was sent out
We are interested in this because we are curious, and intrigued buy it we want to learn more about these people, and as for the delegate, we have chosen Robert Xavier aboard the USS Columbia a neptune class star ship. To represent us ”

"We will recieve your starship at 4:00 tomorrow at YLX-01 in orbit of Mirfak III."

http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/my_ships/neptune.jpg

The USS Columbia a (neuptune class ship ) sat in dry dock in orbit over the glorious world of Terran prime in the Terran system, the blue waters and blue atmosphere of the Beautiful planet gleamed on its saucer and star drive section as light from the sun hit it form another angle, meanwhile Xavier rushed on to the bride panting a bit form his run he was slightly late for duty at 1200 hours, it was 1230, he sat in his chair after shuffling over and correcting his uniform slightly, his helms officer chuckling a bit as she said “sir shall we get underway to our destination ?”

Xavier smiled slightly saying with a deep but strong voice “yes helm signal the quarter master were heading out clear mornings and take us out 1/4th Impulse.” The helms men responded with a brisk voice
“Aye sir” she started pressing the blinking beeping glassy LCAR’s display panel with her soft hands taping on the glass sending out a signal and detaching moorings off the ship with a mechanical sound reverberating throughout the star ship. With that the ships engines revved up starting to rumble as it moved out at 1/4th impulse towards the darkness of the void leavening behind a glorious blue planet that shied Brilliantly and defiantly in the black void of space. The ship revved up its warp drive.

Xsaiver stood up form his chair doing a picard like maneuver saying “engage”
With that the ship gloriously rushed in to warp blue streams of particles flowed back as it jumped in to a stream of brilliant light and in to war stars passing buy in long lines . a few hours passed.

Xavier walked out of his ready room reading on his ships hyper warp wondering why they weren’t using it, he got to the part saying it was to fast for local travel he shrugged and walked out his shoes taping on the rugged floor of the ship, out to the busy beeping bridge officers going about there normal duties and conversing he made his way over to the chair and sat down. Looking at his helms officer, she had black hair smooth pale skin, and then he looked to his tactical officer a young hot shot who had experience, his brown skin reflecting the light slightly with brown hair. He sighed and sat back, until his helms
officer shifted her chair over saying “sir were at our destination dropping out of warp now“ with that the ship gloriously dropped out of warp in a blue flash of light orbiting the strange new planet, xsaiver sighed a bit saying to his con officer “ single them, let them know were hear” a singal was sent as the ship made its way into orbit.

The capital planet of Xanthal is a typical habitable planet, if a bit hotter with an average surface temperature of 32 degrees celsius. YLX-01 orbits 100,000 kilometers over Mirfak III. It is massive, slightly bigger than a Federation Starbase, and facilitates a multiplicity of operations both civilian, governmental, and military. Its automatic docking control system recognizes the oncoming ship and directs it to an external port. The area is crowded with starships both large and small, and even more shuttles and light craft, but they follow established flightpaths that (for the most part) prevent collisions. The computerized system does require that all offensive and defensive systems be taken offline onboard the Federation ship before approaching the facility, but besides that simply presents an approach vector.

With that Xavier nodded telling helm “take us in” the Neptune class star ship glided in its engines rumbling as it moved towards the port. The ships saucer section gleaming In the light of the near buy star as its slightly rough hull is noticed

As the ship docks, an older-looking bomowas, a human man in perhaps his late sixties or early seventies in Earth years. He stands just under six feet tall and is slim and fit. His face is clean-shaven, and baldness has laid all but a grey crescent of hair at the back of his head bare. He is flanked by a thanic manowas and a human who is a station security officer, judging by her sidearm. The three of them stand patiently,awaiting the arrival of the foreign representatives.

http://www.fallout3.phx.pl/obrazki/render/ft_power%20armor02.JPG
With the docking, a few crewmen (not armored) and 2 officers (armored) walked along to the docking bay rob and several others were in power amour, there white armored bodies shined in the light slightly how ever in any environment the suites could change to mach and camouflage , the mask was fierce and evil looking but the beings themselves weren’t evil, the door whooshed open as rob said with his mask muffling his voice and changing it slightly “ I bid you greetings from the united federation of planets, we are sorry to come such armed and armored, but we have had many bad experiences being invited then attacked, his phaser pistol was holstered as his helmet retracted reveling a young boy, 17 black hair brown eyes he smiled his pale skin enhancing the light slightly. His cloak behind him with the seal of the UFP on it his XO removed his mask as well relieving a man around 45 “it’s an honor to meet you” rob smiled moving his and up for a shake

The bomowas looks at the group with a certain measure of disapproval, trying not to look offended. He places his right fist on his chest for a moment in salute, then drops it, ignoring his counterpart's offered hand. He speaks in Mirfakan, but it is translated by the Federation UT. "I see. Sir, this is a civilian station under the jurisdiction of the Socialist Republic of Xanthal. Posession of explosive or ranged projectile weapons is prohibited in our government's jurisdiction except for certain Xanthalian military personnel. You cannot come aboard the station as long as you carry your arms. Furthermore, I cannot allow you aboard my ship in that heavy armor. You could not be expected to know of our laws, so please return to your vessel and make yourselves presentable, then come back here when you are ready."

Rob raised a brow then said “all right” he taped on a comm. badge and said “beam the amour off of us and the weapons away I want to be in accordance with local laws” and after that the amour disappeared via transporters as well as the phaser pistols, “better?” after the amour disappeared a standard star fleet uniform took over black accept at the top of the chest witch was grey and a Starfleet comm. badge on the left side of the chest of both officers. He took a few steps forward while some of his crewmen went back to the ship

The bomowas is still a bit displeased, but recalls his diplomatic mission and just smiles it off. "Well then, come this way." He moves off, the two Xanthalian officers following him.

rob and his xo fallowed along with a crew member looking around at the scenery

The scenery, so to speak, is nothing new. Besides the language difference and deck layout (as well as a lack of some of the finer amenities of transporters and holodecks), the facility resembles a Federation Starbase very closely. The group boards a lift and travels down to a lower deck, where they disembark and walk to a viewing area overlooking one of the station's massive internal docking bays. In it, just a few dozen meters away, sits the single most advanced ship in the fleet, composed of technologies from over ten different nations.

This is the only ship of its kind in existence, and its outward beauty is matched by inner strength. Though it is a wonder of international engineering, it is made more unique by the fact that it is not a warship. Still, its very nature makes it capable to fight when situations demand. Though it may lack conventional weaponry, its wide range of capabilities provide many effective alternate means of defense. The bomowas stands proudly, introducing himself for the first time. "Esteemed guests, I give you KLZ-01, the Alphashra. I am Bomowas Richard Lowe, commander of this, the most advanced ship in the fleet."

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OOC:
Alphashra Class (general purpose starship): $10,000,000,000
A light, versatile vessel; the Alphashra Class is the ultimate application of Xanthalian and foreign technology to create a multi-role, non-combat starship for any task that the Labule’s smaller, more specialized vessels cannot accomplish. It incorporates a large number of unique systems and is very expensive to construct and maintain, as a single ship requires the efforts of contractors from several nations.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Zorak950/NS/Intrepid.jpg
Dimensions: 350x310x270 meters.
-Powerplant: One Mindsetti Microstar Generator (The Mindset).
-Ion engines: maximum speed 150,000 km/s.
-Frasas jenreet.
-Slipstream Mark IV Drive (Metallinauts):
--Maximum sustainable speed: 500,000 c.
--Emergency speed (up to 48 hours): 600,000 c.
-Maneuvering thrusters: turn radius at maximum speed 2,250,000 kilometers.
-Fuel range: 50 years normal operation.
-Complement: 200 crew, 1 AI.
-Laser cannons (total 10, rating 5):
--Aft: 2 (360˚ Y-axis rotation, 180˚ X/Z-axis rotation).
---Dorsal hull:
--Dorsal: 2 (160˚ X/Y-axis rotation, 360˚ Z-axis rotation).
--Ventral: 2 (160˚ X/Y-axis rotation, 300˚ Z-axis rotation).
---Ventral hull:
--Dorsal: 2 (160˚ X/Y-axis rotation, 300˚ Z-axis rotation).
--Ventral: 2 (160˚ X/Y-axis rotation, 360˚ Z-axis rotation).
-4 hoksa launchers with weapon replication ability.
-Type X Xanthalian Shield System (Capsule Corporation).
-Armor: Darkling Biomechanical Super-plating with Molecular Weave Gel (Jangle Jangle Ridge).
-Class D Temporal Nullifier (Kanuckistan).
-Holtzman Dimensional Barrier Generator (The Silver Turtle).
-Special sensors:
--Imperial Personnel/Light Equipment Displacers (Central Facehuggeria).
--Mass/Lidar Radar Detection System (Valinon).
--Space-Time Anomoly/Echo Detection System (Penguenia).
-Special communications:
--Triad Point Node (Neo-Mekanta).
--Kanuckistani Contextual Thermal Entanglement Datanodes (Kanuckistan).
-Arizonan Type IV Tractor Beam Emitters (total 2) (Arizona Nova):
--Fore: 1 (output 500 millicochranes).
--Aft: 1 (output 500 millicochranes).
-Sickbay (Metallinauts).
-Science lab.
-Molecular Replicators (Balrogga).
-Onboard/Detachable vessels:
--5 Calicke.
--12 Ferret.
--10 Weko.

Rob said “impressive but we would rather take our own ship if there’s any way that’s possible, I mean I would love to ride in your ship and sample your food but our ship has been prepped for this jerouny and we have many scientist and aerologist on board”

Lowe hesitates a moment. "I have no objection to that, but I do not believe that your vessels are equipped for the mission we are undertaking. It would be much less risky and complicated for you to come aboard a Xanthalian vessel."

---Thread restart. All posts above this one, excluding the first post, are cancelled. The Humankind Abh will be taking The Fedral Union's place.---

The Abh's government had been in contact with Xanthalian government officials. Apparently there were rumors of the location as to where the remaining Abh citizens were located. If they could be found, then this would mean the Empire's numbers would swell and not to mention possible new technology that could have been learnt in the time separated.

For this special expedition the newly appointed Emperor Dusanyu would oversee the Abh extent of this mission. He would be accompanied by several other Royal Family members including the Princess Lafiel Nay DeBrusce along with her husband, Count Jinto Lynn Sune Roc Hyde of the Hyde system. They were escorted by their personal friend Samson Tiel Bulge Attoluse who had served with them on board the Basroil.

Since this was not a military operation, only one ship was being sent and that was Dusanyu's personal military vessel the Sankakue . The ship was complimented with 10 electromagnetic rifles. Unlike the average Patrolship that had 8, this vessel had 6 off the bow and 4 off the stern. The vessel still lacked any significant amount of mobile space time mines but it made up for with many point defense systems with a large number of laser cannons.

Dusanyu's chief of staff, Kenesh, knocked on his private quarters. "Your Highness, we have arrived at the appointed location as to where we would meet the Xanthalian government."

Dusanyu nodded his head while his eyes stayed closed and his head rested in his hands. "Please inform them of our arrival and that we are ready to move out when they are ready."

He opened his eyes a bit and lifted his head up "Oh and you shall be accompaning me if we are to ever leave this ship"

She smirked a bit "Are you asking me or giving me an order?"

Dusanyu just shrugged his shoulders. "It's your decision but I'll just say that I hope to see you at my side."

Kenesh nodded her approval and made her way towards the bridge to get incontact with Xanthal.

A few minutes later, the Alphashra, KLZ-01, joins the Sankakue on the outskirts of the Mirfak System. The vessel is small compared to the enormous capital ships that many nations employ, but still slightly larger than the modified Abh Patrolship at 350 meters long. It is a beauty of a vessel, decked out with exotic technologies of various nations, even some classified ones. By far it is the most functional of any starship in the Xanthalian Labule, commissioned as a complement to the small, specialized vessels that make up the Abh designs the Socialist Republic uses. Because of its uniquity, it looks very different from an Abh ship; out of place even among its own. The clash in design principles is a trivial matter though, when compared to the capabilities this ship has added to the Republic's fleet. It moves alongside the Sankakue, one hundred meters off the other ship's port side.

On the Alphashra's command center, an affair radically different from anything else in the Labule with a large, spacious, open design more reminiscent of the Federation's starships than the Abh's, the ship's commanding officer rises from his chair on a raised platform at the rear, a holdover from the Labule's usual Abh design. On this ship, however, there are four more seats located on the same platform, two on either side of his own for other commanding officers and guests, a feature borrowed from the Federation. The commander and crew wear Labule uniforms, and the bomowas (the Xanthalian equivalent of an admiral) carries a katana, a stylistic element borrowed from the Abh, but modified in the fact that the Abh admirals carried sabres rather than Japanese swords. The bomowas is a human man in perhaps his late sixties or early seventies by Earth years. He stands just under six feet tall and is slim and fit. His face is clean-shaven, and baldness has laid all but a grey crescent of hair at the back of his head bare. He addresses the female at the primary operations station towards the front of the bridge, a xanthalian in her early middle age. "Senmon Kase, aktios diskoon olinsal, raytilal to Sankakue."

The xanthalian nods in passing acknowledgement, and the Emperor Dusanyu appears on the large forward viewscreen. "Diskoon aktal, Bomowas."

The bomowas smiles, bowing deeply in acknowledgement of the foreign leader, holding that pose briefly, then straightening. He forgoes the ship's automatic translator and instead speaks in Galactic Standard. With little exception, the admirals and captains of the Xanthalian Labule have at least passable competency in the galactic language, as they are frequently called upon to speak to people of various national and cultural origins when on assignment. This bomowas is fluent, with a large vocabulary, speaking clearly and smoothly with only a slight hint of Mirfakan (the native language of Xanthal, which he has just been speaking) accent. "Emperor Dusanyu, it is an honor to have you and your ship with us for this mission. The Alphini have asked me to pass along their welcomes and best wishes, along with apologies that they were not able to return the favor of your highness in attending us on our journey. I am Richard Lowe. My rank is bomowas, which you may know as equivalent to that of an admiral. I welcome your assistance, and hope that this peaceful cooperative exploratory venture will be the first of many positive interactions between our nations and the beginning of a lasting friendship." He then shallowly bows again and awaits the Emperor's reply.

As the Alphashra pulled along side the ship, the entire got a good view of it on screen. Samson let out a whistle as he gazed upon the improved ship.

Dusanyu raised an eyebrow and grinned "Well it is obviously of like technology with our own but the modifications are obvious. I am quite impressed with the ship." He turned to Kenesh "Better not let Spoor see this or she'll probably want one since it's different and looks more artistic. In fact it would be best if this was kept a secret or I would be creating new flagships for every admiral."

Kenesh's expression soured at the mention of Spoor "She is a bit ecentric but I doubt she would ever ask for anything from an Abriel. Let alone the Emperor."

Dusanyu just chuckled as the interpretated transmission came thru. He stood up along with the other guests present. Everyone on the bridge gave a bow in respect to the Xanthalians. "The honor is all ours. From my left I am accompanied by the Princess Lafiel Nay DeBrusce, also known as Hecto Commander Abriel while serving in Star Forces. By her side is her husband the Count Hyde, also known as Supply Officer Lynn aboard the Basroil. Next to him is Samson Tiel Bulge Attoluse, also known as the Line Wing Aviator aboard the Basroil. At my side is the beautiful chief of staff Kenesh."

Each member bowed in turn as they were introduced. "No need to apologize for the Alphini. I understand that the life of a ruler is quite busy. I am afraid I learn that more and more everyday. I took this as an oppurtunity to get out of the palace and away from my role as an Emperor. We welcome your greetings and please return mine as well when you return home. The Empire also hopes that this will bring about a lasting friendship. We are here at your disposal."

The bomowas smiles. "As I am sure you have been informed, the precipitating factor for this mission was the publication of a poem by a credible source that suggests, in no certain terms, a possible route to the territory of the Humankind Empire at large. We both have different interests in completing the mission, but our goals require the same journey." He addresses Senmon Kase again. "Diskoonios losveetowar." Moments later, a text file is transmitted to the Sankakue. Lowe continues. "We are sending you a copy of the poem in its original form now. It is written in Galactic Standard and is rather cryptic. I am sure we will be deciphering it as we go along, and I am hoping that we will have more success if we work on interpreting the instructions together, which brings me to my next topic: I suggest that we each send an officer to one another's ships to ease communication and promote cultural exchange in this inaugural diplomatic contact before we proceed to what we believe should be our starting point."
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Text message:
Though you were close, you are now far away;
but Xanthal's lost star may still be regained.
Steer for the center from where light once shone.
Where stars are born is the door to our home.

Lost without reference, what is wrong must be right.
Where all else is stopped you alone must take flight.
Set a course from the moment perfection was lost:
To the right fourteen points, though your life is the cost.

A child of suns marks your path from the void,
If you were where you are the scythe was your guide.
Where a blade cut a path in the open you'll know,
Straight on through the plane is where you should go.

When you arrive in the heart of our home,
If you can make peace your path will be shown.
The stones that once carried utopia's race
Might yet shadow your eyes from the glory of space.

Dusanyu nodded "I shall send the Count and her Highness along with Samson as an aid, to your ship. The shuttle is being prepared at this moment so it shall only take a minute."

The three departed from the bridge and made thier way to the shuttle bay and made preparations for their departure. About five minutes later, they were out the bay doors and on their way to Xanthal ship.

The text message came thru and Dusanyu and Kenesh both read it together. They exchanged puzzeld glances. "Hmmmm. Well from first glance it obviously involves traveling thru a Sord. 'Straight on thru the plane is where you should go' sounds like traveling thru plane space. I wonder if that means that there is an unknow sord that leads to an uncharted territory in space."

Lowe nods. "Be sure to send them with a pilot who will return to your ship after they are recieved, as we have no internal docking bays and will not be able to effectively bring the shuttle with us while it is docked externally. We will send our representative to you via wormhole transport." He shifts his eyes divertedly. "Not because we have to or anything, but because I think it is cool that we can do such a thing with this ship." He smiles. "I will contact you again once your officers are safely aboard and we are ready to proceed. It is my understanding that your ship is only equipped for faster-than-light travel via planespace, so we will be towing you in slipstream for the first two legs of the journey. We will work that out in more detail once the officer transfer is complete. KLZ-01 out."

The transmission ends, and the Alphashra prepares to recieve the Abh shuttle, the operations officer directing it to a rear ventral docking port. As it docks, the Xanthalian officer selected to ride with the Emperor's ship spontaneously stretches into existence in a vacant part of the Sankakue's bridge. The officer is female, and herself an Abh, one of fewer than one hundred in Labule service, transferred to the Alphashra specifically for this mission. She is young, not past thirty standard years. Her dark blue hair is cut short, and her slight yet obviously strong frame indicates a woman conscious of her health and appearance. Beside her is a small duffel bag, ostensibly holding the belongings she had chosen to take with her to this temporary assignment. She makes an attempt to hide it, but her considerable discomfort with the transport experience shows through her carefully composed expression and rigid stance. Seeing that the Emperor can sense her distress, she addresses the mildly surprised bridge crew generally, as if to excuse her intrusion. She speaks in the Abh language, which the Trasnian-born girl learned from her parents. Her dialect is slightly different from the Abh crew around her, a natural result of the seperation of their backgrounds, but it is easily understandable. "That was the first time I have used such a method of transportation, and if you do not mind I will return to my ship on one of your shuttles when the time comes." She smiles as she says it, as if trying to break the initial tension caused by her appearance. Then she salutes the Emperor, putting her fist to her chest. "Senmon Xanthal Dobreuscr Sabriel, at your service Sir. I have been transferred to your limited command by Bomowas Richard Lowe. With your permission, I will be accompanying you on the mission upon which we are about to embark." She stays at attention, awaiting the Emperor's reply.

KLZ-01's docking port recieving area is a small room, five by five by two meters. The blank dark metallic silver walls are interrupted by a heavy door on one wall to allow passage in and out. The bomowas has come here to personally recieve his guests. He stands waiting for them to complete their docking procedures and come through the airlock, considering the setup of the place. Because of the Alphashra's design, the port is below the floor of this lower deck. The chute down is sealed at both ends, the floor level of the recieving area and the outer ventral hull. A retractable umbilical extends beyond the hull to connect docked ships to the Alphashra. The umbilical is outside of the ship's artificial gravity field, a conscious decision made by designers to allow those travelling through it to re-orient themselves before climbing up the chute's built-in ladder or returning to their own ship (it is a natural hazard of space travel that one ship's "up" may not be the same as another's). Both the chute and umbilical are also labeled in Mirfakan and Galactic Standard to warn users of where gravity begins and ends, and how that gravity, if there is any, is oriented. The Bomowas stops thinking about it, getting a headache. No wonder they included a wormhole transporter aboard this ship, he muses. Its docking setup is a nightmare. Actually, there is one horizontally-oriented docking port at the aft of the ship, but it is high and wide, and mostly used for docking with larger facilities that have their own docking umbilicals. This gloryless, utilitarian, vertical port is the only option for most visitors.

Dusanyu along with the entire crew stood and saluted Sabriel. He brought his fore and middle finger up next to his golden tiarra and clicked the back of his heels. "Greetings Senmon Xanthal DoBreuscr Sabriel, I am Emperor Abriel Dabruesc Dusanyu and this is the bridge of the Sankakue. We welcome you among fellow Abh." He then looked at her curiously, "That was quite interesting. What is it like?" Kenesh just stands there rigid feeling a little threatened.

The Calykay came about to the Alphashra. The pilot made his approach towards the docking chute. The pilot approached the exposed shoot. Thrusts of air could be seen out the sides and lower part of the ship as it positioned itself for the chute. After careful manuvering, the ship finally soft docked with the chute The ship's hatch opened inward since it wasn't the main entrance or exit. The main opening was an actual ramp at the mouth of the ship. For the chute, the emergency hatch had to be used.

As the two approached the ladder Samson stopped Lafiel from going. "If you don't mind me saying, why don't you let the men go first since you are wearing a dress."

Lafiel blushed a bit while her husband Jinto laughed. Samson started up the ladder followed by Jinto and Lafiel.

They finally made it out of the opening and onto the floor where the Bomowas awaited. Jinto turned to help his wife out off the ladder. Samson wore his star forces uniform with his jacket that had a three-headed lion on the breast. Jinto wore the uniform of a Count. A simple white robe with red outlining it and blue trousers. Lafiel wore a more elaborate dress over her military uniform. A more advance form of a Kimono.

All three saluted in the Abh fashion as the Emperor had done. Lafiel greeted them all in the standard tongue. "I am Princess Nay DaBrusce Paryunu Lafiel and with me is my husband, Count Jinto of the Lynn Sune Roc Hyde and Samson Tiel Bulge Attoluse. You have the blessings of our Empire and this is in hope of a lasting friendship."

Sabriel smiles uneasily, dropping her hand to her side but retaining her at-attention body stance. "The technology comes from the Human Imperium of Central Facehuggeria. From what I have been told, Sir, it is a device that uses a specifically-calibrated wormhole and targeting sensors to translocate a person or object across space. Its range is limited only by the device's ability to obtain a sensor lock of the destination. With proper networking, it can apparently transport using other ships' sensor locks as well, making its range limited only by communications time." She takes a deep breath, dispelling the last of the shivers that have been travelling up and down her spine. "A marvelous piece of equipment, to be sure, but travelling through it I could feel my body being ripped from normal space, stretched along the void, and dumped back into normal existence, my molecules jammed back into this realm, pushing aside the air around them to make way. I suspect much of it is in my head, but it is most unsettling." At this moment, she takes her eyes off Dusanyu long enough to see Kenesh, still prickling from her entrance. She bites her tongue to keep from laughing at the expression on the chief of staff's face, but is unable to stop the corners of her lips from rising slightly into a restrained grin. "I assure you, I am just as unhappy about it as you are."

Aboard the Alphashra, Richard returns the Abh salute with the same Xanthalian salute Sabriel used just moments before on the Sankakue; posture rigid, right foot clicked into place against the left as his right fist is raised to hover just a few millimeters from his chest, speaking in Galactic Standard. "I apologize for any difficulty you may have had in boarding. For all its impressive features, this vessel is not well-equipped for ship-to-ship docking. I am Bomowas Richard Lowe, commanding officer of the Alphashra-class Xanthalian Labule Starship Zero One. I return your best wishes for peace and friendship between our people, and welcome you aboard this, the property of the People of the Socialist Republic." He drops his formal stance, inviting his guests to do the same with a quick gesture. "I hope that you will realize I mean no offense and speak with the greatest possible respect; I do not have much of a memory for names and, as impressive as your full titles are, for my sake and the sake of expediency is it permissible for me to address you in abbreviated terms?"

Dusanyu brought his fore finger to his chin and stroked it while he took a pensive pose. He started pacing short distances in front of Sabriel. "I think I understand now. So in a sense you demolecularize and then are brought back together upon arriving at your destination? Fascinating!"

He turned to Kenesh "Just think about the advantage that would give us in battle. The possibility of saving lives when a ship needs to be abandoned. Even small supplies could be distributed faster such as anti-matter." He notices the look on her face. "What is it?"

Kenesh catches herself and stutters over an answer "It-it's nothing. I was just unnerved by this new technology."

Dusanyu turned away with a smirk as he regarded Sabriel. "Is there anything I can have brought to you? Something to drink perhaps? I want you to feel comfortable here with us."

Aboard the Alphashra, Jinto smiled knowingly. "Yes of course. It is just custom for the Abh to greet with their full titles upon their first encounters. I would prefer it if you just called me Jinto and to my right, Samson." He looks at his wife unkowingly. "Eheh, I suppose my wife should be addressed as her Highness."

Lafiel shook her head. "You can call me Princess Lafiel,Highness, or even Hecto Commander Abriel. Which ever is most comfortable is fine with me."

Samson crossed his arms over his chest. "I hope you don't mind if I interrupt but what is it that you expect us to do? I mean these people have been lost for a long time and all there is for a clue is a poem."

Sabriel takes the initiative to step down from attention and relax her muscles slightly, picking up the duffle bag she arrived with. "As far as I know, it does not demolecularize objects; it simply carries them through an artificial singularity from one point to another. It is indeed remarkable technology, but unfortunately my people do not fully understand it. Though some similar devices exist in limited use across the Socialist Republic, the Alphashra has by far the most advanced, capable, and compact version at our disposal and is the only ship in Labule service to carry any such device. I daresay you will be further impressed by the Alphashra by the time this mission is completed, but you are bearing witness to a unique example, existing solely by virtue of other nations' equipment, knowledge, and technology. The rest of the Republic's ships are relatively simple in design and limited in function."

She considers the Emperor's question, then replies. "I do not need anything for now, but if you could spare a member of your crew to show me where I will be sleeping and point out all the necessary facilities it would be very much appreciated. After that, with your permission, I will report back here to recieve any assignments you wish to give me as a temporary crew member."

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Meanwhile, Lowe takes note of his visitors' names. "Thank you. Please do not be alarmed, I am about to order a scan of this room to ensure no unwanted bacteria or viruses come aboard our ship." He doesn't mention that the scan also identifies electronic devices brought aboard like scanners and weapons, not so much out of secrecy as politeness. After all, telling visitors that they're being searched for weapons is decidedly undiplomatic. The bomowas pulls a communication device from his pocket and activates it. "Bomowas to gahol."

A chittering sound, identifiable to those familiar with it as the voice of a than, is his brief reply. This is quickly followed by a distinctly electronic-sounding translation, though whether it is from the device or the origin is uncertain to the observers and the translated message is in Mirfakan, which is no more understandable to Lafiel and her subordinates. "Repios, Bomowas."

"Cusen plas rodazal inkal, idosios ulil gimesal."

"Yil."

The inner airlock, which has until now been open, whooshes shut, closing off the entrance to the passage leading to the outer hull, the umbilical, and the shuttle that brought the Abh here. A series of faint electric whirrings behind the solid metal walls begins as the scans start to run, and Richard shifts his eyes to Samson and resumes speaking in Galactic Standard. "We believe that we know where to begin, but this is an unexplored route. We will be deciphering the steps as we go along. Your ship will be accompannying us so that we may provide any assistance to one another needed. As for you three, you may choose to either act strictly as observers and collaborate with us in communicating with the Sankakue or take on crew duties under my limited command. While it is your choice, I encourage you all to go beyond your role as observers and assist in the Alphashra's operation. Not only will it be much more interesting for you, I believe it will further the interaction and understanding between us, which will ultimately help both my nation and yours in planning for the future of their relationship."

Dusanyu nodded and smiled "Yes of course. I'll have you shown to your room and give you a tour of the ship."

He turned to Kenesh. "Chief, take over. I'm going to show Sabriel her quarters and the ship, personally."

He turned and waved for Sabriel to follow him as he entered the door that lead to the Housing district "Come along." As they left, Kenesh shot daggers into Sabriel's back.
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Jinto and Samson both gave a shor laugh and looked at Lafiel. Jinto looked to Lowe. "We'd be happy to temporarly serve on your ship. Samson was a Linewing Aviator on board the Basroil. He oversaw engine output and knew everything there was to know about the engines on our ship. I was the Supply Officer and was in charge of monitoring the status of the crew during battle. I also saw to ordering supplies while we were in dock."

Jinto and Samson both shared a look "The Princess has always been a pilot or commanded while on board a vessel. You can put the two of us anywhere you like." As Samson finished he crossed his arms over his chest.

(OOC: Samson is the only one that's carrying a weapon. It's only a sidearm or blaster. He is doubling as an aid and bodyguard since he knows the other two personally. It's nothing hostile, just a precaution since one is royalty and the other is a noble. No one knows Mirfakan.)

Sabriel follows the Emperor. As they begin to move through the ship, she realizes just how similar it is to the Xanthalian Labule's vessels. Besides the attention to detail and overall improvement of function added to the Sankakue because of its flagship status and minor design differences, the technological and layout basis is almost identical. She can easily feel the connection the two navies share; both modeled after a single source. She reflects briefly on her heritage. Her parents were both left behind when the Empire took Aellis, along with a few hundred others. None among them ever shared the reasons for their staying, to say whether they were left intentionally or by accident or even if it was their own will. The last of those original Abh that shed their old clans and adopted the name Xanthal died years ago, taking their secrets with them. Sabriel and the rest of their decendants now maintain a barely-stable population in Xanthal.

Some still dream of the stories of the Humankind Empire told to them by their parents, but most, herself included, have become fully naturalized in their new home. Like their ancestors did when they first took on the name Xanthal and discarded their titles they know that this is their world, and that the home of their parents and grandparents is little more than a land of fantasy, far beyond their ability to ever reach again. She wonders if the people of the Humankind Abh nation feel the same way; cut off from the grand Empire so far away. She wonders how they came to be as they are now, like her clan, stranded with no knowledge of how to find their way to their ancestral home. She wonders also if they, too, feel the sense of emptiness that Xanthal does; a clan with out a nation, a nation without a home. The destinies of this universe and the universe of the Abh became entwined for a brief moment in the infinite fabric of space and time, and then were ripped apart; leaving a small piece of each in the other. The Abh in this universe are little more than a token reminder of that moment when two realities met, but have managed to hold on and establish themselves as components of this reality as well. From the moment she heard of this mission, Sabriel has known it can end in nothing but failure. Still, she hopes that relations between the Humankind Abh and Xanthal will survive and grow, for the nations' sake as well as the Abh's. Though the Empire at large may be lost to them, perhaps it will help the Abh here, both of the domestic Empire and Xanthal, form a greater understanding of their past, knowledge of their present, and confidence in their future.

Sabriel suddenly becomes conscious of the fact that she and Dusanyu have reached the door to her quarters, their first stop, and with great embarassment realizes that she has consciously missed the entire walk so far, as well as everything her guide, her commander, the leader of an entire nation, has said in the interim. Her cheeks flush with embarassment as she violently jerks her mind back to the physical present. Her philosophical questions can be worked out later. For now, she has a duty to perform for her country.

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In the inner airlock room aboard the Alphashra, the humming stops and a yellow light shows on the panel next to the door leading out of the room and into the rest of the ship. "I am honored to accept you as crewmembers. If you wish, Hecto-Commander, I can even allow you to take command, under my instruction of course." He walks to the door and reads the text on the panel, then nods and speaks into his communicator again. "Est yilsi. Zeki est vios sashal."

The insectoid voice once again comes over the channel, again translated into Mirfakan. "Yil. Relios ro inkal."

The panel light turns green and the doors open. "Winnej cil, Manowas. Discoon terminios." The bomowas puts his communicator back in his hip pocket and proceeds forward. "Please follow me. I will show you to your quarters and give you a brief tour of any facilities you wish to see, then take you to the bridge so we may get underway. Please feel free to take this time to ask any questions you may have." The lower deck of the ship is little more exciting than the room they have just come from. Double sliding doors made of metal, each with a number and Mirfakan word emblazoned on the right door panel and above the one by two meter frame that presumably indicates what lies behind it, cover the entrances to the rooms on either side of the hall they walk through. There are a few short branch halls that occasionally stretch perpendicular to the one they now walk through, in some cases leading to parallel halls, but the long corridor they are in now seems to be the main one, running almost from bow to stern on this floor, terminating in the heavy door leading to the room they have just come from on the aft end. The floor is covered with a thin light grey padding that can be best compared to tightly-woven carpet. The ceiling and walls are colored in a light blue not dissimilar to the ship's outer hull, clear light coming from behind translucent housings protruding where the edges of each wall meet the ceiling, extending along the entire length of the hallway and all its subcorridors.

They walk about fifty meters, passing a thanic crewmember along the way. The human-sized insectoid is an odd sight for those unaccustomed to it, but being one of three majority species in the Socialist Republic it is one of several dozen serving aboard the Alphashra. It chitters a greeting to the bomowas, who nods in response, before continuing past the group and turning down one of the secondary passages. The group soon arrives at a set of doors marked "40-27 : wĕpĕl premäl". Richard presses a button on a panel by the entrance and waits. As they stand there, the door behind them opens and another crewmember, this time a young male human, emerges from what appears to be a supply room and joins them, standing in the corridor. The doors then close behind him, cutting off the view of the room he came from.

The newcomer is only about 170 centimeters tall, and is slim and fit in appearance. His short blonde hair is slicked back in a tidy style and the lack of a rank marking on his uniform indicates that he is a mere staffer, subordinate to all the ranking crewmembers. Nevertheless, he seems to have no qualms with speaking to his commanding officer. "Par Bomowas. Teli est sashu Abhal?"

Lowe nods in reply. "Yil, Juuin. Uki astios presios ak zeki to kufazet ial."

The crewman smiles and bows to each of the visitors in turn, first Samson, then Lafiel, and finally Jinto. "Parios, tay kafal."

Richard smiles, interpreting the young man's Mirfakan. "The juuin greets our honored guests."

Dusanyu turns to regard Sabriel and catches the slight tint of red on her cheeks. He just smiles and opens the door for her to set her things down. The halls were decorated with paintings from the land. Many dipicting flowers or majestic landscapes. There was not a single painting of the Cosmos on board.

The Emperor lead Sabriel towards the engine room. Before them was a tall cylinder where anitmatter was converted to energy. There were four of them for each engine. The next room contained the Space Time Mines and where they were fueled. Here the mines could be fueled and then raised to their launch pads. About twenty at a time could be fueled.

For the most part, the ship was automated which allowed the ship to carry a small crew. The electromagnetic rifles were loaded automatically. However, more were carried for battle stations since each laser cannon was manned by an Abh soldier. The engines took the most monitoring to make sure there were no anominalies. Fire crews were needed for emergencies and doubled as engineers on the ship.

As Dusanyu was finishing off the tour he looked back at Sabriel. "Do you know the Story of how our people came to be? Of how we were created and where each root family came from? It's not quite like the story you know of your Aellis but it is similar and it is only passed down from family to family."
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Lafiel just shook her head at Lowe's request "I appreciate the offer but I would not think about taking command of your ship even if it was under your guidance. If it's alright with you, you may give me another job while on board."

Samson couldn't help but ask "How many different races or species are on board? The Abh only have land dwellers and actual Abhs."

Sabriel witholds her comments on the tour and instead responds to the Emperor's direct question. "I would appreciate that very much. Though the clan of Xanthal has become independent of any Abh nation, we still recognize the kin of the stars as brethren. Even a single generation removed from the Empire, I know so little about what led us to this point. If we can share stories with the Abh that are left in the known universe, perhaps we can form a greater understanding of ourselves and our past."

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The bomowas smiles. The door they are waiting at opens into a small enclosure that, despite the alien language that encrypts the controls to the visitors, is universally recognizable as an elevator. On one of the walls adjacent to the door inside is a large touch screen control interface that displays a very basic two-dimensional map of the vessel, with a series of yellow-highlighted shafts extending up and down as well as fore and aft, presumably the shafts accessable to the lift, interspersed with green squares, which it can be safely guessed represent the points at which one can gain egress from their transportation pod. Near the bottom of the display, on the very bottom deck about three quarters of the way back on the ship, an indicator light flashes between blue and green; showing where the car (blue) is currently located: at the particular boarding point (green). Moving throughout the shafts in the display are two other types of indicator lights: red and orange. These are the rest of the cars in the lift network, of which there are about thirty. The admiral, his guests, and the crewman all board the lift, which accomodates them with a bit of a crowded feel, though it could probably easily carry another three humanoids in the limited space. Lowe selects a green mark in the lower part of the central hull, which connects the large dorsal and ventral hulls at the aft of the ship, about twenty decks above their current location. The green square turns white with a flashing blue number one in the center and the indicator light tracking their car moves off, now shining a steady blue. Lowe does not answer the Abh right away, instead addressing the crewman first. "Dond est cil voyios?"

The human, stranded across from the display panel, answers, "Vag kasnaDecna-nina."

The bomowas nods an acknowledgement and selects a second green mark, this one also in the connecting hull but a few decks above his apparent destination. The second green mark turns white as well, flashing a blue number two. Just after he does so, the orange and red lights on the display suddenly switch places, continuing on normally. This task completed, Richard comes back to his conversation with the visitors, first answering Lafiel. "You are welcome to serve as a pilot, or take on any other task you wish. This is a mission of exploration not just on the level of space, but also on the level of culture. I plan to learn all that I can about you while you are with us, and I hope that you will do the same. As to your question," he shifts his eyes to Samson, "I am not certain exactly how many species serve on this ship. I believe that eight is a safe estimate. Due to subcultural factors and Xanthal's voluntary military service, the military population is natually different than the national population. Your classification system of land dwellers and Abhs could technically apply to us, as we do have abh in our ranks, but we have a very different system of definition. In my nation, complete social equality is the paramount goal of society. As such, there is no such thing as nobility and royalty as you know it among Xanthalians. It is seen among us as promoting the marginalization of certain groups, something that is deeply frowned upon by the socialist philosophy we follow."

He hesitates, then adds, looking between Jinto and Lafiel, "I trust you will understand that I do not intend offense. While I do not ask that you hide anything, I would recommend that you not mention your noble and royal titles to the crew unless it comes up in conversation. Doing so may result in unneeded tension and limit the willingness of some among them to interact with you normally." The bomowas feels like he is playing with fire. Though he means well, he knows that among some circles social status is a matter of strong pride, and worries that he could easily insult his important guests by suggesting that they make a point of not talking about that status. The Baron looks accomodating enough, but the Princess obviously has a strong personality, one which he does not wish to rouse in defense against himself or his nation.

Dusanyu led Sabriel to the Mess Hall where there were very few crew members on break. Most were just crew specific for battle stations and a few extras incase the ship was boarded. There was no need for the Emperor to worry about security. The fact that the Abh race held a close bond to one another and Abh Hell alone was a deterrant.

The Emperor picked out a small table for the two of them and adjusted his saber so he could sit down. He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair while thinking over where to begin. "As you probably already know, the Abh race was originally created as living machinary for deep space exploration. What planet we came from, no one really knows but it was most likely one of the original planets controlled by humans. In any case our ancestors were sent out to deep space where we discovered the energy sord raisa. Here we learned that there existed a different plane of space and time. With this discovery, our ancestors were able to travel to far away galaxies in very short time." The Emperor sighs as he moves on to the next part. "After several generations of Abhs passed, we became more human than machinary. The art of genetics had been perfected and we could create our children in any way that we saw fit. It was a way of being free. Through all this there was a ever looming darkness about us. The Mother space station that we came in. For years it was feared. Our ancestors set up their own colonies and became independent. A government was formed and soon we began manufacturing our own weapons in case the Mother station ever came back for us. But it never came. The station lacked the personel for such an expedition and any case, most of the Abh race was now with us. Our Ancestors took the beginning of their fleet and destroyed the station. They destroyed it out of love. Now every Abh family passes down the memory of this. It is not written anywhere and no Abh talks about it outside of their family."

A machine carrying drinks pulled up to the two and the Emperor pushed a few buttons and the machine produced a lemonade. He looked back to Sabriel "Are you sure I can't get you anything?"
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Samson smiled at Lowe "I know what you mean but the Abh do try to promote some form of equality. There are laws in place where any land dweller can become an Abh citizen. In a way, they really don't distinguish between Abh and land dwellers. Well at least not openly but it is obvious when you look at the Empire's navy. Only a true Abh can ever command or pilot. Of course, in our society if you serve in Star Forces then you are looked upon highly."

As Jinto and Lafiel hear Lowe's request, Jinto tries to cut in so his wife doesn't take offense but she answers it nonetheless. "Of course. No one needs to know about our lineage though it will be obvious since anyone aquainted with our society would reliaze I am from the royal family."

Jinto cuts in "It's the ears. Her ears all the custom on anyone from the royal family."

Lafiel nodds and continues. "You may refer to us as politicians or ambassadors since that is what we technically are in this case. We don't want to cause any disturbances on this mission. In any case, it is just merely our custom for the Abh to introduce themselves fully. If we would have known that this may have ran the possibility of offending you."

The abh nods, leaning back from the table, which she has been propped over with intent interest for the duration of the Emperor's story. "As long as we are here, I would not mind a cup of tea. I do not know what types you have on hand. Anything herbal will suffice." She looks about. "This ship is very impressive. Additional heavy weaponry aside, from the outside it looks very much like a Labule Lesu, but the facilities here are much nicer. If you do not mind me asking, is this design normal for your fleet, or is it unique to flagships?"

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"Not at all," Lowe begins. The lift doors open as the display shows their car coming level with the first selected stop and he walks out, guests in tow, leaving the crewman to ride the rest of the way to his destination alone. They walk down a short hallway similar to the one they came from. "I respect the fact that you have a very different culture than the one I am used to. As commander of the Republic's flagship, acceptance and tolerance are necessary to the job. I also do not wish to portray my fellow crewmembers or the Xanthalian people in general as suspicious or xenophobic, but I do believe that what I told you is worth you being aware of. Jinto and Samson are easy, but you deserve the respect of a title, Hecto-Commander, if for no other reason than your military achievement. I cannot ask that you go by your given name, certainly, considering your stature."

He stops between two doors on opposite sides of the hall. "Three guest suites have been prepared. Each has all the necessary facilities I believe you will need as well as a large bed capable of accomodating one or two humanoids comfortably. Would you each like your own room, or would the Count and her Highness prefer to bed together?"

Dusanyu pushes a few buttons on the mechanical server and a small saucer and cup is produced. Steam rises as the cup is filled up with the tea. "I hope green tea is alright" as he sets the cup on the table infront of Sabriel.

He then leans back and considers her question. "All flagships of the Empire are unique in their own ways. This one just happens to be the most heavily armed and resembles closely to our Guardships. If you look at Admiral Trife's ship or Prince Dusanh's, you'll notice that are completely unique and have nothing in common with a single ship inside of the Empire. As far as interior goes, most of this is standardized. There are a few things that are not but mostly just luxuries such as holo art exhibits. This ship also holds more mobile mines than other battleships. We do like to keep most features standard. It makes ships easier to produce that way."
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Lafiel just smiled at Lowe, "Well then if it would make you feel more comfortable, you may just refer to me as Hecto-Commander Abriel. Do your people know the royal name of the Empire? If they do then Hecto-Commander is just fine. We appreciate your tolerance. The Abh themselves do not care how others govern their nations persay so long as it is not entirely oppresive. We believe that you should be free to do as you like."

As the doors opened, Jinto just stood there and rubbed his index finger up and down below his eye. Something he typically does when nervous. "Umm... Well I suppose Lafiel and I shall share the same room."

Lafiel looks at him. "Well you don't have to if you don't want to. It's not like anyone is forcing you to."

Jinto just blushes "No it's not that..."

Samson just leans against the wall with his arms crossed "You'll have to get used to the little lover quarrels. It's typical for these two. That's how you can tell that they love each other. In any case I don't need anything fancy. Just a bed and storage next to these two is suffice."

Lafiel just glares at him "And what was that supposed to mean? Are you insuating that my husband and I do not get along?"

"Not at all m'Lady. It was just an observation."

"I understand," Sabriel says, taking her tea and beginning to sip at it.

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Lowe clears his throat over the three-way exchange. "Perhaps seeing one of the rooms will help you make your decision." He opens the door on the right side of the hall and steps in, allowing the visitors to have a view. The room is modest, but compared to the spartan accomodations on most Labule vessels it is nothing short of luxurious. The main area they are looking into is about six by seven by two meters. It has no real windows, but rather a convincing imitation, a low-glare television display fed by a camera at some unknown location outside the ship. While generally not bothersome, it can be switched off with a button under the screen. The bed is off to the left, raised about a half meter off the ground by set of drawers, a grey matress covered by a white sheet and a grey blanket. There is a desk with a computer access terminal on it across from the bed on the right, and a molecular replication device built into the wall near to that. There are also two comfortable-looking chairs set across from each other at an oval coffee table in the center of the place. Through a sliding set of double doors identical to those leading into the room on the left is a small "bathroom," equipped with a standard flush-toilet, sink and cabinet (containing various hygene products), and a sonic shower.

Dusanyu leaned back drinking his lemonade. He set the cup down and leaned forward. "What can you tell me about the Abh in your nation? I'm interested in learning more about you and your nation."
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Samson let out a low whistle. "These rooms sure are nice. Looks like comfort is a priority on this ship."

Jinto and Lafiel inspected the room. Jinto smiled as he looked at Lafiel "Quite befitting for a Princess. I think these rooms shall do just fine."

Lafiel looked at Lowe "Alright, we'll only need two rooms. What else is on the agenda?"

Sabriel puts down her cup. "That is a rather broad question. What would you like to know?"

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Richard bows, beaming with pleasure at his visitors' satisfaction. "These are our official guest quarters. As the Alphashra was built to handle diplomatic functions, enhanced facilities for those we host were built into the design. There are five guest quarters including this one, all on this deck." He smiles apologetically at Lafiel, as if to excuse his delay in moving on. "Before we continue, please take a moment to remember the location of these rooms." He steps back outside the room, taking the other three with him. The door closes and he gestures to the text on it and the door opposite it. The room they have just come from reads '22-5 : pläs taäl'. The one opposite it is marked '22-4 : pläs taäl'.

"We are currently on deck twenty-two," continues the bomowas. "The only lift exit on this deck is the one we arrived at and there are only five rooms on the deck, so you should have no trouble finding your rooms as long as you remember the number code on the doors. The first segment is the deck number and the second is the room number, in case you couldn't tell. As for which of you selects which room, that is up to you. If for any reason you wish to rearrange yourselves, you are welcome to do so. None of the other guest rooms are currently being used, so this will essentially be your private deck for most of the mission." He nods, satisfied that he has given the visitors adequate information on their accomodations. "Now then, unless you have any questions thus far, we will proceed to a supply room and get you some pocket communicators." He looks from one person to the next, silently asking if there are, indeed, any questions.

Dusanyu puts his head in his palm and thinks it over for a moment. "Well to sound rather straight forward and personal...do they practice the same genetic techniques as we do as far as child creation? Are any of the Abh born with the extra sensory organ that is common in our race?" Dusanyu took his hand away and crossed his arms on the table as he leaned in closer. "Depending on how this mission goes, do you think the Abh in your nation along with your fellow citizens would like to see our Empire? I suppose I'm saying that if all goes well, that the Abh in your nation and other citizens would be welcome in my Empire at any time they wished to visit or immigrate. That is if anyone would be interested."
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Samson smiled "No questions here. As far as rooms go, I'll take the one across the hall. The love birds can keep this room. Just don't wake me if you are having another lovers quarrel."

Jinto and Lafiel both looked like they wanted to say something but the words wouldn't come. They just both looked to Lowe and shook their heads as to say that there were no questions.

Sabriel's hand goes to the small jewel-like protrusion on her forehead, touching it briefly then letting it drop. "We do have froch, but they are useless to us. No ship in our fleets is equipped to function with our race's unique abilities. Though Xanthal's abh are frequently navigators on starships, as I am, for our ability to naturally orient ourselves in space, none of us have ever experienced the connection to a starship that is available on true Abh vessels. We do not practice artificial genetic manipulation, for the primary reason that the facilities necessary to do so are largely unavailable in the Socialist Republic and apparently the tradition has not set itself well enough to seek them out. Most of the original Xanthals made their children artificially. I myself was conceived thus; but it is simply a matter of preference now."

She smiles. "Xanthal clan has largely resigned itself to the percieved fact that we will shrink and die due to our low population density. However, friendly and open relations may change that. I can say with something approaching certainty that my clan will wish to see your Empire. I suspect, and regret, that many may decide to emigrate. The Socialist Republic at large is always pleased to gain friends and partners. I doubt that they will be as interested in visiting your nation as the abh among them, but Xanthal is a free country. There will doubtlessly be visitees and even a few emigrants. I must level with you though, Emperor Dusanyu. A pertinent question that you should be prepared to answer to if relations do grow however, is whether you will share that willingness to release citizens for visitation of and immigration to the Republic. The Grand Empire, as we have been tought, clung tightly to its space and often its people. If you are restrictive of your subjects' movement, it could easily drive a wedge between our societies and greatly limit any relationship. As I am sure you recognize in your position, there are friends and there are Friends in the game of international diplomacy. Are your citizens truly free Emperor? It could mean everything in the future."

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The admiral nods. "Then we shall move on. Follow me please." They come to the lift again, this time waiting only a few seconds before one arrives. There is a single xanthalian man aboard, who bows to the bomowas but otherwise remains silent. Lowe returns the gesture, then boards the lift with Jinto, Lafiel, and Samson. He selects a stop directly above them, on the first deck of the dorsal hull, and the elevator is off. However, its current occupant is headed downward, so they are forced to wait as they move towards his destination. Within the minute the xanthalian is off and a perseid and human, both women, are on and they are again moving upward. Shortly thereafter they reach their stop and get off. Once again, they find themselves in a hallway lined with doors; but long and with several branches like the one on the lower deck rather than the single short passage on deck thirty. They turn left into the main hall, then left again into a side passage after walking about fifty meters. This deck seems to have a much larger population than the two they have previously been on, or at least a larger transient population. They pass six crewmembers on their short stroll before taking a final left into a five-meter hall terminating at a door identical to all the others but once again defined by the text on and beside it: '10-44 : pläs säzoyläl obesäl'.

The admiral presses a button to open the door and walks inside. The room is little more than a walk-in closet, a short, narrow two-meter hall lined on both sides with shelves containing various technological knick-knacks, from computer display screens to wires to transmitters and some things that defy casual identification. Towards the back of the right shelf Richard picks three devices identical to the one he had earlier used to communicate while in the airlock room out of a box and carries them out to his waiting guests in the hall. Shutting the door behind him, he then passes them out. "These are standard Labule personal remote communication devices. You will find them very useful while aboard this ship." He finishes handing them out, then pulls out his own and flips open the cell phone-like cover and holds it in plain view, demonstrating with the various controls.

"This opens a general communication channel. When you speak into the device while holding it, you will address the whole ship and any crewmember within range. I doubt you will have reason to use that function. You will generally use this button," he points again. "No need to hold it down. Once you press it, you are speaking to the device itself. Speak clearly the location or person you are trying to contact and it will directly route you to the appropriate reciever. When you recieve an answer or the button turns green you will know that you are connected." He points to another button. "Press this or close the communicator," he closes his, "to cut the transmission." He continues. "The device will also act as an automatic translator, and allow you to understand the rest of the crew, even if they do not speak Galactic Standard." He opens the device again. "This function is toggled on and off with this button," he indicates the proper control, then looks at each of his guests in turn. "Do you understand all that?"

Dusanyu smiles warmly at Sabriel. He takes his glass and fills it back up with more lemonade. "Would you like some more tea?"

He leans in and keeps smiling. "I'm afraid you were misinformed about our Empire. Our citizens are free to immigrate anywhere they so choose. What everyone get's upset about is that the local government does not have to accept them. Each immigrate must present an immigration card identifying their past to the local government. This prevents ex-cons from going back into society unnoticed. We believe that the government has a right to know their past for the safety of it's citizens. I must say, that our Empire has been known to be very lenient on allowing people to emmigrate from planet to planet. In that sense, yes my citizens are free and your people would be openly welcomed to any planet. The capital itself is always open though security is tight and no weapons are allowed. It is home to many royal families and others. About several million Abh live there currently and the population is growing."

He leaned back in his chair. "Now I think this is where your question comes in. As you know, this Empire is a form of a Monarchy. There are local lords that preside over inhabited planets. With that being said, it is typical that the Lords are usually from the planet and they are chosen from a public election. After that, each government is free to govern their own planet. We do not get involved in such matters unless we need to. There are always tyrants out there. The main focus of this Empire is to prevent galactic war. Therefore, we hold restrictions over all ships. Citizens are still free to become merchants but that means that the ship is loaned to them by the Emperor. We encourage free enterprise. Our citizens are free to make a living however they choose. Yes Sabriel our citizens are free."

He rested his head on his fist. "Every Abh is protected. A strict punishment has been implanted by the Seventh Emperor. That is the extent of how much we care about our citizens."

He cocked his head a little. "How would you like it if the Empire supplied you with ships that were fitted for the Abh race? Certain modifications would have to be made of course as we do not want the secret to Space Time being let out to our enemies. You could consider them gifts of goodwill."
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Jinto smirked "It seems just like a cluyuno or walkie-talkie only that it deciphers the dialect for us. A most interesting invention. I do believe that we can figure it out if we forget."

Each of them take their respective communicators.

Sabriel nods. "I am happy to hear you say that, Emperor. I hope that my government agrees with you on the status of your people; both Abh and planet-dwellers. As for your offer of ships, I think it is an interesting proposal. However, I am just a Labule senmon. I am the wrong person to ask. That is an issue you will have to take up with the Alphini."

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"Excellent," the bomowas replies. "Now, you must set up your communicators. Hold these two buttons," he points to them. When you her the first beep, state the name you intend to be identified by while aboard clearly. Wait a moment, then you will hear a second beep. State the language you wish to set as your default. Unfortunately, our translators are not programmed with the Abh language," he notes, "so you will have to set your default as Galactic Standard. Please set up your communicators now, one at a time so that the ambient noise does not interfere."

The Emperor takes Sabriel's cup and fills it up with more tea and sets it back down in front of her. "Well there is no discrimination in the Empire between Abh and land-dweller. The only catch is that most land-dwellers do not like the Abh race. Amusing how the race that rules is discreminated against. It is their choice though."

He smiled at Sabriel. "I asked you because you are an Abh and have a better oppurtunity to speak for the Abh in your nation than anyone and how they may feel about such an offer. Every Abh has the love for space. The ships can be arranged. I ask that you do not let me forget to remind me the next time I have a chance to speak with your Alphini. I'll be sure to speak with them about supplying the Abh in your nation with vessels that are equipped for them. You will have to specify which type of vessel you would like though. Oh and one more thing. You are more than welcome to call me by my first name when it is just the two of us."
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Samson, Jinto, and Lafiel each programmed their communicators for the Galactic Standard language and were ready to go in only a few minutes.

Sabriel frowns, taking another drink of tea from her cup, which she had barely begun to drink from in the first place. "Please Emperor, you misunderstand. Xanthal is home to hundreds of species, thousands of races. You speak as though my clan is seen as abh. They are not. We are seen as Xanthalians, just as is every citizen of the Republic. You speak of discrimination. I speak of a society that is blind to species and race. Our rulers are made up of dozens of different species, and our people by large majority celebrate their equality. I suspect those abh that until now have had little choice but to be a minority will move to join you. Those that will stay are those that do not wish to have special consideration. They are those that wish only to be Xanthalians, and to be perfectly honest I am one of them. We do not need ships equipped to make use of our unique traits. My people are my fellow citizens, and among my people we provide for each according to need so that all may function in the larger machine of society. Ships designed for abh; that to us is discrimination, Dusanyu."

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"Now then," says the bomowas, "I would like to take this time to help you aquaint yourselves with this environment. Do you have any questions or particular areas of the ship you would like to see before we go to the command deck?"

Dusanyu puts up his hands in defense and chuckles helplessly. "I'm afraid you misunderstand me. The diversity in the Empire is set to two races, Human and Abh. The area that we control does not inhabit any other species. All are seen as equal as far as race goes. Of course anytime you have a government, there are those that are above others only because they are leaders. It's not superiority by any means only acknowledging those that lead others and watch over the poor and weak. I'm not forcing any of your people by any means to immigrate to the Empire. It is just an open invitation that we extend to all peoples and all nations."

Dusanyu leans in and smiles slyly. "Wouldn't you consider ships that aren't designed for all species descriminant? Just think of the gain that any defense ship would have if they allowed you to exploit your full potential. Being a superior pilot is not discriminatory, it's just life and should be welcomed."
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Lafiel looked around. "Is it correct that your ships mimick our technology? If that's so, could you show us the differences on board the ship?"

Samson smiled. "I'd like to see the engine room. I am the Linewing Aviator afterall and if I'm going to be working with your crew, I'd like to get aquainted with that part of the ship."

Jinto looked around and shrugged and laughed helplessly. "I'll just follow along."

For a moment, it looks almost as if Sabriel is going to physically attack the Emperor. Her eyes burn with a rage that is quickly replaced by a cold smile and a dark gaze distinctly reflective of her species' vengeful nature, but ignited in passion for a society very different than the one in which her ancestors came from. This also rapidly fades, and Sabriel smiles congenially, finishing her tea in a single giant gulp. "I am sure you know yourselves to be justified." She rises, gesturing towards the door. "You have wasted enough of your time here with me. We should move on."

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"It would be more accurate to say that both our nations' ships mimic a common technology," Lowe corrects. "I cannot fairly say what the differences are, but I am certain there are many on this particular ship since it is built with multiple technologies. However, perhaps a trip to the engineering area will answer your question in part. Follow me please." They walk back to the turbolift and board it after a short wait, joining a xanthalian female and, incidentally, an abh male already there. Lowe selects a stop on the upper deck of the ventral hull and the lift moves off.

Dusanyu smiles knowing he has hit a bit of a tender spot. He cuts her off and he is only inches away from her. His eyes peering into hers. "No matter what you say, no matter what nation you choose to identify with makes no difference to me. Know this though, you are an Abh and those flashes of anger back there just proved it. There is no need to be so shocked. I am an Abriel and Abriels have many advantages. We don't cry or at least we have perfected crying without showing tears. We also can see what others cannot. No matter how hard you try to hide something from me, you will fail. I know you are angry and frustrated."

He leans back and stands tall. "Not only do you have the anger of an Abh but also the pride of one as well. In any case, you are right about the time. I am grateful for the oppurtunity to get to know you Sabriel. Thank you for speaking with me and speaking with me honestly. Come along. We had best report back to the bridge before the crew starts to worry that something has happened to the Emperor."

He turns from Sabriel and heads for the door as his cape flows behind him and his long blue hair whips over his shoulder.
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Lafiel nodded "Then how did you come about this technology? Did the Abh in your nation retain some of their older knowledge of how Space Time worked?"

Samson and Jinto both notice the two new passengers on the turbolift, especially the Abh male.

The abh grits her teeth and follows silently, suddenly wishing she had been sent here to kill the Emperor rather than serve him. Calling upon every once of restraint she posesses Sabriel relaxes her taught muscles and flaring temper. Whether she likes it or not, Dusanyu is right after all. She is the product of two very different societies, and feels out of place in both. She knows that she is right though. She has to. Her confidence in herself and in her society have allowed her to come this far. Still, she hates being trumped, especially by someone she feels so strongly opposed to.

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"The Empire did not take all of their ships with them when they left," replies the bomowas. "Since they were impounded and secured immediately after the fall of Aellis, they were the only old-era ships to survive the years of chaos in Mirfak. When the Mirfak System was reunified, they formed the basis for the new star forces." He continues as the turbolift comes to a stop, relinquishes its xanthalian passenger, and continues onward. "Than and Trasnia pursued different designs, but when the Treaty of Xanthal was signed, Mirfak's star forces were chosen to form the national military."

The Xanthalian crewman, meanwhile, has not failed to take notice of Lafiel as a fellow abh. He watches her with something approaching curiosity as they travel in their capsule. He barely notes Jinto and Samson however, as they are common humans. To see an abh outsider though, now that is rare.

Dusanyu can't help but smile, knowing that he has hit another sore spot with Sabriel. Judging from her reactions and pride in the nation that she comes from, he knows that she would have made an excellent officer at the least and perhaps would have made admiral. Dusanyu shrugs it all away. *Oh well. Can't change what already is and I wouldn't take anything away from that woman's spirit*

They reach an elevator at the end of the hall. He lets Sabriel get in first then punches in the level for the bridge. He positions himself on the other end of the elevator where he leans against the wall and crosses his arms. He plants his right foot on the wall of the elevator and lets his chin drop down to his chest and closes his eyes. "We shall arrive at the bridge in a minute or two unless there was something you wanted to see or discuss." He raises his left brow and peers out from under his eye lid as he finishes the last part of the statement.
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"I see. That would make sense why some of the technology is similar but ships are a bit different. Do you still have the original ships? They would be excellent for your Abh pilots. Surely they still must have their Froch terminal." Lafiel regarded the Abh male watching her and nodded her head acknowledging his presence.

OOC: She is most likely wearing royal garments so that would be another cause for him to stare.

Sabriel has adopted a neutral pose, removed yet attentive, standing with her hands folded behind her back. "I will be fine Emperor Abriel," she uses the combination of title and family name intentionally. "I am prepared to recieve my first assignment whenever you are prepared to delegate it."

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The bomowas pauses as the abh crewman disembarks and the lift begins its decent to their destination. Richard continues in an apologetic tone. "The government does still keep the original ships in a secure location, but I am afraid that I do not know what a froch terminal is." The lift picks up another crewmember, this one a tall human female. She is apparently destined for the engineering section as well, as she does not select another stop.

Dusanyu frowns at hearing his formal name being pronounced with such disdain. "As you wish."

The Emperor stands in front of the elevator door. His expression goes from a soft compassionate visage to an iron gaze suited for an Emperor that shows no compromise and in complete control. "What are your qualifications Labule senmon? If you wish to serve on board this ship, then I must know how you can serve. I will not have you become a hinderance on board. Every man and woman on this ship does their job and they do it well. Everyone works equally hard and everyone is equally important. If so much as one casualty occurs on board, then the ship suffers. If the ship suffers, then our battle capabilities are lessened. Do you understand Labule senmon?" His once friendly eyes turned stern, fell over Sabriel. The eyes of an Abriel that cut through anyone.

On the inside Dusanyu smiled although he was agitated that the woman wished to turn this formal and make it a little more difficult to get along. He still held respect for her.
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"A Froch terminal is something that every Abh can use. We Abh are gifted with an extra sensory organ that allows us to see behind us while we fly. We are also able to orient ourselves in space. It's as if we can almost feel what's going on with the ship."

As Lafiel continues to explain the Froch, Samson's gave drifts over to the female that appears to be heading for engineering.

Sabriel snaps to attention, now in her element. After all, first and foremost she is a military officer. There is a time and place for personal feelings. This is business. "Sir. I have been fully trained in confined area combat and am qualified with pistol-grade energy weapons. I am licensed to work in the areas of ship operations and piloting and approved by the Labule Military Training Academy to act as a senmon or a department head on any Labule combat starship. I am approved also for command duty in the absence of a superior officer. My area of expertise is navigation and piloting, in which I have obtained the highest possible ranking from LMTA. I currently rank number thirteen in the fleet overall for combat situation coordination, maneuvering, and orientation of heavy combat vessels. If familiarized with your ship's controls, I can be placed at any navigation or piloting post with confidence."

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Lowe nods. "I am not familiar with that, but if such a device was a component of the original ships I imagine that it is still located with those that have not been disassembled."

The human is slim and attractive, with short brown hair and fair skin. She wears makeup that becomes her, just enough to accentuate her natural beauty without appearing gaudy or masking. She meets Samson's eyes with her own and smiles openly, making a short bow with hands folded in front of her waist. She might bow more deeply, if there was room. She straightens, then addresses him. "Par, tay kafal. Watashi est Dorathy Sithran. Kel est cil?"
The three communicators given to the visitors all chime in together to translate the woman's soothing voice into an almost-alarmingly unnatural electronic relation that, while decidedly annoying, at least allows Samson (and everyone else, whether they care or not) to understand the Xanthalian's native speech. "Greetings, honored guest. I am Dorathy Sithran. What are you?"

Meanwhile, the lift has slowed to a crawl to avoid a heavy traffic jam ahead of it in the network. While the computer is deftly sorting out the cars and getting them to their destinations, the process is taking a good thirty seconds.

Dusanyu removed his gaze from Sabriel and let his chin fall back onto his chest. "You are to report to the supply officer once we reach the bridge and request a Tiarra. It is a Froch extension that will allow your piloting abilities to surpass their current state since it enables your extra sensory organ. After you receive it, report back to me and I will relieve the current pilot and allow you to pilot during the remainder of the mission. Have you ever used a Tiarra Labule senmon?" As he finished, the elevator came to a rest and the door open showing the bridge to the duo.
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Lafiel nodds, "I see."

Samson smiles and gives a curt bow since that's all the elevator allows. "Greetings. I am Samson Bulge. It is a pleasure to meet you Dorathy Sithran."

Jinto leans in. "What are you doing Samson?"

Samson talks out of the corner of his mouth, not letting his eyes leave Dorathy. "Just getting aquainted with the crew my boy and a beautiful member she is."

Sabriel steps out of the car and onto the command center's upper deck. Though she started here, this is the first time she has really looked at it. It is impressive, built on two levels. Here at the rear on a balcony-like portrusion work the senior staff and aides. Down below a huge horizontally-positioned tactical display screen is raised above the lower deck's center. At the moment it is blank, but in battle it can mean the difference between victory and defeat by giving the command crew a clear and accurate picture of the battlefield. It is still limited in its two-dimensionality however, and is best suited to mapping situations in planespace. Surrounding it are the various stations of the operations crew. The two-tier bridge has clear practial and symbolic function; with those in charge literaly placed over the heads of those they command, yet still joined in a single purpose: the operation of the ship.

The senmon leans in close to the Emperor as he walks out beside her. "No, I have not. Perhaps more relevant; who is the supply officer?"

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The communicator spews out its annoying translation, "Par. Watashi est Samson Bulge. Est valal to enlios cil Dorathy Sithran." The artificially-assisted conversation is abruptly cut short as the lift finally reaches its destination and opens up into yet another boring hallway. Dorathy exits first, turning right, and is followed by Lowe, Lafiel, Samson, and Jinto. They walk only a few meters then enter a heavy doorway of the type they first used to exit the airlock room. This one is marked '31-19 : seöl dädaäksösäl jĕnret, sönĕs jĕnret premäl'. The room is lit by bright ceiling lights, which shine over two objects that seem to be the purpose for the room.

One, just five meters from the door, is simply a thick metal sphere, three meters in diameter, mounted into the decking. The other is towards the back of the room, seperated from the first object and the rear wall by two more five meter gaps. It is a large cylindrical object, about two meters across and one meter high and topped with a clear half-dome through which can be seen a spherical crystal of some type focusing constant strands of what looks like high-voltage electricity down into the body of the cylinder. Surrounding it are six smaller cylinders connected to the central cylinder at the top with a copperlike metal tubing. The sides of the small cylinders are made of clear material, red light glowing from inside the center of each. Broad bands of energy twist within them, presumably feeding the central core.

Three crewmembers, pips indicating one, a than, as a senmon and the other two, a female xanthalian and another than, as gunkaki, staff this room, working at free-standing computer terminals located around the periphery. Dorathy, the attractive female that arrived with the visitor group, joins them at work, moving to an access panel located directly between the two centerpieces of the room. The crew, busy with their tasks, acknowledge the newcomers with quick nods before returning to work. Lowe moves to one side, leading his guests around the two large machines. "This, ladies and gentlemen," he uses the overextensive term for dramatic effect, "is probably the most important room in the ship. This here is our primary power generator, built with technology from the Eternal Empire of The Mindset." He points the large sphere out as they pass it on the right. "Behind the metal shield burns what their engineers call a microstar; a hydrogen-fueled cyclical fusion device. It provides constant, reliable power to meet all the needs of the ship and more, and requires refueling only once every fifty years, a range unheard of in any other Labule vessel. This," he indicates the arrangement of cylinders, "is what we call a subspace path generator, but it is commonly known as a quantum slipstream device. This comes from the Interstellar Imperium of Metallinauts. With it, we are able to travel parallel to normal space at speeds up to six hundred thousand times the speed of light, allowing us quick access to areas far from any sord and an alternate means of faster-than-light navigation and travel.

"Of course," he continues, "this is only one of our 'engine rooms.' If you wish, I can also show you where the control and housing areas for our sublight propulsion and space-time bubble generators are located. There is much more even beyond that, but as I am sure you all know, with a vessel this size I and the crew could easily spend all day showing you everything." They complete their circuit and stand again by the door. The bomowas waits there, ready to answer any questions or take the next request.

Dusanyu's smile returns to his face. "Today you shall experience a new joy in flying. You'll see and feel things that you never knew were possible while flying in space. As far as the Supply Officer..."

He snapped his fingers "Perveryua! Please bring Labule senmon Sabriel a Tiarra." He rests his chin in his hand as he thinks for a moment. "A hand band with one wing shall do fine. Especially if she is as good a pilot as she claims. I don't think giving her a rank to start should be too much trouble." The supply officer walked off to fetch the required Tiarra and returned a few minutes later handing it to Sabriel.
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All three of them looked in awe at the engine room. Samson let out a low whistle. "This place is amazing. I have respect for whoever is in charge of such a machine."

Samson walked over to Lowe, "Who is that woman?" He points at Dorathy. "Not only is she beautiful but she is intelligent enough to work on such a machine." He finishes the last statement loud enough for everyone to hear.

Lafiel and Jinto look at it in amazement. Lafiel thinks about battle tactics and how all this could improve the Star Forces while Jinto thinks about all the distant planets he could take his wife too and enjoy the peace.

Jinto turned to Lowe. "What is the cost of such a facility and how long does it take to creat such an engine?"

Sabriel takes the delicate device in her hand and turns it over, examining it. She looks over the other crewmembers. All are wearing the device on their forehead, over their froch. She turns back to Dusanyu, looking inquisitive and a slight bit doubtful. "I just put it on my head like yours?"

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Dorathy turns her head at Samson's amplified voice. Upon hearing the translation, she laughs softly and returns to work, just a hint of a blush on her face. Lowe observes all this, chuckling. "Dorathy Sithran is a senmon. If you think she is beautiful on the outside though, you should know just how good she is at what she does. She is one of our best technical people, second on the ship's engineering department only to Senmon Uetake. She came aboard from the shipyards where the Alphashra was built. There, she put her talents to work getting all of the foreign technologies to operate and interface with Xanthalian control systems. Miz Sithran is one of the primary reasons that this ship was successfully completed."

Taking the initiative, Richard calls his crewmember over. "Dorathy, vios ki!" ("Dorathy, come here!")

She turns and approaches the group. "Bomowas?" ("Bomowas?")

"Kel kins, tep sos est fabrilios siul dadeaksusal jenreet kasnal?" ("What cost and time is building a subspace path generator?")

The senmon stands beside Samson, facing the admiral. "Watashi nil arestios kins, por tep fabriliosal est aprin mata wiki mis obeesa fabriliosal, lanfabriliosi est maltal." ("I do not know cost, but building time is about two weeks if building technology and builders are good.")

The Emperor moves infront of Sabriel and takes her wrists in his hands. He pushes her wrists up and aligning middle point with her Froch were it would connect and utilize her extra sensory organ. "There, now that looks good." He brings his hands down to the diamond like crystals at the end of each prong and pulls the chain so that Sabriel can see them. "When you sit down in the pilot's chair, you will see two slender ports on each side of you. Slide these two diamonds in the ports. I can't really describe how it will feel to you since every Abh you see before you has always had this experience."

The Emperor leads Sabriel to the pilot's chair where the Abh currently piloting humbly relinquishes his seat. The Emperor looked to the man. "If Labule senmon Sabriel has any questions, you are to answer them and help them in any way possible."

"Yes your Majesty."

The Emperor smiles at Sabriel. "Is there anything esle?"
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Samson eyes go wide as he hears Dorathy's accomplishments. He can't help but turn to her and without even thinking about what he is saying. "You are quite the remarkable woman." Samson silently berates himself. That wasn't exactly the smoothest thing in the world for him to say but he couldn't help it.

Jinto leans in and mumbles but perhaps loud enough for Dorathy's translator. "Real smooth Samson. Real smooth."

Samson just stands next to Dorathy and shakes his head still can't believe that he said that.

Lafiel lookes to Lowe. "Men. So easy to understand. In any case, that is truly remarkable that this is only built within two weeks. You seem to have utilized the technology to it's fullest. This ship is very well rounded. I'm quite impressed with it all. It seems to have strong enough defense to fend off any attack and yet at the same time, it almost could be used as a transport vessel with all the engine improvements you've made."

Sabriel sits, looking over the controls in front of her before she activates her alpha. "One more thing," she confirms. "When is my shift over? I do not wish to disrupt the normal crew rotation."

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Lowe smiles at Lafiel's comment on his gender. "I will try not to take that personally. Yes, it certainly is a beautiful ship. Keep in mind though, these component parts were built in the countries they originated from and built on pre-established assembly lines by trained engineers. Reverse-engineering them would take considerably more time; likely years or even decades. The Labule chose only the best to grace its flagship. The only area we really fail in is offensive capability. The Alphashra was built to represent Xanthal abroad and carry out missions of exploration. It has very little conventional weaponry. In a bad situation though, we can use the technology we have creatively to defend ourselves."

Dorathy smiles at Samson. "Winnej," ("Thanks,") she says, then turns to Lowe, saluting him. "Bomowas, watashi helen bilekios inter." ("Bomowas, I should return to work.")

Lowe nods and she goes back to her console. The bomowas then leans in close to Samson's ear and whispers so only he can hear, "Her quarters are here on deck thirty-one. Room three. Assuming you are interested." He straightens, addressing the whole group again. "Is there anywhere else you would like to go before we go to the bridge?"

The Emperor laughs. "Who said anything about shift changes? I'm afraid no body leaves their post unless they are going to get some sleep. In your case we will make an exception. Pilot Keirn've here will rotate with you. When you get tired and need rest, inform him that you would like to get some rest and then check out with me."
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Lafiel blushes when she realizes that she just may have insulted Richard. "Oh I'm so sorry! Please forgive me that was a foolish comment to make."

Samson commits deck thirty-one, room three to his memory. Once he's got it down he leans back into Lowe so only they can hear each other. "When does her shift end?"

The description of the ship interests Jinto. "It sounds like your nation is basically peaceful. I hope you don't take offense to that it's just that I notice that this vessel is basically defense. You also seem to be keen on exploration. It's quite admirable."

Sabriel raises an eyebrow. "You have no scheduled crew rotation?" She shakes her head, not in disapproval but as if to dispel her own surprise. "Very well. I will inform you when I must leave my post to rest. However," she quips, "I cannot promise you that I will not eat as well." She now addresses the Abh pilot. "Keirn've, how would you prefer that I refer to you?"

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Lowe laughs, partially at Lafiel's reaction and partly at Jinto's comment. "It is quite alright Hecto Commander. I may be old, but I can still take a joke. He turns his disarming smile on Jinto. "The Socialist Republic is a peaceful nation, but its military is structured much like yours: almost exclusively for war. This ship, to coin an old Earth phrase, is a dove in a flock of hawks. We are the only Labule vessel fully equipped to autonomously carry out diplomatic and exploratory missions." He opens the door, motioning the group out. "Since you do not seem to have any further questions, we will proceed to the ship's command center."

As they make the short walk back to the turbolift, Richard responds to Samson. He drops the secrecy of his previous whispering, speaking openly. "Her shift ends at 670 minutes." They arrive at the lift door and the bomowas pauses. "That reminds me: none of you have watches that tell Xanthalian time, do you?" He walks on, turning down a side hallway. "My apologies for overlooking that. If you are going to serve aboard this ship, you really ought to have the means to tell time as we keep track of it. Fortunately we all wear standard-issue watches in the Labule, so we have a supply of extras. Wait a moment," he says, opening a door and venturing into a supply room nearly identical to the one they visited earlier on deck ten.

Dusanyu smiles. "Of course you may eat. Just go to the mess hall that we were in earlier and you can choose from any variety if you so please. It is located on level 5 of the ship. I'll be at the bridge if you need anything else."

The pilot had blue hair that came down to the middle of his ears. Unlike the Emperor's, his ears were "normal" since he was not royalty. His eyes also weren't the customary blue but bordered on a light green tent. He looked down at Sabriel and smiled. "You may call me Keirn've or Keirn if you like, Labule senmon Sabriel."
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Jinto nodded at hearing Lowe's explaination. "I see so it's much like our merchant vessels. We have many of those in our Empire even though the entire fleet is geared for war. We use those for deep exploration and trade."

Samson commits the 670 minutes to his memory before moving on.

"Please," she replies, "Sabriel is plenty. My Labule rank means nothing aboard a foreign vessel." With that, she conncts her alpha to the ship through the slots in the back of the chair. She closes her eyes, getting used to the feeling. It is odd; a slight tingling sensation and then she feels almost as if she is the ship she is piloting. Its position relative Mirfak and the Alphashra are evident in her mind. She feels almost as if she could control the vessel itself through this interface, but now is no time for careless experimentation. She opens her eyes and meets the eyes of her instructor. "I do not wish to risk the safety of the ship by guessing. Please point out the control systems for me before I attempt to maneuver."

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"The Alphashra is set apart only by the fact that it employs so much non-standard technology." Lowe returns from the closet and passes out the digital watches. They have several buttons on them, but the bomowas does not bother mentioning them. Instead, he simply explains the display. "The basis of Xanthal's time measurement is one standard second. One hundred seconds make up a minute, one hundred minutes constitute an hour, and ten hours are in a day. Very straightforward. At the top of the display you will see the current date." He indicates it on his own watch, which is synchronized with the ones he has given to his guests. It reads '322-7-63'. "The first number is the year; three hundred and twenty-two. The second number, seven, is the current month, and the final number is the day of the month; sixty-three. The main display below it shows the time of day." He points this out as well: '5:87:14'. The last number increases by one every second as they watch. "The five is the hour, the eighty-seven is the minute of the hour. The final group," it now reads 20, "counts the seconds within each minute. Generally, we refer to times of the day in minutes unless timing something down to the second is required. To use an outstanding example, six hundred and seventy minutes is the same thing as six hours, seventy minutes." He looks up at the visitors. "Do you understand?"

Keirn've smiles and pushes a few buttons on the display screen in front of Sabriel. "The screen before you is a very low scale radar. Every station is equipped with one. It shows the front of the ship and can display any enemy or hostile fire incoming. You do not need to worry about engine out put for that is not your job. But you will not be surprised by any difference in acceleration as the Emperor will shout out the orders for engine outputs."

He then makes sure Sabriel sees the button on the side of her right arm rest and then pushes it. Out slides along metalic armlet with a gauntlet underneath for the pilot's fingers. The surface has a glossy finish while the end where her fingers go, is glass. "Alright Sabriel, this is the control for the entire ships and it is literally at your finger tips. Slide your hand into the glove. It is fairly simple to handle."

Keirn've stands behind Sabriel and puts his left hand, palm down, in front of her. "Think of your fingers as directional arrows. Your middle finger takes the ship straight forward. Your thumb and pinky take it to extreme opposite directions. The other two fingers allow you proportional angles. Now you don't only have to use on finger. You can use them in combination for different manuevers."

He draws her attention the left arm rest. "Now during battle is the only time when you will have control over engine output. The Linewing Aviator manages engine output and he sits right across from you on your right." Keirn've points across the way and an Abh woman waves and smiles. "You must first press 'set' and then you can enter the proper engine output. Each button is labeled so it shouldn't be confusing."

He moves from the back and stands off to her side. "So do you understand everything Sabriel?"
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Samson smiles widely when he hears the proper translation into time. "I understand perfectly." He takes a look back at Dorathy.

Sabriel does not look convinced. "What if my arm gets tired or something happens to cause involuntary movement? I could throw us off course, even damage the ship." She holds her hand back from the glove for the moment, her eyes focused on the panel in front of her. These are controls she understands, is accustomed to. The rest of this control interface is completely alien. She vaguely feels as if she should not have mentioned that she was a qualified pilot. Qualified for Xanthal's ships, perhaps, but this is completely different. It is rapidly becoming apparent that though the two nations' starships look alike and are based on the same principles, the way they are controlled is completely different.

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"Good. Now then," he presses the call button for the turbolift, "Let us go to the bridge."

OOC: Dorathy is back in the engine room. The door is closed now, so Samson wouldn't be able to see her. Just a pointer in case it matters to you.

Keirn've smiled warmly trying to help Sabriel put aside her fears. "Well the arm brace fits fairly smug on your arm and locks it down to the arm rest but I know how you feel. It takes a pilot trainee a while to learn how to control their movements. It takes a clear head and steadfastness to keep your focus on your job during battle."

Keirn've points at the brace and shows a slot for her elbow. "See here is where your arm will be braced down as it fits over your entire forearm. Come on Sabriel. Try it out. Get used to the feel of the brace and glove and get used to the ship responding at your finger tips. I am confident that you will do fine. We aren't really moving forward in our mission so we have free run with the ship. Please, try it out until it becomes comfortable."
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The three of them file into the turbolift with Lowe.

OOC: Thanks for the heads up. I wasn't too sure so I put that in just incase.

Sabriel steels herself and slides her hand into the control glove. As the mechanism activates, her hand in place, it is eerie to think that the fate of the ship now lies quite literally at her fingertips. She nods, reassuring herself, then uses her left hand to activate a communications link to the commanding officer on the balcony above and behind her. "Helm station requesting permission to temporarily assume engine output control and free-maneuver within the area. I would like to get a feel for the way these controls respond before we get underway." Sabriel terminates her transmission and, waiting for the reply, asks Keirn've aside, "Do I need to be concerned about this vessel's artificial gravity or inertial dampeners being unable to fully compensate for abrupt vector changes?"

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The lift carries the group, alone and uninterrupted, to deck fifteen in about thirty seconds. The doors open out into a bridge confuguration that is best described as a hybrid of High Guard and Starfleet designs. The area is large and structured in an oval shape about fifteen meters across at the apex. They leave the lift, which is on the rear left section of the oval. The ceiling on this deck is high, almost five meters off the ground. The walls are of the same design as the hallways, but the room is lit by a large central ceiling light and wall lights ringing the room at mid and low height. At the front is a giant viewscreen, which currently affords a full panoramic 'window' view of space, the distant form of Mirfak's fourth and outermost planet near the bottom left corner and lines of ships travelling in and out of the system barely visible perhaps a hundred kilometers away at the bottom of the screen, moving out of view as the Alphashra moves relative to the traffic lane.

The various stations are situated aesthetically around the room, each with controls specific enough to serve their designated purpose, but programmable to control different functions if need demands. Every station has a chair at it, built into the deck but still adjustable to fit the user. The helm and operations stations are near the front, navigation and tactical stations behind those. Two auxilliary stations sit just back of the bridge's center. Three large-display consoles built into the left wall serve engineering and technical monitoring purposes, while similar consoles built opposite them in the right wall can be used by science personnel. Near the back on a raised platform are three chairs, a large centered seat and two smaller ones on each side. Each chair has its own control panel built into the right armrest. These seats, for use by commanding officers and VIPs, are the single most obvious design element kept from the usual Abh-like Labule bridge design. At the moment, about half the seats are filled. Humans staff the helm and two engineering stations, than occupy tactical and the commander's chair, while xanthalians take up operations, navigation, and one of the three science consoles. The nine remaining seats on the bridge are unoccupied. Doors lead out of the bridge to the turbolift, as well as the mid left and right and a single door at the back right, just before the step leading up to the raised command platform.

The than occupying what is obviously the commanding officer's chair, at the back center, stands and salutes the admiral as she sees them come in. Her chittering speech is quickly translated into Mirfakan and Galactic Standard by the communicators in the area "Bomowas, all systems are normal. Are you taking command now?"

Lowe nods in acknowledgement. "Iie, Manowas. Voymorios kufazet." "No, Manowas. Continue duty." He steps out of the way of the turbolift, then addresses his guests. "Based on what you have told me, I am going to recommend department assignments to you, which you may freely accept or reject. Hecto Commander, you may serve at helm. Samson, I am inclined to place you in engineering." He peers at Jinto, scrutinizing him. "We do not have a position that calls for the same duties as those you are used to on this ship, but I can suggest the medical or operations departments. Operations will probably be more difficult for you to catch on to, but you will probably see more action in the course of this mission serving there. Unlike medical, it is also a job you can do here on the bridge, if that influences your decision."

The Emperor's voice came over the communication link. "Permission granted Labule senmon Sabriel."

Keirn've thought over Sabriel's question. "Well it's a little complicated. The ship can go into a dive or spin and no one would feel anything since the artificial gravity makes all the adjustements so our feet stay on the floor. However, if the ship takes a hit or the manuevers become more aggressive with engines accelerated, then you will feel the force of gravity on you. If engines are increased to maximum and you manuever the ship at that speed, then you will feel the acceleration force acting on you. The force would be enough to take anyone from their feet or knock a crew member out of bed. During battle though, everyone will be secured in their respective positions. The only person in danger of anything like that is the commander because he remains standing through the entire battle. Does any of this make sense to you?"
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The three of them take a moment taking in the ship before the answer Lowe. The bridge was remarkable. It wasn't unlike their own on a Patrolship but the differences were obvious.

Samson was the first to reply with a smile. "So does that mean I'll be working in the engine room? If that's the case then I would like to choose which one."

Lafiel looked to Lowe. "If you are comfortable with me serving at the helm then I have no objections."

Jinto kinda laughed helplessly. "I actually think I could handle operations or at least I would like to try. It's not that I'm looking for action it's just that I actually have had experience in that department. Besides I'm being selfish and want to stay by my wife."

Sabriel raies an eyebrow. "Partially. I suppose I will just have to feel it out for myself." She pushes the communications button again, responding to Dusanyu. "Acknowledged." Cutting off the channel, she begins working with the controls. She is silently grateful that the Abh language uses familiar characters, making navigating the controls relatively easy. With a few pushes she brings the engine output from an idle to five percent and vectors gently up and to starboard, away from the Xanthalian starship. She increases the tightness of the turn, finally pushing both her fourth and fifth fingers in the same direction together. The vessel maneuvers well for its size, making a one hundred and eighty degree directional change in just under ten seconds with full thrusters.

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"Excellent," says Lowe. "It is decided then." He motions for the group to follow him as he goes to the front of the bridge. "Duty shifts on this ship are devided into three overlapping periods. 0:00-3:40 is A shift, 3:30-6:70 is B shift, and 6:60-10:00 is C shift. The senior staff is mostly on duty during B shift, which is the shift we are currently on. Your direct superior will be the senmon that heads your department. Senmon Asari," he says, gaining the attention of the human, a dark-skinned human man of perhaps thirty standard years, staffing the left forward station, the helm.

"Bomowas," he responds, rising to attention.

"Uk est Hecto Commander Abriel," "It is Hecto Commander Abriel," the admiral announces as he indicates the princess. "Uk astios intrios iensa placin cilal to kufazet telal. Watashi est deevios uk to reg mitakal cilal." "It will work in your department for this mission. I am changing her to your voluntary command."

"Nalios, Bomowas," "Understood, Bomowas," he replies. The senmon bows to Lafiel. "Par. Watashi est Theodore Asari. Parios to placin fektodal." "Greetings. I am Theodore Asari. Welcome to helm department."

While this is going on an exchange is taking place between the xanthalian woman at the navigation station behind them, another senmon, and the thanic manowas. It is not translated by the communicators, however, as they are not programmed to relate what they identify as conversations between other people. Whatever the topic, the than works at her own panel, then chitters at it as if she is speaking to someone else.

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Aboard the Sankakue, a new message comes in, this time from a than, her native language translated deftly and naturally by the Alphashra as it transmits to Galactic Standard. "This is KLZ-01 contacting the Sankakue. You are moving away. Please clarify your intentions."

A few of the members onboard the bridge give puzzled looks to Keirn've but he gives them all a glare that silences any questioning. He turns his attention back to Sabriel. They had made the entire moving with only feeling a minor increase in acceleration. "See? It seems you are starting to get the hang of it. Keep practicing as you wish."

The communications officer picked up the message from the Alphashra. "Hey Keirn've. It seems your little manuever has caught the attention of Xanthalians."

"Punch to comm link to our station and I will answer it."

The link is set up through their panel while Sabriel continues to manuever the ship. "This is Pilot Keirn've of the Sankakue . Pilot Sabriel is currently testing the ship's manuevering capabilities at the moment since she will be piloting the ship for the remainder of this mission. I thought it best that she practice piloting before we began the mission. My apologies if it was a cause for concern."
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Lafiel in turn bowed to Theodore. "Thank you Theodore. It is a pleasure to work along side of you."

Jinto looked to Lowe. "The shifts don't seem that long. On board the Basroil, we really didn't have any shifts. If there was a lull in the action then the ship was broken down to skeleton crew while everyone took the oppurtunity to eat and rest. I suppose that was a little different though since whenever we are in a ship it's because of a battle. I imagine shifts would be manitory for long expeditions such as this."

OOC: I'll be out of town for the weekend. Didn't want you to think I was abadoning the thread. I'll be able to post after Saturday and will keep monitorying it for a while today.

Sabriel nods in passing, concentrating on the controls and how best to use them. She continues her experiments, accellerating and decelerating, trying different maneuvers. The system is natural and smooth. Between the ship's information being fed to her through her alpha, the motion-reactive controls at her right hand, and the traditional control panel accessible with her left she has a lot to keep track of and think about, but it comes very naturally for the most part.

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The manowas and navigator conclude their conversation with a final exchange as Lowe continues, calling on the xanthalian sitting at operations, beside the helm station. "Senmon Kase." The female stands in response, shoulder-length straight jet black hair falling around her pointed ears. Though her species' features make them distinct from humans, many humans seem to think they look rather unnatural. Almost as many seem to think they are attractive however, so it can be reasonably said that the physical appeal of the xanthalian species is a matter of widely varied opinion. "Uk est Jinto. Watashi est deevios uk to reg mitakal cilal." "It is Jinto. I am changing it to your voluntary command."

"Nalios," "Understood," she replies, bowing to the count in a fashion similar to that of her crewmate.

"Cili astios kufazetios gunkaki zatal cilial mor placintep gaholal, ninelios tot eliv uki hastejios." "You will assign your new gunkaki on bridge shift, give all help they need."

"Nalios," the two senmoni chorus with a final salute.

The bomowas nods. "You two stay here and do as these fine officers instruct. If you have any concerns or wish to withdraw from active duty on this ship, let me know." He turns to Samson. "Senmon Uetake is currently off duty. I will see that he is informed of your temporary transfer. You should report to him sometime during the next shift. Until then you may do as you please, so long as it does not interfere with our operations."

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"Understood," comes the than's reply. "There is no problem, we were just concerned. The bomowas will contact your ship again when we are ready to get underway. KLZ-01 out."

Jinto took his position near Senmon Kase and looked to Lowe. "No I think we shall be fine here. Please don't worry about us. We'll do our post not to slow this ship down."

Samson nodded. "I have two questions then. What deck should I report to and who will I be working along side with? I mean I imagine that there is more than two crew members working in the engine rooms."

"The engineering department is the largest on the ship, made up of seventy-five people," notes the admiral. "I can't answer your other questions, as Senmon Uetake has a penchant for wandering about a lot during his shift and where you work will be up to him. When you are ready to report for duty, you should contact him with your communicator." Lowe steps up onto the rear platform of the bridge and replaces the manowas at the command chair, the than moving to sit at his right.

On the other side of the room, Senmon Asari places Lafiel in the pilot's seat, pointing out the various controls, his speech translated as he goes along. "This is engine control, subspace tunnel drive, space-time bubble activation switch. These buttons control ship's speed, these regulate directional thrusters..." They are all situated on the console itself, making the controls much less streamlined than those aboard the Sankakue. At the same time, however, they are very straightforward and, surprisingly, the electronic display can be switched to read out in Galactic Standard, shallowing the learning curve for the outsider considerably. As the Xanthalian continues to explain feature after feature beyond the basic piloting functions, it becomes clear that for someone skilled at manipulating them and bringing out their full functionality, these controls can be utilized just as effectively as the advanced sensory inputs of the Abh. For a beginner though, they are a bit bulky.

Senmon Kase, meanwhile, returns to her seat, watching the lesson with a half-interest briefly before giving Jinto her attention. "Watashi est nil lanoifna ti Theodore. Regios obisal est lanes, nil wamk." "I am not teacher as Theodore. Technology control is physical, not theory." She changes the readout display to Galactic Standard. "Aledra, regi," "System, controls," she indicates them on the left and right, respectively. She stands aside, inviting her student to sit. "Posilios. Watashi astios rodios dontep cil hastios." "Take. I will guide when you need."

"That's fine just as long as it's possible to find a moment to meet Dorathy when she goes on break. In any case I believe I'll shall take my own personal tour of the ship now if you don't mind. I promise not to get in the way."

Lafiel couldn't help but feel a little blind without using her alpha but she quickly overcomes that feeling since the controls make up for her discomfort. She hoped that she could at least remember the directional thrusters. Well at least there would be someone to guide her if she made a mistake.

Jinto on the other hand chuckled nervously. "Ok. Ummm...thank you I guess." He studied the panels and they reminded him somewhat of the supply listings that his PDA would arrange.

Lowe dismisses Samson with a wave, already absorbed in his command. "Reg obisal, oinsios Sankakue zeki est idosios oifna interal total. Lanrod, diskunios placin placin oifna skal to fektoda. Lanreg soporukal, teparkios colsak, sashu to soporuka. Lanfektoda, zolisios sieulit to placin oifna Mirfakal, letna lunaDecnaThina Thinameter divisios sekend. Yogodozvos kasna. Idosios oifna." "Technology controller, inform the Sankakue we are beginning general operation drill. Navigator, communicate location adjacent training area for helm. Combat controller, prepare the ship, crew for battle. Pilot, set course for Mirfak training area, fifty thousand kilometers per second. Combat status one. Begin drill."

The lights on the bridge darken and the bands of light around the periphery switch from white to a dark red. A series of five beeping klaxons sound, followed by a female voice that booms through the ship on every speaker, announcing, "Yogodozvos kasna. Combat status one." Throughout the vessel, on-duty personnel scramble to ready the ship for combat while others abandon their current occupations and scramble out of bed, racing to their stations. A flurry of conversation, too much for the visitors' communicators to translate, engulfs the bridge. Over all this, the Xanthalian helm and operations officers stand calmly by, watching their charges closely and helping them to accomplish the tasks they have been given. Kase helps Jinto establish a communication channel to the Emperor's flagship while Asari guides Lafiel through the process of setting the ship's course and speed. Meanwhile, the ship's offensive and defensive systems begin powering up and deploying, beckoned to life by the tactical officer.

In just minutes the ship will be fully staffed, all systems ready for activation at a moment's notice. The calm and peace is shattered as the vessel gears up for an imminent battle, but at the same time there is a sense of security in the response, a quiet acknowledgement that the danger is not real, the coming fight ficticious. These drills are commonplace on any military vessel, used to keep the crew's response skills in top condition. Today they serve a special purpose in providing a crash-course for the two new bridge officers.

Samson flattens himself to the wall to keep out of the crews way as they rush about trying to get to their stations. "Sheesh. They sure know how to run a drill around here. I'm glad that we just fight more than anything and don't have to worry about drills."

Jinto follows Kasse's commands as he connects with the Sankakue. Lafiel makes the adjustment for course heading and speed. She steels herself for her first time piloting a ship without her alpha. It was a little shaky at first but in time she would come to feel comfortable with it's absence. She just needed practice.
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Kenesh walked up to the Emperor with the report of Xnathalian's movements. Dusanyu looked down to the pilot. "That's enough for now. Hold ship at current location and then proceed at 5 cliqs behind the Xanthals. Set speed at Fifty thousand kilometes per second."

Keirn've looked to Sabriel. "Well you heard the Emperor. Set your course and speed."

Sabriel swings the Sankakue down and port, slowing it from seventy to fifty thousand kilometers per second as she brings it to its new vector. She demonstrates quickly-attained skill, changing course and speed quickly enough to push the artificial gravity and inertial dampeners, but not so fast that the crew feels more than a slight weight loss and pull to the starboard side. Levelling off, with a slight course correction she puts the ship just over five cliqs behind its Xanthalian counterpart. "Vector change executed. Helm station relinquishing engine output control to the Linewing Aviator." She smiles toothily. This is going to be fun.

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The Alphashra's laser cannons deploy as the ship enters the practice field, targeting the decoy arrays scattered about the area. The big ship is difficult to maneuver through the obstacle course at this speed, and Theodore occupies himself helping Lafiel through this difficult introductory test. Jinto is left more to his own devices by his xanthalian instructor, who satisfies herself by pointing out only what systems to use and what to use them on. Clearly, Senmon Kase is not going to be as helpful as the helm officer. The command crew leaves the station officers primarily to their own devices as the action commences, saying little and instead observing the performance of the vessel's staff. This is something of a free run, an opportunity to test crew response time and kick-start the Abh officers' skills at Xanthalian controls.

Keirn've smiled down at Sabriel, "Excellent manuever."
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Lafiel eventually begins to get the hang of the controls. They feel a little sluggish at first but begin to pick up. She begins to compensate for her slow learning. She begins to use the thrusters more to help manuever the ship among the course. Decelrating and accelerating to help make turns a bit more easily.

Jinto on the other hand is finding out functions through the test procedure. He tries what he can, if he fails then he learns from his mistake. He does eventually begin to catch on as he is a quick learner.

Sabriel quickly appreciates the powerful thrusters of the Abh flagship. It's no Gel, but for a heavy patrol class it has substantial maneuvering power; more than Xanthalian patrol ships, and much more than the unweildy Alphashra. She considers all the ways she can put that power to use as she flies, but faithfully stays in KLZ-01's flight path as she has been instructed. As the larger ship slows to make some tighter maneuvers, the difficulty of seperating thruster control from engine output is striking. In her mind, the two are part of a single task, and being responsible for only one is proving extremely difficult to adjust to. She compensates for the brief interim between their quarry's change in velocity and the reduction of the Sankakue's speed by arcing around a set of obstacles instead of following the Alphashra through, once again levelling out their respective distance from each other. Much to her ire though, she undercompensates and leaves the Abh ship not much over four cliqs behind the Xanthalian ship. Any good pilot knows that an essential component of flying in formation is maintaining an adequate distance between vessels. At even moderate sublight speed, 'tailgating' invites disaster when there is no maneuvering coordination effort in effect between flight controllers. She executes a series of zig-zag-like maneuvers to put more space between the ships.

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As Lafiel picks up the basic piloting controls, Asari ups the ante by simultaneously challenging the abh with the computer's programmable command system, which can serve as a sort of heads-up display for pilots in difficult maneuvering conditions and, to a limited extent, provide autopilot support. He is demanding, but realistic. His skill at keeping his student on her toes without passing the boundary of what she is able to handle suggests that flight instruction is old hat to him. Kase's more passive training style certianly leaves more room for error, but it also provides an environment requiring confidence and intuition. As Jinto tries and eventually succeeds at one task after another, the count quickly begins to get the hang of the items at his command: communications, graviton beams, transporters, sensors.... As the tasks he is called upon to perform become more complex, the Senmon will occasionally point out a step when Jinto seems stuck. She nods approvingly as the situational training begins to take with the young man. Both Jinto and Lafiel are able to pick up the new controls quickly thanks to their outstanding skill and training. Because of their preexisting background, this approach is effective in teaching them enough to serve them through the mission ahead.

Finally, after what seems like a half-hour, the tactical officer calls out, "Term keldral teparkal." "Every station ready."

"Terminios oifna," "End practice," calls the bomowas. "Yogo baysal." "Normal status." The bridge lighting returns to normal and the ship's synthesized voice calls out after a single alert buzz that sounds like something between a chainsaw biting into a hardwood tree and an electronic bell.

"Yogo baysal. ThssichhhikikgEEEEya. Normal status." The admiral rolls his eyes at the multi-lingual announcement. The ship's AI always announces alerts in all three common Xanthalian languages. He has yet to muster the dignity to ask the engineers to change it.

"Tep ortulim?" "Time passed?" inquires Lowe, looking to his right.

The Than's translated response accentuates just how little time has actually gone by: "One minute, forty-six seconds." Even accounting for the disparity between Xanthalian and standard time, the figure is impressive.

Richard nods. "Oinsios sashu, voyolios sashu uelal," "Inform crew, dismiss inactive crew," he instructs. "Lanrod, diskunios seulit voyal to fektoda. Lanfektoda, zolisios seulit, il. Reg obisal, zolisios Sankakue postios zeki." "Navigator, communicate departure coordinates to helm. Pilot, set course, execute. Technology controller, instruct Sankakue follow us." He switches languages in stride. "Well done. You performed admirably. Hecto Commander, I expect you can be relied upon to get us to our departure point safely by now, so inform me when we arrive. It is only about one million kilometers from our current position, so it ought not take long. Jinto, when you have finished communicating with the Sankakue, transfer the call to me. I need to work out how to tow that ship through subspace with the Emperor."

Keirn've smiled as he watched his pilot perform her manuevers. "It seems you are getting the hang of the basics but seem to still be struggling a bit with the combination of thrusters and engine out put. There is no need to worry. It takes time and building up the reflexes so that you make the changes instantly. You are actually doing quite well for your first time. You have proven yourself capable of getting us through this mission. Carry on."
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Both Jinto and Lafiel sighed after finally passing their tests. Jinto leaned back and breathed heavy after holding his breath for so long as he was thinking on his feet.

Lafiel readied her coordinates. "Yes Admiral. Setting course."

Jinto readied the controls and connected to the Sankakue.
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The communication went straight to the Emperor on his private channel. "Count Hyde? Well it seems that they have already put you to work. How does everything fair on your end?" ........ "Yes I understand. Connect me to the Admiral."
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After several minutes, the Alphashra had reached its destination. Lafiel reported back to Richard. "We have reached appointed destination. Awaiting orders."

Jinto looked up from his screen. "I have the Emperor on the line. I'm patching him through to you."

Sabriel grimaces. "Not well enough. I am curious: not to sound disagreeable, but who made the decision to assign engine output control and throuster control to seperate crewmembers? It seems highly inefficient."

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Lowe nods, taking the transmission at his own console. "Emperor Dusanyu, an impressive display. I can tell that you and your crew as well as your ship will be a great asset in the journey ahead. Now, as to how to bring your ship with us. We already know that the first two legs of this journey are going to require parallel space travel, probably over vast distances. Because of that I'm going to have your ship towed between the Alphashra's hulls to minimize drag in subspace and maximize our speed. While we are using the subspace path drive, you will be anchored to our ship with graviton beams and held within our own defensive grid. To accomplish that with minimum risk to both our ships, you will have to shut down all of your propulsion systems and active sensors while we are in the slipstream. If that is agreeable, we will proceed as soon as you have made the necessary shutdowns."

Keirn've laughed. "The controls are divided among two people only during leisurly travel. During battle situations, full control over engine output is transferred to you. You would be correct to say that it was inefficient if during battle both thrusters and engine controls were divided among the crew." He points to a button on her right arm console. "Here is the button that toggles between control over engine output. If it makes you more comfortable, you may control both systems for the remainder of the mission."

The Emperor had no problems with this procedure. "Pilot Sabriel, shut down all propulsions. Communications officer, shut down all sensors."

With that, the Sankakue became a dead stick in space as it waited for the Alpashra to position itself over the Sankakue.
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Samson brought out his Communicator. "Well I guess I better actually start doing something around here before they think I've become a fith wheel."

He brought it up to his mouth and tried to remember the man's name. "Senmon Uetake. This is Samson from the Abh Empire. I am reporting for duty and wondering where you would like me to meet you for duty."

Sabriel fights her first impulse, which is to get angry. "If you had told me that I was supposed to retain engine output control during battle, I would have done so," she says with carefully restrained frustration. She cuts power to the ship's propulsion systems, then deactivates her controls, leaning back and preparing to settle into the mundanity of inactivity, calling back to the Emperor. "All sublight propulsion systems deactivated. Space-time bubble generator offline. Vector control matrix secured."

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As the Alphashra moves into its intimite formation with the Sankakue, Senmon Tsuneo Uetake is returning to his quarters when he recieves Samson's message. His contrite response reaches the foreign officer fully translated, in the communicator's usual slipshod way. "Samsan? There is no officer known as Samsan in my department."

http://www.abhnation.com/components/com_mambospgm/spgm/gal/SNS-04/SNS-04-34.jpg Not a great picture but the best I could find.

IC: Keirn've draped an arm around the chair and smiled. "I did tell you. But I suppose it is my fault for not running through everything with you since I am your instructor. I will take the blame this time but I won't make the same mistake."
-------------------

Samson sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and thought. *It must not be his shift yet. What to do now?* "My pardon sir. The Admiral has appointed me a position alongside your crew. I am a temporary crew member for a couple of days. Have you heard about a joint mission with the Abh Empire?"

Sabriel crosses her arms and focuses on the console, glaring. As if I am supposed to know your rules. She ejects her alpha's connectors from the ports at the back of the chair, removing the tiara. She has no problem wearing it to control the ship, but it just doesn't feel natural to her to keep it on unnecessarily. She places the thing in her lap and begins to tinker with her console, investigating the full extent of its functions without hesitation now that it is secured from command mode.

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"Yes," the chief engineer answers, walking back into the cramped quarters he shares with three other crew members, "Tell the bomowas to send me a message about it and call me again sometime during A shift. We will talk more then." With that, he closes his communicator and falls back into bed, checking his watch briefly. Still time for a half-hour of sleep. His bedside computer terminal beeps, indicating a new message. He turns over and reads it, then deletes it with a groan and sits up. "Pe anyu." He grabs his communicator again. "Samsan," he instructs. Elsewhere, Samson's communicator begins to beep, indicating that he is being called.

Keirn've smiled. "Keep playing around with the controls until you get comfortable with them. I'm going to get something to drink since the two of us will be off duty for a while. Would you like anything?"
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Samson closed his communicator smiling to himself. "Well at least it looks like I'll have time to get a drink before my shift starts. I wonder if there is a bar around here...."

He walks towards an officer to ask just that question when his communicator goes off again. "Yes? This is Samson."

"I just had a drink," Sabriel replies. "I have no need for another at this time, but thank you for your offer."

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"Samsan," the familiar voice calls back. "I just got message from bomowas. I will meet you at room sixteen two in ten minutes. End message." The channel clicks as it is shut off. The chief engineer sounds less than pleased, but whether it is due to Lowe's message, Samson's call, the work ahead or simply being deprived of a half-hour of sleep is left to the imagination.

Keirn've came back with a small cup of Flouey. This drink happened to be his own personal recipe and not a single person on the ship knows what's in it but it is the most popular drink on board. He walked back by his pilot in training and looked at her with her arms crossed. Keirn've knew that if he was going to make this mission enjoyable for the both of them that he would have at least get them on more friendlier terms instead of just instructor and trainee.

He leaned against a nearby council as he took a sip from his cup. "So Sabriel, if you don't mind me asking, what do you like to do for entertainment in your spare time? I mean you can't spend your entire time in the fleet. Tell me about your family or friends."
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Samson clicked off his communicator after their conversation, "Well that's one way to piss of your superiors. Deprive them from sleep. I know how he feels. My men always seem to need my help while I'm at the bar."

Samson made his way to a turbo lift and put in that he needed to reach the sixteenth floor.

Sabriel stops poking at the console and turns around to meet the Abh's eyes. "My parents are both dead, and I have no siblings. As both my mother and father were first-generation Xanthalian abh and I am not married I have no remaining family. Most of my friends today are my fellow officers, though I do still have aquaintences on Trasnia. When I am on leave, I usually spend my time back in the town I was born. Rhaknam is a small community located on an island about one hundred miles off the coast of South Dilik. It doesn't get much of a winter, but the conditions are generally very temperate except during the stormy season. The settlements are all at the top of the west cliffs though, so it is rare for actual damage to be done to property." She has a far-away look, almost as if she is visiting the place in her mind right now. "To see those waves crashing against the rocks, beating away at the claff face; nature slowly wearing away what has stood for millenia, slowly shrinking the island century by century...." She smiles at Keirn've. "I love my job, but it is always pleasant to get my feet on solid ground. The Universe is so tremendous, the expanses so great between worlds. The quiet elegance of space fails in appeal compared to the beauty and power of a geologically active planet. Those few worlds that we can live on are truly a gift from the gods." She nods and gestures to her trainer. "How about you? What do you do in your spare time?"

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The Alphashra fixes its graviton holding beams on the Emperor's ship, locking it in place scarcely a meter from the larger ship's central hull. To anyone looking at the formation from the outside, the effect is almost as if the Xanthalian vessel is hugging the Abh flagship, or as a metal beast head preparing to crush its nemesis between its shining jaws. KLZ-01 activates its shield grid, which encases both ships in its invisible sphere of energy. The two vessels then drift together, letting the gravity currents guide them through the void as the crew of the Alphashra calibrates their slipstream field to compensate for the extra mass and redistributed volume.

Keirn've smiles enjoying Sabriel's tale of her home. "I'm afraid that I have never seen such wonderful scenes personally. I have seen holographic art of such things and paintings...but never have experienced such wonders for myself."

He looked at the ground and off to the side as Sabriel posed her own questions. "Both of my parents were killed in the first war with the United Mankind. I too have no siblings. As far as friends go..."

He looks back up into her eyes. "I suppose it is hard for a noble to make many friends especially in an Empire. I am afraid since our Empire has had the rotten luck of always being in a battle, most of my relationships have suffered. Actually...all of them have suffered. Dusanyu has lead the Empire in just about every conflict we have been involved in. Unfortunate for me, I am the best pilot in the Empire and have been appointed pilot of the flagship of the fleet. Everyone you see around you as an elite or was at one time. They do have to protect the Emperor afterall."

Keirn've finished his cup and moved to refill it.

"War is commonly a result of overbearing or overreaction on the part of a ruler," Sabriel points out. "Have you considered that perhaps Dusanyu or his national policy has something to do with your over-involvement in foreign affairs? It seems unlikely that your people are so often engaged in combat with other sovereign entities if your government is innocent of contributing to the precipitating factors."

"We may be an Empire but Dusanyu is no tyrrant." He smiles. "I'm afraid that most nations are not so peaceful and kind hearted as the one you are from. I too once questioned the logic myself."

His eyes start to glisten a bit. "Once upon a time, I was just a young count as my father was Lord of our system and was frequently away on manuevers with Star Forces. My mother herself was retired and kept up the manor while he was away. In anycase I fell in love with a woman. She wasn't some upper class noble woman or a princess. She wasn't even from a wealthy merchant family. Sophie was a serving girl in our house. I had know her all my life. Though she wasn't from a noble family, she possesed a magnificent amount of wisdom. She was intelligent, beautiful, and I couldn't think of spending my life with anyone else. My parents weren't supportive of course since she wasn't a noble. Don't get me wrong. This isn't a common view in the Empire, but it's the view my family took since they are high up on the Root Families."

He takes a big gulp from his cup.

Sabriel nods politely, feeling suddenly awkward as she realizes that she is to bear witness to this man's tale of romance and, she fears, tragedy. "I see."

He swallows back the lump in his throat as he continues. "I don't know if you know of a nation called Safugnoff but that is what my family presided over. In any case, that is the location where the United Mankind launched it's attack on the Empire. My father was in charge of the forces stationed there when they attacked. He was sorely out numbered..."

Keirn've takes another drink and looks up at the command chair where the Emperor and Kenehs were discussing something. "In traditional Abh fashion, my father faught to defend hif family and the honor of this Empire. They fought and....he was reportedly the last ship to go down before the enemy took control over space in that system. My mother and I took control of the ground forces and managed to hold off invading forces until the Empire could send reinforcements and drive the enemy away."

Tears started to brim his eyes, something uncharacteristic of the Abh race. "I sent Sophie on a transport ship trying to get her away while my father was still fighting. I had no idea the enemy was blocking the sord to keep anyone from leaving the system. When she exited, they were there waiting for her....The enemy boarded the ship and killed every male Abh on board. My Sophie was....raped many times over and finally brutally murdered."

He looked at Sabriel guessing that she was probably wondering how he would know. "I know because... they sent the ship back through for us to find. Sophie died in my arms after I found her." Keirn've unzipped the top of his unifrom and brought out a ring on a golden chain. "She put this back in my hand as she died. They aren't many Abh that believe in marriage. We loved each other so much that we were willing to try."

He took from his neck and gave it to Sabriel for her to see. "I joined the Star Forces shortly after for revenge. My mother died that month defending the capital as the enemy launched an attack on it. I distinguished myself in the battle of Aptic and in the Operation Hunter Flame that the Emperor appointed me pilot of the Sankakue."

He stood up to get more of his beverage. He silently thanked himself for adding alcohol to the recipe. "I tell you this so that you understand why our Empire is the way it is. The enemy was utterly destroyed because they refused to see us as human and had labeled us the epitomy of evil. We have made strong alliances with others to see that the Universe is run in a way that will prevent such an occurence from ever happening again. Can you understand that? I don't expect you to approve, just to understand why we are so defensive and militarized. I myself would love nothing more than to live in peace in a scene much like you described."

Keirn've turned away. "Sadly that life will not be for me. Perhaps I can bring peace in our Empire for other generations, for parents that actually get to have children unlike Sophie and I."

Sabriel clears her throat, trying to think of something to say. "Well, um..." her usual directness cannot serve her here. "I am... sorry?" She says it almost as if it is a question, but quickly adds, "...about your loss." She turns back to her terminal and starts punching at random buttons, not really trying to accomplish anything so much as to end the conversation with what she vainly hopes is a measure of subtlety.

Keirn've laughs. "I didn't tell you that story because I needed to share a past pain with you or because I wanted you to feel sorry for me. No dear Sabriel. I wanted you to know why we fight. If you look around you, almost everyone has their own story of pain and suffering."

Sabriel stops what she is doing, resting her hands on the terminal in front of her and keeping her eyes focused on them. "Discrimination is a terrible thing. My people are fortunate to be as sheltered as we are in the Socialist Republic. I can not understand the desire to destroy being motivated by that which is not controllable by the subject of such adversity; and I fear that I thusly can not understand your situation. I am sorry." She says it with conviction and heart, but also with a level tone making it absolutely clear that the Xanthalian is too disconnected from the reality the Abh nation faces to go beyond such a dry response.

She does feel sorry for them, because it is not possible for her to feel sorry with them or even begin to comprehend the complexities of their plight. At this moment, she realizes that she was right when she told Dusanyu that she was a Xanthalian. She and her people live in a world completely different from that of the Abh. She knows that she was right, and it doesn't make her feel any better. These people, who could easily have been her people, are strangers. She may share their genetic makeup, but she does not share their soul. For the first time in her life, she feels like an alien. She wants to disappear, to leave these strangers and their problems that mean nothing to her, feeling that they should mean everything.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, she kicks the base of her console, pain shooting up her leg and washing away her doubtful thoughts. The impact makes a sound that rings across the bridge. The well-crafted metal is undamaged, but her toe bleeds slightly within the hidden confines of her sock and solid military-issue shoes. She rises, addressing Keirn've in a perfectly normal, cordial tone. "I think I will go get a drink after all. Please monitor the station for me in my absence." A moment later she is gone, through the door and into a waiting lift car. As she decends alone in the quiet hum of the well-serviced mechanism, she clenches her fist tightly, knuckles white, nails digging into the soft skin of her palm. Sabriel fights the urge to break the control panel. More than that, she fights the urge to cry.

Keirn've nodds as Sabriel leaves the station. He takes the piloting chair and plugs his alpha in. Immediately he is assaulted by the presence of the Alphashra hovering above the Sankakue. Keirn've realizes that Sabriel could not possibly understand why everyone on board the ship and in the Empire hates discrimination so soundly. He looks across the alley to Linewing Aviator and sees a long scar that crosses down her cheeck. The story behind her pain was just as significant as his. A scar she received protecting her child. He looked around the room and remembered everyone's story. No, Sabriel could not possibly know what it was like to be an Abh in the Empire and Keirn've was very grateful. He would never wish their fate on anyone.

The Emperor looked down at Keirn've. "What was that all about?"

Keirn've didn't even bother to look up and instead just kept focusing on the consol. "Nothing your Highness. She just accidently stubbed her two and went to go put ice on it incase it is broken."

Sabriel sits at a corner table in the crew dining area, alone. She drinks a tall glass of chocolate milk, or at least the closest imitation she can find. The abh forces herself to relax. This is going to be a long trip. She cannot break down already. She accepted this assignment, and she is determined to carry it through.

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Meanwhile, the Alphashra begins to move, steadying itself relative to the Mirfak star. The ship, now bound tightly to the Sankakue, maneuvers sluggishly, bogged down by the increased mass. It takes a moment for the pilot to get control of the new configuration, but in just a few seconds she seems to have a firm grasp on the situation. Dusanyu recieves a new message from the bomowas: "This is KLZ-01 to the Sankakue. We are prepared to depart the system when you are Emperor."

The Emperor nodded his accord. "We are ready when you are." He looked down to Keirn've. "Keep the ship steady while they prepare to jump."

"Yes your highness." Keirn've slides the glove on and locks down the arm rest so to keep thrusters in line.

On the bridge of the Alphashra, Lowe nods, acknowledging the Emperor's approval. "The trip through slipstream will last approximately seven minutes. KLZ-01 out." He issues his orders to the bridge crew. "Lanrod, eshios seulit to Aellis preal. Lanfektoda, zolisios seulit, idosios jenreet seulit dadayaksosal. Zolisios letna gonaHinaThina fail letloos. Il." "Navigator, calculate course for former Aellis. Pilot, set course, engage subspace path generator. Set speed four hundred thousand times speed of light. Execute."

"Understood. Plotting course, setting speed to four hundred thousand times speed of light, subspace generators engaged." Lafiel punched in the speed output on the console and plotted her course. Within a minute, she had the ship ready to move into the slipstream.

A band of energy travels along the engaged shield grid, running from the front to the back, polarizing the grid and preparing it for decent into subspace. Then the two ships lurch forward, at first appearing to stretch out, but quickly disappearing as their speed exceeds the ability of the human eye to follow. Moments later the vessels are in the slipstream, travelling at incredible speed on a dimensional plane just a minute fraction from normal space. This plane is, in fact, overlayed on normal space, so beyond the swirling energy bands that carve a cylindrical tunnel around them observers aboard either ship can actually see normal space, though there are few landmarks besides distant stars that go by, distorted by their relative faster-than-light speed.

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Less than ten minutes later, the ships emerge from this tunnel and decelerate, now in the area where, if it still existed as it once did, the Aellis star would be. Now it is just void. On the bridge, Lowe calls the Sankakue once again. "Emperor, welcome to the Aellis System; or what used to be the Aellis System anyway. As far as we have been able to discern, this is 'where light once shone,' so that makes our next task to 'steer for the center.' Do you have any input on that?"

As the bomowas begins his conference with the emperor, on deck sixteen Samson is greeted by the chief engineer. Room two contains a good deal of the engineering master command and control centers, and is probably the room best suited to the name 'main engineering.' Its primary functional purpose is located at the back of the room though, behind a metal housing and layers of insulation almost two meters thick, accessible only through a series of heavy airlocks: the mechanism and exhaust for one of the Alphashra's two main ion engines. Uetake is a short xanthalian man, just over one and a half meters tall. Even at that, he is slim and fit, making him a very delicately-built man. His has short red hair and beady eyes give him an almost humorous appearance in his grey and red uniform. He extends a large hand to the visitor, apparently forgoing the traditional Xanthalian greeting for a more personal handshake, introducing himself in a gruff voice; even speaking the galactic language. "I am Senmon Tsuneo Uetake. Welcome to the crew."

The Emperor was still in a bit of shock from the Slipstream being that was his first time experiencing it. "Well if this is the star, then where the star once stood would be center of the system. At leasts that what I would take it. Do you think it has something to do with this void? Typically where a star once stood, a black hole should accomodate it."
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Samson took the man's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you Tsuneo Uetake. Feel free to put me to work where ever you see best."

On the Sankakue, Sabriel returns to the bridge, alpha replaced on her forehead, if for no other reason than compliance with what she percieves as the norm. She does not attempt to retake the helm however, standing to the back of the lower bridge deck and observing the activity.

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Lowe takes a moment to confer with the science officer on duty, then returns to the screen. "We cannot detect anything within this system that would lead us to the next step. Space dust is all that is left here. We are looking for 'where stars are born;' that would have to be an absolute reference since this system is constantly moving relative to most objects in the galaxy. There are no anomolies or landmarks left here at all. The Infinity Gateway took everything, including the sord."

In engineering, Uetake nods, dropping his hand to his side. "I would like to assign you to a maintenance team; that will probably keep you busy while you are here." He goes over to an empty computer access terminal, built into the bulkhead and browses through what appears to be a duty roster. "Team one is in charge of handling the most important issues, including any problems with the foreign technology we use aboard. I think it will be challenging for you, but it could also be a valuable learning experience; give you some interesting stories to bring home with you." He turns back to Samson, smiling mischeviously. "Led by Senmon Dorathy Sithran, a beauty of a woman both in body and mind if I dare say. Second only to yours truly in the department." He leans back on the console. "Unfortunately, I'm not into humans like that. I'll bet a good-looking young man like you could enjoy her company though, assuming you swing that way. What do you say?"

Dusanyu started pacing about on the bridge of the ship trying to think of a possible answer to this riddle. "If everything revolves, then there must be a center to it. There must be a center to the galaxy since no system is stationary. The possibility of finding such a point is next to impossible. Is there any possible way to locate the original point of the Aellis system before everything was taken away?"
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Samson raises his brow upon hearing Dorathy's name again. "I believe I can handle a job like this especially if the company is good." He tries to remain calm but the tone in his voice and the look in his eyes showes that he recognizes her.

Lowe hesitates. "Perhaps. At what time and relative to what? If it is the center of the galaxy you believe we should head for, that is not a problem. Any decent star chart includes the entire Milky Way these days. We can plot an accurate course for the center of pretty much any galaxy within the known universe. I agree with you though; the most likely relative fixed reference point is the center of this galaxy."

If Tsuneo picks up on the fact that Samson knows his officer he doesn't bother to comment. "Good." He checks his watch, which indicates 6:02:17. He almost grimaces. He normally wouldn't even be up at this hour. Instead he continues on, just as cheerful as before. "She'll be on duty for a while yet, so I think it's safe to send you over to her now. Just don't get in her way if she's doing something important. She's usually perfectly agreeable, but she'll beat you down if you keep her from getting her work done. The woman's dedicated, I tell you." He pulls out his communicator. "Dorathy Sithran."

There is almost a full minute of delay, during which the chief waits patiently, then an answer by the familiar voice. "Quel?"

"Ninesios cil lansashu shezal. Dond est cil?"

"Vag kasnaDecna-elna. Intrios ak jenreet Holtzmanal."

"Yil. Lanyu nil teken reg gimesal."

"Nalios. Ninesios lanyu tep pelal."

"Yil. Diskun terminios." Uetake snaps his communicator shut and nods. "She's on the deck below this one, room two. She's working on a piece of equipment that's classified technology at the moment, so don't feel free to lend her a hand, if you know what I mean. Just hang around and she should be done soon."

Emperor plopped back down in his command chair. "Do we have a last known point of the Aellis system itself before it was taken away? If we know that, then perhaps we can search the last known point of the system before it was taken away."

Samson nodded his head. "Thank you. I'll get out of your way now and report to Dorathy. Oh don't worry, I won't get in her way and I'll keep my eyes closed if that will help so I don't see anything sensitive."

Samson left the room and headed for the Turbolift so he could make his way down to the lower deck.

"We can accurately plot its position relative to most galactic components, but we will need a relative reference," Lowe answers. "As you know, the whole universe is moving, and each part of it is moving within the larger system. Any spatial coordinates are relative to fixed points of reference. You need to tell me what reference point you wish to calculate its position by if I am to give you a useful answer; namely universal, galactic, or local."

Tsuneo gives a mock salute to Samson, smiling as he exits. "Good luck. Stay out of trouble!" The Senmon sighs as the doors close behind the retreating Abh subject, then goes to work. No use in trying to go back to bed now.

Samson finds only five people at work in the second ion engine room, in contrast to the eleven on the deck above. Deck seventeen's layout is identical to deck sixteen; the only difference is a large boxlike opaque metal casing in the main room's center, confining some unknown device perhaps two and a half meters on each side and three meters tall. Around the back side of the case, standing on a short step ladder, is Dorathy, upper body stretched out along the casing for balance as she works on something behind an open access panel near the top of the machine, a small flashlight clenched between her teeth, right arm snaked into the tangle of mechanical components behind the case, reaching inward and down, keen eyes locked on her task. This is a side of Dorathy very different from the casual persona Samson experienced earlier. Her focus is complete, and even though there is little doubt that she heard his entrance she pays him no attention whatsoever. Suddenly there is a flash of light from inside the case. She jerks backward, closing her eyes, then blinking fiercely to clear her vision and calling back angrily to a human woman that looks to be barely twenty years old, one of the youngest looking crewmembers yet seen by the visitor. She wears only one rank pip. "Ashia! Cil owarios sunes est uelal!" "Ashia! You say power is off!"

The girl works furiously at a control panel. "Uk est uelal!" "It is off!" she calls back, obviously just as agitated as her superior.

"Resh nina?" "Circuit nine?"

"Resh julna!" "Circuit eight!"

The senmon finishes extricating her arm from the machine, a nasty-looking cut marking her upper wrist. In her hand is a set of pliers, in which is grasped something resembling a small circuit board. She transfers the card to her left hand and throws it at the gunkak, who barely avoids being hit by ducking to her right. "Uelios resh nina!" "Deactivate circuit nine!"

The young woman picks up the small card that her superior has removed from the machine and puts it aside on a rolling table that was apparently brought here as part of the task at hand. She then presses a few more buttons on her console, announcing, "Resh nina est uelal io!" "Circuit nine is off now!"

Dorathy clamps her pliers around an identical card lying on the top step of the ladder, reaching down into the case again, presumably to install the replacement part. "Onyu." "Idiot." In less than a minute, she is finished. Setting her flashlight and her pliers on the ladder, she closes the access panel and latches it, stepping down and acknowledging Samson's presence for the first time with a nod, then returning her attention to her assistant. "Zeki est ortulim ak tel. Bilekios sunes to tot reshi, sparios, voyios bilekios oosya." "We are done with this. Restore power to all circuits, clean, go return cart." As the gunkak begins gathering the equipment and parts together on the cart, Dorathy leaves, calling back to her new teammate. "Samsan, postios!" "Samsan, follow!"

Dusanyu switched hands and put his head resting on his left fist and sighed. "I suppose the closest system would be best. The Milky Way Galaxy would be a preferable option. If you need any fix point from which to calculate the location, then any system should do. Would that be correct?"

Samson couldn't help but smile through the entire exchange. She was definatly a woman that he admired. He smiled increased when he ignored the cut on her arm and went straight back to work.

He almost felt sorry for her younger counter part...almost. He knew just as well as Dorathy that simple mistakes like that can damage the engines and could possible kill a crew member.

Samson catches up to Dorathy as she continues to stride determinely towards her destination. Samson unzipped his Star Forces jacket and took out a handkerchief. He looks at her with a cool and calm confidence. "You might want to have that looked at. If you don't mind, this should do for now."

"Our current location is the correct galactic position." The bomowas confirms. He confers with his science officer off-screen again for a few moments, then returns his attention to the Emperor. "We can also calculate the correct position relative to the Ilendris star, which was closest to Aellis at the time of its disappearance."

Dorathy looks at the cut, catching a drop of blood by rotating the wrist, thus saving the carpet from what would doubtless require futuristic stain-removing technology. Fortunately the cut is on the top of the wrist and not the bottom, where vital blood vessels run and is not bleeding too badly. If for no other reason than to avert dripping she takes Samson's cloth, draping it over the wrist where the portion over the wound quickly soaks up the crimson fluid, holding her right hand out in front of her to keep the unsecured dressing from falling off. "Winnej." "Thanks." She steps into the lift and selects a destination towards the fore of the upper hull on the fourth deck. The capsule obediently moves upward. "Cil est juuin zatal?" "You are new juuin?"

The Emperor nodded his head. "That sounds appropriate. Please do so. I imagine that will be our next location."

Samson moved to gently take Dorathy's so that if she didn't want his help, she could kindly move away. He moved to tie the kerchief off more secure so the flow of blood would be stopped and would remain on her wrist while she worked.

Samson looked up with her with a puzzled look as the translation came through in its robotic voice. "Juuin? I'm afraid I don't understand."

Richard holds up a hand. "If you do not mind, I should like to say my piece before we decide. It is known that many objects and object sets have equal rotational speed along the galactic ecliptic. One such object that rotates barely one lightyear behind the Aellis System just four thousand light years from the galactic center is a small stellar nursery. I believe that that should be our target as it fulfills the requirements of being located towards the galactic center from former Aellis' position and could be described as a place where stars are born."

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Dorathy watches him tie the cloth with a measure of neutrality, not encouraging or discouraging the action. She thinks for a moment on her answer, then tries again. "Juuin est lanyui Labulal iie teken regna." "Juuin is Labule people no have rank." The lift doors open at their destination and Dorathy steps out, heading aft.

Dusanyu returned his head to his hands as he looked at Richard and sighed. "I shall trust your judgement on such matters. Set course for what destination you believe correct."

Samson followed after Dorathy as she left the turbolift. "Well I suppose you could say that I am new. Especially more ways than one. We met earlier today. I was with new members of this ship that came from the Abh Empire. It seems Tsuneo Uetake thought that I could be of some use to you in the engine room."

"Not at all," Lowe urges. "It is important that we exchange ideas freely, especially once we leave known space. I do not wish to marginalize your input."

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"Watashi arestios," "I know," she says simply, turning through a doorway marked '4-19 : yäzö zažäl'. Inside is a large room, irregular in shape but perhaps one hundred square meters, brightly lit and ultra-modern in appearance. Towards the back are five beds, each accompanied by a complex computer readout and a tray of what are barely recognizable as surgical tools and syringes. To the left is a small office, and along the right wall are ten adjustable beds placed closely together, these with only basic display panels located on the wall above them. The center of the room is dominated by a working area outlined by a circle of built-in counters containing a variety of unidentifiable tools and display screens.

There is a small staff of three on duty, one, a than, attending to another thanic crewmember on one of the beds to the right, a human man in the office on the left, and a human woman working at the central console. Seeing the two come in, the man emerges from the office. He immediately notes the bloodsoaked handkerchief wrapped around Dorathy's wrist and guides her to one of the side beds, a disapproving look on his face. "Varek intral plutal, Senmon?" "More work danger, Senmon?"

Dorathy sits on the bed and watches as her attendant removes the handkerchief. "Alarik lanyual." "Person error."

"Mmm," the doctor smiles, going over to the other side of the room and coming back with a device reminicent of a handheld scanner. He runs this over the cut, back and forth. In six passes there is no sign that there was ever damage besides a slight redness of the skin over the area. The doctor looks the area over, then nods approvingly. "Presios mikzelkal," "Be more careful," he advises, then goes back to replace his tool, dropping the handkerchief in a biohazard waste basket along the way.

Dorathy stands and walks back towards the lift, sighing. "Watashi astios posilios iln zatal to cil." "I will get new cloth for you."

"No, no. It's quite alright. Your decision is sound in this matter. I believe that your choice is the correct one. Please, go ahead and make the calculations."

Samson held up his hands refusing the offer. "No need to replace it. If it costs me one handkerchief to speak with a pretty lady, then it is well worth it."

He continues to look around the room taking it all in and assuming that this is a medical station.

Lowe nods. "This should take about twenty hours then. KLZ-01 out." The two ships turn and proceed on course through subspace.

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As they step back onto the elevator, a smile tugs at Dorathy's lips. "Cil est miknestios." "You are very flattering." She leans against the side of the lift without selecting a destination. The car moves off again to pick up more passengers. She tries some Galactic Standard, with limited success. "You work on my team is good. We do work need on ship parts. Most ready on shift B. Team meet to talk work at shift start." She smiles fully now, knowing damn well that, for all her talents, speaking the galactic language is outside her scope of proficiency. "Istios tel naliosark pelal?" "Was that any understandable?"

Samson couldn't help but smile at the remarkable woman. "Actually, I understood the majority of it. You actually speak more clearly than others I have come across. And they claim that their native tongue is the Galactic Standard."

He turns to regard her fully. "You have many talents dear lady and probably more than I am aware of. If you'd like to learn more about the language, I'd be more than happy to teach you. Perhaps over a drink or maybe even dinner?"

Samson couldn't help but grin even though he was pushing things a bit.

Dorathy crosses her arms, tilting her head sideways as she looks Samson up and down. "Pinak. Zeki astios enlios tel." "Maybe. We will discover that." She selects a stop on deck thirty-one near the bow. The lift stops and picks up the gunkak Dorathy was working with earlier. Dorathy nods in acknowledgement. "Interios elival telday Ashia. Tep kansal, olinsios inter cilal faylios mata. Alariki fabrilios vareek." "Good work today Ashia. Next time, check your work times two. Accidents create danger."

The young woman salutes. "Yil, Senmon." "Yes, Senmon."

Sithran puts a firm, reassuring hand on her teammate's shoulder, then looks back at Samson, speaking pointedly as the doors open at her stop. "Tomorrow, three hundred thirty minutes, room one ten six-two." The doors close behind her, leaving Samson alone on the lift with Ashia. The gunkak selects a stop two decks below. Samson's watch reads 6:14:01. Apparently Dorathy's schedule is flexible; it's still almost a half-hour until the end of the shift. It is understandable though, in a maintenance position. When the work is done, it is done. She doesn't attend to a particular station like many of her crewmates.

OOC: PUTTING LEVEL 16 ROOM 2 just so I don't forget

IC: While Samson was off milling about the ship, orders was given to stand down. Most crew members were taking this oppurtunity to either eat, sleep, or relax in a bath.

Dusanyu looked at Keirn've. "There is no need for you to remain on duty. If emergency arises, then I can always pilot the ship from the command chair. Take a break, you are always on duty and it will take a toll. Take Sabriel somewhere for her to relax."

Keirn've took out his alpha and saluted the Emperor. "Thank you your highness. I shall take up your offer."

"It wasn't an offer, it was an order."

Keirn've walked up the bridge to where Sabriel was standing. "Well Sabriel, would you like a chance to relax? I know a few things on board the ship to do that helps everyone calm themselves and even more enjoyable to participate in."

The Xanthalian bows. "I would be glad to accompany you."

Keirn've grabbed Sabriel by the waist to turn her around. He lead the way back to the elevator behind the bridge. Keirn've remained silent the entire way down. He occasionaly looked back at her to gauge her emotions but kept his focus on the door.

The elevator stopped at one of the lower levels of the ship. The doors opened up and the only light came from the elevator. Keirn've stepped into the room and was engulfed by the darkness.

Suddenly, a light was turned on that dimly lit the room. What could be seen was the size of the room. Larger than any cargo hold, the room was more of an arena than anything. Abh men and women were changing their clothes into a more form fitting outfit.

Keirn've looked back at Sabriel with a smile, "Come here Sabriel and let me show you something."

Sabriel tenses slightly when the Abh pilot touches her, but keeps a neutral expression on the ride down. At Keirn've's instruction, she steps out of the lift and joins him.

Keirn've motioned for her to follow some more. As he walked some more, the walls and ceiling completely disappeared. They were replaced by the beautiful scenery of the universe. The lines of wall,ceiling, and floor disappeared and were replaced with the stars and visions of the cosmos.

He turned to look at Sabriel with the stars reflecting off him. "This is the jousting arena. It's basically a zero-g room. It's a game that every Abh learns to play at a young age and maintain it through their life. It is a way for us to relax and gives the wonderful feeling of drifting through space. Every commander of a ship gets a zero room to relax in. On a smaller scale of course but with the same affect that you can view space from the room."

As more crew member take notice of the two, a few start calling to Keirn've. Some even issuing challenges to him. It becomes apparent that most of the younger officers want to make a name for themselves by taking on the humble noble. Keirn've turns to them and only smiles. "You guys go ahead and get started. I might take a round or two later."

He turns back to Sabriel still smiling. "Would you like to at least watch a match?"

Sabriel ignores his offer, attempting to work out the mechanics of the room. "This is fascinating. Are these images projected? Are they two- or three dimensional? How do you isolate this room from the ship's artificial gravity field?"

Keirn've smiles. "What you see are no projections. These are specialized walls that are made translucent from the inside. It takes an amount of energy and specialized plating to make this possible. As for as the gravity field, each level is individually controlled by the field. This whole space is able to shut off the gravity field so we can joust. It's quite fun. Are you sure you don't want to watch?"

Sabriel looks intrigued. "I never said that I did not. I will watch and, if you would provide me with a copy of the rules, I will also play after I am comfortable with the mechanics of the game."

Keirn've smiled. "Excellent. I will provide a copy of the rules and even better.." His grin widens. "I'll show you how it works."

Keirn've leaves for a moment and gets a sheet of rules from one of the new crew members on the sheet and hands it to Sabriel. "Read it and watch."

He leaves again and this time it's to go change his clothes. He comes back out in a uniform that is form fitting. His time in Star Forces had been good to him. Most of the crew had no idea how old he really was and fewer still knew that he was actually a noble. These were all things that he kept to himself. The tight uniform showed off his strong chest and flat stomach. His arms and thighs were finely muscled from work on actual planet surfaces. The muscle definition is something no other Abh could have because of the lack of gravity.

As soon as he exited the small locker room and made his way towards the others, Abh crewmen began to congrigate around him. It was obvious that what little they did know about their coworker, they did respect him as a jouster. Kiern've carried his 18 inch metal joust with round ball at the top and awaited his turn to joust.

The two men that were going to face off first deferred the field to him and Keirn've walked out there asking if they wanted to Joust. Both politely declined. One of the newer members of the crew voiced his challenged and there came some snickers from the crowd.

"What do you know about Jousting boy?" One man asked.

"I was first in my squad at the academy." The room errupted in laughter.

Keirn've smiled at the boy. "Come on and show me what you know. Just ignore everyone else and focus on me and you'll do fine."

"What do you know about Jousting old man?" The boy snapped back. That brought a few angry shouts from the gathering and a few shouts from the female Abhs. Always amazed how the women could be more vicious.

Keirn've smiled at everyone. "It's ok. There is no offense taken." He looked at the boy and smiled. "Shall we?"

The two of them stood back to back and then zero gravity. Both held onto an elastic cord made of some material that was unknown to most. It stretched to incredible lengths and brought the Jousters back into each other and incredible speeds. The two men planted both feet together and leaned forward stretching the cord a bit. Keirn've's smile widened even more. Well I was going to go easy on him...Oh well

With that, the whistle was blown and both pushed off. The cord stretched the length of the arena and then in one motion contracted bringing the contenders screaming back towards each other. The young man swiped his lance across trying for Keirn've's middle but the veteran was already rolling to the side and the lance hit nothing but air. They stretched the cord in opposite directions and came screaming back again. This time the boy tried his attack low and bringing it up high trying to drive Keirn've's lance out of his hands. Keirn've twisted his body to go wide. The anger on the man's face was obvious.

Keirn've was counting on his pride to use against his advantage. This time when they came back in, Keirn've launched his own attack that caught the man off guard. It was a hard move to perform because it risked hitting your opponent. He drove his lance in hard near the man's grip backing him off a bit. To the boy's credit he managed to parry the thrust and get in an attack of his own.

The match was over though. Keirn've had the final move planned. The boy came in this time with the lance leading and Keirn've thrusted up meeting the metal ball with his own. The lance went up over the boy's head and over his shoulder. Keirn've brought his lance down on the joust in one fluid motion taking the lance from the boy's grasp. The match was over. Keirn've beat the young man in three moves.

Cheers erupted from the crowd when they came back down. The boy was rubbing his wrist and trying to figure out he had been beaten so easily. Keirn've brought the boy a towel and squatted down next to him. "You're an Abh and your pride is good so don't ever lose it. However, never let it govern your actions. Know your limits and don't be afraid to admit a superior. Follow this advice and you'll live longer and happier." Keirn've smiled and got back up.

He wiped his face and walked over to Sabriel while the next match was getting started. "Hello again. So what did you think of the match?"

Sabriel stands, rules read and behind her back, regarding the young one Keirn've has beaten. "It is an intriguing excercise. It requires both thought and physical precision. A fitting occupation for military officers. Obviously competitive, though in different spirits depending on the participant." She removes her eyes from the young man and meets Keirn've's gaze. "I take it that you are the most skilled here. Unfortunately, I have little experience with weapons and even less with the type and situation here. However, I am still willing to make an attempt if it is permissible."

Keirn've smiled at Sabriel. "First off, we are not on duty so it is ok for you to relax. Even as warlike as the Abh before you are, we still like to enjoy ourselves. Second, this won't be a full out competition. The best way to learn is to be taught. Allow me to be your instructor. I'll let you get the feel for coming from the cord and let you get used to the feel of zero G. It's going to take awhile but if you have the patience to learn then I am sure you will enjoy it."

Keirn've pointed to a female Abh standing in the crowd. "Talk to Kenashi and she will provide you with a uniform."

Sabriel hesitates. "Would it be acceptable for me to wear my Labule uniform?" The thick, polyester-like fabric of the grey suit is tough, but form fitting. Though different, it certainly seems adequate to the purpose in all mechanical aspects.

Standard issue uniform for Labule space forces personnel (shown without rank pips):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/Zorak950/NS/Uniform.jpg

Keirn've turned around to regard Sabriel. "I suppose so. I just assumed that you wouldn't want to get your uniform sweaty without cause. We do have showers though and can clean your uniform if you so desire."

Sabriel does not comment on this, looking slightly displeased. "I will need a foil," she points out, referring to the sabre-like weapons used in the game.

Keirn've smiled "Such a face." He turned to walk away and waved his hands for her to follow. "This way and I'll aquire a lance for you."

Sabriel follows dutifully, a quiet, neutral expression pasted on her face.

Keirn've lead her to the sidelines where they waited the next duel to be finished. It was a fairly good match lasting nearly 10 minutes. Both men were exhausted by that time and there strikes became sloppy. Their breathing became labored. The downfall came when the smaller of the two missed his target and fell forward. The older Abh's weight fell on the lance knocking it from his weakend grasp. Oh well, such was jousting.

Keirn've lead Sabriel out to the center where the cord lay. He turned to face Sabriel and pressented her with a lance. The metal ball at the tip was about the size of a grown man's fist and the rod was 18 inches weighing about 5 pounds. "The point of joust is to not strike the opponent themselves but their lance. The first to lose their lance is the loser. Also, if you let go of the cord at anytime during the joust you automatically lose."

Keirn've picked up the cord in his left hand and kept the lance in his right. "Keep the lance in the hand that is your most dominant one and pick up the cord in the other. Now, we are going to make a few passes in Zero-G without making contact with the lances. This way you can get the feel for it. Are there any questions before we begin?"

Sabriel pushes herself across the room and takes up the other cord. "No."

"Alright, you have to assume the position for starting zero-G." Keirn've turned around. "I want you to stand right behind me. When the gravity goes and we reach our peak, I want you to bend your right leg and I'll plant my left one against your right foot. Now when you hear the whistle, you are to push off as hard as you can. The idea is to stretch the cord as much as possible so you come back towards me fast. Understand so far?"

She nods, a hint of nervousness managing to creep through her stony facade. Sabriel has had her share of gravity training of course, but that does not change the fact that this game is new to her, or that it involves weapons, no matter how blunted or padded they may be. For all her firey temper, the Xanthalian abh has never been a very skilled personal close-combatant. She passed the required basic training just like all Labule personnel, but focused her advanced efforts on ranged weapons. Many Labule officers train with swords, but not her. She likes having her enemies at a distance, which makes her well suited to her piloting job aboard KLZ-1072, a heavy guard ship. Sabriel turns and braces herself as instructed.

The gravity goes away and the two combatants float up over the spectators. The whistle was blown. "Now push!" Keirn've pushed with his left foot hard stretching the cord far out. Keirn've smiled. "Now let the cord bring you screaming back in. Don't worry about the lance at the moment. Just get the feel for the dives."

Sabriel quickly demonstrates her incompetence. On her first trip she wheels off course and completely misses her instructor on the way back, instead crashing against a wall. She manages to change course by pushing off the wall and catches Keirn've's hand, but only at the cost of losing her weapon, which goes end over end across the room, issuing forth a metallic clang as it bounces off the opposite wall and continues its journey towards the ceiling. Sabriel now wishes there were fewer people around to watch her stumble through the learning process. She steadies herself against the Abh pilot and smiles ruefully. "Sorry." Her eyes drift up to her joust, now headed towards the lower port wall. "Perhaps it would be best to forego my weapon until I have a better feel for the cord."

Keirn've clings to Sabriel to keep them steady and smiles sheepishly. "Yes of course. I am sorry. I suppose that is my fault for going to fast." He chuckles at himself. "I suppose I am not a very good instructor."

Keirn've pulls Sabriel to arms length so they are separated a bit and aren't twirling around in the center. "Alright this time I want you to let the cord do all the work. Don't fight it. Just allow it to bring you back towards me and don't worry about me. If I see coming dead at me then I'll move aside. I want your fisrt few passes to just be naturally letting the cord retract on its own."

He smiles as he looks around. "More importantly, I want you to ignore everyone else around you. Just pretend it is the both of us in here alone. Now, are you ready to try again?"

Sabriel's eyes narrow and she draws herself up, looking indignant. "The presence of others is of no consequence to me." This, of course, is a lie; but it makes her feel better just saying it. With that, she executes a number of jumps. The cord is awkward at first. Though she has had a good deal of zero-gravity mobility training, and safety harnesses are nothing new, the elasticity of the jousting rope is difficult to get used to. It doesn't take long for her to get the feel for it though. She is a sharp officer, quick to pick up new skills. In six rounds she is able to accurately predict the forces at work that determine the vector of her landings. In eleven she has basic directional control down. By her twentieth jump she manages to grab her joust and push off a perpendicular wall to come to rest right beside Keirn've at the wall, grabbing a section of cord close to its securement with her right hand to stop her movement, deftly managing to keep a hold on both it and her foil.

It is an impressive learning curve, even considering her prequalifications in vector calculation and spatial awareness. She has little trouble applying the concepts she uses to maneuver a ship on this miniaturized scale. She smiles with satisfaction, realizing her own accomplishment. She quickly reminds herself that she is still an amature among experts at this particular game, and as far as she is concerned, learning how to move is the easy part. Weapon in hand, she feels uneasy again. She's no fencer. Still, she keeps modest confidence in her voice as she meets the eyes of her instructor and nods. "Now I believe I am ready to practice with the joust."

Keirn've watches Sabriel's manuevers with delight. "Excellent!" As he watches her grab the lance and push of a wall to come to rest right by his side. "Wonderful. You have done well and have learned faster than anyone I have seen. Now that you feel comfortable with the cord. Lets practice with the lance. First we will practice your defense since that is the key to any attack. My attacks will be slowed and dramatic so you can get the feel of defending yourself while maintianing your grip on the cord. Remember if you drop your lance, you lose."

Keirn've pushes off the wall gently and brings them back to the center. He assumes the starting position with his back towards Sabriel. "Alright, let's begin." He pushes off and lets the cord bring him screaming back towards Sabriel. As promised, his attack was slow and obvious. He made several passes that way. Eventually the speed of attack and deftness of it continued to become more complicated requiring Sabriel to use all that she has learned of the cord and zero gravity.

Sabriel does indeed use her weapon to defend, but heavily favors simply changing the timing and direction of her jumps to stay out of her opponent's way. It is obvious that she is avoiding actually coming into contact with Keirn've whenever possible. When they do meet, her parries are slow and clumsy. It only takes a few contacts before she begins to struggle. Still, she refuses to let go of the joust.

Keirn've doggedly determined to help Sabriel with the game continues the attacks. "Don't hold the lance with a death grip. Hold it like your lover just gave you rose and you are afraid to break the stem. Your grip should be loose enough where someone could walk behind you and pull the lance out of your hand."

Sabriel glares him down as they come at each other again, the edge of her temper beginning to bite through her hard exterior. But she is not angry at Keirn've. Instead, she is frustrated by her own lack of ability. "If I do not keep a firm grip on it, how am I to avoid dropping it?"

"It is the loose grip that allows the lance to move in your hands. Doing this also allows for more complex attacks and mobility in your defense. A white knuckled grip will tire you out. The looser your grip, the more fluid your movements are. You keep a loose grip and the lance bounces off the others harmlessly but you still maintain control of it and can counter with another in split second. Keep trying." Keirn've comes in with another attack much like the same he used to defeat the young man but slower and obvious.

Sabriel recognizes it, but instead of meeting it grips the cord and changes her velocity; avoiding coming close enough for a hit. She is sticking to her skills, and though it's certainly not a winning strategy it gives her excellent defense. It is borderline cheating though, as it prevents contact from being made at all.

Keirn've smiled as he watches her little manuever. Yes it does work but only if the opponent does not know how to manipulate the cord as well. The next pass, he would be ready and give an attack that wouldn't hold back. When she changed her grip to slow herself down. Keirn've would pull the cord behind him launchind him foreward faster. Once she was on the opposite side of his lance arm, Keirn've would spin around putting all his force behind the lance.

OOC: I'm not entirely sure how you could increase your velocity away from the mount to any significant degree by manipulating the cord, but I assume you know what you're doing.

IC: Sabriel reacts viciously, holding off his swing with her own weapon. Her death grip never loosens, even as her wrist twists unnaturally under the strain. The tendons in the region stretch beyond their normal limits, spraining the joint. She rockets back towards the wall, clearing her opponent's range. She has injured herself in her overzealousness, but still holds the lance tightly, gritting her teeth against the pain. She hits the wall hard and pushes off with great force, no longer trying to avoid Keirn've, instead heading straight for him; lance poised to swing.

OOC: When Sabriel changes her grip to slow herself down. Keirn've also changes his grip by taking away the slack and keeping the cord tight which continues to pull him towards Sabriel like nothing had happened. Make sense?

IC: Keirn've smiles as he watches the anger build in her eyes but sighes I warned her . He keeps his momentum going forward waiting to see what kind of attack she will unleash. He doesn't realize she is injured but still intends to go easy on her now, now that she is adhereing to the point of the game.

OOC: That's right... I forgot they're still on the same cord. Dammit. Okay, my bad.

IC: Sabriel smiles cordially as she comes back in, pointing the lance's padded end in for a direct thrust at Keirn've himself. With her wrist injured she knows she has no hope of winning the match, not that she really had any to begin with, but she still wants to see how her seasoned opponent reacts to a direct attack.

Keirn've extends his lance towards Sabriel as well. He waits until the last possible moment to launch his own attack. With his loose grip, Keirn've changes the grip on his lance so that balled tip is now pointing down. He makes to jam the lance down and knock Sabriel off balance.

Sabriel lets him knock her lance away to retain her direction. Instead of cushoining herself to a stop though, she uses her velocity to slam into the Abh, causing no real pain or damage but knocking them both off balance in the weightless environment into the wall. She laughs playfully, pushing off of him back towards the door with her left hand, releasing the cord. She seems almost overly good-natured about the outcome. "You win, Keirn've. Now, show me where I can get a brace for my wrist in this place."

Keirn've laughs as they collide and bounce away from each other. A look of concern passes over his fair face though when Sabriel informs him of her injury.

Keirn've lets go of the cord as the gravity is activated and they are slowly lowered back to the ground. "Are you hurt? Why didn't you say something to stop the match?"

Sabriel opens the door, waiting for him. "There was no reason to. The injury is not serious, and I was enjoying myself. However, in the interest of ensuring prompt healing I believe a visit to whatever medical facilities you have here is in order."

Keirn've has this shocked look on his face as he regards the woman. Hmm she actually enjoyed herself and relaxed during the match. He began to feel that some progress had been made. A smile began to spread on his face with the fact that he was happy to have given the woman some entertainment for a change.

The smile faded quickly though realizing that he needed to get her a brace for her wrist. "No need to go anywhere. We have supplies right here to treat injuries and I believe you will need a brace for that wrist."

Off to the side is a medical kit, fairly large, containing objects for common injuries in the joust. A sprained wrist being one of them. Keirn've took out a scanner and a brace. "Come here Sabriel and sit down so I can examine it."

She shrugs and returns, sitting down to allow Keirn've to work with the wrist. She holds her hand out straight, revealing slight swelling in the area.

Keirn've brought the scanner up around her wrist. Concern and care cross his face as he treats the wrist. "There are no broken bones but a few tendons are bruised. You seemed to have overstretched your wrist. This wrist brace will not only keep it straight but it will also help the swelling go down."

The brace is cool to the touch as it has a cooling agent inside the brace that does not warm over time. He puts it on the afflicted wrist and latches it tight. A caring face with concern is still painted on Keirn've's face as he looks back up at her.

Looking up from the wrist to meet his eyes, Sabriel almost blushes. Almost. She stands and bows gracefully. "Thank you." She looks back towards the playing field. "Another bout?" It is an unbelievable request. With the brace on her wrist there is no way she can weild a joust. Still, she walks over to where her weapon has come to rest on the ground and picks it up with her left hand, swinging it experimentally. She smiles mischeviously. "Unless you are afraid I will defeat you..."

Keirn've's mouth hangs open as the woman surprises him again. He admires her spirit and determination. A smile finally spreads on his face as he walks over to her. "If you can hang on to the cord with your right hand, then yes. I would enjoy another match with you."

He calmly walks over and picks up his lance making a mental note to go easy on her. A pilot isn't much good with two hurt wrists.

He walks back over and picks up the cord and then looks at Sabriel. "Ready?"

Sabriel nods, moving to the cord attached across from Keirn've's. The brace should allow her to keep ahold of it without aggrivating her injury and she is ambidextrous, which will hopefully allow her to play without too much of a decrease in performance. As the gravity decreases to zero again, she grabs the handle on the cord and braces herself against the wall, waiting for her opponent to move first.

Keirn've doesn't even bother to tell her that she is cheating by not taking the proper starting position. He merely smiles and braces himself on the other wall.

He pushes off coming towards Sabriel but his boost is slower for some reason.

Sabriel mirrors this slow startup, holding back to observe Keirn've's strategy. She plans to fight this round reactively, hoping to heighten her skill by perfecting her defense and searching for openings rather than going into a full-on engagement that she will quickly lose. As she pushes off, she makes a conscious effort to loosen her grip on her lance as the Abh pilot suggested earlier.

Keirn've smiles seeing that Sabriel has learned well her lessons. Hmmm. Perhaps I should go on the offensive a bit more. Keirn've raises the lance across his chest for the strike. He waited for Sabriel to get right next to him for the attack. With the lance in this position, he maintained a small defense and could also attack. Once she was close, he would launch a downward sweep.

Sabriel sees the obvious mono-directional strike easily and defends. She does not stop at a simple parry however, instead pushing back at Keirn've, silently calling for a less obvious attack. Sabriel can block simple strokes all day. She knows Keirn've is capable of more after seeing him go against his crewmate earlier and eggs him on. She knows she cannot win either way; and is looking to learn the intricacies of the game, not the basics. From Keirn've's point of view though, since she does not even seem to realize that her starting position was incorrect, she is far from ready to move into the complexities of jousting as studied by those of his skill level.

"Well done." Keirn've compliments the parry. "It seems you can use your left wrist quite well. I was worried that it would slow you down." A wry grin spreads on his face.

Keirn've lets his body stretch as far out as possible with his arm holding the cord extended straight out to stretch it to the maximum. The result is that he comes screaming back in towards Sabriel. His next attack is to draw her defenses out and make her overbalance. He feints in easy attack to her side to force her to parry but instead of connecting, once he gets close he'll spin to try and knock the lance wide.

OOC: Lafiel jousting. http://www.abhnation.com/components/com_mambospgm/spgm/gal/SNS-11/SNS-11-01.jpg :)

Sabriel moves to block the feint, but when Keirn've spins for a new attack she cannot reposition her lance quickly enough to block properly. She manages to knock his attack away, barely, and get out of range again to regroup for the next attack.

"Good!" This time when he comes around, Keirn've launches a straight slash from his lower left to upper right.

The blow is too quick and wide to be evaded, so Sabriel simply tightens her grip and makes a strong block, allowing herself to be pushed out of the way by its force and even managing a basic counterstrike at Keirn've's back as they pass one another.

Keirn've smiles at the counter attack. So she is getting better and even manages an attack of her own. Lets see how she does with this next attack.

Keirn've waited until the cord was extended then he made his move. He gripped the cord with both hands along with the lance. He would wait until he was close then he would launch an attack but from which hand would it come?

Sabriel, knowing she cannot react to a blow with no expectation of its direction, thinks quickly, doing all that she can do, in a solution both simple and ingenious for an untrained beginner. Her arm length is roughly equivilent to Keirn've's and their lances are identical, so she points her weapon forward, twisting her body so she is perpendicular to her opponent. In this aggressive position she hopes that Keirn've will be forced to parry her rather than execute his own attack, buying her yet one more pass in the game. She smiles to herself. Winning may be out of the question for her, but she can make him work for his victory.

Keirn've's smile is wide as he comes in towards Sabriel. He sees Sabriels counter to his attack. The straight thrust. Good move but Keirn've knows how to manipulate the game well.

Keirn've twists his body so that his chest is facing up to the ceiling. This will lower him under Sabriel's thrust if she doesn't change the angle. The attack comes from his left hand striking up at the lance.

Sabriel parries easily and breezes by undissapointed. After all, her intention was only to place herself in a position to block, not actually attack. She braces herself mentally for whatever is coming next as the cord reaches its limit and she heads towards Keirn've again. To her, every pass she stays in the game is a victory in itself.

Keirn've couldn't help but smile wide. The clever woman had successfully parried every attack of his so far. He was beginning to run out of ideas for new attacks since he had been going easy the first few passes.

He decided that it was getting close to ending this match. He wanted to give the rest of the crew a chance to relax and enjoy the game. Keirn've came screaming back with his lance held out wide to the right. The point of his attack would be to bring Sabriel's lance out wide and then follow it with a downward stroke to knock it from her grasp.

The clang of contact reverbrates through her arm as the force throws the lance from her hand and sends it once again twirling across the room. Sabriel sighs as she releases the cord and stabilizes herself against a wall, waiting for the artificial gravity to be re-established. "Kuso.... Nitak. Est..." she mutters to herself, forsaking the Abh Language to express her feelings.

Keirn've's feet finally reach the ground and he rushes over to Sabriel. "Are you alright? How is your wrist holding up?"

She bows gracefully. "I am fine. I give you my congratulations on your victory."

He sighs "Please don't bow to me." He lifts her chin up so she looks at him. "I was worried about your wrist. Will you please come sit down now on the side?"

Again she recoils at his touch, expression indicating something between embarassment and discomfort. Her voice betrays none of this though, as she replies with a simple "Yes." She allows Keirn've to sit first, taking her own seat on the bench leaving about fifty centimeters betwen herself and the Abh; a space small enough to prevent another person from sitting between them, but large enough to convey that she is consciously keeping her distance. She watches the next pair of opponents take their positions, noting their starting posture. She does not look sideways towards Keirn've.

Keirn've keeps his focus on the match watching opponents that he knows quite well. He doesn't move towards Sabriel either. "You did well out there. If you noticed when you got back down, the room was silent. Everyone was paying you respect for your prowess."

"Prowess for an amature, perhaps," she freely admits. "Why did you reject my respect?"

Keirn've shook his head. "Respect for someone that has great potential at the game. They also showed respect as someone as stubborn as you and they admire that."

He sighes as he looks over at Sabriel. "I didn't deny anything nor the honor that you payed me. I'm just not comfortable with someone bowing to me." A slight smile appears on his face. "I suppose you could say that I am a strange noble."

Sabriel simply nods, continuing to watch the match. She and Keirn've make an odd pair, but one could never tell as much by looking. The two abh, one from a Socialist Republic, one from an Empire, sit side by side; worlds apart yet joined together by a quickly-developing bond of friendship.

Keirn've can't help but admire the woman that has bravelly gone through all this and even managed to become involved with some of the crew members. She even risked pride to face him in a match of joust where there was no one on the ship that could beat him. He looked at Sabriel. "Would you like to get something to drink to cool off?"

She smiles. "I am not overly exerted, but I am certainly willing to share a drink with you. However, I must first ask where I can go to urinate."

Keirn've stopps short at the blunt statement since that was the last thing he expected to hear her say. A warm smile appears on his face. He points back to where other Abh were entering and leaving to shower and change. "Over there. It's a locker room of sorts. The women's is on the right side."

"Appreciation to you," she says. She goes to the bathroom, returning shortly afterward. "Please, lead the way."

Keirn've lead the way to the elevator and up a couple of floors where the bar was located. Unlike the mess hall where she was earlier, this room was more elogant with carpeted floors and glasses hanging over the bar. All the tables were open and many had the chairs stacked on top of them.

Keirn've moved to a table with just two chairs and a single crystal illuminating the table. He held out the chair for Sabriel and waved the bartender over.

Sabriel takes a brief moment to appreciate the archetecture then sits, accepting the proffered chair.

Keirn've scoots the chair in as she sits down. He walks around to take his own seat as he looks up to the keep. "What's the status of the ship?"

The keeper looked down and checked his cluyuno. "It seems that are members are to remain off duty for the time being and enjoy themselves. That means the alcoholic beverages are allowed to be served for a bit longer."

Keirn've looked at Sabriel. "What would you like? You can have anything you want."

OOC: I'm thinking get done with these two in the bar and then move on. What do you think?

Sabriel bows as best she can without colliding with the table. "Chocolate milk please."

Keirn've sat there dumbfounded again. He tried desparatly to hold back a burst of laughter, not wanting to embarass Sabriel. Keeping his composure, the man turns up to the keep. "Bring a bottle of chocolate milk and two glasses."

He looked back to Sabriel. "Anything else?"

Sabriel smiles. "No. I am not hungry now."

Keirn've smiles and then turns to barkeep. "That will be all for now."

The keeper nodds with an odd look on his face as he walks back to the bar. He bends down and rummages through the refrigerator and pulls out a long bottle with a cork in it. The content is a dark liquid. The Keep removes the cork for a whiff and after determining that the milk was still good, put the cork back on.

Now came the next problem. What kind of glass? There were wine glasses, sortments of shot glasses, and mugs. The poor man shruggs and pulls out a tray and sets two of each type of glass on it along with the bottle as he heads back over to the pair.

He sets the tray down and humbly bows. "Your forgiveness. I did not know what to bring for you to drink."

Keirn've in too fine spirits to even complain merely takes all the glasses and hands the man the tray. "We'll use them all."

He smiles as he looks at Sabriel. He grabbs the bottle and pops the cork as he laughs. "What glass should we use first? Wine, shot, or mug?"

Sabriel regards the selection of glasses with something like incredulity. She audibly hesitates for the first time since she boarded the Sankakue. "Um... the mug will be fine for me, thank you."

Keirn've smiles "Alright, the mug it is then." He grabbes two mugs and starts filling them with chocolate milk. He slides a full one over to Sabriel.

The man picks up his own filled mug and smile at Sabriel. "Perhaps we should make a toast. What should we toast to?"

Sabriel looks blank, now completely out of her element. "I... um..."

Keirn've pauses as he realizes that he may have relaxed a bit too much. He ponders a moment since it appears that this woman is not quite used to incidents such as these.

A smile spreads on his face. "How about a toast to good friends and lasting relationships?"

Sabriel opens her mouth, then closes it, then blushes. "I apologize for my ignorance. What is a toast?"

Keirn've smiles as he tries to think of the best way to explain a toast. "A toast is a tradition in many cultures. It's a way of making promises or statements with meaning."

He sighes and chuckles at his own inability to explain it. "You see Sabriel. You hold up your glass and say something that you would like to be carried out. In this toast I am making a statement hoping that we may become good friends and that there may be a lasting relationship. When you finish saying it, you click your glasses together and then drink. Make sense?"

Sabriel considers this. "Is it thought of as a magic incantation, something that has power to make things occur; or simply a symoblized wish?"

Keirn've scratches the side of his cheeck just below the eye with his index finger. "Uhh, it is basically a symbol. It doesn't matter what type of drink you use."

Sabriel smiles. "Very well. A toast to good friends and lasting relationships then." She raises her glass.

Keirn've smiles and raises his glass. He clicks it against hers and takes a drink. His eyes widened when he tasted the substance. He looks at Sabriel and then back at the glass. He then drinks in earnest and drains half the glass.

"I've never tasted chocolate milk before. It's wonderful!"

Sabriel nods. "I am glad you like it."

He drains the rest of the mug and refills it. "We have a variety of drinks on board but never have tasted this one before."

He sets the milk bottle in the middle of the table and looks up at Sabriel. He chews on his bottom lip for a moment. He is curious to learn more about this woman but doesn't know how to get to that point. "What do you think of your experience so far?"

Sabriel puts her mug down, still mostly full. "This ship is very well-built and stable. The crew is reliable, strong, and well-trained, from what I can see. I do not agree with some aspects of your nation's government and society, but it is all in order and perfectly ligitimate. I have not even been here two full hours though, so there I think it is still quite early to judge beyond first impressions, which I know to be often-misguided. I have, however, been immensely pleased to develop a friendly relationship with you in such a short time. I hope that I am not too much of a burden as I continue to familiarize myself with your customs and procedures."

Keirn've smiles. "Well there is a chance that we will not agree on everything. Hmmm, alright there is one matter that we may never agree." He can't help but laugh. "And I believe that is on the matter of Government. How about this, we agree to disagree?"

His smile takes in his ears. After his bit of mirth, Keirn've turns serious. "Sabriel, I have enjoyed our time together. And...you are not a burden...You fit well among the crew." He finishes staring at the table and looks up at Sabriel and into her eyes searching.

Sabriel nods. "Thank you." Any facial expression is quickly hidden behind her mug as she takes a long drink. Setting it down, now only about a quarter full, she crosses her arms, meeting the Abh's eyes gently, yet sternly. "Keirn've, it is blatantly obvious that you wish to ask me something. Please, proceed."

Thank the stars that this room is badly lit . A small tint of redish hue appears on his cheecks. He quickly drains the rest of his chocolate milk and begins to refill the mug.

He sets the bottle down and sighes as he looks back up into her eyes. "Sabriel...I would like to get to know you better. I...am wondering...you see I am overdue for a vacation and... I will probably forced to take it anyways eventually." He clears his throat. "I know we have only known each other for two hours but I was wondering that, if this all goes well and friendly ties between our nations continue...I was wondering if you would give me a personal tour of your country."

He bows his head without hitting the table. "Please forgive me if I seem forward."

Sabriel raises an eyebrow as he fills his third mug. When he finishes his request she smiles and returns the bow. "My country spans seven star systems. I can not possibly show you all of it, nor am I familiar with all of it. However, if we can arrange to have time off of work simultaneously, I would take pleasure in showing you around Trasnia; or at least Rhaknam. I warn you though, I do not spend a significant amount of time on the planet. I will not be much of a guide."

Keirn've slowly raises his head, still in a bit of shock that she actually accepted his offer. A smile finally appears on his face as he fully sits up again and is looking at Sabriel. "That is quite alright with me. I haven't been on any planet much. I suppose we could familiarize oursleves with the planet together."

Sabriel nods. "I look forward to it. We must be sure to exchange the appropriate contact information before I depart this vessel, however."

Keirn've nodded. "I agree. I do know of a way and will requisition one for you before your stay is over."

He smiles "I won't forget. How could I?"

OOC: We can move on once you feel that things between these two are resolved.

OOC: Note to you and me (keeping track of all this is just going to get harder as we progress).
-Jinto and Lafiel are on shift A: 0:00-3:40
-Samson is on shift B: 3:30-6:70

IC:
Hours pass and, at 335 minutes the following Xanthalian day, the two ships emerge from slipstream just a few thousand kilometers from the edge of a small stellar nursery; one of a very few left in the aging Milky Way. The intership communication lines remin silent and the Alphashra's grip on the Sankakue unbroken as both ships take a few minutes to conduct scans and orient themselves.

Aboard the Alphashra, activities continue as normal. On deck sixteen in the upper ion engine room Dorathy and her five-member team, along with their newest member Samson, are just concluding their shift briefing when the vessels re-emerge into normal space. The event is noticable in the engine room by the sudden engaging of the massive sublight engines that, while well shielded from the rest of the deck, are still clearly audible as a droning hum that causes the people in the room to raise their voices several decibels in order to be heard as well as before. Dorathy quickly delegates the shift's work, forming her own team of herself, Samson, and the young junior officer from the previous day; Ashia. "Intror kasnal zekal est fabonsay diskul zolisal jasil noonal matal. Vag mataDecna-kasna." "Our first job is repair control relay secondary starboard hull. Deck twenty-one." Ashia, well drilled in such things by now, departs to retrieve the necessary supplies and tools, leaving Dorathy and Samson to walk together.

OOC: Looks like Samson missed his date with Sabriel at 330 minutes.
Samson's Star Forces Unitform (along with Ekuryua and Sobach) (http://www.abhnation.com/components/com_mambospgm/spgm/gal/SNS-13/SNS-13-28.jpg)

IC: Samson didn't have his Star Forces jacket this time around. Now he was in his standard military uniform. He looked over at Dorathy. "What's the estimated time to complete this job?

OOC: Sabriel? You mean Dorathy? Not so. He's at his date with Dorathy. The timing worked out pretty well. The arrival time was just five minutes after the start of the briefing. And I didn't even plan it that way!

IC:
Dorathy Sithran shrugs nonchalantly as she leads Samson to the elevator, switching back to her fragmented form of Galactic Standard now that she is speaking only to him again. "About one ten minutes usual time. Diskul zolisal ("Control relay," the translator jumps in to fill the gap,) is how data gets to Ferrets and mines in side ship parts." A male xanthalian juuin walking from the forward compartment to the engine room hears the tail end of this ridiculous speech and stifles laughter. Dorathy gives him a stern glare and he hurries through the heavy doors. Then the lift arrives and the two board, headed downward.

Samson smiles warmly at her while he deciphers the response. He may not have understood it all but he does what to keep the woman's pride intact and spare her feelings. "Well that sounds like it shouldn't take very long then. It sounds like a vital piece of machinary for this ship and somewhat complex."

He looks over at her arm. "How is the cut you received?"

Dorathy smiles and shakes her head as they leave the lift and move into a room empty except for a single wall-mounted control panel and a small access door on the starboard side. The door leading into the space is marked in the usual Mirfakan lettering. "Is just computer box, Samson." She presses a button, backlit with a green color, next to the access door and it opens into a small tunnel, under one meter high and half again as wide, just large enough for one person to crawl through; perhaps two side by side if they don't mind touching one another. It is obviously a maintenance access and not for general use. The tunnel goes on for almost one hundred meters before ending in another small door.

This is the access tunnel for the starboard section of the ship, distanced from the primary hull because of its potential danger. At the end of this tunnel and an identical one on the port side are the ship's sensor drones and space-time mines; loaded into their launch mechanisms. Wires line the tunnel, removed from sight by secured sheet metal. Around it, a solid hull a half-meter thick reinforced with forcefields keeps the long protrusion secured to the rest of the ship under the enormous stresses of acceleration.

Meanwhile, the Alphashra looses its hold on the Sankakue, thrusting back to give the Abh flagship room to maneuver on its own once again. Richard Lowe contacts the other ship as soon as his crew's scans of the area are complete. "This is KLZ-01 to the Sankakue. This is it Emperor. See any doors?" he quips, referring to the poem that is their guide in this mission.

Samson scratches the back of the head. "Oh..." Samson squats down and looks at the access door. Seeing the tight fit it may cause two people, Samson looks up at Dorathy with a grin "How do you wanna do this? It might get a little...cozy two at a time."

Dusanyu plugs his Alpha in as he takes control of piloting the ship. He sends a message out through the ship. "Pilot Keirn've and Sabriel, report to the bridge."

He looked over to Kenesh. "Begin scanning for possible sords and any space anamonolies."

He looked to the video screen at Lowe. "We are conducting energy scans at the moment. It may take a minute to find anything."

Dorathy shrugs. "Job makes work close. Is." At this point they are interrupted as Ashia comes through the door with a large plastic box about the size of a standard novel. This she hands to Dorathy, then moves over to the wall console. Dorathy nods and ducks into the tube, carrying the box in her right hand and using her left to support her upper body in the confined space. After going a few meters she looks back at Samson and gestures with her head, jerking it forward. "Come."

The Sankakue's scan is obscured by a large amount of interference from the moving, reacting gasses in the area; but a large sord is clearly detectable not far into the nursery.

Samson shruggs and bends down to enter the chute. "Ahh, the perks of a job like this..."

He works his way up til he is face to face with Dorathy. "Where to?"

Keirn've and Sabriel return to the bridge at that time (hope you don't mind me taking control of Sabriel for that). Keirn've takes his turn in the pilot chair this time. He plugs his Alpha in as he locks the arm down. The control come alive as they light up at his touch.

Dusanyu looks down. "We are having trouble with the gases in the area. Keirn've, get us closer to the energy reading."

Keirn've nodded his head and grunted his aggreement. His left fingers work the controls with ease and grace as he brings the ship around and at the same time, controls the engine output. The ship flawlessy makes the turn towards the sord as the engine output is increased while there is no tell tale difference felt on board. The engine output is increased to battle speed with his right fingers flying on the arm rest as they maintain balance on the ship.

The scanners begin a more clearer scan of the nearby energy source. Sure enough, positive identification of a Sord comes through. The video screen to the Alphashra pops up and the Emperor sends a message though the transmission is a little staticy because of the interference. "We have positive confirmation of a Sord. It's no wonder it was never discovered by scouting fleets with all the interference."

OOC: The tunnel is horizontal, just FYI.

IC:
Dorathy points forward with her right hand, though her face does not betray whether she is making light of the fact that that is the only direction to go or not. They continue at an easy pace along the long tunnel. only a few meters in, they leave the ship's artificial gravity field. Now floating, the senmon pushes along the side and brings her hands to her sides, drifting towards the door to the starboard array. Behind them there is a slight hissing noise as the access port they came through seals shut.

Lowe replies to Dusanyu sagely. "True. Then again, I very much doubt most scouting fleets would be looking for sords, or even know how to properly detect them. After all, planespace is hardly the preferred method of interstellar travel in this galaxy." He continues speaking as the Alphashra begins vectoring towards the sord at an unhurried 100 kilometers per second. "Our sensors have also detected the sord. We are moving to enter planespace. It is strange though, that this local galactic sord has not been discovered by either the Abh or Xanthalian fleets by now. Its position in planespace must be far removed from the Milky Way cluster. I recommend you bring your defensive systems online as a precaution and be prepared to navigate without known reference. We will do the same. I suspect we will be entering planespace a very long distance from any sords with which we are familiar."

Samson smiles as she points the way. "Of course. A woman with a sense of direction. Wonderful." Samson is a little taken aback by the loss of gravity but follows suit with Dorathy and folds his arms to his sides as it pushes him along.

Dusanyu nods at Lowe's information. "That is true enough. We will do as you suggest. I would also recommend arming your weapons but leave mines unfueled."

He then focused his gaze at Keirn've. "Senior Pilot, allow Sabriel to exprience with her Alpha what it feels like to enter a Sord."

Keirn've smiles up at Sabriel as he unplugs his alpha and lifts up the arm controls. "Go ahead Sabriel. Take control."

The Emperor began issueing orders. "Activate Space Time Orb! I want all rifles loaded! Prepare Anti-Proton cannons. All crews are to report to their stations."

Gunnry Officer: "Rifles loaded and ready."

Supply Officer: "All crew at their stations."

Linewing Aviator: "Space time orb ready."

Lowe nods. "The Alphashra is no combat vessel. We will keep our weapons offline unless we percieve a definite threat. I will keep this channel so that we may discuss our next course of action after we make the transition to planespace." The communication ends, but as promised the channel remains open, waiting to carry a new transmission at a moment's notice.

Throughout the Alphashra, a quick series of tones is heard, then the ship's computer. "Jinel total. Sssekchshhss-k-k-k. General alert." There are no alarms this time, though the lighting along the sides of the rooms and halls does change to a rich amber tone, including inside the tube where Dorathy and Samson have just reached the door to the starboard hull. Sithran perks up at the sounding of the alert, but quickly returns to her task, opening the door in front of her with an access code and a handprint scan. Beyond it is a tiny dark space crammed in behind the series of launchers that deploy the ship's drones and weapons and in front of a set of exposed conduits and relays. A rush of air nearly blasts the two into the space as the hatch opens, but Dorathy holds them back and the atmospheric pressure is quickly equalized. She releases Samson, handing him the box she carries. "Take. You replace broken relay." She says the last word herself this time, having learned it from the earlier translations. She smiles. "Be not afraid. I will tell you how work is do."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sabriel looks a bit surprised at the sudden shift of duty to her shoulders, but she takes it in stride. "Yes, Emperor. Dobreuscr Sabriel assuming flight control." She pulls the alpha from where it is hanging from her belt, the place she has taken to keeping it when it is not needed. She places the device on her head, snapping it into place over her sixth sensory receptor, and sits down at the helm station, feeding the cards dangling from its band into the slots in the back of the chair. By the time she has her hand inside the glove and is ready to pilot the Sankakue the Alphashra is already four thousand kilometers ahead, past the edge of the nebulous field and approaching the sord. She points the ship in the appropriate direction, then calls out to Dusanyu. "Helm requests acceleration to five hundred kilometers per second."

Samson takes the box and laughs. He tries his best courtly bow in the awkward position but comes away looking like a fool. "I shall carry out your orders m'Lady. I shall fear no evil with you watching over me." With that he dives into the dark space.

Dusanyu nods at Sabriel's request. "Proceed."

Keirn've puts a hand near the head board as he leans in closer to Sabriel. "You don't have to request a change in speed as long as you make it a gradual acceleration so that no one is knocked off their feet. Remember, the controls to the engines are at your fingertips."

Sabriel exchanges a few words with Ashia over the comm, then looks in on Samson, passing him the flashlight she always carries with her. She points out a set of three control relays identical to the one he is holding plugged into the aft wall side by side. "Find number match," she instructs, referring to the part number emblazoned on each casing. The third relay from the left on the bulkhead hs a number that matches that of the one in Samson's hand.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sabriel looks frustrated again. She feels like putting her arms around Keirn've's neck, but she sticks to her duty, accelerating the ship. "First you tell me it is the Linewing Aviator's job to set engine output. Then you tell me that such is only the case during normal operations. Now you tell me it is my responsibility altogether," she hisses in a tone too low to be overheard by anyone but the Abh pilot. "Are you trying to make me look like a fool?"

Samson catches the light from Dorathy and moves to get a closer look. He puts the light in his mouth to free up his hands and so the light is directly on the numbers. He matches the numbers up with what's on his box. He lets the light fall to his hand and looks back through the shaft to Dorathy yelling a bit so she can hear him. "Alright, what's next?"
--------------------------

Keirn've merely smiles. "Sabriel. I did not say that it was your responsibility alone. I merely told you that you did not have to ask for permission. I know it sounds complicated but you will get the hang of it before long. You are an intelligent woman and I doubt not your capabilities."

He squatted down to be closer to Sabriel. "Trust me I have no intention of making you look like a fool. There was nothing wrong with asking for permission to accelerate. It's just that you do not have to, though it is viewed as quite polite to inform someone you are accelerating. The Emperor thought nothing less of view except that you were polite."

He smiled up at her. "Relax. You are doing fine."

"Take protector off side," she advises, referring to the plastic guard that is in place protecting the metal contacts where the relay plugs into its socket. "Replace relay and put protector on old relay."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sabriel does not seem to be pacified by his words. "So, is it I or the Linewing Aviator that should set engine output? I need to know your procedures if I am to pilot this vessel. You are not being clear."

"Alright." Samson pops the light back in his mouth and goes back to work. He negotiates the plastic off and goes to work replacing the relays. It takes him a few minutes but he eventually has them all replaced. He puts the plastic on the old relays. He keeps the light in his mout because his hands are full bu looks back at Dorathy and mumbles. "Arght, whasss nec?"
----------------------------------

Keirn've stands up from his position and crosses his arms. He looks over at the Linewing Aviator. "Linewing Aviator Goftunsu, you will assume your normal duties as of now. Pilot Sabriel has learned well how to navigate the engines and no longer needs to adjust them herself. If a battle breaks out, she will be quite capable of taking control."

Goftonsu smiles and nodds. Good enough for him. "Yes Senior Aviator. I am taking control." He hit his video screen to monitor anti-matter and engine output.

Keirn've looks back down at Sabriel. "You will be in charge of only piloting the ship unless a battle breaks out. If something like was to happen, you will be in charge of piloting and engine propulsion. The Linewing Aviator will work beside you still to inform you of engine output and any problems." He makes sure that she is looking at him. "Clear?"

Keirn've basically saved her pride by saying that it was all an exercise for the new crew member. Not a soul in the room believed otherwise. Well excpet for maybe two.

Dorathy's command of Galactic Standard is already poor. She cannot understand Samson around the flashlight. She tilts her head to one side, looking perplexed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sabriel does not even realize what Keirn've has done, taking it quite literally. "Alright then. Thank you." With that, the Sankakue is through the sord. Just beyond the event horizon of the sord, pulled to one side to be sure there is no danger of collision with the Abh ship, KLZ-01 sits at a dead stop, using its long-range scanners to get its bearings as best it can. The bomowas was right; this is uncharted territory for both ships, so far from any known sords that there is no way of establishing their relative position. Since they are 'lost without reference,' the crew looking over the sensor readouts are undoubtedly looking for 'what is wrong.' Though they are in unknown territory, there do not seem to be any immediate threats. It's just normal planespace. Within range are many hundreds of sords, but nothing else.

Samson lets the light drop as it floats around his head throwing the light off in different directions. "Alright it's fixed. What's next?"
----------------------

Dusanyu sat back down after looking at the lower tactical display. "Lowe, might I suggest Space Time Fusion between our two ships? It's merely a precaution since there will be added defense that way."

Kenesh continued to monitor the tactical screen but could find nothing out of the ordinary. The sord came back readint that it was relativly unused and there were no ships in the area.

Dorathy shrugs. "No more. Bring light, old relay out. We will return to main ship part." She smiles as Samson emerges from the dark room and shuts the hatch. "Come Samsan. Is more work to do."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lowe replies a few seconds later. "You may merge our space-time bubbles if you wish. Move into range at your discretion."

Samson has a puzzled look on his face at first as he thinks, Didn't she just say that there was no more work to do? Instead he shrugs it off figuring that with her smile, it wouldn't matter to him what she had in mind. He hooked the box under and arm and switched the light off.
-------------------------

Dusanyu nodded. "Forgive me if I am overcautious but it is just better safe then sorry."

The Emperor stood and walked to the railing on the bridge. "Prepare for Space Time Fusion."

Linewing Aviator relayed engine settings and bubble dimension. "Space Time Fusion in ten, nine, eight,..."

Keirn've squatted down by Sabriel that only she could hear. "Alright, we are going to merge bubbles. You may experience a strange sensation but do not be alarmed. Just bring the ship in nice and steady. You know what to do."

Sabriel ignores Keirn've completely. She does indeed know what to do, and it is vaguely annoying that he would even bother to tell her. Still, rationally speaking she cannot blame him. After all, he is only looking out for the safety of his ship and fellow crew. It fascinates her that the Abh use space-time fusion as a defensive measure. Any Xanthalian ship is equally capable in all operative capacities with its frasas fused or seperate in planespace. She makes a note to investigate how Abh ship function differs in space-time fusion. She steers the vessel cleanly alongside the Alphashra, just barely bringing the two frasasi into contact with one another. However, immediately there is a problem. Instead of the natural fusion everyone expects, the two bubbles seem to interfere with one another, warping out of shape and refusing to interact. Alarms activate on both ships as the protective shielding that allows them to exist in this two-dimensional universe begins to break down. The crew's frochs are temporarily blinded, overwhelmed with conflicting information and lack thereof as the turbulence wavers along the surface of the Sankakue's space-time bubble. Sabriel acts quickly, activating the port thrusters and breaking contact. It is a close call, but both bubbles maintain integrity and quickly stabilize. Casualties and damage have been avoided. Sabriel breathes a sigh of relief. From the Alphashra, Lowe re-establishes the communications link broken in the encounter. He looks concerned, and more than a little shaken. "KLZ-01 to the Sankakue. Is everyone alright over there?"

Dusanyu regained his balance to address Lowe. "Yes everything is alright thanks to Sabriel's reaction. It appears there is a difference in our technology that will not allow our ships to merge. Is everyone alright over there?"

Lowe looks slightly reassured by the affirmation. "I cannot say yet. I have issued an order for all crew to report in, but I am still waiting for many responses. However, the ship is intact and there was only minimal gravitational disturbance on our end, so I can only assume that the crew is alright. I will let you know as soon as I know the condition of your officers. Please give me a moment to collect the information I need. I will contact you again as soon as I know enough to feel confident proceeding." With that, the transmission is suspended.

Sabriel has been badly shaken by the event. What has just happened was like nothing she has ever experienced. As the adrenaline pumps through her body she removes her hands from the control panel, breathing deeply to calm herself and clear her mind. "Well," she says over her own quickly-beating heart. "That was unexpected."

Keirn've stands up and lays a hand on Sabriel's shoulder. He smiles down at her. "Well done."

The Linewing Aviator reported to the Emperor and Sabriel at the same time. "Pardon me your Highness, it seems we have lost some output in the thrusters. It's nothing serious but the handling is going to be a bit sluggish."

Dusanyu sighed. "It seems we didn't get out of that as smoothly as I had thought."

Keirn've leaned over Sabriel and activated the comm. "Your Highness, I will go down and fix the problem. I only need a small crew of about five to fix the problem. Should only take a few moments."

Dusanyu nodded his agreement. "Permission granted. But hurry back."

A minute passes, then two. Finally, Lowe re-establishes communications. "Emperor, it looks like the worst injuries on this end are a few minor bruises. Your people came out just fine. How is the Sankakue holding together?"

The Emperor sat back down to address Lowe. "It seems we have lost a bit of propulsion from our stabilizing thrusters. It should only take a few minutes to fix but as of now our navigation is going to be a little sluggish. I shall inform you when repairs are completed."

Keirn've left the bridge then with Sabriel alone to begin piloting without any help or being told how to do her job. He wasn't worried. The woman was capable of handling herself plus he realized that this would help her in the end to become accustom to the ship, crew, and how orders were given.

In five minutes Keirn've was down in the engine room with some of the crew. He spotted the head engineer that was under Samson during his days aboard the Basroil. "Pervuyua, what's the status?"

"Keirn've, I'm glad you came. It seems that this ship is due for an overhaul. The pips containing the air pressure for the thrusters was old and have busted open. Altos there almost lost his head from a bolt that shot off but luckily it only peirced his shoulder so we sent him up to sick bay."

Keirn've walked towards the wall and could feel the air coming out. "We have to seal it fast before we lose all capabilities on starboard side. Hand me the sealer and few rolls of pipe-fix-it."

The whole in the wall was pulled open further to reveal a few rusted pipes that had busted open. Keirn've sighed. How could this have happened to the Emperor's very own ship? He reached back and took roll of the pipe fixing. It was pliable sheet metal that was used for temporarly welding. Used much like on submarines, this wrapped around the pipes and was welded on. Keirn've was a grease munky at heart. He prefered to work with his hands more than anything. It wouldn't take him long to fix this.

OOC: I'll be gone for two days. Just giving you the heads up.

The bridge crew aboard the Alphashra uses the time to conduct detailed scans of the sords in the area. By the time the Abh are ready to proceed, Lowe hopes he will know where to lead them.

Keirn've was just finishing the last welding pad when another pipe exploded right next to his face. Shrapnel tore through his arm and a left a deep gash across his left cheeck.

He was tossed to the floor where he layed there daze for a moment. Pervuyua rushed to his side. "Are you alright Keirn've." Keirn've groaned as he rolled to his side. He stubbornly got back to his feet and staggered over to the newly opened pipe. "Pervuyua come here and brink a sealer."

Pervuyua rushed over with a sealer and a new welding patch. "Alright, hold the patch and I'll weld." Pervuyua looked down at Keirn've's left arm and it wasn't pretty. A bone fragment was sticking out of his left shoulder and blood was running from his right arm. He put up patch and watched as the Keirn've grunted the pain away. In a few short moments, all repairs were complete and the torn out wall was being put back together.

Pervuyua put his arm around Keirn've for support and helped him to the med bay. He set Keirn've down on a bed and let the doctor begin his examination. Keirn've looked up with the one eye that wasn't bandaged. "Pervuyua, go to the supply room and get me a cluyuno."

"Why? Is yours broken?"

"No. I just need one for a friend."

Pervuyua looked at him curiously. Getting one out of the supply room for no real reason wasn't exactly legal but he trusted the man and knew it wouldn't be for anything malicious.

Half an hour later...

Keirn've was fast returning to the bridge. He walked up to the bridge to file his report to the Emperor. "Your Highness. Repairs have been completed. The damage was not done because of the incident with the Space Bubble collision but because of faulty equipment. The pipes containing air pressure for the thrusters had rusted through and only needed a little push to cause them to burst. They have been welded tight and will hold until we can report to the docking yards." The report was kept relatively quiet so as to not let anyone on board panic.

Dusanyu and Kenesh looked Keirn've up and down gravely. "Thank you Keirn've. You may report to your quarters to relax and recooperate. I will inform you if you are needed."

"No thank you your Highness. I will stay at my post. Besides, I cleared with the medical examiner."

Dusanyu sighed. "Very well. Report to your station then. You're a stubborn man but I am grateful to have you on board."

"Thank you your highness."

Keirn've walked away and headed back to Sabriel. His left eye and cheeck were bandaged up along with his right arm. His left arm was in a sling until the bone could properly set. He still held the Cluyuno in his hand as he smiled at Sabriel. "Well I'm back. It took a little longer than expected though."
----------------------

Dusanyu sat back down and informed Lowe that all repairs were completed and that they were ready to move on.

The bomowas smiles. "I am glad to hear it. I believe we have located our next destination. I will send you the sensor data we collected." The Sankakue recieves a map of the surrounding area. Just a few million kilometers away there is a highlighted sord; but there is something odd and unique about it what definately tempts the classification of being somehow incorrect or wrong. Its dimensions and specifications match those of a normal sord, but the energy flows normally associated with such a gateway seem to be frozen. All around it the energy of planespace seems to divert around the sord.

Sabriel is unable to conceal a look of shock as Keirn've steps beside her. Her eyes dart over his bandages. Concern lurks behind her fascade. "Gods. Are you alright? What happened down there?"

Dusanyu stands up and looks at the new star map and looks over at Kenesh. "What do you suppose that is?" He points to the highlighted Sord.

Kenesh looks at it closely. "I don't know. If that is our next destination then I propose testing it first."

Dusanyu nodded. "Agreed." He looks at Lowe. "I would recommend testing the Sord's capabilities of handling our Planespace capabilities."

Keirn've keeps his smile as he shrugs. "Oh it was nothing. Just ran into some problems while fixing old pipes. It seems that the ship didn't agree with me fixing it so I got a broken shoulder, a cut up arm, and a nice gash across my face for my efforts."

Keirn've lifted up his right hand, the arm that still worked, and produced a Cluyuno (http://www.abhnation.com/components/com_mambospgm/spgm/gal/SNS-07/SNS-07-12.jpg) (The red band with the jewel in the middle on Lafiel's hands). "This is for you Sabriel."

Richard bobs his head in agreement. "As there are obviously significant differences in our frasas, I believe it will be best for us to conduct tests independently." The admiral issues orders off-screen and the Alphashra moves towards the sord in question.

Sabriel raises an eyebrow, sensing that there is more to the story than Keirn've is sharing. "I noticed..." Her eyes drift over his injuries once more, then drop to fix on the object in his hand. It seems to be the same type of apparel everyone on the ship is wearing, an elastic red cloth extending from the end of the forearm and tapering off to be secured by a ring around the middle finger, with an aquamarine-colored half-spheroid gem attached to the piece covering the back of the wearer's hand. She has not seen one in use yet however, so its purpose, if it has one, is a mystery to her. She takes the clyuno in her free hand carefully, unsure how to react or if she should actually put it on. "I thank you. What is it?"

The Emperor nodded his agreement and ordered the Sankakue in closer to the Sord. A probe was already being prepared to launch once in range.

Keirn've smiled. "This is a cluyuno. We use them as communicators on board the ship and off the ship as well. Go ahead and put it on your right hand." He motioned for her to go ahead and try it.

"With this, you can now contact me anytime you want to. This one is a special version of it though. I spent a half hour working on it so that you can now contact me even after this mission is over. It now has the capability of reaching long distances specifically to my own cluyuno. I told you I wouldn't forget."

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth and he couldn't help himself to see how the woman would react. "This doesn't mean we're engaged or anything." He did his best to supress a chuckle.

Sabriel stops, her expression reflecting a mixture of surprise and incredulity as she watches him. What is wrong with normal interstellar communication lines? Does this relationship require a hotline? A private channel to carry with me? she thinks to herself. One would think we were engaged. She decides that there is a line to be drawn here. "Keirn've," she begins, feeling quite uncomfortable, "This is not necessary. You can contact me by addressing a letter via the Xanthalian Ministry of Communications. My citizen number should be sufficient to properly route a message." She looks at the clyuno in her hand, even more unsure now what to do with it. "I can keep this... if you want..." she trails off. This is bad. She is, once again, far out of her league. She questions whether it was wise for her to accept a diplomatic assignment. She is a soldier, not an ambassador. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, she does not have time to ponder the matter. She sheepishly sets the device aside, leaving it on the edge of her console for Keirn've to pick up or leave, then sets about inputting the proper course changes to put the Sankakue where the Emperor has ordered her.