Hah, I knew it.  Time to let the robots do their thing and let the library air out.  Ultimately doesn't matter what happens to the books, so we'll let fate decide how they turn out.

I head back up to the bridge, time for another broadcast.

"Unsure if anyone is still listening out there, but if you are, here are some tunes played via my Samsung Galaxy S6 cell phone. A device which I imagine hasn't been around in quite some time."

I take out my cell phone, turn it on, open the spotify app, go to playlists... Ahh, the benefits of being able to play music without internet connections.

"First up, something that might be considered iconic by some of my friends back home. Though I'm not a big fan of the song, it's not bad every once in a while, and given that none of y'all are coming back for me, then this song suits the situation wonderfully.

Also, in case you were curious, the former captain of this vessel had a bottle of Rockdust Cutter in his stash. It's not really my type of drink so it'll stay here unopened. It's yours if you rescue me.

So, without further ado, Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas.  Also don't go anywhere, up next is the main theme for Space Jam, done so eloquently by Quad City DJ's."

I start playing music to whomever might be listening out there.

Well, I've got nothing else to do, and if I'm going to go out, might as well go out in style.  Radio Hardcore is next up on the playlist, if I'm still around when we reach it. Given that it mentions Denmark, Austria, France, Uk, Germany, Ireland, and USA, countries that presumably no longer exist... wonder what reactions, if any... Hmm..

After I finish playing the songs I go lay down on the couch and try to get some sleep, absentmindedly reaching out to anything that might make contact.

---

Carry On Wayward Son: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ZJui3aPoQ
Space Jam: https://youtu.be/YrMOxASAmP0
Radio Hardcore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuYpS2GbLyM

You start your broadcast station with a song I like, due to watching Supernatural.

You may  have touched something very inhuman, but you're not sure.

Once you get to the Library, you find that several dozen of the books caught flame.  Inside the Forbidden room, it was worse.  But there are three books.

Utilizing the Forbidden Art of Nanotechnology
A True History of the Dislocations
Luck Manipulation and Other Esoteric Matters

Inside the Bridge, you find a recording which one of the bots led you too.

"Um, um, cool music, ah, look I think I know how to rescue you." It sounds like a twelve year old boy.  "I'm in Distra, one of the South Pole NEOs colonies."

Oh, interesting.

I take the three books and dash out of there calling for the robots to put out the fire, preferably in a way that doesn't make the rest of the books unreadable. If the three books are on fire, I put them out via smothering them.

I head back to the bridge, listen to the recording, and ignore it temporarily.

Distra, huh.

I flip open the book on Nanotechnology and start reading.

After an incense stick's worth of time (15 minutes), I head over and try to find a way to contact the young lad that may know how to rescue me.

In reply to Cala (msg # 49):

The first fifteen minutes are divided between Possible Horrors and Possible Wonders of Nanotech.

"While nanotech is clearly of great power, the potential for world-ending destruction makes it a Forbidden Art.  However, this author believes that the Robolord and certain others, such as the Redhead, leader of the Trans-Lunar Demenses have used this art.  The potential student needs to ask himself if his dreams require such extreme methods, and to ask himself honestly if he trusts himself with such power before proceeding on.  Also, not a trivial consideration, but reading further into this book is punishable by torturous death, even for High Hidalgos. Be wary, be warned."

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

The lag time is several seconds between a word and it being received.

"Hi, oh, I wasn't sure you'd talk to me.  Um, it seems to me that you have megabatteries, aluminum walls that can be powdered, and lots of oxygen.  You can make a rocket.  It sounds crazy, but I did the math, and you can make it to Distra if you slingshot around Venus.  We don't like the Robolords here."

"My ability to do math is not nearly as capable at present, nor are my skills in engineering proficient enough for a rocket. That said, I don't have much in the way of other options, so I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the tip."

I continue reading about nanotech, then go on to Luck Manipulation and Other Esoteric Matters, finishing up with the history of dislocations.

I continue reading until I'm interrupted by the need to use the restroom, or food.  I satisfy those needs as necessary and continue reading. I'll get sleep when I get tired and continue on in the morning where I left off.

The nanotech is divided into Practical Nonorganic which is mining of elements from ore, and the creation of feedstocks; Healing  which is the creation of basic antiviral and antibiotic and damage repair nanites; and General Assemblers which can do everything, but do it poorly.  It only covers the simplest of GA's, and even thats terribly complicated.

Luck Magic requires an understanding of the forces and variables involved, and the transformation of Luck into Unluck and back in algebraic fashion.  A man might jump over a nearly impossible chasm, and succeed, but then his clothing would be shredded.

It is possible to affect someone trying to stab you, but 'this verges dangerously close to Dark Path Magics, so while a Luck Bolt to save your skin is acceptable, further attempts to dump unluck on another are ill-advised and morally culpable.'

The other esoteric arts are mentions of Divine Guidance from God, Fortuna, the Sword, and That Which Wanders the Dark.

In Dislocations, Humanity almost became Superintelligent, and almost wiped itself out.  It was a very near run thing.  Human level AIs tend to be unstable.  Higher level AIs tend to be malevolent.  Humans amplified tend to be megalomaniacal.  Nuclear war was the solution to this issue.  Some artifacts of varying sorts including biological are thought to still exist in hiding.

It takes you four days of hard study to work your way through the math, and the concepts, and the odd phrasing in these books.  In the nine hundred years since your time, there has been a great deal of social change, and so some ideas you take for granted have been replaced.

1@1 Knowledge of Nanotech.
1@2 Luck Magic
+@1 Math
1@3 History of the Robolords World

Welp, this is all super cool. Complicated, but very cool. Luck Magic is awesome. Purely by virtue of magic existing. But it also makes sense, which is a blessing in and of itself. Morals are for wimps, and there is never anything wrong with the dark side, despite what the jedi claim.

Nanites would be super useful. Healing nanites especially. I know some folks have qualms against it, but if it's useful and keeps you alive, why turn it down?

[[Is there more information on That Which Wanders the Dark, the Sword, and/or Divine Guidance from God? Because if so, I spend more time understanding them, order of precedence being TWWtD, tS, then DGfG.]]

Why does luck magic sound familiar? Where did I see something similar?

...

<thinking>

Storing luck, storing luck... Mistborn? Was that it? Store luck for a rainy day, meanwhile being tremendously unlucky, but when you needed it, bullets curved in front of you and you could walk through a meteor shower centered on your location unscathed.

Cause and effect, so like.. if I could make a rocket, I could *lucklily* get the calculations right and slingshot around venus, but part of the ship will be exposed to space and though I might make it to Distra, probably only the bridge and maybe one other room will be safe. That also might require some luck, and maybe a bunch of calculations? Or perhaps some god could sort that all out for me, give me a combo, gets me there in one piece but the ride is bumpy as hell and literally only one room is safe.  Maybe...

I wonder if gods are into souls these days? Not mine, certainly, but I wouldn't be opposed to capturing some poor folks and offering their souls in my place.

I try to figure out how long it would take me to reach the area around Venus from where I am.

In reply to Cala (msg # 53):

There is a little more information.  TWWTD might or might not be evil, but it is inhuman.  The Sword requires a great deal of sword practise and/or a famed blade.  God is not covered except to suggest going to the Theology section.  All of these are under 'Divine Guidance'.

You're pretty sure you know a simple way, a shortcut, to do the Luck Magic for that slingshot flight. It will require at most a few minutes of work with chalk on the floor.

A month to Venus.

Chalk... I don't have any, but it'd probably be useful here, right? Maybe I can find an alternative, pad and paper... or something.. wait, that's the same thing.. I need a pen, or chalk.  Let's see what's available. Luck Magic would be best, because let's be real here, rocket science is the butt of all jokes for a reason.

I try to find a writing implement and something to write upon, unless that implement is chalk.

Once I find something to use I start making calculations, and then keep on checking them 10 times over to make sure they are absolutely correct. Well, absolutely correct according to my understanding - if my understanding is wrong then it's obviously wrong as well, but I try to eliminate any error.

Once it is all planned, I set about making sure everything is ready, doing any work necessary to prep for when we reach Venus.

Once that happens, I try to do some Luck Magic to get the slingshot right. If it works, huzzah, but if not, then it's on to plans B through Z.

---

Not that I don't like the pacing, but I feel that until something terrible or amazing happens, it's a bit harder to do anything of substance. At this point, it's mostly waiting anyway, so I wanted to see if covering all my bases for a longer term plan would be ok?

I'm not sure how you want to handle time skips or otherwise long periods of time where pretty much nothing happens aside from get up, eat, walk around, sleep. Or something to that effect.

Also, in one of the other games I played in the past, they wanted all Out of Character text to be in Orange. Seemed pretty reasonable so the habit sort of stuck.

Lastly, if this sort of thing isn't cool, or time skips are generally frowned upon for this sort of thing, that's fine too. As we haven't worked together in the past, I'm not really sure how you run things or prefer things done. So, I'm asking. If something I do annoys you, please don't hesitate to let me know.

In reply to Cala (msg # 55):

You do some calculations over, and over, and something is bothering you.  You do it again, and feel puzzled.  Another time, and you realize your initial assumptions in the problem is the problem.  Your math is correct, if the assumptions are correct.

But the shortcut you thought you found is nothing but a shortcut to doom.  It would have had you absorb all the bad luck in the Solar System for one second if you cast this spell.

Sitting back with the 'Artist Supplies' chalk in hand, you realize you came very close to killing yourself by accident.

You spend the next week working on.....?

OOC: Orange is fine if you want.  Time skips in this scenario are practically a necessity.  And the spell potential damage was a bad informational botch.

Ah, and that's why they say to always double check your work, and undoubtedly the cause for many programming mishaps. If you're understanding is wrong... *shudder* What to do, what to do.  Maybe a rocket? But I really don't know anything about rocketry. I suppose the next best thing is to minimize the amount of luck I would need to get through this.  So if I can get everything set without relying on luck, and using a bit of extra luck to... but that... blah.

Is it possible, I wonder, to change the target? Absorbing one second of the solar system's luck would kill me, but it would also 'save' the other robots on this ship.  So perhaps spread that amount of unluck onto the robots to save the rest of us?  If the math is right, it's less me performing the magic and more of them performing it, so they'd be the natural targets, or perhaps them doing it on my behalf?

Or perhaps go the path of voodoo? I've got the belongings of the captain and some of the crew, so... surrogate targets? One solar system's amount of bad luck is ridiculous. If it's spread out among several targets though, it might be survivable? Living crippled is better than death any day of the week - provided I still have my mental faculties. Losing a leg or two isn't the end of the world - especially in the case of robotics and potentially nanites?

I spend the next week seeing if I can change the target of the unluck to other people.  Also seeing if I can get the robots to cast the spell thus making them the target of a solar system's worth of unluck.

Evil is subjective, should also see if I can contact That Which Wanders the Dark. Is that name like He Who Shall Not Be Named?

I also spend some time when I finish (or get stuck) to see if there's any information or a ritual to set up to try and contact That Which Wanders the Dark.

In reply to Cala (msg # 57):

Its not that you do voodoo, but you do an 'illwish'.

 +@1 to Luck Magic

Its tricky, and can simply fail from 'bad luck', and if the person you target has sufficient strength of various types it can rebound on you with more force than what you sent.

The robots are able to do the physical work easily, but they are not willing to attack a human with magic without a direct order from you, and such an order places you in the being affected by any backlash group.

It does seem that with the robots you can do more complicated magics.

You don't find anything about TWWD, but your attempt to contact him meets success on your second night.

A mind touches yours.

...I have not spoken to a Human in over six centuries.  What do you want, little mind?...

Oooh, it worked.

"Not too familiar with contact this way, so I apologize if I'm unduly rude. I showed up here spontaneously. One day it was 2017, the next day it's nearly 900 years in the future. I'm in a bit of a predicament, and I was hoping you might assist me in getting out of it safely. I am of course willing to pay a price, or offer my services in such a manner that would repay this assistance.

If it's been 600 years, that is both before and after my time, so I'm not sure how you usually operate.

To elaborate, I'm the only human on a vessel that's set on a crash course towards the sun. I've heard it might be possible to slingshot around Venus if I build a makeshift rocket, but I don't have that knowledge or expertise. I was thinking of using luck magic, but as I've never done it before, I'll probably end up killing myself in the process. So any alternative is a good alternative, and you're probably my best bet at this point."

I try saying that in my mind, to see if it works. If it doesn't, I speak the words out loud. Though Dungeons and Dragons logic says that's how telepathy works, haven't ever done it myself.

In reply to Cala (msg # 59):

...Human concepts of rudeness mean little to me.  Your story interests me as I was sure time travel was impossible.  Tell me your story, and I will agree to listen to you further....

OOC: I assume you do, and you can cover it how you want too.

...I can now see your ship. As the last Human on your ship, it belongs to you.  Give it to me, and I will take you to a safe spot in Near Earth Orbit....

1@2 Send Thought to Psi, requires stillness, twenty minutes

"So, let me tell you a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down. Last week I was driving to a friend's place to fix his computer. There was some liquid on the motherboard, which is pretty careless. A spark flew from it to me, and I presume I fainted. When I woke up, I was on this ship, in one of the holds. First thing I saw was a container with plutonium, then eventually a robot.  Given that 2017 didn't have robots in such advanced capacity and thought, as far as I was aware, I was a bit confused. I was taken to see the doctor, and learned a bit about this time period. Spent quite a bit of time in the ship's library familiarising myself with the current universe. A lot has changed.

We were attacked by pirates, I didn't help out the crew - not my problem - figured the crew had this. I don't have the skill set or training to deal with pirates, but didn't expect this result. Got the ship back up and running afterwards, and made a call for help. Was told that my 'treachery was noted' or something like that, and that I'm apparently a part of a space caravan, and no one was going to help me. The pirates weren't keen on getting shot so they said no as well.

At this point I went to have a robot break into the forbidden area in the library, which is where I found the books on nanotechnology, interesting stuff, by the way, Luck Magic, the dislocations, and also about you, something called the Sword, Fortuna, and Divine Guidance from God.

I received a message from someone in Distra saying that they aren't fond of the Robolords either and that I can make it to them by way of slingshotting around Venus.  Seemed like my best bet, but I don't know how to make a rocket so as I mentioned, I was trying Luck Magic. I was working on trying to find a way for Luck Magic to not kill me, possibly by way of illwishing. Then we got in contact, and here I am."

Story over, I listen to TWWTD.

"I'm going to take care of my bodily needs, get food and water, to make sure I'm in top shape as well as have some  for the future. After that however, the ship is yours. Not sure how long this will take, but once I'm safe, I have no need of the ship, so I'm more than glad to trade it for safety."

I think for a moment, "I'm not sure what you do in space, or what you need, but if there is anything I can do to assist you, or help you get an item you require in the future, do let me know."

....Interesting. You've opened up a whole new area of scientific enquiry for me.  I would advise against illwishing.  Evil is a suboptimum strategy....

...As to  your transport....

You feel as if all the air in the room rushed in on you.  And then you feel moved.  And then a shift again, but more of a long blink.

You're hanging in space, surrounded by an air bubble.

In front of you is a ten armed kraken, of some huge, but indeterminate size.  It has metal bits on it, and things that look like solar cells.  One of the arms rushes toward you, and as it gets closer,  you realize its large.  And closer, and its larger, and it stops a short distance in front of you.

The tip of the arm is the size of a three story building.  Which means the arms must be a mile long.

....I was created by the AI FastForward17 during the Dislocation.  It has been pleasant meeting you, Cala.....

And there is another shift.  And you're laying on grass, and breathing air.

Now, THAT, is super cool. +1 to the entries for the Kraken Compendium. "Super cool. AI? NICE. A pleasure meeting you, let me know if we can work together in the future." Also +1 to nightmare fuel, right along side the x-files theme song.

*Shifting*

Well, that's an experience. Is this what teleporting feels like? Probably not. Feels more like entering a spatial tunnel, much like in Desolate Era or Warlock of the Magus World, or perhaps even in Dragon-Marked War God. Or... actually, now that I think of it, there are a lot of web novels where the MC traverses a spatial tunnel, or maybe a very long teleportation array.

I get up and look around. Air, awesome. I used Cala on the comms, maybe go for a slight change? Calafalas doesn't sound like Cala, so let's go for it. I wonder where I am...

---

X-Files intro theme refresher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbBX6aEzEz8

"Calafalas doesn't sound like Cala" So, this is something that eternally stumps everyone I've ever played World of Warcraft with. Cala = Cal (like in California or Calorie) a as in Uh, or unsure / up / cusp.  Calafalas = Cuh (like 'cut' without saying the t, or continue, that first part. laf = laugh. a = uh, like the end of cala. las = lis, like list, or listen, or lisp. So, Calafalas = cuh-laugh-uh-lis. Cala = Cal-uh.

In reply to Cala (msg # 63):

Grass, trees, dome houses, and narrow roads rise in front of you.  And keep on rising.  You look up, and up, and see a roof above you.  And on the roof, and on the rising land before you, are more houses.

Looking about, you see that you are in a long tunnel, like inside a green bean.  Down the center line is a monorail. In the center is a glassy ball.

It looks the like the interior of an O'Neill space colony.

And high on a far wall, about a half mile distant, is a bed of flowers in green and blue, forming the letters 'Distra'.

Oh, coolio, sent me to Distra.  Guess I can be Cala here. Now, much like that song... where do we go from here now?

I follow the tunnel and head towards the ball.

Maybe I can find a welcome center or something of the sort. Not even sure what to expect anymore.  On the upside, AI creations are still kicking about and it's cool to know That Which Wanders the Dark is a somewhat rational entity. At least in the sense of trading services for benefits.

As I walk down the tunnel I continue to look around, like a very obvious tourist.

---

Editing for music reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEK6yDP5-zE
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Tue 02 May 2017.

In reply to Cala (msg # 65):

You walk down one street, and down another.  You find that after a dozen streets, you can look back, and see where you started.  Its like you're standing on the wall compared to where you were.  But the gravity feels the same.

You continue on, and after a few more roads you see the light suddenly brighten, and people are out and about.  Some ride something smaller than a Segway, but similar.  Others walk.  One, a very old man, wears an exoskelaton of hydraulic plastic arms and legs.  Several girls in short dresses smile flirtatiously at you.  All of them have attentive little dogs walking with them.

People are chatting with each other, and more than one glances your way with a friendly style, but no one comes up to you.

So, this is obviously a wall, everything is on a curve so walking on walls happens. Super cool, equal distribution of gravity... possibly from a central source applying it equally in all directions? Probably the case if this is a man-made structure, or maybe through rotation? I read a few sci-fi books years ago that mentioned a few different ways, so I'm curious how this happens.

Oh, cute girls.

I wonder if some small luck magic would work here?  I obviously have no idea where to go, but there was that one person on the comms, maybe luck magic to make a small effect?  Spontaneous urge for a walk and we coincidentally meet? Maybe they approach cus they're curious?

Hmm, well, I should ask someone for directions - I'm inclined for the elderly, as they're probably more patient? But maybe not, folks my age are usually pretty patient, but who knows anymore.

I should find a hotel. Those are made for travelers, and probably the best place for information.

I entertain the idea of using luck magic, and do some quick calculations to see if it'd be worth it or feasible. If it would take too long to figure out at present, then I actively search for what might pass as a hotel. I continue to admire the scenery and the people.

You take a couple minutes to do luck magic.  Nothing happens the first, or the second time.  Its hard to focus with people walking about.

It takes you another thirty minutes but you see a sign 'Dockside Beta Spin' and under it some other glowing signs including one that says 'Information'.

Focusing on that, you're startled to hear a voice from the sign.

"If you want, you may take a direction ticket which will lead you."

You shrug and accept.  A paper ticket unfurls from inside the sign and comes loose in your hand.  On it, a light blinks with LED like dotted lights making an arrow.  Turning the ticket causes the arrow to reappear, always pointing to your left.  It looks like paper, but clearly its something more.

Huh, nifty. Direction ticket. So... where to? I literally have no idea what I'm doing. Let's see. New place, what is expected of new people. Registration, usually. But where? Town hall, or a police station, possibly both. I have no idea what I'm doing. I kind of want to explore Luck Magic some more, because magic. So cool. It exists. Wow. Seriously, magic. But I also don't have a job or money currently, and though I'm not necessarily hungry or thirsty right now, that's not going to last for long. So, I need to do something.  I kind of wish someone walks up to me and is like, "Hey, you look lost, and like you need something to do. I run an internet cafe and we could use a night manager. The pay isn't the best, but I've got a spare room for employees to stay in." Of course, that's pretty much the start of The King's Avatar, and though I'm not Ye Xiu, I could use a bit of fate pushing me in a direction right now.

"Lead me where?"

Though I guess I'll find out.

I follow the arrow on the weird paper that isn't really paper but is probably a paper-like disposable machine.

---

Editing for references -  meant to add them in when I made the post but forgot / got sidetracked.

The King's Avatar is one of many web novels that I read: https://www.webnovel.com/book/7176992105000305

An anime adaptation for it has started up recently as well: https://9anime.to/watch/quan-zhi-gao-shou.6nx4/zxy573

This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Wed 03 May 2017.

It leads you to a small gazebo nearby in which a girl is sitting.  She puts down her paints on her easel, and stands up as you approach.

"Please, welcome to Distra.  I'm here to give out information, answer questions, and offer visitors our famous Flower Tea.  Have a seat..."  She waves to the abundant benches lining the low walls inside the small white gazebo, and bends to get a mug of flowery smelling tea from a box that pops up out of the floor.

"My name is Helen. No last name as we Distrans don't go in for that."

"Oh, Coolio."

I take a seat and accept the tea. "Ah, I'm quite fond of tea. My name is Cala."

I smile.

"So, Helen, I've got a few questions... well, one question, really. Allow me to elaborate on the circumstances with which I arrived. I didn't arrive at Distra by the normal method, and I know nothing about this place. Hadn't even heard of it until someone mentioned it to me on the comms of the ship I was... piloting. Is  that the word? The robots called me captain, but it's been... yea, weird. Anyway, the Robolords weren't fond of my actions and I heard y'all weren't fond of them here, so, here I am.

I don't, however, have any currency, or a place to stay. My skillset is probably a little outdated, and I'm hoping to fix all of that. Can you help me?"

I sip tea as we discuss.