Log:SPACETEAM 2: The Re-Spacening!, Scene 3

SPACETEAM 2: The Re-Spacening! 2017/04/14 Rick Griffin Indira Quiet 3

Quiet hasn't heard anything about a Si'krox'zan Rebellion, or even anything about a Si'krox'zan. Odds are she couldn't even spell that. Whatever it is, she can only guess that it's relevant, and important.

Griffin is happy to run interference, and keep his best pal from making a terrible mistake. His energy is already being channelled to reinforce his already notable defense. Has been from the moment he laid eyes on the big booming alien.

As they enter the enormous hallway the SuperSoldier can't help but gasp at the sight.

He tries to memorize it and the listen as they are briefed. He really doesn't want to be some backwater yokel to these aliens who are clearly high ranking in Indira's culture.

He's really listening. Honest. But its clear from his glowing irises where is attention is being called. He's about to ask what a Si'krox'zan is with a followup to give a reason for their rebellion but that view just drains the words from him.

The crystal clear vision of the nebulous bands between the glowing arms pulled askew- spirals twisted and turned by the forces of their terrible gravity holds his vision still.

Give him a second.

It really is breath taking.

He tries to come up with a good question to ask but he's still flabberghasted.

Quiet's awe at the view passes in favor of curiosity. Most is on the other Asrani and their need for aid. Most, but not all, as her faceplate turns to Indira and she gestures to her, then points a finger out towards the many, many stars. Not at any one, but in a short, sweeping, and interrogative gesture.

Indira's gaze turns to Quiet as she notices the faceplate aimed at her. "Yes, Quiet? What is it?" she asks at the sweeping gesture. It's not like she can read minds--oh wait.

The Big Guy takes the lead of the party as they march toward the long hallway between the transporter(?) room and somewhere else on the space ship. He seems to take great - enormous, really - pride in leading the march through the impossibly organic-looking corridors of the ship. It's almost as though the ship was grown around and woven through the metallic components necessary to operate in space. Everything simply seems to flow, melding together into a uniformly beautiful surface.

No doubt the pair of spiral galaxies visible through the "windows" only adds to the mind bending splendor of the ship. The windows, as it happens, may help Griffin, Quiet, and Rick to get their bearings with regard to the ship. Rick peers out of the ship through the windows, head bobbing up and down as he considers the view deeply. Figuring out what Rick is looking at shouldn't take our other heroes much effort.

Our heroes find themselves on what appears to be a combination observation deck and an auxillary command and control deck. This is notable and important because the entirety of the vast Asrani vessel stretches outward and upward above the deck; if there are lower decks on this ship, they are well and truly tucked underneath this one. Such a position not only affords everyone an excellent panorama of the galaxies sandwiching the ship, but also of the graceful curvature of the massive intergalactic craft as it arches and bends in fantastic fashion overhead.

One of the galaxies is likely to strike a chord of familiarity with our heroes. It is, after all, home for them. The other galaxy is perhaps less familiar to them, though Indira is likely fully aware of the ship's design and their relative position between both the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies.

"Ah. Well then, I am certain that you will find the briefing just as informative as your aides will, Ambassador," intones Ambassador Querkha. The willowy, androgynous Asrani strolls along at a comfortable gait with its hands clasped in front of its person. A faint air of spirituality follows Querkha in its manner of motion and general bearing. "Suffice to say that matters have escalated significantly since your posting on Earth."

Again, the Big Guy offers a booming chortle. This time, however, the chortle seems to be directed at Querkha.

"You grossly understate the facts, Ambassador," booms the Big Guy without looking over his shoulder. Instead, he continues toward a door that seems to be opening in anticipation of the arriving Asrani and humans. Even at a dozen yards' remove, one can see inside the doorway and note the darker tones within the room awaiting our heroes.

Indira motions to the Andromedan Galaxy to answer Quiet's silent question, and one particular nebula within. But with how far it is from them, it's hard to point out anything more specific for her. She may be about to elaborate more when Querkha comments about an escalation.

Already concerned, the Big Guy's booming chortle causes Indira's brow markings to almost knit together at the news. "What do you mean, Commander Vaksoh? The last I heard of the rebellions, there was talk of some sort of bio-weapon before I left my post. What happened since then?" she asks in gentle concern. Her kind, poised body language and expression, considered understated by most humans, hides the worry welling up inside her. This could be very bad news.

Griffin stops gawking, but is no less silent- just less stunned and dumbfounded. His eyes turn towards the curvature of the ship- its color starkly contrasting the blackness of the void. He is thoroughly impressed with the engineering feats of

others as they continue on. He lingers every second he can to take in the view, but follows along without slowing the train down.

He pauses to glance inside the room ahead, curious as to what else could lie in store for them.

Quiet nods to Indira and her answer, then returns her full attention to the other pair of Asrani. Notably the larger one. The muscle, or military? to the more familiar (to her and the whole three Asrani she's met) diplomat. If the one most likely to put boots on the ground thinks it's worse, it's worse. While pondering that, Quiet also takes in the local details of and activity in the room, moreso than the curves of the ship beyond it. Fingers tap at her right forearm briefly as she follows, but no holographics manifest.

Instead, a synthesized voice quips over /0 comms.

THEY HAVE GEAR LIKE THIS AND THEY NEED -OUR- HELP?

Commander Vaksoh - The Big Guy - pauses alongside the open doorway as Indira responds to his booming chortle. Breach stands almost directly behind Indira as she and Vaksoh look one another in the eyes. The Asrani and the human glower at one another over Indira's shoulders until Vaksoh finally responds.

"Their bio-weapon has become a third faction in the rebellions," rumbles Vaksoh. His voice is less booming on that sentence, but no less basso profundo. It conveys a sense of dark, lingering regret.

Breach steps up to Indira and surreptitiously helps to maneuver her past Vaksoh and into the briefing center. Querkha seems to ride Breach's metaphorical coattails, apparently eager to begin his presentation.

Decagonal in shape, the room has a gently sloping floor and ceiling with several rows of seating around the perimeter. The room is also notably without windows, the lighting kept minimal for reasons that become obvious only when the door seals behind the last entrant. At the center of the room a massive holographic display flicks to life as our heroes figure out their seating arrangements. It displays the Andromeda galaxy, no less than forty star systems highlighted in a gold/orange color as Querkha takes up a position just off to the side of the galaxy map. Querkha appears to be manipulating it with some sort of electronic mechanism incorporated into the ambassador's robes - Indira is likely quite familiar with this tech.

"They've got the tech, we've got the skills to pay the bills," sub-vocalizes Breach on the /0 comm-system. He folds his arms across his chest as he sinks back into a weirdly squishy section of bench. There's only, like, a 20% chance Rick is now seated in some kind of gelatinous alien entity. Indira would probably warn him first, right?

Commander Vaksoh takes up most of a bench seat in the back row. He simply glowers at the back of Breach's helmet and the galaxy map alike, grinding his teeth in a frustrated sort of way. Querkha begins zooming the holographic display in on a lonely blue star hanging out between very active star-spawning nebulae.

"Originally the Rebellions were about protesting the reach of the Asrani people in the larger galactic civilization. Several mistakes were made on both sides of the conflict that precipitated the development of a weapons platform that we now know as the Kroexdan. The Kroexdan are... How do you say...?"

Querkha looks curiously at Indira. Clearly Indira knows how to explain complex concepts to humans in their native tongue.

"Teklime fa shi'krox?"

[GM to Indira] Querkha is attempting to describe a very specific sort of engineered life form. Indira understands, rather implicitly, that it involves genetic engineering and a type of symbiotic fungus that is native to the planet that originated the Shi'Krox'Zan Rebellions.

Indira seats herself central to the display, placing her hands on her knees as she sits stick straight. She tilts her head as she thinks of the best way to translate. Looking around at her team, she adds as a footnote, "Hmmm. It does not quite translate into the human tongue. I think the closest word in English is...symbiote? Teklime fa shi'krox refers to an engineered life form made from a symbiotic fungus, from the Shi'Krox'Zan home planet."

She looks back to the Ambassador and nods for him to continue. "Please, tell us more of the Kroexdan."

"Sounds right to me." Griffin sub-vocalizes back as a smile spreads to his lips. "I mean, how many Big Guys do you think they have on retainer? Out of those, how many you think could take us? Not a one." He oozes confidence, even here. But part of it is eagerness to see more 'alien tech' and even another world if they can manage it. He knows Rick will hate that.

Griffin notes the shape of the room and then easily slides into a chair near the doorway so that he's the first one in the line of fire. He's not expect anything like that here, but he's a careful, methodical sort. In the field, you take precautions. All of them if you can.

Then he turns towards Querkha as he settles into his place before beginning his presentation.

He raises an eyebrow at the word 'symbiote'. He definitely doesn't like the sound of that. He nods as Indira encourages more information from the other ambassador.