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Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 03-29-2013 The following will be a collection of stories from the perspectives of my three main characters, the Pennybrooke siblings: The twins Katherine and Edwin (born 788 A.S.) and their younger sister Elise (born 799 A.S.). All three were born on a small island in Planet Cambridge's northern hemisphere, where their family owns a sizable estate. However, none have kept particularly close ties to their home and family, and spend most of their time in space. It'll probably mostly be introspection, but I'll try to incorporate ingame events whenever possible. CHAPTER ONE - ELISE Elise was sitting in the Ainu bar, staring at the purple and orange puffs of the Shiden cloud drifting by lazily. Something was off today, something didn't feel quite right, she thought as she slowly sipped her breakfast sake. It had been some time since she had last felt this way, and she had always considered it a sure sign that she needed something to do. In truth, the recent days and weeks had been rather busy. After a memorable meeting in Coronado with a man named Geodin Daemon, she had joined an organization called the Onyx Syndicate. Geodin was someone she had a lot in common with – a happy-go-lucky attitude, a love of drinking and risky activities, and a rather lax attitude toward the law. She had always enjoyed his company, and she enjoyed working for the Syndicate as well. There had always been a distinct fear of commitment in the back of her mind, but the Syndicate's activities so closely matched what she enjoyed anyway, it never felt like an obligation to her – at least so far. And then there was Nevaeh – a Liberty girl that had decided to join the Golden Chrysanthemums. They had become close friends, haunting Kusari together. And as Nevaeh was rather timid, Elise had acquired a kind of protective instinct, feeling the need to shield her from the cruel reality of Sirius. Or perhaps she just convinced herself of that? She chuckled to herself, recalling a recent night in the bar on Ames. Nevaeh had the alcohol tolerance of a twelve year old, and Elise had to drag her back to Ainu kicking and screaming. Her face grew serious as she pondered how close she had actually come to losing Nevaeh in the dark matter clouds in Kepler. Those Xenos from the bar would likely have found her.....she shuddered and tried not to imagine what they might have done to her. As she thought about all those recent events, Elise couldn't help but wonder why she was feeling down. It had been exciting times, entirely to her taste. So her usual diagnosis of her apathy didn't fit. Perhaps it was one of those times when she needed to travel. It seemed she had spent an increasing percentage of time in Kusari these days, and Ainu in particular. Not that she could complain – the Chrysanthemums were the friendliest and most welcoming people she had encountered. If there was any place she felt she could always go, it was here. But maybe it was time for a little variety, she mused. Liberty.....there had been fun times in Liberty, for sure. Flying with like-minded ruffians, hanging out in the grimy bars of Rochester and Beaumont..... She liked grimy bars, always had. Laughter, reckless consumption, fighting, all things she enjoyed. But somehow, she hadn't felt that Liberty magic recently. No, not Liberty. Rheinland, well- she didn't have many good memories of Rheinland. Most people seemed very serious and grumpy. No wonder Kathy liked it so much there. There were great times to be had flying with Rorry's Renegades, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. Whatever had happened to that jolly bunch? And then, Bretonia. Elise wondered why she had been avoiding her home in so long. The waves crashing on the craggy rocks of Benazir island, the storms, the countless birds filling the sky with their cacophony.... The more she thought of it, the more she realized she actually missed her home. But her last visit had been so awkward. How should she explain to her well-to-do family that she had chosen a life of crime and revelry? She laughed bitterly to herself at the thought. It was such an uncomfortable situation; she had tried to steer the conversations away from her own life when possible, but relatives are annoyingly inquisitive. A quick swim in the icy water though, that would be marvelous. There were plenty of secluded parts of the island, but how was she to get there unnoticed? She stared at the last slug of sake in her cup, mulling the idea. Yes, it was time to visit Bretonia, one way or another. Her Spatial and Moldy Crow were both parked on Ainu, but she felt like the Marauder, her first ship. The classic Bluefin. With a shudder, she downed the rest of her drink. Nobody believed her when she said sake tasted like mushrooms, but she knew her taste buds weren't lying. She gave a quick bow to the girls in the bar, and made her way to the docking bay. END OF CHAPTER ONE RE: Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 03-30-2013 CHAPTER TWO - KATHERINE A thunderous bang echoed across the trees on Benazir island, followed by a shk-chk as Katherine pulled back the bolt on her rifle. Bolt-action rifles were militarily obsolete, thousand-year-old technology. But Katherine enjoyed the the feel of the rifle butt recoiling against her shoulder, and the simplicity of the device. The sound had been enough to cause a flock of birds to vacate the nearby trees, but had left the bottle she had positioned on a nearby rock wholly unimpressed. She had returned home for some shooting to distract herself and clear her mind, but it didn't seem to be working. The conversation with Robert Foster burned as brightly in her mind as ever. “Many tragic and avoidable deaths. In the name of avarice, pride, power-lust. The remedy is clear. Link humans to a telepathic network. When all feel the pain of one, then suddenly... war ceases. Greed no longer matters. We do not seek gain over our fellows. We do not seem to harm others of our kind. As I said, this is what sets us apart from humans, and the only way to fix humanity's ailments.” His words had described the problems humanity faced at the time – no, at all times, really – in such a genuine, such a....raw way, as was impossible for a human being. And there was a truthfulness to them nobody could deny; nobody, at least, that was truly paying attention. It was obvious that he truly grasped the grave situation humanity faced better than most, and his proposed solution was clearly made out of genuine concern. Would humanity be better off with universal consciousness? Clearly, Foster had retained, or even enhanced his individuality when he was accepted into the K'hara “mindshare”. And since the loss of individuality seemed to be most people's greatest fear regarding infection.... He had not liked that word. Had preferred enlightenment. Understandable, of course. “Infection” had a very negative connotation. “Enlightenment”, on the other hand, was perhaps too vague a term. Too universally positive. But since the loss of individuality seemed to be more folklore than anything else, perhaps humanity would truly be better off? Of course, the whole concept was merely an experiment of the mind. Even if it were desirable, there was no conceivable way it could be feasible. “Am I going crazy?” she asked out loud. “I'm seriously considering if becoming one with the K'hara mindshare might be a better option for humanity!” She laughed out loud at the trees around her. And yet, she couldn't really argue with anything Foster had said. Perhaps she had become enlightened, and everyone else was just mad. “Alright then. I suppose I am truly crazy now. Everyone that thinks they're enlightened, and everyone else is actually mad, is actually mad!” As she absentmindedly fingered the muzzle of her rifle, she wondered who she was trying to convince. No, it wasn't madness. She was just playing with ideas, just some personal philosophizing. No harm in that. She couldn't believe Foster had actually contacted her again. And so soon. Her entire body tingled at the idea of meeting the Tundra again. Whatever were to come of it, she knew it would be to her satisfaction. There was another bang, and the bottle shattered. (some time later) Katherine gazed at the shadow of Tekagi's arch passing over her Ahoudori. Whenever she came through here, she had a habit of passing directly through the magnificent structure. She had even gone so far as to release a robotic probe, attaching it to the enormous rocky structure, to monitor any activity nearby. Such a shame it had gone offline so soon..... She didn't know why exactly she was heading toward the far Omicrons. Previously, it had always been scientific curiosity. Explorer instinct. But she knew it was more this time. The far Omicrons represented a....maze, a vast, wild area, the frontier of human activity – not just politically, but psychologically as well. After her yacht had been left to drift, decompressed and crippled, through Omicron Minor for nearly a week, she had been distraught and fearful. But that was over now. The Omicrons were where she, as an explorer, belonged. The observation deck was flooded with blue-white light as the RV jumped into Omicron-92, the notorious system where electrical interference of an unknown nature prevented the use of standard computerized nav maps. There was a post-it detailing the locations of various features of the system stuck to the main control console down below, on the bridge. But Katherine didn't need it. She had been through here often enough. She almost instinctively punched in the coordinates for Omicron Minor, and the ship lurched forward. END OF CHAPTER TWO RE: Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 04-02-2013 CHAPTER THREE – EDWIN Edwin nearly spit his martini in the faces of his fellow jacuzzi patrons upon hearing Yoko's joke. It wasn't even particularly funny; it was more her deadpan delivery and squeaky, slightly accented voice that made him laugh. A series of beeps from his comm pad brought him back to reality. It was waterproof of course, but he was still always nervous when he handled it with wet hands. He carefully picked it up from the poolside with two fingers and turned it on. “What?” he snapped at the device. “Sir, there are some, er, people here. They've stopped us.....haven't you noticed we're not moving?” Edwin glanced to the side. The turquoise glow of Planet Rousay's atmosphere filled the port side windows, but from in here it was impossible to say if they were moving or not. Rotation and all. He didn't even bother reprimanding Amy for calling him “Sir” against his wishes. She would probably never learn. “Ugh. Fine, I'm on my way. Tell them that.” he muttered. “Sorry ladies....business.” he excused himself with a bitter smile and made his way through the garden deck to the level's main comm console, dripping water everywhere and cursing under his breath. He quickly logged in with his fingerprint and opened local comms. “Captain Pennybrooke here. This had better be important, I didn't- Oh, the Maquis.” His tone lightened as he saw the ships' designations. They might be considered terrorists by some, but they were idealistic, and would likely be reasonable. (some time later) Edwin didn't feel bad about supporting the Maquis with some of his considerable funds. His liner took anyone who was willing to pay the rather moderate ticket prices, be they Gallics, Sirians, or shady Edge World drifters. If there was anything he had learned throughout his travels, it was that people everywhere were fundamentally the same. They all wanted the same things – affection, intimacy, power of some sort- all those desires were universal. He glanced around at the people in his bar. Such a different crowd than only an hour or so ago. Their clothes were worn, dirty and ragged, and their faces filled with anxiety. Mothers clutching their babies to their breasts, young men with their faces buried in their hands, old gaffers staring at invisible objects..... It may have been a depressing scene for most, but Edwin knew these people were hopeful. They may have had severely troubled pasts, but now everything would be better. He would make sure of that. Were it not for the seriousness of the crowd, it would truly be a funny situation. The LL's bar had golden handrails, and mother-of-pearl inlays decorated the bar itself. Every piece of furniture on the deck was a combination of dark wood and opulent decorations of precious metals, pearl, and gemstones. The numerous tables were lit with crystal chandeliers, and right below them was this rag-tag, worried mass of refugees. If there was any place Edwin had a tendency to get existential, it was probably his very own bar on his liner. The crowd slid more and more out of focus as he stared at his beer, wondering. Where were his sisters? He hadn't seen either in such a long time – especially Elise. Katherine had only just messaged him that she was “going to Malta to talk about Nomads with some Outcasts”. He sighed. It seemed like Katherine's natural interest in the K'Hara, which he shared and had once pursued with her, was getting more and more obsessive. It had started with that Samarran bloke, what was his name again? Edwin could only remember his piercingly blue eyes. As far as he knew, she had never seen him again after that fateful night. It had certainly changed her, but what was he to say. Surely all his worries had something to do with his own life more than anyone else's. And Elise.....where was she? Doing Elise stuff, most likely. Elise may have had a troubled time, but he still had a lot in common with his sister. And she was probably the most fun person to drink with. It's strange when he thought about it. Somehow, they both wanted the same sort of fun-loving lifestyle, but the variant he had chosen had turned him into a legitimate and rich businessman, while she- He would never doubt her for it. She was much younger, and she needed time and something to do. She would find what she wanted eventually. It used to be so easy. He had never even tried. Flying around in the RV with Kathy, exploring strange lands and meeting interesting people....and the day he bought his liner, his first passenger trip....those were glorious days. “Ludwig, is this what a midlife crisis feels like?” he inquired of his main barman, staring at his beer bottle. “Edwin, you are sirty now and nearing sirty-one. Of course many people have doubts about ser lives at sis point, but it is not a crisis. Believe me. Why do you always ask me such sings, anyway?” “Pretty sure I mentioned in the job description that you must be prepared to listen to the captain's inebriated rants.” “All right Edwin. I tell you somesing. You are becoming more responsible as you go along in your life. Sis is a good sing and you should not worry. You are afraid you will not be able to have fun like you used to, but sis is not true. You are enjoying many sings, what you did before and new sings.” “Ah, Wiggy, you're right as always.....it's just hard sometimes, y'know?” The Rheinlander sighed heavily. He wasn't too fond of the nickname Edwin used at times, but the young man's optimism was still an inspiration of sorts. “It is hard for all sometimes. But your life is good. And my life, wis you on sis ship, has been good as well. Focus on se many sings dat you choose when you choose sis life, if you know what I mean.” “I do, I-.....Ah, what can I say. You're right. And all is well.” Edwin answered as he took a generous swig of beer and observed the huddled crowd around. He wondered if he would ever see that rather reserved freelancer, Sequoia Hart, again. It had never gone further than pleasant chatter with her, but she had seemed like a very interesting person. Whether it was his sisters or interesting people he had met, it seemed like it was impossible not to think of women. Edwin sighed and downed the rest of his beer. END OF CHAPTER THREE RE: Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 06-06-2013 CHAPTER FOUR - ELISE Elise was sitting in the heavy, leather backed chair of the Onyx Bazaar's administrator's office, kicking at the heavy metal desk in front of her to spin the chair around. Obviously, it had all gone wrong somewhere, she thought. She wasn't entirely sure where, but it didn't really matter. She slid open one of the heavy drawers in the desk. A bunch of old-fashioned, untraceable paper forms, a Kishiro Baby Buzzard, and, oh joy, a bottle of Glen Ardoch scotch. Three-quarters full. What a lame blaster, she thought, as she pointed the miniscule Kishiro gun around the room, aiming at imaginary foes. "I'll just have some'a this instead, thank ye very much!" She shook her head after taking a generous gulp right from the bottle. "You want some of this too, paper? Of course you do. Everyone loves scotch! But don't get greedy now! I want the rest!" A little dash of scotch in the drawer, that would be fine. Elise pulled out her lighter and held it close. The resulting flash flame shot up a little higher than expected, singing her fingers. "FFFFFxshshoeino!! Why does this always happen to me?" She poured another dash of scotch over her burnt hand. Surely, that would help. At the same moment, there was a beep from a little disk stuck to the ceiling, and small jets of water started dousing the small office. Elise sighed deeply. Predictably, perhaps. But she didn't really mind. Perhaps she would be cold later, being wet and all, but for now it was time to take action against that annoying smoke detector. The little Kusari blaster would surely suffice for this. She took aim and fired a single photon bolt, reducing the smoke detector to a black smudge on the metal ceiling. Sitting in the rain, alone, on an abandoned, decaying base.....it might be a poetically depressing sight, but Elise was feeling rather positive. She thought back to when she was planning the future of this place. When Geodin had left the first time, and she was considering taking over with Amanda. They would have their own little palace, not too glamorous, but it would be theirs. Well, now it was hers. Her own little palace. It wouldn't be there for much longer, so she needed to get work, fixing it up. Time to make it a little more cozy. Groaning, she heaved against the heavy desk. With an echoing crash, it tipped over, the desk lamp breaking and the few remaining items on it scattered around. It was a start. But there was more to be done. Elise left the drenched room, dripping water, and made her way to the partially furnished bar. It could have been quite nice here. The bar was all in place, as were a number of tables and benches. Nothing too classy, nothing too cheap, mostly used, but high quality furnishings. A number of areas were still separated with plywood walls, under construction. And there were boxes everywhere, some empty, some filled with dishes, unassembled bar stools, and various other items. Elise pulled out her out her own blaster - a Detroit '73 plasma pistol - and started picking off remaining glasses on the tables and the bar, laughing as broken glass spread around the area. Trashing a place was such fun. Especially with so much of it to trash. The alcohol though, had to be saved. Although turning it into an inferno of burning ethanol was tempting as well, she decided to pack the remaining bottles in her shoulder bag instead. Would be a shameful waste, after all. She overturned a table and took cover behind it. "Commander, we've got hostiles behind the bar. Proceeding to eeee-liminate." With that, Elise pulled a concussion grenade and pulled the pin. "Fire in the hole!" The grenade bounced behind the bar, and seconds later the bar was filled with shards of broken glass, molten metal, splintered wood, and assorted debris. Elise laughed heartily. Yes, this was truly becoming her ideal palace. A playground for adults, very immature adults. She twisted one of the legs of the table she was crouched behind until it came off in her hand. Time to wreck stuff. Walking over to the nearest comm console, Elise was breathing heavily. She swung at it with all her strength, her shoulder taking a painful jolt as the metal table leg connected with the computer. Again and again she swung at it, though it really didn't leave that much of an impression. The screen was shattered, but the pedestal it sat on was merely dented. Panting heavily, she let her improvised weapon drop. What a crazy world this was, she thought. After all the time and money she had spent on this place, she was enjoying trashing it. The very electric components that comm station was made of were likely brought by her. She chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. No, it was time to cut some ties. A bleep from her comm pad brought her attention back. She pulled out the device - 1 message from Nevaeh Morgan. Elise hit play. "Elise, where are you? I've missed you, haven't seen you in so long." Hitting the reply button, Elise quickly recorded an answer. "I've, uh.....well, things have been a little weird. I missed you too, Nev. But don't worry, everything will be better soon. I'm coming home, hope to see you." It was time to leave. END OF CHAPTER FOUR RE: Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 08-17-2013 CHAPTER FIVE - KATHERINE The edge of the Sirius sector is a lonely place. When Katherine let the RV sit in place for an extended period of time, she tended to turn on the massive white "parking" lights. But here, on the dark side of Moros, it seemed wrong. It seemed like a violation of the perfect dark. The darkness, the silence, the loneliness of this place hung over her ship like a soft, calming cloud, and she didn't want to pierce it. She stared from the observation deck into the darkness of the solar east. This was beyond the Edge nebula. There were no star systems in accessible range in that direction. It was, for all intents and purposes, the edge of the world. That was why Katherine liked it. There were no distractions here, nothing to take away the intensity of a thought. She lay down on the furs spread out across the deck and closed her eyes. Once again, she found herself in a forest. It was autumn, and the evening sun competed with the leaves for the richest hue of gold. Although it was in itself beautiful, it felt slightly sickening; the color and warmth was too much, the intensity of it all was nauseating. A breeze was slowly welling up, taking the first few leaves off the branches. The air was refreshing, and it was a comforting sensation, like a strong body pushing against her gently, supporting her. More and more leaves were blown off, until the wind was a flurry of gold around her. Although the leaves were blown past in an instant, Katherine knew them all perfectly. Every tiny detail was perfectly observable, and every leaf had infinite detail. They were each in themselves another universe, and Katherine passed through all of them, across a million planets, watching each of their histories unfold. Civilizations rose and fell in the same time as a single being ate a single bite, and it was all there at once, and yet in succession. Although no two situations were alike, there was one constant: suffering. Everyone was suffering from an ominous menace that permeated anything. She wanted to grasp it in thought, but couldn't. It was as elusive as it was omnipresent. Finally, she was back in the forest. All the trees were bare, and snow was starting to fall. Katherine felt the chill at once, as the formerly soft and warm place became hard and cold. Shivering, she sat down in the snow, when she noticed her feet were bleeding. She had cut herself on the jagged rocks that made up the ground. Blotches of blood were appearing around her. She could feel the initial numbness fade and the pain start to set in. If only she could sleep through this....she closed her eyes, but her head was filled with visions too fast to identify, and she had to open them again immediately. No, she had to make it through. She pushed herself to her feet, cutting her hands in the process, and slowly started walking to edge of the sea, dripping blood. Choking back tears of pain, she dragged herself the last few meters to the edge. Far below, the sea was frothy white as wave after wave crashed against the sharp rocks. With her last remaining strength, she thrust herself over the edge. Spring would be coming..... Katherine opened her eyes and smiled. All would be well. END OF CHAPTER FIVE RE: Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 12-25-2014 CHAPTER SIX – EDWIN The corridors of the LL-Pennybrooke were barely recognizable at the moment. Panels missing everywhere, exposing the ship's circuitry. All her exquisite wooden and golden parts covered in protective plastic sheeting. The engine room a mess of disconnected tubing, boxes of replacement components and tooling, and scaffolding along the walls. But mostly, it was the emptiness that Edwin noticed, walking around his ship aimlessly. Of course, she felt rather empty without passengers, but at the moment even the crew was gone, and as BMM's workers were on break, he was the only living soul on board. At least I hope I am, he thought, looking around. There was something unsettling about a mostly darkened, very large but entirely empty ship. Even his own. But all that didn't matter, all that mattered was that work was being done and eventually, she would fly again. *** Edwin was pacing back and forth on the LL's bridge, barely concealing his excitement. Once the final checkups were completed, the LL would take flight for the first time in...how long had it been? It seemed like an eternity to him. Where would he even go first? He had been traveling in the meantime, of course, mostly racing around in the Moonmoth and occasionally taking a trip with the Drifting Lantern, but none of the places he liked to visit was as enjoyable as it was on his liner. The most obvious choice would be to go everywhere. Just a long trip, all around Sirius, from one corner to the next. With as many passengers as possible, he was tired of the liner feeling so- THUMP Edwin rubbed his face, looking up. "Awf'lly sorry sir, didn't see you there, I just-" The BMM engineer he had rammed right into extended a hand to help him up, and Edwin grasped it, chuckling. “No, I'm sorry, my head's in another place right now.” "Well sir, I've got the good news. All systems are good to go. This ol' girl's ready to leave port." Edwin just beamed at the man, lost for words. "Er....right. The last of us will be off your ship in a few minute, and Southampton control will give you the okay." After gathering his wits for a moment, he called after the engineer. I- I'd love to invite the entire engineering crew that worked on my darling to her first voyage, we'll be headed, er....somewhere! "I'm...not sure our scheduling will allow that, but I'll ask. Thank you, sir, it's been a pleasure working on your ship." Edwin skipped over to the main control panel. This was it. Perhaps he would even get to pick up that charming Gaian he had met on the Moonmoth. *** It had been a long time since Edwin visited Delta, but it had lost none of its charm. His only regret was that Freeport 11 just didn't seem as busy as it used to be. Of course, a fancy liner coming in was always a big event here, but the general area seemed unusually quiet. The normal traffic of Zoner, Order, Core and the occasional Corsair ships was absent, and the LL-Pennybrooke hung outside the Freeport quite alone. His passengers had disembarked, and Edwin once again felt rather alone on his ship. The place was always good for quiet contemplation, but he had had enough of that in the recent past. There was a small flock of immature nomads nearby, the kind too young to communicate, and the most numerous out here. They didn't pose a serious danger, but they sure could be annoying. Suddenly, there was a rather larger blip on scanners. It didn't Edwin long to spot the ship. An Aquilon is not easily missed. Much later, its little escort ship, designated Sentinel-1 came into view as well. The callsign registration identified the ship as "The Kissaki", and immediately there were strange signals and static coming from it. Edwin opened a comm channel - no video feed, but a ghostly voice was speaking. "Ahhh yes, Delta... " "I- well, wasn't that a bit creepy? Amy! Put on classical music!" Classical music always helped making an interesting encounter more dramatic. "Is there an... issue, Pilot?" "It's a lovely place, isn't it? A bit lonely, perhaps....but not with the right company! It's a real island in the deep, you know. A respite from the chaotic mess around. Everywhere else there's Corsairs, Order, the house governments....it's a real spot of tranquility." "I see... Sometimes... it can be ironic, sometimes... Just maybe sometimes... " Another strange signal came from the vessel, and the escort ship responded. [[CMD-GU433- 01]] [[CMD- Accepted]] "Erm...wow, you people are strange. Have you ever been to Omicron Lost?" "Yes. Now if you'll excuse me for a second." [[STATIC]] "Hm, well....I suppose it would be a bit depressing now, anyway. I'd like a full ship when I go there. "Hm?" Edwin sighed dramatically. "It seems the desire of passengers to leave Freeport 11 has dropped. But I can't blame them! I mean, this place is lovely. Just a bit too....quiet for my tastes, I suppose." "You were... asking about Omicron Lost?" "Huh? Oh yes. It's a nice place, if you're in a sort of....contemplative mood. If you just need to ponder your existence. "A place lack of humanity, the purest of... peace. " "Well you see, I quite love humanity! I like being with people, I mean....that's why I became a liner captain. Wouldn't be a very good liner captain if I despised humanity now, would I?" "Obviously. The message within was not pure negativity.. " *ahem* "Well...hmm...should I make a quick trip? I just wish Kathy were here....she could appreciate this more than I ever could, honestly....Even though I'm very good at appreciating things!" Once again, Edwin found himself wondering what his sister was up to. It was places like these that reminded him most of her. "A quick trip to Lost? It seems that we have... forgot to refuel our tanks. A moment if you will. " The huge carrier moored with the Freeport, and a few minutes later they were ready to leave. "I'm setting a course for Lost. Let's do a quick flyaround of Moros at least, alright?" The Pennybrooke's scanners indicated slight movement on board the Kissaki, but there didn't seem to be any life signals. It transmitted another command to the Sentinel. [[CMD-Sentinel, TGT. "Pennybrooke" – Escort]] "Erm....I think my crew might be slightly tired of my escapades at some point, but- I guess that time hasn't come yet!" "The ship needs to... "feast on the darkness" so to speak... " "Uh...what?" "Do not worry. Energy converse. Escapades..?" "You know, when I randomly break off to- but seriously, what was that about feasting on darkness? That's like, not a normal thing to say." "Solar energy. " "Solar energy is the opposite of feasting on- huh?" "Sometimes the.. ship just needs to.. "feast". Not literal feast." Edwin had no idea what his strange companions meant, but this seemed as good an explanation as any. "Well....alright then! Feasts are always good!" "Solar chemical reactions on the hull. " "But we need to be very serious going in here." "Now why would that be?" "It's a very serious place. You know, there used to be a base, way, way out here....I visited it once." "There were many of a base. " "There's something strange about this place. When you head to the other side of the star, it all goes dark. It's natural darkness, but combined with the darkness of being on the edge of human civilization. This is it. There is nothing beyond. The eastern border of the Edge nebula..." "And some may wonder what lays beyond." "Who doesn't? Isn't pushing the boundaries of what we know the most....erm.....primeval of human drives?" "Of course. " *** Things did not get any less disconcerting as their peculiar convoy made its way back to Delta, and further through the Omicrons and Omegas. Every now and then, Edwin's companion ships would release strange energy signals, unusual light, or unintelligeble comms. Obviously their crew were not human, but an AI of some sorts. A rather strange sort, it seemed. They talked about his past, his adventures with Katherine, and various other things like human nature and sandwiches. As usual, Edwin hardly noticed that he was the one talking almost incessantly. The Kissaki's "crew", or whatever he could call it, identified itself as "the Omnicient", well the escort's pilot, weirdly, called himself "Marcus Newell". Or something of the sorts, the transmissions from that ship seemed to be scrambled in some way. Wanting as always to take an exciting, scenic route, Edwin decided to take the party to the dark, heavily irradiated wasteland of Omega-58. "I wish I had Kathy's Coalition visa. Now 52, that would be a memorable trip." "Ah the Coalition. Don't usually see them around... " A quiet signal from the Kissaki was heard....life support offline. "Anyway...let's- er...Was that...? Did you hear that, on your ship?" "Oh? It was probably nothing. " At some point, the Sentinel drifted closely past the bridge of the LL, and Edwin thought he saw a glimpse of something in the corner, something that looked like a body... "From fearless pioneers of the Omicrons, to- Huh....uhm. Are you sure everything's alright on there?" Although the main comms didn't seem to be active, he heard an ominous response. "Yes. " "Hrm...well. You people are really, really weird. And I don't really want to know what's going on on your ships." There were still unknown signals coming from the ships, nothing that matched any known signature. "Why are we really weird? Care to clarify?" "Well I keep getting strange energy pulses, and, er....other weird signals. But no life or anything..." "You're right, maybe. " "But who am I to judge, you followed me all the way here so clearly you're good companions! Let's go! We're taking the scenic route." "We thank the hosts for the ships they provided... " "Er, right. You do that." "Well, you were the one curious of our... weirdness. " "Well your strange statements explain nothing!" "How?" "How? How they explain nothing? Erm, well. They do not." "It explains the.. "weird signals" ?" "I still don't really understand. But it doesn't really matter. You've travelled all the way from the far Omicrons with me. I don't really care why you're weird. You can be weird all you want." "The question is, is apathy really the smart decision?" "No, it isn't apathy. It's just....you've been great companions, and it doesn't really matter to me why you're weird." "And yet you're not.. unsettled by what we are? Or... what you've noticed?" "I don't even understand what you are, but if you deal with thousands of different people every day on a regular basis, as liner captains tend to do, you develop your own sort of, erm...approach to interactions." "Do you even wish to understand what "I" am?" "Oh, of course I do. I'm always curious about the backgrounds of people I meet. But first, we must clear this zone. This might be a rough ride." Eventually, they broke free of the darkness and into the beaming sunlight of Omega-47. Edwin however was beginning to feel more and more uneasy, even the sandwich he had gotten did little to alleviate the sensation. His head hurt from all the concentrated weirdness this trip had piled upon him, and he decided to retire to the bar for the time being, leaving Amy in charge. "The time just seems to.. go on.. We need to 'feast' ... we need to 'rest' ...Energy conversation is needed. " "Yes- of course. All organisms need that. Although I'm a bit confused here, sorry." [[NANO-CONVERSION ONLINE]] [[Power low]] "Amy Whitney here, chief navigator. Uhm....Mr Pennybrooke took his sandwich and kind of left the bridge." "Perhaps... it is time to.. seperate ways, shortly. " She sighed mildly. "He does this a lot. Sometimes I feel I fly this ship more than he does...." "Perhaps boredom is the victor here. " "He needs to have some sort of meaningful conversation at the bar, no doubt. Like he always does. Only we aren't flying passengers. Nobody's there, it's just him and the bar staff." "Fascinating. Perhaps he needed time to... relocate himself?" All systems on the Kissaki now seemed to be offline, weapons, life support, everything. "I don't mean to pry, but your signal just dropped completely. You alright over there?" "You need not concern. " "Well. Edwin can deal with whatever strange things he's gotten himself into this time when he gets back. I, er, I'm just the navigator." "I see. " The voice was peculiar, neither clearly female or male, just strangely neutral. "How are you even- how are you even sending those messages with no power?" She looked back and forth between the comm panel and the bridge's windows nervously. "The question is, am I even sending a message? ... Or perhaps if I.. " The ship's comm's were turned on once again, with video feed. The bridge seemed empty, with some rubble and debris strewn about but nothing else, and very dark. "Jar'ihb? Niru'-y yarinzi" More strange noises followed. Amy was not at all comfortable anymore. "I really don't know what Mr. Pennybrooke got himself into now, but I want no part in it!" Now there was a clicking, strangely insectoid noise, and unpleasant creaking noises from the ship's hull. Suddenly, there was movement in the corner of the screen, but before Amy could look closer the feed cut out to static. "One must.. translate..Pure... vocality does not... work" Now genuinely fearful, Amy backed away from the comms panel. "Look, I don't care what- jesus. What the hell is going on over there?" "No. I am not of xeno origin... Nothing is going on... If you were in danger, you would have been an hour ago... " "You are one stupid son of a bitch, Edwin-" Amy muttered under her breath. "I heard that. I can assure you. Safety is guareenteed from us. I and we, have no reason to harm. " She tried to compose herself. "Alright. What sort of crazy ghost ship am I dealing with here?" "There are no ghosts. The fear, does it unsettle you greatly?" For some reason, this comment replaced some of her fear with anger. "No! Because Edwin loves getting us into situations like this, apparently! This isn't even the weirdest thing that's happened to us!" "I can assure you it can get... weirder... by desire. Which is unneeded. This Edwin, he claims that you and your passengers love the.. fear?" "Sorry, I- *she sighs* Well, he loves excitement. And honestly, so do most people. If you book a tour of the southern Omegas, you know.....people that want to take trips like that want excitement. Or they'd just go to Manhattan." "Ah... " "Edwin has a way with people, gotta leave him that. He does it well." "So it seemed... He has an... interesting approach.. " At that moment, Edwin burst back onto the bridge, walking as if he'd had a few more shots. "What the hell is going- ""Yes, no, it's fine-" "Just do something here, I don't want to- ""Nono, relax....go down to-" Seeming to change the subject suddenly, the strange voice spoke again. "We-... I, must... depart.. shortly" "Huh? Did I miss anything? Oh!" Suddenly, scan data on the ship popped up. It appeared to be an old, experimental research vessel. Edwin frowned, peering over the data. Something about it seemed oddly familiar, or was that just because he was thinking of the RV-Pennybrooke. The faintest echo of a voice could be heard. "the feast is must.. the rest is now... my omniscient one... Energy is must.. We seek to darkness, warmth from starlight, darkness providing shelter" "Alright then, Omni! I have to say, it was great travelling with you." "Omni, mhrhm... Nicknames do not suit "us" " "Still never really understood what's going on on that weird ship of yours, but...I like you." "Self-assigned can be... dangerous. " There was another energy spike from the ship. "We must really depart. It is an imperative. " "Nobody really likes nicknames! But they still stick. On that note, never call me "Ed" or "Eddy"!" With that, the ships parted ways, Edwin still wondering what it was he had experienced. END OF CHAPTER SIX RE: Pennybrooke stories - Karst - 03-23-2021 IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter is no longer canon. I am keeping it here as a legacy reference. CHAPTER SEVEN - ELISE Elise had finally found a moment of independence after a harsh tour of medical examinations and procedures, and endless interviews and instructions. Her mind had shut off during much of it, which she had told herself she had to do - it was enough of a miracle that she managed to sit still for so long and not attack any of the personnel examining her. It was a strange sensation, being so...passive, just allowing things that she normally would have killed people for attempting to simply happen to her, but the only way she could process all of it was to just blank out her mind, and focus on the vague effort to change she was pursuing. But the hard part was behind her. Now, she was sitting in Valravn’s main bar and lounge, sipping a gin and tonic. When someone sat down on the barstool next to hers, she didn’t even snarl at them, she kept her cool, even managed a broken smile towards the seemingly exhausted pilot. The atmosphere was comfortable: There were no fights in the background, none of the furnishings were broken, and nobody had approached her in an inappropriate way. Just large, elegantly rounded windows, soft music, warm magenta mood lighting, and Auxo personnel relaxing, plus a few other random visitors, corporate representatives from abroad, and some people that clearly looked like militaries but didn’t act like it. She suspected that in this environment, the level of drunkenness she would normally aspire to achieve in a remote station’s bar would be frowned upon. But to her own surprise, she didn’t even have the desire to. It was different now, she would use her skills to help this society of outcasts and try to fit in with them. Sure, she didn’t know anybody yet, but she always worked well alone, that wouldn’t be an issue. As she took in the scene, uncharacteristically slowly nipping at her drink, she felt a strange absence in her heart, the source of which wasn’t immediately clear to her. She simply had the distinct impression that something was missing. Weirdly, the hole wasn’t bothering her all that much, it was just a minor itch, but she couldn’t stop herself from wondering what it was that had previously filled it, until she figured it out: Dread. All her life, she had some shadow hanging over her, her unloving parents and abusive school as a child, the authorities as an outlaw, her superiors as a Kusari military agent, her wartime enemies as a mercenary. That spot was strangely blank now, and all the paranoia and hatred and self-defensiveness she had always carried with her was fading. Maybe things really would be different now, maybe they would even be different by her own efforts, and not some outside force that simply happened to work in her favour. For perhaps the first time in her life, Elise was motivated to do something that actually seemed like it would be both beneficial to her, and to those around her at the same time. It was a combination she wasn’t used to. *** A week later, Elise was lying on her back under the Bluefin, fumbling with the burnt mess of auxiliary reactor cords, several small cuts already on her hands after a grueling hour of barely productive work on her damaged ship. There were obviously skilled technicians available here, but she hasn't let any of them touch her beloved Marauder. After almost a decade with it, she knows it as well as her own body, and besides, she really needed something to do to distract her. Today however, neither her attempts at repair nor those at distraction were going well. She lets out an exasperated groan, dropping her hands from the uncooperative cables and closing her eyes in frustration. Nobody had approached her about the incidents yet, but it was only a matter of time. She could sense that she was in trouble, and that oh-so-familiar feeling of looming consequences for her stupid mistakes had returned after a long absence. She had to chuckle at how absolutely in character all of this had been for her: Breaking the rules, messing up instructions, and causing a disastrous incident. But it felt different this time. In the past, she would have just been amused by the chaos she had caused; if it had been in the Kempeitai, she would have endured the punishment for her disobedience with a silent vow that she would do it again. This time though, she was experiencing an emotion largely unfamiliar to her: Regret. She genuinely hadn't wanted to cause an international incident, and the feeling of guilt over her mistakes only confirmed what she had always known about herself: She was a fuck-up, and she would always find some way to fuck up anything good that ever came to her. The only thing that had changed was that this time around, she had not wanted to. She had, for one moment at least, actually believed she could escape her own self-destructive patterns. It pained her in a way she was unfamiliar with, and she kept her eyes tightly shut to retain the gathering moisture within. The background noise in the engineering bays was substantial, but Elise had enough situational awareness to filter out a perfectly synchronized pair of heavy footsteps through the machine tool noises and irregular shuffling of the engineers, getting louder. She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve, slid out from under her ship, and sat up. Two heavily armored figures, faces fully enclosed in sleek helmets, were swiftly approaching her. It was time. “Warden Bluefin, the Directorate has summoned your presence. Immediately.” The figure’s voice was distorted and robotic - in fact, their entire appearance showed little to indicate there was a human underneath their shells at all, a single mechanical “eye” surrounded by several smaller ones upon their masks. Elise forced down her apprehension and tried not to appear intimidated as she stood up, wiping her dirty hands on a hardly less dirty rag. “Yeah, I figured. Let’s not keep them waiting then.” She felt very small walking between her two hulking escorts as they made their way to the docking bay. Minutes later, they were on a shuttle heading towards Elgin’s surface. The silence was far from comfortable, but the two troopers did not give her the impression that they would appreciate any small talk, sitting dead still, their unblinking lenses glowing in the dark interior. Elise could handle this, she told herself. She had been through worse, worse than...whatever this would turn out to be. She just had to keep her cool. The shuttle landed in a settlement of striking crystalline architecture that blended in with the frozen landscape. She had been to the surface before, but it was still stunning to behold. Faint, wispy trails of a protective shield shimmered overhead - she assumed it had something to do with heat management. She was still cold in her thin mechanic’s suit as they disembarked, shivering slightly. They walked wordlessly for a few minutes before her escorts guided her inside, into a very dramatic looking courtroom, guiding her to what must be the accused’s stand in the center - next to someone she didn’t recognize in their full armor. Several raised booths with important-looking officials faced her, and a raised platform off to her side held a small group of observers, some sort of jury maybe? Lights illuminated the officials and her own stand. Everything here just had to be so extra, she thought to herself, taking the scene in and trying to appear stoic. The android occupying a clearly-important central position read out the names and service numbers of those present. When the codename “Krauklis” was mentioned, she glanced over at the person by her side, who hadn’t turned to face her yet. Oh. Well, that made sense. She was strangely relieved not to be facing this alone. The robot spoke again in harsh monotone. "Delegates, Bluefin - Warden - service number: 276348953, Krauklis - Paladin - Service number: 073345924. You have been charged with: 2.5, Espionage, 4.4 Gross Failure of Vigilance, 4.2 Socialising with adversaries. This tribunal is now in session. All speech will be documented and recorded. What you say may affect your sentence. " One of the military officials - a man in a long, dark coat, with fuzzy hair and little in the way of visible augmentations, spoke up. "This incident has undoubtedly been one of the worst occurrences of utter insubordination to date, such actions have caused a bitter conflict with one of the most powerful Houses in Sirius. Your actions were all recorded, and observed by our adjudicators. Your life form signals were observed entering the California sector, proceeding to Ontario, Colorado, Kepler, and back to California - you were both noted splitting up. What could you have possibly been doing?" Elise shot a quick glance at Krauklis, wondering if they would answer first, and when it didn’t seem like they would, cleared her throat. “Okay, so.” She wasn't normally nervous when explaining herself and her mistakes, she would simply spit out some half-baked excuse that no listener would consider sincere, but now she found herself rambling a vaguely accurate stream-of-consciousness explanation with her gaze to the floor. “I wanted to check out that new Freeport in California, and we would be absolutely stealthy about it, which we were, and then we heard a report about some Xenos and we split up, and I went to go wait for Krauklis and that turned out to be a bad idea as you know, but it’s not their fault, I could’ve moved but I thought, well, if anything comes along I’ll just - leave, and it’ll be cool, but it obviously wasn’t cool as it turned out, and-” She took a deep breath. “Look, I get it, I fucked u- am I allowed to swear here?” She glanced over the people observing her. None of them looked amused. “I, uh, messed up, I get the uh, ‘gross failure’ charge. But I certainly didn’t do espionage or fraternize with enemies!” The Admiral furrowed his brows, providing Bluefin a sharp glare. “Your vessel was sighted at the gate, according to official reports from the Liberty Forces and from data tracking. These espionage charges fall under the intrusion of a restricted zone. Operative Krauklis, you were the overseeing provisional officer for this flight sortie. Elaborate upon the separation. “ The armored individual peered downwards then looked upwards towards the crowd, they would state - maintaining a mechanical stoic tone. “My vessel had reported a major malfunction, requiring emergency maintenance. I had to land upon the Freeport within the California system. I will admit to fault, as I had ordered the Warden to return to Technocrat space, when I should have kept them under my wing.“ Krauklis held their arms behind their back, keeping their pleading glare towards their peers. One of the other individuals, appearing to be one of the Military Advisors in their more decorative attire - although cybernetic in nature, behind the booth would ask out, more calm and composed through their vocoded voice than their outraged Admiral, they inquired in a softer tone. “What were you doing at the gate, Bluefin?” Elise hardened her expression. She was intent on giving a proper explanation this time, lifting her gaze up to the many eyes - and lenses - scrutinizing her. "I wanted to be ready to assist Krauklis if necessary. I considered ready access to the lane to be a risk worth taking in case there was trouble, and I had assumed that if necessary, I could swiftly extricate myself from the situation if prompted. That was an error in judgment, clearly." Her voice doesn't sound familiar to her. A memory of a forced Kempeitai report maybe, but she wasn't forcing it this time. It was what she had truly meant to say. The familiar man in the long coat spoke up. “Yet, you decided to risk it all for a mere shortcut instead of utilizing the Jumphole? Are you aware of the impact of your actions? Our disappointment is immeasurable, especially towards the protégé of Rear Admiral Duris. “ A subtle glance was seen from the operative adjacent from Elise, peering at her for a brief moment before returning their glance to the board. The moment was interrupted with a statement from the Advisor. “The damage you two have done here is irreparable, punishments have been demanded from the collective. Although we cannot repair the state we have with Liberty, you both can owe us what you lost us. Security. Trade. “ The fuzzy Admiral peered over to the Advisor, and in turn, their robotic head turned to the Admiral and the rest of the board, nodding in synchronized agreement. He continues on, pressing out harsh justice in his bristly voice, he smacks his palms down upon the booth, proudly declaring: “Your fate will be decided by the wilderness, and by the unruly. You will be sent to the Phoenix Reformation center to serve in three passes of overseeing mining operations. If you find yourselves in one piece at the end of that term from the feral Crayterians, you will be re-assigned to outer-world operations. You will be indebted to us. You must make amends, whether it be through finding objects of interest, or subverting groups. Until you are forgiven, you will not set foot upon our homeworld without our grace. If you abandon us, you know the consequences of such. “ There was a moment of pause as he raised himself off of the booth, standing upright in pride. Krauklis had peered over to Elise once more, although their face was not visible - the sensation of guilt could be discerned from their lowered posture. The Admiral continued. “Unless you have anything more to add or to refute, we are done here. “ Krauklis peered over to the board, offering nothing but a small shake of concern. The robotic Jury coldly states out. “Session concluded. Subjects vessels compounded. Living quarters have been re-assigned to the new post. “ Elise blinked. The wilderness and the unruly? That sounded like exactly her cup of tea. More of an exciting adventure than a punishment. She wasn't going to question that further, though. She was just going to go through with it. Part of the last statement hung in her head. Make amends. Something she would have loathed to hear, previously. But now, it just sounded like an opportunity. "Sure. Should I start packing?"