NationStates Jolt Archive

BCN Chopshop

The BCN Chopshop cruised along at a stately speed through a solar system as its engines recycled for yet another hyperjump that would push it forward through space again.

The comms were open, absorbing signals from a couple of the planets in the system, effectively studying them for some Blub-oriented purpose.

More importantly however, the sublight communications system was on sensitive mode, scanning the regions between solar systems and galaxies, on alert for some very specific types of signals. Mainly.. looking for distress beacons.

The BCN Chopshop seemed to be specificly searching for crippled ships.

ooc: la~bump.

[ I'll just play with this account until Rowle gets brought back from the dead. ]


System Malfunction

The UDRSNS Pritchard, a Bleddyn D. Morgan class cruiser in the service of the Space Navy of the United Democratic Republic of the Federal Rowlan Republic and Federated States of Theodorika, was undergoing some maintenance on its primary superconductor conduit in the rather dull system of SS-043-992, as it was labelled on the Space Navy's charts. It held no particular interest to the Republic: it was out of the way of the normal trade routes, held no strategic importance for the military and did not have any ore or gas that could not be collected at a cheaper cost in a system nearer to the Republic. Even the resources it did have were rather insignificant: the planets were mostly silicate, and the sun had devoured most of the gas in the solar genesis, leaving very small gas giants.
+++In any case, the Pritchard had been tasked with doing some routine border sweeping—it wasn't that cost-effective to keep up a constant vigil in fringe systems, especially in peacetime, and so the government sent out a couple flotillas or so of cruisers every few months to 'beat the bounds' and see what was what on the edge. The nature of Rowle's 'astro-turf' (referring to the space claimed by Rowle—there wasn't a particularly good adjective in English for such a concept, although several had been advanced; the Germans referred to it as weltrevier) was such that 043-992 was in the way of getting from one area of the border to another—not to say that it was actually that way: it just happened. One could blame multidimensional physics for the disparity.
+++Normally, one would just pass 'through' it in quadim,¹ but some of the Pritchard's engine-room greasehounds had noticed a worrying harmonic while they were working in the coolant chamber. The Bleddyn D. Morgan class was somewhat old, the lead ship having been commissioned twenty years ago, and despite its faithful service, some of the ships were beginning to show their age. Pritchard had so far avoided that fate, but it seemed that time was, at last, catching up. Unsure of where the harmonic was coming from, the engineers had informed Bridge, who did not wish to be smashed across a reality where their blood would exist in four dimensions, and had subsequently dropped back into normal-space almost immediately. Having thus entered the system, the ship remained two-hundred-forty million kilometres or so from the star, just a little above the star's zeroed orbital plane but oriented almost perpendicular to it. It was not still; it drifted, naturally, and moved toward the star's nadir area at about 0.15 kps. The captain hadn't bothered to come to a full stop: there was no need, and it would waste air that he might need later for manoeuvring about.
+++Because of this reluctance on the captain's part, he found his ship steadily drifting on such a course that would afford his radar a look at more and more of the system on the other side of the sun. He sat there, in his command couch, chin in his left hand and elbow on the armrest (his other was just laying at his side), and stared blankly at the spherical strategic hologram directly in front of and a little below him. About twenty minutes after the Pritchard cleared the 140-degree mark on the orbital plane, a blip lit up on the plot with a jarring, but somehow still musical, chime. The contact was denoted as a yellow quatrefoil, meaning that it used an unrecognised transponder code. When the captain saw this, he very slowly straightened in his couch, and leaned forward, his interest piqued.
+++The search radar and IFF stations in CIC were already working to update the information on the bridge's plots, and the information that they gathered began to flow onto the OLED screen next to the captain's head, as well as Tactical's own screens. The captain frowned; he wasn't familiar with the design, and it didn't bear any resemblance to any design scheme that he'd yet read in the ship-identification manuals. It wasn't a sensor ghost, either, given that there actually was data coming back.
+++'Well...' he muttered, leaning back in his chair and dramatically stroking his beard. 'Comms, you know the drill.'
+++'Right, Cap'n,' the E(C)T3/c replied. Aboard the United Republic's ships, there was very little formalism, and especially not with an electronics tech that had just finished his college education. Being a relaxed man, the captain was willing to allow his crew this little luxury, and he was far from alone.
+++'UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT, THIS IS THE ROWLAN CRUISER PRITCHARD, PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.'

¹Quadradimensional travel.

BCN Chopshop

On the bridge of the massive ship, a Blub looked up from his sensors and squeaked, "Captain, we have a contact bearing two eight eight at one point one million kilometers." Nearby, the weapon systems chief nodded, his eyestalks wobbling, "Aye sir, confirm. One point one million kilometers at ten-o-clock."

The huge, rectangular ship turned slightly to port so that the blunt nose was pointed towards the distant target, unseen with the unaided eye. Captain Subble poked at his computer with a couple of tentacles, ordering a discrete little probe to be launched. On the otherwise unadorned hull of the Chopshop, a slab of armor slid aside to reveal a torpedo tube. With a silent flash, it launched a probe. The probe fired its boosters once safely away and began to zoom forward, too small to be a weapon.

The sensor tech squeaked again, "They're hailing us sir."

'UNIDENTIFIED CRAFT, THIS IS THE ROWLAN CRUISER PRITCHARD, PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.'

Subble hrmm'd and sipped from a capped bottle of soda with a straw poking out of it. All containers outside of the cafeterias had to be capped, in the event of sudden loss of artificial gravity. "Go ahead and respond, comms. Send them the following..." And he furrowed his brows in concentration, pecking at his keyboard to slowly type up the message.

A moment later it was beamed off with a comm laser to the strange ship.

'THIS IS BLUB COLONIAL NAVY SHIP CHOPSHOP. YOU SEEM TO HAVE PULLED OUT OF THE SLIPSTREAM RATHER SUDDENLY. ARE YOU IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE?'

Another twenty minutes later, the message was picked up by the Pritchard's communication array.
+++'THIS IS BLUB COLONIAL NAVY SHIP CHOPSHOP. YOU SEEM TO HAVE PULLED OUT OF THE SLIPSTREAM RATHER SUDDENLY. ARE YOU IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE?'
+++'Chopshop?' asked someone aloud. They suddenly realised their mistake, however, and very quickly clamped down their jaw to avoid becoming the centre of Bridge's attention. Probably a new rating, then. The rest of the bridge crew didn't speak, but they, too, thought it was an odd name. Maybe it was a recycler—there was good money in gathering scrap metal from hulks that had had a really nasty reactor malfunction, or had been demolished by a battle, and then selling it back to the yards to be re-forged into whatever structural parts that were required at the moment.
+++The captain looked at the damage control watchstander, who glanced down at his section, and gave a thumbs-up. Everything was proceeding fine and dandy-like, so far as he could tell from the reports of the crews working to replace the conduit and a couple of other nearby couplings and piping sections, just to be on the safe side. The captain nodded his understanding and wordlessly turned back to the Comms station.
+++'We're fine,' he said to the man, by which he meant for that message to be relayed to the Chopshop.
+++The technician began tapping out a reply on his keyboard. 'NEGATIVE, CHOPSHOP, WE'VE GOT IT UNDER CONTROL. WE ESTIMATE NAUGHT-POINT-FIVE HOURS IN-SYSTEM. CHEERS FOR THE OFFER.'

BCN Chopshop

Captain Subble twiddled two tentacles together while pondering. "It doesn't look like they're in any distress, nor have they asked for help, so we can't act. Acknowledge, but monitor until they leave the system. Return to routine scanning."

The huge ship's sensors flickered over from the more concentrated tight band it had been using to examine the foreign ship to a wide band to get back to the business of searching for ships in distress.

'ACKNOWLEDGED PRITCHARD, WE WILL STANDBY.' Simple enough.

Meanwhile in one of the immsense bays of the Chopshop, Blubs were getting out of their armored EVA suits as the duty officer ordered them back to routine duties. There were some grumbles of disappointment as various cutting tools and equipment got put back into their storage containers.

A ship tumbled slowly though the void between the stars, its pockmarked surface flashing slightly as a distant sun's light caught the surface and reflected. All systems were down except for vital life support and comminications. The crew, some two hundred kitsune from Xiscapia, floated in status. Bits of wreckage and miscellanous parts, freed from the bonds of anti-gravity, bounced lazely off surfaces and bumped ports. The bridge was abandoned, the air being reserved for the part of the ship the crew was in. A A.I. sent a continued message out into space:
To all ships in range, this is the Xiscapian vessal Starlight, our systems have failed due to a encounter with hostile forces, we require immediate assistance. S.O.S S.O.S.S.O.S....(Repeat)

A ship tumbled slowly though the void between the stars, its pockmarked surface flashing slightly as a distant sun's light caught the surface and reflected. All systems were down except for vital life support and comminications. The crew, some two hundred kitsune from Xiscapia, floated in status. Bits of wreckage and miscellanous parts, freed from the bonds of anti-gravity, bounced lazely off surfaces and bumped ports. The bridge was abandoned, the air being reserved for the part of the ship the crew was in. A A.I. sent a continued message out into space:

BCN Chopshop

The sensor tech squeaked, eystalks turning to peer towards where the Captain stood around the CIC projector, "Captain, I'm detecting a distress signal from nearby. It's beyond this system bearing five o-clock approximately."

Meanwhile, the probe ejected earlier continued on its course, emitting a signal back to the blub ship.

"Confirm it."

"Aye sir." A moment later, "Confirmed sir. It's a distress beacon."

"Set course, Nav Alpha ninety thousand kilometers from the signal. Nav Charlie at one hundred, seventy five thousand. Prep recovery team immedietly."

And even as he spoke, the massive coils within the heart of the ship were charging. After five minutes the safe charge was complete and the ship simply blinked out of sight. It reappeared, about ninety thousand kilometers from the damaged ship.

"Prep four recovery teams. Ready the tugs. Scan for life."

The huge ship's sensors swept over the wreck. "Detecting lifeforms in only one part of the ship. Very little power sources, seems they're completely crippled."

The Chopshop beamed a message to the floating wreck,

'THIS IS COLONIAL NAVAL VESSEL CHOPSHOP. DO YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE?'

'THIS IS COLONIAL NAVAL VESSEL CHOPSHOP. DO YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE?'
The A.I. responded:
Affermitive CHOPSHOP, assistance is needed. All systems except Life Support and Communications are offline.

'ACKNOWLEDGED. SENDING IN RECOVERY TEAMS NOW.'

The first order of business of course, involved the deployment of several shuttles while Chopshop closed the distance down to about 25 kilometers. There's no telling if the foreign ship might explode, and keeping a safe distance is important. It seemed like Chopshop was build solidly enough to absorb a close range ship explosion, but there are proceedures.

A half dozen shuttles jetted off through space, slowing up only when they neared the crippled ship. On the sides of three of the shuttles were painted large red + type symbols, denoting them as ambulances.

It took a few more minutes but soon, EVA-suited Blubs were cutting away at hatches on the damaged ship inside of docking collars. They tested for pressurization, then.. entered.

The little green, tentacled aliens in their armored suits followed directions from a nearby Recovery Command Vessel which was directiong the actions of the shuttles and several other smaller ships that had undocked with Chopshop.

Chopshop herself was floating slowly closer. The front of the ship seemed to be getting longer. It was just an illusion however, as a massive framework extended forward, like scaffolding. Large enough to hold even a battleship.

Inside Starlight
For the crew trapped in the ship, it was a surreal experience. There were clanking sounds outside of a hatchway, then a hiss as a pressurized, flexible 'tube' sealed around the hatch. This enabled anyone to walk from one end of the tube to the other, even in the event of loss of pressure outside.

Then, the door's override was engaged and... phhsssshss! It opened. Fresh air blew in, and there in the doorway stood 3-4 foot tall, little green blob-like aliens. Their eyestalks peered about through their helmet visors, as armored tentacles held tools such as radiation detectors and scanners.

The lead Blub squeaked through his external comm, "Hello? Anyone here?"

Air and system support had been detected, so the field was turned off. The crew were all inside that huge room, and they all dropped to the floor, no longer suspended in anti-grav. Slowly they began to wake up. Ears twitched and tracked noise, tails flipped, and their eyes opened. Of the ones to rise, the Captain was first. He rubbed his eyes and stood, roughly 5,10 in height. He had pale skin, yellow eyes (like all Xiscapians), a white tail, white fox ears, and his blue captains uniform was tight and crisp, dispite the long period in suspended animation. The first thing he saw was little green blob-like aliens, holding strange devices and standing was the enterance hatch. The Captain merely raised his eyebrows as one spoke in an unfamilier tounge. He spoke back in Basic: "Who...are you?"

Thoughout the ship the A.I. was trying the bring the systems back online, but with little success.

Inside Starlight

There were some soft, funny/cute-sounding 'ooo' sounds from some of the Blubs as they peered at the fox-people curiously. A few of the aliens looked at each other, then back to the tailed, fox-eared humanoids. Eyestalks blinked, blinked, blinked.

Then the team leader spoke up, "We're the Blubs. We're here to save you!" He gestured, an a medical team moved forward with their kits to look for wounded. Meanwhile, the ones in the armored EVA suits moved forward and started gesturing for the crew to enter the tube leading back to the rescue shuttle. "C'mon. We need to get you offboard incase something goes critical."

Outside...

The Chopshop had lined its bow up with the bow of Starlight. The extending scaffolding/framework soon entirely enveloped the ship. Then, like a giant curtain, sheets of ballistic pressure cloth extended out along the scaffolding. Four teams moved along the inside and outside of the scaffolding, checking the seals.

In effect, the Starlight was being enveloped by a huge ballistic-cloth tent that would allow for pressurization eventually.

While the language was not understood, the intent was clear. The crew began to troop out of the room down the tube. A few, about a dozen, had minor cuts and bruises from the escape in battle. The Captain turned to one of the Blubs. "I," he pointed to himself "need to retrive" he pointed to the ship in general "valuable information" he pointed to his mouth and then pointed to a credit chip "from the bridge." He pointed in the direction of the bridge.

The little blub blinkedblinkedblinked up at the fox person, then peered along the corridor the man was pointing down. After a moment he nodded. A blub that speaks english soon came up. His comm system crackled, "Hello? Do you understand me?" And he repeated himself, in several other rather galactically-common languages. "We are going to repressurize the ship as soon as we finish our scans to make sure there will be no fires once we have oxygen. Just wait?"

Gesturing with his tentacles at the air, the translator rattled that out in various languages.

Meanwhile, the Starlight was floating inside of a giant tent type structure. Outside, the walls grew taut as the area was pressurized again. Soon, fresh air began to flow. Blubs in work exo-skeletons floated in from the far end of the bay and began to attach cables to the Starlight to keep it in place. The other ends of the cables were secured to the scaffolding.

There was no gravity here, but it did have a safe atmosphere. Several teams of firefighters stood by, but they probably wouldn't be needed.

Slowly within Starlight, the air was pumped in. The Blub team leader checked his suit's monitors, then pulled his helmet off. He gestured down the hallway to the human/fox captain to go do whatever it was he wanted to do.

As fast as possible, the Captain and a team of a dozen kitsune proceeded down the hall. They retrived ship log records, the central computer core, the A.I., and some blueprints and technology they had been transporting. Such as they could not afford to have fall into the wrong hands. It wasn't that they didn't trust the Blubs...it was that they didn't trust what they might do under the influnce of greed. The team came back out of the hall with their cargo and proceeded into the Blub ship.

Chopshop

The fox-peopleseses were lead through a reinforced corridor and down some hallways. Then a turbolift was taken, zooming everyone up through about thirty decks. They were then escorted to a big cafeteria. Blub cooks came out with trays to feed the fox-people, common foods like french fries, sandwiches, fried chicken, salads and various things.

While they ate, the team commander left to brief the ship's captain. The Captain was a strange little blub wearing a gold chain around his neck from which hung gold-plated dogtags. Sunglasses were perched on his eyestalks. He nodded, then gave a briefing to yet another crew of about fifty blubs.

The crew saluted, then went off to gather their equipment. Many of them picked up video recording devices while others got technical printouts and engineering schematics together.

Soon, the huge shipyard bay in which Starlight was parked became alive with activity. Hundreds of little green tentacle aliens floating around with spot wielders, cutting devices and various other tools while wearing saftey equipment.

The Kitsunes

After an hour or so, the Captain came down to visit his guests. He came into the room escorted by a small TV crew, and held up a translator device, which had been tuned to Basic, "Yo yo yo! Sup all? I'm Captain B-Diddit, but you can just call me Bee. Here's what's going down. We're going to give you all the food, medical attention and other needs you require. You're free to use our comms to send a message home if you want. We're going to patch up your ship for you."

Captain B-Diddit
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8869/bdidditgf6.png

The Captain stood at the Blub Captain's informal greeting. He bowed low and said solemnly in a deep, accented Basic voice: "We thank you, and are most deeply in your debt. If, once we get home, if there is anything we can do, please let us know." Behind him the entire crew had either bowed or kneeled in respect. Once the Captain finished his little speech they resumed what they were doing: Eating French Fries. For some strange reason, Xiscapians love anything with potatos in it, no matter what. The chicken too was devoured gratefully, but the sandwitchs suspiciously examined and the salads untouched. An Xiscapian's digestive system allows for meat, roots, sweets, grains, fish, fruit, nuts and chocolates. Dairy and vegetables were entirely inedible, unless mixed with an edible food. A tech came forward to message home.
Message from the crew of the Starlight to Xiscapian High Command:
Our ship was attacked by pirates and we were able to get away, though crippled. The ship drifted for, as told in the ship's log, about two weeks. We were rescued by a people we had never encountered before, who call themselves the Blubs. They are giving our crew all hospitalities and our ship is being repaired. We expect to be home with the technology and our entire crew safe within one to three months.

Chopshop

Captain B-Diddit beamed a big smile at the kitsune, "Not a problem my friend. We'll have you back on the road again in no time. Metaphorically speaking, of course." He gestured to the cooks, who continued to crank out the food. He spoke in Blubbish, "Keep them fed. They're probably starving after drifting around in space."

He looked back at the kitsunes and triggered his translator again, "When you're finished eating, let my crew know and you'll be taken to some quarters. You'll have access to showers and exercise areas. There's a lounge down the hall on the deck you'll be on. This will take a few days..."


And time went on...

Blubs were working in 6 hour shifts in the huge shipyard. The Starlight was slowly undergoing a rather radical transformation...

(Pssst. If you could give me some details on the ship, it'd be greatly helpful.)

After eating the crew all took showers, deeply embarassed to be seen so dirty. In Xiscapian culture, one must bath once a day, and the crew had not bathed for two weeks. Away from danger and among friends, the crew relaxed, engaging in recreational pasttimes and such. Time went on plesantly.
OOC:
The Starlight
Crew: 186 and 14 pilots
Armament: None, strong shields
Hangers: (1) 2 Diplomatic Shuttles, 5 Recon(Scout) fighters
Role: Fast Cargo (Carries percious/dangerious military cargo)
100 Spacers, 20 Techs, 20 Medics, 14 Bridge Officers, 1 Caotain, 1 XO, 30 Marines

Chopshop

A few days passed. Eventually, the kitsune Captain heard a knock on the door of his guest quarters. It was Captain B-Diddit again, and he had the TV crew with him. He held up his translator, "Hey! Your ship is ready. C'mon." He smiled, and turned away, leading the fox/human down the corridor to the lift.

After a few more minutes, they were on the 'ground' floor of the drydock. When the kitsune saw his ship.. he was either going to be very suprised, or very angry.

Starlight had been repainted a bright green with gold trim and highlights. The view-windows on the ship were all tinted. The engines had been entirely replaced, and where the thrust vents were visable, there had been placed chromed turbines.

The TV crews turned a couple of cameras on the kitsune, as B-Diddit began chattering, pointing, "We stripped out your engines and put in the brand new Blubdrive XXL! That means when you hit the throttles, this baby will go! Outside of hyperjump, you've got about another fifty percent accelleration. We replaced your thrusters with thrust turbines.. and lemme hit you with this."

He gestured. A little green blub technician floated up to the chromed turbines in the microgravity, reached out a little tentacle.. and pushed against one of the big turbine blades. It began to spin slowly, glittering in the light.

B-Diddit squeaked, "THEY SPINNIN'!"

About then, a ramp lowered from the belly of the ship. Appearently.. the Blubs had pimped out the inside as well.

At the sight of their ship, there was three distinctly different reactions from the crew. The majority (the Spacers and Medics) roared with laughter, clutching their sides, tears falling from their eyes. What had once been a hard, cold military vessal had been transformed into...well, they had never seen anything like it! The next was pure shock, mostly from the techs and Marines. They had no idea what to think, and looked at the ship from all sides. The third reaction was a kind of puzzled irritation. This came from the Bridge Officers, the XO, and the Captain. They could not believe what had been done to their proud ship! But they withheld any reaction aside from cold calculation until they could see the inside.

Inside..

Everything had been cleaned and polished until it looked brand new. Most computer monitors had been replaced with larger versions or even 3D holographic sets. Crew quarters had been transformed. From the usual spartan military bunks had been trasnformed into multi-level fold-down or pull-out beds which conserved space when not in use.

In each seperate crew quarter compartment, a -huge- screen TV had been mounted and there were various video games and simulators set up. Craftily hidden in the marine quarters were secret panels filled with weaponry, emergency supplies and.. junk food.

Captain B-Diddit squeaked, rattling on as he took them all on the grand tour, "And let me say.. the entire ship has been rigged with surround sound. Thirty six inch subbies in the bigger rooms hidden in the walls. You'll never notice.. 'till you turn them on. These babies can break glass at a hundred meters." Clearly proud of the work his crew had done.

He lead the assembly onwards through the engineering section. On the various hyperjump engine pipeworks were LCD monitors which projected the numbers so that a technician would only have to glance at them to discover information rather than consulting a computer terminal. "We call this, 'At-a-glance' information. You can still pull it all up if you want to on your engineering stations here and on the bridge. But we think it's convient for quickly determining when something goes wrong."

He grinned brightly, "Oh yes. The bridge." And he lead them onwards...

The Bridge

The old stations had been entirely modified. The chairs were now extra-cushioned and fire-resistant, and done in some sort of exotic leather dyed a soothing blue. The work stations at the bridge were also paneled in blue, and things had been torn out and replaced to make it all more ergonomic. All had four-point restraints hidden in them for combat purposes.

The captain's chair had too been replaced with a big, comfortable version. Three seperate sets of screens could be swung in by a push of some buttons, giving the captain layers and layers of information. Dangling from one of the screens was a set of fuzzy green dice.

B-Diddit beamed happily, and gestured for the Captain to take his seat. When the kitsune did so.. B-Diddit looked at the cameras, then said, "And that's not all.." He lifted a little tentacle, and tapped a button on the kitsune's Captain's chair. And.. click. A leg rest unfolded from beneath, propping the Captain's feet up. From a side panel on the chair slid a refrigerated compartment which opened up to reveal refreshments.

B-Diddit beamed. "All the creature comforts."

Upon seeing the inside, especially the crew quarters, most of the crew were grinning madly and nudging each other as they unfolded beds, pulled out secret compartments, and activated the TVs. The techs, (which is the name for the engineers of the ship) fairly drolled over the LCD monitors. Once on the Bridge the Bridge Officers and XO couldn't help themselves. Their hard looks shattered into grins as they saw the bridge. They ran to their stations, laughing with wonder at the, ah, modifications the Blubs had made. When the Captain sat down he was pleasantly surprised to find that the hole in the chair for his tail was retained. With his feet propped up and a bag of cookies in hand, sitting on a soft Captain's chair and idily batting at the fuzzy green dice, he leaned back. "This...is fucking amazing."

The Bridge

B-Diddit was smiling happily. "There's just a few more tricks. We noticed you didn't have any ship weaponry. We left that alone. However.. since your ship is unarmed, we figured there might come a time when you come under attack again. So, we took some steps."

He tapped a button on the captain's keyboard, bringing up a diagnostic of the ship directly from the engineer's station. "With these bigger engines, your shields have about thirty percent more durability. And better yet, there's instructions in the computers for your engineers or A.I. to switch between primary and secondary drive power for your shields. You can charge up for a hyperjump while still maintaining most shield integrity."

"Further, the ship has been fitted with our latest cloaking technology. This pimp paintjob hides a very sophisticated skin for your ship. When you engage the cloak, some power is diverted to a heating mesh on the inside of the outer layer of armor. This activates the light refraction, which will effectively render the ship invisible to the eye. You'll still be mostly visable on magnetic scanners however, but it may be useful."

B-Diddit looked at the captain and smiled. "That's it, my friend. If your ship ever becomes damaged, just visit a Blub-held world or space station and we'll get you patched up again. We've also included some emergency bands to your comm systems that will alert our network if you need assistance."

"I hereby turn the Starlight back over to you, Captain." He saluted.

The Captain grinned wildly. "No, I thank you, my friend. As Captain of this ship, I invite you to enjoy all Xiscapia has to offer. Also, I'm sure the Emperor would be very intrested in meeting you." They were fast coming up on Xiscapia now.

B-Diddit clapped two little green tentacles together happily and looked up at the kitsune. Blubs aren't very big. B-Diddit was only about three feet tall himself. "Excellent. I've never met royalty before. I'll order Chopshop to withdraw the drydock."

He squeaked into a communicator. Outside, tools and equipment were wheeled or carried back into their stowage areas. The drydock was depressurized, the air going back into huge tanks built within the salvage ship. After a triple check of everything, the ballistic curtains were unsealed and rolled back and the scaffolding slowly collapsed and folded up back into Chopshop.

APS Ferocity
Xiscapian Space

"Officer of the Watch!" An Ensign cried from one of the nearby control panels on the bridge.

Lt. Commander Thuram of the Alversian Dreadnought Ferocity crossed over from his position on the tactical platform and leant over the Ensign's shoulder

"What is it, Ensign?"

The Ensign typed a few commands into his keyboard and turned to face the 1st Officer

"It appears two vessels have made an unannounced arrival into Xiscapian Space"

"Really?" Thuram raised his eyebrows and walked back to the bridge, "Can you identify them?"

"Attempting now, Sir" The Ensign was busy for a few minutes. The rest of the bridge crew walked from console to console, carrying out the various tasks needed on a standard warship. There was little sond apart from the muuterings of various crewmembers giving orders or recomendations for improvement. Most of the crew were either asleep or at their posts, waiting eagerly for their shifts to end.

The silence of the bridge was soon broken by the Ensign

"Sir, I can identify one of the ships, the other is unknown"

"Specs on the identified ship" Thuram ordered

"Xiscapian ship, unarmed, small crew, it's the Starlight Sir!" The Ensign suppressed a snigger, "and I think you should take a look at this Sir"

The humanoid Alversian, standing at the average Alversian height of 6'7'' and weighing less that 70kg, walked over to the console as a screen showing the two ships lit up.

"Well well," Thuram muttered, raising his eyebrows again, "Someone's been creative" He turned back to the bridge again, giving an order as he went,

"Raise shields to 40% and sound a yellow alert. Hail that ship"

A small beeping from another console sounded and the girl standing next to it called over

"Frequency open, Sir!"

"THIS IS LT. COMMANDER THURAM OF THE ALVERSIAN WARSHIP FEROCITY. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF STARLIGHT"

Thuram had a right to be sceptical, the Xiscapian High Command had declared the Starlight destroyed in action weeks ago.

"Sir, we're being hailed."
The Captain stopped playing with his new toys and got down to business. "What's the message?"
"THIS IS LT. COMMANDER THURAM OF THE ALVERSIAN WARSHIP FEROCITY. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF STARLIGHT."
The Captain dictated to the Comm Officer. "Sending now sir."
Lt. Commander Thuram of the APS Ferocity, this is Captain James of the Military Special Cargo ship Starlight. Some 44 days ago our vessal went missing on an important assignment from the world of Slaughter to Xiscapia with valuable cargo. While en route we were attacked by what seemed to be Danaversians and pirates working together. While we were able to escape with the ship, the technology, and the crew's lives, we were badly damaged and in need of repairs. The ship was beginning to break up, so I ordered the crew into the statis chamber and sent out an S.O.S. on a repeated loop. This ship, called the CHOPSHOP owned and operated by the Blubs, heard our distress call and took the ship in. If not for them, the ship, technology, and crew would have been entirely lost. As you can see, the Blubs took some, ah, liberties with the ship while we were traveling. They are friendly, and we are traveling to Xiscapia.

By now, Captain Handsen had joined Thuram on the bridge was now staring at the ship in disbelief.

"Send a reply" he order curtly while turning back to his quarters, "Update the crew on events in their absence and stand down yellow alert. You have the bridge Commander"

With that, he was gone and Thuram turned back to the screen showing the, now bright green, Xiscapian Starlight


Vessel Starlight, an automatic distress signal was deployed from your vessel 44 days ago. Three nearby cruisers, one Alversian, two Xiscapian,
rushed to the scene but only found wreckage and debris. As the ships were
able to find your vessel on scanner, they returned to Xiscapia where it was
announced your ship had been lost with all hands. No distress signal was ever
picked up.

By the way, who are the Blub?

Meanwhile, the Ferocity powered down and returned to her previous, slumber like mode although still anxious about the Blub ship

Vessel Starlight, an automatic distress signal was deployed from your vessel 44 days ago. Three nearby cruisers, one Alversian, two Xiscapian,
rushed to the scene but only found wreckage and debris. As the ships were
unable to find your vessel on scanner, they returned to Xiscapia where it was
announced your ship had been lost with all hands. No distress signal was ever
picked up.

By the way, who are the Blub?
The Comm Officer messaged back, somewhat confused.
An automatic disstress signal was sent out. By the time the allied vessals got to the scene, we had likely already jumped and the pirates and Danaversians had probably moved on.
Their Captain looks like this. (http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/8869/bdidditgf6.png)

Starlight

Captain B-Diddit turned his eyestalks back and forth, watching as the kitsunes sent off and recieved various messages. His translator was chirping at him and he smiled happily when he heard them talking about the modifications made to Starlight. At least someone had noticed.

Meanwhile, looming a few hundred kilometers behind but following, was what would be classified as a 'super capital' sized ship. Chopshop was effectively a salvage/floating drydock large enough to house a battlecruiser in its collapsable workbay. For larger than battlecruiser classed ships, they had a few other ways of getting work done.

Chopshop seemed unarmed, the barge-shape was blunt and had massive armor to protect it from explosions. But then again, it might have weaponry tucked away somewhere. On the nose was a large green circle with green squiggly lines.

the battle ship aquila limped out of warp drive the SOLDIER FIRST captaining the ship said navigation where the hell are we unknown commander said the nav officer

dammage report hull breaches on decks one trough to 30 immagancey force feilds up weapons offline sheild generators totally polorized warp engine power couplings fried were lucky to be alive activate the auto distress signal

The battleship Shadow Hunter detatched itself from the Protector space station and headed for the Aquila. Unknown ship, state your origins and intentions.

The Ferocity also detected the incoming battleship and, again at yellow alert, they moved up behind the Xiscapian battleship to provide cover and back up should it be needed.

Meanwhile a message was sent

OUR APOLOGIES FOR THE CONFUSING MESSAGE STARLIGHT WE MEANT YOUR OTHER SIGNAL WAS NEVER PICKED UP AND SO WE HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE STILL ALIVE. YOU WILL BE WELCOMED ON THE PLANET ALONG WITH YOUR RESCUERS

Thuram turned back towards his bridge but stopped suddenly and turned back to the console

BY THE WAY. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SHIP?

The sudden apperence of the unknown battleship unnerved the crew of the Starlight. They began to move towards Xiscapia. They recieved a message:
BY THE WAY. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SHIP?
The Captain smiled and sent a message back.
Our ship was crippled when the Blubs found us. Without our knowledge they, as they say, "pimped our ride" for us. The ship's systems have been brought back to full functional statis, and a few extra things have been added, as you can see from the paint job. The actual systems include a cloaking device, faster, more effective engines, and, if you look at our engines "spinners". Inside every crew room had a wide screen TV, and the entire ship has surround sound. Also, LCD monitors were added to the engineering room. As for the rest...well, you'll just have to see for yourself, LT.
Xiscapia...
Fighters were being scrambled and the planetary defenses came on-line. On the Space Station Protector guns swiveled and targeted the battleship. The ship was covered by no less than 200 guns of varying sizes and ranges.

The bridge crew of Ferocity could not help but snigger and laugh at what had suddenly appeared in Xiscapian Orbit. Even Thuram permitted himself a grin when he saw it. He called to an ensign lower down on the bridge

"Hail them, I want an open channel"

"Yes...Yes, Sir!!" The Ensign was nearly sliding out of his seat in laughter, he'd just seen the engine 'spinners'.

"This is Thuram requesting an open link to Starlight's Captain"

(OOC: Open link is like the Star Trek viewing screen BTW)

Meanwhile, on the gun deck and manning the Ferocity's few remaining broadside CD guns, the Ratings stared in disbelief as the Starlight cruised past. A few even went closer to the screens to get a better look at the ship as it drifted past. The deck errupted with laughter.

Starlight

The little Blub Captain stood beside the kitsune's chair on the bridge, still blinking. His comm was chirping softly, as Chopshop's XO evaluated the threat from the battered battleship 'downrange'. The huge salvage/drydock ship hadn't reacted, and was merely loyally following behind Starlight like a metallic, floating brick.

The Captain's face appared on screen. He was roughly 5,10 in height and weighed about 173 pounds, mostly muscle. He had pale skin, yellow eyes, a white tail, white fox ears, and his blue captains uniform was tight and crisp and snug on his body. He showed his pointed teeth as he grinned. "We may be forced to turn the Starlight into a luxery ship, Lt. Thuram. If I may, I invite you to come aboard and see it. That ship out there is of no concern, we've got it all under control."

Thuram could not help but return the grin and turned his back to the screen for a few seconds. When he turned around again, he was nodding,

"I think I can do that, I really MUST see this ship for myself"

He froze stiffly for a few seconds and erupted with laughter

"I didn't know Xiscapia's new colours were bright green and gold" he stated

The Captain grinned back. "They're not, we think Green and Gold are the Blub colors. Their signiture, if you will. However, they have not neglected our color of blue. You'll see once you come to the bridge. Our hangers are waiting to recieve you."

"Hangars? You have fallen behind the times" Thuram grinned, "This is a new F-1 Class Battlecruiser, it has cloaking devices as well as a teleport so if you would give me a few seconds..."

There was bright flash on the Alversian deck and in the middle of the Xiscapian bridge. Thuram was standing there, looking around and nodding

"...So much easier than a shuttle I find. And we don't have to wake a pilot"

OOC: Sorry, Internet went down for a little.
IC: "Indeed, nearly two months lost in space will make you lose track of the times. Well, what do you think?" He spread his arms wide. The bridge, chairs, and pretty much everything that could be painted was. The chairs were done in some sort of exotic leather dyed a soothing blue. The work stations at the bridge were also paneled in blue, and things had been torn out and replaced to make it all more ergonomic. The Captain strode over to his chair and pressed a button. Instantly a minifridge popped out, stocked with food. Mainly potatos, but some chocolate, various sweets, meats, and soft drinks. The Captain took out a top-of-the-line chocolate and popped it in his mouth, grabbing a soda with the other hand. "Care for a drink or light refreshment?"

Thuram rubbed his hands togather and accepted a chocolate bar,

"Has XNHQ seen this yet?" he asked in amusement looking around "And us with our humble consoles

"XNHQ will see it when we dock in port. We may have to discharge the ship for civilian duty, as no one would take this seriously. Then again, that may be our greatest, weapon, no?" He lifted the can of soda. "To the Starlight and her fine crew, may the ship last 1,000 years."

"XNHQ will see it when we dock in port. We may have to discharge the ship for civilian duty, as no one would take this seriously. Then again, that may be our greatest, weapon, no?" He lifted the can of soda. "To the Starlight and her fine crew, may the ship last 1,000 years."

comas this is the vangaurd class battleship the aqauila we were ina spacew battle and had to retreat our ship is damn near cripled our intensions are to get the aquila battle ready again and return to the fight we retreated from end coms


ooc forgive the lateness of reply

"Indeed" Thuram claimed his eyebrows raised "have you seen our new phaser technology? Our Prime Minister's here at the moment to discuss possible research and purchase plans"

The Captain shook his head. "Phaser technology? What does it do?"
Space...
this is the vangaurd class battleship the aqauila we were ina spacew battle and had to retreat our ship is damn near cripled our intensions are to get the aquila battle ready again and return to the fight we retreated from
The guns aimed at the ship relaxed about three hairs
Aqaulia, we will escort you to Space Station Protector. Any attempt to deviat from course or hostile intent will be met with deadly force. Repair and medical teams are on stand-by, please dock in bay L, Slot number 12.
The Shadow Hunter moved it to lead the damaged ship to the Space Station.

coms we thank you please come abaord the aquila may look messed up but thier are some sections still intact

comas this is the vangaurd class battleship the aqauila we were ina spacew battle and had to retreat our ship is damn near cripled our intensions are to get the aquila battle ready again and return to the fight we retreated from end coms


ooc forgive the lateness of reply

ooc: ..... >.>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByJCEqjhvQU

"Our phasers can penetrate a planet's surface" Thuram claimed proudly, then he noticed an asteroid floating nearby and looked around mischievously

"I tell you what" he touched his earphone, "Ferocity prepare to fire"

Back on the Ferocity, the phasers were charged up to full power and a message sent to the Protector warning them that the ship was about to test fire.

Suddenly, four bright blue beams fired from the ship's engines and connected with the asteroid. There was nothing for a few seconds and then the asteroid vanished and seemed to spread out into tiny fragments.

Thuram turned back to the Captain, "And these are only Battlecruiser phasers, wait until you see a Strato-Dreadnought"

The docking ship was met by five repair teams, ten medical teams, and some 50 security personnel, with their blaster rifles aimed at the ship. They waited somewhat nerviously for the ship to open.
Starlight...
The Captains's eyes widened. "Such immense power! How many years has this been in development?"
OOC: TG and what prompted the sudden aquiring of super weapon technology?

Thuram smiled,

"It's been in development since the Korr war. It was the primary Armament of the Z-Class Battlecruisers, which were on their way here to take part in the Calaveran War. But experience in the Danaversian Wars has taught us these are weapon systems for us. Broadside battles were far too bloody and we were losing more crew than we could train. This is a much simpler method"

Thuram thought for a few seconds

"Although the Danaversians also possess this technology ours is much more advanced as we proved in the Battle of Sector 158372" he said with a smirk.

OOC: Truth be told, I'm in a Star Trek mood at the moment anyway

OOC: Ah
IC: The Captain nodded. "Some day I really must read up on Alversian History. Anyway, onward to port. Let's see what these new visitors want."

Thuram shook his head sadly,

"I'm afraid, with your permission Captain, that I must return to the Ferocity. I'm still on watch and we are part of a fleet protecting the Prime Minister"

The Captain nodded. "Very well then. I wish you luck on your guard duty and hope that it is entirely uneventful."
OOC: Will ya post in the Search Continues thread please?

"I thank you Captain, and hope I've back you back to the present with our demonstration"

A flash of light and he was gone

OOC: Can't, lost the link

OOC: 'ere ya go.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=536579

Annnnd... Chopshop hung silent in space. Out of the way.

OOC: Whoops, forgot about you, Blub
IC: Space Station Protector sent a message to the CHOPSHOP:
Blub Ship CHOPSHOP, please get into orbit around Xiscapia, transports will be up shortly to take you to Rio Casa, Xiscapia.

the captain said prepare an honor gaurd of 30 SOLDIER FIRSTS the x.o choughed and said captain 30 of our elite warriors? yeshe said

20 minutes later 30 heavily armoured and armed soldiers exited from the ships docking doors the lead one said honour gaurd attention

we are you honour gaurd do not be alarmed phase rifles wer seen in thier hands and energy sabers at thier hips our oureders are to escort you to the battle bridge


ooc think madaolrian reegncy armour panted black and red

OOC: Whoops, forgot about you, Blub
IC: Space Station Protector sent a message to the CHOPSHOP:

Annnnnd.. Chopshop messaged its acknowledgement. It then proceeded to move forward until it was in a fixed orbit. There it waited quietly.

The guns were pointed up or down, rather than at the soldiers, but the Marines still stood at attention. "Commander on deck!" They formed lines and ranks. Down the middle, flanked by his Honor Guard of two Black Guards, walked a kitsune. His name was Kartosh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aoshi-030.jpg), and he was Commander of the Protector. His cold yellow eyes looked the soldiers up and down. A black katana hung from his waist, as well as a blaster pistol. "Take me to your Captain." He said, his voice like ice and steel.
Xiscapia's orbit...
Dozens of freighters and shuttles rushed up from Xiscapia to dock with the CHOPSHOP. They waited in the hangers for the Blubs to get on and be taken down to meet the Emperor.

hthey said we intend too SOLDIER honour formation five delta captain leingodawaits your honoured presence on the secondery battle bridge however turbolifts are inoperable so we will take the crawlways it wont be comferable

"Do what you must. Do you require medical assistance?"

The guns were pointed up or down, rather than at the soldiers, but the Marines still stood at attention. "Commander on deck!" They formed lines and ranks. Down the middle, flanked by his Honor Guard of two Black Guards, walked a kitsune. His name was Kartosh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aoshi-030.jpg), and he was Commander of the Protector. His cold yellow eyes looked the soldiers up and down. A black katana hung from his waist, as well as a blaster pistol. "Take me to your Captain." He said, his voice like ice and steel.
Xiscapia's orbit...
Dozens of freighters and shuttles rushed up from Xiscapia to dock with the CHOPSHOP. They waited in the hangers for the Blubs to get on and be taken down to meet the Emperor.

The crews of the shuttles were in for a suprise when they opened up the airlocks. There stood little green aliens, who stared back at them with oversized, owlish eyestalks. The docile little aliens shuffled forward and proceeded to board the shuttles in clusters.

Near to where the Blubs were being loaded onto shuttles, several XX-30 fighters drfited past. They were meant to be flying CAP but in truth they wanted to see the curious aliens who had whipped the Starlight into shape.

no thank you we have our own medical staff said the lead one while escorting them trough the crawlways they reached the second battle bridge

They reached the bridge, which seemed to be battle damaged. "Before we can help you, we must know a few things: Firstly, who were you fighting, and secondly, is your nation a freedom-loving country?"
CHOPSHOP...
The shuttles brought the Blubs down and landed in some open hangers at the space port. The pilots tried to concentrate on their flying, despite their continous looking over their shoulder at the passengers.

Of course, the poor pilots had dozens of little aliens staring back at them curiously with orbs mounted atop eyestalks. Blinking now and then. They squeaked and chittered among themselves, occasionally reaching out a tentacle to poke something in the shuttle.

Down in Rio Casa, a line of Alversian Marines and one of Xiscapian Grunts marched up to the main shuttle and lined up on either side of it. Both sides stood to attention as they waited for the new arrivals

The shuttles (I'll say there was 6) landed in front of the ranks of soldiers. Down the ranks walked Foxfire Rose (http://images.animelab.com/gallery/Rurouni_Kenshin/Images/kenshin329.jpg). He wore simple red robes with a black katana sword hanging from his waist. Foxfire is the Emperor of Xiscapia. He has brought Xiscapia though the Korr war, and even fought in it. He is an ex-soldier, and is good at heart and loves his people and his nation. He resides in Xiscapia's capitol, Rio Casa, in his palace with his wife, Jade. The "X" shaped scar on his face is a testimony to his time as a soldier, which he received at the hands of a Korr soldier. He is 30.
The kitsune before the shuttles as the ramps lowered and waited for the new arrivals to pop out. His rust colored tail swished gently and his ears twitched. The Grunts stood rigidly at attention, staring straight ahead.

Planetside

Eyestalks curled around the edges of the shuttle hatchways, shyly looking out at the crowds gathered, and blinking in the sunlight. Then, the timid little blubs proceeded to show themselves. They came down the ramps in groups to present themselves. At the lead was Captain B-Diddit, who respectfully put his sunglasses away. The TV cameras weren't rolling anymore, and he could put his role aside and just be a blub.

The blub crew, suprisingly, was a military crew. And as such when they reached the bottom they formed up into a straight line behind their Captain. B-Diddit seemed to recogize Rose, and squeaked something. With a precise vigor, the blubs as one, saluted.

Once the Blubs had left the shuttles, the Alversian Marines snapped to attention, Backs ramrod straight, weapons parrellel to their bodies. Each stood staring directly ahead without any acknowledgement of the new arrivals.

With Foxfire Rose was the Alversian Ambassador to Xiscapia, Darren Li (http://applearmy.com/aimages/kuraodo.jpg). He was an ex-soldier himself, with numerous wars under his belt and he was dedicated to peace.

Like all Alversians, despite the fact he was in his late 40's, he looked about half his age, kind eyes but a determined demeanor, he could be stubborn but fair and he was always ready to welcome newcomers. He'd been Ambassador to Xiscapia for over five years. he was a lot taller than Foxfire, standing at 6'8'' despite this he only weighed 61kg, quite heavy for an Alversian.

we were fighting our bitter enemy bevelle and we are a corpare police word so meh said the captain

With perfect military percision the Grunt line did the Xiscapian salute (your right hand moving across your chest to the right, then left, then straight down the middle). Foxfire stepped forward and bowed low. "Greetings, my small green friends."

Dozens of sets of eyestalks craned upwards, peering at Foxfire and his soldiers timidly. They then looked at each other, and soft chittering noises spoke up from among the gaggle of blubs.

Then, the Captain lifted a tentacle and wriggled it, his translator humming, "Hello sir. I'm Captain B-Diddit. This is my crew. We were invited here by the captain of Starlight." Blink. Blink. Blink. "It's a nice world."

Dozens of sets of eyestalks craned upwards, peering at Foxfire and his soldiers timidly. They then looked at each other, and soft chittering noises spoke up from among the gaggle of blubs.

Then, the Captain lifted a tentacle and wriggled it, his translator humming, "Hello sir. I'm Captain B-Diddit. This is my crew. We were invited here by the captain of Starlight." Blink. Blink. Blink. "It's a nice world."
"I am Emperor Foxfire. Thank you, there is much more to see. Come, walk with me." He turned halfway. "I am told that you bravely saved the ship and crew when they had been floating though unknown space for some two weeks. For that we are forever in your debt."

The aliens peered at each other as the translator chirped at them. Then with a collective 'ooooo' they looked back to Foxfire. The group shuffled forward, surrounding him and looking him over curiously. They'd never seen an emperor before.

The little alien captain beamed proudly. He loved being told how brave he is. All blubs do. As a race, they're not a very modest bunch. He puffed up a little, and craned his eyestalks. "Thank you sir. It was our honor."

"I see. So what kind of aide do you require? Is it mechanical or technical problems?"
Rio Casa...
"I heard that, ah," here the Emperor coughed slightly as they walked past the ranks of Xiscapian and Alversian soldiers "you did a complete overhaul on the Starlight. While we thank you for it, I am most curious as to your methods."

just the use of a space dock and some triatium plates

Darren Li walked alongside the Emperor and keeping an eye on the curious creatures

"I have seen your handiwork. It is quite..." he stopped, trying to find the right words "...unique"

He gave a friendly smile and continued to walk with them. The Alversian Marines did a smart half turn and marched off in single file and perfect step towards the Alversian Barracks.

"That we can provide. Take as long as you need to get your ship operational. However, I must ask that your crew stay aboard the Protector and not go down to Xiscapia, we have everything they need up here." From some unknown signal some spacers began lugging sheets of titanium up the ramp into the ship.

B-Diddit began rattling on. The rest of the crew followed along behind, a gaggle of Blubs in a disorganized mob. Many of them had cameras, which clicked and flashed as they peered about like little tourists.

B-Diddit's translator was working overtime, "Oh, our methods are pretty simple. We've been assigned the job of intergalactic AAA. With a twist. We surround damaged ships in our drydock, repressurize, pump in some air so we can work outside of EVA and do our thing. We film it all for our television show."

He beamed proudly up at Foxfire and Li, "We got ahold of some old videos from waaaaay back when humans used to only live on Earth. They had things similar to this, where you go into someone's home and fix it up.. or fix their vehicles. So, we do it now."

The eyestalks wobbled as he hurried to keep up with the strides of people on two legs.

Noticing B-Diddit struggling to keep up, Foxfire slowed up slightly "I am not fluent in our youth's slang these days, but I believe you "pimped their rides" so to speak?" He grinned. The line of Grunts martched away from the parade grounds, away to the target range.

The eyestalks bobbed, nodding. "Yessir. We did that. We usually upgrade weaponry too, but since Starlight didn't have any to begin with, and we don't pick through a ship's logs or anything, we assumed it was for a reason. Unarmed ships are usually respected."

Foxfire sighed. "Usually. These were Danaversians. My friend here knows more about them than I, perhaps he can explain."
OOC: Off for the night.

Li stiffened at the mention of Danaversians

"The Danaversian Empire is not a fan of the Alversian Republic or her allies, namely Xiscapia and others. We believe the Starlight was a victim of sponsored piracy"

The little alien blinked, then rubbed his 'chin' thoughtfully. "I've never heard of them before, personally. But it's a big universe." He continued onwards, between Foxfire and Li. "Then again, I'm not exactly in the Naval Intelligence branch either. I just find and fix ships. Sometimes there's crew onboard, and we send them on their way with a spiffy new ride. Sometimes there's no survivors at all, and we claim the ships as salvage. It can be rather profitable."

"So what happens if you try and pick up a ship that dosen't want to be repaired? As in, the crew is hostile and will fight you to the death."

A big, shy smile. "Well, we've only run into one ship like that. Their cruiser was entirely disabled, appearently they'd hit some sort of solar storm and it knocked out the electrical systems. When we cut through the locked doors to rescue them, they opened fire on us. We tried our best to make peace, but in the end I didn't want to risk the lives of my crew. So, my team withdrew back to the shuttle.. we sealed our side of the air lock and broke loose. It had quite an adverse effect on the cruiser's crew."

Blink. Blink. Blink. "After a couple of hours, we checked back and noticed no lifeforms. So.. we boarded, cleaned things up and sent the ship back to our space for a proper refit."

"I see. Well, as far as our ship and crew goes, we thank you most kindly. In fact, we have a gift specifically for you, Captain." They had reached the end of the courtyard. A Black Guard approached and reverently handed the Emperor a silver sheathed katana wrapped in light red silk. The Emperor in turn held it right under the hilt and kneeled before B-Diddit. Normally the protocial was that the giver was lower than the reciever, but this was, taking in account for the Blubs size, physically impossible. So the Emperor settled for being more or less eye-to-eye with the Blub. "For your brave actions which saved our ship and kitsune crew with honor and the utmost generosity, I, with the authority vested in me, award you, Captain B-Diddit, the Xiscapian Sword of Honor." He bowed his head and held the katana in his palms out to the Blub Captain.
OOC: This is pretty much the Xiscapian Medal of Honor, and is not to be taken lightly.

"That we can provide. Take as long as you need to get your ship operational. However, I must ask that your crew stay aboard the Protector and not go down to Xiscapia, we have everything they need up here." From some unknown signal some spacers began lugging sheets of titanium up the ramp into the ship.

we will need to do eva walks and the such

"I see. Well, as far as our ship and crew goes, we thank you most kindly. In fact, we have a gift specifically for you, Captain." They had reached the end of the courtyard. A Black Guard approached and reverently handed the Emperor a silver sheathed katana wrapped in light red silk. The Emperor in turn held it right under the hilt and kneeled before B-Diddit. Normally the protocial was that the giver was lower than the reciever, but this was, taking in account for the Blubs size, physically impossible. So the Emperor settled for being more or less eye-to-eye with the Blub. "For your brave actions which saved our ship and kitsune crew with honor and the utmost generosity, I, with the authority vested in me, award you, Captain B-Diddit, the Xiscapian Sword of Honor." He bowed his head and held the katana in his palms out to the Blub Captain.
OOC: This is pretty much the Xiscapian Medal of Honor, and is not to be taken lightly.


The eyestalks peered up at Foxfire curiously, then slowly curled down to examine the weapon being offered. The eyes got bigger and after the speech, little tentacles wrapped around the sword and pulled it close, eyes still peering down, inspecting happily. The little alien was clearly very pleased. The crew shuffled forward, mobbing their Captain as they too looked at the sword with a collective 'aaaah!'

After a moment, B-Diddit squeaked happily, and bowed his eyestalks respectfully. "We are most honored, sir."

"Good, this is the highest possible honor for our government to grant. I once again thank you for your actions. Now, while you are here, is there anything if specific you'd like to see? All of Xiscapia is open to you if you'd like to take shore leave."

Li nodded in approval at the Blub's delight

"Very few people get this award, you should be greatly honoured by it"

Ponder. B-Diddit's eyes craned back to look at his crew. Then, they went into a group huddle. There were soft squeaks and chirps for a moment or two as they consulted. And then.. the Captain turned back and beamed, "We'd like permission to tour your world for.. say, fourty five days? We were due for a furough anyway. And Chopshop can handle itself anyway."

The crowd of little aliens waited in anticipation, many of them still clutching cameras.

The Emperor grinned, not a mere smile but a full grin, exposing sharp, pointy, pearl-white teeth. "Of course. While we may not have many huge tourist attractions, our planet is beautiful and we have many cultural attractions, such as our ornate bathhouses, 0GNuzz-ball, trinket shops, VR experiences, and others. I recommand this city, Tenfour, and the city of Lune."

Li nodded in agreement, "Lune particularly is a fantastic place to go if you want to unwind" he smiled at the Emperor, "I often stay there myself to get away from 'things'" he grinned again.

"Indeed, the city is a masterpiece of architecture. We had a University there, but it had to be closed down. Some of the students are coming here for a while."
OOC: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13221724&posted=1#post13221724 This is a thread devoted to Rio Casa and the Palace, if you wish to RP Blubs there. Alversia, you are welcome to RP your guy from the University (I forgot his name) in Rio if you like.