Trinity Universe: Into The Void

[knave]

Ultimatum Plus Three

Deep beneath the surface of the Galatea crater, near the frozen lake that makes the settlement viable, the tunnels and spaces of Olympus station echo with footsteps, gossip and constant activity. Despite the fact that the base proper has been greatly expanded by the nova personnel over the last few years, the population has managed to fill the area available by dividing itself into groupings again and again:– military personnel and non-military, physicist and botanist, neutral and nova, trusted and less trusted - but now each and every sector is abuzz with the latest word from Earth. The Secretary General is dead. Divis Mal, angel of destruction, spiritual leader of the Teragen movement, has demonstrated his power for the world and reduced the anointed head of the baseline world to steaming ash. And more! For Divis Mal has agreed to leave – but promised a dreadful return.

Normally this precise moment would be the middle of lunar night. Normally that would only mean that more Olympus personnel would be sleeping than not. Not so tonight. The Seer has warned of an impending arrival so it is no surprise when CCOM (SeeCom – Computer Communications Operations and Monitoring) crackles out a call in its emotionally neutral, but nevertheless firm and authoritative male voice “Warp Signature detected. Inbound shuttlecraft. Wa… Second Warp Signature detected… two Lockheed ST/F 9 Thunderbird vehicles detected. Defences Targetted and Locked. Vehicles have target lock. Detecting radiologicals aboard both vehicles. Point Defences activated. Brigade battle drill 4 initiated. All civilian personnel move to shielded locations.”

“Communications request received.”

“Commander Henderson – please report to Command and Control.”

So began the third day after the Ultimatum.

[knave]

Three Hours Later

In the labs and rec-rooms, in the messes and engineering plants, in the facs and hangers people are talking. Reliable rumour has it that the two Hyperfusion Transport ships contain members of a faction leaving Earth – they want Olympus – they have no-where else to go! There just isn’t enough room for everyone here! Let them build their own base! Olympus is ours! But the council is silent – sequestered in their chamber with the Commander and his lieutenants where they’ve been for the past three hours.

Finally the doors slide open. Henderson, in his fatigues, leaves the chamber first with the young seer, Delphi, on his arm. The Commander smiles at Delphi and gently removes her hand from his arm. He approaches the press podium and the automated cameras track his movement. The commander squares his poor chin and activates the mic.

“People of Luna. You are all aware of the ships overhead. You have all been following events on Earth. I have never denied you access to information, but I have denied many of you – most of you – freedom of movement. That much was necessary, and I wish there had been another way. Ten years is a long time, and many of you have suffered for your confinement. It appears now that that confinement is about to come to an end. The Brigade’s time on Luna is almost over. “

“Novas are leaving Earth in groups. They are stepping out into the only frontier left. There is a new rush now. A rush for land, but also a rush for the chance to start something new – a chance to begin again – to design a society where everyone has a place and a good chance at sustainable prosperity.”

For those of you who wish to remain with the Brigade – baseline and Nova alike – the council has a plan and a means to take all of us to the stars. We are in the process of removing a tube of lunar rock from between two stations. We will fill this tube with equipment, generators and so forth, and teleport it into lunar orbit where we will spin it up to Earth standard gravity. We will then move all those who wish to accompany us into The Rock. We have the means to move the Rock several lightyears at a time.

The fine folks from the shuttles overhead are Novas from North America including several members of Project Utopia. They have come to consult with the council and have offered us the chance to join them on a planet in the Alpha Centauri system which they believe to be habitable with some work. The Council has decided to accept this offer, but only as a stepping-stone for something more. Alpha Centauri may be habitable with work, but the council feels and firmly believes that it is our duty to go further than next door. Many Novas will be leaving Earth. Some of them with ideas diametrically opposed to our own. The sooner we go, the more chance we have of finding stepping stone planets unoccupied by enemies and the better off we’ll be. So I am asking for volunteers. I need scouts to scout out new territory for us. If you’re interested meet at the council chamber in one hour. For the rest of you: think about whether you want to stay or go. All I can promise you if you stay is that you will have the chance to participate in the founding of a new society – that you will no longer be subject to the randomness of Earth government. That each and every one of you will be able to make a real difference to a new world… “

“Thank you.”

[knave]

The Council Waits

The council chamber – a large room cut from lunar rock – its walls adorned with the most valuable artworks on Olympus – simple idyllic scenes of Earth.

A curved faux wood table on a slightly raised dias overlooks two rows of seats next to the entrance. Henderson sits at the centre of the horseshoe. On his right is Delphi, and then about them are his lieutenants Marina Lin and David Giles. On the Extreme right is Apollo Milliken – hair bouffant, unshaven, and Diana Kadmon regal and relaxed looking. The left arc belongs to Lelethu Khumalo who seems serene in her position despite sitting next to the preternaturally intense Damien Green-Mills.

[Alex Green]

Jason enter the council chamber and exchanges glances of significance with Kelly.

He thinks, *We need a planet. I hate the idea of our survival being in the hands of others, and I’m well suited for this sort of thing.*

She shrugs, as usual, she is several steps ahead of him.

Jason steps forward. “Landslide reporting for duty, sir.”

[Bahamut810]

Kagejin had been waiting above the door since the announcement was made. He had considered many options before. How was he going to reach his goal? What could he do gain the trust that he had to have in order to get close and to complete what he had wanted to do...no, needed to do since he got here. This is the easiest way, the only way that he could accomplish it in a reasonable time frame.

He sat motionless and unseen agenst the top of the wall as the leaders of this fair colony entered the room, and he followed closley behind them and (yet again) unseen to all, then climbed the wall next to the door. Sometimes its just too easy. He turns around and sits on the wall near the top again. He watches...waits for some others, listening to them talk. He keeps an eye on them, already knowing their movements, looking for signs that they know he is there. He wonders if one or two of them actually know he is there...but just dont want to say, or wont say. Probably not. If anyone could get in here unseen and unheard its him.

He watches as the door opens again, and a large white man walks in. He watches the look between the new one and the precog...Delphi is her name. He almost makes a 'hmmm' as he notice her shrugging for no reason. Telepathy? General mental abnormality? Reading the future when he actually tells her what he is thinking? Impossible to tell without actually being a part of it. Best guess would be the last...if they are actually communicating. Even watching them for a short time Kagejin could tell there was *some*connection.

Time to decide...is this the best way to go about it? Being stuck in space for who knows how long? The possability of being left on a planet? Leaving her alone for that long? It is. It has to be...the only other option is to wait. That way will take much, much longer. This way, I will get more recognition much faster. Mabey I can turn that into fear...That is later though...I must stay in the present.

Jason steps forward. “Landslide reporting for duty, sir.”

Father always said, "What the Ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels at winning with ease." A valuable quote from Sun Tzu.

To win with ease, I must be trusted. To be trusted, I must do great things. The Great thing I can do now is to help find a homeworld. Yes...this must be done.

He lets himself go, flips forward once, and lands with a super-natural grace that few can match, silent as the night in antarctica.

He bows slightly, enough to show respect to the entire table as his wall-colored hood falls from his head and is absorbed into his clothing.

"Hello. Its good to see you again Mr. Henderson. I would like to help. Can you spare me?"

[Alex Green]

He lets himself go, flips forward once, and lands with a super-natural grace that few can match, silent as the night in Antarctica.

Jason glances in surprise at the newcomer and then looks back at Delphi and the Commander. Delphi's eyes flicker towards the newcomer's motion as if to say, ”right on time” but otherwise makes no comment.

Jason was a rugged, physically impressive bear of a man. Five foot ten and two hundred fifteen pounds, apparently god pored him out of a taller mold, changed his mind, and pressed him down several inches. Jason had no fat, no neck, and a wide face with a square jaw. His hair and eyes were the same shade of medium brown. His hands were thick and wide, during training sessions he was described as having rocks for fists. Sometimes that was even true. His skin was white but sun tanned. For all that solid bulk he moved gracefully with an ease that spoke of both power and flexibility. His eufiber was various shades of brown resembling camouflage.

At a glance he was a nova. In theory he should have had a harder time, what with being the nephew of one of the more recently famous mass murderers. In practice he had a lot of natural charisma, and was reasonably well liked and respected, at least among the novas. Any baselines, well, if he only was a “two trick wonder”, they were two very nasty tricks.

[Nullifier]

In the momentary lull in quiet conversation at the council table that follows Kagejin's arrival, the strange and disturbing form of The Prophet floats serenely into the council chamber. Those nearest the entrance at the time notice his arrival first as a feeling of unease that his very presence seems to bring with it. Floating towards the center of the room, those who look at him directly, and are familiar with him notice that the melange of images on his skin and swirling around him seem almost pensive, as if they're waiting for something significant to happen.

Speaking in a sing-song, almost trance-like, but remarkably human voice, made all the more disturbing by its contrast to his obviously inhuman form, The Prophet says,

"As was foretold, I arrive here to assist in the coming exodus. I ask that you allow this humble servant of destiny his calling. "

[Haze]

Mikhail walks in only a few seconds after The Prophet, and compared to the latter, he is a much less impressive figure. Reasonably good looking for a baseline, he takes one look at The Prophet and his eyebrows raise in surprise. His eyes themselves change colour, from a deep brown to an almost sky blue.

He catches himself after a moment, then turns to the council, his Russian ancestry clearly evident in his voice.

"Mikhail Andreivich Rastov, as requested."

[Asbjørn]

A tall, powerfully built man enters the chamber, eyes momentarily fixing on the strange floating figure before he moves to one of the seats. He's dressed in loose dark blue trousers, and a brightly colored long vest decorated in african tribal patterns barely covers his broad chest. His feet are bare in spite of the cold floors and walkways around the base, and his skin is the deep suntanned brown of a man who's spent most of his last years outside. A long unruly lion's mane of dark brown hair reaches halfway down his back and matches the goatee covering his square jaw.

As he moves past the others and takes his seat he carries himself with an air of authority, a regal posture that strikes a chord somewhere in the instinctual part of the brains of those present. Easy to override - at least for such gifted individuals - but the hint of something primal and ancient in Adam Hoyle's appearance is impossible to completely ignore.

Taking his seat he stretches his long legs in front of him and crosses his heavily muscled arms over his chest. Several long scars from teeth and claws adorn his arms, and his fingers close over them as if touching a talisman when he turns his attention to the council. His almost golden brown eyes glance to the right of the horse shoe before coming to rest on the Commander. He nods in greeting, but stays silent for now.

[Prince of Boredom]

John wiped his greasy hands one last time on the leg of his perpetually dirty coveralls. He'd been in the hydroponics section conducting some routine maintenance on one of the systems. It never ceased to amze him that no matter how far technology advanced, there'd always be grease.

He opened the door to see that he wasn't the first to arrive. Good, he hated being singled out. He didn't seem to fit with the others, didn't feel like it either. He hadn't really changed. He looked the same, felt the same. Sure, he didn't get as sick as he used to, but not much else. In fact, he didn't even have any powers of his own, he had to 'leech' off of others. But he he'd been here a long time, longer than he'd ever stayed in one place, and he needed to go somewhere else. So what better way than to join the scouting party....

John walked up to Mikhail, the closest one in the room, and extended his hand, "Hey, I'm John..." it was at that moment that he glanced up and noticed the completely alien form of Prohet, "What the FU..!?"

[Alex Green]

Jason says dryly,

"Hey there John. Glad to have you with us. I take it you haven't met the Prophet?"

[Bahamut810]

Kagejin, known for his nerves of steel, looks over his shoulder at the excited man, then over at Prophet. He raises his eyebrows slightly, nodding slightly, still extremely imressed at the raw power that prophet holds.

[ezekiel]

A middle-aged hispanic man steps into the council chamber. The man clearly wasn't a nova yet walked with utmost confidence and seemed disturbingly unconcerned by the presence of so many novas, barely sparing a glance at the floating Prophet as he grabs a seat and calmly sits down.

"Ricardo has agreed to lend me his body for the day...I'd like to come along on the scouting expeditions."

[archer]

Quietly, the door opens to admit another guest. With a hard-muscled build and casual step, the figure strolls into the council chamber. A thick and bushy beard that hangs nearly to his powerful chest completely obscures the lower half of his face, while long and unkempt hair dangles loosely in front of his eyes.

Soft-soled shoes that appear to be ancient sneakers whisper as he moves across the room; blue jeans and a loose dark green pullover suffice for the rest of his clothing. With a practiced move, his hands come up and rake his hair back and away. Emerald, cat-like eyes gaze calmly at the authorities on the dais.

[Bahamut810]

Kagejin looks back forward after nodding. His brief glance puts faced to voices and sounds. Kagejin takes a mental count of who is there...what powers they have...what weaknesses they might have. This is what Sun Tzu meant when he said "We cannot enter into alliances untill we are aquanted with the designs of our neighbors."

He listens as the door opens and closes twice more. The first person through he immeditaley knows. Someone he has watched as much as he could since he has gotten here. What was he called? Symbiote? He mentally checks him on his list of nova's on the colony. The last person he dosent look at. He cant tell who it is...he relies in instinct to know that he is not in danger. He waits patiently for the council to start. To acknolodge why they are here. How soon can we get started? How soon will they finish? He stops himself before he can ask more questions. You need to take this one piece at a time!

[Alex Green]

A middle-aged hispanic man steps into the council chamber. The man clearly wasn't a nova yet walked with utmost confidence and seemed disturbingly unconcerned by the presence of so many novas, barely sparing a glance at the floating Prophet as he grabs a seat and calmly sits down.

"Ricardo has agreed to lend me his body for the day...I'd like to come along on the scouting expeditions."

Jason says, “Body? You’re Symbiote then, …and ’for the day’ means you want to hitch a ride. Uh. What EXACTLY does that involve? Or rather, how much control do you take and what can you provide? ::unsure

[ezekiel]

Jason says,  “Body? You’re Symbiote then, …and ’for the day’ means you want to hitch a ride. Uh. What EXACTLY does that involve? Or rather, how much control do you take and what can you provide?  unsure.gif 

A smile creases the wrinkles on Ricardo's face as he responds, his voice was gravelly yet melodious.

"Not quite...I knew that some of you like to believe you have your secrets and that dealing with telepaths makes you uncomfortable...."For the day" means that Ricardo agreed that it would be much more practical for me to have a body for the purposes of this meeting..."

Ricardo raises his hands in a shrug

"However...I will need a host if I'm to scout with you. Fact is, most of my hosts never even know I'm with them. Control isn't a factor, I only take control if there's a need or an emergency, usually to teleport the host out of danger. If the host accepts I may as well use the host's voice to communicate with other team members. As for what I can provide...first and foremost I provide my knowledge. No one knows the needs or capabilities of the colony better than I. I'm sure the fact that I'm a scientist will undoubtedly be of some use as well for scouting expeditions..."

[Alex Green]

Jason nods and "pings" Symbiote to make sure he has a q-sig.

He says, "Teleportation sounds useful... just so I'm clear on the subject, you are a nova, right? Your current state is a quantum backlash issue?"

[ezekiel]

Jason nods and "pings" Symbiote to make sure he has a q-sig.

He says, "Teleportation sounds useful... just so I'm clear on the subject, you are a nova, right? Your current state is a quantum backlash issue?"

"What else would I be?"

[Bahamut810]

"A mass hallusination caused by a nova. Not the most probable thing. But you would be suprised what nova's can convince baselines of." He says without turning around.

[ezekiel]

"A mass hallusination caused by a nova.  Not the most probable thing.  But you would be suprised what nova's can convince baselines of."  He says without turning around.

Ricardo's eyes twinkle with amusement...

"Then I'm sure you'd have no objections to hosting a figment of baseline imagination..." ::sly

...

"Really, does it change anything? My offer still stands...I know every colonist on board. I'm better placed to assess any potential habitat than anyone. All I ask is to be taken there with the scouting teams."

[Bahamut810]

Kagejin shrugs.

"Just saying that there could be a few things that you could be. I believe you are what you say you are. And I agree with how useful you can be."

He turns around and looks at everyone. Interesting...most of the telepaths on the colony want to come. All but one...mabey two. Its hard to say... It will work out just fine for the mission though. Oh yes...

"You will not, however, be rideing with me unless it is an emergency. I value my privacy very much. I hope you will repect that...all of you who can read minds?" He looks to all the 'mentalists' present (the head table excluded since his back is turned to them).

[Haze]

"You will not, however, be rideing with me unless it is an emergency.  I value my privacy very much.  I hope you will repect that...all of you who can read minds?"  He looks to all the 'mentalists' present (the head table excluded since his back is turned to them).

"Oh sure," says Mikhail, smiling. His Russian accent is thick and obvious. "There's no danger of me creeping around in there."

[ConcreteDragon]

Late again. Prof. Hawkling laughs to him self. What I wouldn’t give to have my wheelchair back. Humph.

Opening the door to the conference room, he turns his head to scan the room, his eyes always fixed straight ahead. Spotting Dr. Kadmon and Apollo Milliken, Robin Puts his 5'0" frame in motion and ambles over to their table. Once there he pulls out a Datapad and points something out to them, his sagging and expressionless face turning from one to the other while he speaks.

After he’s finished, the Master Engineer does his ‘Frankenstein step’ to the rear of the room and takes a seat...waiting. (OOC unless someone waves him over to sit with them, in which case he’ll join them.8a8a0f/Arial)

[Alex Green]

Jason glances around and says slowly to Symbiote, “:Sigh:

I suspect I’m the obvious choice to play ‘Host’. Give me a few hours to get my things in order.