twannymanI'm thinking of starting a new RP for our little group, with the same ships and characters but stranded on an uninhabited planet in an uninhabited galaxy, using the same wormhole thing and broken hyperdrives. Anyone interested?
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Endorses Galactic Genocide
STATUS: It's called the circle of life because life is pointless. 8 yrs ago
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8 yrs ago
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It's called the circle of life because life is pointless.
8 yrs ago
"I should go." - Commander Shepard
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8 yrs ago
Towels can’t tell jokes. They have a dry sense of humour.
7
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8 yrs ago
I want to travel to Prague so I can Czech it off the list of places to visit.
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8 yrs ago
I ordered 1000 kilograms of Chinese soup. It was wonton.
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It'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. School's starting for me.
"I've got a transmission from the Pale Quiver, commander." Nikolai informed from Powers' ear radio. "They're requesting a transport." The captain paused for a second to contemplate this. He didn't want to trust these people in this 'Valinosian Pact', whatever the hell it was just yet. Any death on his ship would be his responsibility. True, Hangar Bay Primary was big enough to fit a small ship like the Pale Quiver, since it already kept four one hundred metre long Fearless-class corvettes securely fastened to the bay's ceiling. The bay itself was already several hundred metres long, and almost as wide as the width of the Paramount.
Powers put his finger to his ears as the elevator doors opened. "Alright. I'm authorising a Talon dropship to be used as transport. Make sure at least one Stingray is escorting it." The Talon dropships were the newest class of dropship used by the UEGNC, produced just a year before the conclusion of the Vaskran War. Talons were everything the old Vultures weren't: they were hardy, fast, and deadly, equipped with two side-mounted twin-barrelled rotating 25mm turrets, a chin-mounted cannon, and two missile launchers carrying two dozen Falchion homing missiles each. They were propelled by four heavy-duty repulsor engines, allowing increased manoeuvrability and speed. They were able to carry thirty-six fully armed marines, and a magnetic clamp system allowed it to carry a single land vehicle, from simple scout vehicles to main battle tanks. All in all, they were a considerable replacement for the Vulture. "Did they say anything else?"
"They said something about 'Valtorian tea'. If that is anything like glorious vodka, then it would be wonderful!" Powers groaned. "Yes, if it is like your glorious vodka, then the men would surely enjoy it. Just remember to take scans, make sure it isn't toxic."
"You got it, commander." With that, the transmission ceased. Assuming a more formal stance as he neared one of the interior entrances for Hangar Bay Primary, he walked through the sliding metal doors. Immediately, he was greeted by the sight of dozens of workers, both human and robotic, scurrying around and working on vehicles that were damaged in the transit, while other performed maintenance on the many fighter craft. Three Fearless-class corvettes hung to the ceiling, and one had been lowered to the ground as workers conducted repairs. Occasionally, a Stingray returned, possibly from some technical problem, while other fighters launched off. It was noisy, with the constant sound of machinery all around.
A marine company made up of power armoured soldiers each holding weapons for the specialisation stood before the bay. Seeing him, they all snapped to attention, even the bulky Special Security Suits standing behind. "Captain Powers. My men are ready to face... whoever these diplomats are." A marine in white and grey armour with golden shoulder pads and a similar stripe on his helmet said. Powers turned to him. "Major Cornell. Been a while." He stuck out his hand, which the major accepted, and the two men shook hands.
"As it has, sir." Cornell was a marine commander who fought countless battles during the Vaskran War, from small skirmishes to massive planetary battles. He used to be under Powers' command on his previous ship, the One Rainy Day, during the early years of the war, but was reassigned when the war started to get into full swing. As such, the two commanders hadn't seen each other in years. Powers released his grip. "I hope you won't do anything rash."
Cornell chuckled at that. "No, sir. Won't happen this time." The captain nodded, reassured. "Good. I wasn't looking for a repeat of Panorama." He adjusted his crisp white uniform. "How do I look?"
"Like any other good commander." Cornell said after a few seconds of studying him.
In one of the smaller launch facilities, a pilot sat lazily inside his Talon with his feet on the control panel. He yawned as he idly tossed an old ball up and down. His radio suddenly beeped, causing him to drop the ball and put his feet back down. He put a finger to the side of his helmeted head. "This is Delta 556, reporting."
"Mach. It's Nikolai." Realising the signature accent of the A.I. as his face appeared on the interior cockpit of the virtual display, the pilot, Mach, let out a loose chuckle. "Oh hey, buddy. What do you need?" Nikolai looked slightly irked by that. "I told you not to call me that. You sound like that idiot Dusty!"
Mach tossed his hands into the air. "Whoa whoa whoa. Do not call Dusty an idiot. I like him. He's nice." The pilot said as he leaned forwards. Nikolai sighed. "Okay, whatever. Look, the captain of the Pale Quiver requested a transport, and Captain Powers just authorised one. You have to go to the ship and pick up their diplomat."
The pilot looked surprised. "You mean they don't have any sort of transport of their own?" He leaned back again. "Goddamn freeloaders."
"Yes, I know. You'd think a ship like that would contain at least one transport. Even our corvettes carry light transports."
"Tell me about it."
Nikolai crossed his arms. "I think we've talked about this before. Come on, get to the ship. The meeting's about to start, you know." The A.I. vanished a second later. Mach took a moment of pop his knuckles and crack his neck, before gripping the controls. "Well, here we go again." He pushed forwards on the thrust controls with one hand as he gripped the main control yoke with the other. Repulsors on the underside of the craft lit up and glowed blue as the air seemed to shimmer from quantum fluctuations. The Talon lifted into the air as its landing gear retracted into its body and it hovered in place for a second, before slowing moving forwards and passing through the thin plasma membrane that separated the atmosphere inside of the ship from the cold vacuum outside. Once that was done, it immediately blasted off with its four main engines glowing even brighter. A pathway was highlighted inside the cockpit to show the path to the target.
Nearing the Pale Quiver, Mach opened up a channel.
Powers put his finger to his ears as the elevator doors opened. "Alright. I'm authorising a Talon dropship to be used as transport. Make sure at least one Stingray is escorting it." The Talon dropships were the newest class of dropship used by the UEGNC, produced just a year before the conclusion of the Vaskran War. Talons were everything the old Vultures weren't: they were hardy, fast, and deadly, equipped with two side-mounted twin-barrelled rotating 25mm turrets, a chin-mounted cannon, and two missile launchers carrying two dozen Falchion homing missiles each. They were propelled by four heavy-duty repulsor engines, allowing increased manoeuvrability and speed. They were able to carry thirty-six fully armed marines, and a magnetic clamp system allowed it to carry a single land vehicle, from simple scout vehicles to main battle tanks. All in all, they were a considerable replacement for the Vulture. "Did they say anything else?"
"They said something about 'Valtorian tea'. If that is anything like glorious vodka, then it would be wonderful!" Powers groaned. "Yes, if it is like your glorious vodka, then the men would surely enjoy it. Just remember to take scans, make sure it isn't toxic."
"You got it, commander." With that, the transmission ceased. Assuming a more formal stance as he neared one of the interior entrances for Hangar Bay Primary, he walked through the sliding metal doors. Immediately, he was greeted by the sight of dozens of workers, both human and robotic, scurrying around and working on vehicles that were damaged in the transit, while other performed maintenance on the many fighter craft. Three Fearless-class corvettes hung to the ceiling, and one had been lowered to the ground as workers conducted repairs. Occasionally, a Stingray returned, possibly from some technical problem, while other fighters launched off. It was noisy, with the constant sound of machinery all around.
A marine company made up of power armoured soldiers each holding weapons for the specialisation stood before the bay. Seeing him, they all snapped to attention, even the bulky Special Security Suits standing behind. "Captain Powers. My men are ready to face... whoever these diplomats are." A marine in white and grey armour with golden shoulder pads and a similar stripe on his helmet said. Powers turned to him. "Major Cornell. Been a while." He stuck out his hand, which the major accepted, and the two men shook hands.
"As it has, sir." Cornell was a marine commander who fought countless battles during the Vaskran War, from small skirmishes to massive planetary battles. He used to be under Powers' command on his previous ship, the One Rainy Day, during the early years of the war, but was reassigned when the war started to get into full swing. As such, the two commanders hadn't seen each other in years. Powers released his grip. "I hope you won't do anything rash."
Cornell chuckled at that. "No, sir. Won't happen this time." The captain nodded, reassured. "Good. I wasn't looking for a repeat of Panorama." He adjusted his crisp white uniform. "How do I look?"
"Like any other good commander." Cornell said after a few seconds of studying him.
-----------------------
In one of the smaller launch facilities, a pilot sat lazily inside his Talon with his feet on the control panel. He yawned as he idly tossed an old ball up and down. His radio suddenly beeped, causing him to drop the ball and put his feet back down. He put a finger to the side of his helmeted head. "This is Delta 556, reporting."
"Mach. It's Nikolai." Realising the signature accent of the A.I. as his face appeared on the interior cockpit of the virtual display, the pilot, Mach, let out a loose chuckle. "Oh hey, buddy. What do you need?" Nikolai looked slightly irked by that. "I told you not to call me that. You sound like that idiot Dusty!"
Mach tossed his hands into the air. "Whoa whoa whoa. Do not call Dusty an idiot. I like him. He's nice." The pilot said as he leaned forwards. Nikolai sighed. "Okay, whatever. Look, the captain of the Pale Quiver requested a transport, and Captain Powers just authorised one. You have to go to the ship and pick up their diplomat."
The pilot looked surprised. "You mean they don't have any sort of transport of their own?" He leaned back again. "Goddamn freeloaders."
"Yes, I know. You'd think a ship like that would contain at least one transport. Even our corvettes carry light transports."
"Tell me about it."
Nikolai crossed his arms. "I think we've talked about this before. Come on, get to the ship. The meeting's about to start, you know." The A.I. vanished a second later. Mach took a moment of pop his knuckles and crack his neck, before gripping the controls. "Well, here we go again." He pushed forwards on the thrust controls with one hand as he gripped the main control yoke with the other. Repulsors on the underside of the craft lit up and glowed blue as the air seemed to shimmer from quantum fluctuations. The Talon lifted into the air as its landing gear retracted into its body and it hovered in place for a second, before slowing moving forwards and passing through the thin plasma membrane that separated the atmosphere inside of the ship from the cold vacuum outside. Once that was done, it immediately blasted off with its four main engines glowing even brighter. A pathway was highlighted inside the cockpit to show the path to the target.
Nearing the Pale Quiver, Mach opened up a channel.
"Pale Quiver, this is Talon Delta 556 acting as a transport shuttle. Requesting permission to dock, over."
Got it. I've edited my post to add some pictures of my ship's interior.
I'll have a few pics up.
Something pinged on Captain Powers' command holotable, causing him to focus his attention onto it. Detailed, three-dimensional diagrams of the many ships appeared, and Nikolai was studying each one with utmost attention. Charts, zoom-ins, module displays and even possible cross sections were all present. The A.I. swiped his hands across a floating flat console as a vodka bottle sat by his feet. "Scans are finished, I take?" The Captain asked as he leaned on the glass crystal. "What've we got?"
"Well," Nikolai picked up the bottle and took a swig. "Six of them are obviously warships. I've gathered, decoded, and decrypted enough radio transmissions to know their names." The models of the ships, their names next to them, identified them as the Romanova, Oblivion, Pale Quiver, Helios, Spirit of Wind, and Forward Spear all zoomed in to show weapon emplacements. "It appears that quite a high percentage of these ships use energy weapons." Turrets of varying design and make suddenly detached from the ships and hovered in the centre, rotating a few times before floating next to their respective owners.
First was the flying hunk of junk that was the Romanova. Several sections of the 'ship' lit up. "The Romanova appears to use a modified tesla coil. I detect a weak force field surrounding it. Twenty-first century era nuclear missiles and machine guns appear to be its secondary armament."
The Oblivion was next. "The Oblivion uses a mix of magnetic weapons and energy weapons. So far, it is the only ship that has the same, if not a few years behind, level of technology as us. Their shields are roughly equivalent to that of a Magnitude-class battlecruiser. It has a particle cannon much like ours as its primary weapon system. I detect multiple hangars on it." Sectors of the craft appeared to open up in a simulation of craft getting launched out.
Next, multiple, tiny turrets on the smallest and admittedly most graceful ship were highlighted. "The Pale Quiver. Funny little thing, really. If I am correct, this ship was built for fast pursuit. It has several laser turrets and a single belly-mounted energy cannon, along with two torpedo launchers. It is equipped with shields that only seem to be good for protection against energy weaponry. If it ever turns hostile, I suggest firing a railgun salvo at the target. Missiles and point-defence weapon systems should have no trouble tracking it."
The frigate-looking ship, the Helios, was next, showing quite a few weapon systems. "Here we have the Helios." Nikolai stated, matter-of-factly as he casually sipped his vodka. "This one has railguns and missile pods for nuclear missiles mixed with an unknown material. I will designate it as HE-01. Point defence systems appear to be in abundance. Shields are strong, just slightly stronger than ours. I'm detecting a very basic form of artificial intelligence controlling most of the ship's systems."
He swiped and the odd triangular ship appeared. "This is the Spirit of Wind. By far, this one is the most advanced out of all of the craft here. Many of this ship's weapons are energy-based, along with several magnetic weapons. It holds missiles of varying payload, but a hundred megatons is its most powerful one, if scans are correct. There are several large spinal cannons that fire kinetic weapons a fire rate of estimated eighty rounds per minute, per gun. Its hull is made up of an unknown alloy, for this reason I will designate it as SW-01." Nikolai took a final sip of his drink before gently laying it down on the 'ground'. "I have to admit that this one is quite startling. This one has no life readings at all." To emphasise his point, the words 'NO LIFE SIGNS' appeared after a sensor scan swept the ship. Powers raised an eyebrow. "Is it abandoned? Or is it controlled by an A.I.?" A two-dimensional flat display popped up, showing a pulsing line and flashing numbers of binary. "A.I. controlled. That's for sure. I picked up electronic transmissions only emitted by robotic constructs. From this data, there are exactly 3,874 units on board, excluding the ship, which itself is a gigantic A.I. construct. In a way, it operates much like our automatous Mayfly-class frigates."
Finally, the destroyer-sized vessel appeared. "At last, this one is the Forward Spear. This one, like most of the ones before, has ion cannons and a single magnetic accelerator cannon, or MAC. It is almost the same as the ones mounted on ships almost two-hundred years ago. However," The ship suddenly seemed to flicker and disappear, the only trace of its existence on the holotable was a light blue outline. "I believe this one has cloaking abilities much like our own stealth corvettes and fighters. I can't be sure."
Every representation blinked out of existence and was replaced by three others. The giant floating wing was the first one to be shown. "This one is the Vorascant. While it has multiple energy weapons on board, it appears to be a colony ship. It is powered by an antimatter reactor with a slightly lower power output than the Paramount's Antimatter Condenser." The area of the ship with the highest energy reading was highlighted in green. "Cold fusion is its secondary power source. I am detecting strange electrical signals coming from the inside, but I cannot perform scans for some reason. I will designate this VO-01."
The giant disk that looked more like a mobile repair station was next. "Here we have the Intrepid. As its appearance suggests, it appears to have been built for resource collection and repair. However, it has a handful of energy cannons on board, likely for defence against stray asteroids or debris."
The final 'ship', which resembled a massive manta ray was the last one to be shown. "This one is the strangest of all. For some reason, I can't pick up any radio signals at all, and scanners are having a hard time with this one. However, thermal scans have shown that this one is an actual living creature." Powers' eyes widened as he took a step back. "But how? How does it breathe? How does it even survive in a vacuum?" While it was true that several alien species discovered on numerous colony worlds could survive in space, most of them only lasted a day or so before expiring. Nikolai turned to him with an equally confused expression. "I don't know. I'll store Data File BS-01 on this 'bio-ship' for further analysis."
The ships faded out, only for them to be replaced with a holoprojection of the Oblivion, which had launched several craft, likely transports. Powers closed his eyes and took a breath, before opening them again. He pulled out a small vial of clear liquid and dropped some onto the fresh bloodstains of his uniform. They disappeared almost instantly. "Right. Launch Stingray and Gladius squadrons, and a flight of Firestorms. Along with that, tell launch Locust fighters. Status on shields?"
Nikolai looked away for a second. "Eighty-six percent and climbing. But don't you think this is too much, commander?"
"I am not taking any chances." Powers almost growled. "Increase security in Hangar Bay Primary, and get two companies of Marines down there, and a squad of Special Security Suits. Make sure all turrets in the area are tracking any and all craft entering the Paramount." Nikolai stuttered for a second, before nodding and disappearing. Satisfied, Powers adjusted his hat and turned around to the elevator. A pair of Marines fully covered in grey, white and blue powered armour signifying their role as security saluted as they flanked Powers' sides. From there, the trio began to make their way down to the hangar.
Outside, two dozen or so fighter craft and gunships flew out, guarding the Paramount like bees around a hive. In the massive hangar bay, a company of Marines, all in powered armour, stood waiting with their weapons ready, along with security troopers in much heavier and bulkier armour.
"Well," Nikolai picked up the bottle and took a swig. "Six of them are obviously warships. I've gathered, decoded, and decrypted enough radio transmissions to know their names." The models of the ships, their names next to them, identified them as the Romanova, Oblivion, Pale Quiver, Helios, Spirit of Wind, and Forward Spear all zoomed in to show weapon emplacements. "It appears that quite a high percentage of these ships use energy weapons." Turrets of varying design and make suddenly detached from the ships and hovered in the centre, rotating a few times before floating next to their respective owners.
First was the flying hunk of junk that was the Romanova. Several sections of the 'ship' lit up. "The Romanova appears to use a modified tesla coil. I detect a weak force field surrounding it. Twenty-first century era nuclear missiles and machine guns appear to be its secondary armament."
The Oblivion was next. "The Oblivion uses a mix of magnetic weapons and energy weapons. So far, it is the only ship that has the same, if not a few years behind, level of technology as us. Their shields are roughly equivalent to that of a Magnitude-class battlecruiser. It has a particle cannon much like ours as its primary weapon system. I detect multiple hangars on it." Sectors of the craft appeared to open up in a simulation of craft getting launched out.
Next, multiple, tiny turrets on the smallest and admittedly most graceful ship were highlighted. "The Pale Quiver. Funny little thing, really. If I am correct, this ship was built for fast pursuit. It has several laser turrets and a single belly-mounted energy cannon, along with two torpedo launchers. It is equipped with shields that only seem to be good for protection against energy weaponry. If it ever turns hostile, I suggest firing a railgun salvo at the target. Missiles and point-defence weapon systems should have no trouble tracking it."
The frigate-looking ship, the Helios, was next, showing quite a few weapon systems. "Here we have the Helios." Nikolai stated, matter-of-factly as he casually sipped his vodka. "This one has railguns and missile pods for nuclear missiles mixed with an unknown material. I will designate it as HE-01. Point defence systems appear to be in abundance. Shields are strong, just slightly stronger than ours. I'm detecting a very basic form of artificial intelligence controlling most of the ship's systems."
He swiped and the odd triangular ship appeared. "This is the Spirit of Wind. By far, this one is the most advanced out of all of the craft here. Many of this ship's weapons are energy-based, along with several magnetic weapons. It holds missiles of varying payload, but a hundred megatons is its most powerful one, if scans are correct. There are several large spinal cannons that fire kinetic weapons a fire rate of estimated eighty rounds per minute, per gun. Its hull is made up of an unknown alloy, for this reason I will designate it as SW-01." Nikolai took a final sip of his drink before gently laying it down on the 'ground'. "I have to admit that this one is quite startling. This one has no life readings at all." To emphasise his point, the words 'NO LIFE SIGNS' appeared after a sensor scan swept the ship. Powers raised an eyebrow. "Is it abandoned? Or is it controlled by an A.I.?" A two-dimensional flat display popped up, showing a pulsing line and flashing numbers of binary. "A.I. controlled. That's for sure. I picked up electronic transmissions only emitted by robotic constructs. From this data, there are exactly 3,874 units on board, excluding the ship, which itself is a gigantic A.I. construct. In a way, it operates much like our automatous Mayfly-class frigates."
Finally, the destroyer-sized vessel appeared. "At last, this one is the Forward Spear. This one, like most of the ones before, has ion cannons and a single magnetic accelerator cannon, or MAC. It is almost the same as the ones mounted on ships almost two-hundred years ago. However," The ship suddenly seemed to flicker and disappear, the only trace of its existence on the holotable was a light blue outline. "I believe this one has cloaking abilities much like our own stealth corvettes and fighters. I can't be sure."
Every representation blinked out of existence and was replaced by three others. The giant floating wing was the first one to be shown. "This one is the Vorascant. While it has multiple energy weapons on board, it appears to be a colony ship. It is powered by an antimatter reactor with a slightly lower power output than the Paramount's Antimatter Condenser." The area of the ship with the highest energy reading was highlighted in green. "Cold fusion is its secondary power source. I am detecting strange electrical signals coming from the inside, but I cannot perform scans for some reason. I will designate this VO-01."
The giant disk that looked more like a mobile repair station was next. "Here we have the Intrepid. As its appearance suggests, it appears to have been built for resource collection and repair. However, it has a handful of energy cannons on board, likely for defence against stray asteroids or debris."
The final 'ship', which resembled a massive manta ray was the last one to be shown. "This one is the strangest of all. For some reason, I can't pick up any radio signals at all, and scanners are having a hard time with this one. However, thermal scans have shown that this one is an actual living creature." Powers' eyes widened as he took a step back. "But how? How does it breathe? How does it even survive in a vacuum?" While it was true that several alien species discovered on numerous colony worlds could survive in space, most of them only lasted a day or so before expiring. Nikolai turned to him with an equally confused expression. "I don't know. I'll store Data File BS-01 on this 'bio-ship' for further analysis."
The ships faded out, only for them to be replaced with a holoprojection of the Oblivion, which had launched several craft, likely transports. Powers closed his eyes and took a breath, before opening them again. He pulled out a small vial of clear liquid and dropped some onto the fresh bloodstains of his uniform. They disappeared almost instantly. "Right. Launch Stingray and Gladius squadrons, and a flight of Firestorms. Along with that, tell launch Locust fighters. Status on shields?"
Nikolai looked away for a second. "Eighty-six percent and climbing. But don't you think this is too much, commander?"
"I am not taking any chances." Powers almost growled. "Increase security in Hangar Bay Primary, and get two companies of Marines down there, and a squad of Special Security Suits. Make sure all turrets in the area are tracking any and all craft entering the Paramount." Nikolai stuttered for a second, before nodding and disappearing. Satisfied, Powers adjusted his hat and turned around to the elevator. A pair of Marines fully covered in grey, white and blue powered armour signifying their role as security saluted as they flanked Powers' sides. From there, the trio began to make their way down to the hangar.
Outside, two dozen or so fighter craft and gunships flew out, guarding the Paramount like bees around a hive. In the massive hangar bay, a company of Marines, all in powered armour, stood waiting with their weapons ready, along with security troopers in much heavier and bulkier armour.
Ryker's not gonna be happy about that. If he actually shows up, that is. I want some big beautiful kabooms.
Some romance would be nice. Especially between my android characters who are otherwise perfectly human and some of yours. That would be great.
Some romance would be nice. Especially between my android characters who are otherwise perfectly human and some of yours. That would be great.
@Queen Raidne
I'm pretty sure you don't have to do that. Ryker's ship never even showed up in the first place.
I'm pretty sure you don't have to do that. Ryker's ship never even showed up in the first place.
Paramount Central Research and Development Bay
The Central Research and Development Bay, located towards the upper front of the ship, was a flurry of activity. Scientists dressed in flowing pearly-white lab coats dashed around, some holding pieces of equipment, some with research drones following closely behind, and some clutching glowing datapads. But one was more prominent than the rest. The scientist in question was currently sprinting past rows of tables with holographic interfaces, and carrying a full stack of paper. Occasionally, several slips fluttered out, slowing falling to the floor, forgotten by their holder, for he was too excited to care. "This is so exciting!" The man practically scouted as he narrowly dodged a random engineer working on a malfunctioning maintenance drone. "An alien species- no, a collection of alien species that hasn't tried to attack us yet!" He was Doctor Travesty, the head researcher of the Paramount science team, and, as his name would suggest, had a brilliant mind despite his legendary clumsiness. He ran with a skip in his step.
Then he tripped. Papers flew everywhere as the man fell flat on the polished, marble-white floor. He lay sprawled out there for a while, before he slowly rolled over and rubbed his forehead. "Not again." He groaned and looked over to the spilled papers. Just then, he noticed a metallic hand enter his field of vision. Looking up, he was greeted by the faceplate of the bay's one and only Lab Assistant Research System, or LARS. These kinds of androids were used in hundreds of research facilities all over the Colonies, and several in ships. They were a step up from basic artificial intelligences, programs that would be akin to a regular laptop, though they were still less advanced than advanced constructs like Nikolai. Nonetheless, they were still able to process trillions of complex calculations every second. "Need some help, Doctor?" The machine spoke in a metallic but rather civilised British accent as it stared at the fallen scientist with two pairs of glowing green photoreceptors.
The Doctor stared at the machine's bleached, protective material-plated body before accepting its hand with a sigh, feeling the surprisingly warm metal. "Yeah, I do. I just tripped, that's all."
"Over nothing, sir?" LARS spoke through a pair of speakers on either side of his otherwise featureless face, minus his photoreceptors. Travesty gave the android an annoyed scowl as he brushed a speck of imaginary dust off his coat. "Of course. Even the most perfect floors can have bumps and depressions."
"Ah. Forgive me, sir. Perhaps my best efforts of trying to fix the perfectly smooth floor were all in vain." Even for a machine that was programmed to be serious all the time, LARS had a surprisingly dry sense of humour. Not that Travesty exactly appreciated it, of course.
Travesty grunted as he began to pick up the scattered pieces, but stopped when they suddenly seemed to float up in the air, swirl around for a second, and rearrange themselves into a neatly stacked pile. LARS stood behind the moderately stunned Doctor. "My apologies. I just used my new implemented telekinesis module. It is rather helpful in situations like this." Travesty said nothing, and instead simply nodded in appreciation, picking up the stack and walking away in the opposite direction. He then promptly bumped into a technician, spilling papers and metal parts all over the place.
LARS sighed as his palm met his face. "Oh, why of all science teams was I assigned to this one?"
The Central Research and Development Bay, located towards the upper front of the ship, was a flurry of activity. Scientists dressed in flowing pearly-white lab coats dashed around, some holding pieces of equipment, some with research drones following closely behind, and some clutching glowing datapads. But one was more prominent than the rest. The scientist in question was currently sprinting past rows of tables with holographic interfaces, and carrying a full stack of paper. Occasionally, several slips fluttered out, slowing falling to the floor, forgotten by their holder, for he was too excited to care. "This is so exciting!" The man practically scouted as he narrowly dodged a random engineer working on a malfunctioning maintenance drone. "An alien species- no, a collection of alien species that hasn't tried to attack us yet!" He was Doctor Travesty, the head researcher of the Paramount science team, and, as his name would suggest, had a brilliant mind despite his legendary clumsiness. He ran with a skip in his step.
Then he tripped. Papers flew everywhere as the man fell flat on the polished, marble-white floor. He lay sprawled out there for a while, before he slowly rolled over and rubbed his forehead. "Not again." He groaned and looked over to the spilled papers. Just then, he noticed a metallic hand enter his field of vision. Looking up, he was greeted by the faceplate of the bay's one and only Lab Assistant Research System, or LARS. These kinds of androids were used in hundreds of research facilities all over the Colonies, and several in ships. They were a step up from basic artificial intelligences, programs that would be akin to a regular laptop, though they were still less advanced than advanced constructs like Nikolai. Nonetheless, they were still able to process trillions of complex calculations every second. "Need some help, Doctor?" The machine spoke in a metallic but rather civilised British accent as it stared at the fallen scientist with two pairs of glowing green photoreceptors.
The Doctor stared at the machine's bleached, protective material-plated body before accepting its hand with a sigh, feeling the surprisingly warm metal. "Yeah, I do. I just tripped, that's all."
"Over nothing, sir?" LARS spoke through a pair of speakers on either side of his otherwise featureless face, minus his photoreceptors. Travesty gave the android an annoyed scowl as he brushed a speck of imaginary dust off his coat. "Of course. Even the most perfect floors can have bumps and depressions."
"Ah. Forgive me, sir. Perhaps my best efforts of trying to fix the perfectly smooth floor were all in vain." Even for a machine that was programmed to be serious all the time, LARS had a surprisingly dry sense of humour. Not that Travesty exactly appreciated it, of course.
Travesty grunted as he began to pick up the scattered pieces, but stopped when they suddenly seemed to float up in the air, swirl around for a second, and rearrange themselves into a neatly stacked pile. LARS stood behind the moderately stunned Doctor. "My apologies. I just used my new implemented telekinesis module. It is rather helpful in situations like this." Travesty said nothing, and instead simply nodded in appreciation, picking up the stack and walking away in the opposite direction. He then promptly bumped into a technician, spilling papers and metal parts all over the place.
LARS sighed as his palm met his face. "Oh, why of all science teams was I assigned to this one?"
Thanks, guys.
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