[WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Krulle wrote:Beryl was frustrated. She had to admit it. There was no other word for it.

The "day" started so fine. She had a wonderful "breakfast" with Alexander, which was a real morale booster. Alexander was curious for her, her world, and whatever she said. He listened. And he posed the right questions, too.
For all intents, this was a male who was interested in her. And she was interested too.
It felt so familiar, sitting at one table and just chatting. That was so enjoyable.
But that damn Mizol!

How did she know just when to appear and butt in between us?

She practically denied us all telepathic contact, but for the most simple one, because Tempo appeared whenever there seemed to be a chance to do so. Since the morning food this has been the case.
When he placed his hand on the table, more like across the table. She had wanted to put her hand on top, when the <-argh-> appeared...

Also, Alexander praised me at nearly all possible times, in front of my commanding officer for this mission. But he was in such cases nearly always looking directly at Tempo, and not at me.
Why?
What does that mean?
Obviously, he is interested in me, why else would he praise me like that?
But he seems to be interested in Tempo only, because he's looking at her.
Does he want to make me jealous?
Well... I am.


She sighed, and tried to turn a bit.

That damn Mizol denied her permission to leave the shuttle to find a bed on the station. She had to remain close to Alexander "for the complete record". But Alexander was sleeping in a make-shift bed in the cockpit after his last training session with Tempo, while she had to sleep in one of these... chairs.

At least the Mizol was also not aboard right now.

Alexander conceded that Humanity was simply too far behind technologically, and industrially, to be of any real help. Their solar system with locally grown food they could use as refueling base. But it was too far out for effective use. And without contact, nothing was possible right now, but they did learn that Humanity as a whole would likely side with the Loroi instead of the Umiak, for the looks of the Loroi and Umiak alone. Humans seem to have a nightmare of being subjugated by "insects", and would squish a bug. They apparently fear genocide less, but would fight being enslaved or destroyed with all they have available.
Also, Humans valued "individuality" to a degree, that their society would likely collapse under the uniform rule of a "hive mind" like the Umiak's. They were disgusted by The Enemy.
Seeing that Earth is considered to be "overpopulated", they could help bolstering their own planets and industries with more manpower, but Tempo refused this as unnecessary. If the Loroi would need more "hands", they could just loosen access to males for a short while.
They've been discussing this for quite a while, but the constellation of the Human worlds being so far out, and also "backwater worlds" for their technology, just gave no obvious advantage. The few things for them was the speed of their development. The Umiak did not seem to develop technologies of themselves, they just adopted conquered technologies. The Loroi were close to stagnation, as since unification the guilds have basically controlled research to a degree that only minor improvements were made, but no new developments. But Humanity went from steam powered to star faring with only their own imagination within only 400 of their years.
Well, some Loroi leaders are older than that...
Yet only the war has changed the Loroi culture considerably within that time.
Humans could therefore bring a fresh view on things.

And there was Tempo's idea. Of covert deep missions of mixed crews.
But without contact, there wasn't much they could actually do right now.

With the short telepathic connection between Tempo, Alexander, and herself, she also learned that the Mizol was having further plans. Something beyond using Human Lotai for their own purposes. She grinned You must be as frustrated as I am.. Morale boosting.... Hah!

To pass the time, Alexander tried to introduce the Loroi to a game called "chess", which he quickly sketched with some paper and a pen.
The rules were simple, it didn't take long for her to understand them. But as Alex said, understanding the rules is not understanding the game.

And Beryl did not understand the game he was playing. He was so obviously attracted to her and Tempo. But he did not move. He made appearances of moving, but then stopped moving. And he strictly kept it off-Sanzai. Why?
And apparently Beryl also did not understand the rules of this game.

At least the damn Mizol was at least as confused as she was. Beryl thought with a grin.
That poker game he made was fun, at least when we played without Sanzai as Alexander suggested.
Whatever move the Mizol was playing, Alexander apparently had a countermeasure ready.
While the Mizol was much better than me (did she really not pick at my mind when we played?), but Alexander trumped us both easily.
It was as if Alexander was able to read the cards from the backside.
Even the new card set they had the station manufacture. There were no markings a Loroi eye could discern, yet once I or Tempo held our cards in our hands, Alexander knew if we would win (and which one would win) or if he would win. And the grin in his face when he predicted that, while looking at Tempo.
And that frustrated the Mizol! Hah!
Beryl concluded with a grin.
During that game, Alexander had tried to reach out to Beryl telepathically a few times, especially towards the end of the game, and indicated some minor body or facial movement Tempo did in certain situations.
That was unexpected for her, but his thoughts were there. Definitely. He wanted her to see something, and she was barely able to receive him.
Well, the body language he is teaching me to read is indeed helpful. Never knew the Mizol disclosed so much of her thoughts in her body language.

Alexander kept contacting her, and the connection got better and better.

In the few moments she and Alexander were able to talk without Tempo's interference (which apparently only happened after they've somehow been arranged to not sit close together), she tried to give him all kind of cues that she's interested, and as decorum demanded, she waited for his signal to commence. But besides quite a few signals that he's interested as well, he made no signal of allowing her to pick him up. But he kept smiling at her.
And whenever she managed to close the distance, Tempo appeared again, stepping up to separate them, and subtly indicating her rank priority over Beryl.
Weirdly though, Alexander also made no signs to Tempo either, beyond showing a lot of interest.
And rank was on Tempo's side. Rank prohibited Beryl from starting without approval from the male and/or her superior. So frustrating.


Then she thought back to the second training session between Tempo and Alexander. This time at least his face seldom turned red. But Tempo's face did turn blue several times (coinciding with the few times Alexander turned red, she observed).
She needed to find out if Human faces turn red from exhaustion. Wait, she knew that. Physical exhaustion can Alexanders face turn red, as he proved when he did some "exercises" (if jumping and running up and down an asile can be called "exercise"). Clearly the human physique was not as efficient in staying in peak condition as the Loroi physique was. He asked them for access to physical training apparatuses. Tempo didn't promise him much in that regard, just the usual "We'll see what we can do". (And both Loroi agreed some kind of shower and clothing cleaning would soon be necessary for Alexander. - She wondered if he could smell her as clearly as she smelt him...)
But mental exertion? Can that make his face turn red too?
She needed to find out.
But how?
She oh so wanted access to his telepathy/Sanzai as well, but the Mizol was very clear on that. After their training, Alex retreated to the make-shift bed, where he was still sleeping.

The Mizol commented only, that Alexander is learning fast. "He learns control of his mind's capabilities much faster than anticipated." And there was a slight chagrin present.
Even pointing out, that her orders were for Beryl to record everything around the human, Tempo just looked at Beryl and sent "not this" with a very strict undertone of keeping other mental undertones away.
But her body languaged betrayed her. That Mizol was "dense". The training did not go completely according to her will.

Ah well. Damn. I cannot sleep anyway. Beryl stood up from her uncomfortable chair, and went to the cockpit door. She stood there undecided, but finally did not knock on the door or open it. She went to the sanitary room, and refreshed herself. With a lot of cold water to her face.

When she felt slightly refreshed, Tempo and a small service crew from the station was present with some exercise equipment, and a mobile decontamination shower unit. They apologized, but since the station had been evacuated, no crew was available for a more elegant solution.
Then the cockpit door opened, and Alexander stepped out. The whole service crew froze and stared when they became aware of Alexander, apparently not having been forewarned why some passengers were not allowed to debark the shuttle. Even Beryl had to admit that the sight was something to behold.
Alex stood there in his orange jumpsuit. But the jumpsuit was open at the front, down to his firm, musculous stomach, and his usual clothing beneath the jumpsuit was in his hands.
She looked again at Tempo and the crew, and save for Tempo, their faces have turned quite a darker shade of blue. The envy of having a male aboard their shuttle was very... thick.
Alex looked first at Tempo, then at Beryl, and with a smile he asked "Sorry to interrupt, Beryl. I'm feeling somewhat uncomfortable in my clothing, which I find has been worn for far too long and has become somewhat smelly. Can you provide me with some alternative while I try to wash this?"

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote: It took a mental prod from Tempo for Beryl to answer. For once the Mizol seemed content to let her do the talking.
„Yes, of course Captain Jardin. Just give this Soroin Paset your clothes and they will be washed for you.“

While Alex handed his bundle to a young Loroi with the biggest eyes Beryl had ever seen a Loroi make, she continued: „We will also supply you with some new clothes, Captain. How inconsiderate of me. I must be distracted today.“

Telepathically she told the Paset to fit some clothes from the stations stores to Alex size before sending her off. An interjection of Tempo send the Pazet to the stations Mizol for civilian clothes.
A quick and not entirely controlled sending regarding Alex sizes from Beryl was met with strong embarassment from the young Paset already outside the shuttle.

To her credit Tempo had quickly collected herself and with a gesture indicating the Loroi in the shuttle said: „Captain Jardin, we have just finished installing the items you requested. Training facilities for your health and something more comfortable than the sink you had to use.“

Alex eyes wandered over the equipment and Beryl was happy to pick up gratitude from him. Only as Alex saw the shower, his brow furrowed.

„Is something wrong with the shower, Enzin?“ asked Beryl via their private Sanzai.
„No, it's great. I just realised why you installed it on your own initiative. Sorry about that.“

While Beryl guiltily tried to reassure Alex, Tempo spoke to the other Loroi: „The Captain thanks you for your help, but I am sure he will appreciate some privacy now“ In Sanzai Tempo added: „At least you have a more pleasant topic now to gossip about than the Umiak besieging us.“

In reaction to a wave of questions Tempo sanzaied: „Listel Tozet Beryl is on duty and will gladly answer your questions regarding Captain Jardins health and safety in depth later.“

Looking away from the shower Alex saw most of the Loroi leave. As he had expected, Beryl and Tempo stayed behind. The daggers Beryl stared at Tempo looked extra sharp.

„Is there a problem?“ Alex asked.

Beryl answered with a strained look on her face: „No cause for worry, Enzin. You are perfectly safe. There are just some Listel duties I will have to deal with. But that does not need to concern you.“

Tempo swooped in from the side with a clear look of satisfaction on her face. „These duties won't come up for now. Please feel free to make use of the new facilities. When you're rested we can continue your Sanzai training.“

„I'm very happy to take a shower now.“ said Alex before expectantly looking at the two Loroi.

A moment passed, then a wordless look of puzzlement passed between Tempo and Beryl.

Then Beryl asked with hesitation: „Is there something stopping you, Enzin?“

„Uh...you two are watching me.“

Beryl was visibly confused. „I don't understand. You didn't seem uncomfortable in the slightest showing skin to even a group of Loroi strangers.“

„That was different. I only have a bare chest.“

„There is a difference for humaniti? Skin is skin for Loroi.“

And then with his face beginning to turn deep red, Alex realised that all the Loroi he had seen had always worn full body suits that even covered their necks and showed very little skin.

„You mean I just...“ he trailed off and Tempo finished his sentence. „showed yourself to a group of Loroi women in a way reserved only for intimate encounters.“

The looks on their faces reappeared before Alex eyes. Had he only known what he was doing. Now the whole station would be talking.

„Well, I would like some privacy now, while I shower please.“ Alex managed to say at last.

Tempo and Beryl gave each other another look. Thankfully they seemed to agree to a temporary ceasefire.

Tempo answered: „We have duties on the station elsewhere. Perhabs after several days you would like to be alone for a while anyway. We will return later, Captain“

Before Beryl left she gave him a reassuring smile and snuck him a Sanzai: „We Loroi are relaxed about these things.“

Finally alone in the shuttle Alex took a moment to breathe freely before he turned to the shower. It was a lightweight construction with semi transparent doors. A watertank on the back and some machinery were visible. He stepped out of his remaining clothes and into the shower. The taps had unfamiliar symbols on them, so it took a bit of experimenting until he got a pleasurable temperature.

It felt good being able to finally take a shower. His cell had serviceable but spartan facilities and the shuttle on which he was kept for days now had only a small sink to wash himself. The water washed away the grime from his body and massaged his chest very comfortably.

Alex closed his eyes and considered his situation. The Loroi were a friendly bunch, if strange in lots of regards. They seemed very forthcoming to him and he knew that his decision to stick with the Loroi all the way back with Captain Hamilton was the correct one.

If only there was some way for humanity to be actually useful, he mused. Perhabs they could send personel like engineers, technicians, medical people to help? Specialists that needed time to train. At that he had to think of Loroi and humans working together.

His mind wandered to Beryl and the kind of looks she gave him in the past few days. A shame there was a war going on. The air in the shower became humid and so his thoughts wandered to Tempo also. Alex didn't like how complicated his situation had turned out to be, but for now, he could relax contemplating how to avoid diplomatic incidents with Tempo and Beryl.

He heard the door and then a Loroi said: „Oh, hello Enzin. Don't mind me, I just need to check the diagnostics of the shuttle.“

Alex turned around in surprise and shock. There Talon stood on her way to the cockpit. They locked eyes and in a second flowing like tar, her eyes wandered downwards.

Eyebrows went up, then her eyes followed, a mischievous smile on her face.

„Do you want to meet with hands again?“

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Krulle wrote:Damn! Tempo thought. The alarm went off, and Beryl was clearly in range.
who could be entering the Highland then?

"Beryl, do you know where Talon and Spiral are?" she sent, while switching off the alarm she had installed.

"No, why?" came the reply.

Tempo concentrated, and reached the guards in front of the shuttle. "Is someone inside the shuttle?"

"Yes, Tenoin Arrir Tesin, Parat." came the swift reply.
The guard flinched when the wordless reply came, reminding her of the explicit order that, bar for emergencies, no-one save Baeyl and Tempo were allowed to enter the shuttle.

"Beryl, move to the shuttle, now. We need to get that Tenoin out!" she ordered Beryl.

Thankfully, Beryl did not reply but was quickly on the move. She tried to reach out to Talon, but she was apparently not on the shuttle. Nor on the station...
Hmm, that human is more trusting than any Loroi would be... Good I installed that alarm, or my plans might've been shot.

Shortly afterwards, Beryl and herself arrived at the shuttle, and the guards confirmed, that the pilot was still aboard.
So they both entered.

Alex was outside the shower, trying to wrap himself in some towels when he heard the doors open.

"Where is Tenoin Arrir Tesin?" Tempo asked.

"You mean Talon? She's in the cockpit. She said she needed to check some systems." he replied.

Tempo immediately went to the cockpit, and barely noticed the look Beryl gave their charge. She was too focused and busy right now.

When the door opened, she nearly got a fit.
"Tenoin, what are you doing?" she mentally screamed.

Talon looked very caught, and immediately got up and scrambled for her clothes and armor.

"I... I... Well.., he invited me into his bedroom" Talon tried to defend herself.

"You purposefully lied to him that you needed to check systems and purposefully misinterpreted his answer for your own access to a male!"

"No, I really got something to check." a cowered Talon replied, while gesturing at her watch. The image conveyed showed indeed that the system has called to the pilot to check some abnormal energy readings.

"Get off the shuttle now" Tempo commanded, and left the cockpit.

Outside she closed her eyes and leaned to the wall next to the cockpit door, and took a deep breath.

"I am sorry for the intrusio..." she started to say when she opened her eyes, but stopped when she saw the shuttle's passenger cabin was empty.

"Has someone left the shuttle since I came aboard?" she asked the guards.

"No"

"Give me a signal when Tenoin Arrir has left the shittle." she commanded, and spread her mind in search for Beryl, but she could not pinpoint her.

She stayed and observed the shuttle telepathically, barely noticing the pilot slipping out, and receiving a short statement from the guards confirming the pilot has left the shuttle.

You sneaky white-haired girl. Where are you?

Then she felt a triumphant primal telepathic shout. Clearly Alex and Beryl's signature attached (is that the sanitary room? Thankfully they are not visible in the mirror....).... She hoped the shout did not carry far, but she already got a signal from the station's crew room section.

"She got to him before you!" Fireblade sent triumphantically "I won the wager!"

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote:Tempo fumed, but she could see no way of breaking up the two. Not without directly claiming the privileges of rank. That she would not dare in front of Enzin Jardin. In fact she could name only one person in the system jaded enough to do that. And when Fireblade sent again, Tempo turned even paler.

Finally they had managed to sneak away. While Tempo was busy chewing out poor Talon, Beryl had grabbed his hand. He didn't even need her Sanzai to read her intent. They had pressed each other into this tight side cabin and wouldn't come out even if Tempo were to hammer on the door.

Beryl had her hands on the side of his chest and mentally directed his fingers how to open her uniform. Just as Alex had overcome his clumsiness and supple blue started shining through, Tempo did bang on the door.

„Get dressed, now! Commander on deck!“

Military protocol wasn't his strong suit, yet even he knew recognized Tempos meaning. The tone of this negotiation would take a turn downwards.

They broke out of the restroom; Tempo threw him his jumpsuit before instructing them both.
„Get your thoughts in order. No mention of any of this now. No Sanzai. You're not good enough at it, Enzin.“

Besides him Beryl had already begun nervously fidgeting her uniform back together and ordering her hair. Alex barely had time to get in his jumpsuit and button it up when the shuttle door opened and in came Stillstorm.

„Captain Jardin, how convenient to meet you here.“ she sneered.

Tempo and Beryl both stood to attention in what he assumed was the Loroi way. By instinct he followed suit his own way.

„This system is contested and I am acting system commander. So I am as brief as I am busy.“ Her tone was icy. No doubt she knows, thought Alex.

„You have been the object of gossip on all ships, Captain Jardin. Therefore, as system commander I have just approved of a mating encounter with you.“

„Come again?“ Alex heard himself say. Beryl drew in a sharp breath, while Tempo credited herself by remaining perfectly calm.

„Your presence is bad for discipline and therefore I have decided to have things proceed in ordered circumstances.“

Tempo now spoke: „Who put in an official request for an encounter?“ Alex asked himself the same thing. He tried remembering which Loroi he had even met.

„I did.“ came Stillstorms answer.

„Come again?“ said Alex again.

„Tozet Beryl, explain to the Captain how requisition of an encounter is handled.“ ordered Stillstorm.

Dazzled Beryl explained: „A mating encounter in the military is filed with the ranking Torrai who then usually forwards it through proper channels. In an active warzone the highest authority is the system commander. Approved mating encounters are fulfilled according to rank, from highest to lowest when convenient for both parties.“

Disbelieving what he heard Alex asked: „Don't I get a say in this?“

„Of course you do, Captain Jardin.“ came Stillstorms response. „By Loroi law you can refuse approved mating encounters as they're redeemed.“

Hearing this Alex relaxed slighty, yet still tense he wondered something: „I am not a Loroi. Do I fall under your laws, Commander Stillstorm?“

A sardonic tone crept into Stillstorms voice: „You do not, Captain Jardin. But they do.“ She indicated the two Loroi next to him. „An unsanctioned mating encounter is grounds for a court martial.“

„I see, so you can deny their mating encounters.“ replied Alex.
„Yes, but I hereby preemptively approve one mating encounter for each of them. One for Talon too, she is 51ths best pilot.“

„Then you just want to be first?“ asked Beryl aghast.

A look from Stillstorm drove poor Beryl back physically.

„I didn't lie. I am very busy. There is a war to wage.“

Even in his confusion and resentment Alex had to admire Stillstorm for her pracmatism. Still he could not keep a certain bitterness out of his voice as he spoke: „You awarded yourself a mating encounter, which I can deny once you redeem it. Which won't happen as you are too busy to do so. Which, since you are the highest ranking officer means all lower ranks have to wait on you. How convenient.“

„Indeed. It understands quickly. Palan Fireblade and the Soroin assigned as your guards will be responsible for keeping discipline.“

With that Stillstorm turned, leaving Alex, Beryl and Tempo behind speechless. After the shuttle doors closed again Alex taught the two Loroi a bit of earth dialect.

„What a bitch.“

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
novius wrote:It took a while for that turn of events to sink in.

After a few seconds, Alex was secretly happy to actually be able to stay 'tuned out' of the sanzai, since the glances of Beryl, Tempo, even Fireblade and her guards bespoke of a veritable storm of sending going back and forth. And since sanzai, he came to know, can cover quite some distance he was sure the news were already spreading like wildfire around Gora Relay's skeleton crew.

Thanks, Stillstorm. Many thanks. If I hadn't been the talk of the system just before, now I surely am, he thought grimly.

His brooding came to a stop when he felt Tempo's fingers in his back, sneaking themselves under his overall shirt, touching his bare skin.

'Fret not', her thought came into his mind, 'I will not allow her spitefulness to endanger your health. Feel free to send back now - quietly, and only at me - your Lotai should cover us. And don't move. You are amongst friends here, right now, but bet on Stillstorm or her underlings checking the video feed. They shouldn't see me touching you.'

'Sneaky...', he let his admiration bleed into his thought which was answered by a warm glow coming from Tempo. 'Why, thanks.'

'...but what do you mean with health issues?', Alex tacked on. He had a suspicion on what Tempo is referring to, but ...

'Loroi males cannot go without mating encounters for an extended period of time. What counts as an 'extended period' varies between one-sixth and one-half of a tozon. But, serious discomfort ensues even way before ... they expire. Given our physiological similarity, I deem it possible it would be the same with humans, too?'

'I remember. Beryl asked me the same and actually offered to accomodate to any health issues that may arise. But, no, human men don't need to mate, but many do find it rather uncomfortable to go for long periods without', Alex decided for a truthful answer.

'I see. Pity. So we cannot countermand Stillstorm's antics simply based on a medical emergency.'

'I'm pretty sure, were Ensign Byrd right here where I am now he would have put up a heap of bullshit that human men would need frequent mating encounters as well, the more often the better, just to get some.'

'If your colloquialism means 'telling an outrageous lie', then I see what you mean. And, I count it highly in your favor that you chose to stick to the truth, even on the risk of experiencing personal discomfort, rather than telling a lie to gain a short-term advantage. Though....'

Alex felt a series of images flitting through his mind, coming from Tempo, too quick to follow them. Perhaps this is their idea of 'thinking out loud'. But, a particular thought caught his attention.

'Tempo, bear with me for a moment - if she'd do that to a Loroi male - awarding male rights to a specific male to herself and then intentionally not going through with it for, what? Half of a tozon? - and since being the ranking officer and having first dibs, effectively cutting off the male from any other female in her own domain - wouldn't that be akin to slowly murdering him?'

'...', Alex could feel her surprise cutting through the mindscape, prompting him to elaborate.

'I'm sure she wouldn't be the first one to pull such a stunt, and given how you safeguard and protect your men I am quite sure your laws do have provisions in place to offer him a way out of a situation as dire as this.'

'...you may be on to something', Tempo slowly admitted, and Alex felt something like grudging admiration coming from her. 'If you are right, that would be a move worthy of a Mizol. But, have no fear, your status as an envoy might come with its own benefits as well. So we have several angles to work on... but, your idea has some merit...' Tempo added, her last thought laced with vengefulness.

'But, I am wondering. Why would Stillstorm ever sign male rights for you, Beryl and Talon, too, where just signing some for herself would do the trick, too?'

'As a bait. She tempts me to try something, anything at all. That's her way of pouring salt in the wounds. And, it would be oh-so-much sweeter if we actually get to enjoy the selfsame male rights she countersigned. It would irk her that she'd have actually paved the way to enjoy some benefits without risking court martial.'

'Jeez, all that because of me?'

'Not entirely. Stillstorm and I were ... already at odds, even before you entered the scene. Your presence and your Lotai made things much, much worse. Though... without your Lotai it could have been possible, albeit only remotely possible that she would have followed through with her own male rights.'

'Thanks, Tempo, that was a mental image I could have done without', Alex groused. 'But... why are you so intent on getting that ban lifted? It surely isn't just for one-upping Stillstorm.'

'To protect you and Tozet Beryl', came her reply. 'Come again?'

'Allow me to explain. Tozet Beryl's growing infatuation towards you didn't escape my notice. Even back on the Tempest she went through great lengths to not let your condition worsen, but as a Listel, her influence was limited. Here, on the shuttle, being in close quarters, her attachment to you grew to dangerous levels.'

'Dangerous? How so?'

'Were she to go exclusive on you, and you on her, Tozet Beryl would be considered an outcast and mentally unstable, unfit for duty. Without any immediate access to a correctional facility, she would easily have been court-martialed and expelled from the warrior ranks. As for you, it would have been likely that you would face serious repercussions for 'corrupting' one high-ranked officer, and dealt with accordingly.'

'I see... why not telling me that beforehand, before everything went that far?'

'I didn't anticipate how quickly your ... relationship, that's the word? ... evolved. It took literally less than one of your days to go from a chance encounter, by her falling into your lap, to a point where it was just solons away from crossing a line set by law. Tozet Beryl is young, curious and impressionable, but every warrior is mature enough to see the consequences of her actions. Yet she went that far, on your mutual consent.'

'Then, again, why going through that scheme to outwit Stillstorm rather than simply telling us to keep our hands off of each other'

'Captain Jardin. Just because she didn't keep her hands off of you is a reason why we could talk to each other the way we do now. Regardless how you managed it, you and Beryl... and by extension, me and Fireblade included, I presume... do share a special bond that surpasses everything we would have ever suspected when it comes to Humans. What we have is unique, and could turn out to be a valuable asset. I don't wish to squander it because of ... trivialities...', there Tempo's scorn shone through, 'or you facing derision. So since I actually encouraged you to follow that course of action, I wanted you to become comfortable with the thought of being around other Loroi warriors, so that you and Tozet Beryl would not face the stigma of going exclusive on each other. And since I was the Loroi second most familiar to you, I thought myself to be an appropiate choice.'

'That ... makes sense.' Alex admitted. 'You taught me more than just sanzai, I guess?'

Alex felt Tempo smile. 'I hope that it won't make you shy away from future lessons.'

Would it? True, Tempo played her cards close to the chest, but he grew accustomed to it - that's just her - or a Mizol's? - way of doing things. She might have her own agenda, but so far she was always supportive of him.

And, since he actually uses fully formed sanzai with her now, his own Lotai seems to agree with trusting her.

'No.. I don't think so. It may take some time for me to wrap my mind around the other issue, besides sanzai lessons, though.'

'I concur. In the meantime, please stay ... discreet ... with Tozet Beryl. I might be able to make Fireblade and the guards see things our way, but I do not wish to try our luck without dire need. Wait, there's some commotion outside....'

Alex felt himself being shocked to his senses, just the moment the bulkhead slid open, revealing a Loroi in dark armor, similar in the make to Tempo's, but with dark green highlights rather than Tempo's red ones.

'A Mizol Losat - technically I outrank her, but...', Tempo supplied, but he distinctly felt as if Tempo was sizing her up as a possible threat, just before she removed her hand from his skin.

"Greetings. I am Mizol Losat Lomileilar, meaning 'Brightshield'. I came on behalf of Station Commander Cerulean, since she is busy with coordinating the station's defenses, as you might be aware. I understand we need to limit ourselves to spoken words since there is one individual unable to respond to sanzai?"

There Brightshield's blue eyes stopped on seeing Alex, and they slightly widened. "I see. She bade me to find out what sent the whole station's skeleton crew into a frenzy, as well as the rest of the Loroi detachment throughout a contested star system and not being The Enemy, as have one exalted Torrai Lashret Stillstorm pay us a surprise visit, despite having to fight The Enemy left and right."

"So, you are the alien this fuss is all about?", there she looked him up and down with a glance Alex became all too familiar with since his encounter with Talon, but thankfully she refrained from commenting. Because, judging by that look and her stance, any comment she would have made would have been at least a rather lewd one.

On a sidelong glance, he saw Tempo's eyes sending one unmistakable message back. Look, but don't touch.

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Krulle wrote:"Yes." Alexander said. There was no denying this anway. All this attention on him as a male... would've been very charming if not for these particular circumstances...

"And what are you?" Brightshield asked.

"I am a Human."

"And why are you here?"

"I am the sole survivor of a mission sent to contact the warfaring parties before the warfaring parties discover us, and force their choice on us. Our mission, and consequently my mission, is to make contact with either the Loroi Union or with the Umiak Hierarchy, so that we can have a view of both sides about this war, and make our own opinion on which side we shall choose. Since we've been told that the Loroi and the Umiak each have a 'no neutrality doctrine' in force, we wanted to make sure we would be able to select the side we want to fight on. Alas, in the Naam system our ship got shot at, and fatally crippled."

She continued to ask a few questions about his mission, which he answered as truthfully as possible. After those questions, Brightshield took a breath.

"Well, since Mizol Parat Sedel here accorded you ambassadorial status, this station has no command over you, but I am grateful for you answering my questions. Of course I have read the reports provided to me so far, but apparently these reports were incomplete." she concluded with a sideglance at Tempo. "But please understand that you have caused quite a commotion, especially after the working force returned from having brought this shuttle a decontamination unit. We are sorry you have been stranded in this system, without a way forward to complete your mission. Please tell me, was the personal access for the Listel here part of your mission?"

"Eh.." Alex stammered shortly, with a short glance at Beryl. "No. No, our mission was to make contact only, and arrange a meeting of your officials with some of our officials in a 'neutral' system, so that our politicians at home could make an informed decision of whom to pledge alliance without risking total destruction of Humanity."

"And, personally, since you had contact with both sides, even if with The Enemy only through listening in on a conversation, which side would you recommend your leaders to choose?"

"The Loroi Union!" Alexander said with conviction.

"And why?" Brightshield asked.

She turned her head to Tempo and with a glare added: "Yes, you've already reported me what he told you. But while aboard this station, I will confirm some elements for myself."

'Apparently Tempo sent a Sanzai message...' Alexander thought, and replied: "Because you are so similar to us. And because the Umiak remind us of a common nightmare, an instinctive fear, among all Humans. We have animals on our world, which we call insects. Some of them have a 'hive-mind', meaning they do not work for themselves, but only and exclusively for a common goal, at the expense of individuality. When I heard Kikitik-27 talk, the harsh sound made my skin crawl very uncomfortably. His looks, and what I've been told about the Umiak made me directly connect the Umiak to be a nightmare. We Humans value our individuality and individual freedom very much, and I cannot fathom that our society would survive being a 'client state' of the Umiak."

"Then why did you seek forbidden contact with Listel Tozet Eilis here?"

"I did not actively seek this intimate contact. It just happened. We Humans are different than you are. We have a male to female ratio of about 1:1, and intimacy with us usually comes with proximity and familiarity.
Furthermore, I cannot deny that all Loroi I have seen so far are visually among the ideals of how a female Human should look like, if you disregard the blue skin and your lengthy, pointed ears. And Beryl's character of being very inquisitive, her smartness and quick understanding are also considered to be wanted character traits for our partners.
And from what I've been told in the last hour or so, I seem to have a very similar effect on many Loroi females."

"It just happened?" an incredulous Brightshield asked. "Well, I have to take your word for it. Please be advised that you and all Loroi entering this shuttle will be on a closer monitoring from now on, to make sure our laws are observed. While these laws do not necessarily apply to you, they do apply to all Loroi. Does Humanity not have such laws?"

"Well, when being on duty such things are usually considered to be not done, and only in security relevant issues there are rules forbidding intimacy at the working place. But once off-duty, these matters are usually considered to be a private affair between persons involved, as long as they are not disruptive to the environment."

Here the station's Mizol smiled. "Tell me, are you as sole representative of Humanity known to the Loroi technically ever 'off-duty'?"

"Eh.. Technically not. No." Alexander answered. "But in circumstances like these, where there is no disruption of duty, the superiors and courts have recognised that a Human is a Human, and that certain amounts of rest and private matters are a necessity."

"A necessity? Like a health necessity?" Brightshield asked. With a glimmer in her eye.

"Not a physical health necessity. But being constantly on duty without the possibility to be something else that on duty, to be a human with all its flaws and errors and needs, has been proven to cause the human to be prone to errors and misjudgements." Alex tried to deflect.

"I see. This has to do with your need for individuality you previously mentioned?"

"Yes." Alex answered slightly relieved that she made this connection, and not directly questioning his mental health. "Yes. It is part of our brain seeking rewarding situations, which we often do not experience when on duty."

"Ah. You're a civilian, then?"

"No. I am part of the military." a perplexed Alexander replied. "Why?"

"Because our civilians often show these kind of flaws. But in the military, these kind of flaws are not permissible.
Anyway, thanks for answering my questions. Since you did come into contact with some crew of ours, I need our Doranzer to check you thoroughly. Can I count on your cooperation with that?"

"Yes, you can." Alexander said.

"Thank you." She turned her head, and said to Tempo: "I can see he is very cooperative. As he is in your charge, and you are the higher ranking Mizol, I will leave him in your charge. If you need help, please inform me. Also, I fear my report might incite Torrai Mazeit Cerulean to visit him too, once she finds a time where the crushables keep quiet." she finished with a longing side-glance at Alexander.

"Thank you, Mizol Losat Lomileilar. Your Doranzer will be forwarded with any data our Doranzer has collected during her scans when we rescued Captain Jardin, but of course she is free to countercheck the findings." Tempo said. "But without bringing Alexander to the station's infirmary, I fear her examinations will not find anything else than what our ship systems did."

Brightshield's eyes tightened slightly at that, but finally she turned around and left the shuttle, signalling the other Loroi of the station to follow her.

Alexander, Beryl, and Tempo were left behind. Tempo made a small keep quiet signal, and left for the Cockpit, where she once again used her codes. And yes, there it was. Some data stream leaving the shuttle. She backtracked it to one specific camera in the passenger cabin. She used one of the other monitors to check what the camera showed. 'Interesting. You dirty little...' she thought with a smile, as she watched the transparent front of the decontamination shower. A quick check confirmed, that the camera was active since only a short time. Likely shortly before that Mizol entered the shuttle.
She found no other signals, and left the cockpit.

Alexander and Beryl were talking to each other, about what happend. And a deep blue face told Tempo, that Beryl was very sorry for what happened, and all the trouble she caused for Alexander.

Making sure they indeed stood outside the shower cabin's camera, she walked over to them, and held out her hands out. Both accepted the unspoken invitation.

"First things first. Do not take a shower together. There's a camera active. Alexander, I am sorry for your privacy, but if I switch off that camera, I signal them that I've found it, and the next one will be harder to find. Let them have a look at your body, maybe it distracts them from being so far from our males. Also it may incite them to fight their best, to protect you.
Second, this is not solely your fault, Beryl. I incited him to get intimate with you. He was unable to hide his attraction to you, as well as your attraction to him was obvious. And since he trusts you most of all of us, I wanted to test his Lotai more.


"You wanted us to get intimate?" an incredulous Beryl asked.

"Girl, you are young. Curious. Desiring. Yes. You were the obvious choice."

"But I thought you wanted..."

"Hey" Alex interrupted. "I am here."

"So?" both Loroi questioned.

"Among Humans it is unusual to talk about someone in his presence like that." Alex explained.

"But we're not Humans." Tempo reminded him. She continued "Of course I wanted too. First of all because he is attractive. Second of all, he needs to learn that Loroi are not exclusive with another. And in the current situation I wanted it to be someone I can always trust. Talon's loyalities lie with Moonglow and Stillstorm, being her superiors, and Fireblade... Well, she's Fireblade.
But still, I wanted him to make the choice who goes first.
"

They heard the door open, and saw Fireblade coming in.

"Did I miss anything?" Fireblade asked, after the three had let go off each others hands and turned to Fireblade.

"Not much", Tempo answered. "I assume you've been told what happened here?"

"Hell, all the station knows. It was hard to not know." Fireblade answered. To Alex she said: "If you have time, I'd love to claim my wager winning."

Alex looked a bit stunned.

"Ah ah." Tempo interjected. "The wager's on hold right now. Beryl was too early in her triumph. Stillstorm cut her short and nothing happened. She still wore most of her uniform when I pulled them out."

"You! you! You've been betting on me?" an incredulous Alex asked.

"Sure. We're military on front line duty. It is all we have for ourselves." Tempo replied, and then looked curiously at Beryl, who was standing only half a step from Alexander, but not touching him.

"What?" Beryl asked.

"You're gone." Tempo remarked.

"Indeed. I can see you, but not feel you." Fireblade added.

Tempo looked at Alexander, and asked "Do you feel the need to protect her?"

Alexander looked perplexed, and after thinking about it, he replied: "Yes, and no. Not physically. But still, she's in a difficult situation because I couldn't keep my fingers to myself. Why?"

"Your Lotai has extended to Beryl." commented Fireblade.

Tempo looked at Beryl intently. After a short while she asked: "What about you? Can you sense me or Fireblade? Or hear my sending?"

Beryl looked at them both, and said "I cannot receive any sending, but I feel a vague presence of you. As if you both are very far away." She tried sending something.

"I can sense you sending" Tempo said. "But I cannot understand it."

"I didn't receive anything." Fireblade said.

Tempo touched Alexander's hand. "During that exchange with Stillstorm I already had an instable reception of Beryl. Let me test something."

"Now I can sense Beryl clearly again, but Fireblade is somewhat far away...." she said after a moment.
"The Human Lotai can actually extend to us Loroi, if we're very familiar to them. And apparently intimacy and desire to protect is the catalyst here, as trust was to lower the Lotai."

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
novius wrote:In retrospect, Stillstorm's antics might have proven to be a boon. Not that Tempo would ever admit that to her.

On Alex's hint, she did go through lots and lots and lots of legalese to... yes, he was spot on. There is some emergency clause to ensure a male's survival, or to an extent, well-being if the issues arise that he's going for too long between encounters. Interesting though - it was a recent amendment, just about 400 tozons ago, where the original regulations exist since time immemorial.

The wording of this amendment was rather strong, so much that it would bypass all standing orders and regulations - whoever had written that up must have felt a dire need to do so, and afterwards no one else seemed to have thought about adding further limiting clauses.

Interesting. Add to that that he is an alien envoy and surely has different needs and preferences, I'm quite sure we can make that stick. But I definitely need to add a non-disclosure clause. Yes, leave that as a loophole for Stillstorm to save face...

Pulling one over Stillstorm might be something Tempo would do, but embarassing her in front of the rank and file might not be helpful.

'Were she some jumped up brass it might be fine to bring her down a peg or two, but one does not pee up a decorated war hero's leg in public.', Alex had sent once throughout their lessons, accompanied with a picture of a small furry quadruped animal lifting its right hind leg and taking a leak on Stillstorm's boot. That picture still brought a smile to Tempo's face, promising to herself to learn more about these ... colorful idioms. Perhaps she should ask Tozet Beryl...?

'Back to topic', she chided herself.

Yes, Stillstorm did do them a favor, and it would be beneficial to not to make it public that she would... will circumvent her orders and still completely stay above board.

'Because I am sure at least half of the station's crew would have signed up for mating encounters or even completely disregard rules and regulations once they had seen him topless and news had spread. Without Stillstorm, it would all have landed on my table and my inbox would be over quota by now.'

Though, since the shuttle was docked, it would have landed on the Station Commander's table - maybe it already did, and that was part of the reason she sent that Mizol Losat Lomileilar.

And given the looks she raked over Alex she surely would have been next in line to file for mating rights, too.

That brought something else to her mind.

When she discovered the camera she was sure it was Arrir Talon who installed it, but no. She indeed went to check on some abnormal readings - the energy drain of the running camera might have went unnoticed on a fully powered up shuttle, but with all systems in standby, it stood out. Given the pilot's basic knowledge of vehicle operations and maintenance she was sure Talon wouldn't have made such an error. So someone else had repurposed that camera.

As she asked Alex to 'put up a show for the troops', as he put it, she installed a little extra in the camera's software, one of the Mizol's finest - any downloaded and streamed video imagery would be tagged and could be traced back to the requester, and now she has a log on whoever had a video of Alex's last shower.

A long list. Someone surely didn't keep her thoughts closed about that video feed. Yes, her own name was on the list, too, same as Tozet Beryl's, but she was sure that Alex wouldn't mind. Especially not in the Listel's case. And... since Stillstorm did countersign their mating rights, she was entitled to have a closer look at the goods.

'Hmmm... Maybe the Maiad Loroi are on to something with their relaxed views on inter-gender relations...', she admitted, before sorting and browsing through the list.

Arrir Talon, that was to be expected, too. Pallan Fireblade, as well, given the ongoing wager and her eagerness to cash in on her perceived victory. And... there she was. Losat Brightshield, another avid subscriber to that video stream.

A dark feeling rose up in Tempo. One it took a while for recognizing as jealousy. She fought it down.

'Spiral? Reed? Flint? Well, that is mildly surprising.'

The next dozens of names were quite unfamiliar to her - the Relay's staff, she presumed, though maybe not all of them, she was sure she read some names on the crew manifests of Strike Group 51.

Then, she stopped short at one name, eyes widening.

'STILLSTORM?!'

That dark feeling returned tenfold, in an instant. 'That bitch', she used that English word.

Tempo wasn't sure if she should ever tell Alex that she wasn't above getting an eyeful even if she heaped lots of scorn on him. Maybe...

She reached outwards, towards Beryl's mind.

'Beryl', she sent, deliberately dropping her rank to denote that this is a personal matter, 'no need to deny it, I know you've hooked yourself into that video feed. I'd have been surprised if you haven't. And, I am honest, I did, too... As well as perhaps about the entire Relay's crew. But, I guess you noticed it, too?', Tempo sent a few pictures, pointing out several things. Like, him being tensed up a bit, and more often than not keeping the back to the glass pane and the camera on its other side.

'It seems to me that Humans do have a selan forbidding them to show themselves completely nude in front of unfamiliar females. He was much more carefree when he was unaware of the camera. Topless seemed to be completely permissible for him, but below the waistline seems to be met with restrictions as strong as one of our males showing any skin.'

'And, I have to admit, had he not pointed out this 'body language' to us, we would have missed it. And to know that we Loroi could be 'read' as easily, too, is ... a thought that is unsettling and endearing, both.'

'A male who can discern our state and moods without us resorting to sanzai? This really sounds much like a dream come true', Tempo felt Beryl's thoughts drifting off, but then snapping back into focus, '....right. I think that without sanzai, Humans had to resort to other ways of communication. Their 'idioms', for example, putting lots of concepts into few words, but requiring much cultural background to discern, or the ability to read this 'body language'.', Beryl elaborated.

'If not for the immediate war effort, I am more and more convinced that Humans do have much to offer to us, much more than they even might guess themselves.'

'Besides the Humans most certainly being our template species, I think it might weigh more that they could become our guilty pleasure.'

Tempo blinked in confusion. 'Guilty ... pleasure?', she sent, askance, 'Is that another of Alex's idioms?'

'Yes. It describes something that may be slightly past beyond legality, or morally slightly questionable, but not quite counting as a gross transgression, but too good to pass up on. Like the video feed. Everyone knows that is an invasion of privacy, but they couldn't stay away from it.'

Guilty pleasure, Tempo mulled in her mind, yes, that's a good way to describe it, and what Humans could come to mean to us.

'Tozet Beryl', Tempo framed her thoughts in a more formal manner, 'We absolutely need to make sure that the war does not reach the Humans until we can be sure, beyond any doubt, that they are ready for this. More and more I think that the future of the Union and that of Humanity is tied to each other. That neither of us can survive on its own any longer.'

Beryl was taken aback by the forcefulness of Tempo's sanzai. Her thoughts spoke of a conviction that rivaled the oaths they took on joining the warrior ranks.

'...Humans are really that important to us?', Beryl sent flabbergasted.

'More than you could imagine. Much more.'

---//---

Doranzer Mazil-Toza Pabetpeio - or 'Winterbloom', as she introduced her spoken name - was nothing if not thorough. If she was disallowed from bringing Alex to the sickbay, she did her best to bring the sickbay to Alex. The same technicians that installed the shower unit - a repurposed decon cell, he came to know - carted in a whole load of devices, last but not least one of the diagnostic beds much like the one he found himself in when he woke up aboard the Tempest.

Of course, whenever one of the technicians got a good look at him, she slowed down, at least until Winterbloom cast a sharp glance at the dawdler, most certainly coupled with a reprimand via sanzai.

Part of the shuttle's cargo bay started to look like an intensive care ward, just one level below of an isolation unit. It seemed that she was intent on repeating each and every test they may have performed on him on the Tempest, and then maybe some more.

"Given the scans, you were recovering from serious blood loss, something I presume to be a concussion, severe hypoxia and perhaps an equally severe psychic trauma. So these scans are far from a baseline for a healthy Human, which I wish to establish here."

Well, that makes sense. "True. I'm sure Tozet Beryl would be interested in a copy of this second set of scans, too."

"Certainly. I would have gone over the results with her in any case. Now, if you please, lie down and we start with the scans."

What followed was a series of scans where Alex heard and felt devices powering up and humming, and Winterbloom hunching over a console making, yes, the typical doctor's noises.

Though, not all scans were non-invasive.

Urine. Scrapes of his skin. Hair clippings. Tears. Blood. Semen. Alex blushed a moment when she handed him a cup and made clear what he was expected to do.

To her credit, she was all business-like. Perhaps as a medic, she did see a number of males in her career in a professional manner and wouldn't completely go gooey-eyes over one.

Well, when she took a swab of his skin, she did let her gloved hand linger for a bit longer than it was entirely necessary....

"Well, while I'm unfamiliar with your biology and cannot completely say what's normal for you and what not, there are some common grounds I could work with. You have blood cells to transport oxygen, for example, you metabolize glucose and fats for energy as well. Speaking of which... if I'm reading this right, you recently suffered from a period of malnutrition? It shows in the recently ossified sections of your fracture and your hair."

"Yes... yes, I did", Alex admitted, "It was an ordeal for them to find something to eat I could keep down. Most of their rations simply didn't agree with me."

"I see. Perhaps given these scans I might be able to come up with a dietary plan to meet your nutritional demands. You have a much faster metabolism than we have - please keep that in mind and remember that what would nourish one Loroi would not be enough to sustain you."

"I see. Was that all?"

Winterbloom smiled slightly. "For now. I need to upload the test results to the Relay's mainframe to run some simulations. If the results are satisfactory, I could give you a clean bill of health."

"I see. Thanks, doc."

"'Doc'?", Winterbloom asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh... Apologies. Force of habit. It's a short term for 'doctor', a specific honorific. Typically used, but not limited to physicians who went through a specific career track. No offense intended."

"None taken. And, would you agree to a follow-up examination, in a few cycles?"

"If circumstances permit, why not?"

"Then it's an appointment. Until then, I'll bid goodbye."

Winterbloom already turned to her console, probably busy with uploading the data, so Alex murmured a goodbye on his own and left quietly, heading towards the shuttle's cockpit.

Unbeknownst to Winterbloom, the data she uploaded triggered a hidden subroutine in the Relay's computers, and a notice popped up on Losat Brightshield's computer.

On seeing that notice, she typed in a few commands and a lengthy password. Seeing what appeared on her display, she smiled.

So, after all these tozons....

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
dragoongfa wrote:He didn't know how he managed to convince Beryl for some privacy after the quite uncomfortable medical check up he just went through; he just wanted some time alone to dwell on things and put everything that happened in some mental order. Thankfully Beryl understood and let him alone in the cockpit where he now sat in front of the console.

Alright Alex, lets go through everything once more now that the noise is away...

He thought as he replayed everything that had happened in his head.

I woke up after a nightmare and got marched to the shuttle that would take me off Tempest. On the shuttle I got the rough Loroi version of the war and greeted the two pilots that rescued me, learned the Loroi taboo for touching and then I learned the Loroi script which was easy enough since I mostly had to switch the Orgus characters with the Loroi ones in my head.

He involuntary sighed at the events that followed Beryl's lesson.

I couldn't have guessed that Beryl would catch on English so quick, she is smart, really smart... the kind of smart I like and...

He shook his head as if he tried to shake the very thought of Beryl away.

No, focus on what's important.

He emptied his head before continuing from where he left off.

Then the bugs showed up, a huge invasion force that the Loroi couldn't detect with their telepathy. They were able to hide so many ships from the Loroi so why the diversionary attacks and ambushes? Are the bugs so wary of the Loroi that they would be so cautious in their planning? A concentrated breakthrough should work if the bugs and the Loroi are roughly equal in warship to warship terms but the 51st did manage to inflict disproportionate casualties at the battle I witnessed so the bugs may be cautious because of an established disparity in effectiveness, the 51st may be an outlier as a veteran unit but the tactical doctrines should still be the same and result in similar outcomes when applied correctly. In such a case it would be prudent to not seek a decisive engagement but find a way to punch through a force big enough for a 'march to the sea' campaign like the one Sherman did in the US civil war centuries ago. No matter how capable the warships and the crews of the Loroi are they won't be able to fight without supplies and replenishment.

He wasn't fully satisfied with that line of thought and he made a mental note to ask Beryl and Tempo for some more information about the general strategic situation and whatever intel they could share with him.

Then there is the whole telepathy angle. So suddenly I am a telepath, I sensed Fireblade and I can send and receive mental messages provided I am very close and subconsciously 'trust' the one I converse with. Thankfully Tempo taught me some basic stuff about it...

His line of thought seized in place at that.

Tempo was in my head and I was in hers, I did see some very personal memories of hers and she was able to discern plenty of thoughts and memories of mine but was that all she did? Reading memories and thoughts is bad enough but what if she did something else? Like putting in a mental suggestion like that movie I saw back in the academy? How the hell do I discern if she did that or not? She will certainly deny that if I ask her and she can even reply in a way that hides the truth even with telepathy so who do I ask about...

His mind instantly brought Fireblade's face to the forefront at that.

Damn it...

He tried to think of someone else, anyone else, who could at the very least teach him some mental defense techniques but other than Tempo and Fireblade he couldn't think of anyone else who would be good for that.

The Mizol are the most capable telepaths, I got at least that much out of Tempo while she trained me. They are spies, diplomats and the internal military police so it makes sense that they are the best telepaths and that they have plenty of mental techniques for everything. The Teidar are the second best, if only from a brute force approach. I have only Fireblade to turn to for some help with my training.

He sighed at that and tried to picture himself actually asking Fireblade for some training without Tempo catching on them until after the fact.

I will figure something out.

He leaned back on the chair and stared blankly at the bulkhead for a couple of minutes without thinking of anything before Beryl flashed into his mind and how they almost had sex in the side cabin before Stillstorm showed up.

God damn it, don't think of that!

He chastised himself before catching on to that line of thought.

How did things move that fast again? Yes I kissed Beryl because I couldn't think of anything else to get her back to the here and now and then she kissed me but I am fairly certain that it was a spur of the moment thing for her as well. How the hell did we end up almost having a quickie in the side cabin?

He felt himself get aroused from that and did his best to counter it as he pursued that line of thought.

Yes Beryl is pretty, they all are but I should have better control of myself. Yes I fantasized about her but I am the only human they have met and I am recognized as a plenipotentiary ambassador with all that entails so why the hell did I let things go that way? Wait...

He remembered the part of Tempo's training when she asked about his 'fatigue' in a way that instantly brought a subconscious answer, he thought that something else also came through but he didn't think much about it at the moment.

God Damn It!

He stopped himself from yelling that out-loud and forced his mind to calm down again.

Well, I guess I have to thank Stillstorm for her little stunt then. I know that I am not the picture of professionalism but I have to act according to my status and... Was whatever Tempo sent something that lowered my inhibitions? I am under a lot of stress already and they are stunningly beautiful. I wanted it even before Tempo and I had our first lesson, I can't help but think of them like that. Hell, I am glad that they couldn't read my mind when I was in Tempest's brig; it would be uncomfortable if they ever learn of what I was thinking of them back then...

He let an undoubtedly lecherous looking smile form on his face before focusing his mind again.

So all I have to do is try to be as professional as possible from now on, I wonder how long that will last. I will also have to ask Fireblade for some lessons as well before asking Tempo about whatever she sent to me back then. Then I will have to thank Stillstorm for barging in and stopping me from doing something stupid, even if she didn't know she was doing me a favor at the moment.

For some reason Stillstorm's approval for a mating encounter for herself came to his mind and he pictured himself actually agreeing to it.

She is a bitch but I wouldn't have said no if she had come up to me in a bar. I wonder how she will react if I actually insist on fulfilling her 'request' the next time we meet, of course she will try to find an excuse for 'delaying' it until the next time we would meet but still, it would be funny to see her expression if I somehow manage to convince her that I am serious about it...

He smiled at that and stood up from the chair.

Let's see if I can convince Beryl or Tempo to give me something productive to do with my time to get my mind off things.

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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote:Alex anciously got up. He had trouble remembering how long he had been made to stay put in this shuttle. That station commander had given that order and as Alex found himself pacing around in the passenger cabin, he felt the lacking features of the room.

There were no windows, no pictures to look at and even the equipment brought in for him was utilitarian. "There may actually be some health concerns coming up.", he thought. That could be an angle for Tempo to work as well. Now that he was alone, he felt it strange of himself to be this desperately comfortable with the thought of intrigueing just to get his hands on one -some- of the Loroi. When he had denied to Beryl health issues caused by prolonged lack of sex, he hadn't imagined being surrounded by very attractive and very willing women all day long.

His musings were cut short by the noise of the shuttle doors opening. In came several Loroi. A Soroin he did not recognize, Talon, Spiral and several Soroin that startrd moving equipment. The leading Soroin introduced herself.

"Greetins Captain Jardin. I am acting station commander Cerulean. We need to get the shuttle ready for takeoff. I'm sorry that this is so sudden, but the enemy is massing forces."

Alex supressed the urge for a handshake and instead settled on a hopefully polite nodge as the two Tenoin pushed past him to the cockpit.

"Greetings, commander Cerulean. What is the situation?" That Cerulean remained perfectly professional was a small relief to Alex.

"Moving Gora-Relay closer to the Tinzaa jump-point has given the 51th the chance to cover us with some aggressive posturing. The 51th used our fuel and supply reserves to extent their stay in system, threatening the vulnerable tankers and transports. The enemy is now massing for an assault on Gora-Relay."

"What are the numbers?"

"I won't lie. Not good. 51th is going to pull back and we need to take our chances reaching Tempest before it's too late."

"Do we even all fit on this shuttle."

"If we improvise some safety measures."

"Improvising for high g maneuvers, Commander?"

"If you have any more bright ideas, I am listening, Captain."

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
novius wrote:"I might have." Alex hedged, "It may or may not work, but what can you tell me of The Enemy's modes of engagement in space battle? How do they pick their targets, especially?"

"Of all the engagements we had so far with them, they followed a stict pattern of priority. They go for high-threat targets first - heavy ships that could cause serious damage to their own superheavies, orbital weapons platforms, generally everything that could slow down their advance. Light vessels are usually ignored at first... something we often enough exploited by sending in our frigates on hit-and-run strikes."

"I see", Alex prompted.

"Second on their list are targets they deem to be of high importance. Strategic assets and such. In case of the Gora Relay, they might even try to disable and board it, rather than outright destroying it. I think I don't need to reiterate the current state of the battle if the Enemy already came to the decision to spare forces for a serious attack on the Relay. One we cannot hope to withstand."

"You are saying that they might try to board the station. Wouldn't that give a chance for a counter attack and commandeer the boarding vessel?"

"We would have been able to, had the Relay still its full crew complement. But as it is we simply cannot hope to take control of a ship full of shells. And even if we manage to win against a full crew complement of The Enemy, first, I think no one here is able to operate said ship, and we might not even be efficient enough so that the other ships wouldn't know what is afoot. Any of their ships they deem to be lost to us is considered a high-threat target and even the remaining crew on said ship would be quick to initiate a self destruct."

"So boarding them in turn is out, too. What remains is to make sure we can get away from the Relay in time."

"Most assuredly. We are evacuating. The last of the Relay's fuel, save an emergency reserve, has been used to restock Strike Group 51, as well as most of the Tolot Blisters and a good part of the remaining ordnance. In addition, our battle doctrine disallows us to leave any strategic assets an a system we consider to be lost behind.

We are about to scuttle the Relay." She finished.

"Wait, what?! You don't even hope that you could recapture the Relay in time?"

"Captain Jardin, please be serious: Our technological advantage over The Enemy was the only thing that has given us an edge - without it the war would have been much worse for us from the start. We simply cannot allow for any piece of our technology to fall into enemy hands, in addition to possibly face our own Relay in enemy hands if we ever try to recapture Leido Crossroads."

She said 'if', not 'when', Alex noticed with trepidation.

"So, we have two objectives. First: Make sure the shuttle can slip away. Unnoticed would be best, but not being under pursuit would be something I could live with. Second: Make them taking Leido Crossroads as costly as it could be. Since the Relay is mobile, perhaps it could go for a kamikaze run.", Alex summed it up.

"Kamikaze run?", Cerulean queried.

"Right. It is a term used since one of the biggest conflicts fought on our world, one of the major powers had dominance over the seas, with large seafaring vessels, but its opponent, somewhat outmatched in terms of manpower and ordnance started to fly airplanes into the ships. Their doctrine was 'one plane for one ship'. The pilots of these single-seated planes were ready and willing to die as long as they sink a ship with hundreds, even thousands of naval crew and officers on board."

"I think I see what you mean. You're suggesting to send the Relay right at the bulk of the Enemy's forces and then...?"

"...to create a big enough explosion to at least send their forces into disarray, hopefully putting a dent into them, too. While we use the 'shadow' of the Relay to make our escape with the shuttle."

"A crazy idea, but right now, crazy ideas may be all that we have left. I'll ... ask for volunteers to stay behind on the Relay. Barring that... it had been a honor to get to know you."

Alex was shocked. "Wait, what? NO! I will not have any of you lay down your life for me!"

Cerulean was touched. This Mizol Parat Tempo already told her that this human has some strong convictions and a rather peculiar set of morale guidelines, but to see and hear them firsthand...?

"Can you remote control the Relay's operations?"

Cerulean blinked in surprise. "Not as efficiently as I could if I am to remain onboard, but ... I see now. For what you have in mind, we wouldn't need for sophisticated defense solutions, just ... keep them busy until we trigger the Relay's self-destruct as well as detonating the remaining ordnance on board? I think I'll have to talk to your Tenoin Arrir Nesin and Listel Tozet Eilis on how to establish a command link from the shuttle to the Relay."

Talon and Beryl, Alex translated in his mind. Makes sense. Talon would know best around the shuttle's systems, and Beryl would be the right Loroi for computers in general.

He didn't miss it that Cerulean referred to these two as "his".

Alex nodded, "just... make it work. I know this is war, and people die in war, but there is a saying we use: 'The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.' "

"Crude, but that makes sense. Perhaps I should go looking for your two officers immediately. I ... thank you for taking the time with me, you have given me much to think about." Saying that, she nodded and headed off to search for the aforementioned officers.

There it was again. Alex was now sure that it wasn't a fluke and she definitely referred to Beryl and Talon as 'his'. What is going on here?

There has to be some explanation. Perhaps he should have asked if she would have referred to Tempo as 'his Mizol Parat Sedel', too... No. Better not stir the pot.

Alex hoped that it was just because they all arrived together on the shuttle and not something else.

Maybe I should ask Tempo if there are already rumors running around the present Loroi. He mused.

But that can wait. He tacked on. At that moment, the technicians were busy with reconfiguring the shuttle to accomodate more passengers. He already learned that the Highland class shuttles can accomodate up to sixty passengers... but together with the remaining cargo and the installations already there, he guessed at about thirty to fourty, now.

Cerulean was right, that could be a tight fit. And, while privacy was a notion that one gets quickly disabused from when serving in the armed forces it is a wholly different matter when he's the only man in an otherwise all-female crew contingent.

Trying not to stay idle he asked around if he could pitch in - even just ferrying around the remaining cargo wouid give him something to do, or perhaps installing the additional seats... he even noticed Winterbloom directing the technicians to install a second diagnostic bed in her impromptu sickbay as well.

So far every offer to help out was met with a wide eyed Loroi hastily reassuring him that they have matters well in hand and there is no need for him to overexert himself.

Well..., Alex thought glumly, This is starting to get tiring. It might take some effort to teach the Loroi that human men are not made out of glass.

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
dragoongfa wrote:"Beryl, can you help me out with this?" Alex asked after once again failing to have the console obey his commands.

"Of course Captain Jardin, what do you need?" Beryl asked excitedly as she leaned over him and the console.

"I want to see how the battle has unfolded so far, from the moment the first Shell ships jumped in till now." He caught himself describing the Umiak as Shells after the fact. Loroi mannerisms must be catching up to me, Shells, Bugs all the same to me at this point. He thought as Beryl inputted the necessary commands on the console, he wondered if he should try and communicate telepathically with her but elected otherwise as he wanted to fully focus on the battle and not sidetrack himself with everything that telepathy inevitably brought forth.

"Do you want it to go on fast forward?" Beryl asked as the system begun replaying the battle of the Leido crossroads, he thought that she seemed a little off about something but elected not to mention it.

"Sure. Can you start with 20 times normal speed?"

"That's easy enough. Just tell me if you want the recording to go faster." He just nodded at that as he focused his full attention on the replay, hoping to catch an in depth glimpse of how the Shells fought.

The beginning of the battle was just as he remembered it. Eight divisions of ships jumping in from Rallis vector, three of those eight division split off; each one of laid a course to secure the Gora, Sala and Enedd jump points. Gora and Sala had a battlestation on guard while Enedd was guarded by a citadel which was a heavier form of a battlestation. Soon afterwards six more Shell divisions deep jumped into the system, four of them immediately accelerated towards Enedd's jump point while each of the remaining two went for Gora and Sala.

Stillstorm had already sent a detachment comprised of the fully resupplied ships of the 51st towards Enedd under the command of Torrai Torret Ashrain who now had to contend with 5 full divisions that were rushing towards Enedd and the Tizaba Citadel that guarded it.

A few minutes afterwards things got even worse with the arrival of the Shell support contingent, five more divisions that contained fuel tankers and transports which explained why the five divisions from the initial force that jumped in kept a steady pace instead of rushing off to meet the enemy. It was soon after that that things got weird, he had missed most of it as it happened because of the shuttle landing on Gora but it looked like the Shells had a change of plans. At first there were two divisions that were aiming for the Sala jump point where the main contingent of the 51st stood guard but the Shells immediately had the two divisions that jumped first and were aiming for Gora and Enedd alter course and rush towards Sala while the deep jump division went on as they were.

"I have gathered that the Shells are heavily affected by jump sickness, are the course corrections of these two divisions corresponding with the time it takes for the Shells to recover from jump?" He immediately asked Beryl.

"Not really, the crew least susceptible to jump sickness would be able to function relatively well but the majority wouldn't and the ships would still rely on automatic systems for most functions." Beryl replied.

"Hmm... Would the command crew be lucid and able enough to obey orders to alter course and change their targets?" Alex asked after thinking about it.

"Yes."

"And I am guessing that with the added travel time the crew would be fully lucid and able when they would come in contact with the Sala station and the core of the 51st." Alex thought out loud.

"Yes indeed."

"So the Shell commander split the effort, instead of diverting two of the five divisions they kept in reserve as a screening force for the supply contingent they elected to shift forces from the other two jump points and have them attack Sala. I am assuming they weren't able to divert the deep jump divisions because the crew was unresponsive." He thought out loud as the replay went on.

The initial assault on the Gora relay went terribly due to this, the one division should have been able to easily overcome the lone battlestation and its contingent of fighters but the inefficiency of the crew showed as the engagement unfolded. The fighters darted forward and practically halved the barrage of torpedoes that the Shells launched, giving the station's PDLs ample time to nullify the rest as the Shell ships came in range. Several of their ships were cut to ribbons from the station's defensive batteries before they broke off their assault after losing 13 ships and doing only negligible damage to the station itself.

On Sala things went even worse for the Shells at first, the 51st darted forward shortly before the first division from Rallis came in range of the station. Stillstorm hit them with everything the 51st could throw at the Shells and managed to have them break the charge despite the fact that the 51st was horribly outnumbered, she then turned the 51st around and hit the deep jump division just as it entered the station's weapon envelopes. Caught in a crossfire the Shell division which was still operated mostly by automatic systems was simply shattered under the combined firepower of the 51st and the battlestation.

"This is even worse than Naam for the Shells, the difference in firepower between a fully supplied strike group and what I saw in Naam is astonishing." Alex commented. "The blisters are an amazing weapon."

"Indeed, the DX armored blister is a very effective delivery platform. Unfortunately it is always in limited supply due to its space requirements and its high production cost. The 51st was scheduled to be fully resupplied with them due to the squadron's high status." Beryl replied with pride.

With the first two division successfully repelled one would think that the Shell commander would re-evaluate their approach but they kept at it. The four deep jump division that they sent against Enedd and the Tizaba citadel that was guarding it didn't fair well as a result. Ashrain's detachment and the citadel managed to inflict significant loses on the attacking forces before they broke off the assault to maintain a respectful distance from the now heavily damaged citadel but this was where the good news ended for the Loroi. The Shell commander finally detached two divisions from their reserves and coalesced them with the other two divisions they had diverted from their initial assignments. The core of the 51st along with the Sala battlestation couldn't hope to successfully repel such a determined assault but they stood their ground against the approaching swarm as most of the remaining crew of the Sala battlestation was evacuated and boarded the ships of the 51st.

The 51st just dodged the assault and rushed towards the resupply contingent, leaving the Sala battlestation and its skeleton crew to their fate. The Shell commander had anticipated this move and the three remaining divisions successfully screened the resupply contingent. So far the 51st had suffered only minor damage in the battle and Stillstorm diverted the core of her Strikegroup towards Gora, slowing her formation down in an obvious attempt to have the Shells give chase and break formation but the Shell commander didn't fall for it. They kept their formation and reformed their divisions from the beating they had taken until then. Overall the Shells had lost about a division's worth of ships until that point but now their crews were fully lucid and the 51st had once again spent a lot of ordinance.

It was then that Stillstorm brought the core of the 51st to the Gora relay for a quick resupply run, Stillstorm somehow finding the time to take a shuttle for a quick visit to the station as well with everything that entailed. Back then he was surprised that she didn't ask for her shuttle back but now he realized that the 51st had taken on the surviving fighters from Sala Relay so there may not have been any room aboard Tempest at that point.

So the whole promotion thing for Cerulean was a trick to boost morale after the loss of Sala Relay and the battering Citadel Taziba took. She may be a bitch but she is good and of course she had to make sure that proper discipline would be maintained on the battlefield which brings in her stunt with approving her own 'mating' encounter. Loroi being telepaths and all that would make discipline dodgy at best when they would inevitably realize that I and Beryl just had a quickie in the shuttle after breaking regulations.
Alex thought and couldn't help but feel some grudging respect for Stillstorm at how she handled everything.

After the impromptu resupply run Stillstorm took the 51st and rushed to Enedd's jump point just as reinforcements from Azimol jumped in. It wasn't much, two strike groups worth of ships since the majority of the forces stationed at Azimol had gone to reinforce Sala-128. It was then that Stillstorm actually had to fight to maintain overall command of the battle as the reinforcing forces were in turn lead by a Torrai Lashret but Tempo of all people intervened to solve the issue and kept Stillstorm in overall command.

Good call. He thought as the next stage of the battle begun to play. The Shells attacked Citadel Taziba and the division sized Loroi fleet with 6 divisions in total. It was a brutal engagement and the Shells lost more than 80 ships but Citadel Taziba and several Loroi ships were destroyed. Stillstorm had to disengage towards Azimol's jump point as the Shell's main core and the support contingent begun jumping to Enedd, leaving about 3 divisions worth of ships as a rear guard while more Shell ships jumped from Sala 101, signaling the fact that the Shells now controlled that system.

Which brought them back to the here and now, it was a long battle and the 51st did manage to significantly delay the Shell advance while inflicting heavy loses to them but Leido and Sala-101 were effectively lost while the Shells were marshaling their forces for a final assault on Gora Relay itself.

Yeah, evacuating and scuttling the station is the only solution but Stillstorm's fleet is too far away to get to us in time for a pick up and the Shells will run down the shuttles even if we all leave right now. We need to buy some time and for that we need... bait. But what will cause the Shells to waste time before swamping the station and having a turkey shoot with the shuttles? They want to secure Leido in order to maintain some form of a resupply line with their gate-crusher divisions as they do a 'march to the sea', even with the tankers and the transports intact the Shells will need resupplying since they cannot rely on securing fuel and equipment from captured Loroi depots. This means that Gora Relay has to go, it is a stable Loroi presence right onto their resupply lines and I won't be surprised if the Shells rush to build some battlestations of their own here in order to keep the supplies going. Gora Relay is their objective and they won't let it be unless a better target shows up. They diverted a division from attacking the station because the 51st was guarding Sala Relay, it was a mistake since they split the effort but the 51st and Stillstorm have proven that they are a prime threat so I can understand why the Shell commander took the risk with diverting forces away from the assault on Gora and Enedd. The Shell commander knows that the 51st is still a potent threat in being but they now control the battlefield and have accomplished their objective of punching through to Enedd so they won't divert forces even if Stillstorm bent over and slapped her butt towards them. Damn, don't think of that! He chastised himself as he shook his head.

'"Is everything alright Captain Jardin?" Beryl asked at that.

"My mind doesn't feel like cooperating." Alex replied.

"There is no need to concern yourself with what is going on, the others will handle everything."

Like hell they will. He thought and thanked himself for not actually sending the thought to Beryl who was still too close for comfort.

Think Alex, the Shells want the station gone and they are not stupid enough to get hit by a kamikaze run. They will just dodge the slowly approaching station and pummel it from afar with missiles. Charging the station straight at them while the shuttles run in the opposite direction won't do a thing even if the Shells are morons. What is my objective? To get myself and the station's crew out of this alive. How will that happen? Only if the Shells don't shoot at us while we run away. They won't do that only if they want to capture us but I don't think that the Loroi would prefer captivity over death to propose a surrender... No, they also won't shoot at the shuttles if they have something else to shoot at instead but the station won't be enough for that, it will be swamped too quickly and it won't put much of a fight against four fully ready divisions even if it was fully manned and supplied. The only other worthy target in the system is Stillstorm's fleet but they won't get here in time before the Shells run us down. We could try to somehow slow the Shells but they won't slow down after destroying the station... Unless...

"Captain Jardin?" Beryl asked after a few moments. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Alex replied as he played the plan in his head and tried to find holes in it. "I am fine, yes. Call Tempo, Cerulean and that Losat..."

"Brightshield?"

"Yes, her. Call them and tell all three of them to come here, I have an idea." Alex instructed.

"An idea? What kind of an idea?" Beryl asked while Talon and Spiral turned from their work to look at them.

"It will take too long to explain, just tell them to come here as quickly as possible." Beryl undoubtedly did as she was told as all three of them got in the cockpit in less the a minute.

"So you have an idea Captain Jardin?" Cerulean asked first.

"Yeah but first tell me, how good of an actor are you?"



* * *


Stillstorm wasn't in a good mood, despite everything she and everyone else did the Shells managed to break through to Enedd in force. They did inflict heavy casualties on the Shells but both the 51st and the reinforcements from Azimol took a beating in the fight for Enedd's jump point, they had expended most of their ordinance again and had to jump back to Azimol for replenishment before rushing to follow the Shell gate-crusher force in an attempt to somehow slow them down until reinforcements would come. She looked at the obviously doomed Gora Relay and felt a tinge of guilt and regret for not taking on its crew on the 51st's ship and scuttling the station after they replenished their ordinance there. They didn't have the time to do that and she had hoped that they would somehow turn the tide and push the Shells back but that didn't come to be. About 200 warriors would die with the station, as well as eight of her own crew. Three of them were by far the most annoying members of it but they did their duty amicably when they weren't busy infuriating her; they all were her crew and she didn't like to just let them die but she couldn't do anything. Her fleet couldn't reach the Gora Relay before the Shells would and she would just end up witnessing their deaths no matter what she did.

One more regret and a few hundred more deaths to remember


She thought, making sure to keep everything within the deepest recesses of her mind.

"My Lashret something is happening at Gora Relay Soroin Mallas Rune-Laurel, her XO, reported.

"Two standard shuttles just launched from the station and are rushing away under standard passenger acceleration but the station's PDL turrets are tracking them and..."

"What? What is going on?" Stillstorm shouted telepathically as two of the station's turrets fired and destroyed the two shuttles.

"Get me a link to Cerulean now!"

"Wait a Solon... You are on!"


"Attention, Gora Relay, report!" Stillstorm didn't know how she managed to keep her voice even if a little strained but all she could do was to wait for a reply after taking into account the delay due to lightspeed.

"Alert, Tempest, this is Gora Relay!" Cerulean's face appeared and... was she bleeding from the head? "Your Mizol and your Teidar have staged a mutiny to save the damn male of yours!" Cerulean practically yelled over the screams and the sounds of a heavy firefight in the background. "I will blow the station and every last of the cowards who follow them, they don't deserve to die in battle!" Stillstorm just stared at Cerulean in disbelief before a blaster shot hit Cerulean at the back and the link was cutoff.

Stillstorm just stared at the empty space where Cerulean's holographic window used to be before turning her gaze at Rune-Laurel who just stared back at her in disbelief.

"Attention, fleet, there is an ongoing mutiny aboard Gora Relay. Any and all personnel who are abandoning the station are to be considered traitors and are to be subjected to a summary execution if they somehow survive this day." Stillstorm broadcasted to her fleet and closed the channel as she felt her anger flare up.

I am a fool, I should have killed the alien the first moment a saw it, I knew it was a Shell trick and now at least three of my own crew have mutinied because I didn't act!


She thought angrily as she witnessed Gora Relay's six remaining shuttles leave the station as well as her own personal shuttle. She didn't need to sense everyone's eyes on her, they were all seeing the cowards fleeing with her own personal shuttle being used by the traitorous scum and that Shell agent all in order to prolong their miserable lives for a few more Solons. She wanted to kill every last one of them herself, to gut them and feed their entrails to their children while proclaiming them to be the offspring of traitors. She would like to do that even if it was the last thing she ever did.

"My Lashret..." Rune-Laurel sent to her.

"WHAT?"
Stillstorm shouted angrily.

"Gora Relay is broadcasting a message on all frequencies." Stillstorm took a deep breath and counted to four before replying, she knew that things would only get worse from that point on.

"Show me." The image of a battered and obviously wounded Mizol Losat appeared right in front of her.

"Alert, Tempest, this is Mizol Losat Brightshield, Gora Relay has been sabotaged and is now unable to defend itself or self destruct. I am the only one left aboard the station, everyone else left with your traitorous crew. If you have any honor left in yourself you are to do everything in your power to keep the station from falling into the hands of the Shells. This message will now repeat." Stillstorm stared blankly at the repeating message for several solons, unable to think of anything other than finding the damn alien and skinning him alive before feeding his manhood to the traitorous Mizol and Teidar who helped him before throwing them out of an airlock.

"Alert, fleet, lay a course for Gora Relay, we have a station to scuttle and traitors to kill." Stillstorm ordered with a forced steady voice, thankfully no one of her wing commanders had anything to say while Lashret Waterblade tried her best to keep herself from grinning at her for what had just happened. She could already imagine how Waterblade would publicly proclaim that it was all Stillstorm's fault and her traitorous crew, if she was smart enough she would say that while being as far away from Stillstorm as possible because she would rip her tongue out otherwise.

The tension, stress and fatigue from the prolonged battle finally got to her and she sat down at her console, resting her face between her palms as her fleet rushed rushed at the battle station which was abandoned save for a lone Mizol Losat who broadcasted the fact and her accusations for all to see and of course the Shells lost no time to rush ahead and cautiously encircle the battlestation. They had some time before her force got there after all. They would take their time boarding and securing the damn station, the only one there to stop them was a damn Mizol and a wounded one at that. They would take the station and then wait for her fleet to come and attack them, she had to do that and they knew it. They would just wait for her to come to their waiting guns and they would give their best shot to destroy Tempest.

It was as if someone had planned all this to make her life miserable before the Shells inevitably killed her and everyone on Tempest, that someone probably being that damn alien she should have ordered out of an airlock the moment she first laid her eyes on it.

"The enemy is launching torpedoes and cutting loose their gunboats." Arclight reported as usual but Stillstorm didn't say anything, she didn't have the mental strength to even stand up anymore.

"Charge the Wave Loom device and aim for the station."
Stillstorm ordered and decided to wait for a few solons more before trying to stand up again. The Shells offered a nice concentrated target as they bunched up right in front of the station but her damn fleet was again out of heavy ordinance, unless Ashrain somehow managed to pull some blisters out of who knows where again. She was about to try to stand up again when the battle station disappeared in a massive explosion that engulfed the dozen Shell ships that were in the process of boarding it while damaging several more ships that were in the blast radius.

"That Mizol must have found a way to activate the self destruct after all."
Stillstorm broadcasted without thinking as she stood up.

"Attention, fleet, we will push through the torpedoes and gunboats and try to inflict as much damage as possible to the Shells before disengaging." She ordered before continuing. "If a lone Mizol managed to do this much with her final action then we won't be found lacking."

"My Lashret?"
Rune-Laurel sent to her again

"Yes?"

She knew that something was about to go horribly wrong since Rune-Laurel interrupted mere Solons before contact.

"We are receiving a tight beam link from Highland 7."

"I am not in the habit of conversing with traitors." Stillstorm snapped back at her XO.

"The request is from Mizol Losat Brightshield." Rune Laurel reported with obvious confusion.

"What?" Stillstorm asked in disbelief as the hologram of a still bruised but smiling Mizol appeared in front of her.

"Attention, Tempest, this is Mizol Losat Brightshield. I am happy to report that I and the rest of the crew of Gora Relay have successfully extracted ourselves while inflicting heavy casualties to the enemy. There was no mutiny aboard the station but the deception was necessary for the successful extraction of everyone aboard Gora Relay. We are awaiting orders and coordinates for pickup." The Mizol reported.

"What happened to Cerulean? She got shot while in contact with me!" Stillstorm demanded as her fleet begun engaging the Shell torpedoes and gunboats.

"She is unavailable but well. It was deemed necessary for her to be hit with an electrostun shot for maximum effect, she was also injected with stimulants because she couldn't present enough anxiety otherwise. The Doranzer has assured me that she will be fully lucid in about 10.000 solons." The Mizol replied with a straight face.

"So this was all a trick? Whose idea was it?" Stillstorm asked.

"I regret to inform you that no Loroi came up with this stratagem." The Mizol replied and Stillstorm just nodded in understanding

"My Lashret the Wave Loom device is almost fully charged."
Rune-Laurel sent to catch her attention.

"Tell the alien that I want to see him in my office the moment my shuttle lands on my ship!" Stillstorm said angrily before closing the channel.

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orion1836
Posts: 399
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote:They had broken free from Gora relay. No shell PD and no missiles were sent after them. The Umiak took the bait. At first Alex had been worried that he couldn't convince the Loroi to play along, but Brightshield was positively enthusiastic. Alex idea had played right into one of their main weaknesses, uncreativeness. Their commander had shown himself to be conservative in his use of tactics, which helped.

Even Cerulean accepted her part stoically. "If I have to explode in space, I prefer to sleep through it." was what she had said.

Surprisingly the most difficult part was improvising some acting abilities into the Loroi. Mizol Brightshield seemed to have a knack, but Cerulean needed work. So while hasty last minute preparations were done all around them, Brightshield, Cerulean, Tempo, Beryl, Winterbloom and Alex himself had found a room with video equipment and put on a little show.

Tempo pulled the trigger on Cerulean, Beryl had set up the equipment and timed the broadcasts and then they were off.

As a shockwave from the exploding Gora relay rocketed the Highland, Alex exhaled audibly. The explosion meant the Umiak had taken the bait. Just like when they first had departed from Tempest, Alex now sat again in the cockpit behind the two pilots. Only this time Talon and Spiral communicated with Sanzai. Both pilots working seamlessly together as he admired. Sanzai, useful stuff.

Well, and the Loroi in his lap was now Brightshield. Because things would get very cramped, Tempo had insisted that Alex be put into the cockpit. Brightshield had insisted, that she would make the crucial transmission to Tempest from this console. For security she said. Alex instincts of curiousity and self preservation battled within him that he remembered the fierce battle of looks and Sanzai he witnessed as both Loroi realised who Brightshield would share a seat with.
Only Alex reminding both that other Loroi would also need to doubleseat got things back on track.

Brightshield was working the console next to him and kept him appraised.

"The shells fell for the trick. Several of their ships got destroyed. Nice thinking, Captain Jardin."

"What about 51th?"
"They seem to be accelerating towards us. No attempt to hail us. Let me call them."

From his position under Brightshields lap Alex was able to see a map of the system. Several shell ships had indeed vanished from it with Gora relay. Now the shuttles were making their way towards the 51th. He urgently hoped that the show they had just put on didn't fool Stillstorm. Surely she wouldn't so easily believe that Loroi would turn traitor this easily?

"No answer. Shit boot amateurs!" Brightshield exclaimed while shaking her armored hips painfully in his lap.

Or not was the dry remark Alex received from his own wit. Aloud he tried something else.

"Excellent acting, Brightshield."

Just as she turned to retort a small window popped up on screen. A strained looking Stillstorm appeared. Alex moved backwards, praying that Stillstorm didn't just get a view of him having Brightshield on his lap.

Brightshield reported: "This is Mizol Losat Brightshield. I am happy to report that I and the rest of the crew of Gora Relay have successfully extracted ourselves while inflicting heavy casualties to the enemy. There was no mutiny aboard the station but the deception was necessary for the successful extraction of everyone aboard Gora Relay. We are awaiting orders and coordinates for pickup."

"What happened to Cerulean? She got shot while in contact with me!"

"She is unavailable but well. It was deemed necessary for her to be hit with an electrostun shot for maximum effect, she was also injected with stimulants because she couldn't present enough anxiety otherwise. The Doranzer has assured me that she will be fully lucid in about 10.000 solons."

"So this was all a trick? Whose idea was it?"

"I regret to inform you that no Loroi came up with this stratagem."

"Tell the alien that I want to see him in my office the moment my shuttle lands on my ship!"

That didn't sound good, thought Alex. At least Stillstorm hadn't called him an it.

Brightshield cut contact, turned to him and said: "Your ruse worked. All that's needed now is for us to land in the hangar of Tempest while the ship is in active combat."

Alex tried for a smile: "At least Stillstorm isn't shooting at us."

"For now."

The rest of the flight passed by in a blur. The map next to him showed orange dots appearing and disappearing and some of the bigger blotches vanishing. Torpedoes and combat losses Alex figured. Landing in combat was apparently very demanding. Alex was glad his last meal had been a while. Brightshield surely too. Before he passed out from high g maneuvers, Alex decided to ask Beryl about the data storages of human movies the Bellarmine carried. Talon would love one from 1986 in particular.

He woke up in what had to be a medical bay. Bewildered he rose a bit. He felt okay for what he had been through. A Doranzer appeared by his side. She had long green hair and wore yellow on her sleeves, which Alex figured meant a high rank.

"You're awake. Your readings look acceptable. No worse than the first time you woke up after passing out."

It took Alex a while to remember. She had been there after the Loroi fished him out of space.
"Yes, I remember now. We're on Tempest then?"

"Yes, you are. Can you walk and get up?"

Alex tried it and found himself able to. "How long have I been unconscious?"

The Doranzer entered something into a datapad and then looked up at him, using the human unit for his convenience. "Two and a half hours, Captain Jardin. If you are feeling well, please get dressed and follow me. The Commander wishes to speak with you."

With only a bit of reluctance, Alex picked his orange jumpsuit from a table and followed into a waiting room. Loroi medical technology was good, he almost felt well.

Shortly afterwards a paset lead Jardin away. That she was silent all the way suited Alex fine to order his thoughts a bit.

Since the recent battles of the 51th had died down, many Loroi took the chance to wind down in the corridors and recuperation areas they passed. At first the idea of being the only male on a spaceship crewed by attractive blue women had appealed to a certain part of him. Now he was glad for the quick pace the Paset struck.

Their walk didn't take long and Alex found himself in front of an ordinary cabin door. A small plaque on the side read: "Torrai Lashret Delasoni – Private Quarters" Without knocking, the Paset opend the door and let him enter. A telepathic species would have little use for knocking, Alex inferred.

The room was surprisingly spartanic for a senior officer. There was a large locker set into the opposite wall. At the rightern wall stood a bed perfect in its military tidiness. On a couple of shelves were few pictures of Loroi warrior women and several knifes and swords on display. A map of some archipelago hung on the left side wall. The only other piece of furniture was a slim looking desk in front of which Commander Stillstorm sat. She had her body half turned towards him, one leg over the other, a reluctant look on her face. She was also in full uniform. Those last two facts quieted Alex creeping fears that this was about that mating encounter standing between them..

"Captain Jardin." Stillstorm said in a distant tone. So far every meeting with the Commander had been unpleasant for Alex.

"Commander Stillstorm, to what do I owe this occasion?"

"I received a report on Gora relay. Apparently the station was succesfully evacuated with no casualties in part due to your tactical analysis of the situation."

Alex earnestly glad to hear that said: "I'm glad there were no casualties, Commander."

Stillstorm continued: "You do not look like a warrior. Yet you have proven your talent of escaping two times now already."

Even as he reminded himself of the Loroi habit of directness Alex could not help but feel the anger rise in him. He had expected a lukewarm thanks. That a Loroi could use a backhanded compliment this well surprised him.

"That is something that happened, Commander."

Stillstorm held his look, as annoyed at the situation as he was: "Captain, your actions have saved the lives of many warriors. If I were a diplomat, protocol would demand me to thank you on behalf of the Empress. But these warriors were under my command and I feel it necessary to thank you on their behalf."

The effort it took for Stillstorm to say that to an alien, a male and what she regarded as a civilian was apparent to Alex. So he said: "I thank you. That is very honourable of you."

As soon as he mentioned honour, Stillstorms eyes narrowed. Looking like he did when he had to try some of the Lorois food, she continued.

"There is also one other matter I feel necessary to bring up, Captain."

"What is that, Commander?"

"The limitations I have put in place on Parat Tempo and Tozet Beryl that require them to follow proper customs with their mating encounters."

"Is there a problem? We have kept strictly to loroi law."

At Alex retort Stillstorm raised an eyebrow. "I would have had them court martialed had I thought otherwise, Captain." she said in an icy tone.

"Then what.."

"Their behaviour has been undisciplined for warriors. Still Tempo made the tasteless request -officially- that I either redeem my encounter or relax reglementations."

Stillstorm let out a breath before continuing: "You may officially deny my encounter now. Then Beryl, Tempo and you can continue your rutting."

Rutting? Maybe it was her tone of voice, maybe her upturned nose, somehow Alex spontaneously decided to follow up on an idea he had all the way back on Gora relay. But what angle to work to make it believable?

"That is very considerate of you, Commander Stillstorm. But amongst humans it is very impolite to refute a price gift."

Stillstorm half rose in her chair in protest.
"A price gift? It can't believe that my claim was actually about itself?"

"Commander Stillstorm, knowing of loroi customs I took it as a straightforward and not entirely unwanted invitation."

Direct hit thought Alex, as Stillstorms face went through a range of expressions, all of which improper.

"Enzin Jardin, that move was politics, nothing else. I was helping its mission it seems to have forgotten with just two Loroi."

"I don't need any of your help with Tempo or Beryl, Commander. You introduced yourself into my diplomatic mission on your own initiative."

"My own initiative?" Stillstorm had now fully risen and faced Alex. Stillstorms face turned bluer and bluer: "What diplomat are you?. Do you have any idea how it looked? Cooped up in that shuttle, Tempo and Beryl taking turns going dark. Sometimes even together! I received dozens of requests for encounters."

Stillstorm badmouthing these two put some anger into Alex answer: "So you thought you could just force me to play along as a docile loroi male? I'm not a pet to be used in your dishonest intrigues."

Stillstorm glared at him in anger. The two of them now stood eye to eye. Alex resolved to hold her yellow stare.

"Dishonest? I give you one more chance to deny my encounter and solve this amicably. I get this paperwork from my table and you get to fornicate again."

"You would like that, wouldn't you? I have no intention of solving the legal and official mess you brought upon yourself. How inconvenient for you!"

Alex flinched for a moment as Stillstorm moved to raise her fist. The moment passed in stares, neither party willing to back down. He was too angry to back down and Stillstorm too proud to lose face. Instead the two stared at each other in mutual contempt.

It felt like an hour had passed. Stillstorm turned away and with a quick motion straightened a kink on her blanket. To him it looked as perfect as when he had entered.

"Very well, Captain Jardin, you made your position clear. You are not a Loroi and therefore I see no need for any warrior to go through the trouble of officiallly requesting a mating encounter with you."

She reached out and pulled his collar up in the loroi fashion before continuing.

"As per the Doranzer Mazil-Tozas recommendation, you can now freely move in the crew and recreational areas of Tempest. You will be given a proper cabin as well. Tell Parat Tempo that she has convinced me. There is no need for her and Tozet Beryl to worry about your health constantly. That's the Doranzers job and decision. I need my officers back on bridge duty. For now they can continue parley with you on their own time."

Alex nodded, unsure of what to say. This sounded very generous of her. She must be really stressed and wants to avoid more of Tempos paperwork, he thought.

"These concessions will be in place unless your diplomatic mission affects combat readiness negatively. And do take the time to keep yourself appraised of the tactical situation. I might have use of you again, Captain Jardin."

As he left her quarter he heard Stillstorm say: "You got what you asked for."

With that he was dismissed. A Soroin came up to him after a few minutes. It was Cloud as he recognized. She looked at him with curious eyes. Then towards Stillstorms cabin door. She didn't say anything verbally, but her face showed clear surprise. She motioned for him to follow.

Absent mindedly rubbing his neck Alex said: "Cloud was it? Can you tell Tempo that the talk with Stillstorm was a success and that she relented on reglementation?"

The trouble he saw on her face as she turned to him made Alex stop. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't see it.

As they made a corner and stepped through a large double door into what must be a recreational area, Alex understood. Thirty or more Loroi turned to look at him. He recognised Brightshield looking very amused, Doc Winterbloom as well. In a corner sat Spiral and Talon, shocked just like Cloud had been. Looks being passed between the Loroi. Silent bets being placed.

Then it hit him. Dozens of mating requests, no reason for reglementations, a cabin in the crew area, free leave of the recreational areas, Tempo busy most of the day. No help with two -two- Loroi. Alex understood then how hard Stillstorm had played him.

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
novius wrote:Just a few solons. Couldn't have it been just a few measly solons later? Stillstorm groused.

Because, had The Enemy launched its attack only just a little later, that damnable alien would have been on board the Clearbrook and, more importantly out of her life.

But, no.

The shells arrived, in force, and the Clearbrook bailed out, leaving the shuttle in the lurch.

And they don't even have the decency to get shot out of the system!

Instead, said alien managed to ingratiate himself even to the Gora Relay skeleton crew and convinced them to go through with a harebrained plan that relies on lies and trickery to work.

Stillstorm wasn't sure what rankled her more: The underhandedness of his tactics, or that his crazy scheme actually worked and threw the shells quite in a loop, in addition to saving the whole Gora Relay crew.

Or, she added, that I referred to that alien as 'him' again. Stars save me if he ... it! ... picked that up on the transmission.

No, she tried to chase away that thought. That nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she might even could have been interested in following through with the mating encounter she signed for herself.

And now I even have to thank it for its rudeness, so that I would never have to entertain that thought again!

To make matters worse she felt the beginnings of a tension headache to form.

Dishonest, it had called her. She was solons away from challenging it to a honor duel, consequences be damned.

She thought that alien to be a shell trick, for sure. And now? If that alien is a shell trick, it is a very convoluted one that started to cost their own troops even more than the Loroi.

On top of it it managed to poach three or four of my officers and the whole skeleton crew of the Relay! Stillstorm scoffed. His damnable crazy plan saved their collective lives, and it didn't even take the time for it to wake up and be summoned to my quarters for my desk to be cluttered with even more applications for mating encounters.

Stillstorm smiled, despite the mounting headache. Of course she let it slip that she essentially waived the regulations, but only when it comes to Captain Jardin. That saved her the indignity or either countersigning or denying every single application and gives her an idea about the morale and steadfastness on her ship.

Well, listening in to the sanzai chatter and the signs of that Captain's current distress was something to be savored like the sight of a whole shell platoon going up in flames.

Then she remembered when she had last seen that particular sight and who was responsible for it.

This just isn't my cycle. Or tozon.

As an afterthought, she typed in a command to delete a video she recently downloaded. She had been cured of her curiosity in a very thorough manner, thank you very much.

---//---

Poor Cloud gave him a wide eyed, fearful look, one he didn't need sanzai for to recognize: 'Well, I tried to warn you', it seemed to say, just before stating to slowly back away, then walking off as fast as she could without breaking into a run.

Alex couldn't fault her one bit. Looking back into the rec area he quickly noticed that about every pair of Loroi eyes is focused on him.

He was sure, if he was to turn around and try to flee it would start a full-blown stampede.

With a sinking feeling he scanned the assembled Loroi for even just one familiar face - but no such luck. Even Fireblade would have been a welcome port in the brewing storm, but Alex realized that she may have to reintegrate herself into the Tempest's operations as well as Beryl and Tempo.

Talon and Spiral? Alex looked for their faces, but saw that they tried to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Alex gave them a slight reassuring smile before facing the inevitable and headed for a free seat next to Brightshield, who smiled openly when she saw him approaching.

A number of quiet groans and cheers accompanied his choice, telling Alex of bets lost and won.

"Get used to it", Brightshield said in a low voice, "You have become sort of a good luck charm to the warriors your human strategem rescued."

"Yeah...", Alex groaned, "and now they all want a piece of me, right? Which piece I don't even need to point out."

"I would be dishonest if I'd say that that thought never crossed my mind, too. For us warriors, contact to males is limited to a specific purpose and that purpose only... with one exception, now. We can actually talk to you now for an extended period without fearing to run afoul with that regulation."

"Wait. You mean that there'd be applications just because the women wanted to just ... chat?"

Brightshield smiled. "Some, maybe. But you are an attractive specimen of a male, all things considered. In any case, you are still free to deny mating encounters, even without having to give a reason. And, rest assured it would take a Loroi to be completely deviant to try to force you to something. She might suggest, she might cajole, and she might be disappointed if you set a hard limit, but she will - she has to - respect your wishes."

That brought Alex's mind back to the little extra Tempo might have left in his mind. Would she really be that unscrupulous and 'deviant' by Loroi standards to brainwash him into accepting?

He remembered that the lessons had been put on hold since they were steamrolled by the recent events. Alex was sure that Tempo would be anxious to resume them soon enough, her schedule permitting. Might be an opportunity to bring this up...

But Brightshield wasn't quite finished with her speech. "And, please keep this in mind: The Relay had been evacuated the moment the Enemy's deep jump divisions arrived. The skeleton crew... we... were ready to lay down our lives, but make sure that they will have to pay in blood as well. Your crazy and totally human idea saved the lives of thirty-five warriors while perhaps even doing more damage to The Enemy than we might have been able to with more orthodox tactics. Mine, Doranzer Mazil-Toza Winterbloom's and Torrai Mazeit Cerulean's included. We wouldn't be here if not for you.", she stressed, "While it may be ... disheartening if you would deny us mating encounters, know that by now you have earned the respect and loyalty of each and every one of these warriors, and it would take a gross transgression for you to ever lose it again."

Brightshield's impassioned speech touched Alex deeply. For him, it was a natural thing to do. Do everything to make sure you can return home and fight another day. And that may be a big thing... Listening to the comm chatter, back on the shuttle he noticed that the Loroi might be distressingly quick to turn to put their lives on the line on high-risk missions and sorties.

Not on my watch, he swore. Every. Single. One. of these fine warrior elf ladies matter. Beryl. Tempo. Fireblade. Talon. Spiral. Reed. Flint. Brightshield. Winterbloom. Cerulean. The other thirty-two Loroi he never learned their names.

Cloud, that young Loroi who always seemed to be shy, almost terrified around him.

And yes, even Stillstorm. She might be a pain in the butt, hell-bent on making his life miserable, but even she shall not meet her fate by those bugs.

"I promise you. If there is something you need and it's in my capability to give, just ask", Alex stated gravely.

Noticing that Brightshield's ears turned a deeper shade of blue, he added. "Yes, even this. But... for Stillstorm's calmness of mind, please do not overuse this privilege."

Brightshield chortled and broke into a full laugh, the slightly awkward moment had passed.

"Moio sagit! ... Thanks, I very much needed that.", she breathed out, catching her wind again.

"Uh... my pleasure."

Turning more serious again, she looked up again at Alex. "Captain? There's another matter I feel you should be aware of. It might be best if I show you rather than tell. Did the quartermaster already assign you your crew cabin?"

Alex blinked. "You do know that it sounds awfully like you wish to make good on my promise right now?"

Instantly he got aware that about every pair of Loroi eyes in hearing range was turned towards Brightshield and him.

Brightshield smiled. "While it sounds tempting, I just need access to a computer console and maybe a bit of privacy." In a lower voice she added. "This ... is a bit of a sensitive matter, I think."

Now Alex was very much intigued. On the way out of Stillstorm's quarters, Cloud did hand him a tablet device, much like the one he saw Tempo using and wordlessly showed him how to turn it on and navigate through some of its functions.

Navigating to the personal entries he noted that, yes, he must have been assigned a cabin in the meantime, on the lower decks.

---//---

Tempo was not having a good cycle.

News of Stillstorm's decision spread like wildfire via sanzai, putting the whole crew of the Tempest in a tizzy.

And she was stuck on the bridge, reacquainting with her position for the duration of her duty cycle instead of trying to somehow calm things down somewhat.

What by the stars have you said to her, Captain Jardin? She thought, exasperated. Tempo just aimed for relaxing the regulations a bit or at least achieve an exception if they'd cross a line governed by the regulations, but whatever Captain Jardin said... it made her decide to completely waive the regulations on the provisions that it is with him, and discipline is upheld. In addition, the quarters which had been allocated to him were quite near the recreational areas on the ship and way away from the command deck.

Tempo saw Stillstorm's hand in it. Captain Jardin did use the phrase "too much of a good thing" once, and Tempo slowly got the idea what he might have meant.

She set this up, just waiting for a disciplinary infraction to happen, Tempo concluded.

But, interestingly, quietly listening in to the sanzai chatter she noticed that the rest of the crew - and mainly the Loroi they rescued from the doomed Relay - were intent to not to let things slide. It might be the effect that when something has been freely offered it isn't as attactive as having to fight for, or that every warrior on this ship was intent on not to squander that unique opportunity.

Yes, the warriors were elated by this turn of events.

Tempo took a deep breath, her foul mood somewhat passing. Well, perhaps this is just the thing we all actually needed in these trying times.

---//---

Entering his new cabin with Brightshield in tow - thankfully the assembled Loroi had let them leave, though he thought he had seen grudging admiration in some of their eyes, directed at Brightshield - he saw that his new lodging might not be a VIP quarter, but still two steps above the brig.

A bed, as expected, a small but serviceable 'fresher cabin and, indeed, a computer console which could be pulled down and out from the wall so that one could sit on the bed and use it.

Saves space and no need for a chair - one less possible hazard when things go upside down. Interesting idea.

Of course, that would have Brightshield and Alex both sitting on the bed, and close together. A thought Alex didn't wish to follow through at the moment, since Brightshield herself said she was here for a different reason.

Judging from the slight smile playing around her lips she might have had the same thought but chased it away as well as she pulled out her own personal tablet and placed it in a receptacle on the console, typing in a few commands.

"Captain Jardin? What I wish to show you has been classified since ... let me translate ... yes, about four hundred of your years. It is still considered classified, except for specific circumstances, which I see had come to pass in the recent cycles."

"Brightshield, please don't...." Alex cut in, alarmed.

"Peace, Captain. Rest assured I am not about to commit an indiscretion here. Everything will be made clear, though it might be difficult to believe."

Now that sounds ominous, Alex thought.

"About four hundred years ago our people were just expanding - we made First Contact with the Golim and the Nibiren as well as several other species, but nothing could have prepared us for what we encountered on one of our very own Sister Worlds - Deinar.

It was a diral - a group of fourty-eight warrior initiates sent into the wilds for their trials", she supplied on Alex's questioning glance, "that was exploring a forested region on our planet, coming across an artificial clearing and a dwelling, housed by a singular alien. An alien of a species we never encountered so far; an alien that looked very similar to ourselves."

Alex blinked. Surely she doesn't mean...

"The records of this incident were quickly sealed for various reasons, but the upload of your medical records by Doranzer Mazil-Toza Pabetpeio triggered a subroutine in the Relay's systems to unseal the files. Feel free to look for yourself."

With a feeling of trepidation and shaking fingers, Alex typed in the command to browse through the files. Lots and lots of reports, but there were a number of pictures.

A picture of the clearing she mentioned, with what Alex surmised to be provisional shelters, surrounding ... a log cabin. One of a design that was a common for settlers and trappers, four hundred years ago. On Earth.

Another picture of a knife with a wooden handle and a straight blade.

And another picture. Alex remembered having been ribbed for his obscure hobby of ancient military weapons, but he never thought that this would come into play now.

A picture of a M1752 musket. A weapon made by spanish manufacturers. Some of them made their way to America and had been used by the american rebels in its war.

"Impossible....", Alex breathed.

Brightshield looked at him with an emphatic expression. "There is one more picture."

Alex hestitated for a long moment before tapping the button to leaf through the next picture.

Any doubts that this was just a fake, or a matter of parallel evolution in designs quickly evaporated.

For this picture showed a young man garbed in a leather-and-fur outfit, surrounded by a number of Loroi warriors. It looked much like these pictures a squad might make of itself, down to the proud poses they took.

And while the Loroi may think a male warrior to be an absurd concept, Alex's brain stopped on the fact that this man was undeniably human. Pink skinned, round eared Human amongst the blue skinned, pointy eared Loroi.

"The key to unseal the files was your genetic sequence, or parts of it. The files were intentionally encrypted and only to be opened if ... when ... we ever come across another human."

---//---

Beryl, deeply engrossed in her work, hestitated. Something felt wrong all of a sudden. Very wrong. Her shift was to be over in just a few solons, and damn whoever would stand between her and Alex!

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote:A hundred questions raced through Alex mind. Tearing his face from the picture on the screen he turned to the Mizol. Brightshield had moved a bit away and was watching him intensely now.

"You knew about humans all along?"

"No, Captain, no Listel was present and these files have been sealed for hundreds of years. Every member of that Diral is likely dead now. This is not common knowledge."

"Likely dead after 400 years. Their medical technology must be astonishing. I wonder how old these Loroi actually are.", thought Alex. But for now he had more pressing concerns on his mind.

"You found him on one of your worlds, you said? How did he get there?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Captain."

Still bewildered Alex answered: "No, we've been spacefaring for barely 200 years. 400 years ago we were still industrialising."

Alex took another look at the picture, as if to convince himself what he saw was real before he continued: "His clothes and the style of building match a period and culture on our planet about 400 years ago. It looks genuine. What else do you know about him?"

Brightshield leaned over behind his back pressing him forward and switched something around on her datapad. It now showed a text file.

She read him the essentials: "His name was Nathanial Hutchins. He was found by a Diral and had lived in the wilderness for at least several months. He befriended the members of this Diral and helped them in their survival by teaching crafting, and survival techniques. With his help the Diral also managed to fend off several predators, netting them many trophies."

"That is not much." came Alex disappointed answer.

"Much of the data has been corrupted over time. This is a very old storage file. Gora had it because its electronics were from a decommisioned frigatte and it needed my Mizol system access to unlock."

"Mizol access, are you saying that Tempo has these files too?" Alex asked.

"She has the clearance, but maybe Tempest doesn't have the files." Brightshield looked hesitant for a moment, before speaking again: "Don't misunderstand me. She will have them when, not if, I make my report. It's part of my duty."

She sounded strangely apologethic to Alex. So he asked her: "You seem worried somehow. Is there more to these files that you haven't told me?"

Brightshield leaned forward, looking Alex straight into the eyes: "I told you this much because you saved my life.Take care that your impressive Lotai never wavers, Enzin."

Tempo had finally gotten on top of the work that had piled up on her desk during her absence. Her substitute had been dutifully diligent but some things required a Parats clearing. In an active warzone lots of things did.

It had taken her the better part of a cycle to clear all the immediately urgent issues. Yet far more work remained. The enemy had found a way to circumvent their Farseers and so the Imperial Fleet was scrambling a network of pickets and scouts to mitigate that. Those were longterm goals however. That business could wait until they resupplied the next time.

A fact Tempo was immensely thankful for as there was yet another important field to be worked. Alexander Jardin, that pink alien male they had running around aboard Tempest. The telepathic chatter that reached her was nothing short of amazing. The rang and file were talking about nothing else.

She hated and thanked Stillstorm both for waving reglementations. On one hand, no senior staff would be swamped under mating requests, on the other hand, having Alex run around ship posed an immense security risk. "Did that woman not even consider basic opsec?" thought Tempo angrily.

Tempo pushed her irritation aside for a moment. There were ways to solve the security concerns. She was sure that she could find some Mizol way for that. There were angles to work with, health concerns, diplomatic concerns, issues of secrecy and security...no, she wasn't worried. For a moment she paused, considering the workload she'd have if Alex remained this unsupervised. Virtually all his interactions would need to be recorded, he'd have to be under constant surveillance and she was the one it would all fall back on. No, she wasn't worried that she wouldn't find an angle.

The door to her office opened and Cloud entered. The girl brought her several new data slates and as she had come to rely on, a new batch of rumours and chatter to digest.

"Palat Tempo, here is the data you requested."

"Thank you, Cloud. The crew seems lively today."
"Yes, Parat. Everybody is talking about Jardin."

"Do tell, Cloud."

Tempo liked the girl. She didn't have the telekinetic aptitude for a Mizol, yet was a reliable source of all kinds of colloquial information. Fully aware of her low rank, Cloud had a nack for being in the right places at the right time. Nobody paid much attention to a Paset.

"A large part of the crew is scheming to get an intimade encounter with him. Most of the crew has several bets on who will be first or loudest. It's all in good spirits though. Jardin gained a lot of respect with his stunt at Gora Relay."

"That's reasuring, Cloud. Who is leading in the bets right now?"

"Doranzer Winterbloom and Mizol Brightshield, Parat. Beryl, Talon and you would be leading...." Cloud hesitated to continue.

"Don't worry, this is business, Cloud."

"The crew believes that all of you already had encounters on the shuttle."

Tempo had expected something like that. They had kept Alex on the shuttle for days. Rumours were only natural. Like any rumour, these ones hurt for their falseness.

Cloud waited on her to continue, aware of all that hadn't happened.

"Anything else, Cloud?"

"Yes, Parat, Lashret Stillstorm wants a full briefing on Gora Relay and the alien at the end of your shift."

"Thank you, Cloud. If you want you can take the rest of your shift off now. Enjoy yourself in the rec rooms."

"Will do, Parat. Thank you."

Tempo really liked that girl. She had understood exactly what else was in the rec rooms while Tempo was busy with Stillstorm.

A briefing suited Tempo fine. She had planned to speak with Stillstorm anyway and affect some changes vitally important to save her a lot of work. She was also eager to find out what exactly Alex had said to her.

As she stood up to leave, a tightly focused message was sanzaied to her. Her fellow Mizol Brightshield: "Need to brief you on Jardin. He's second contact."

Bewildered Tempo sent out a quick acknowledgement before leaving her office.

It was a short time after Brightshield had left Alex alone in his cabin. A good deal more confused than he ever was before. A human on a loroi world was monumental. It changed everything. Lieing on his bed he went through several scenarios how it could have played out. But apart from literal magic, all he came up with was some sort of ancient alien. That and these corny alien abduction theories from the 20th century.

Alex was ever glad that the Loroi hadn't done that to him. Their little stunt as he woke up was enough for his tastes. Luckily the freak Lotai of humans had saved him. As soon as he remembered that, an icy shiver went down his spine. Brightshields parting words had hit him quite hard.

His worries were quickly dispersed by the sound of his door opening. Beryl was here. Alex sat upright on his bed. She looked radiant. He hadn't seen her since before they had all boarded the shuttle to escape the relay. Alex opened his mouth to say something. But as Beryl turned around and locked his door, his words stopped somewhere in his throat.

Alex knew that look on her face. He had seen it once before. Then she dove at him.

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
novius wrote:This wasn't the sweet, bubbly young Listel Tozet anymore.

His cabin wasn't large enough for her to go into a flying leap at him, but hell, she did try. Here he was sitting on his bed, trying to calm down his thoughts and wondering what by all that is holy did just happen, and then he heard the door opening, Beryl filling the doorframe.

She stepped in, her eyes fixed squarely on his face. Seeing the emotional turmoil he was in. He picked up on the change in her mien, the doleful look in her eyes replaced with one of a primal need to care, to comfort him in a way that has been encoded into her genes since the dawn of her species and beyond.

To Alex, the image of Beryl, even fully armored, framed by the backlight shining in through the doorframe, there was never a more beautiful sight.

Her hand snaked towards the door controls, closing the door, and the lights on the panel turning from blue to orange. She must have locked the door.

Then, with a long stride, she leapt at him, any mindfulness about private space and not touching completely gone. Raising his hands to steady her and usher her onto the free space on his cot - the place Brightshield sat on, but no way I'm going to tell her that, he thought - he found himself embraced by this one wonderful Listel Tozet Eilis. His Beryl.

Her kiss on his lips was much different than the two kisses they already had shared, back on the shuttle, when all this started to go haywire. There, it was just touching of each other's lips, a deliberate overstepping of limits set by propriety to shake the other out of stupor.

This was... something else. Beryl fully leaned into the kiss, a soft moan escaping her throat.

And... she was there. In his mind. He actually felt her desire, the burning need deep within her, as she pulled down his overall's zipper and snaked her hands onto his bare skin.

Weeks ago, Alex might have smiled at the phrase 'a beautiful mind' - his relationship with Ellen was a more physical one, a 'friends with benefits' style. Sure he relished her dry wit, but....

... but this was something else. He felt guilty of his passing thought about Ellen, but then there was Beryl, quick to reassure him that it is normal to compare past and present... and no need to feel ashamed over this.

Alex, in turn, felt her regrets over the treatment he suffered at the hands of the Loroi, when he was first brought aboard the Tempest. This was an injustice, how they stripped him of his dignity and subjected him to this mind-rape. Her biggest regret was... she was actually there and did nothing.

Now it was Alex's turn to soothe her troubled mind. He sent the scene from his vantage point - she remembered when it happened, right after him waking up with a scream. She saw herself and heard the subtext of his confused thoughts - that they must be a hallucination, or he sidestepped into a strange version of human mythology - until he heard her speaking to him.

She felt touched that he remembered that moment that vividly. The very first moment one Loroi - she herself - actually tried to talk to him rather than rifling through his mind.

'Loroi do things differently, but for now... I am yours. And you are mine.'

Neither Beryl nor Alex could say whose thought it was initially, while he released the interlocking plates on Beryl's armor - 'You learn quickly', she sent amusedly - exposing flawless blue skin and supple curves to his sight.

---//---

Brightshield adamantly refused to discuss matters via sanzai, Tempo quickly noticed. Whatever it is, it must be something requiring a clearance that high to forbid even being mentioned by thought.

Trying to distract herself until Brightshield arrived she gave the latest standing orders a once over.

Yes, Alex was assigned one standard crew cabin near the recreational area. Far away from the bridge.

His movements on the ship would still be highly restricted. Engines and bridge, for example, would be definitely out, without an armed escort. Computer core as well. The computer in his cabin had only limited access to the ship's databases, unless a proper authentication code by a ranking officer had been entered.

Tempo exhaled in relief. Standard procedure for an alien envoy on board, and then some more limitations. She might have given Stillstorm too little credit - she wouldn't flaunt security procedures just in a hissy fit. As for monitoring his movements, well, at the moment it seemed easy enough - whereever he goes, it just takes one warrior to see him and she'd broadcast his location, want it or not.

Come to think of this, Brightshield did follow him in his cabin, and then left shortly thereafter, and Beryl wasted no time to get to his cabin as well...

...true enough, a quick scan with her mind confirmed her suspicion, Beryl was nowhere to be found.

Well, nowhere to be found if one doesn't know Alex's peculiar Lotai. She concluded. Looks like you got your wish. And maybe he'll be more inclined to let me cash in on mine, too...

Tempo was close to indulge herself into a private fantasy of hers when she sensed Brightshield on the other side of the door, just before she entered.

'Come in. I think you wished to brief me on a specific matter?', Tempo sent, deliberately being vague.

"Best we continue this in spoken words", Brightshield answered, making Tempo blink. Switching modes of communication in such a manner was considered extremely rude. Especially from sanzai to vocal, given how ill-reputed spoken words are. Whatever it was, Brightshield must consider this matter extremely sensitive for her to not to trust any sending. That thought was ... unsettling.

"May I?", Brightshield asked, and on a nod, she inserted her tablet device into the console's receptacle and typed in a series of commands. "You may wish to see for yourself."

Tempo quickly scanned over the texts. An incident report, an incursion on Deinar, reported by a Soroin diral, of all things. Tempo got a sinking feeling on reading the descriptions. Then she went to the pictures taken.

The pictures told her little. Artifacts of unknown make. The picture of a location, most possibly Deinar, judging from the plantlife. But building a shelter out of trees...?

The last picture made her pause, same as it made Alex pause. There was a human. An unfamiliar human. More scruffy looking, with dark hair, but unmistakably a human. On a picture about four hundred tozons old. A human on Deinar of all things. Light-tozons away from Naam, even further away from the human's supposed homeworld.

"Captain Jardin told me that during that time period his people were barely industrializing, and they became spacefaring about two hundred tozons ago. Interstellar flight... even only in the recent decades." Brightshield supplied.

"You told him?! Why do I get to know it just now?" Tempo shot, her ire rising.

"I had to. First, even I didn't know beforehand. The medical scans we did on him on the Relay unlocked these files - before that, they were dormant. I suspect they weren't even there on the Tempest, so you never got alerted when you pulled him aboard. As for telling him... it was the honorable thing to do, and we needed to make sure that he - and that person on the picture - are the genuine articles."

"Mizol Losat Lomileilar, you came dangerously to overstepping your clearance, perhaps you even did so, but given the ... extenuating circumstances ... I'll let this one stand with just a reprimand, one I cannot even put on records because of the matter involved. You did it in the intention of building trust, which is sorely needed here, but you should have brought this matter to me first. In the future I expect to be made aware of such discoveries first thing. Am I clear?", Tempo ground out.

"Clear, Mizol Parat Sedel.", Brightshield acknowledged.

"Good. Then I consider this matter settled. I presume you told Captain Jardin to remain silent about this matter, too? Good", Tempo added on seeing Brightshield's stiff nod.

"Because the bigger question might not be who this human was... but how he managed to get from Earth to Deinar more than three hundred tozons before they got interstellar spaceflight and jump engines.

And if we could achieve that as well." Tempo added, after a dramatic pause.

---//---

Stillstorm scoffed. Not even one hundred solons since the end of her shift and she left her post. Less than five hundred and she went dark, again. That lack of restraint is unbecoming to a warrior, but she is just a Listel. An analyst, just barely fit for frontline duty.

She glanced at the chronometer, blinking. Five hundred bial?! Just for how much longer can it go?

She shook her head, quietly thankful of that Listel Tozet's peculiar abscence from the mindscape. Else she herself might have even been subjected to Tozet Eilis's screams in sanzai....

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
dragoongfa wrote:It was the first time Alex had seen a pleasant dream since Bellarmine left Terran space, he remembered how everyone complained of the nightmares after that point but his had progressively gotten worse after Bellarmine got destroyed; they all came to him in his sleep but Elen's appearances were the worst. She always accused him of not being able to save her and leaving her to die; he knew he did that, she was right next to him when...

He jumped up and looked around his tiny cabin, Beryl wasn't there anymore; what they did wasn't part of the pleasant dream that now slowly faded from his mind but she certainly helped with it.

So much for professionalism Alexander Jardin, good job in proving Stillstorm right. He chastised himself before standing up to stretch himself in the little room he had for himself. He didn't regret what happened, he would never allow himself to regret any single moment of the time he shared with Beryl but he knew that he crossed the point of no return at that point. He pushed that thought aside as he did some basic exercises in order for his body to fully wake up before realizing that he had nothing to occupy himself for the time being.

He sat down at the bed and pulled down the console, to fiddle with. He noticed for the first time that it was the beginning of the ship's morning cycle.

Does Beryl have the morning shift? He wondered as he tried to see if he could locate her but to his non surprise the console failed to deliver her location due to insufficient security clearance.

Figures

He thought if he should try to get some basic information about the Union itself, it's map, how many worlds it's comprised of, the political climate and all the basic information that a diplomat is supposed to have access to before remembering something important.

The sooner I get this over with the better... He thought as he tried to see if he could find Fireblade via the console but he still got the same result as with Beryl. He contemplated if he should just go out and try to find her the hard way but elected against that, instead he tried to see if he could somehow sense her.

Kung Fu meditative mode don't fail me now. There was nothing at first but he expected that so he kept at it and after a few long moments he detected her, it was faint and flickering at first but it was certainly Fireblade and... she was sleeping if he was to be a judge.

Better than nothing... He stood and dressed himself before venturing out his cabin. The corridors and passages were still filled with crew going about their business, he felt everyone's eyes on him as he tried to orient himself with the limited map his tablet allowed him to see.

We should be at the same deck but how do I get there... He would have certainly gotten lost if it wasn't for the map and he couldn't just ask where to find Fireblade's cabin if he wanted Tempo to be caught unawares of what he planned to do. He hoped that his constant and confused back and forth while pausing to sense Fireblade's location would confuse any would be observer as much as it confused him but in the end he stood in front of Fireblade's cabin if he was to judge by what he sensed inside and steeled himself before pressing the buzzer.

He heard a couple of yelps from the two Loroi who were present in the corridor. Both of them instantly turned to look at him, then at Fireblade's door and back at him before turning to leave the vicinity with obvious haste.

I never thought it would be easy... He thought and waited for a couple of minutes before pressing the buzzer again.

The door slid open and an obviously annoyed Fireblade stared at him for a few long moments of silence, she wore only her skin tight black body suit and it took everything he had not to stare at her like a fool.

"Good morning Fireblade..." He begun. "I need to ask you for a favor."

She just stared back at him, annoyance clearly visible in both her face and the way she carried herself before she stepped aside to let him inside. Her cabin was certainly bigger than his, big enough to actually live comfortably in but it wasn't as tidy or as decorated as Stillstorm's. It was just her unmade bed, a couple of lockers, a small desk with two accompanying chairs and a few personal possessions laying around.

"I want to..." He begun to say but she just shook her head and offered him her left hand. "Are you sure?" Alex asked drawing just a nod out of her. He hesitated for a bit but offered his left hand in return, he felt the current like sensation that he associated with Fireblade run through his body. He focused like Tempo had taught him and mentally formed his first sending to the fiery mess he now fully sensed in front of him.

"I need you to train me to block mental attacks."
He sensed the fiery annoyance turn into confusion before settling on mild amusement.

"Isn't your new Mizol up to the task?"
Fireblade replied while reminding him that Brightshield escorted him to his new cabin.

"I don't trust her."


"And you trust me? Are you an idiot or do human males actually enjoy abuse by their females?"
She asked while reminding him the interrogation she conducted under the orders of Stillstorm, the telepathic shove in the elevator and the other smaller incidents in the shuttle and on Gora Relay.

"I trust you more than her and... yes, I guess..." He sensed her becoming dumbfounded a mere second before she burst into uncontrolled laughter. It was the first time he saw her laugh as far as he remembered, she always seemed to be wound up and focused on maintaining a weird visage of angry professionalism but he couldn't help but be taken in by the almost pleasant warmth she let out towards him.

"Human males are weird. I was always denied access by the caretakers of the males I was scheduled to meet because they were terrified of letting me alone with them but now you come out and say this!" Fireblade managed to send as she controlled her laughter.

"Denied access? I thought the males themselves have the right to say no." He asked and he sensed Fireblades self centered apprehension.

"Yes and no, you got to understand that Loroi males are universally taken care of by their caretakers, they are wards of the state and the caretakers are the ones who schedule any and all encounters between their charges and females who have earned the right to meet with a male. If a caretaker considers someone to be a danger to their charge then they deny even the possibility of getting near him. In my case... their fears are warranted." Fireblade explained, the eerie sensation of the uncomfortable warmth making a comeback as she did so.

"Why? I don't think that you would harm someone."

"Are you, a male that I actually harmed to the point of knocking you unconscious, telling me that I wouldn't harm a male?" Fireblade asked, the flames of her being dancing wearily around his mind.

"You did what you did because you were ordered to and because it made sense at the time. I now realize why someone would think the worse about me considering the circumstances of my rescue." He replied and sensed a sentiment of confusion in her mind.

"So you believe that I hold no blame for the wrongs I committed against you because I was following orders that made sense at the time?" She asked him, her mind betraying the readiness to ridicule his naivety.

"Yes, I do believe so but this doesn't mean that I don't begrudge you for them." The flames of ridicule pulled back in confusion at that.

"What do you mean?"

"I have thought of myself being in your position and doing what you did to me to a Loroi. I felt like trash to the very idea of me committing such a crime even if I was under orders and thought that I had adequate grounds to do what would seem necessary. I cannot imagine myself not feeling guilty for committing such a transgression and not feeling the need to somehow redeem myself to the one I wronged." The flames engulfing her mind wavered and retracted themselves to the point of being barely noticeable as Fireblade absorbed that.

"So you begrudge me because I haven't shown remorse about everything that I did to you?" Fireblade asked.

"Yes." The flames flickered briefly at that but they fully reformed.

"I have committed many transgressions in my life, I have relished in torturing and killing Shell collaborators, I have abandoned warriors who trusted me to their deaths and I see all of them in my sleep. They all accuse me and blame me for everything I did to them and yet you don't blame me for what I did to you, you merely begrudge me for not being remorseful?" Fireblade's mind trembled at that, as if its very foundation suddenly found itself in murky water.

"I haven't been fighting in such a horrible war my whole life but they come to me too, the comrades from my ship. My closest friend and lover accuses me of abandoning her in my sleep, there hasn't passed a day where I don't try to think of way I could somehow save them. I know that what's done is done and cannot be undone but I won't rest until I avenge them and make sure that their deaths made a difference." Fireblade just nodded at that as a dawn of understanding filled her whole being.

"I understand now... Why Beryl has become so enamored with you." His mind filled with involuntary and intense flashbacks of Beryl's visit to his cabin at that.

"I finally won the bet!" Fireblade sent in triumph, the flames playfully engulfing her once more as he let out a groan of embarrassment.

"Find someone else to mate with before mating with Tempo so I can double my winnings!" Fireblade continued.

"Can you please not turn my love life into a betting pool?" Alex implored her. "Also I don't plan to mate with anyone else for the time being."

"Really? I can give you a piece of the action."

"No!"

"Damn...At least I won the bet against Tempo" Fireblade just shrugged at that. "Although I have to tell you that I also won the bet of you not mating with Stillstorm, some naive Passets actually bet that you would agree in her encounter request."

"I did agree..."

"What? Really?" Fireblade asked in disbelief.

"It was a spur of the moment thing because she belittled Beryl and Tempo." Alex replied as he recalled his meeting with Stillstorm.

"You actually called her dishonest? Are you suicidal?" Fireblade chastised him. "Stillstorm is a hardcore traditionalist, she would have challenged you to a duel if she considered you to be a warrior worthy of such."

"I was angry about her dissing Beryl and Tempo, Beryl has done right by me so far and I couldn't just accept that." Alex explained himself.

"They are both warriors, they can stand up for themselves and won't like it when they will learn about why things between Stillstorm and you turned sour." Fireblade commented and suddenly her mind filled with flames of amusement. "What would you do if she actually went along with the encounter?"

"Don't know, hadn't really thought that far; I would probably go along with it depending on how she went about it." He replied with embarrassment.

"Really?

"She isn't unattractive."

"You are indeed a glutton for punishment; although I think that a mating encounter would do her good" Fireblade commented with a playful mind. "What about me?" She asked while playfully picturing the two of them mating.

"Yes." He replied reflexively and for a moment he felt honest and shocked surprise filling her mind.

"I... appreciate your thinking of me like that." She replied as she recollected her thoughts, her mind betraying a sense of self centered satisfaction and jubilation born from his instinctive acceptance of her as a potential lover before she forcefully pushed everything aside and took on a professional visage.

"Now, why do you want to be trained in mental defense? Your Lotai is still impregnable unless you instinctively allow someone in and that's only when they either touch you or are very close to you." Fireblade asked and Alex remembered Tempo implanting something in his head during his training. "I see... It was subtle but you picked it up. This could be a deliberate Mizol trick or something she did subconsciously after your training, the mind often refuses to do what it is ordered to after all."

"Can you teach me how to defend myself from such intrusions?" He asked her.

"Yes, we Unsheathed are called so because we are always prepared for combat, mental or otherwise but our techniques generally lack the finesse and precision of the Mizol. Our training methods however may not be the best for you."

"How so?"

"We Unsheathed are instructed to communicate via Sanzai in all occasions, even when someone mentally attacks us. Our defense isn't as much down to technique as to the sheer determination to overcome all who attempt to invade our mind." The memory of his interrogation by Fireblade and the two other Teidar filled his mind at that.

"Yes we are trained to overcome such interrogation attempts and... Did you actually say 'get out of my mind' because you always wanted to say that? Because you saw it in a fictional story?" She instantly became amused at that. "All three of us thought that you were actively defending yourself at that point and we telekinetically cut off you breathing in order for you to drop your Lotai while we tried to press in."

"Yeah, I felt the current in my head when you touched me and I thought that you were in already."

"I guess that makes sense if you have never sensed telepathy..." Fireblade thought as she gathered her wits. "Now I want you to understand that the training you have requested of me to give you is brutal, mentally taxing and painful. I will batter your mind and keep at it until you are able to offer adequate resistance. The only way to offer such resistance is by stubbornly clinging to a strong sentiment and thought no matter what the aggressor wants to pull out. Your mind will have to think of one thing and one thing only when you are defending and you have to be flexible and able to change the thought that is the core your defense at will."

"What should I think?"

"Whatever you don't mind the aggressor to know. It doesn't matter what it is as long as you cling to it with all your mental strength and are able to shift the thought to an other one at will."

"I understand."

"Good..." Alex's mind was suddenly pressed by the whole essence of her mind, he sense her reaching down his psyche for anything embarrassing and grabbing hold of something interesting."Where you truly fantasizing about mating with all your guards at the same time while you were imprisoned?" Fireblade teased him.

"You didn't say that we were going to start!" He protested.

"We haven't even started yet..." Once again she reached into his mind as if a locomotive was running down a small animal, once again reaching down and pulling something embarrassing out. "Tempo in a form fitting leather outfit with a whip? The whole premise somehow tied with discipline?" Fireblade teased him. "This is actually fun..."

Damn it... Alex thought as Fireblade reached into his mind again but this time he brought up the first thought he could think of and mentally shoved it to her.

"Actual memories of you mating with Beryl? Don't give me stuff I am actually looking for!" Fireblade chastised him and made to dive in again.

How about this then? Alex thought as he thought of something else to bring forth.

"Revvin' up your engine
Listen to her howlin' roar
Metal under tension
Beggin' you to touch and go
Highway to the Danger Zone
Ride into the Danger Zone
Headin' into twilight
Spreadin' out her wings tonight
She got you jumpin' off the deck
And shovin' into overdrive
Highway to the Danger Zone
I'll take you Right into the Danger Zone"


"An alien song? An interesting choice..." Fireblade commented with obvious amusement before dragging him towards the two chairs in front of her small desk. "It's best if we don't stand up from now on, the basics are always easy to master but the next steps aren't"

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote:When they sat, Fireblade continued: „As you have already dreaded, there are techniques to attack any defense. I will show you the most common ones; and find out what Beryl did there at the ernd.“

At least she is having fun, thought Alex. He mined his brain for the next song.

Instead of charging at him, Fireblade sent him the image of stubbing ones toe really hard. Instinctively Alex cringed. That lapse in concentration cost him as he received a triumphant: „Ha, she always had a quick tongue!“

Alex begged: „Please, can't you dig up embarrassing childhood memories instead?“

„Such as, Enzin?“

Desperate to keep her from ransacking his head for more details on Beryl, Alex threw out what came to his mind: „Like that one time I had a crush on Susan two years older than me.“

As Fireblade plunged into him again, Alex knew that he had made a mistake.

„Haha, two for the price of one! You need to work on your discipline, Enzin.“

„That's why I came to you, Fireblade. Once this is over I will feel thankful that you're teaching me Mizol tricks.“

Alex felt her pause at that. With some uncertainty she then sent: „These aren't Mizol tricks. I don't know them actually. What I do know is a state secret.“

Alex didn't like the implications: „Then this won't help me against them?“

„These are principles that all Sanzai shares. The Mizol have made an art out of them.“ With a good deal of amusement, Fireblade continued: „While it will help, you will be an open book for hundreds of cycles or even several tozons.“

She's going to know every inch of Beryl after this, realised Alex.

Sitting on her bed Tempo checked her data pad one last time for the day. Since SG51 had just met up with a supply convoy there was a wave of new minor messages and issues to deal with. None of them that couldn't wait on her next shift luckily.

After she had scrolled through the usual gut of more or less unusable information on enemy troop movements she had one more item for the day.

Tempo checked on Jardins file. Her Mizols had done a good job. His movements had been recorded , which was easier than expected, since most of today was spent in his cabin. That it was spent with Beryl made Tempo bite her lip. Skipping through a video feed fifteen thousand solon long made her regret losing that bet with Fireblade.

His current position made her rise. He was where? Impossible and so quickly after Beryl left.

Tempo quickly sent to Cloud. Conveniently quartered a few cabins over.

„Cloud, do you know where Jardin is now?“

„Of course I do, Tempo. The whole ship knows.“ Her reply came groggily as if half asleep. Tempo decided to ignore the dream fragments that seeped through. Ashrain, really?

„Did they go dark?“

„Unusually dark for Fireblade. Nobody knew she could do that. That's even bigger news than a male being a male.“

Tempo didn't know how to feel about those news. Getting Fireblade some much needed encounter cleared up a lot of problems for her and personally she was glad for her. Yet having Fireblade double her winnings herself didn't seem fair. That was cheating in Tempos mind.

Unless of course, they did something else. Without a video feed from her cabin to check, the matter would have to wait to tomorrow.

Sitting on her bed Stillstorm worked through the messages of the day. As always getting resupplied meant receiving more than just munitions. Most of these minor tasks could be handled by her stuff.

One message in particular required her personal attention. That alien was to be sent to Seren with the next supply run in friendly territory. In a few weeks the alien would be out of her hair. All it needed was a slight detour to friendly territory. Thanks to the surplus crew from Gora she didn't even need to send her crew. Brightshield would handle it during transit to Seren.

Stillstorm imagined the satisfaction the Mizol would show at being given that assignment and decided to send a few Soroin from Gora with Jardin as well. That stratagem gave it a lot of respect amongst the survivors. Maybe this way Jardin had a chance of reaching Seren without spilling all his nations secrets into the lap of the Mizol.

As a raid leader Stillstorm could keep well away from Seren politics. Judging from his past performance, Jardin would do well to do the same. As a diplomat it was laughable. Tempo played a cruel trick when she gave it diplomatic status.

That thought made her pause. Tempo had also given Jardin military status as attache. In that position the alien had proven to be more valuable and had managed to garner the respect of many warriors.

The Umiak pressed them hard because some of their ships were undetectable. An underdeveloped species of six worlds with a natural Lotai would be seen as a threat on Seren. Was Jardin good enough of a diplomat to deal with that?

Its only chance was to gather a lot of respect amongst the Loroi, showing the Emperor that humanity could be trusted. Stillstorm loathed the thought of waging a new -though short and one sided- war right after they had beaten the Shells.

Stillstorms reputation as a harsh, uncalculable commander suited her fine. Yet she was aware of her own shortcomings. Her temperament had often gotten the better of her in the past and had made her diskiked with the admiralty. She was also a traditionalist, honourbound , predictable. Now that the Stray had reveled that the Shells had extensive files on her, the enemy might use that against her.

That could not stand, she realised. No shell would get the better of her because she let her morals get in the way.

A new perspective was needed. Something or somebody to prod her thinking into new directions.

This was one of the times her own reputation came back to haunt her. None of her officers would dare give her such ill-tasting advice.

She needed an outsiders perspective was her grudging conclusion. Somebody who used underhanded tricks, a fresh take on things. Somebody that had the backbone to say no to her even if it meant staring her down.

Dislike it as she may, she had such a person on board. That alien could be very valuable to SG51. More valuable here than on Seren as a mockery of a diplomat in any case. More valuable to humanity as a tactician in her staff than as a dispenser of state secrets to the first pair of pretty ears that came its way.

But Stillstorm couldn't go against orders from the admiralty. Diplomacy fell on the Mizol anyway.

It was given a diplomatic function by Tempo, she thought, yet also a military one. If I can't refuse this order, the alien can. Stillstorm would need to make Jardin choose SG51 from its own volition.

The thought of having an alien run around her ship, working hand in hand with her hit her to her core. What had things come down to?

No matter, her own discomfort was secondary to winning the war. If that alien meant saved Loroi then she had to use it. If that later saved her from bombing population centers from orbit, so be it.

Yet Stillstorm saw no easy way to convince Jardin. Surely he would love to leave her hospitality behind for Seren. Directly calling him out as a coward fleeing the front could do it. The last time that had shown quite the reaction. A pity that alien would not accept a second invitation to her quarters.

No, the matter required more of a diplomatic approach. Parts of the formalities would fall on others anyway.

Tomorrow she would speak to her Parat.

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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
novius wrote:Waking up with a pounding headache had become a distressing normal thing since he had been brought in from drifting in space.

Fireblade didn't lie. Of course she didn't lie, save for Mizol, Alex was sure there isn't one dishonest bone in a Loroi's body, and even the Mizol may prefer to lie by omission rather than telling a deliberate falsehood.

'A Mizol never tells the whole story', he thought, purporting a saying he picked up somewhere.

'I've never heard the tenets of a Mizol summed up that succinctly. Where did you get the original saying from?', Fireblade's thoughts drifted in.

Huh, yes, right, Alex noticed, as he regained his senses. They were still joined, unsure about the picture they would present to an observer.

On Fireblade's suggestion he aimed for one of the chairs, but she obviously had a different idea in mind, as she directed him towards the bed, urging him to lie down.

While hot-bunking is common enough and had been a thing in his career - and hers, too, she acknowledged - he still felt a bit hestitant on lying down on a bed she obviously just slept in.

'And', that thought came unbidden to him, 'especially after we actually told each other that we both wouldn't be adverse to...'

Alex had felt Fireblade's smile in his mind, the warm glow that was her intensifying for a moment. A silent promise of 'Soon...', followed with a more well-formed of '...but not today'.

That's how he found himself again on waking up.

Stretched out on Fireblade's bed, and in the meantime, she must have lain down, too, right next to him, but thankfully they both were still clothed, the fingers of his left hand laced with hers of her right hand.

And that was needed. She didn't lie when she said that her idea of training would be brutal. Try as I might she wouldn't let my hand go.

He lifted his right hand up to his nose, touching a suspicious wetness. Bringing his fingertips to his eyes he noticed they were covered in blood - he must have gotten his nose bleeding over the course of the mental attack.

Fireblade picked up on his trepidation. 'This is quite normal, because fending off a mental attack puts the brain into overdrive, requiring more oxygen, and thus a stronger blood flow. The capillaries in the nose would be the first to burst. There is a saying amongst Teidar: "If your nose doesn't start bleeding, you're not doing it right." '

'Jeez, sounds like my old drill instructor.', he sent, together with a picture of an elderly man in uniform, built like a lighthouse and his favourite saying of "no pain, no gain".

'Sounds about right', Fireblade agreed, 'now, about that saying about Mizol?'

'Oh, right. I think it's from another piece of fiction, but reused many times over. It usually covers a society or a group of people shrouding themselves in secrecy and mostly operating on a 'need to know' base. As in, you're only entitled to the pieces of knowledge to do your job, and they are prone to keep interesting background information to themselves', Alex explained.

'I see. You need to refer to some cultural background to convey the full meaning of the saying, but the words alone do catch the gist of it. Much the same as with the song you tried at the very start.'

Some fleeting images told Alex that she picked up much more than the song itself.

'The first thing every Loroi child learns is that the brain works with associations, and they often enough bleed through sanzai, just because of their relation to the thought you intend to send. I'm sure Tempo already told you this as well, but this can't be stressed often enough. When you thought about that specific song, I got the idea that it came from a fictional works and early-days avionics was largely featured in it', she sent, accompanied with a picture of two ancient fighter jets locked in aerial combat.

Fireblade smiled, then a thought came to her. 'Are all human minds that ... cluttered'?

'Don't rightly know', Alex answered. 'I only had my own mind to myself and no comparison, remember?'

'Point.', she laughed. 'And even now you just have Loroi minds for comparison - not other humans.'

'That gives me an idea, though... Can you try once more?'

Fireblade blinked. 'You are a glutton for punishment. Don't make me protect you from your own self-destructive tendencies. Well, here goes...'

What she didn't expect was being flooded by a a whole stream of images, sounds, sensations, emotions, thoughts - his first kiss, burning his hand on a stove, a boring presentation in a stateroom, the vertigo of weightlessness while he was drifting through space, an image of a skull in a space suit like his... More and more thoughts rushed in, in an ever faster pace. None these images held steady for long enough to lock herself onto it and she felt her attack wavering as if she had stumbled into a cloud of stinging, biting insects.

'What... was that?', she asked, after pulling back.

'Your question gave me that idea. I've looked into Beryl's and Tempo's... and now your mind and see that they're highly organized. Perhaps because of your sanzai. You described mine as 'cluttered'. So I thought that maybe just pure, random thoughts, and lots of them could throw you into a loop.'

'It caught me unawares. Keep that in mind, but we should concentrate on more conventional forms of defense first before experimenting?'

'Makes sense', Alex agreed.

'But... not now. You might be willing to overexert herself, but I'm sure Beryl, Tempo, perhaps Talon and the whole Gora Relay crew would try to take it out of my hide if I would let you come to harm.'

Alex picked up a picture that that would end with lots of Loroi being severely hurt and Fireblade in the brig.

'Best not to let it come to that. Are you alright with me staying a while, until the nosebleed stops, then? Shouldn't take long.'

Alex felt her agreement, with a wordless question tacked on.

'What do you mean?', he prompted.

'You could do me ... a favour as well', her thoughts came haltingly, 'Beryl... told us that your Lotai shields her from outside thoughts, and that we 'go dark' to other Loroi, too, when in your presence?' On Alex's nod she continued. 'I'd very much like that. While sleeping, the thoughts of other Loroi tend to intrude upon mine, and mine on theirs, it's ... distressing.'

This was no easy thing for Fireblade to ask, far by not, Alex realized. But he imposed upon her for the additional lessons, so he would be a cad to not to repay her in kind.

'Just sleeping right now, right?', he asked.

Fireblade's glow intensified, in amusement. 'As much as I'd wish for more, the lessons tired me out as well, and I do need a bit more sleep. And you do, too. No arguments. You human males may be made of sterner stuff than ours, but even you have your limits!'

Alex felt the subtext of her sending. She was denied mating encounters because the caretakers feared her hurting the males. And she herself shared that fear, too. She was elated at the thought that maybe, just maybe, there could be a male out there where she wouldn't have to fear accidentally breaking him.

And, that male could be just right here, she thought to herself.

---//---

Tempo sighed. And checked again on the reports. They didn't change.

Another three thousand solons, and he's still in Fireblade's quarters. This is so wrong - mating encounters simply cannot last that long!

Well, perhaps with humans they may.

Tempo wasn't even sure anymore if she should look forward to the prospect of calling in 'her turn', or in trepidation.

Forcing her thoughts away from that human male's libido she focused on the tale of the other human male the Loroi encountered. So far Losat Brightshield stayed cooperative and provided Tempo with the remaining files on the incident.

And these files prove themselves to be ... interesting.

Officially, this diral was later regarded as "the lost diral". When it came to picking up the Soroin initiates, their drop-off location was found deserted with no Loroi in sight, and their provisions largely untouched. As the report goes, a search crew traced their steps to a Soia ruin where they must have engaged some ancient device, causing the demise of the whole diral, as well as much of the plant and animal life in the larger area.

So far the official story, made up for public consumption.

Inofficially, when it came to picking up the Soroin initiates, they found not only those, but said human and his artifacts, as well as the structures he built. Recognizing it as a true First Contact situation - one that almost went haywire - they called in for a Mizol delegation to facilitate a line of communication and an investigation on how the human ended up on Deinar.

Further records are inconclusive, but by the fragmentary report the diral was collectively foisted off to the Oran Hos’te Blec clan, as well as that human. For what reason, Tempo couldn't discern, but secrecy might be one, since that clan is well-known for its seclusive lifestyle.

How by the stars would they accept fourty-eight warrior initiates and one alien?, Tempo wondered.

Interestingly though, there were some Soia ruins present at the diral's landing site - Soia ruins are quite a common feature on Deinar, after all - but the reports lists the function of these ruins as 'inconclusive', and no artifacts of value were ever retrieved from it.

The discussion they had on the Highland-7 came back to her mind.

More and more, it looks much like Loroi and Humans do have some shared history.

And even if there are more pressing demands in the present, it would be wrong to ignore this.

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
dragoongfa wrote:The buzzer woke both of them up, Alex thought for a moment that someone wanted to get into the cabin but Fireblade reassured him instantly.

"My shift on the bridge is about to start." She sent before standing up and breaking the connection they had.

He wondered for how long they had slept as he sat up, catching himself ogling Fireblade as she put on her armor.

Damn, the bodysuits leave little to the imagination Alex thought before trying to push the thought away.

"What time is it?" He asked before remembering that Fireblade didn't like to talk.

"Noon." Fireblade replied immediately as she put on her breastplate.

"Thanks." His stomach growled at that, reminding him that he couldn't postpone eating for much longer. He had come to loathe eating since they had yet to find something agreeable with him but he wouldn't do much good if he starved.

It took barely a couple of minutes for Fireblade to fully don her armor and make for the door before gesturing at him to follow her.

"Yeah. It wouldn't look good if I lingered here after you left." He agreed before remembering to ask her not to tell Tempo about their training session. "I would appreciate it if you don't inform Tempo that I asked you to train me." She just smiled and nodded in understanding at that before she opened the door and walked outside with him in tow. They barely took a couple of steps before he saw her back tense as she turned and looked at a Soroin further up the corridor, the warrior stopping in her tracks for a moment before cutting a corner and getting out of sight.

"I am going to go grab something to eat and hopefully find someplace to have a shower." Alex told her and he saw her relax slightly before he took a turn towards the nearest mess hall.


* * *


The one thing Stillstorm hadn't expected was for the alien to actually mate with Fireblade, for all her numerous faults the steadfast Teidar was her final insurance in case it ended up betraying them but now even she fell victim to its wiles.

"You wanted to see me my Lashret?"
Fireblade announced respectfully as she waited outside her cabin.

"Yes, you may enter."
Stillstorm made sure to pay extra attention to the Teidar's mental state and demeanor as she entered her cabin. Fireblade was actually noticeably calmer than usual, her usually tumultuous mental signature restrained and even honed. Something that everyone around her noticed as the Teidar passed by them. Stillstorm just stared at the Teidar for several solons as she stood in attention in front of her desk before finally sending to her.

"I didn't expect you to lower yourself to such a degree that you would mate with it."
Fireblade's mind flared up in anger momentarily before resting in mild amusement which caught Stillstorm off guard.

"I haven't mated with Him yet."
Fireblade's response caught Stillstorm off balance, the Teidar had spent all of the morning with it and out of contact and she didn't mate with it? And she considered it a he that was a worthy mate?

"And what were you doing with it if not mating."
Stillstorm asked.

"He asked me to train him against mental incursion and in return I asked him for us to sleep next to each other so I could sleep without bothering or being bothered by anyone."
Fireblade replied truthfully.

"You trained an alien? Did you just admit betraying your caste and the Union?"
Stillstorm barked at her angrily.

"I agreed to train a declared ally who saved my life and the lives of hundreds of Loroi warriors and I haven't divulged any privileged Teidar techniques nor do I plan to do so without the express consent of my caste's elders. I consider both my honor and my duty to the Union to be unsullied."
Fireblade replied stubbornly enough for Stillstorm to relent.

"Very well, I cannot find fault with your honor although I do find your judgement to be dubious in regards to its allegiance."
Stillstorm replied before realizing something. "Why did it ask you and not Parat Tempo or Losat Brightshield?"

"He doesn't trust them because he knows of Mizol dubiousness." Of all things she expected to receive this one was not one of them.

"So it's smarter than it seems, although it is stupid enough to have mated with Parat Tempo."
Stillstorm commented drawing a sense of amusement out of the Teidar in front of her.

"I can reassure you my Lashret that Captain Jardin has only mated with Tozet Beryl and that was last night. I even have an ongoing wager with Parat Tempo about the issue."
The Teidar replied truthfully catching Stillstorm completely off balance.

"What?"


"He and Tozet Beryl were about to mate when you arrived at Gora Relay but they hadn't mated beforehand and I ensured that military regulations were upheld after your declaration about ensuring an encounter with him. Both Parat Tempo and Tozet Beryl disappeared at times from sanzai because they were testing his telepathic abilities and training him. The rumors about them actually mating are false."
Fireblade reassured her.

"So I was in the wrong of being judgemental of them. Although Beryl did exhibit ill discipline yesterday when she rushed to mate with him."
Stillstorm replied.

"I consider Tozet Beryl's honor to be intact. She broke no regulations and mated with Captain Jardin with his full consent as befit of a warrior."
Fireblade replied.

"Of course you would cover your friend."


"It is the truth and as a Teidar I will stand by it."
Fireblade replied with a forced steady tone, making Stillstorm regret letting her temper get the best of her.

"Fine, I find Tozet Beryl to not be at fault for anything and I praise you for defending the truth and the unsullied honor of a fellow warrior."
Stillstorm sent before turning the conversation to what was important. "In the training you offered him you undoubtedly learned a lot of things about him and his kind. Are you prepared to report them as is your duty to the Union?" The Teidar became momentarily conflicted at that before deciding on a course of action.

"I did learn a lot about him and his kind and I am prepared to divulge said information but I will not divulge personal and intimate thoughts and memories and I want your honorable promise that Parat Tempo is not to learn of the training I have provided and will be providing him until I am satisfied with his ability to defend himself."
Fireblade declared.

"I am impressed that it managed to get this degree of loyalty out of you. Fine I accept your condition and I swear that Parat Tempo will not be made aware of your agreement with the alien."
Stillstorm replied and Fireblade just nodded before rearranging everything she learned in her mind.

"I can confirm that, as far as he is aware, his kind has had no awareness or contact with either the Loroi Union or the Hierarchy. He was not aware of the Lotai his kind naturally possesses and neither was he aware of his kind's telepathic potential. All of the stories his kind has created over their history are pure fiction made for entertainment and he does believe that any and all similarities are mere coincidences until proven otherwise. He understands fully that his kind is not able to provide much in the war effort but he is fully convinced that the Loroi Union is the sole sensible choice as an ally and protector of his kind and is willing to do everything he is able to in order to ensure Union victory. I am ready to transfer the memories proving these facts to a Listel of your choice."
Fireblade reported.

"That's... good to confirm... Are you certain that he wasn't somehow deceiving you or having been mentally deceived himself?" Stillstorm asked just to make sure.

"His mind bore no evidence of mental manipulation nor did it exhibit the mental organization necessary for even the slightest deception. The only way for him to come to believe all he does is if it is the truth." Fireblade reassured her.

"So it all is as he has been claiming." Stillstorm thought.

"Yes my Lashret it is as He has been claiming." Fireblade pressed making Stillstorm realize that she had thought of it as a he, not just once but numerous times. "I assure you my Lashret that Captain Jardin is a He and that he considers all Loroi warriors he has met as attractive females and this includes you."

"Don't push me Teidar!" Stillstorm warned her.

"I strongly believe that both He and you have unnecessarily insulted and angered each other." Fireblade insisted.

"THE NATURALLY DECEIVING ALIEN CALLED ME DISHONEST!" Stillstorm exploded at that.

"And you called into question the honor of both Tozet Beryl and Parat Tempo in his presence without evidence. In his mind he had to return the insult laid against them by embarrassing and angering you." Fireblade replied with an heated tone.

"A male has no business trying to defend the honor of warriors unless he intends to dishonor them further!"


"He is a male but he is also a warrior. His primary drive is to avenge his murdered comrades and bring worth to their sacrifice. He understands honor. Failing to understand that because of his male attributes is a grave insult to both him and the weight he carries."
Fireblade insisted.

"You have become dangerously infatuated with him."
Stillstorm warned her.

"Maybe but I have yet to send anything that is not the truth as I have witnessed it."
Fireblade commented.

"I have yet to find any problem with your honor Teidar, make sure it stays that way."
Stillstorm sent and dismissed the Teidar who turned in the spot and left; leaving her alone to her thoughts.

I am impressed Captain Jardin, Fireblade was never an easy Teidar to handle and yet you have gained her recognition and loyalty. She thought as she picked the mental commotion reverberating from the lower decks of the ship. What did the alien do this time?

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orion1836
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Re: [WP] Beacons (Story Thread Only)

Post by orion1836 »

Originally posted here.
Werra wrote:After some trial and error his datapad lead Alex to the main mess hall of Tempest. It was rather roomy for a mess hall. The room was filled with tables for four or six and chairs. Alex noticed that unlike the corridors, the mess hall was decorated. The chairs looked comfortable, there were several paintings of Tempest ,all martial, on the walls and there was an actual tree in the middle of the room. The Loroi seemed to value communal areas over private spaces such as cabins.

Since the shifts had just changed, a sizeable amount of Loroi filled the hall. As Alex entered the room, they all turned their heads towards him. Feeling his backside prickle Alex tried a: „Hello.“ That luckily made most of the Loroi turn to their food again.

One side of the mess was filled with a counter full of foodstuffs. Alex made his way there. Some of the dishes he recognized already and thus avoided them. As hungry as Alex was, he had no desire to sprint panicked through the mess hall.

Instead he stopped at a dish that seemed to be a casserole. Testing the smell Alex thought it smelled similar to seafood. His grumbling stomach decided for him.

Turning he recognized Brightshield in the mess hall. She gave him a big smile and cleared a space next to her as he approached.

„Enzin, how nice to see you here. Have you come for some Loroi delicacies?“

„I've found something that looks good, at least, Brightshield.“ his answers made her eyes sparkle.

„You are so good at words. It's a pleasure. Usually only Mizol are this fluent.“

As he had already taken a careful bite from his dish, Alex couldn't answer. It really did taste like seafood with a bit of mushroom, Alex figured.

„Mhm, this is good. What is it?“ Alex asked.

Brightshield mustered his dish for a moment and then leaned back a bit. „That is from Perrein. You have to ask Parat Tempo what it is exactly. Something like an octopus, probably.“

Alex continued eatinh slowly and carefully. He still didn't trust this food fully. But his empty stomach made him clean his plate quickly. While Brightshield curiously and a little unbelieving watched him eat, Alex remembered something.
„I've thought a bit about your last visit, about those pictures you showed me..“

Brightshield leaned into him and cut him off: „Enzin, I'd love to talk about that, but let's keep that intimade between us.“

The look he got from her was only partially flirting, the rest was professionalism. Understanding, yet still feeling corny, Alex played along.

„You know where my cabin is if you're in the mood.“ The early blushing made it only more believable.

It also got a real laugh out of Brightshield. „Have you already recuperated from exercise with Tozet Beryl and Pallan Fireblade this quickly?“

Full on blushing now Alex decided to abort. „Actually, I'd rather like a shower now.“

„Me too. Come, I'll show you the showers.“

„I should have seen this coming.“ despaired Alex.



„You want what?“ Tempo couldn't believe what she had just heard.

„I want Jardin to become my adjutant and make himself useful in Tempests staff.“ Stillstorms tone was perfectly level if a bit annoyed. Whether at Tempo or at herself, Tempo could not say.

„An alien in your staff?“ Tempo felt strained to maintain her usual composure.

„If I have to have an alien on my ship, it can at least make itself useful. It can assist with the menial tasks of planning.“

„You despise him, Lashret.“

„Its ideas can be useful.“

„There has got to be more to this.“ she let her suspicioun clearly seep through.

Stillstorm remained explicitly calm. She has thought about this was Tempos conclusion. This is one of those times she has an answer prepared for everything. With an inner sigh Tempo arranged herself with a lot of extra work already.

„With the last supply train came a message from High Command. The alien ambassador is to be sent to Seren next time SG51 is resupplied.“

That was alarming to Tempo. Stillstorm just announced that she planned to ignore direct orders. With narrow eyes she pressed her for more.

„Then why give him a position if he's being sent away? Unless you plan going against your orders, Lashret.“

„Don't be silly, Parat. Of course I am not going against orders. The alien is.“

Tempo was reeling. „What?“

„You declared him ambassador but also military attache, Parat. Those two positions are mutually exclusive given the circumstances. Should the ambassador choose to remain with us, SG51 would be honour bound to accept.“

„Why would he ever express such a wish, Stillstorm?“

„Because you will find a way to convince it of the benefits.“

„My duty is to follow the orders from High Command. Counteracting them on a technicality is hardly proper, Lashret.“

„I thought you liked technicalities, Parat Tempo.“

The Parat had to blink a few times at this. Stillstorm was known for crass decisions, but this was something new. „Jardins mission is to be a diplomat, Lashret.“

„Its mission is to curry favour for its species, Parat Tempo. A species with a natural Lotai. Can Alexander Jardin help their survival as a diplomat or as a strategist?“

„You care about humanity?“

„No, you do, Parat.“

Yes, this was one of those times indeed. Enzins diplomatic conduct so far had been catastrophic. The three Loroi he chose to lower his Lotai with were a data gathering specialist, a leaking Teidar and a Mizol operative. Between the three of them,Tempo figured they already knew everything worthwhile.

„Fine. But we will need to keep this strictly off-records and find a way to placate Seren.“



The Mizol would have physically dragged him to the showers if the Loroi were in the habit of touching. So she settled on disarming him by a face full of genuine joy.

„You will love it. Loroi bathing facilities are a great boost to morale, Enzin.“ informed him Brightshield on the way.

They passed a door into a room full of shelves with uniforms and clothes on. From behind another door the faint sound of running water could be heard.

„We'll come to a small washroom. It's customary to pre wash oneself before entering the baths proper.“

Alex turned away from Brightshield and grabbed his collar. „Are there, uh, less public facilities to undress and shower?“

„The only private shower is the Commanders. You could ask her.“ teased Brightshield.

„I'd rather not even think about it.“

„Are you sure, from what I heard you caused quite the excitement last time you met her.“

Alex turned, wanting to ask what she had heard and was stopped in his tracks. The Loroi was already naked and leaned against the wall behind Alex, watching him.

„Uh, I thhought there was a taboo on showing yourself naked?“ a dumbstruck Alex asked.

„Obviously not in the baths. Now hurry up.“ she said without looking him in the eyes once.

After a bit of awkwardness Alex decided to just go with it. It was only Brightshield and both had told each other already of their interest in his cabin, so he saw no harm. Besides, now that he had some time with Beryl, he was sure his body wouldn't make things even more awkward.

A conviction he found hard to keep as Brightshield washed her body opposite of him in the next room. Her long hair looked good wet. Desperately he fought down the memory of Beryl.

With both of them washed, Brightshield made it worse. She actually put an arm around his shoulders. „Humanity doesn't mind touching, right?“ It seemed to Alex that Loroi social norms were significantly softer in the baths than elsewhere.
As she lead him through the doors into the bathing room, this turned into a serious issue. He hadn't expected what he saw. Apparently Tempest was equipped with a full bath. Several pools and basins were arranged in a large room. Some of the pools steamed and the whole room was tastefully decorated with natural rocks and plants.

He took in the two dozen or so Loroi that -naturally- all stared at him. All in various states of wetness. Never before was he so happy humanity couldn't receive Sanzai. The collective squee would have been deafening.

Outside his datapad blinked. A message from Tempo appeared on the display.
„Enzin, please meet me in my quarters once you have the energy for it. Off duty. Sedel“

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