Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Interlude] You can't take the sky from me ... {FIN}

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Oh, you noticed ... well lets go in for a closer look, shall we?" Star says, gearing up for the surprise ...

... the shuttle speeds toward the dimly luminous speck. Even though the Far Star cast her own light, it was't as reflective and therefore not as bright as many of the planetoids of the belt. It was, however, a different colour. As the approach vector changed it was clear that both the object in the distance and the shuttle were both far above the belt - Starseed had gated in so that the big ship in the distance had been set against the slowly shimmering backdrop of the belt.

Now, the ship appeared closer - scale was hard to judge in space but the vessel looked more developed. It had several rows of large viewing ports, possible access points, and features that one could only guess at. A large ship of this type really showed it's organic nature, the movement and regular 'pulse' made it seem almost alive - a colossal being living in space.

... as the ship grew larger and larger in the view port Star said "Welcome to the Far Star. Docking in two minutes ... remember, we're in microgravity so take some time to get your bearings."

[Sailor OOC]

"Won't be too much of an issue... Any sort of Nausea is worth this view! A honest to god Starship! Can it go faster than light? What's it's maximum cruise range? Is it a exploratory ship or is it armed?"

She breathes heavily... almost bursting with exitement. "My god... we're space cadets!"

She squeals. One of her childhood fantasies reading Asimov and Heinlin has come to pass. She's truely in space!

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"She's got variable geometry - and I can make hyperspace gates, well, very far. It's a technique I've been testing. Routine jumps of a light year or two, cross our entire solar system from one edge of the Oort cloud to other. With a little effort, I can cross galactic distances. Tens of thousands of light years can be pretty routine. ..."

"... but to make the journey worth it, you have to go with a purpose. Any purpose that is a worthy one needs a ship, and a crew to sail her by".

The ship filled the entire view port, a hundred and fifty feet plus long ... the shuttle came up and seemed to blend rather than dock at the rear. The transfer of fluids and gasses between the two ships could be almost heard, slightly felt as if it were a pulse. As the coupling became firm Star opened the aperture and ahead of them was a large set of elegant nickel steel pressure doors. Un-webbing herself from the seat she pushed off toward the doors. Undogging the manual handles by taking foot holds in a number of well placed niches the door smoothly separated in two and slid back into the thick layered metal hull.

"Well come on space cadet." Star grinned and beckoned Kami to come, waiting for her to get her space legs ... "Sorry there's not enough time to spin her up for gravity. I'll show you around quick. Two penny tour, and then we have to get to your Mom's. On the clock for this one ... but be careful, don't push off too fast or far. Use all the loops, handholds, and ridges to climb-and-push your way around."

Inside the ship was spartan but elegant. Everything was alloy steel, burnished brass, copper tones, ceramics, glass in a dozen colours. As they passed from a the docking chamber through another pressure door there was a lounge. Decorated in a modern style with antiques for accent. Except they weren't antiques. From the French sun-king writing desk to the floral drapes everthing was made of metal, ceramic and glass. The fabrics were intricately woven chain-mail, the 'wood' actually some dark metal alloy worked with grain by some inhumanly dexterous hand.

The air was fresh, except for gravity it was all earth normal - and pleasantly warm. A cool blue-white light with the slightest violet tinge lit the room in all the right places, making the lounge colours rich and inviting. The large 'floor' to 'ceiling' view ports along the starboard hull of the lunge showed the spectacular backdrop of the belt expanse, lit by the lower port-side sun which was not visible.

Standing in the middle of the lounge, wearing some tasteful-if-industrial looking house steel sandals that were probably magnetic - was another Starseed. The Star next to Kami smiled, and gestured to a small cabinet with more magnetic sandals.

The Starseed greeting the two arrivals said "Great to see you again Kamiko! Welcome to the Far Star."

As the conversation began the two Starseeds came together, synced their data-bands ...

[Sailor OOC]

"Ah... very interesting..." Kamiko says, slipping the steel "golasches" over her feet and once again could move semi-normal.

"You know, you could put in a conveyer type of handle system for microgravity movement in the halls. Pretty much a series of handles on a track that moves along a wall. Pretty useful if you gotta move fast down a hall."

She walks over to what could be considered Starseed "prime" and smiles. "So... how long did it take to build her?"

[Doctor Varroxxian]

One Starseed touched the other. ... and then there was one.

"About three months so far. She is ready for Novas but I won't bring baseline human crew on until I have an extra set of life support backups in the core compartments. Also she needs to be provisioned and there are lots of additions that could be made. Like conveyors. It took me a while to figure out how to build her too...prototypes always take much longer. If all of me worked full out we could have another one in a week give or take. The one after that will be quicker still as we figure out optimum procedures for construction."

"Now I have a question for you. How popular would it be if the first registered starship in the world was officially Japanese?"

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko steps back... it was an offer that well... was uncanny.

"I would imagine everyone would want to name her Yamato. Thing is, I've always been impartial to the name of my mother's yacht, the Hikari Maru. Perhaps the JXS-02 would be the Hikari Maru... wait did I just come up with a serial number off the top of my head?!"

Kamiko busts out laughing. "Yes, I believe I did. God... I've died and gone to heaven here... You... you're brilliant, Starseed. Beyond what I've known a Nova to be."

"If you want to get help, I might be able to get some doors opened. Through the Den and their caretakers... Nippontai... We would be faring the space lanes in no time wiht your ambition."

She leans against a bulkhead. "Wait I'm getting ahead of myself. We should get this stuff delivered first. I got to get this suit feed back to mom and get to meet this Professor friend."

Scratching her chin a thought popped in her head. "I've never asked your actual name..."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Starseed just smiled, and said "Its all possible. One day this week we should sit down together. I have a business plan that I was kind of thinking might be focused on a 'Japan first' strategy to encourage a little national pride. You and I could take a look, and you can review the cultural side of things. Your knowledge of both western and Japanese culture will be a key to refining the marketing."

"Thing is we have to keep these ships and the idea top secret - I'm showing you becuase I trust you, but you can't even tell family for now. Not until we file for trademarks, intellectual property protections, and get the press packet ready."

"My name is Starseed now, it means more than the name I was born under." she said with a slightly harsh tone - bot not harsh at Kami. It was as if the question brought up bad memories ... an instant later she was smiling again "Let's go see your Mom!"

... she paused in her tracks, "Oh, wait. You're getting me all excited and I almost forgot" ... she sits, generates four new clones, and Starseed 'Prime' says "I have to stay here. You'll be going with number two here, but the rest will share the shuttle for a bit".

Kamiko notices that the clones are all rearranging their rank pins in a certain order, to give themselves designations - apparently from left to right of the line. The first one, being number 'two', might indicate there was still one clone still out, but clearly there was a system in place.

Starseed 'two' turns to Kami "From your apparent strength, I am guessing the moon won't be too far for you to gate safely? If am right, it would be best if you provided the portal to your Mom's place. I have no idea where it is, after all."

[Sailor OOC]

"Right!" Kamiko says with a salute.

"So... can the Far Star land on earth? Or is she too large for such a feat?"

Star smooths out her uniform. "I could warp to Atmo, and fly like any Nova could. The servitors provide the power for the ship's flight pretty much. But I would like to keep things confidential for now, as stated before."

She then sets course for Earth's moon. "I know of a spot where we can park ourselves then you can tesseract us to your Mother's to drop off the rocks."

The ship maneuvers towards Earth, and warps in a matter of seconds. Kamiko stretches out with a smile. "One day, now that I am familiar with some locations of Mars... I think I'll go back."

Starseed smiles as Kamiko opens a tesseract.

She let's Star and her remaining clones except for the pilot walk through first before entering back at the Hideyoshi estate. Kamiko shouts "Mother! I've come back with some good samples!"

Sakurako walks over and grabs Kamiko by the ear. "Kamiko... What did I tell you before leaving?"

"Use the suit normally as a human would?"

"And you opened the helmet." Doryoku says, pointing at her head. "Your suit reported it to me on arrival. I tend to be on talking terms with machines, remember?"

"Sorry, Mother."

"You brought the rocks though... so it's forgiven. Can't wrong you for being curious as to your adaptability."

Doryoku walks over to Starseed. "Thanks for keeping an eye on Kamiko for me. But to whom do I thank?"

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Mars is fun. Would be nice to have a place there - like house or something." Says Star two, who is going with Kamiko.

Star three, in the pilots shuttle said to Kami "By the way, I'm sticking around in the shuttle - I created this version of it and am going to do some work with it ... this is the pickup point. After the meeting with Zephyr, we're not going to do direct gates back to the main ship or staging points any more. If you don't mind ... that applies to you too Kami. Be aware though, that the Far Star moves all the time ... so don't count on her being where she was."

Star four and five have both changed into typical urban teenager clothes for Japan, and they said in almost eerie unison "We're going to practice Japanese!" ... Star four adding "...that was creepy..."

....everyone except the lone pilot clone files through Kami's tesseract ...

Star who had picked up quite a bit of Japanese culture - if not the language - made a good quarter bow. All three of them, at once. The bow wasn't too deep to be self-effacing, but very respectful - as one might do for one's own grandparents or a respected elder. They had also refrained from stepping past the entry way of the house, what with their outdoor shoes on.

The uniformed Star two replied to Doryoku "It is my privilege Mrs. Hideyoshi. Kamiko is a good friend, and I suspect it was a very productive trip too. Very nice to meet you."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko takes note of the shuttle pilot's advisement.

"It is not a problem. Star. If you need any help, even if it is learning about Japanese culture and language... I am willing to point you in the right direction." Sakurako says to the clones.

"Now, young lady..." Sakurako says to Kamiko. "...get the space suit off so I can clean it then make some upgrades. I think you'll like the results. Outside of user error... the suit performed within standard parameters for baseline human survival. You do deserve a reward."

She hands a card to Kamiko. "Quadruple allowance today. But I ask that you take some of it and help your friend... she looks like she's not stepped off of a Gundam series."

Kamiko nods and runs to her room to change.

A moment or two later.

Kamiko steps out after getting out of her spacesuit and changing into a very business-like outfit.

"Well, Star... I'm under orders to help you shop... splurge a little on ya... and I aim to deliver on that. So... where would you like to go?"

"I have some ideas." Starseed says as they walk outside.

After what seemed like a casual trip, the real adventure was on Earth. What to do with some mad money?

-FIN

[Quantum Fire]

End of Thread

XP: 2 Standard, 2 Baseline, 2 Nova