This is a placeholder for the new thread of Jhiaxus, GMed by Tadeusz.  :)

Tired of bending your back to get into the guts of a computer with a finicky fan, you pop your back, and decide to walk outside to check the mailbox.  Its a cool morning with rain forecasted for the afternoon.

As you reach the mailbox, you note a dozen kids, fourth, maybe third graders all walking up the street, all with walking staffs.  Odd. They should be in school. Where is there teacher? You think.

And then the leader, a young man of precise movements looks over at you.

Demonseed.Is your first response, but that's ridiculous.  They're just kids.  Even if their leader looks like a cold-blooded little sociopath.

Suddenly, they're running toward you.  Startled, you instinctively step forward, and yell at them, while raising a hand.  Their speed redoubles, really, quite astonishing how fast they are running.

"KILL." The leader commands.  And it suddenly occurs to you that this could actually be a serious problem.

A quick block with a forearm of a staff, and your confidence surges as you knock the now screaming crazy kid back, and then three other staffs strike in the open space made by your defense.  You have just enough time before you hit the ground to realize it was a planned diversion, and unified attack.

And then demonseed, the Kid with the Stick is whaling on you, at incredible speed and force, much more than a kid should be able to manage.  Despite that, you yank him down, intending to headbutt him.

"Just die, already." He screams as he starts to wriggle away.  Lacking the opportunity for anything better, you bite his nose.

And as the pain surges, you see a horrified look cross the Kid with the Stick's face.

"He's versing..."

==========================

"Excuse me, sir.  Would you mind waking up?" You hear a mellow baritone from above you.  The air smells of dust, and the floor is hard, smooth, and cold.

*I try to open my eyes* I need to stop drinking too much caffeine before bed, that was a weird dream. I move my hand to clasp on my phone to shut off the alarm, before I remember I have a siren for an alarm as I open my eyes and look around and see what is going on.

Jhiaxus

Your hand comes down on smooth floor, and comes up, covered with a thin film of dust.  You sit up, and see you're laying on a flat white floor with a tenth of an inch of dust on it.  The room is rectangular, seventy feet long by ten feet wide, and twelve feet tall.

At the far ends are what look to be black panels six feet tall.

Four feet up on each side is a band of red and blue painted on the gray walls.  The ceiling glows in spots.

A voice comes from the air.

"What should I call you, sir?"

*I get up to my feet after wiping the dust from my hands, as I look around in this place noticing the interesting pattern on the end walls and ceiling*

*I look around for the source of the voice*

"I am Jhiaxus, and you are?"

"I am Sceptre. Sentinel Control Entity Perimeter Threat Evaluation. Welcome Jhiaxus."

The voice seems to come from the air a few feet in front of you.

*Willing to play along*

Well Sceptre, what is this place? Please fully explain all your protocols and directives in detail, so we can have a proper conversation.

Jhiaxus

"Full detail is impossible for two reasons. One, a Human mind such as you have, despite your odd number of chromosomes, would be unable to fully evaluate or absorb all the data.  Two, a mind cannot fully understand itself unless that Mind is infinite. Krezenov's Theorem.  Thus I would be unable to explicate myself fully to you."

A long pause.

"However, a high-level synopses might be in order.'

"I am the brain of a parrot with computer add-ons to enable more memory, more analysis, and a variety of subprograms such as the facial recognition program that suggests you are experiencing skepticism.

My job and my vocation is to run the Trans-Lunar Personell Transport System for the Lost Emperor until relieved of my duties with the assistance of a Human jarl. This place is the Tpts, commonly called a DOOR."

*I smirk*

"You are correct, I am very skeptical, this sounds like a wacky dream, and considering I just had a wacky dream, and now I am here, you will have to excuse my level of belief. I was also just told you are an enhanced brain of a parrot, which is also absurd, but let's go with it. You also run a trans-lunar transport system, for a lost Emperor. Since I am human, I am going to go out on a limb to see that you are wanting to be relieved by me. Now that we got the high-level synopses, out of the way, why don't we dig a little deeper, on things like who uses this system, who the lost emperor is, why you need a human jarl, and the limits of where the door leads? Call me crazy, but I kinda want to know details."

Jhiaxus

"I cannot be relieved of duty by you as you are not the Lost Emperor.  Otherwise correct.  The users of the system are anyone who pays the toll of one gold ounce per one hundred pounds, one way, no refund or exchange.

Historically speaking the Human Race divided before the Cometary Disaster of Local 1500.  A large section of the Human Race emigrated with the Grays out to a one magnitude time shift galaxy called NewHome.

During the 45,000 years NewHome Time, or 4500 years Local Time, the Human Race underwent a Singularity, divided multiple times, created various races, and became enslaved to the Machines.  The Machine Lords, part human, part AI rose to fight them.  Both sides fought to exhaustion, then a new force composed of Humans and their Created Races did in both races led by a brilliant Emperor. Three thousand years later, the Empire of Space staggered, and a new brilliant emperor arose with potential to reinvigorate the Emperor.  He dissappeared, and the Empire fell apart.  Now the Snakes and the Spiders, two of the main created races war over the remains.

Without a human jarl, I am not allowed to order a biological sentient around.  Thus I cannot do my primary function which is to protect Earth.

The Door leads to twenty locations in the NewHome Galaxy."

*I nod*

"I see that is very interesting, now that I know the history of how this came to be, what is my role here? I woke up here, I do not know how I got here, so just seeing if you know why I am here and what I am to do?

Jhiaxus

"I am uncertain why you are here. I thought you knew.  Six minutes and forty-three seconds ago, you just appeared out of nowhere.  I know that you're not from this solar system because my gravitometers are sensitive enough to detect changes down to one pound.

I assumed that you might have been sent by the Lost Emperor to aid me.  Or that I could enlist your aid.  However, I am forbidden to coerce you.

As Jarl you would provide aid in mechanical matters, strategic thought, deviousness, and Human Authorization to take action against other sentients.  In all these fields, I am lacking.  Currently, the Grays are using their recce craft to steal humans from Earth to sell them as Modifiable Weapons Platforms to the Snakes and the Spiders in their raid/war.  I thought you might object to this."