Most of one side of the cargo bay walls has been stripped bare, revealing one of the Standing-Wave Fusion reactors. And sticking out of a mass of tubing at one end of it is the hind end of a powered suit of armor. Gabriel sits nearby, tending to a large box of tools, with several exotic looking bits of machinery set nearby and presumably awaiting installation.
After returning from her long walk around the base, something she felt she needed after settling matters with both Ser Heraphel and the Melchior's AI, Tasha is finally back. The clip-clopping of her hooves along the boarding ramp are heard long before she is seen, but eventually her head pops in to view followed by the rest of her. "You all look bsuy," she notes, hands folding behind her head as she leans forward to have a look.
"I look busy?" Gabriel asks. "I'm just sitting here until Fred needs me to pass him something," he notes with a grin. "Here to relieve me?"
"Cadet Tasha reporting, here to relieve Captain Akkers from his sit-on-butt post," Tasha replies, standing at attention and saluting formally before grinning back. "The least I can do is relieve you of your boredom, I saddle you with enough paperwork."
Gabriel stand and stretches out his back a bit. "I don't think we were made for sitting on our tails," he notes. "I surrender my post to a better padded tush," he adds, and salutes Tasha.
The young woman salutes back again, then waggles her hand for Gabriel to get going. "Go eat something! We can talk later, I have a few new things to report. Oh and tell Yue I'll want to see her later, for planning."
Once Gabriel has departed, Tasha turns and plants herself right down where her mate had been, noting the seat is still warm and smells of him. This helps her relax, so she quicly switches to leaning back against a close-by crate and folds her hands across her tummy, watching Fred work but not saying anything.
Fred mutters. Mostly he seems to be complaining about his fingers. "Need to tweak these things again.." Louder, he says, "That you out there, Tasha?"
"It's me," Tasha reports, ears perking as her eyes widen. She had been settling in to a nice near-dose, zoning out after having dealt with so many social and personal issues in quick succession and finding herself a bit exhausted. "What do you need, Fred?"
"The new pump laser," Fred says. "It's that ribbed tube about as long as your forearm with all the warning symbols on it. It's a lot heavier than it looks. I need you try and squeeze in as close as you can to pass it to me."
"Lucky for you carrying heavy things is my speciality." Tasha looks over, then leeeans over to examine the pile of contraptions laying near her. After sorting through the arrangement of highly technical, expensive, exceptionally breakable-looking parts she picks up the pump laser with both hands and stands up. When she arrives at the mess, she pauses.
"That's a lot of wires and tubing," she notes as she cocks her head to the side, looking for a way in. After nudging things around with her right hoof, she shrugs, then lowers herself down to her hands and knees, pump laser hugged to her chest with her left hand and right holding her up. "Here goes, coming in." And then she's heading in to the futuristic briar.
There are a few support beams that make for a tight squeeze, and the laser tube is heavy. "Sorry about this," Fred apologizes. "Normally we'd pull the whole unit and replace it, but we don't have those sort of drydock facilities here. I'm surprised they were able to get the old one out for the Fenris."
"Vartans were not made for tight spaces," complains the cadet as she catches her wing on a support, then is forced to backtrack, tuck her wings around herself like a blanket,amd roll on to her back to slide in that way. At least it makes the laser pump easier to carry, even if it's now pressing down on her chest. "We may do with what we have, don't we?" She asks when she finally manages to arrive. Fred can barely see her face past the wires and laser assembly.
One Tasha is close enough, the armored suit takes the pump from her. The servos complain a bit as it's held in place one-handed while Fred makes the connection with his other hand. There are a lot of loose tools in the area as well. "Thanks," Fred says. "You're still wigglier than Gabriel and able to handle the weight, otherwise it'd be a lot more trouble to get this in place. Especially since I had to jury-rig the fuel injector a bit already."
Now that she's in the tangle, Tasha doesn't find herself in a hurry to get out again. With her hands free, she shifts them to rest under her head, laying back. Staring up through the electronic jungle reminds her a lot of peering up through the canopies in the City of Hands, if the vines and trees were cordage and nuclear reactor assemblies. At first she isn't sure what to say now that she's here; She and Fred have been distant since the breach of trust that happened months ago. Still, she finds sitting in silence to be even more uncomfortable and notes, "I'm always amazed at how you can handle machines and computers. It seems like it'd take me lifetimes to know all this. Without relying on others, I'd still be wondering why a painting is talking to me."
"I was bred for it," Fred notes as he works. "Well, raised for it. My brain probably has a slight percentage more human in it than the others. Optimized fine physical dexterity, too. Remiel and I are the same clad - same gene group. He became a surgeon-psychologist. I became a technician. My patients are easier to deal with and understand though, usually."
"Where as Remiel's get injured or blow themselves up on a regular basis, and have, um, other problems ... Right?" Tasha asks, head tilting. She'd also be studying Fred'd face by now, but the armored face plate doesn't convey much.
"Well, I can help a little bit with that, too," Fred notes. "Like making that interface extension so you could link to Melchior while you were still recovering in the tube. Of course, I didn't really think about whether it would help you or not. I just fix things, or tinker with them. Did it help you?" The faceplate turns slightly towards Tasha with that question.
Tasha bites her lip when looked at directly; After a second or two she looks away, off in to the bramble that seems easier to navigate. "Mostly," she admits, trying to sound positive but still wrestling with old feelings.
The young woman lets that linger for a moment before deciding it's not good enough; Worse, she decides it sounds ungrateful and whatever else she may feel she thinks it's a poor way of thanking someone who helped her in her time of need -- whatever else may have happened between them. "Well," she begins again, "it helped more than that. I'm, um, thankful. You did it. Um, so, um ... Thank you, Fred. It gave me someone to talk to that I didn't have any, um, issues with, even if I became over-dependant on him for a while. He could handle it, though. He has, uh, safeguards." She isn't sure if she's begun to ramble or not, and so pauses there.
"Unlike the rest of us, who only 'supposedly' had safeguards," Fred replies. "I hear the Karnors back home really do have safeguards now though."
"To me, they look like Gallahs. Or Gallee. What are your 'Terran dogs;' there's a whole nation of them on Sinai but I have the feeling they're only the same, uh, asthetically. I know they can kill Humans, which the new Karnor supposedly can't." Talking about the current state of things doesn't help; Tasha had been hoping the shift in subject would help but it's actualy making her feel worse and she isn't sure why. Finally she gives in: It looks like her day will come with one more interpersonal struggle, for better or for worse. "Fred ... We need to talk."
"Aren't we?" Fred asks as connects up power lines. "I'm not going anywhere.."
"I mean about something other than work and politics." Tasha shifts, sitinng up as best she can and tilting her head, leaning her body in the same direction as she tries to slide in to the suit's frontal vision arc. "I'm still mad about what you did with my PersoCom. I thought it didnt bother me, but it does, and I think we're both tired of pretending everyting is okay between us! This is our home. We need to work this out! If Nora and I can get along, then we can work this out."
"So, you think there's an issue between us?" Fred asks. "I assumed it was between you and your PersoCom. I know you've been uncertain about our status.. many times.. but you yourself disconnected us from the main computer system. I'm not my PersoCom. None of us are."
"I'm mad you slept with her without asking me! Do you know how hard I've worked to be with Gabriel? And how many times, how many people keep trying to get in the way of that? Whatever their reasons, they keep trying and I keep fighting them off. Um, usually ... But at least he's the only man in my life. So when you slept with my PersoCom, in a way, you slept with me without asking. Do you see the problem now?" Tasha demands, scoothing over more until her face fills the proxy's lower vision.
"I didn't do that, Tasha," Fred notes. "My PersoCom did. Was it in my nature? Yes, I'll admit to that. Like you said, you've fought to be with Gabriel. But your PersoCom did not have a Gabriel of her own. I'm a technician, Tasha. I try to fix things. It's my nature. My PC tried to fix what was missing for your PC. I don't like being alone, and I don't think you do either. Now, I am alone - myself, the me I identify with right now. I've been alone since you woke us back up. There were times with Mariel.. but she needed something different, and so I became more of her big brother."
"Oh ... " Goes Tasha in a quiet voice, slumping back. "Maybe I ... um ... I forgot that there was a difference. The seperation ... Um. I don't know if was the injuries or just me forgetting, but I forgot. Or didn't want to know." She lets out a sigh, then pulls away and returns to where she had been laying. "Nevermind. I'll just be here. Let me know if you need anything, like me going away."
"You spent so much time recovering in a virtual reality, I'm not surprised you'd forget the distinctions," Fred says, and chuckles a bit. "Have you gotten it all of your chest yet though? Don't feel like you're being childish or petty or whatever about it. The feelings you had are still real. You still need to deal with them. I'll try to fix you if I can."
"No I'm-" Tasha pauses. She was going to say she's "fine," but she isn't fine. So instead she takes Fred up on his offer, and vents. " ... I ... I- No. No I'm not fine. I tried so hard to be loyal to Gabriel, to stick with him, to bot be like my old self and it seemed like my life had no end to people who wanted to ruin that. And not just obviously bad-for-me- types like Raehab, good people like Tomorrow's-Hope. Then I kept feeling interested, so now I was betraying me! And it seemed like I'd never get over seeing Gabriel as my father who betrayed me, or as my leader I could never impress, so then I started staying away from him. I have whole libraries of his letters I never read while in the tube! Every time I see them it makes me cry. That's how Katie and I happened, by the way: I was running away from Gabriel and, well, Katie's Katie. I'd have had it hard at the best of times around her."
"And of course Gabe doesn't feel like you've cheated on him in any way, or even feels particularly threatened about these things, right?" Fred asks.
"Of course." Tasha reaches up and rubs her face, which ends up giving her a number of grease and what looks like grease smudges all over it. "Well, um, mostly. He was concerned. We worked it out, though. I think? Or maybe he did and I didn't. It's become really complicated. The, uh, 'window' when stopping things with Katie would have been easy closed a long time ago, so now I have two relationships." Her head shakes between her hands. "Maybe it was just easier to blame you than to blame me. The stupid part is, no one is blaming me except me."
"Do you blame a baby for sticking everything it finds in its mouth?" Fred asks. "Of course not. That's how it learns. And how it develops an immune system. Same holds for personalities. You try new things, find out what works and what makes you sick. Did you consider that maybe you aren't meant to have a single relationship with one person? That there even were other options that still let you keep what you had? Didn't you have something similar with the student girl? But.. uh.. maybe she was the catalyst that time, not you? You seem to have the most trouble when you're the catalyst, instead of just being swept up into it."
"And here I thought this was going to be a 'Tasha sticking things in her mouth' joke," the young woman says, then laughs. She laughs so hard one of the tubes ober her slips, then promptly falls on her head. "Ow!" She barks, reaching up to grasp her head. "Nngh, ow, speaking of tubes and mouth jokes." She keeps rubbing, squinting up at Fred. "Where were we ... Oh ... Oof, I can add: Injured by nuclear reactor to my list of unlikely things now .... Uh ... Oh: The catalyst. I think you're right. I think I, um, I still look down on the old me. I was told so many times I wasn't good enough, then stupid Blackwings shows up and takes advantage of it. I'm glad I killed her."
"You still think certain feelings or desires are signs of weakness, I'm betting," Fred notes, and shifts that particular tube to a more secure position. "I think the reality of it is just that some people speak to certain parts of you. There's something in Gabriel that speaks to you. Something in Katie that speaks to a different part. Something in Mariel, something in Nora, and something in me as well. That's how it always was for me, you know. I'd feel a bond and.. just go with it. It's probably why I made it into the Elite, you know. The person that can have a common link with everyone else in the crew. It's why Nora came after my remains, probably. So a blessing and a curse. I think you have it too."
"Nora did not have it," Fred adds. "If that helps any."
"I can agree with being blessed and cursed." Tasha cautiously removes her hands from her noggin, eying the piece of tubing for a moment before completing the motion. She settles back, hands back and propping. "I can believe that -- About Nora, that is. In a way, she has as many if not more problems with people than I do. Her obsession, too. She's very goal-oriented. In a way, I think she was often lonely, she just never let herself realize it and only showed it when she thought it wouldn't make her look weak." She bites her lip for a second, then notes, "Well, I guess we worked it out, didn't we? It's nice to think it's all done. A relief. I can approach future problems with fewer worries, too, right? Do you think we'll be ready to head in to space before I have return to my ship?"
"There'll need to be a shakedown cruise for the reactor, and a few suborbital tests to make sure everything holds together," Fred says. "Then a 'quick' flight to geostationary orbit to plant that relay you brought back. It should work there. A libration point would be better, but the local transmitters aren't that great over distances. We wouldn't have any long range communication ourselves without Harmonia acting as a relay. But at geo they can use a laser."
Tasha tilts her head. "I understood all that," she notes, then her muzzle splits in to a big smile. "I think I'm beginning to fit in to all of this, after all. Well, that's good anyway, about the ship. I won't be here for most of it, as I need to take my new spy, bring her to my old spy, and also infiltrate -- that's the word, isn't it? -- the Kampfengruppe and copy-or-steal their holy book. Assuming we don't fasil and are captured or killed, I then need to convince the 'little student' and the big-important-star that a space adventure is good for them, and before all of this I have a Hammer to dig up -- which could also end in bad things."
"I understood most of that up to the hammer," Fred notes. "We have lots of hammers. This base has one that weighs nearly a ton, I'm told, for pounding out really big dents."
"Well, this is a bit of a secret -- and telling people would get me killed -- but I need your help and well, you'd be interested: What I'm after is a Titanian Hammer. Not a hammer, but a Hammer. It's made of a special material that causes it to lose mass as it gains kinetic energy, if I'm explaining it right. They have other properties which I really shouldn't talk about, but anyway, I need it for those reasons too. My ship is made out of the materials, and partof me resonates with it. With the Hammer, I'll have my whip -- my droving tool, and a lot else. It's kind of exciting, isn't it? Looking for a long-lost, legendary weapon deep in the heart of the wasteland. Like an old tale," Tasha explains, including a lot of gestures one of which is her balled-hand-and-waving-motions attempt to explain how the Hammer works, visually.
Tasha then spreads her hands. "Besides, listening to a Knight Captain, it sounds like those in-the-know have wanted it as a weapon for a while now. It can be used as a makeshift kinetic-kill weapon -- I think that's the term. Titanins try and keep old tech like that away from the current generation who may not be ready for it or abuse it, so I'd be keeping with their tenants in acquiring it."
"It sounds like Celestial warp-core material.. except it doesn't need an energy source. Or maybe that's the way it all works, and we just never had a chance to play with it at the end of a handle..." Fred muses.
"Seems to work like a stator though, in the sense of converting one form of energy into another," the technician notes.
"Does it? My ship can generate a field both internally and externally, sliding in to the, uh, cracks of our reality in what we call 'the Maelstrom', and also it's able to create artificial pseudo-matter from gravitic fields internally, which I'm still working to understand. The material seems crucial to the way it does this, and the D-Space entity powers the whole thing. With the Hammer I can talk to the hull, or even talk to the D-Space being, although I may be able to do that already. The Hammer will help." Tasha's hands fall, then she leans over and pulls out her datapad. "Is it that late already? Yue might be getting impatient, so I'd better not keep distracting you so you can finish."
"I'm ready to run the warm up tests on the reactor now," Fred says. "So best to seal off the cargo bay while I do that. With the shielding removed there could be some radiation."
"I'm not eager to explore the exciting world of radiation-related injuries, as much fun as that'd be for Remiel, so I'll just scoot." Tasha begins trying to extricate herself, wigglng around in a slow, balled-up, circle as she realigns towards the exit. "And Fred? Thank you. I wasn't enjoying the way things were, and you and I are a lot alike. I like us better this way: Friends, maybe even family. It's how things should be. And ... hrk, hold on ... " The young woman pauses her conversation to briefly struggle with how to get her wings past a crop of tubes, then continues once she's past. "There, hokay: And Fred, I did buy you all souvineers. I was going to hand them out later, but why don't you do it? I know you don't get many chances like that anymore, so, they're all yours! Make everyone happy. I'm sure you know who is supposed to get what."
"Sure, if you like," Fred says, and wiggles out himself. "Just remember.. if something bothers you, try to deal with it immediately. The longer you hold onto pain, the more it can grow."
"Good advice. I'll hold on to it for a while in the hopes it'll make me wiser." Tasha pops herself out of the mess, feathers poofed and har askew, and grins. "See you soon. I'm thinking of starting to write letter while I'm out, so you can expect to get some of those in the future. The rest of you, too. Even Mariel; You'll make sure she gets them right?"
After standing, the hybrid pulls out a mirror and examines herself. "Eeegh," she goes. "I'd better clean up or Yue is going to make fun of me again. See you soon, Fred." And with that she's off to clean up and get ready.
"I'll make sure, though I expect you to be here for her birth," Fred notes after pulling out, along with lots of tools stuck to a magnetic patch on his chestplate.
"I wouldn't miss it for a world! Whatever it takes, I will be here," Tasha promises as she makes her way across the cargo bay. "Have fun with the parts and the gifts!!"
"I usually do!" Fred promises, and then seals the door behind Tasha.
With that done, it's a quick job back to her quarters. The a sonic shower, change of clothes (in to more of the same kind of clothes), and some hair-care later and she's ready for a round of intrigue and sinister plotting.
"MOTHER? To passenger Yue Sen: Yue, please meet me in the wardroom. If you're not sure where it is, the system will guide you." Tsha herself is already on her way, having gathered much of what she expects she'll need and leaving the rest to planning and on-the-fly acquisition.
A few minutes letter Dr. Sen shows up, wearing another skinsuit. She'll need proper clothing eventually, since walking around in what looks like latex body-paint isn't exactly common on Abaddon. At least the kitties are gone, replaced by glossy blackness. "You called?" the human asks, looking around the large room. "They sure knew how to make things classy in the Expedition Era. Is there a golden relief of a pegasus head on the sides of the bridge module?"
"There sure is!" Tasha replies with a grin, gesturing to a nearby chair for Yue to have a seat. She's in her usual chair, which would normally imply she's one of the two XOs the ship, if the Bellerophon were operating under normal procedure for its era. Before Yue can sit, the younger woman fishes out a white datapad and slides it across the table to her chair. "That's for you. Expedition-era human-for-human datapad. It contains what we know about the Kampfengruppe. I've got the projector and the displays ready to show a topographical map of all known Kampfengruppe Domes. They hand-construct them using 'modern' -- in the sense of Abaddon's current technology -- construction so they have certain tells and aspects different from the larger, older-tech domes."
"Domes.." Yue repeats. "Is the atmosphere toxic?" she asks. "I'm not at all familiar with this world."
"It's, well, gritty and full of iron particles and probably other things that aren't healthy to breath, but only a severe danger if you're subject to them for long periods. Repiratory problems, that sort of thing. Most of us use filters or masks when outside the Pit or the walled or domed city areas. Heavy clothing is recommended out there, too. The nights are cold and the fauna extremely dangerous, too." Tasha looks down as she talks, punching in commands in to the interface attached to her table position. By the time she's done talking the table erupts in to a planet-wide map of Abaddon's surface. A split second later, the known cities and domes pop up with their names, then the railways and other transit routes follow. "As you can see, the powers split in to regions upon planetfall, with Expedition City being neutral ground. The major domes are shown, along with all known minor domes and settlements. Oh:" There's more fiddling with the console followed by a color political overlay. "Here's the pol
itical map."
"So basically a group of nation-states and a few neutral or cooperative zones," Yue says. "A bit like old Terra. Any serious cultural divides, aside from the Fafnirites?"
"Is that what old Terra was like? My knowledge of Terra's history is minimal," Tasha notes, head tilting. She then turns to the map and begins pointing at various things. "As for cultural divides, the nations are aligned by species, primarily. It goes like you'd expect, the Expedition is the Terran combination of Karnors and Humans, the Celestials are the Celestials and Clients, the Silent-Ones are the same way. The one major difference is that without the Houses that funded their place as mercenaries in the Expedition Fleet, the Vartan mercenary clans sided with the Confederacy and have done so for a long time. So, the Confederacy is the Galactic model plus Vartans."
"Oh: The Expedition -- the Terrans -- are seen as the most gregarious and neutral of the nations and are often aligned with the Silent-Ones. You shouldn't have any problem manuvering through anything but areas heavily attached to another nation," Tasha adds, looking up.
"Most civilizations start that way," Yue says. "We think the Vartans where also divided into Nation States when the Khattans approached them.. since the Khattans are pretty much divided similarly. It makes for competition, which can spur growth."
"I assume government models haven't changed much then?" Yue asks. "Silent-Ones with a military-religious hierarchy, Confederates following a corporate model, Celestials with a central authority, Terrans with a pseudo-military-democratic setup?
"That's what I heard too, that when tehy were approached the Khattans got certain Clans to war against the other and eventually bring the whole species-group under Khattan control," the Cadet notes, trying very hard to sound neutral about the matter. "Anyway, we only need to deal with the Kampfengruppe. I'm sure they ahve secret deals with the others like everyone seems to, but by religion and society, they otherwise reject the rest of us. I'm not sure why exactly, but they believe in hman superiority and prefer to do things their own way. They hide their distaste only as much as they have to." She rubs her nose, thinking, then explains, "More or less yes that's the case. Vartans fill the same role Karnor used to for Terra, except for the Confederates. The Kampfengruppe' leadership structure, we're not sure of. A few cities are semi-neutral, like Expedition City. The Pitof Himaar is a cooperative. Oh one more thing: The Kamfengruppe have allied with the Khattan nation of Sinai for control of the
Gateway Tower and may share other support."
"What does this control and alliance involve?" Yue asks. "Are they Kampfengruppe serving as a military or mercenary force for the Khattans on Sinai?"
On the map, the location 'Gateway Tower' and nearby, 'Gateway Settlement' begin to flash after Tasha touches her interface. "They control the Gateway Tower's location on both sides of the gate, and probably at the other exists as well. Since the main Tower on Sinai is within the Khattan Emirate's domain, they have political control of the region and any control of the Tower on that end would need their approval or else to defeat their claim, one way or another. On our end, the Tower is held by a Kampfengruppe force, but that force still must interact with and conceed to the other governments, so their control is more of a 'first come, first control' basis and could be taken with effort -- which is likely part of why they'd bother to ally with non-Humans at all. It helps reinforce their control of this vital asset and trade route. If they share anything else, we don't really know," she explains.
"I should note that House Khomen has a strong interest in Progenitor artifacts and is aware of our Star System's connection to them and the Sifrans, and we know they had agents here, so we can't dismiss the possibility that Khattan Trade Coalition agents are involved -- either for xenoarchaeological purposes or purpose of another kind of control," the younger woman adds, turning to face Yue.
"From the looks of this map, the Kampfengruppe are both small in number and considerably poorer in resources than the other nations," Yue observes. "Survival comes first, even if it means dealing with aliens - so long as those aliens are giving them what they need. Now.. what about these scattered fortresses.. they are fortresses, right?" she asks, pointing to some of the Templar Citadels on the map. Then to the Offworld Legion base near the Gateway.
"On Abaddon, any settlement is some level of defensive structure. Anything larger can safely assumed to be some kind of fortress. Some are better built and more dangerous than others, though." Tasha leans up and points to one of the icons Yue pointed to a moment ago. "This is a Templar Citadel. The Templars are a multi-national, single-culture organization that accepts people from all walks of life in to a defense and police force designed to maintain peace. It was created in the early years after planetfall, but its met with limited success and was nearly devestated by war years ago. They're our allies, as we have a similiar outlook in personnel, though they lean heavily towards the military aspect of paramilitary. Membership is for life, too, with the old life abandoned. Now this," she points to another icon, "Is a Kampfengruppe lifedome. Like I said, they're made from modern techiques and what they could find, so, not of the same quality. The don't need the old tools, though, so have more option
options where they can build and how many can be made."
"What's the in with the Kampfengruppe then?" Yue asks. "How do they operate? Do they have a buffer group that actually deals with outsiders to insulate their core population, for instance. Just who is it that handles business, basically?"
"They seem to have a buffer groupe. I've sen their soldiers around, and I've seen other members interacting. They haveto, or they'd neevr be able to control the Tower and profit off it. So, yes, there's definitely an 'encounter group' for interacting with us. If what you're thinking is correct, that there's a core group we never see, and that we -- by which I mean you -- can fit in with the exterior group but it'll be much harder with the interior," Tasha answers. She then spreads her hands. "I'm thinking of taking you to the Pit, and then letting you see for yourself. You can be our special guest, and get an idea what life is like here, and what the Kamfengruppe are about. I can then had to Sinai, and by the time I return maybe we'll have a plan."
"Everyone but the Kampfengruppe are involved with the Pit of Himar, correct?" Yue asks. "Silent-Ones, Confederates, Terrans, Celestials and the Templars? What about off-world groups operating there.. or are there any? The Gateway implies the possibility."
"Mostof the offworld groups are gathered around the Gateway itself, as part of the settlement," notes the cadet, who points at the tiny gathering of structures beside the equally tiny monolith. "The Pit was actually a part of Sinai until it was brough here -- swapped, really -- by an unknown weapon. The Pit was originally part of the Himaar region, but most of the population was ... um ... Well, they didn't make it once the canal life flooed in. Very few outsiders live full time within the Pit; Mostly people like myself. As far as other groups .... The Mages Guild has a tent city at Gateway. There are trade caravans too. Annnd ... Trade traffic too and from the Gateway to all major cities as well as the Pit. They just don't stay."
"Tell me about the Mages Guild," Yue asks. "What can they do?"
"What can't they do!" Tasha responds, throwing her arms up in the air as she grins. "They're mages. Turn you in to a tree, summon demons, raise zombies, enter dreams ... Of course, some of that is probably, um hyperbole. As I've been taught, there are twelve 'spheres' which seem to be like areas of scientific effort or maybe like specializations. Mages train in one of these, and it defines their magic. Here's what I know about them:"
"Dream deals with, well, dreams."
"Light seems to be about detection and truth. and maybe actual light -- Silent-Ones are probably a big fan."
"Mind is obvious too: Mental effects. Like you, really. Psychic stuff. Congradulations on being a mage."
"Shadow seems to be about convert operation, stealth, and other related matters. Like most of these, I've never seen it used myself. Vartans on Sinai have a cultural distaste for magic and it's not common."
"Illusion ... Illusion seems a lot like Shadow except, well, except less shadowy."
"Life I know well: It deals with living things, mostly healing. We spent a lot of money on this sphere."
"Earth deals with plants, soil, and so on. I've worked with this Sphere too, and it seems to have a lot of uh, nuance."
"Fire is obvious. Seems popular for wars, as I saw a lot of them during the Coalition War."
"Air is the same ship, and is well known to airship crews because they make helium."
"Water is like the otehr elements, except with water obviously."
"Spirit ... Spirit is the scary one. It deals with, well, spirits. Ghosts, and apparently the undead as well. I've seen it used, it's not pleasant."
"And finally Chaos. Aside from being chaostic, it seems to deal with magic or magic theory directly. It was hard to make sense of."
"What's their allegiance then, regarding the other groups of Abaddon?" Yue asks. "I assume the local nations do not have their own magic users then, for the most part?"
"That's mostly right. It seems magic is more than training in magic, but also may have to do with faith or strong belief. You're asking a Vartan from Sinai about magic, so don't expect I'll know that much!" Tasha shrugs, but smiles anyway. "At least you've got me on the subject now that I'm used to it and have made peace with it. Anyway, the Mages' Guild only has autority on Sinai. They're largely mercenaries supporting their own, a bit like the old -- and current? -- Vartan mercenary clans. We've hired them before."
"That could be useful," Yue notes, smiling. "Can you introduce me to one of these 'Mind' mages then?"
"They're extremely expensive," Tasha adds a second later, holding up a taloned finger. "But I can, yes. I can do it before I leave, when I'm heading to the Gateway. I know a few mages who can set up the introduction."
"Good. There's something I always wanted to pursue, but it never had any real application before," Yue says. "A certain technique that could only work on humans, since we have rather poor senses of smell."
Tasha leans in closer, ears perking. "Ooh, what's that? Some secret Terragens Spy technique?"
"Psychic invisibility," Yue whispers in a conspiring tone. "It depends on the subject depending mostly on sight. Scent goes straight to the memory center of the brain. Might work on Vartans. It has to do with a mental reflex linked to eye dilation."
"Invisibility? Optical camoflage ... No, wait, what you're talking about is more like a perception attack. How does it work?" Curious enough, Tasha stands up and scootches a chair seat closer to Yue to listen.
"You grew up with Vartans," Yue says. "When one sees something shiny, their pupils get big, don't they?"
"I wouldn't know, I was too busy looking at the shiny thing," Tasha replies, grinning lopsidedly. "Yes."
"That's a fascination reflex," Yue notes. "You've been around humans too. You've seen us smile when we're happy. But reflexes aren't one way. The brain isn't telling the muscles how to react, it all happens together. If you make yourself smile, you can make yourself feel happier. If you can make the eyes dilate, you can make whatever is being looked at fascinating. Likewise, the theory goes, if you can make the pupils contract it will trigger the brain to ignore or dismiss what is seen as.. un-fascinating."
"Psychic invisibility is a technique for being ignored in plain sight. Un-remembered because you don't merit the attention to be remembered," the woman explains.
"Fascinating!" Goes Tasha, who props her head on the table, ears forward. "I was right, psychic powers are interesting. I still don't understand how you do it though. In Primus, they use teh Sifran Probability Matrix -- they hijack the old reality warping system basiclly. But you're not using that, are you? And I was told you're sensory, not projective. So that's all sensing? Or are you also projective? Or am I not making any sense?"
"Invisibility would be a projective technique," Yue admits. "And as for what they are and how they work... psychic abilities seem to be connected to A-Level Hyperspace quantum effects, or some other connective level of space where thoughts have more physical properties. But I'm thinking maybe your Mind Mages or Illusionists could do something with the notion. Magic is rare, and rarer yet on this world - so how likely are the Kampfengruppe to be able to detect or defend against it?"
"I see what you're getting at -- I'd say very unlikely unless they have developed their own techniques, which is also very likely to be underway. All of the nations are making the effort, so it's safe to say the Kampfengruppe will be too. Of course we won't know how well they've done until we test them, and even then, the amouint of people they have that could actually do anything is probably very limited. That said, I'd expect a few to gather around their central areas. We should feel safe about entering most of their territory through magic and your technique then, but once we reach the central storage area, we should be prepared for anything," is Tasha's assessment.
"What sort of weaponry do they use?" Yue asks next. "Slug-throwers, flechettes, ugly-sticks, needlers or something more exotic?"
"Ugly sticks?" Goes Tasha, whose ears go askew. She blinks a moment and then answers, "I think ... Slug throwers? Solid projectile weapons, bladed and solid melee weapons like swords, and the're bound to have some leftovers or heavier versions of known weapons, like those big machine guns I see on their vehicles. What's an ugly stick, anyway? And a needler?"
"Ugly sticks are.. multi-use staff sort of weapons. I suppose that massive thing you carry would qualify as a basic ugly-stick, although it doesn't seem to have a ranged weapon component. Needlers are a sort of projectile weapon that uses very small slivers of material, often chemical in nature in a solidified or frozen state. Great for introducing poison when you don't want a big flash or obvious entry wound," Yue explains. "Now, what weapons do you have available?"
"Hey I built my thing myself! In a Titanian workshop. It's my first hammer, so be nice to it. I'm sentimental." Tasha folds her arms and leans back, brows raising, then she admits, "Although I would like to add a ranged weapon. I feel a primitive carrying around a close combat weapon -- well, it's mostly a tool -- in a pan-stellar society that thinks lasers and mass drivers are old and boring. Until recently we were far advanced of most threats, it was really shocking." Her head shakes then she unfolds her hands and sprads her arms, "We have the same slug throwers that are common here, mostly sidearms and a few rifles for defense. I use my halitool and an evaporative scanner-laser, and whatever else I can borrow or make. We do have an old rail gun in storage, and, I'm pretty sure our engineer can build us other weapons if we need them."
"In terms of armor, we have several Karnor powered suits, including a few military models, and some Achillies environmental suits -- all Expedition-era technology or older. I also pilot a TL2 Titan, which you've seen. It has active cutting surfaces and is designed for close combat," the reddish woman concludes.
"Weapons that can't be traced back to your group?" Yue asks. "Expedition armor can handle small-arms fire, but not a machine gun. This world has mobile armor it sounds like, so that means they'll have anti-tank weapons as well," Yue notes, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "Upside to that is they'll be set up for rebuffing large armored assaults instead of small commando raids. Do you actually know which of these domes of theirs they keep the book in? Which is their first dome?"
"No we- ... " Tasha gets a funny look on her face, ears askew, then she snaps her taloned hand's fingers and suddenly calls out, "Tasha to Harmonia!"
It takes a moment for the channel to be established. "Yes, Captain?" the feminine (and slightly feline) voice replies.
"Hi, Harmonia!" Tasha blows a kiss to the air as she settles back in her seat. "Harmonia, you've been around a while, haven't you? Could you search your archives and see if you can produce a map of Abaddon that shows the development of Kampfengruppe structures over time? We're trying to isolate their first dome, and any other domes that see a lot of focus, such as defensive efforts, that might suggest they're more important than their location or known contents suggest."
"The Kampfengruppe are based on the contingent from the Human world of Fafnir," Harmonia recites. "Their single vessel was the Sleipnir. During the mutiny, they did not engage in battle, but fled first to Abaddon. Their trajectory suggests a landing in the mountainous, volcanically active zone known as the Hel Range. My own position was calculated to observe the primary landing zone of Expedition City, so unfortunately the Hel Range was beyond my visual horizon. If, like the others, they converted their spacecraft into their initial colony, then the Hel Range is the likely location."
"It's a start then. We may need your help analyzing the area in an attempt to locate their base, as a long search in a distant, volcanic region occupied by a hostile force by air or ground would be difficult at best. It might be necessary, though." Tasha works her muzzle, scrucnhing it this way and that as she thinks. "Next try your EM communications archive. You probably couldn't intercept line-of-sigh frequencies, but what about longer range off-the-ionosphere interception? HF?"
"If you have anything, look for governmental communications that suggest a capitol, or, better yet, a center of religious and doctrinal belief," inquires Tasha next.
"The makeup of Abaddon's ionosphere interferes with long-range transmissions," Harmonia notes. "Culturally, the Teutons held to Terran Norse traditions before embracing the Progenitor belief system. The name of their ship, Sleipnir, refers to the eight-legged horse which carried the chief Norse deity, Odin, between the realm of the gods and the underworld of the dead, known as Hel. This may relate to ancient shamanic practices where the dead were carried on a bier held by four men, created a figurative eight-legged steed. Extrapolation of religious motifs suggests that Abaddon, and the Hel Range in particular, may have been seen as representing the underworld to the Teutons."
"Well, they're heavy in symbolisim and dramatic -- I think I'll have to re-evaluate them." Tasha winks over to Yue, then sits up. "Thank you Harmonia, you've been very helpful. We may need our help in the future, as we're planning a mission in to the Hel Range and have a look at what they know." Turning to Yue, the young woman asks, "Any questions? I'm sure you can guess what Harmonia has access to now."
"Actually, I have no idea who this Harmonia is," Yue says. "An archivist, certainly. But the talk of fist hand observation suggests some sort of surveillance satellite."
"Both correct. She'll supporting us when we head in. I'm not sure what we'd do without her," explains the hybrid woman. She then taps the side of her muzzle and adds, "Well, think we have enough for now? The Ajax is going to arrive in two days or so, so we should probably plan our stay in the Pit and whatever else we'll need to take with us, and relax. I'll take you outside so you can see what out world looks like. We'll look at our weapons, armor and the other details. Other than that, I think we're done for the moment. Lets log these maps and the Hel Range data and go take a look at the armoury."
It's involved a lot of subterfuge, especially in trying to explain where this new person came from. But thanks to the Picnic Basket, it's easier to say they arrived on that and therefore there isn't any paperwork. It helps that Yue is short. With a cloak and breathing mask, she can pass for an adolescent. The flight on Ajax isn't direct, of course - it first heads to Expedition City. From there it's a matter of catching the train without being noticed - and in this case it's Tasha that needs to not be noticed. They still manage it, and arrive at the Pit of Himar train station a few days after leaving Tartarus Base. Once in the Pit, the breathing mask needs to come off, as it would be more suspicious to wear there. The cloak hood does the rest though. There are plenty of children in the Pit, after all. The first real test comes when Tasha and Yue reach the PHTO Council Building, and Tasha needs to introduce her new charge to Remiel and Mage Neesa.
"Remiel is an Elite, he'll know where you're from immediately. We can trust Remiel, although he may be disturbed or against your presence here. The Remiel you met in the Bellerophon is ... different. Don't ask because I won't explain it," Tasha asides to Yue in hushed tones as they talk in the shadow of the PHTO Council Building, off to the side in an alleyway. "Mage Neesa is just that: A mage. I don't understand her powers, so she might detect your somehow. If she does, just go along with it. I'll try and isolate the two of them before we talk, so any surprises are contained."
After that, it's just getting in to the building.
"This is my friend. She's interested in the JEF and I thought I'd show her around. You know, meet the higher ups and all that. Maybe consider a career? Exciting," she explained to the secretary. After a bit more explaining, she's in and so is Yue.
Soon she's knocking on Remiel's door.
Neesa opens the door, and her face lights up when she sees Tasha. "You're back! Is Eli with you?" she asks, and casts a curious glance to the 'girl' with Tasha.
"Eli is a short girl now, sorry," Tasha apologizes, leaning in to peek inside. "Is Remy here? Can we come in?"
"Nice to see you, by the way!" The Cadet adds, albiet belatedly. She does wag her tal, though. Neesa can see it clearly, since she's leaning in to look around!
Neesa opens the door more, and Remiel is in the room, sitting at his desk. He looks up and smiles. "Ah, Tasha.. no new injuries I hope? Who is your friend?"
"Surprisingly no!" Tasha answers by way of injury report. She glances down the hall, left then right, then nudges Yue inside and closes the door behind them both. Pushing back her hood, she reveals her face. It's not the same always, but it is the face they remember. "Sorry about rushing in here, but I didn't want to stand out in the hallway. You'll understand in a second, Remiel. Yue? Why don't you get a bit more comfortable?"
Yue removes her cloak. "Wow, you're one of the high-ratio Elites, aren't you?" she asks.
Remiel's eyebrows rise up. He then looks to Tasha. "You brought back a pet Terran?" he asks.
"She didn't say that about me," Tasha remarks in mock-pain to Neesa, head shaking dispondently. When addressed by Remiel, she turns and smiles at him. "I did! You can't go in to Galactic Space and not get your own Terran. I thought she'd be a good match for my Hakeber." The young woman winks, then gestures over to the 'pet Terran' and explains, "Doctor Remiel Caravelli, this is Doctor Yue Sen. Yue, Remiel."
"Pleased to meet you," Yue says. "I'm also a Terragens Agent. I'm sure Tasha would have gotten to that eventually.."
Remiel sighs, then smirks. "Well, for a spy you're short. Can't say that about the local spies. I'm sure they'll like you."
"That was next," Tasha chimes in, tail wagging a little more and hands folded behind her back. "Why don't we all sit down and have a talk? We have a lot to talk about. I'll go get us something to eat, too. It'll be fun, and definitely not stressful and scary."