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Novalist -> RE: writtersroundtable's rpg (1/9/2008 11:40:20 AM)
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Aiden sat back in his chair and winced at the unexpected creak it let out, the cracked rusted shell was being kept upright only by fused bolts and aged determination. The tiny transport was barely flyable and combined with his lack of space know how and navigating skill he could only be supremely thankful he was still alive. Almost twenty years ago it had crash landed on his planet and the elders had kept it preserved as a relic. The former inhabitants were long dead, they had tried to enter Byre and discovered that the atmosphere was not only incompatible with their species it was heavy and the clouds sharp enough to punch pressure holes in their hull. His tribe had reinforced it when they decided to let him leave but no one had truly expected it to ever fly again and the jump to hyperspace had almost torn it apart.
Although Aiden had wanted to explore the galaxy since he was young he had imagined that he would be the one controlling his destination. So when the ship left his atmosphere and he had tried to go right and it had gone left he had been bewildered. He had spent the next couple of hours trying to make sense of the faded picture that had popped up on the cracked navigation screen with a word in another language blinking underneath it. Not to mention the multitude of glowing buttons and panels arrayed in front of him in no apparent order or pattern. Only now looking at the floating city in front of him with its dazzling lights and uncanny resemblance to the fuzzy outline did he realize that the unknown word must have been destination.
Now that he was in normal space again he tried to look at the bright side of things past the frustration that enveloped him. Pulling his fingernails out of the metal sides of the chair they had become embedded in during the harrowing journey through hyperspace he tried to get the tension to seep out of his shoulders and stomach. He was alive, granted he had no idea where he was or how to get back home, he was alive. He did not know how to communicate with the space dock or if this place was even friendly, but he was alive. He wasn't sure if he could breathe their air and didn't want to make the same mistake the former owners had but by all the Bysen elders and children back home he was alive. Narrowing his eyes and focusing on the controls all of his tiny pupils coalescing in his concentration into one he tried to decide what to do. If he inadvertently pushed the wrong button than he might be off again to who knows where and he had the suspicion that if the transport tried another jump to hyperspace he wouldn't be coming out of it in one piece.
He was distracted from his thoughts by a fuzzy static sound that seemed to come from all around him, he was to much a hunter to jump and going through hyperspace had taken most of his fear of dying so he simply cocked his head and followed the rebounding sound waves until he located the source. A blinking light was under the black speaker that was shooting off the sounds as well as a knob that looked like it could be turned. It was far away from the button he had pushed to launch the ship so he presumed it was probably safe to play with. He pushed the blinking button and the static went away until he took his finger off and then it was back. Oh, and the button resumed its blinking...
Aiden turned his attention to the knob and turned it, his eyes widening as the static changed into different squeaks and whistles and then so fast he almost missed it
"sssseeeehsshs-unidentified spacecraft-shshshshshs."
Blinking slowly he turned the knob slowly in the other direction until the somewhat annoyed voice came back and then listened curiously.
"Unidentified spacecraft for the last time which space port do you want to land in and what is your call sign?!"
Aiden feeling proud of himself answered gruffly
"My name is Aiden and I wish to land in the place near food and water so I can replenish my supplies, I do not understand what a call sign is..."
He was interrupted by the male voice still sounding weary and annoyed
"Unidentified spacecraft if you do not answer me in the next couple of minutes I will call the authorities. Please announce your name and where you wish to dock!"
His brow furrowing in concentration Aiden tapped three fingers on the dashboard and then on a spurt of inspiration pushed the blinking button and said nobly
“Hello?”
Some instinct made him let it go in time to hear the male voice sounding reenergized and hopeful
“Hello yourself unidentified spacecraft who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
Grinning at his mastery of the controls and revealing black sharpened teeth Aiden pushed the button down and replied
“My name is Aiden and I would like to land near food and water so I may replenish my supplies.”
What sounded like a weary sigh came through what Aiden vaguely recalled must be the intercom as the other person answered
“Alright Aiden to prevent further annoyance on both of our parts I will guide you to docking bay three-four. It is located next to the food lounge and various hotels the Borka Space Port has to offer its guests. If you don’t mind a five minute wait than I will transfer you over to the docking officials now.”
Aiden pushed the button down and answered in what he was sure was a regal manner besetting a prince of Bysen
“okay.”
“Great,” the voice said sounding brisk and sure “Then I hope you enjoy your stay at Borka Space Port.”
With that the static died away and the little light stopped blinking, Aiden perched on the edge of his seat and contemplated his first contact with a species different than his own. It had gone remarkably well and there hadn’t been any of the unpleasentries that the elders had spoken of. Of course he hadn’t met anyone face to face yet but still it was a good omen. Standing to his full 6ft 7 height he stretched out the kinks stress had built during the flight and communication. A hunter may face danger or find himself in situations that seemed impossible to get out of but he must always appear relaxed and at the ready. He must be in control of his emotions and thoughts at all times and ready for anything. He must make the appearence of readiness a reality.
Anyone could feel fear only the truly courageous could master it and use it to their advantage. No matter how nerve-wracking this all was, no matter what awaited him in the great unknown of Borka Space Port he had to be relaxed and ready not tense and jumping at shadows. He let his hand come to rest fleetingly on the top of the wooden canteen hanging at his hip on the opposite of his ratha vine whip. He could feel the living moisture on the inside of the container and it soothed him, clearing his mind and sharpening his hearing. He heard the incoming static as it traveled in electric signals through the ships wiring before it even hit the speaker the female voice not far behind.
“Aiden this is docking official Sylla do you copy?”
Reaching out to the blinking button he pushed it down and replied
“I hear you Sylla.”
“Good,”
she answered and after a static filled pause continued
“I am sending you the guider signals now they should appear on your navigation screen any moment, it will look like a green path from your ship to where you are supposed to go. Let me know when you receive them.”
Aiden glanced at the cracked navigation screen in time to see it go completely black and then start to flicker rapidly before a glowing green line appeared surrounded by fuzzy outlines and undecipherable alien words. Swallowing hard he pushed the button down on the intercom struggling to mask the uneasiness in his voice
“Uh, Sylla I received it but you see this isn’t my own ship I uh…found it...broken…and I’m not sure how to land it, or how to follow the green line.”
There was a silence on the other end but apparently it didn’t matter to her how he had acquired the ship because he heard her a few minutes later calm and unflustered
“According to my scans you are flying an old skyhopper 360 so there should be a green button under the navigation screen that lit up when I sent you the guider signals. All you have to do is push it and the auto pilot will take you down to the correct port.”
He felt a spurt of true fear as he glared at the little green button that was indeed lit up, pushing the fear down forcefully he stabbed the intercom again
“Are you sure that’s the right button the last time I pushed it the ship jumped into hyperspace and almost tore itself apart, if it does it again then I don’t think you will have to worry about guiding me in to land because I will no longer exist?”
Her response was short and clipped
“I’m sure that is the right one, you will not go anywhere other than the coordinates on the navigation screen. Did you put in coordinates before you pushed last time?”
He shook his head and replied “I don’t know how to put in coordinates in this strange vessel Sylla I simply pushed the button and the ship started flying itself and I couldn’t stop it.”
A static filled pause and then
“Just as I suspected the ships navigational program set up the last known preset flight since you didn’t put in a designated destination. I have set up a destination so it does not need to pull up a preset flight path it already has one loaded.”
Aiden thought about this for a moment but it seemed to make sense and since it seemed to be her job to guide people safely into land he figured he should trust her judgment. So he pushed the green button and sat down in the chair to relax, just in case.
To his surprise and relief after shuddering weakly the transport lurched forward along the green highlighted flight path and he relaxed more.
“You should arrive at the docking port in twenty minutes” Sylla’s voice interrupted his relief with its crisp formality “if at any time you wish to contact me for any reason or problem you may have feel free, I will monitor your progress from here until you dock. Enjoy your stay at Borka Space Port.”
He fingered the pendant hanging from the silver chain around his neck, it vibrated and let out a little buzz as his fingers tapped and smoothed over it and he smiled to himself. Only the fiercest of warriors owned Acura’s they were notoriously hard to make and passed down from generation to generation of elders the rulers of the tribes that inhabited Byre.
They held the secret of his home world’s many forests and glades and it was said if a warrior held one then as long as he was in his prime no beast could kill him. The elder’s of his tribe had bestowed it on him as a gift for they said he would need all his skills as a hunter to survive in the harshness of open space and unpredictability of strange worlds. They had taken him into their counsel and told him why it was so special and how to use it. No other hunter had ever earned one outside of heritage and the honor he had received from their gift was enormous. Sooner than he expected the transport touched down on the landing pad and Sylla disconnected from the intercom wishing him once more a wonderful stay at Borka Space Port and lowering the ramp he got his first look at where other species went for relaxation and vacation.
The ground was moving close to the off ramp and two signs were blinking in garish letters above the sections as they curved out of the docking bay and towards the bright lights and tall buildings visible in the distance. One sign said Food Lounge and the other said Main Street. Aiden looked around and saw more sections of moving ground and a myriad of other signs and noted the people or aliens stepping on them and being carried away to different locations. Following their example he stepped on the one nearest him which said main street and had to spend a couple moments regaining his balance as he promptly moved toward the entrance and out into the overwhelming city of Borka. Buildings so shiny they cast reflections like water even as they shone in vibrant colors of green and blue and purple and orange and red and every color you could imagine. Signs flickered, scrolled, shimmered and hovered everywhere telling passerby where they could get their next fortune, job, desirous items or the best time in their life. One could stand caught up in fascination forever and if the sidewalk hadn’t been moving Aiden would have caused the people behind him to crash into him.
As it was the movement pulled him out of his stupor in time to see what a sign that said ‘RAMSY’S FOOD AND DRINK step right in and experience the galaxy’. Curiosity stoked Aiden stepped off the moving ground and into the darkened interior of the hub. Alien voices murmured to each other from every direction and several entertainment centers stood out against the dark topaz and scarlet backdrop listing special events and bargains going on all over town. Their was a fruity smell that lingered in the air and reminded Aiden of the Pai fruit his mother used to make pies out of back home, the sweet yet tangy fruit that was purple in color and grew from trees. The air was somewhat stuffy and warmer than it was outside it brought to mind the caves where Iryan dragons hid during the night. The reminder that dangerous predators liked dark places made Aiden wary but he stayed relaxed as he made his way to the bar and spoke in the basic that the people over the intercom had used
“I am thirsty what do you sell here?”
The barkeeper a short woman that looked to be about five feet tall with savage orange eyes and spiked purple hair eyed him up and down before she plucked a menu out from under the bar and tossed it in front of him. Her skin tone was completely clear and held a messy reflection of everything around her and her nails resembled tiny mirrors. Inclining his head in thanks he looked at the glossy menu and felt a little lost, the flamboyant pictures seemed clear enough but he wasn’t sure how to read the words written underneath or beside them. The drinks all seemed unpronounceable and he didn’t know if would be able to drink anything without side affects.
“Do you have anything from Byre?”
he asked off-handedly already half sure of the answer. His home world was notorious for its seclusion although it did trade its unique wood and precious water that was the freshest and most expensive anywhere.
Bysen were renowned for being able to purify any water until it was the freshest, cleanest and healthiest in the galaxy. He had never seen the way they packaged the water though so he wouldn’t be able to recognize it. The barkeeper narrowed her eyes at him and then stabbed the menu with one pointed nail and said in a sibilant whisper
“What you’re looking for is right there mister.”
Her voice undulated through several wavelengths each undulation carrying a different inflection, one of annoyance, pity, arrogance, haughtiness and boredom. He looked back down at the menu and saw an orange bottle with Byre Water written in scrawling letters beside it that he hadn’t seen before.
“Thanks,”
he said his pupils had long since separated again so he didn’t need to raise his head to look at her since he was already looking at her, the menu, the empty stool next to him, the entertainment center to his left, and anything that moved all at the same time.
“Do you think I could have one of those?”
She grinned at him revealing tiny shark like teeth and tapped the counter between them
“you show me the credits and I’ll show you the water.”
He nodded the elders had warned him about this, in space his father had said people and aliens alike traded with what was called currency and if you didn’t have any than you didn’t get anything.
“No thanks” he said and pushed the menu towards her “maybe I’ll get some later.”
She snorted and her orange eyes flashing as she snatched it away from him with a flourish. (I’m done)
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