Since leaving Cauchemarem, the heroes have been busy trying to make the rusty battleship a bit more liveable. Fortunately, as Jason has had time to examine the ship's inner workings, and Inari has been doing exterior patrols (to remove the space equivalent of "roadkill" and to look for external damage from the last fight), they've discovered a few more features.
Among them, there would be a "visor" that closes over the bridge to protect it. (Alas for the former crew, they didn't have time to close it before whatever calamity befell them and shattered the main viewports.) While this does nothing to improve visibility, it at least removes the need for makeshift barricades (and the odd breeze passing through the main corridor while traveling).
Randall has had a chance to acquaint himself with the captain's library, and to commandeer a change of clothes and some serviceable weapons - with a bit of grinding-off of the rust and some oiling of the blade in the workroom. Jason has had his hands full with the ship's peculiar control systems. Inari has usually been the one to volunteer for "exo-ship" operations, since, in her battle form, she's the least likely to draw attention by creatures looking for easy prey of the Light. And Holly has been looking into ways to expand the scope of her magic to benefit the entire ship, if need be.
Inari has claimed part of the bridge, and is currently in her humanoid form (and in a scavenged uniform), since she has need of her hands at the moment: She's busy using some rusty powder to describe an elaborate magical circle on a bare portion of the floor, and pointing out the importance of the angles and intersection of geometric shapes.
"I don't see why the circle has to be so complicated," Holly notes to Akiko. "But then.. well, programmers..."
Jason has been under one of the consoles fiddling with, as unusual, some random bit of broken junk. "I swear someone must have let their avatars use the console as a toilet. Never seen so much rust," he gripes.
Randall, dressed in his captain's uniform, has ferried up a startling number of books. Some are manuals of ship's procedure, others are logbooks and forms. "There must be an authorization form in here for fuel requisition," he complains.
Inari winces, closing her eyes, then says, "The intent of the user of magic must be conveyed to the ... medium. If the medium is allowed to assume, the effect may not come about as desired. Mages, in emergency situations, can make abbreviated preparations for simpler effects - and no circle is required for casting spells on a personal, normal scale - but for the complexity of protecting an entire ship, it is important to describe the exact effects. Magical barriers can interfere with the workings of a ship in irregular ways if constructed poorly - and then might be resisted by the ship's magical defenses. It is important to explain to the medium, as it were, what exactly is part of the ship, and what is not."
"Oh, so it's like a magical firewall configuration file!" Holly says, nodding in understanding now.
"Are you tormenting Akiko again, Holly?" Jason calls out as he hears Inari's 'explanation' of magic.
"I'm learning things," Holly replies to Jason. "I don't see how that equates with tormenting. I'm not tormenting you, am I, Akiko?"
Inari looks down at the inscription, and traces the outer perimeter with a claw. "I do not understand the Link's form of humor, nor his conception of torment. You are not tormenting me, Magess."
"The link has a name," Jason has to point out, "And given he's helped save all your butts and got transportation, he'd appreciate if you would use it. Being a little more polite might get you even more useful things. Never know till you try."
Randall gives Holly an odd look at this. "A magical whatnow?" He turns the page carefully - the pages are brittle, since it's been years since the ship went down - and studies the yellowed, crumbling form. "Aha! 'Capital Ship Resupply and Refueling Authorization Form 500-A.' Signed and dated... Hmm. I wonder if these things have expiration dates?"
Inari winces. "I do not know why, but it is genuinely difficult for me to refer to either of you by your stated names." Saying that seems to have pained her. She does not look up at either of them. "There is something ... getting stronger ... I do not understand it."
"Something... what, around us?" Holly asks, turning through one of the now open viewports. "Maybe Jason got something important working.."
The form doesn't have an expiration date. In fact, it doesn't have any date on it at all, despite all the legalese. But it does seem to concern requesting refueling, and has quite a few of obscure cross-references in the footnotes - some of which actually ring familiar to Officer Cranston, as he has dug through some of those same manuals earlier while searching (in vain, at that point) for the required forms.
"Probably because someone is trying to erase us from the system. first place to start is removing all named indexes to the object in question. Back in the old days, once all named entrypoints to say, a file were removed from the system accessible table, the file itself and its associated data could be erased," Jason comments a bit grimly on the matter.
Inari pants, then stands up. "I am going to have to go away for a little while. I..." Then, her features soften and reshape themselves, as she shifts back to Akiko.
"Our names were never in the system though," Holly notes, looking worried at Jason's suggestion.
"Okay, did you just get cut off from your source of Dark energy, Akiko?" Holly asks the woman.
"They could have been inserted on transfer over. They have to keep track of objects somehow," Jason remarks absently. There's a bang, then a short burst of cussing from him. "I hate it when I hit my thumb," he grumbles.
Randall digs into the manuals. "Inari, what's--" He looks up at this. "Akiko, are you all right?"
"Careful, you've only got two," the police officer turned captain jokes to Jason as well.
Akiko takes a moment to readjust her uniform, since her proportions aren't quite the same as her "hybrid" shape. She also seems to be using the time to gather her thoughts a bit. At last, she says, "Inari is being treated as an NPC by at least one of the subsystems - I don't know which one - even though she's not controlled by the central AIs." She pauses a moment, as if startled by something in her own statement, then shakes it off and continues. "Whatever process is supposed to encourage 'setting immersion' is causing interference when she does anything it thinks isn't 'in character.' Usually, I don't think a subsystem should do anything at all - it's the responsibility of the AI controlling the NPCs to make them act 'in character.' But I think there must have been a code change ... or maybe it adapted. It's zapping me - or Inari - when something happens 'off script.' That's the best sense I can make of it, anyway."
"Then we just need to cut her free from that controlling entity," Jason says as if it were that simple.
Meanwhile, Randall notices out of the corner of his eye a manual he just set down, still open, with some diagrams of the engine, its fuel supply, and diagonistic notes - things to look for to tell if there are problems. Unlike most of the manuals, this section actually uses color ink for the diagrams.
"That's troublesome," Holly notes. "If that's the case, the further we get into Light zones the less cooperative Inari might become."
Akiko nods. "I think that's the case. The AIs have a limited attention span - at least, those that have to make judgement calls on things, rather than just maintaining mechanical processes. We must have chanced across the attention of one of those subsystems once we left Cauchemarem."
Randall takes this in gravely. He must have managed to find a shaving kit in the captain's room, for his beard is back to a neat trim again as he rubs it. "Or change the character that she's supposed to be," he muses.
"Well, Akiko's had enough changes done to her," Holly notes. "And I'm not surprised about something big noticing the breach in the Light barrier around Cauchemarem. It had to have been set up with the help of a higher power sort of entity."
"Same thing, matter of semantics," Jason says to Randall as he slides out from under the console. He sits up and takes a moment to shake debris out of his hair. "And speaking of the breach and magic .... maybe/ you should be more careful and less flippant about the things you do. Really, was that beep necessary?"
Moving over to pick up the other manual, Randall peruses it briefly. "Jason, I think we can requisition fuel with this form, even if it's a little old, there's no 'terminus ad quem' on it. They have to resupply us or be in contempt of the Empire of Stars. This here... This any help? We'll need to set up the refueling so they don't know it's just the four of us."
Akiko nods. "It could also be that the AIs weren't concerned with keeping tabs on what was going on in Cauchemarem because nobody was supposed to be there. They should be able to keep track of active players pretty well. Who knows how they're going to react to us? But ... I get the impression that it doesn't like 'mundane names. I guess characters are supposed to have 'fantasy names.'"
"The chirp was in context with the manner of the opening," Holly insists. "Besides, we want to draw some Hero attention, don't we?"
"Hero attention, not unfriendly AI attention," Randall points out.
"Not if it also means bringing down the monsters of doom on us," Jason remarks. With a glance to Akiko, he asks, "What, we're supposed to change our names now?"
A pause. "Hey Jason..." Randall again. He motions Jason to come take a look at this page of the manual.
Akiko shrugs. "I don't know. I'm not sure what makes for a fantasy name. I remember hearing about some complaints a while back about people breaking the mood with really stupid names. Crude names were banned early on, though people kept finding clever ways to get past the censors. And, of course, copyright infringement is always an issue."
Holly just throws her hands up in a gesture of surrender at Jason's criticisms. "As for names.. uh, Inari can call me Hobbit Trueheart or something then."
"Copyright infringements, remember?" Akiko mentions. "The Tolkien estate would not approve."
"How about just Holly Trueheart then?" Holly suggests. "Holly is a perfectly.. druidic.. name."
"I would feel stupid if I went around insisting on someone calling me by some goofy fantasy name," Jason remarks absently.
Akiko nods to Holly. "A good point. Really, I don't see why the system isn't happy with Jason. It was good enough for going about with the Argonauts, after all. But that's the best I can figure it. Inari could perhaps just refer to you by titles. I suppose 'Link' doesn't sound deferential enough."
"J'son Eed'wyrd" Holly says, although it looks like she has to strain her tongue a bit.
Randall shows Jason the page in question. "We'd been thinking the reason our fuel was blue is because it's an older style of ship, and they might have changed fuel sources more recently. But that's not the case at all. If that's the case... How can we even get refueled?"
For the discussion of names, the police officer wrinkles his nose. "Captain Randall sounds good, in my opinion - but perhaps Cranston isn't the best choice for a last name for this setting. I think all that counts is that we declare the names by which we want people to address us. And try to act in characters, around Inari. Perhaps identifying her differently as well."
"Er, no, that makes me sound like some Horror movie producer," Jason mutters. He takes a moment to read over the paper, then remarks, "Well, the black market, probably. You can often find anything in the seedier parts of a town. There's a problem with the form and manual ... no mention of a blue fuel at all. We might be in a prototype ship. I don't think it's an older one, to be honest."
"How about 'Jason the Wary' for simplicity? Would that work?" Holly asks Akiko.
Akiko nods. "I could give it a try as Inari. I guess I - she'd - find out soon enough whether that works."
"There's also the matter of its bizarre electrical system. It isn't all mechanical, or even crystal based. This ship is extremely odd. I wonder if, heh, it was a dev ship used to test that encounter when they first came up with it," Jason notes.
"Sure. If that works, maybe Sir Rand of Greystone or something will be acceptable as well," Holly suggests.
"Knighting me?" Randall grins at Holly. "Should I call you Your Majesty then?"
"I just thought it would be better than calling you 'Cranston the Randy' is all," Holly says with a smirk.
Akiko frowns. "Hmm. I don't know if the system will play along with made-up titles. No, wait - it could just assume you're a charlatan. Which, I suppose, is exactly what we all are right now, right?"
"There's nothing fake about me," Jason points out.
"Whatever works," Holly says, and then grins at Jason. "What about your 'phone face' costume, Jason?"
Randall frowns at the manual. "And there's nothing about that glove you've got, Jason, or the interface. Can you see if maybe it has something that'll convert red fuel into blue?"
"My business is quite real," is all Jason says. He gives Randall an odd look, then says, "I have no idea what I would even look for. Outside of asking the ship itself, I think that would require a sample of red fuel."
"We can just requisition the blue stuff and let the depot worry about it," Holly says.
Randall points out, "'Blue stuff' doesn't fit well on a requisition form."
"Well, why don't we go explore the ship depot before we fill a form out?" Jason points out as he shakes his head. "We can learn what it's called before we ask for it. You're over-complicating things..."
"Well, we also don't know that 'red stuff' won't work either," Holly points out. "The only difference could be in how the stuff is produced."
Randall grins. "Well, I'd hoped for a 'quick in and out', minimal exposure to them so they don't get to check us out too deeply."
"If we mix red and blue, we'll have purple fuel. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to fly around pimp-style!" Jason groans.
"How romantic," Holly comments, and steps into the magic circle Akiko has drawn. "Now then, I could cover the ship with an Armor or Deflection spell, I think, but would either of those work with Inari's powers of illusion?" she asks Akiko.
"Maybe we could take the car in, scout the place out discreetly, find out this stuff firsthand like Jason suggests," Randall muses.
Akiko frowns, pondering the circle. "I am guessing Inari's powers should work with the spells. I suppose you'd need Inari again to answer that one for certain."
"You'd also need a better magic circle," Jason remarks and smirks a bit impishly. "And if certain people are nicer to me, I just might know where to find one."
Holly nods to Akiko. "Probably. I can also try to boost her Illusion powers, if that sort of magic will work on her at all."
"As for Inari - we're going to have to settle on our 'personas'. Call me Captain Randall," the police officer decides. "First name, Grey."
Akiko looks up hopefully to Jason. "A magic circle? That would be very helpful. The circle has to be modified for each spell funneled through it - and ... uhm ... I don't think I'm using the proper materials here. This isn't going to survive past a single casting."
"Jason, are you teasing or just holding out on us?" Holly asks, one eyebrow raised in suspicion.
Randall grins, "Jason usually does."
Jason counters the brow raise with one of his own. "You tell me, Miss Security," he comments. "Maybe this is a little revenge over holding out on us certain things."
"What did I ever hold out?" Holly asks. "You make it sound like I know what's going on here."
"Mmmhmm," Jason says and folds his arms over his chest.
Holly sighs, and says, "Fine, what do you want in exchange for telling us where the ship's magic circle is?"
Akiko sighs, half-bowing. "I can see to it that Inari refers to you as - let us say - Lord Jason-sama? Whatever you wish." Standing back up again, she says, "Really, a prepared magic circle would be very valuable to us right now."
"You knew far more about what was going on than you told me when you hired me," Jason points out, "And those actions have led to the very real possibility of my death. Do you think I wanted to be involved in tracking down a breach of a Government backed program? I try to stay away from Government projects."
Randall, distractedly leafing through manual pages about refueling, looks up at this. "Holly, Jason - we are all in this together. I'm willing to believe Holly didn't know about this virtual world or have a reasonable expectation that we could be zapped into it. If anyone's to blame, it's this Blake for injecting a world that would link through these 'synecdoches' to the real world."
"I never said it was Government backed, or.." Holly says, then just pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. "Right, it's all my fault for not telling you every corporate secret of the company that might possibly have any bearing on tracking down a rogue signal. Because of course I know everything that goes on in the company."
"I expect Holly to share any information that'd be useful to us, and I hope the same holds true for all of us," Randall says. "Holly is in just as much danger as the rest of us."
"I don't need some silly title, Akiko. I'm no lord; I'm just some working guy making it through life. You don't have to do that," Jason remarks as he sighs. To Holly, he remarks, "Yes, you did say it was government backed. Shall I recite the part where you said it was the Government who were paying for/using most of the CPU time of the simulation systems? I don't expect you to tell me everything, but I /do/ expect honesty in knowing /who/ I am working for. I don't owe the government /any/ more favors. They've gotten enough out of me."
"The Government is just a client, Jason, as are other Governments, Universities, Think Tanks and anyone else who can afford to have really big, detailed simulations of stuff run. Weather prediction, crop cycles, water use, city planning.. that's all done via simulations. It isn't evil. Grow up!" Holly states.
"Be under their thumb sometime, Holly, then say that," Jason actually growls. He runs his hands through his hair again, saying, "And as for the magic circle, since Akiko and Randall asked, I'll show you where it is."
Akiko winces, and nods abruptly. "Thank you," she says quietly.
Randall massages his forehead. "All right, thank you, Jason. But what I wanted to say, before I utterly lose track, is that we should declare how we wish to be addressed in this game. Do you want to be Engineer Edwards, 'Jason the Wary', or what? And the same for you, Holly."
"Yes, thank you, Jason," Holly says, a bit wearily. "As for names.. I'd want to avoid anything that describes our abilities too much, beyond the obvious. You both have visible Avatars that stand out, so Dragon Tamer or Wyvern Rider I could see. But Players aren't able to use magic like I do, so no Sorceress, Enchantress, Conjurer or whatnot in my name, please."
Akiko nods. "A good point. That would be a very bad habit for Inari to get into."
"People probably won't know the significance of Jason's glove either, so it should be okay to defuse suspicion by making it part of his name," Holly suggests next. "Just make it seem like an affectation for the purpose of the name, in other words."
"The game, or other players, would probably assume you to be an NPC," Jason suggests, "Which may or may not be a bad thing."
"Lady Holly," Captain 'Grey' Randall suggests. "A dignitary of some sort traveling aboard the Ozymandias?" He glances to the forms. "Though technically it was the Vindictive, a dreadnaught of the Empire of Stars. Should we use the old name, or forge the new name onto any documents they might ask to see?"
"There could be a salvage bounty on the old name," Holly points out.
"We salvaged the ship, that should give us the right to rename it," Jason adds.
Randall frowns. "Show of hands, please. Do we wish to present ourselves as an Empire of Stars ship requiring fuel, or as adventurers who have salvaged a military ship and wish to purchase supplies?"
"I would think we should park the ship in hiding somewhere and travel by aircar fto the depot first to learn just what would happen to either. We could find out if there are any bontuies on the ship that way," Jason suggests.
"The main issue here is we have no idea how people are going to react," Jason adds.
"Adventurers would have power crystals to barter with, instead of whatever passes for actual money," Holly notes. "However, we're a small group and others could see us as easy targets. I think the idea of scouting the situation out is best, to see how wild-west this outpost is. If it's mainly a mining and processing colony, we could get away with a mercenary identity, but if it's more organized and military we'd have to look official."
"I agree with Holly's assessment," Jason agrees. "We need to adapt to the place we're going. We have no real backers here, so whatever we do, it's going to end up being various acts of lying, regardless."
Akiko nods. "I honestly don't know how regimented the so-called Empire of Stars is. They can't be too competent, or else casual players would never have a chance at infiltrating and causing mayhem. But they can't be so flimsy that a concerted group of VPCs would have overthrown them by now. So I don't know what to expect."
Randall nods. "Very well then. Lady Holly? And ah." He looks at Jason thoughtfully, clearly intending to assign him a nickname if he doesn't volunteer one quickly.
Akiko starts to say, "Lord" (something-or-other), but catches herself. "Chief Engineer ... Gauntlet?" she mutters under her breath.
"Jason Dragonhand?" Holly offers. "Covers the techy glove AND the techy dragon, sort of."
Akiko nods approvingly.
RIU looks pleased. Maybe because he's involved somehow. Or maybe he's just happy anyway. It's hard to tell whether or not he can actually understand anything said by anyone aside from Jason.
Jason makes a face, but ends up nodding. "A compromise, Jason Drachehand. It sounds a little more fanatsylike, but just means Dragonhand," he begrudgingly suggests.
Akiko nods. "Master Jason Drachehand it is, then. Not that Inari, being an Avatar, would ever actually address anyone as a Master, since Avatars don't speak ... but ... ah ... uhm ... what was this about a magic circle again?"
"Very well, Drachehand," Captain Randall says authoritatively. "We'll avoid incoming patrols and hide the Ozymandias somewhere in the Tesliem area - perhaps a spell of some sort, Lady Holly? And we can scout out the lay of the land."
"I can obscure it a bit with Deflection and Inari's help," Holly notes.
"It's quite a ways from the engine room, behind really thick metal walls. I think it's because if case the mage explodes ... it wouldn't mess up the engines. At least, that's a guess given the interesting stuff I scraped off the walls," Jason comments. "I'll draw a map so you can find it. I'll need to rig up a security system that'll protect the ship when we leave it parked. I don't want it wandering off in some light-fingered person's hands."
Randall grins. "I'll ask Mara to eat any intruders."
"Can you disable all controls except for those given through the glove?" Holly asks. "That glove is the best 'key' we have."
"Probably. I was also going to electrify all metal surfaces. Touch anything and become .... enlightened," Jason notes.
Piles of decayed material here and there hint at the remains of cushioned seating arrangements (again, secure to the floor, so that nothing might skid across the chamber), and there are some stains where candles might have once burned themselves out.
With the sound of protesting steel and a loosening of rust flakes, the entry door is widened the rest of the way open, so that more than just a little dragon can find a way in. The room is suffused in a faint blue glow, like the rest of the chambers, though this is joined by red, as the scrying orb flickers to faint life, as if awakened from a long slumber by the arrival of visitors.
Randall peers at the chamber with furrowed eyebrows. "Does the Empire of Stars have a magician on each capital ship then?" he wonders. "Or links and avatars?"
"Maybe claiming to be a sorceress in these parts isn't such a bad idea, if this is how they're treated," Holly notes, looking around the fantastic room, and then is drawn to examine the scrying orb.
"Remember my comment about prototype? This ship many have been an experiment that incorporated the under development mage class," Jason suggests from where he leans against the doorway.
The orb intensifies in brightness as Holly approaches it. Swirls of sparkling light spin about in an entrapped cyclone.
Akiko frowns. "Mages exist. They just aren't allowed for VPCs." She speaks in hushed tones when she talks about technological jargon, as if she's afraid the universe is going to start zapping her even when in her human guise.
"I think you're onto something there, Jason," Holly notes. She looks into the swirling lightshow, and tells the orb, "Show me the port of Tesliem," to see if anything happens.
The orb pulses with greater radiance, and the sparkles coalesce and rearrange themselves....
... to resemble an irregularly-shaped world - an asteroid, perhaps is the best way to describe it - that crackles with blue lightning and swirling storms.
Randall rubs his beard. "Blue fuel - 'distilled quintessence' - and a glove and hand-interface that's not mentioned in the manual. Hmm." He eyes the lightning. "What if this ship has a way to refuel itself from that blue lightning?"
"Welcome, sorceress," comes a voice from the orb - or, rather a composite voice that is like a chorus speaking as one. "The master has passed away, and this one needs a new mistress. What form shall this medium take that is most pleasing to its new mistress?"
"I haven't seen anything that looks like a fuel scoop, though admittedly I haven't looked for one," Jason notes as he makes a mental note to go look for one.
Holly thinks about this, and suggests, "A computer terminal with text, audio, image and video search capabilities."
Randall suggests, "Just tell the ship to activate a refueling system."
Akiko suddenly tugs on Jason's sleeve, even though he already notices what she's pointing at. "Look! The rags! Those aren't just rags - there's ... it's moving ... magic ... undead ... wraith!"
Up against the front of the room, where there are still some rotten rag bits that haven't been cleaned out yet, there are some robes that have miraculously been spared the ravages of time, though mostly covered in the rottenness. Something seems to have caught Jason's eye at just the right moment, as he sees a flicker of magical aura coalescing around the robes as the orb awakens.
Jason's response is a very heroic ... 'Eek!" "I think the orb's master doesn't like you fondling his, uh, orb!" he still somehow manages to say. He suddenly finds himself wishing he had that bazooka again. Still, he has zappy-dragon, so ... he summons RIU!
While Jason is distracted, Akiko dives behind a dressing screen inlaid with an elaborate pattern of stained glass and panels of malachite and lapis lazuli. A few hasty clothes-changing moments later, and Inari pops out of the other side. At that same moment, RIU comes zipping into the chamber, and to Jason's side.
"Or maybe it'd use giant lightning rods," Randall ponders. His glance goes to Akiko and then the rags. He reaches for his handgun - but it's not in its usual place, since he's in his Captain's uniform now. Besides, will bullets work on what looks like it's going to be some kind of ghost?
"Whoa!" Holly says when she sees the magic at work. "Maybe it's a message?" she suggests hopefully, while trying to think of an appropriate spell if that isn't the case.
Randall says, "Jason's right. It's probably the former master. Make sure the orb doesn't change its mind about who it belongs to." He reaches for his baton - the cutlass, while recently polished up for show, still has the problem of being a simple weapon. The baton has a shock feature that might work.
The orb's lights flicker and spin, as the image of Tesliem disintegrates - but no convenient computer interface immediately presents itself in its place quite yet.
"Then again, it might be a challenge," Holly mutters, reaching a hand into her purse as she thinks. "This room is probably shielded, so offensive spells might ricochet or something. Hmm. Best to show a little Restraint then," she says, going for an Entangle spell and bringing out her glowing roll of electrical tape.
Inari looks alarmed at the mention of restraint, and then looks immediately relieved when she sees that it's just a roll of tape - no octopi involved.
The black tape shoots out and spreads around the still-coalescing wraith, and the glimmering robes it is filling out. It may be a creature without solid form, but it is nonetheless too slow to avoid the tape. The black bands glow faintly purple and tighten inward, crushing the robes more than would be possible with a solid occupant.
"RIU, zap that thing! Just, uh, don't aim for the tape, aim for the form! See if it can be stunned/dispersed," Jason orders.
The black tape obscures part of the form, but portions of the glimmering cloth are still visible, protruding from the gaps, and a faint, ghostly aura hints at the vaguely-defined shape of the wraith. Within its hood, a pair of foxfire lights come into being, looking like eyes without expression.
A bluish glow shines from within RIU's mouth, and he waits a moment before opening it up to spit out a small blue point of light that expands as it shoots toward the wraith. It explodes as it hits the wraith, though it seems to be somewhat muted in the places where it hits the electrical tape.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell if the wraith was affected. It does not scream or shake violently, or give off other convenient cues as to its physical state (or lack thereof).
"Be careful," Holly pleads, although RIU's attack has already struck. "Uh.. it might have important information or something.."
Randall grins. "Nice shot, Lady Holly, though Drachehand might have objections to 'tying things up in tape'. It's just as well it's not him in there." He reaches around to where his baton is secured, beneath the Empire-regulation cloak, and thumbs it on. What appears to be an inch-wide, six-inches-long cylinder extends to eighteen inches through the magic of telescoping plastic, with the weight concentrated at the business end. Extending this toward the wraith, he orders, "Identify yourself!"
"Don't be goofy! It's an undead monster. The only thing on it's mind is to eat brains!" Jason replies as he tries not to look too disappointed at the ball lightning not having more of an effect.
"Treacherous servant!" comes a shrill cry from the wraith in a voice that sounds like it would be just at home screaming, "I'll get you, my pretty ... and your little dragon, too!" "How dare you abandon me for this ... this mewling pup of a replacement! I have ascended beyond the mortal coil! I shall have vengeance upon all those who fail to respect me! For I am Moire the Malevolent, Mistress of Magic!"
Inari growls and leaps over to Holly's side. "Grab my fur!" she snarls.
"Nice alliteration there, Moire," Holly says, as she takes hold of Inari's fur.
There's a ripple in the air, as Inari and Holly vanish.
Randall chuckles, "Well then the only ones in danger are you and Lady Holly, eh, Jason?" He advances upon the wraith. "I am Captain Randall of the Ozymandias, and we have claimed this ship as our rightful prize. If you're prepared to speak with us peacefully, we'll let you go. If you insist on some foolish 'revenge' upon the living, you face our wrath."
Out of the corner of his eye, Randall can see a shimmering form where Inari and Holly are - where Inari's inside-out illusion (of the space on the other side of them, in any direction) doesn't quite line of absolutely perfectly.
"Such bindings shall not hold me! Such trickery cannot fool me! I shall not be ..." the wraith shrieks, but then suddenly loses a bit of steam. "Captain! Captain! Oh, captain ... I ... I did not recognize you."
Randall adjusts his hat and speaks more sternly. "Indeed, Mistress. I expect you to comport yourself with the dignity of your station. Allow me to present to you Lady Holly, a woman of extraordinary abilities, and Jason Drachehand, chief engineer and Link."
It isn't as bad as the first time Holly went through this with Inari. After the initial moment of disorientation she's able to discern what's actually real from within the stealth illusion.
Holly suddenly appears again, no longer invisible. But within the field of invisibility, Inari whispers to the real Holly, "I have displaced your image, just in case."
Randall pauses before mentioning Inari, noticing she hasn't yet reappeared. Possibly wise.
Jason looks at a loss for words at the moment. He keeps RIU hovering nearby, just in case.
"The Vindictive flies again?" the wraith asks, its cowl turning about as if there were a head inside taking in the surroundings, oblivious to the black tape that still coils about it. "Yes ... yes ... Imperial technology cannot be felled so easily by those meddling fools of the Light."
Randall whispers to Jason, "Play along, see what you can learn."
RIU looks anxious as well, but is well-trained enough not to press the attack without instruction from his master - not so long as no one is being immediately endangered that he can tell, in any case.
Holly crosses her arms and tries to look.. Imperious. It would probably work better if Inari made her image taller though, given Holly's naturally short stature.
"Of course it flies again. This ship is unstoppable," Jason agrees.
"I see now," the wraith says, after another moment's contemplation. "Yes ... yes, of course you must find a replacement sorceress. I am ascended now. We must be en route to Gormenghast. I shall serve the Empire of Stars with greater ability now. My powers would be wasted upon a Dreadnaught. Even a novice mage should be able to do what is required upon a ship this magnificent. Yes ... that must be it...."
Randall nods. "As you say, you are called to greater things. But while the Vindictive is a Dreadnaught and not easily felled, it has taken us a long time to repair it as much as we have. We came here because my engineer has some questions for you. In deference to your mystic wisdom, of course."
The police officer turned Captain gives Jason a 'be polite!' look.
"Of course," the wraith says. "Yes ... yes, it's all so much clearer to me now. What need have I for a scrying sphere? Even now, I sense Gormenghast. It is but a day's journey away. Half that, if only this ship were not limping along such as it is - a dreadful battle it must have been, but magnificent - magnificent it is - that we came through all the forces amassed against us. Cowardly things. Misdirecting us, feigning to be our allies ... foolish enough to suppose we were theirs ... yes.... I should reach out to the Magi. Let them know of my ascension."
"We are actually on an altered course for fuel before returning to Gormenghast. Those meddlers damaged our fuel conduits and we bled much into the aether. It would be of very poor form for this magnificent ship to limp into port; it must fly in under full power. I'm certain you understand how valued it is that we always appear strong, lest spies and meddlers undermine our great Empire," Jason hams it up, "And of course the Light has been meddling much in our affairs. But no matter. Your wisdom was indeed great in life, so we ask you now if you have heard any rumors amongst the winds of magic itself on where we may find fuel along the route to our great capitol that are little known to others?" Jason hams it up.
Holly tries not to grin at Jason's speech, and whispers to Inari, "Could she really contact Gormenghast from here?"
Inari whispers to Holly, "I do not believe that they have any spell of telepathy, but there could be clever uses of Manipulate Elements that could do the trick. Sky ships have a limited means of communication at range by using light-beacons."
"Oh. Yes. You are most considerate," the wraith says. "Yes. One only ascends once. If we are to return with report of our victory and of my ascension, it must be with all the majesty we can muster. It is for the greater glory of the Empire of Stars. Yes ... yes indeed."
"She must still be bound to something here then," Holly whispers to Inari. "Mortal remains, perhaps? This room wouldn't have been raided by scavengers."
"The robes," Inari whispers back. "Wraiths are often bound to their mortal accoutrements, which are usually suffused with magic. Given time to fully metamorphose, they subsume the materials and become wholly insubstantial."
"Curiem or Tesliem," the wraith moans. "Either of them should be able to suit our needs. The flow of the crimson, distilled quintessence ... yes...."
Randall nods approvingly at his 'Chief Engineer'. Though he might have been laying it on a little thick, wraiths shouldn't be the most discriminating of customers. The mention of 'crimson' distilled quintessence does raise an eyebrow however, and he shoots Jason a look at this point.
"Though I am not yet of the Magi ... anyone should recognize my superiority," the wraith claims. "Bureaucracy shall not hinder us. I shall make absolutely certain it does not." The voice takes on a more chill tone.
Jason's brow goes up at that. So, the ship was powered by red. So .. what the heck is the blue, he wonders. "Ah, excellent. Both are within easy reach, thank you. Perhaps the Captain can suggest some duties for you while we travel to one.," Jason remarks, then gives Randall a look.
"Duties? No, you must do without me for now. I must not be interrupted. I must see what remains of my resources," the wraith moans. "I am ascended, but not fully come into form. I shall not face the Magi as a mere wisp. No ... that will not do. I will need to prepare. Tell me - have we any prisoners? I have need for fuel for my preparations."
"To conserve your energies, will you require someone to carry you should it become necessary for you to leave this room?" Holly asks of the wraith, just to be certain - and to find out if it can move on its own. "We have crystals," she notes in reply to the 'prisoners' comment.
Randall grins wryly. "I regret that we have none available for the moment." He frowns. "But what of blue distilled quintessence? Have you heard of such a substance, Mistress?"
The wraith seems to be distracted from the comment about crystals by the mention of a different oddity. "Blue? Whyever should it be blue? Sheer nonsense. Why would such ... a ... thing ..." Suddenly, the wraith seems to be a little more aware of its surroundings, as the orb eyes scan the upper edges of the wall, where portals in the ever-present pipes let in a faint blue light.
Randall tenses, getting ready to strike should the ghost turn hostile.
The wraith seems momentarily perturbed, but then suddenly ... relaxes? (If such a thing were possible.) "Wonder of wonders. So it is blue. Ah yes. The portal. We must have tapped into a new source of energy from the Endless Dark. I must learn more of this ... but anger does not power me now. I must retire and prepare myself. I must not be disturbed until you have some souls to power my rituals. I shall leave it to the little mage to explain to you the particulars."
"Of course, Senior Sorceress," Holly says, and even bows.
"This ship has suffered much in its past," Randall says, putting the sorrowful yet masterly captain's tone. "I'll leave you to your meditation, but should my engineer or mage have question, I trust you'll assist them. It is all for the glory of the Empire."
"Indeed, thank you," Jason says with a bow of his own.
Once safely out of the sorcerer's quarters, the heroes return to the bridge, where Inari busies herself with considering what can still be done with the makeshift magic circle (since the prepared one is presently occupied by a wraith).
Randall slumps into the Captain's chair in the bridge. "Oh great. Now we've got a ghost with a line to 'the Magi' on board. And she doesn't know anything about this blue stuff we've got running in the pipes either."
"Well, 'portal power' anyone?" Holly asks, looking more at Randall. "Anything in the captain's notes about that?"
Randall grins, "There's a lot of reading I haven't yet gotten to. Let me see." He riffles to see if there's anything in the recent logs.
"We need to just get the wraith lulled into a sleep of a sort, then we obliterate it somehow. I'd rather not try and fight the thing," Jason remarks as he sits on the edge of a console. "And sooner is better than later."
Inari looks up. "If she has a line to 'the Magi,' unless it's some sort of inherent undead power, then it's likely an elemental manipulation. I could devote my illusion power specifically to muffling such effects ... but if she tries it and fails, she'll likely realize that something is amiss and might be angered."
Randall adds while thumbing through the logbook, "I don't have any intentions of finding and feeding it prisoners, if you're concerned."
"Other than that, she seems unable to do much else without 'souls' to recharge herself," Holly notes. "And it is restricted to the sealable chamber. We might be able to isolate it by simply moving its robes to a container while it's still asleep."
"If the robes are important, can we just burn them?" Jason asks.
It would seem Randall has just hit the jackpot. It appears that, among the papers, were a number of very secret papers - hand-written, not printed - that the captain must have had out when the ship went down - and thus didn't have time to properly secure or destroy. Seals indicate a directive from the Magi for the Vindicator to head to the "conjured" shard of Cauchemarem to investigate - and defend, as necessary - a portal to the Outer Darkness. The writing leaves unclear whether this is something caused by the Magi, or which they were merely privy to and wished to benefit from.
"Whoa," says Randall, showing the others the entry.
In any case, it seems to suggest that forces of Tasavalta and the Sentinel Shards and their allies might seek to destroy this portal, or seal it off - and that the dreadnaught's forces were prepared to stop such an occasion. It would also appear from the papers that the ship carried far more soldiers than the bodies would account for: It offloaded them in ornithopters and some sort of landing craft on its way in, according to the last reports.
"The whole scenario, to me, reinforces Jason's opinion that this was a development tool for a quest that got scrapped. If only VNPCs can use magic, there'd be no reason to lay a trap with the wraith like that. I think it was for the abandoned PC mage system."
The police officer observes, "I don't think it was a trap, or at least one for mages alone. Any player entering the room might have been faced with those robes."
Also among the papers, there is an unfinished report - really, just a collection of shorthand and scattered notes - that seems to describe the erection of a crystal monument on the surface of the world-shard, by the "forces of Light," apparently used as a conduit of power for their Avatars and Augments (in this Light-deprived expanse), but also to perform some sort of epic ritual to seal off the world. A major objective of this particular dreadnaught was to destroy that crystal (and apparently it failed in the attempt).
"The fact it has interfaces for non-VPCs like us, really makes me thing it was a development experiment," Jason agrees, "Along with the rest of it. But beside the point, it went in to defend a portal and was taken down. It still doesn't explain the blue, unless maybe all it means is the ship is under 'developer' control."
For all the searching through the refueling record, and maintenance papers, there's no indication that the ship was carrying any sort of special fuel.
"Outer Dark power, if Moire's implication is correct," Holly notes. "But more importantly, it was built to run on the red stuff, so the red stuff should still work."
Randall opines, "This ship wasn't built with the intention of running 'blue' quintessence. And more, the magess spoke of absorbing the souls of prisoners in order to fuel her own efforts." He turns grim. "I believe what we're looking at is the result of purifying the red quintessence with the Light. We should be asking ourselves, what is it distilled from?"
"Are you thinking it's from living beings?" Holly asks Randall. "And if so... are we going to consider destroying the depot?"
"Do we really want to know at this point? We need a ship," Jason says and looks down at the deck. "Maybe the gauntlet can power the ship itself."
Randall says quietly, "I don't know the answer to that, Jason, but I do know this. If the blood of innocents is being used to fuel Empire ships, whether they're 'only virtual NPCs' or not, I don't know that I could sleep easily only passing them by." He grins at the others impishly. "Feel like a 'Prison Break adventure'?"