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[sup][i]Open Void, Tigris Sector
Voidship[/i] Nova Dawn
[i]147181.5 Universal Standard Chronology[/i][/sup]

[i]Nova Dawn[/i] drifted lazily through the open Void, coasting on impulse power in the inky expanse between the stars. An ancient vessel of unknown origins, it resembled an abstract monument of brassy metal and azure crystalline formations that had been turned onto its side. There was no effort made to disguise its presence; it was essentially safe here, for as safe as any part of the treacherous Void could be. Tigris Sector was a lawless zone, far outside the domain of any empire with the resources to enforce its will on interstellar space. That essentially made it a haven for pirates, who flocked to the sector's few ports and voidstations to conduct their business. Repair docks, shipyards, trade depots, and a variety of other facilities clung to and sprawled from these few settlements like scavengers on a carcass. Outlaws from sectors of the known Void and beyond mingled here, and though the Spacer Guilds did their best to work with their many cultures and currencies (off the books, of course), there was always some commotion to be found.

Having just left Acturis Voidstation, [i]Nova Dawn[/i] sailed at a leisurely pace out of the Acturis system. With no authorities to prey on them for many parsecs, the crew was able to rest for a short while. While Tigris Sector was not without its skirmishes between pirates, most knew well enough to leave the ominous, aberrant ship alone. Restocking their supplies, refueling, performing minor repairs, and allowing the crew some time "on shore" had done well for [i]Nova Dawn[/i]'s morale, but had emptied its coffers, and it was time for it to venture forth into the Void once more to seek its fortune.

A bell sounded through the ship's decks, soon followed by the Captain's voice, "Now hear this: bridge officers to the archives at once. I repeat: bridge officers to archives at once." While the ship's address system did not carry the unnerving, ethereal quality of Captain Mandragora's voice, hearing him speak was still enough to send a shiver down the spine of most of the crew.

The ship's archives were ostensibly where its travel logs, financial records, and navigational computers were stored and maintained, but [i]Nova Dawn[/i] hid an additional secret in the small, sequestered room. Here the inscrutable intellect of the Aetherial Lexicon could be accessed, and much work was done to decipher its ancient cants and codes. Few but the innermost circle of officers aboard the ship even knew of the Lexicon's existence, and so those summoned knew the true purpose of the Captain calling a meeting in the archives. He had found something in the Lexicon.

As the officers arrived, they found the Captain waiting at a small drawing table, notes, books and writing implements scattered about him. It seemed that while the rest of the crew had enjoyed shore leave, he had cooped himself up in here, working on a particular scrap of information gleaned from the ship's vast databanks. His long hair, normally straight and silky-smooth, was matted and tangled in places, but otherwise he showed no signs of wear and fatigue. As ever, he carried himself with preternatural poise, sometimes seeming as though his physical form was not truly there. Even so, his gaze and his aura carried more than enough presence; a commanding atmosphere of centuries-old power and a wealth of experience.

"Valkyr Sector," He said, his voice ringing even in the small room, "Not far outside of Arc Luminous space, but mostly uncharted. Cosmic gigantiform activity too strong to permit colonization, and its position too remote to demand timely cartography. The Lexicon tells me of planet Eris in this sector, and of the treasure we may find there: the 'Titan Hammer.' I have ascertained its coordinates, and I plan for this to be our next destination. I await your concerns, if you possess any."

[i]
Meanwhile... [/i]

[i]Nova Dawn[/i]'s kitchens and supply stores were aflutter with activity as they restocked their vital supplies. They had to be inventoried, sorted, and stored in the appropriate sections of the ship. Vital tasks to ensure that some deckhand didn't start drinking antifreeze after thinking it was a sweet beverage, or they didn't somehow cross-contaminate the food to accidentally create a neurotoxin. However, the ship's cook had other priorities. He had managed to acquire through some shady dealings a rare Gnomish Swine from the Caliban Sector, and a variety of illegal Belladonnan spices and garnishes. He had planned a mighty feast to congratulate the crew on their most recent smuggling run, and would be combining these secretive ingredients into an experimental new dish. However, he needed to briefly test the dish before he served to the crew, to avoid another unfortunate mass-poisoning. To this end, he had gathered up a few stray crew members to taste-test this new main course.

As his victims waited in the galley, Cookie returned to the kitchen to check on the Swine, which he had been feeding some of the garnishes to begin marinating it from the inside out. However, he had come to find not only the beast broken out from its cage (which seemed to have erupted by the work of a creature much larger than what he had purchased), but the rest of his garnishes had been eaten as well. This was a strange predicament, to be sure, and would likely delay dinner by at least a few hours.