Qregon Trail: ACTUALLY FLYING

[Anomaly]

Imperatus stops wordlessly pre-judging his crew and faces the shark-robot with rather poor grammar.

"Anything will be fine. Meat's preferable to plant matter, but I'm not too picky. Maybe something from my world's Zelen region. I don't have much in the way of preferences. You can check the database for the specific needs of Akrepi. I can easily survive on little food and water, so don't spend too much time dwelling on it."

[~ATH]

Thank you, Nrigiya. The next question: What do you have to do in the following weather conditions: raining stones, screeching tornado and ...uh, cloudquake. Definitely couldquake."

Nrigiya takes his time answering the question. These scenarios should be approached with caution, and thought over deliberately. For Nrigiya, taking his time means that he gives himself exactly three seconds to organize the procedures. He pipes up again.

"Procedure I: Raining Stones

Step 1: maximize shields at the top of the ship, redirecting from other shields if needed.

Step 2: ready bottom thrusters, in the event we get hit and are thrown downwards at a high velocity.

Step 3: nrigiya will handle the navigation manually. nrigiya is capable of instantly mapping a route that will allow the ship to avoid debris to the best of its ability. the shields and the thrusters act as backup in the event the ship cannot avoid the debris. crew is advised to be seated during this period.

Procedure 2: Screeching Tornado

Step 1: shields will be soundproofed, and communication link must be temporarily shut down.

Step 2: nrigiya will analyze weather scanners to determine the wind speed and direction.

Step 3: thrusters will be set to maximum, and the ship will boost in the direction of the wind.

Step 4: crew is advised not to fight the wind, as it will only keep us in place. following the wind will allow the centrifugal force to carry us out. crew is once again advised to remain seated.

Procedure 3: Cloudquake

Step 1: cloudquakes pose no danger to this ship. they are composed of minuscule liquid droplets and will do little damage when they are violently quaking. crew is nevertheless advised to remain seated.

...

that was a joke. thank you."

The Gemmal was not sure if he should have made that joke, but he feels that friendliness is the key to trust, and he wants to garner the trust of his crew. There may be situations in which he is expected to take complete control over the ship, and it would not do to have the crew panicking.

The sharkbot approaches him, and inquires about his diet.

"nrigiya is but a piece of equipment, and will not require sustenance. however, nrigiya would appreciate an electrical supply. nrigiya is ... invigorated by electricity."

[Palamedes]

With Navers still waiting for confirmation that Miss Azazalia's question was fully answered, a renewed Lisba walked over to Commissar Shark.

"You asked what we would eat?" She puts her hand over her 'mouth' to think. Navers slumps a little now, but keeps his eyes on plant-boss.

"We're not very particular commissar, I think at one point you mentioned mackerel? Sounds delicious, though I will warn you that our species cannot consume a vast majority of shellfishes as well as anything with tentacles. Meat from our captain's world would likely work out for us as well."

Lisba leans in closer. When Azazalia is busy speaking to another crew member she speaks again.

"Vegetation would be good for the variety of course, but since our species tends to find most anything that's not, well, green or a processed grain somewhat disagreeable it might be best to not have an abundant supply of such or else risk upsetting our employers."

That said, Lisba backs away again and her 'mouth' forms a wide grin. Her real mouth remained, of course, hidden, but could be assumed to be just as unnaturally wide (and perhaps even menacing what with all the teeth and all).

"There are of course some other very minor dietary specifications, but nothing that should come up during our trip. We're not too specific, and trust your expertise and judgement commissar."

[ProfessorLizzard]

"Thank you for your answers, you all did a good job. Except for the Life Support Personnel. I am still waiting, you know. But take your time, I have to file your answers.
In the meanwhile, here is a rhetorical question: what would you do if you met a new, previously unknown species that would be hundred percent identical to your own species? You don't have to answer it, but think about it. It is a legitimate possiblity on your journey."

[Paranoia]

Lost in thought this long couldn't have looked good, he wagered. He'd never had much interaction with the Eldritch before and the question had caught him off guard.
He composed himself, and then his answer.

"Well, Eldritch waste is dangerous in that it drives anyone who comes insane who comes in contact with it. Elder suits are designed to counteract that. That is, they're designed to CALM anyone trying to dispose of the waste - usually through calming stimuli and a healthy dose of dislusionment. In a pinch I could whip up a close approximation, complete with encouragement and music scientifically composed to calm the widest known cross section of species."

[ProfessorLizzard]

"Thank you. Mister Eee. Congratulations! You have all passed. Please go back into the waiting area while I documentate this interview."

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Congrats! You have all passed! The Ship buidling part starts soon, but first I have to make a glossary of everything that was ever mentioned. Hehe. During that time, your task is to decide upon the shape of the ship. Will you use a long rocket? Flying saucer? A ship shaped liked the captain? Yours to decide.

[Anomaly]

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How long do we have for this? I'll be mostly internetless until a week from today, and don't really want to miss out on this part.

[Jacquerel]

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How long do we have for this? I'll be mostly internetless until a week from today, and don't really want to miss out on this part.

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I am in a similar situation!
Except that I don't know when I will be back other than it will be some point in time between 3 and 10 days

[ProfessorLizzard]

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There was no deadline yet since the task is not out officially, and I have to finish the glossary first. I can surely wait for you to return until the actual shipbuilding starts. Until then, I hope the crew will try to get to know each other during that time. Maybe visit a bar?

E: Also I have updated some sprites.

The glossary is finished! However, it will keep growing like some sort of spacepokédex.

[ProfessorLizzard]

While we wait for the two to come back, lets pass the time with things other than being silent. Here are a few more silly questions:

• Has your character been to a situation that would make physics cry? What was it?
• Has your character been to the Geocentric system of Earth?
• Is your character interested in some kind of Space Sport?
• What is your favourite landmark on your homeplanet?

[Palamedes]

Answers:

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[*]Has your character been to a situation that would make physics cry? What was it?

No, the Charol religion highly respects the laws of physics, and Navers and Lisba are no heretics.

[*]Has your character been to the Geocentric system of Earth?

Of course. Do you think that they'd be even remotely in humans and not visit? Though if they remember correctly they were banned from several popular nightclubs and one small country for their shenanigans.

[*]Is your character interested in some kind of Space Sport?

There is a rather intriguing sport (to them) invented and played on a small, dangerous world inhabited by a mish-mash of colonials from several planets. They call it Fracas, but most species living outside of the planet refer to it by its more popular (and accurate) name - Murderball.

[*]What is your favourite landmark on your homeplanet?

The Afriks Collective, a massive underground labyrinth leading to the tomb of one of the most famous ancient Charol leaders. Said leader was supposedly birthed with one hundred bodies in their pairing, and as such in the tomb there are one hundred sarcophagi arranged in a giant circle. Of course, this hasn't been confirmed due to the strong belief that space genies placed a terrible curse on the tomb (by the request of the royal family), which would cause one out of every Charol pairing to die, basically ensuring the extinction of their race.

Also Navers and Lisba go to the nearest space bar and think that the rest of the party to attend - as a team building exercise or introduction thing or something.

[dragonpaul99]

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Has your character been to a situation that would make physics cry? What was it?
Oh yeah, he made a few of those back home for the rebellion effort. They made decent distractions at least. He hasn't done much of that since he got to Otsavlo, except for that time a few years back when he was messing around with a hyperdrive regulator and got about a minute away from accidentally destroying an entire city block. It was a close call, but luckily they never figured out it was his fault.

Has your character been to the Geocentric system of Earth?
Nope. He briefly visited on a few different planets after leaving his homeworld, but Earth wasn't one of them. Otsavlo is the only other planet he's ever lived on for more than a couple days.

Is your character interested in some kind of Space Sport?
He's an avid follower of the Intergalactic Pro-Brawling League. His favorite match is the one where the Cleavanator had to fight her own sister in order to exorcise all the ghosts out of her before they could steer the ship into a black hole. And the way she sacrificed herself to take down the Platinum Fist at the end of the season, just..... wow.... powerful stuff.

(His least favorite brawler is the "Quatruvian" character, who's really just some four-armed guy in red spandex who always shouts everything he says. One time Freight called the guy's agent and told him to "Come down to Otsavlo and fucking fight me" but no one ever called him back.)

What is your favourite landmark on your homeplanet?
The headless statue near the capital, definitely. He likes to claim personal responsibility for that one. Of course they've probably got all that fixed by now, so.... I'm gonna go with the South Pole. He went there on a class field trip once and thought it was real pretty.

Freight takes the twins up on their offer and heads off to the nearest bar with them. He doesn't believe he's ever been to this part of the planet before. It looks a lot nicer then where he lives.

[Schazer]

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Has your character been to a situation that would make physics cry? What was it?
Tethys (Commissar's home planet, the only major rock in its local Space) has long been reported as something of a middle finger to the laws of conservation of energy. Its central power core has been firing for close to a century, and nobody knows how the original owner got it into Tethys' dead planetary core-space or managed to keep it running. It's a closely-guarded secret of the Selachim that even the Selachim themselves don't know.

Has your character been to the Geocentric system of Earth?
Commissar has not, although it's considered good custom for a Selachim to do some genealogy research between careers and go visit the Ocean its ancestral stock were pulled from. Commissar is of Great White Shark stock, off the West Indonesian Conglomerate Coast, which is sadly now mostly a submarine shopping centre.

What is your favourite landmark on your homeplanet?
Outward-bound Selachim don't see a lot of Tethys before their departure, as the race have no real aesthetics and growing up and assemblage takes place in clean, albeit factory conditions. The prettiest part of the planet would probably be the lake-sized tanks in which juveniles are raised, which conveniently is on the other side of the planet to all the delicate AI and computer systems. The belt around the middle poles is most of the machines, robotics, and surgineering where the two disciplines meet to make the quintessential Sharkbots. Although Selachim don't have parents, siblings, or any concept of family units (and for the most part don't breed, for that matter), the Arc Pole and the Sprat Tanks therein are definitely considered a good choice for a nice date location.

[ProfessorLizzard]

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I love your responses

Freight and the Charol enters the nearest bar, called the Quantum Vertigo. Its insides are stunningly white, not unlike the previous waiting area. Looks like it is the part of the local district's design. The bar is decorated with cables reminiscent of the Earth Holiday Christmas Lights. There is a miniscule dance floor, but it is almost entirely occupied by a Repskininite... a pink mass of fat and legs. It is really as slows as Navers and Lisba said it.
Suprise! The bartender also seems to be a Quatravian. He eyes Freight suspiciously. Ultimately he makes a friendly nod towards him.

[Anomaly]

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Has your character been to a situation that would make physics cry? What was it?

Plenty of times. Even before the Akrepi homeplanet of Vareldn had formed a unified planetary government, the powerful nation of Zelen (Imperatus's region of origin, incidentally) based their most powerful weaponry on harnessing the energy of spatial anomalies that may or may not have actually existed at any given moment (but in theory had equal chances of each state). The very unfortunate city-state of Iburdi still hasn't been confirmed to be destroyed, with constant reports of a city appearing out of nowhere and then disappearing the moment the viewer blinks. Such weapons were promptly banned for fear that physics would just decide to give up completely.

However, under Imperatus's command, plenty of the laws of physics have been bent to give a tactical advantage. For example, the rapid alternation of venting ether and anti-ether through the Hyperspace induction coils in close proximity to an enemy spacecraft is usually enough to make the force of gravity within the target change direction rapidly, or perhaps temporarily lower the boiling point of water to room temperature. It's been frowned upon by the Akrepi-Vizkig alliance, and may or may not have had a part in his ousting from the Akrepi-Vizkig Fleet.

Has your character been to the Geocentric system of Earth?

Imperatus has never seen the allure of the Earth or humans in the first place. A bunch of weak hairless apes with a tiny lifespan and a bland, watery planet. He finds it very hard to believe that humans have managed to accomplish anything at all, let alone that anyone would claim to be one despite being of a different species. A very specific anyone, in this case.

So no, he's never been there, and doesn't plan on changing that.

Is your character interested in some kind of Space Sport?

Few sports have managed to garner any interest at all from Imperatus - he considers war the only true sport. Nonetheless, he did try out a few sports at various points in his life. The Vizkig sport of Khelagar was very popular among much of the Vizkig, but Akrepi found themselves at a major disadvantage due to having only a single head, and rarely played the game.

Murderball was kind of fun, he'll admit. Sure, it was just a game, but there were no restrictions against, say, slamming a quantized tritium war axe into someone's face. In the end you're just trying to toss a ball into a hole in the middle of a pool of lava, but it's the closest thing to war outside of war itself.

(The unfortunate Bantrawn at the receiving end of the axe recovered eventually, although it had quite a bit of difficulty functioning with a low-grade artificial beak.)

What is your favourite landmark on your homeplanet?

Imperatus's favorite landmark is probably the Great Canyon of Sagara, a massive chasm winding across hundreds of miles of Vareldn, and, at its lowest point, is over five miles deep. Interestingly, the effects of gravity are lessened more and more as the canyon deepens - at the bottom of the deepest part, the effects of gravity are so miniscule that it's possible even for the weakest beings to jump hundreds or even thousands of feet in the air. Even better, at sections three miles deep or more, it's possible to jump from the top without injury, assuming you clear the side of the canyon.

Imperatus lingers for a while, then follows his crew members to the bar. Anything has to be better than standing around for another few hours. Besides, he could really use a drink.

[dragonpaul99]

Freight walks up to the counter all casual-like and tells the bartender that he'll have an Obsidian Molotov and a small basket of smoked crabs. He then tries to make small-talk with the Charol while they wait for their drinks to show up.

"So, what's up with the whole hive-mind thing? Are you like one mind in two bodies or just have different memories or what?"
"Should I talk about you two in the singular or plural? I've made that mistake before and people can get real pissy about it, believe me."
"Do you have four different parents or....."
"So what's so great about this Earth place then? I think I know a few folks that've been there, but I don't know much about it myself."
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When their drinks show up, Freight takes a small flask out of his shirt pocket and pours just a few drops into his drink. The surface of the black liquid gets set alight for a brief second, then dies back down and disappears. He turns and offers some to the twins. (Or others if anyone else shows up.)

"Hey, this is some of that stuff I was talking about in that interview a bit ago; you want to try some? It's an uh, acquired taste."
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Afterwards, Freight tries to start up a conversation with the bartender.

"So, what're you doing all the way out here on Otsavlo? Born on Vier or offworld?"

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Yeah that's right, Nikto'vier translates roughly into "Marvelous Earth." His parents were a couple of hippies.

[ProfessorLizzard]

Th bartender is silent for while, but in the end he replies reluctantly. "I have never been to Vier, and will probably never be. My parents were political dissidents, and I look remarkable like my father. I would be possibly shot on sight, if the millitary is still as blind as it was in my father's tales." He laughs nervously. "Although they would probably never hit me if that would be true, but I wouldn't pick the chances."

[Palamedes]

"One Vizkig Ale with a shot from a Charos Thirster, if you've got it." Navers motions after Freight orders his drink. He then proceeds to ramble on about something or other, presumably about how great Earth is since Freight asked and all.

Lisba takes up Freights offer, meanwhile, and takes a sip of his drink. Her widen somewhat, but she otherwise masks her dislike pretty well and forces the liquid down. After several seconds Navers stops rambling on, gags a little, and stares at the others.

"What was that?"

"Tried Freight's drink as he offered, it was... rather powerful."

"I can imagine. You must have quite the tolerance Freight, I'm afraid we're not cut out for the strong stuff like that."

"Aftertaste was alright though. Now, you were asking us something." She grabs the drink Navers ordered as it arrived and takes a gulp. Navers follows in turn after.

"We mostly share experiences, memories, and most of our personalities. It's not so much that we're a hive mind as it is that we're the same 'person', as it were, in several different bodies."

"When we say most, we mean that certain traits can be kept within a single member of one of our pairings, it's a kind of genetic defect among our race as common as any physical one. For example, Navers' fascination -

"And Lisba's hoarding are both psychological quirks that are almost entirely restricted to one body. Bleeding through does occur though."

"As for physical sensations, they are usually dumbed down or not recognized entirely if they're weak enough. For example, I tasted your drink, and Navers just experienced a weaker version of my reaction to it, not the taste or texture."

And of course, if we're far enough apart from each other we will not share memories or anything but the strongest reactions with each other.

"Like being shot."

"Yeah usually it's just the bad ones we feel then. Of course, we do share them once we're back in close contact, so it's not much of an issue barring special circumstances."

"It's ridiculous complexities like that that make our species psychology an entire major in most education systems as opposed to a couple of courses."

"I suppose that's probably more complicated then you were interested in though, so here's the answer shorthand."

"One mind, two bodies, barring some quirks and or unprobable circumstances."

"You also don't have to worry about offending us Freight, we're pretty easygoing all things considered. You can either address us both at the same time -"

"Or just one of us should the situation call for it or if you feel more comfortable at times to talk to 'one' person instead of 'two'."

"Let's see, what else... ah! We actually had two parents, or three I guess if you're going by bodies."

"Charol can mate with several other species of course, so there could be as few as three or four parents, which would be a typical Charol-Charol or Charol-Other partnership, and up."

"Current recorded bodycount is supposedly one hundred and five, from the Afrik's child with his twelfth Charol bride."

"Our other parent was human, for the record."

"Could have contributed to my flaw."

"Speaking of which, since I assume you don't want to hear another rant, humans were the first other race the Charol discovered, and as such are the ones our race keeps in good terms with the most. Also their scenery is much better then ours. Spent a couple of years there as diplomats and the obsession started to show."

"But enough about us, what about you? Unfortunately we don't know much about the Quatravian homeworld or its people, past what you hear on the holonews."

"We've never been far enough from Charol to ever come near to Vier, what's it like past the turmoil?"

Lisba finishes the pair's drink, motioning to the bartender for another, just as Imperatus walks in. Navers and Lisba turn to him.

"Hey boss, come to join us?"

[Anomaly]

Imperatus gazes across the room for a few moments. A couple of twins talking in unison isn't exactly something you get used to, even if an entire fairly-widespread species is readily able to do such a thing.

"I am," he replies.

Imperatus moves surprisingly quickly and quietly across the room, taking his place next to the twins.

"345th epoch-era Zelenian Ale, vineyards of Sagara if at all possible." Strongest drink he could think of at this point. Not that alcohol has an especially powerful effect on Akrepi in the first place. The strong stuff is practically a necessity.

[ProfessorLizzard]

And just as the disappeared people have returned, we could jump to the shipbuilding part. Look into your pockets: surprise, you all have PDAs! You can use these to communicate with each other. Looks like you have a message from the Ship Factory, it is time to build your ship! They ask you, what kind of ship do you want?

Remember, the shape of your ship is important, and it will have to be chosen before any kind of technical aspects are assigned.

[Schazer]

Commissar likes Tethic (Fish-shaped) spacecraft, but that's just personal opinion.

[ProfessorLizzard]

Standard model: narrow, but long, quite aerodynamic. Popular engine configuration is Retro/Tail Booster, and side Fin Turning&Booster rockets.

[Anomaly]

Imperatus would prefer something resembling the battlecruisers he used to be the captain of. Not particularly large, but extremely maneuverable and well-defended. Or at least somewhat, if the extremely option is unavailable.

[Schazer]

Needs more fins (stabilisers?), according to Commissar. Extending the front end to look more like a hammerhead shark (large curved front viewport and everything) would be cool, as well as making that "jaw" actually moveable. That way, it can swing down and provide a ramped access to the entire bottom third or so of the ship, which can become cargo storage. Crew quarters, ostensibly, in the top half/third/what have you.

[dragonpaul99]

Freight doesn't care much about the shape of the ship as long as it has a sizable engine room. Mounted guns would be cool too.