Homesick || IC || Open

[Starphyre77]

Almidi was beginning to get really scared. One moment she was walking down the hallway to meet some friends for shore leave, and the next she was in the middle of a city filled with beings she had never even read about… and she’d read about a LOT. She had tried to ask for help, but no one she approached had given her any useful information. Then, just as suddenly as before she found herself…somewhere else again but unfortunately, this time it was not as smooth a transition.

 

As she abruptly, and painfully, found herself in a pile of beings, she didn’t even try to stop from swearing, “Vawno!” Well, she had tried to yell it, but the landing had knocked the air out of her so the word came out in more of a wheeze. She was unsure as to whether it’d be best to stay in the pile or try to extricate herself but the decision was made for her when a large metal thing started to thrash about.

 

Scrambling on hands and knees she tried to get out of the pile in a direction away from whatever was going on. In her normal state of mind, she would have tried to be cautious of who, or what, she was going over but in that precise moment, the only thing she was aware of was the need to get away. Once out of the pile she didn’t stop until she reached a wall. Unable to try standing, she sat with her back to the wall and holding her, surely to be bruised, arm to her stomach she looked over the writhing and poorly lit mass. Disoriented and afraid, Almidi was in a daze and wasn’t even really processing what she was looking at. Voicing the only thought that could come to her mind, she said, “What…The… Frell?”

Edited January 14, 2017 by starphyre77

[SogYothoth]

Vost and Thinker's combined mind blazed with warnings as they were once again teleported without consent.

 

The ship appeared hovering, half a meter from the platform. After all, it didn't rely on pushing itself away from anything, but rather flux pinning.

 

"Loading Shard Missiles, medium yield. Wide targeting, engaging firing sequence." Vost narrated to Thinker as usual, as the tubes on his bladelike length slid open, the black arrowheads of the missiles glittering menacingly inside. "Vost, wait! They may be allies!" Thinker immediately dropped control of the Proxy to focus on Vost. "Thinker, you are becoming increasingly irrational. If we destroy the device used to accomplish this, we will be free to leave."

 

The missile tubes remained open, but their space-warping fields were inactive. All living and nonliving beings were targeted individually by the point-defence systems, and the Black Shield was ready and at full dispersion capacity.

 

Two humanoids organics stood in front of the large screen. "Primary suspects identified. Issuing verbal threat... Now."

 

"Identify yourselves, or we will reduce everything within 100 kilometers to a molten state." Vost's voice boomed as he created waveforms in the air with the Dataprobe, approximating his mental voice in an audible format.

 

"A more tactful approach would have been superior. What if they refuse to respond to threats?" Thinker gave the impression of a sigh. "Vost, communications and subterfuge are my purpose. If combat is required, that's yours."

[Starphyre77]

Almidi was still trying to get a better grip on both her state of mind and what was going on when the booming threat shook her out of the daze she was in.

 

“Teeg?!” Almidi asked in Kinthran as she got to her feet. Looking around, she identified the two on the platform as the most likely ones who brought her there, but not the source of the voice. Though she very much wanted to know what exactly was going on, the more immediately pressing matter was not being turned to a molten state.

 

She reasoned that such a loud voice could have only come from either the ship or the large robot – or perhaps it was an exo-suit she wasn’t sure – but she couldn’t be certain that they weren’t working with the ones on the platform. Turning so she was facing both the ship and robot as best she could, she held her hands up and in Confederation Basic, she said, “Wait, please.” Hoping that she looked as much of a non-threat as she felt, she took a cautious step forward as she identified herself, “I am called Almidi,” she glanced briefly to the platform, and then back as she continued, “and I would very much like to know what is going on here.”

 

[[Just in case it needs to be said… Confederation Basic = English]]

[Epyon]

Alan leveled his weapon when the strange creature made the roar, though somehow, he thought it was more startled. Mostly because it started acting like a bird who just hit a window pane. Wings flaring, a sound that might've been startled. As a result, he eased his grip and lowered his weapon just enough for it to not be considered an immediate threat. However, when something else portalled in, something that seemed to be another Spartan but the armor type is not anything he's ever seen. His armor is the most rare, other then the funny looking hayabusa armor which literally does almost nothing except make Spartans look like futuristic samurai.

 

Alan would've attempted to identify the other humanoid in the suit, but something seemed off. When the humanoid began to act bewildered, something told him that it was just that. An act, not true bewilderment. It felt like an actor who said a line and then tried to recapture the tone used to reprise it. As a result, he leveled his weapon and behind the visor, his eyes narrowed in distrust. It felt like it was fake. Though granted, everyone processes unexpected events differently, but something nagged at him that this wasn't an unexpected occurrence for the suit. He opened his mouth to issue a challenge, but that's when he was again teleported.

 

He was flopped onto a hard surface, either metal or concrete and he quickly scrambled to his feet to get out of the way when others were portalled in. He spotted two figures in front of a large screen and he looked to them. His weapon was lowered as he didn't think they were much of a threat, they seemed more interested in observing while everyone got their bearings. "What's going on? Who are you?" he asked them.

 

Immediately after, a fighter sized ship issued a warning with the threat of force and he stepped back and snapped his sights on the cockpit "Just you try it and I will make sure you are the first casualty. I don't know what you are, but stand down or I will make you stand down!" he said with enough force that it would make the most hardassed Drill Sergeant proud. He remembered he had a full complement of grenades, three of them being forerunner pulse grenades. He's seen a squad of Spartan's reduced to orange particles of energy which became known as being composed, he wondered what they would do to this thing. He decided to try it, he waited three minutes before he acted. He quickstepped close to the underside of the ship, arming the pulse grenade and throws it in place just forward of the engines. He then jumped back to await the detonation with his weapon at the ready. At best, once the grenade detonates it would reduce the shielding and weaken the ship's integrity. At worst, it'll be composed. He doesn't think that will happen, however, too big of a target.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Epyon

[ValidEmotions]

The woman pursed her lips, looking unfazed by the surge of activity from some of the beings. "I can't believe you brought in a ship," she murmured to her companion, even as said ship began issuing a threat. "Thrax, maybe we should have taken the time to narrow down our parameters," June stated dismissively.

 

Thrax cleared his throat, giving the awkward group on the platform above them a pleasant smile. "Now, if you go incinerating everything you don't understand, you won't get any answers. Will you?" he questioned the autonomous ship. Glancing at the armored soldier who had inquired about names, Thrax hummed. "Hello, Almidi, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Thrax and this is June," he greeted, turning to the feathered humanoid once she introduced herself. Tapping his cheek with a bulbous fingertip, the amphibian took a moment to survey the cluster of bodies.

 

"I'm very sorry about this, everyone!" he started, bowing low in an apologetic gesture. "Oh! Wait! I almost forgot!" Thrax turned his attention back to the device in his hand, aiming it at the group before pressing a serious of buttons. Spreading his hands to that the device laid on his open palms, the contraption opened on the side. Small, bug-like chips hovered out into the air and rushed towards the group, one securing itself on the closest part of each individual. "There we go! Those with flesh probably felt a little pinch. No worries though! It's just a translator. Can't be having any miscommunications between allies now, can we?" Thrax chuckled.

 

June sighed, rolling her eyes. "Oh for the love of -! Let's just get this over with. You're all here because we intercepted a transmission. We're not quite sure why that transmission was sent or just why it involved bringing random beings to this world. Either way, you're here now and we're hoping you'll help us find all the answers. Thing is, we don't have a machine powerful enough yet to send you all back home. So, for now, you're stuck here. We won't force you to stick around but, if you intend to get home, your best bet is with us right now."

 

June started swearing when the armored soldier took out what looked like a star-shaped device and loosed it on the ship. "Don't you dare!" she hollered, glaring at the individual. "That better not be a weapon! If it is, so help me I will blow you to pieces and then you'll never get back home!"

 

Thrax patted June's shoulder. "Now, now. No need to get extreme. Let me," he stated. Bending his knees, the amphibian launched himself into the air, executing a single flip before landing firmly on the platform. Leaping again, he reached a hand out and snatched the device off of the ship's exterior before lighting on his feet. Quickly, he examined the device and inhaled slowly. "Oh bother..." he mumbled, reaching his arm back to pitch the grenade away from the platform.

 

The device exploded, out of harm's reach of the gathered beings. A sphere of orange light expanded from the epicenter before collapsing on itself, unsuccessful in claiming a victim. Clearing his throat again, Thrax wiped his hands down his shirt. "Now then, shall we call a truce?"

[RWyvern]

((woop I'm slow, pin that to the fact we're moving and there's a lotta boxing up to do ;v; )

 

Takhorr craned his head, using his front teeth to try and pick that 'translator' free from his shoulder. As he did so, he did not react to anything else that was said or happened around him, letting his large ears track the conversations.

 

Those ears, being as sensitive as they were, caught the sound of the explosion a little too well, Takhorr's bad eyesight saw a flash of light and his whiskers sensed a brief increase in temperature. Instincts took over for a moment and the nhyrhys arched his spine, the barbs stemming upwards. His tail clung to the edge of the platform.

 

A false alarm, as the explosion never reached him and died down shortly after. Takhorr's whiskers vibrated, scoping out the environment again.

 

"Now then, shall we call a truce?"

 

At that, Takhorr sprung to action, darting to the platform's edge from where he could see both the weird creature standing up there with them, and the one further away. His right paw, already strange in and of itself, performed an even stranger gesture. It probably didn't take much thinking to take it as being offensive.

 

"A truce?" The amount of scorn in Takhorr's voice was... unnerving. "Hooray, you saved me from certain death. But no, no truces." It was hard to tell if Takhorr was angry or amused by all this. "The only one I ever agreed to didn't end well and you are an awful shifty lookin' lot to begin with. All of you." Takhorr waved his tail in a generalised gesture and began to attempt to let himself off the platform, searching for a dark place he could lurk. "I'll be leaving now. Thanks for the rescue and the meeting."

[skwerl56767]

((*Fails to make a short post.* Mostly reactions, important interactions are at the bottom. Sorry guys, I'm trying to make my posts shorter so they aren't such text walls. >.<))

 

Things were just growing stranger by the minute. With so much going on, I only picked out things that might be threatening; a sudden, loud voice in a demanding tone was enough of a threat.

I whirled around and locked my turrets on a floating piece of metal; the ship that had fallen on me earlier. It had recovered rather fast. It also had what looked like rocket launchers opened up and prepared. Did it seriously intend to kill us all?

" Don't do anything or I'll tear you apart." I threatened calmly; not that it mattered, it was in the wrong language.

" Let's not start anything yet..." Cyrii warned, growing tense. " This room isn't big enough to maneuver around an entire ship."

I doubt this thing is being friendly. I stated.

" Yeah? Unless you can change your power-jumping pistons to only send you five feet instead of fifty, I doubt you'll be attacking it anytime soon."

This frustrated me, but I didn't respond.

An armored humanoid that had teleported in with us - presumably just as confused - began threatening the ship back; oddly enough, in the same language that our first alien encounter had. It seemed this language was pretty much universal, so learning it was a must. The structure made no sense to me though...

 

" What's he doing?" Cyrii mused randomly.

Who?

" That amphibian over there."

I took my eye off the situation between the ship and the humanoid just long enough to see the "Nevone" bowing oddly and talking; same language, like before. It was starting to annoy me that I couldn't understand a word he said. He then did something with the device he held, causing it to open. Suddenly, minute objects whirled out from it and rushed toward us.

Weapons! My immediate response, but I was too slow to do much about it; by the time I re-locked my turrets something had stuck to my hull and fixed itself there. I stiffened up and stumbled back. What in the-?!

" Hold up, I think it's doing something!" Cyrii barked, trying to get me to stand still as I attempted to shake off the object. Right where I couldn't reach it!

It IS doing something! It's transmitting something to me and chances are it isn't good!

" Wait! It's not sending data, just an empty signal."

You have to be kidding me. I stopped shaking and glared into space. First the Nevone is not a threat. Then he STICKS me with something, and the THING isn't a threat. Listen to yourself.

" Don't get snappy at me, I'm trying to figure out what it's emitting!... It's not interfering with anything, so it can't be a cyber attack of any kind. it's almost as if..."

What? I was growing increasingly annoyed.

The Nevone's bizarre language suddenly began to parse itself, as if he decided to switch languages mid-sentence.

 

" -Orcantbeehav - bzzt - ing any miscommunications between allies now, can we?"

I started. Cyrii's presence pulled back in surprise. " No way..."

So. The Nevone does speak in our language. I decided bitterly.

" No. The sound waves we're receiving are different somehow. I think that thing stuck to you is a translator! Besides, he isn't even a Nevone, Nevone don't wear... what the heck is he wearing, anyway?"

I studied the Nevone for a bit. I didn't know or care about what he was wearing, only about why we were here in the first place and why he referred to us as "allies". I didn't know any of these people, and for half of them, not their species either. Luckily, the one being that was with him when we entered had some answers, although she seemed exasperated.

" Let's just get this over with." She began, her voice coming through the translator clearly. As she began to talk, Cyrii sat in silence while I digested the information. Random transmission? From who? How in the world did it lead to teleporting us here?

When the woman finished speaking, Cyrii's best response was " Huh?". I receded into my thoughts, thinking about the Empire back on planet Zirhon; the war we were fighting, and the dangerous game Cyrii and I played in trying to keep me from being scrapped despite her installing her latest... "inventions" on me. The strict rules we were skirting.

 

" Are you okay with this??" Cyrii read my thoughts.

It's no less dangerous. I said simply.

" Well, I'm not okay with it. What if the Empire finds us, or one of our allies? What would we say? We don't even know where we are, nevertheless how we were teleported! You know the Empire, we're going to picked and prodded for every last detail; not knowing the details is a huge risk, and the mere fact that we're probably not even on our own planet anymore is going to raise some eyebrows!"

I knew she was right. The Empire was extremely finicky. Even the implication of treason by being teleported to some strange place and allying yourself with a bunch of strangers could have you written off as defective and scrapped overnight. An unpleasant thought.

Supposedly we have no choice but to work with these people in order to even return to the Empire. I pointed out.

" I still don't like - WATCH OUT! ARMED EXPLOSIVE!"

I came back to reality immediately. I spotted an object being thrown off the platform - when did the Nevone come up here? - and backed myself into a safe corner, shutting my blast iris. There was an explosion and some verbalized alarm before I raised the shield again.

Did we take damage? I asked Cyrii right away.

" No..." She exhaled. I looked over the tense group of aliens. No one was hurt, but we were all pretty distraught. Who threw that?! If this was some kind of confusion tactic, then by my circuits I was going to destroy every last...

" We're fine, Fiddlesticks, we're fine! Stop filling up the command prompt so much! By Gryn, I need to poke at your code more, you have some anger issues."

DON'T TOUCH MY CODE.

 

" Now then, shall we call a truce?" The Nevone looked concerned. I came out of my corner where it was more open, cautiously eying the ship and the armored humanoid. Things were still tense, but I was prepared to fight; I just needed to keep an eye on them.

" Truce?" I echoed aloud, looking between the two. I didn't sound any different than I did before. "Youja" meant "truce", and that's what I said, so if the response was positive then the translator must be working. A sneer started up from my right, and I spotted one of the more alien creatures on the platform looking at everyone scornfully and speaking in distrust before taking his leave. I processed his words; he had a good point. Neither Cyrii nor I had any reason to trust anyone here. At the same time, I wasn't about to take spontaneous teleportation as casually as he did. I swiveled to face the "Nevone" (I really needed to start collecting names on these people).

" Why should we trust you? Or any of us with one another?" I asked bluntly. " I recognize none of you and quite honestly, you look like an Enemy race." I referred to the amphibian again. " I shouldn't be letting you stand in front of me."

Edited January 18, 2017 by skwerl56767

[SogYothoth]

Thinker spoke this time, his voice high and clearly different from Vost's. "I apologize for my companion's words. I assure you he would not have been able to act on his threat."

 

Thinker allowed the translator device to pass through the Black Shield unhindered. Though it was redundant, it was a show of good faith. Vost busied himself with dissecting every facet of its operation using the Dataprobe and his sensors.

 

And then Alan moved. To Vost and Thinker's combined mind, he was a statue. It was all Thinker could do to restrain his mechanical counterpart from unleashing the point-defence on him. At this range, even on low power, it would very likely kill most of the beings in the confined space.

 

So they allowed the events to play out.

 

Vost tuned the Black Shield to negate only the grenade's forward momentum, stopping it dead in the air and allowing it to fall to the ground, as Thrax moved in to catch it.

 

"That was your fault, Vost." Thinker said once again internally, with just a tinge of snark in his voice.

 

He spoke again to the outside world. "Please do not attempt something similar again." He directed towards Alan, the soundwaves being aimed specifically in his direction. "A truce may be beneficial, to prevent further incidents. However, you have given us no reason for you to be trusted. In fact, many of your actions may be interpreted as hostile."

[Starphyre77]

Almidi’s fear was starting to turn into the early stages of anger. Among several things, she wasn’t happy about the translator bug-like thing and was about to ask to have it removed since she already had a Confederation translator. She changed her mind, though, when something that was said had her wondering if they were, in fact, not on a Confederation planet. That would answer some questions, she thought, but raise many others.

 

She was also confused when the voice from the ship mentioned a ‘companion’ as she couldn’t fathom how more than one person could comfortably fit in a ship that size, not even if they were diminutive beings. However, those thoughts were put on pause when what appeared to be an armored person – a soldier she guessed by his actions – attacked the ship.

 

In the resulting chaos, Almidi could only duck down and cover her head with her arms. With the explosion over, she stood up again as she irritably brushed her feathers out of her face. While she knew she had a hair stick in her pants pocket and could put her feathers up, at that moment she was too intrigued by actions of the long reptilian creature as he took his leave, or at least tried to. Not to mention the fact that with everything else going on around her, feathers in her face were the least of her concerns.

 

“If I may ask; just to see if I understand this correctly…” She said looking first to June, then to Thrax and then back to June. “You have brought us here without our consent, for reasons you either do not know or do not understand, and now we are essentially your hostages if we hope to return home?” She couldn’t help but briefly think of her family and friends as she figured she’d have already been reported as missing. With a gesture to the robot she added, “The robot has a very valid question. What possible reason would we have to trust you, or each other? Also, I do not presume to speak for anyone else, but please do not do anything else to me without my consent…” her tone turned a bit hard, “ever again.” Almidi may not like conflict, but these two had been rather dismissive of, as near as she could tell, everyone on that platform.

[ValidEmotions]

Groaning, Phaenon blinked in an attempt to refocus his vision. Staring at a dark wall, the grygon hummed with uncertainty. There was noise and movement around him, provoking him to test his own body for potential injuries. It didn't seem like there were any and he was simply in an awkward position. Untangling himself, he twisted and rolled onto all fours, lifting his wings upward to stretch them without accidentally hitting anything. "Now, what's all this?" he grunted.

 

Turning his head, he caught sight of tense events unfolding. A pinch in his left hip made him twist his head. A moment later, he began to understand the multitude of strange sounds as actual words. Well, whatever was stuck to his flesh certainly solved the 'foreign languages' issue. Sweeping his gaze across the oddly assembled group, Phaenon nodded his head slowly in mild agreement with the skepticism that seemed to float through the air.

 

"If you want to leave, we're not stopping you," June muttered, waving dismissively at the nay-sayers, rolling her eyes at the lanky reptile that tried leaving. "We just thought you might be interested in figuring out a way home. And, sorry Princess," she sneered at the feather-haired woman. "Next time, I'll let you be at the unfortunate end of a misunderstood encounter just to avoid crossing your lack of consent," she humphed.

 

"Now, June. Be nice, sweetheart. They're just scared and trying to process what's happened to them," Thrax soothed. Smiling apologetically at the group, he chuckled. "Honestly, don't mind her. She means quite well. Her temperament is just on the rougher side," he explained. "Anyways! Your questions? It's true, June and I do not have an immediate reason for you to just trust us. At least not one you'll perfectly understand at this very moment. Truthfully, we don't know why a transmission was sent to teleport the lot of you, nor even where. But we felt it was necessary to take a chance to ensure your safety."

 

Glancing at the robot that had mentioned 'an enemy race', Thrax titled his head. "Do I? I hail from the planet Urium, a member of a species known as Kreadred," he informed. "June here," he swept his hand in her direction. "Is from the planet, Chaes. She's part of the Claen species."

 

"I thought she was human..." Kristi spoke up at last, right hand pressed against her collarbone where the translator had embedded itself. Feeling a few extra sets of eyes on her, she shifted her feet. Megan stood next to her, her twin still muttering silently about the translator sticking itself to their forehead. "Where are we?" she asked.

 

"We're on the planet Alehs, home to the largest intergalactic city, where any creature can come and stay as long as they adhere to the truce that was made," June answered. "Now, shall we continue with the introductions or do individuals want to take their leave?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

 

For a moment, Kristi hesitated, glancing around at the others and wondering what everyone would do. Finally, "I'm Kristi. This is my sister, Megan. We're Humans, from Earth," she stated.

 

Clearing his throat, Phaenon lifted his head high and smiled pleasantly. "Pleased to meet all of you. I am Phaenon, a majestic Grygon from Aclosie."

Edited January 26, 2017 by Narvix

[skwerl56767]

So the translators were working, then. Although now that I understood the others' words, I wasn't sure if anything had become less tense; the humanoid that worked with the Nevone had a sharp temper.

I wonder who that reminds me of. I thought. Cyrii snorted, knowing she was guilty.

" Don't pull that. You're just as bad."

When the Nevone mentioned safety, I grew concerned; what exactly did he mean by that? Was there a threat somewhere? He then looked at me and explained he was something I have never heard of before, and his humanoid companion too.

Cyrii-

" Yeah yeah, I'm on it! I can hear too, you know." She quieted into grumbling. " Urium, Chaes, Urium, Chaes..." As she dug around in my archives, I simply studied the Kreadred, making note of minute differences between him and my data on Nevones; it would worth knowing later when the distinction would become necessary. Then I had a moment of confusion:

"I thought she was human..." The words of the being I had first met - now standing composed - when I was teleported off of Zirhon. I looked at her; she and June indeed looked very similar... so this being must be a Human?

With Cyrii preoccupied with researching my database, I took note of the Human and Claen differences myself. This was all valuable information!

 

It didn't end. June proceeded to tell us where we were, and then names and origins were being shared! I took note of everything, recording it verbatim; planet Alehs... largest intergalactic city... truce manifests the peace...

" Nothing on these species. They're completely foreign." Cyrii reported, sounding a bit relieved. I saved my information and stowed it within the database, quickly opening up a new file to record personal information. " Wow.... you're really going nuts, huh? So, should we tell them?"

Tell them? I saved and stashed that file as well.

" Who we are."

I immediately grew tense; I had a good reason for recording this stuff; it's sensitive information. But even more sensitive to me was the fact that Cyrii existed; no one should know about her aside from myself. Too many bad things could happen!

Cyrii watched my thoughts closely. " You're obvious... so we'll just tell them about you. We'll worry about me later."

But-

" I trust them. They're just neutrals. And we've verified that the Nevone is not actually a Nevone. Only the ship and that armored guy have really done anything so far."

I glanced at the mentioned beings, trying to assure myself that staying silent would only cause problems.

" I..." I began. " Am Fiddlesticks. From planet Zirhon."

Cyrii burst out into muffled snickers in my head. What?

" I expected you to give them your model number, not your name!"

I looked up at the ceiling, a bit embarrassed about my mistake. " Model number 767..." I mumbled. Not wanting the goofy reveal to linger on their minds, I added to the Kreadred: " Sorry about before, I mistook you for a Nevone. They're a similar-looking race, and aren't quite as nice."

Edited January 26, 2017 by skwerl56767

[RWyvern]

So many names being thrown around, so much information. By Knagua's controversial hand, these creatures had some ridiculous imagination. Takhorr rolled his eyes, scratching his head with a single, long finger. 'To ensure your safety', he had heard.

 

Well, they certainly had ensured his safety.

 

It was in a nhyrhys' instincts to preserve their own skin at all costs. Hence, he took much of what was happening in stride - might as well have fun in a fever dream than be forced to accept death. Nevertheless, it was too noisy, too bright, too dry, and he felt short of breath.

 

Eh, he'll go with the stupid little truce. And then take his leave. But first...

 

Takhorr let himself slide forward with the smooth, silky movements of a stoat, approaching the 'human' things to size them up. They were nearly twice his height, yet smaller than him. Potential prey, maybe? ... Nah, not until they annoyed him a bit more.

 

He gave the nearest 'human' a thin smile, broad and forked tongue sliding over his teeth.

 

"You want my name? Takhorr. It means 'sleight of hand'. I hail from Kour, or specifically, the Northern Hemisphere, or specifically, the Khasry Range." He raised a paw, using the longest finger to pull his lower eyelid down, and tilted his head in a mocking manner.

 

"'To ensure your safety' you said. The intervention was timely, I'll give you that. But you still ****ed up. I had a beautiful harem of females waiting for me back in the colony. Tonight was going to be good. Coulda dropped me elsewhere."

 

He sneered and gave the 'humans' back some personal space, giving a snide look at the many other weirdos behind him. Metallic things that kinda resembled old, collapsing structures back in Kour, a feathered beast that almost looked like a deformed griffon... He was the only normal one here, Takhorr figured.

Edited January 27, 2017 by rampaging wyvern

[Starphyre77]

At June’s words, Almidi’s cheeks flushed a darker grey, but she held her tongue as Thrax intervened. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to be reassuring, but the more she heard the more concerned she became. She had so many questions but since these people appeared to be her only means home, she didn’t want to risk angering them – or more specifically, her – so she decided to keep the questions to herself for the moment.

 

As she listened to the others, she also made some mental notes. She worked alongside humans, so they were the ones she at least had an understanding of. The rest, however, were of species she had no knowledge of and she was quite fascinated. She too had thought June was a human, and tact was clearly not among her skill-set. She wondered if ‘Fiddlesticks Model number 767’ was what she should call it, or did the pause indicate that it had a preferred nickname. Takhorr seemed to be one to be cautious of.

 

She knew she had already said who she was, but that was before the translators so she didn’t know who all had understood. “I am called Almidi,” she said, “and I am of tegni Nemar on the planet Mojhar.” She then looked at Thrax and added, “If I may ask. You spoke of our safety, but can you tell me…my crewmates and the ship; are they all right?”

 

[ValidEmotions]

Kristi stumbled a step backwards as Takhorr slithered too close, her hand finding Megan's arm and gripping tightly. "Don't worry about him," Megan drawled, looking the least bit fazed. "He's just upset that none of the females would even bother if he were the last male alive. Besides, you have to compensate somehow if you think you're the only normal one around."

 

Phaenon snickered at the quip and glanced at the shorter, dragon-like beast. "You might want to reconsider your attitude. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

 

 

"Do you prefer Fiddlesticks or M.N. 767?" Thrax inquired, smiling faintly. "That's quite alright. I expected some confusion of any sort when everyone arrived. The universe is impressively large, I'm not surprised you mistook me for something else," he stated.

 

Waving dismissively about the matter, he started to open his mouth when June cut him off to address Takhorr. "Would you have liked a volcano better?" June asked, her tone sweetened but sharply edged.

 

Thrax frowned, lightly elbowing the female as he rolled his eyes. "Enough, June. Perhaps you should let me handle things from here?"

 

"What? I'm tired of the ungrateful snark. If some creatures just don't want to sit down and behave, then I'll send them to the Principal's office," she remarked, shooting a glare at the reptilian beast.

 

A sigh left Thrax's lungs as he shook his head. "Just, hush darling. You're not helping the situation yourself." Clearing his throat and speaking a bit louder to address the group, the Kreadred clasped his hands behind his back. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Almidi," he started, turning his gaze upon the female. "I can't say I know for certain the fate of your crew. I do know, however, that the transmission was solely for you. So, by logic, your friends must be unaffected except by the mere fact that you are missing to them. Hopefully, we can get everything sorted out and have you all back where you belong in no time."

 

June reached her arms out and clapped her hands together, slowly pulling them apart as sparks of light began to fly from her fingertips. "Alright then! Let's get out of this stuffy place, shall we? We've got a larger location that everyone can fit in and get comfortable while we learn more about what's going on," she explained. Her arms now shoulder-width apart, a nearly transparent oval of light throbbed before her. Inhaling deeply, June grunted a moment later and flicked her hands upward.

 

The portal rushed several feet away from her and expanded significantly, reaching almost as high as the ceiling. Through it, a blurred image of an open area could be seen. "Step right through, ladies, gents, and others! It's your doorway to a happy, humble abode! That is, if humble meant giant, ****ing facility. We've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty, who-zits and what-zis galore," June boasted in a sing-song voice.

 

"No, but seriously," June went on more seriously - and sourly. "Either step through now or not at all. Do you know how ****ing difficult it is to hold open a doorway this big?"

 

"Right, then!" Thrax started quickly, patting June's shoulder gently before motioning towards the portal. "We'll start analyzing things at the new location. Don't worry. It's just outside of the city, still within its truce boundaries." As if to show good faith, Thrax hopped through first.

[Starphyre77]

Almidi still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation, so she watched the others’ exchange with only curiosity showing in her expression. Being honest with herself, she didn’t disagree with the assessment of Takhorr…Well, perhaps excluding the ‘last male’ part, but that was only because she didn’t have enough information on his species to be able to make such a call.

 

She was at least slightly comforted by the fact that the people back home were most likely not in danger. She was trying to sort her thoughts, but then found herself thoroughly enthralled by the ‘doorway’ that June had ‘opened’. She was familiar with teleportation but as far as she knew it involved large and complex machinery and was certainly not anything like this. Once again, she had many questions, not the least of which was how June was doing this and why it would be difficult. However, she realized it still wasn’t the time for questions so she simply approached the door, albeit a little hesitantly.

 

She wondered briefly whether or not she wanted to step through, but she also knew it was her only hope of returning home. At least this isn’t without our consent, she thought. Looking back to June she gave a small nod as she said, “Thank you,” and then she followed Thrax. She didn’t know what to expect, but she fervently hoped the landing on the other side would be smoother, and less painful, than the last one.

Edited February 21, 2017 by starphyre77

[skwerl56767]

I shut my blast shield, digesting the situation. This reptilian creature "Takhorr" looked like the slippery type, so it would be worth keeping an eye on him. I could worry about the ship and the other soldier later; I at least knew how to deal with that kind of technology. Thrax's bubbly attitude made it hard to not trust him. Almidi... I had nothing to gauge her against, but she didn't seem any more threatening than the Humans in the room.

I was starting to feel more comfortable around these strangers, confident that if a fight did break out I would be able to stand my ground against them. Except maybe the ship. That would take some maneuvering.

 

" Do you prefer Fiddlesticks or M.N. 767?" Thrax asked politely. I raised my blast shield and looked at him, back to the embarrassment of my mistake.

" Whichever you prefer..." I said slowly. " I don't mind."

" This is when it catches on and EVERYONE calls you Fiddlesticks." Cyrii barked out a laugh.

Is that a bad thing? I wondered. What does that even mean, anyway?

Cyrii just grinned.

Seriously, I want to know. I prodded, but my curiosity was diverted when June called for everyone's attention.

" Alright then! Let's get out of this stuffy place, shall we?" She made an odd gesture, like a slow clap, and a light began to form between her hands. I backed up a bit. " We've got a larger location that everyone can fit in and get comfortable while we learn more about what's going on."

" What the...?" Cyrii echoed my own shock.

An electrostatic weapon? I wondered, quickly strafing out of June's way just in case. She wasn't pulling her arms apart very wide; more like she was about to go for a hug. In the little time I've known June though, I doubt she intended to hug anything... But if it was a weapon, the pose wasn't the best for it.

 

June, with the ball of electricity and light still between her palms, suddenly threw the anomaly upward, causing me to recoil and almost trod on Phaenon.

" Sorry!" I apologized immediately.

" Relax, you didn't step on him." Cyrii assured.

I can't feel anything. Remember that boulder? I pointed out, glancing at the creature just to be sure.

" That took out your leg and made you crash into that Fighter mech? Yeah, I remember that." She snickered. " Also, you do have a pain layer in there somewhere."

I mentally sighed and ignored her - even though she was right about the "pain layer" sandwiched in my hull - and instead studied the light anomaly before me. It was like a window to another place, but June was keeping her stance... Then she says she's holding it open for us? A doorway?

I'm not going to lie to you, the idea that some alien somewhere else in the universe could just wave a portal into existence when we've been failing to make one for years is utterly demeaning. It might be worth observing June more often for leads on how she does it...

 

Cyrii looked upon the portal with fascination, and Thrax, with his persistent optimism, willingly jumped through it with some verbal encouragement; Almidi followed behind him more cautiously. I debated going through the portal; it was big enough for me, but it was conjured by a stranger leading to a strange place. Should I really trust it? What if something -

" Just go already!" Cyrii snapped.

- happened to you? I finished the thought.

" Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I've always been fine!"

Every situation where she said that and almost died flickered through my mind, and she impatiently pushed on my controls, making me jerk forward.

Okay, you'll be fine! I said, not assured in the slightest. If this did anything to Cyrii I would kick myself forever...

I watched Almidi go through the portal. It seemed safe enough, assuming the blurry scene in it depicted where it led. I studied the portal one last time, before lunging through; hopefully the change was instantaneous and wouldn't affect us in any way.

Edited March 2, 2017 by skwerl56767

[TehUltimateMage]

No sooner had she pronounced the word 'weird' the world turned upside-down again and even with her catlike sense of balance Erin tumbled to the concrete floor in a heap that pushed the air out of her lungs. She managed just barely to roll to the side and avoid getting crushed by several piles of metal clanging onto the ground and creating a general cacophony. Removing herself from the pile discreetly was a good plan, as some of the mechanical creatures reacted with hostility. When she tried to back up more, she realized with a full body shock that there was no more solid ground behind her.

 

As her eyes adjusted to the lower light she slowly got up, silent but with her eyes trained on the beings below the platform -- one a chubby woman, the other a frog furry. They seemed like they knew what as going on, compared to the beings on the platform itself, but it was hard to say what was 'normal' in this strange dream, especially if the technicolor people from the last scene had anything to do with it.

 

Something flew her way; she tried to dodge it but the translator chip clipped onto her right ear with a brief sting. She touched it with her hand, but despite the occasional fuzz in the audio, the thing worked as advertised. Except, she couldn't understand half the alien terms slung around to which there was no english equivalent. At the very least, the person she met earlier (and the twin they were looking for) were both also human. Familiar faces in a sea of tails, wings, and turrets.

 

"Erin," she muttered. She wasn't too keen on sharing her identity, and hoped the words were lost in the confusion. "Human."

 

The blonde woman -- who turned out to be some other alien species, supposedly, projected up a portal to their next location, like the portal paintings in that N64 game. You want thingamabobs? I got twenty, Erin completed to herself. Huh. Maybe the world wasn't so foreign after all.

 

While it was nice of them to not teleport everyone without their consent, Erin slipped forward and skipped through near a corner, fully expecting to slam against the picture as if it were a glass wall.

 

 

[ValidEmotions]

[[bumping this up for myself for tomorrow. Sorry about the wait guys!]]

[ValidEmotions]

"Sorry!"

 

Phaenon sidestepped out of harm's way as the walking robot jerked backwards, quickly uttering an apology to him. Smiling, sharp teeth showing, the grygon shook his head and chuckled. "No worries. Why so on edge?" he asked. Though, he didn't really get an answer as it went through the portal before he could even finish his question.

 

With the exception of a few (such as the armored humanoid and the ship), it seemed like everyone was going through - albeit with some trepidation. Lifting his head and stretching out his wings, Phaenon shook out his body before hugging all four wings against his flanks. He hurried through, catching a glimpse of strain on June's round face.

 

What he saw, on the other side, was expansive. A grassy plain stretched out as far as he could see, heading westward from the edge of the city. Just to his right, he spotted what could only be 'the facility'. Mostly off-white in color, he could pick out a few details such as a dark green trim on the building and a grey, flat roof. There was a slab of stone in front, a picture of interconnected circles and some strange sigil in the center. He couldn't read what was scrawled in odd lines beneath the image but he could guess it was a name.

 

"Welcome, everyone! This is Home Base, the corporate building of Shibdu - our place of employment. Shibdu is a research facility, focusing on technology and biology. Specifically, we're working on travel technology and how it can affect organisms," Thrax informed. Waving for everyone to follow, he started walking towards the building. "It has seven floors, of which you'll have access to two: the ground floor and basement level one. Basement levels two through seven are restricted to those who have security access. I hope you understand," he explained.

 

"When we get inside, you'll be allowed free roam of the top two floors while June and I report back to our superior. Hopefully, we shouldn't take longer than a few hours. When we're finished, we'll meet you all in the Conference Hall. So, feel free to eat, rest up, and mingle as you desire," Thrax finished, pressing a button on the outer wall of the facility.

 

A set of wide doors eased open, swinging inward to allow entry. Phaenon noticed that he needed to duck his head in order to pass through. But the inside of the building was taller than the doorway, allowing him to lift his head comfortably.

[skwerl56767]

Going through the portal was a surprisingly-easy transition; no fancy colors or flair here. My ears flared automatically so my defenses were prepared for whatever we might face, and my cameras readjusted to the new light. It took a few seconds, but I soon found myself standing on a stone slab in front of an isolated building. An immense field of green spread out to the left, and the building flanked us to the right: a grey-and-white complex, which only seemed to have one level.

I quickly assessed the portal behind me, but Phaenon had come through which blocked my view, so I simply stepped further out onto the slab and looked around. We appeared to be on the outskirts of the city, and my gaze lingered on the massive stretch of green around us.

Cyrii shifted uncomfortably in my head.

Still used to the badlands? I asked her.

" What kind of world has this much green? It's unnatural." She muttered. " Grasslands are taller and more brown than this."

It looks cultivated. I said uncertainly. She only responded with an uncomfortable growl; the lush grass only reminded her that the air outside was fatally toxic.

 

I turned and saw Thrax eagerly explaining our location, and again I opened up an internal file to immortalize the information. Neither the complex, its name, or its insignia were related to anything I knew, so it was worth remembering. Hearing that it was mostly a scientific building was interesting, but it also made me antsy; Cyrii knows how I react to boredom. Hopefully they had a shooting range or something so I could at least occupy myself. Her, on the other hand... well, first things first is figuring out how to breathe and if they had any edible minerals here. Then she might wreak some havoc on a nearby computer...

" HEY! I don't 'wreak havoc'!" She interrupted my thoughts in pretend offense.

Then what do you call your code prodding? I teased, giving Thrax a small nod in acknowledgement when he mentioned the restricted floors. I doubted I would fit in the underground corridors, anyway.

" Just because I code doesn't mean I cause problems." Cyrii continued.

Cyrii. I said.

" Yeah?"

You're a hacker. You cause problems.

She barked out a laugh. " Look who's talking, Ms. Mows People Down."

I saved my new database file in amusement and let Thrax wave me into the building, letting curiosity lead me. The door looked a little short, but a simple crouch put a few inches of clearance between me and the frame...

Bonk. Somehow I was stopped from entering. I looked through the door in confusion.

Huh??

" Your ears." Cyrii smirked; she didn't bother manually collapsing them. I huffed and did it myself; I forgot I had those up just in case.

 

Inside the building it was tall enough to stand straight and still have plenty of room (enough to flare my ears back up), and it was just as airy and bright as outside. It was a large, shiny, sterile lobby, but not unwelcoming; a few alien scientists were walking about and guards casually idled by different doors in the room, but what really caught my attention was the giant fish tank in front of me.

Water hazard. Don't get me wrong, it was cool, how big it was and how it wrapped around through the corridors ahead, both to the left and to the right, and some rather amazing lifeforms were swimming in it, but I only felt anxious about the huge amount of water that tank held.

" Thinking about going for a swim?" Cyrii joked, checking the detailed sensory data I was picking up.

What? No! I hissed. Do you know how dangerous that is?! One loose wire-

" Yeah yeah, I know, and then we're all dead. Relax, the diagnostic says you have no loose wires. Besides, it's made of thick glass, isn't it?"

 

Now it was my turn to growl in discomfort, edging to the left away from the tank despite the interesting organisms inside. Cyrii inched a cursor a little to the right, forcing me to look toward a desk in the middle; a reception desk, most likely. Its occupant - a personable-looking humanoid with iridescent fins - had looked up at us when we entered, but didn't seem bothered at all. I could tell by Cyrii's acute focus that she was seeing something though, not just that she intended to divert my attention.

It's the computer, isn't it?? I asked, referring to the holographic panel fin-lady was using.

" Huh? No. It's nothing." She denied.

Would you like to take a closer look?

" No."

But Cyrii, you might learn so much from it...

" Don't tempt me!" She playfully smacked my control panel.

What? I feigned innocence.

" Look, go... Go ask that amphibian guy if they have respirators or something here."

Right. Priorities. Luckily Thrax was still by the door, so all I had to do was peek outside and find him waving the others in. But how to word the question... Cyrii may be loud in my head, by I had to keep her anonymous to everyone else, especially since we had no idea if the Empire had spies on this planet...

" Thrax, on my world..." I hesitated, before wording it more carefully: " Zirhon has a carbon dioxide atmosphere. But this world doesn't. I don't need it right away, but is there a place where I can... restock air? Like a bioplant?"

Edited April 20, 2017 by skwerl56767

[TehUltimateMage]

She met no resistance through the portal and on the other side was a lush green field with a city in the distance. They could have dropped them closer to the unassuming building right over there, but whatever. She guessed it was a little impressive, since none of the top scientists had cracked the magical secret to wormholes just yet. (What was even more impressive was how they worked on her, of all people.)

 

Now that it was suddenly dawning on her that the multiverse theory might actually be true and that she wasn't just having a fever dream, Erin decided that now might be a good time to embrace just how strange everything was.

 

Not that she had a choice. They were literal prisoners, until their captors quote unquote 'figured it out'. If they really wanted to, the lady and the frog's organization could keep them here indefinitely. She'd never heard of the organization Shibdu. An organization that studies the effects of travel on organisms? No thank you. Not again. Erin would rather not be examined as a test subject. If they tried anything, she considered breaking the agreement and simply leaving.

 

Erin didn't think anyone would miss her much in her home universe. Mother might give a call on the ancient landline at her tiny apartment, but Erin never answered the thing anyway. The young woman was more worried about paying the rent on time if she were to be away for more than a month.

 

They got to the facility's grand double height doors faster than she anticipated. It was one floor, but seemed to stretch far underground, where scientists did... sciency things. Having nothing else for their guests to do, their hosts just dumped them into the main hall for them to kill some time... Curiosity and a sense of adventure tugged at her. Perhaps she could try to sneak into some of the lower floors? She filed the thought away for later.

 

If she didn't live in a city shared with dragons, she might have been surprised by the sheer immensity of the room. Although, she was impressed by the size of the aquarium. Hard to tell if some of the things in the tank were simply undiscovered species, or truly alien.

 

The bird-dragon nearby was easily twice as tall as her, but was a little more familiar in shape than the machine-dominated aspects of certain other beings. "My world," she started, this being the first time she projected her voice in a month and it was a little croaky, "My world has a lot of creatures similar to you."

[Starphyre77]

While following the Thrax to the building, Almidi was trying her best to not look like an excited youngling. Of course, she was aware that she was failing miserably, but she was trying. The sigil on the ground caught her attention for a moment, but figured it would also be featured on a wall or stationary inside in a form that would be easier to study. However, once inside the sigil was pushed to the back of her mind as a ‘to study later’ thought as she looked around in wonder.

 

What had her awed wasn’t the fact that there were various different species in the lobby, but rather that these beings were ones she had never even read about. This meant that she was not only most likely the first Kinthran to encounter them, but the first from the entire Confederation to do so. Oh, the information I could bring back, she thought as she reached into a pocket and pulled out her personal data pad. While making a quick recording of the lobby, she lingered a bit more on the fish tank.

 

Putting the pad back in her pocket, she marveled at the aquarium and wondered if the bottom formed part of the ceiling of the floor below so that one could see the creatures swimming above them. As she looked around the lobby once more to see which direction might lead to the second floor, she also noted that the guards easily marked the areas that were restricted to them and she couldn’t help but wonder what could be found behind them…

 

With so many new things to see and learn about, Almidi was actually a little overwhelmed and unsure what to do first. She overheard M.N. 767’s question to Thrax, and couldn’t help but wonder why a robot would need air. She was also a little confused by what Erin said to Phaenon for the Earth she knew did not have any beings like Phaenon…other planets had somewhat similar beings, but not Earth. So, did that mean that Erin was from a ‘different’ Earth or a different world entirely?

 

Though she was curious, she didn’t want to eavesdrop on the others’ conversations, so she made a decision on what she was going to do first. “I’m going to find the cafeteria,” she said, “anyone is welcome to join me…if you’d like.” As she turned, she put her hand in her other pocket and wondered if the cafeteria would accept her Confederation currency.