The Champion is still in the fight, although obviously heavily damaged. The weirdest part about the huge chunk missing from the ship is that the lasers from the Turpal's Star never reached it, there's no white-hot slag there, instead cleanly cut titanium and steel, just... like you said, as if a giant invisible kitchen knife had sliced repeatedly through the hull through several decks and tossed them out into the void like so much sliced vegetables. Another burst of static, what you're begining to think is the backscatter X-rays from that terrible weapon, the infamous Gáe Derg, Diarmuid's Red Spear. This time, rather than the dreadful red glow spreading across the surface of the alien ship, the flagship shudders and arcs of lightning dance over the bow where the emitter would be. Her attack drone rushes in again, but this time the warhead slips through the ghostly ship and explodes harmlessly as if there was nothing there at all. They were all close now, within 1,000km fighting within near stabbing range.

Another pair of tandem beams trace the dark skies of your world, glinting through the clouds of dust, gas and debris and carve a third and fourth ragged white-hot scar in Champion then the shuttle shakes again, as if turbulence in atmo was affecting it... how was that even possible? Then the unbelievable happened again. On the other side of the flagship offset by maybe 50-60 meters, that invisible knife sliced in deep, chopping the decks into neatly cut pieces and flinging them out into the void. That terrible wonder weapon you couldn't believe you were seeing. The glowbug dots of the Hussar ships were fleeing, trying to break line of sight around the horizon and it seemed the Indari ship had no interest in pursuit, doggedly focused on the biggest threat in the system. Even the Prince, having done nothing but fire without effect, nuclear torpedoes malfunctioning at every launch and PD lasers nowhere near enough to match the void monster. Only the Champion continued on course, but based on the level of damage, you wondered if she could even slow herself now. Another hit like that and there wouldn't be anything left, just pieces of flagship cut into perfect little slices.

"That's just a single INS Cruiser." The officer stated flatly as the three of you stared at the display.

You heard a familiar voice again coming across the wireless, breathless and fearful. "They're surrendering. The Champion is surrendering."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:47, Wed 03 Feb 2021.

Sabine strides back towards the cockpit, leaning down towards the console. Her voice cracks as she gives her response. "Thanks, Donnelly. You did well. Are you okay? I didn't see you take any hits. I hope there weren't any injuries while relieving the captain?"

She looks over her shoulder at the officer behind her. "I... should probably stop clogging up your comms. You're in command of Thunder now, for the moment, at least. I'm sure you're about to have loads of things to do." She hesitates for a moment before adding "I hope you didn't lose anybody close aboard Champion. If you're still in a position to do so in a few hours, please send me their casualty reports when they come in. I need to check a few names. Assuming I'm still in the system by then, which... isn't a certainty."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:46, Wed 03 Feb 2021.

"I'm fine. We have orders to return to Einar and wait there until someone way above me decides what happens next..." You can already see the alien ship, even with prow and hull scarred with damage closing the gap to the Champion. You had an idea what was next: Boarding.

"Turpal's Star has broadcast a warning for all ships to remain at least 200,000 kilometers away or be treated as hostile. Space Control is coordinating an evacuation of every manned ship below geostationary orbit either back down the well or to Einar. I have to go Sabine. Stay safe. Thunder bridge, out." The circuit went silent.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. We had suspicions this was coming, but not so soon. I guess they knew we were about to leave the sector and decided to strike."

Sabine shudders and turns around without saying anything. She makes her way back to her seat, sets her cane carefully leaning against the armrest, and re-buckles her restraining belt. She busies herself with adjusting the straps for far longer than she really needs to - long enough to get her heart rate back under control and allow her hands time to stop shaking.

"I've seen space combat before," she comments at last, running a finger over the single starburst emblazoned on her uniform's lapel in golden thread. "Or I... thought I had. When I was assigned to the First Space Wing, getting my 200 hours, my detachment was called up for a policing action along with two other detachments of Hussars and an Outrider frigate. A group of hijackers had been flagged by the Outrider on its way into the planetary system, rotating home from deployment, and we were the only ones close enough to get there before they could escape. They had taken refuge in an old abandoned monastery station in orbit well out beyond Einar. They still had their hijacked ship, but it was unarmed. We didn't expect any trouble from it. The problem was the point defense turrets mounted, apex and nadir, on the station itself."

She taps one finger on the arm of her chair in a steady beat. Her voice is matter-of-fact, relaying the facts without inflection, as if she was giving an official report.

"The station opened fire from well outside their effective range. We kited them, limiting damage to our wing. We knocked out one turret with javelins, and then we closed in to board the station in their new blind spot. The hijackers saw the writing on the wall, fell back from our breach points without firing a shot, started to negotiate. Only, halfway through the boarding action, a ship on the drift nearby lit up its drive and made straight for us, arming some light weapons on the way in. The Outrider couldn't maneuver away from the station in time to be of any help in the fight, and most of its crew was in the boarding force anyway, so it wouldn't have been much help if it could. It fell to the Hussars, like my ship, to see them off. Capture them if possible, destroy them if necessary."

"We fought them for about fifteen minutes straight, trying to draw them away and convince them to waste their ammo at long range. By the end, our Javelin system was out of rounds, and so was the rest of the squadron. Dirty looks and the toolbox, that's what we had left in terms of ammunition. Finally, the boarding party managed to take control of the station's command deck, fire up the attitude control thrusters, bring the enemy ship into the arc of the station's remaining turret. The enemy ship retreated then, tail between its legs. We had pumped it full of seventeen Javelin rounds and five shots from the PD turret. It wasn't even that badly damaged."

"That's what space warfare is here. There have been a couple of larger engagements over the seasons - we don't have Champion and Cataphract for nothing - but ultimately very few people live in space in the Huginn system, and most of those who do are loyal to the monks. This..." She gestures to the drifting hulk of the Champion, slowly revolving in an uncontrolled spin on the viewscreen and bleeding out its atmosphere into space. "This was unimaginable when I was growing up. And now it's... what? Going to become normal for me? Am I going to get used to this kind of destructive power? Is my whole society going to get used to it?! There's a scary thought!" In spite of her still carefully-controlled voice, Sabine has to raise a hand to wipe away the tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm beginning to see what those other emissaries meant when they warned us about the scale and brutality of modern war. And if this is the alternative, I guess it's a damn good thing you people have a diplomatic corps. I might have the opportunity, as part of it, to stave off future incidents like this in other systems."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:47, Thu 04 Feb 2021.

The last you saw of the orbital space around Hrafnhelm was the Indari Cruiser approaching the Champion and launching what must have been boarding pods, assaulting the ship to take control of it from the inside. Beyond that, your shuttle finally recovered to the ship and slid into the docking bay. You were ushered rather without fanfare towards the airlock, which curiously had been hidden behind the holographics, only becoming clear once they had shut them down showing only the stark mechanical interior of the small vessel. Once across the short tunnel to the mothership, you were greeted by a pair of martial looking men (you assumed) in combat armor, with closed helmets and Indari rifle-like weapons, though your understanding was that they were able to harness exotic energies for combat, lasers, plasma and other stranger forces. Your minder had left you in their care and left your sight, leaving you to be directly brusquely across the ship by armed guard.

From there you were taken through the ship along one winding corridor. The first thing you noticed before getting over the shock of everything you had seen in space was that Indari ships... or at least this one, were built wrong. Everyone who had ever had any spacer training or education knew that you built decks vertically perpendicular to the spine of the vessel. These people however, built them parallel the same way you'd make a naval ship on the ocean. As you had been taught to expect, they had artificial gravity on their ships, though they used no spinning rings or pods, it simply existed as if you were standing on Hrafnhelm back home. It didn't even feel weird, it felt entirely normal. In various places, you saw what at first seemed like they might be windows to the void, but quickly you determined they were simply (hah) holographics showing video feeds of the outside of the ship.

Several times you encountered teams of what seemed to be repair technicians using strange small tools and working on components that were concealed behind panels on the walls, deck and ceiling. When possible, your 'escorts' routed you away from them so as not to reveal too much to you. It was clear that you were not fully trusted at this point, and while they were polite, they were short, to the point and firm when it came to commands. The biggest shock was encountering a group of four of the famed Astral Troopers. You'd seen pictures of them, heard of them, but in reality to meet them was an entirely different matter. Easily over two meters tall, maybe close to two and a half, these giants were clad in mechanical armor that softly hummed and hissed as they moved. In the typical Indari style, they sported enclosed helmets, with only glowing red lights where their eyes would have been and were armed with massive weapons of an unknown type. Names and rank symbols were painted on the armor plates on the chest and shoulders. The taller of your escorts placed a hand on your shoulder and pulled you back gently as the four Astral Troopers stalked through the intersection, with only so much as a glance from one of the giants.

You were then led on only a little further to a cabin where they ordered you in and it quickly became apparent that you were confined to quarters, with only food delivered three times a day at regular intervals. All questions and protests were answered politely but with no real commitment. New clothes in the Indari style fitted to you were brought after your first sleep cycle and showering facilities (a strange thing on a starship) were available in your quarters. It was clear that the ship was still under battle conditions and occasionally you heard distant raised voices or felt a thump or shudder through the ship. A terminal on the wall had a fairly restricted library of both Hrafnhelm material and Hegemony cultural information with almost nothing about the ship itself or anything of military or strategic importance. It was about 30% harmless educational material, 60% cultural artifacts, music, stories, artwork, simple games and the like and 10% jingoistic propaganda.

After 78 hours being essentially held captive in this room, although incredibly luxurious for a starship by your standards, it began to drag on you and as you contemplated your future, there was a chime at the door announcing someone was about to enter. Far too soon for dinner however, something was different. The door slid open and there stood a tall blonde woman with green eyes, wearing an Indari Hegemony Astral Force Officer's Uniform, hands folded behind her back and a sword in scabbard at her side as was the style of many of the Astral Force Officer Corps.

"Sabine. How are you doing? Are they treating you well?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:25, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

Sabine, sitting cross-legged in a comfortable chair next to the terminal, jabs at the pause button on the song she's listening to, seizes her cane, and hauls herself to her feet as the door opens. She hesitates for a fraction of a second, trying to decide whether to salute or not, then decides against it. She still doesn't know the rank sigils, so she has little clue as to this woman's position or status. Besides, she hasn't been sworn in with this military. It's unclear at this stage whether that offer is even still on the table. To be safe, though, she settles into parade rest.

Deflect! Deflect! shouts a deeply-conditioned part of her brain. Who cares if you're miserable and worried? Don't complain! If you complain, it's proof that you're weak! "Yes, ma'am. Well enough." She gestures vaguely to the quarters, her clothes, and the cover image of the paused album. "The amenities are better than what I had growing up. With the exceptions of freedom and privacy, of course."

She looks down at the woman's sword, and a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "I'm glad to see swords haven't gone out of fashion in the wider galaxy, ma'am. Even though Hrafnhelmr nobles still carry swords, they're a dying tradition in the astralle. I personally think that's a damn shame."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:40, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

"I'm sorry." She laughs softly. "We spoke on the ride over, but I was wearing an encounter suit at the time." She's tall, probably almost 2 meters. Indari people seem to be rather on the tall side in general, which seems a little strange as they have artificial gravity. They aren't gangly though, in the way that spacers usually are, but rather quite filled out and muscular.

"Welcome to the Turpal's Star. I'm sorry we had to keep your here in this... berthing." She spreads her hands and shrugs apologetically. "Until recently, there were questions about your allegiance and possible place in the so-called 'Edinburg Rebellion'. That fear has been seen too and resolved. We're now certain you had no connection to this unfortunate incident and we'd like to continue with the offworlder program you signed up for."

The tall woman produced some sort of container from behind her and held it out to you. It was very large and after a moment she simply set it on the ground at her feet.

"This is... uh, well, it's a device that should help you. We spent a bit of time studying your condition and produced this in the workshops. We think it will really improve your situation, as we concluded you would be unused to full gravity aboard our ships." She shifted a bit, seemingly nervous, before straightening up. "Please open it and take a look."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:27, Sun 07 Feb 2021.

"Yes, ma'am." Sabine steps forward obediently and runs her fingers around the case's seam until she finds the latch. She looks up - way up - at the blonde woman towering over her, and her eyes twinkle with a barely-restrained smirk. "I appreciate the opportunity to continue my integration, as well as your generosity in presenting this gift - whatever it is - but don't think for a moment that it's slipped my notice by just how much you hold me at a disadvantage. I never did get a name from you during that shuttle ride, and that's getting more than a little bit infuriating."

She looks down and throws the latches. The case - as expected, frankly, given the general ubiquity of hi-tech solutions around here - eases itself open on unseen mechanisms to reveal...

"Master Quarnstrom." She smiles easily. "You can just call me Anika. I'm not your superior officer." Her eyes slid down to watch the container open. It folds out and there contained in what seems like fitted foam of some sort, a metallic apparatus which at first looks a bit like a scarecrow or a strange simplified skeleton, albeit one that's missing arms and a skull.

She reaches down and presses a finger into a small panel near the base of the 'spine' and steps back. To your amazement, it stands up on its own, two thin metal 'legs' and a short 'spine' with two pair of metal 'ribs' just above the 'hips.' It moves almost silently, with only the slightest hum as it erects itself on two contoured 'feet' which look a little bit like futuristic stirrups.

"Sabine, meet the RA-319A Caudal Harness. Originally designed and prototyped by Raset Industrial, we've modified it a bit and fabricated it to your measurements. It's essentially a medical exoskeleton. It will support your movements and weight and allow you to carry pretty much as much as your arms can take. It drains a Type-A power cell every 5 days of constant use, so keep that in mind. Now, it may take a little while getting used to using it, but we're confident that you'll find it easier than you might think to adjust to moving with the device." She pauses. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to treat your neuropathy any time soon medically, but this should help you deal with the artificial... and natural gravity fields you'll be contending with in your time with us."
This message was last updated by the player at 09:16, Mon 08 Feb 2021.

Sabine runs a finger along the metal arm of the exoskeleton, judging the resistance, the texture, the temperature. Five days of constant use, she notes. She is by no means an electrical engineer, but she doesn't think a Hrafnhelmr battery could power a machine like this for more than a few hours.

"Thank you, Anika," she says. "I'm sure this will be very helpful. I'm not sure what else to say... Can you show me how to get into it?"

There was one time during training when she had overexerted herself and was constrained to a wheelchair for a full week. She was still expected to go to class, of course, so getting out of bed every morning in a barracks full of all the other women in the training course was... embarrassing. Easily the worst part had been asking Meg to help her from her bed to the wheelchair. That week had felt like she was burning through all the favors Meg had owed her.

Making this request feels embarrassing in the same way that had. Worse, though, Anika is a near-stranger. She doesn't owe Sabine anything. Still, she has clearly been assigned to look to her wellbeing... which only makes it more embarrassing, actually.

Sabine forces a carefree smile onto her face to hide her discomfort.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:54, Tue 09 Feb 2021.

She didn't miss a beat. Maybe she was expecting this. "Of course." She held out a long sturdy arm and took your hand, pulling you forward smoothly and guiding you to stand just in front of the apparatus resting behind you. "Hold still..." She lifted the device from the container, pressed a button it, seemingly putting it into a standby state before she continued by sliding the metallic girdle in place just above your hips. Then she knelt and pulled the leg struts in-line with your own legs, fastening them with clasps just above your knees and at your ankles, lifting each foot up slightly to allow the 'stirrups' into place below your boots. Finally she reached up and touched a control panel just to the right of your hip and stood up to her full height again. She was inside your personal bubble the entire time, moving as naturally as if she was casually tidying up a room.

The device lit up and you could feel it taking the weight of your body, supporting your spine and torso on rigid metal rather than you own legs. You didn't even really need your cane anymore at all.

"Go ahead, take a step forward, naturally as you like. It will follow you."



OOC: This is to give you a better idea of what I'm trying to describe. Imagine this, but a lot nicer looking and slimmer.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:28, Tue 09 Feb 2021.

Sabine feels her face warming slightly as this woman - this extremely attractive woman, as she now notes - moves in close to her and busies herself about the task of adjusting the exoskelton to Sabine's body. Somehow being an invalid has grown one step more humiliating now that she's it's hit home that the person helping her - the person pitying her, she's certain - really is quite beautiful.

"Thank you," she mumbles as the last clasp fastens. Anika presses the button on the control panel, and she feels the machine's power cell hum to life against the small of her back.

Gingerly, she takes a tiny step. The exoskeleton, vibrating so softly that it's only noticeable by a faint tingle against her skin, moves with her. It's remarkable how sensitive it is to her movements; the rigid, metallic frame seems to weigh nothing at all. In fact, the total lack of resistance takes her so off guard that she nearly stumbles. Another few steps and she starts to get the hang of it, though she's still unsteady and tentative on her feet as she wobbles her way back across the room towards Anika by the door.

"Again, thank you," she says, offering the other woman a friendly smile. "Dare I ask whether this means I'll be allowed to leave this room?"

The Indari Officer watches you with a smile on her face as you take an assisted step forward and then another. She nods, seeing the result of her careful planning and the engineering redesigns pay off.

"There you go. I think you've got it now." She beams a bit, proud of what she'd managed to make happen. "You might actually be able to run in that. I'd work up to it, but it should be capable of handling it."

"Of course. I'm here to tell you that the investigation has been completed and that your role as an observer and exchange officer in our diplomatic efforts has been resumed. I'm sorry about all of that business... is there anything you need to ask me before we continue? I have time."

OOC: You have an effective carry strength of 12 while using the Caudal Harness. In the event that you need to kick someone in self-defense, you will use Strength 12 for your melee attack. All speed penalties have been eliminated while using the Caudal Harness.

Sabine smiles sardonically. "Yes. I have many questions - more than I can easily ask here. Off the top of my head, I still don't know how to read Hegemony rank sigils. None of those questions are overly pressing, though, and I'm sure I'll have many opportunities to ask them. For now, I would simply like to get out of this cell and get some practice with this rig. I'm ready to continue if you are."

She takes an awkward, assisted step before the door, then falters. "Oh. Did first officer Donnely try to contact me? I asked him for a... I knew some people aboard... um..." She trails off, her eyes locked on her fidgeting hands.

OOC: If Anika leads the way out into the hallway, I will follow. I'm happy to have this conversation happen on the way to somewhere else.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:54, Tue 16 Feb 2021.

The tall woman smiles and steps back out of your temporary quarters into the passageway outside. It's quite, the sounds of others are distant enough to be inaudible to your ears. You're used to noisier ships, deep rumbling drives, the whirring and clanking of mechanical servos and fly-wheels. The constant chimes and beeping of systems indicating some sort of system state requiring attention by technicians. Aside from a subtle deep hum, it feels like you could be on a base planetside.

She nods at your first question. "Well, that's an easy one. We can start here." She points at the golden crossed-swords and rocket torch symbol on her own uniform. "This is the torch and toothpicks." Anika chuckles. "It's the symbol of a Master, roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant by your system. It's just Master for most of the officers of my rank, unless we have a command, in which case it's proper to call them Shipmaster. You'll know they have a command when you see the Command Bar on their shoulders and cap. Don't have any. Yet." The golden-haired woman smirks and points comically to the empty fabric where they would have been.

Before you realize it, engaged in conversation you're walking down the corridors of an Hegemony Starship freely. You pass a pair of crew in what you suspect are technician overalls, poking some sort of cables into a wall panel and talking quietly to themselves about nanocircuits and virtual pumps. Whatever those things are.

"Donnely..." Her brow creases for a moment and straightens up slightly with a renewed smile. "Unfortunately, communication is still limited in system. The situation is tense as we're trying to resolve the unfortunate event. The INS-Maxim has entered the system and has taken control of the diplomatic campaign. Turpal's Star is acting in a support role while we affect repairs." She pauses as if thinking. "I'll try to get you cleared to contact him. In the mean time, casualty reports are still preliminary, but we think it was minimal. Less than a dozen of their security crew were casualties in the initial assault and the rest of the ship surrendered quickly without further incident, save for the Admiral..."

Sabine still looks troubled, but she makes no further comment on the subject of Donnely or the battle, at least for the time being. She focuses on putting one foot in front of the other, adjusting to the odd feeling of walking while not feeling the burden of her own weight on her knees or cane. She has brought said cane along for the sake of comfort and familiarity, but she currently has it tucked up under her arm as though she were in a parade formation. While she had been dubious about Anika's initial claim that she wouldn't need it at all while wearing the exoskeleton, this assertion seems to be true. Even so, she's breathing hard - not from physical exertion so much as the mental focus required to adjust so suddenly to such a novel form of locomotion.

"Noted. Thank you, master Quarn- um... Anika. You've been very helpful so far, and I appreciate all that you've told me. Now, as pleased as I am to get out of that room, where are we going?"

"We're heading to the landing bay to pick up your sundries. Now that things have been more or less cleared up, we've transported your personal effects to Turpal's Star." She huffs slightly as if the whole affair was just some sort of annoyance.

"While we're on our way," She pushes past a pair of crew talking in a corridor. They both stop and look at you for a moment before resuming their conversation in another language you're not familiar with. "I want to introduce you to our ship, the Turpal's Star. She's a member of the Prometheus-class cruiser family, following Hegemony doctrine, she's a warship first and a diplomatic vessel second. As you've already witnessed..." Small bits of disrepair or damage are evident here and there on the ship, lights that haven't been replaced, wall panels that seem jury rigged and at first you don't see it, but when you do it becomes obvious. Small portions of the deck where the miraculous artificial gravity isn't quite right. At one point you almost fall and Anika catches you, stopping you from an embarrassing spill onto the deck... and no one else is there to see it happen.

"Th-thanks," Sabine says, straightening up and hoping to the gods that her blush doesn't show. She smoothes down the front of her uniform jacket, clears her throat, and continues her still-somewhat-awkward assisted progress towards the landing bay.

"Yes, the demonstration was most impressive. Particularly the evasion and, uh, resilience the vessel demonstrated." She illustrates her point by gesturing at a bulkhead they are passing. It clearly doesn't match any of the other wall panelling in the coridor, and its failure to lie flush with the wall, coupled with the scorch marks and warping visible around its edges, suggests it to be a temporary seal placed there in a hurry to prevent depressurization. Several technicians are busy laying temporary lengths of wire and fiberoptics on the floor to replace the lines which were severed when the original bulkhead was melted away.

"The Hrafnhelmr astralle built its doctrine on the assumption that the Gáe Derg weapons system would absolutely gut any target it was used against. Clearly this is one of many assumptions we - uh, they will have to reconsider going forward."

She stumbles over the pronoun. It feels odd to identify herself as Hrafnhelmr military personnel while aboard a ship that was recently trading fire with said military - although she's also intensely aware that, at least until the paperwork is sorted, she can't properly claim to be part of the Hegemony heirarchy either. This leaves her somewhat in the lurch mentally.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:00, Mon 26 Apr 2021.

"Of course. You're still getting used to modern ships." She smiled warmly, either noticing nothing or pretending to very well.

"Depending on how Integration goes, those weapon systems will soon be outdated for you as well. If you become full members, factories will be set up in your system to produce modern weapons, ships, energy plants, etc." She muses, a little lost in thought at the possibilities of another member of the Star Court. "Ah, here we are."

The corridor opens to a door which slides open for you, revealing a vast hanger bay with a pair of shuttlecraft, one of them the sleek design that carried you up and another more angular dart-shaped craft. Several dozen crew are busy here and there, working on something or another and to your astonishment, you can see out into space. A massive view hole into outer space is right there across the bay, looking down almost half into the darkness and stars and half the surface of your world. No one else seems to notice or care what is wonderous to you. Except for Anika, who stays a step behind and watches you with a small smile as you take it in.

"Incredible, isn't it?" She pauses for a moment "It's not glass or transparent steel. It's an energy field, mostly a trick of graviton manipulation to stabilize the internal pressure. Ships can fly right through it without a problem. In a battle, an armored door would close to protect it. This is a newer invention, actually. Just a taste of what our scientists have come up with recently."

Almost as an afterthought, you could see your baggage sitting in a small section on the deck about 10 meters away, minded by a bored looking male with some sort of data tablet.

Sabine is so preoccupied with gazing out into the void that she very nearly trips over her suitcase.

Since she became certified for space flight, Sabine has been on two tours of duty, totalling a little under half a Hrafnhelmr season in space. In that time, she's never been on an EVA, and so she has only ever seen space through quadruple-reinforced glass viewports - usually less than a foot across and embedded so deeply into the hull of a ship that it was like looking at the stars through a keyhole. Even the cockpit windows on a Hussar-class skiff are kept to the minimum possible size and maximum possible thickness, in the interest of minimizing weak points on what is, ostensibly, a warship's hull.

The hologram on the shuttle walls was fascinating in its own way, but there was still some implacable element of artificiality to it. After the initial shock, once she had realized her feet were still on the ground, she had still been able to make out the wall itself. For brief moments, she had been able to use that knowledge to recondition her depth perception, seeing the room for what it was - an enclosed chamber walled with extremely high-resolution holographic screens, each somehow projecting two separate images to her eyes to produce the illusion of depth.

That was incredible in its own way. Technologically, it fascinated her, and she doubts she will ever fully understand how it was done. That was interesting. This... this is sublime. She can feel her every breath, shuddering and catching with the beauty of this sight. Repeatedly, the view blurs with tears, and she has to blink them away. There's an allure to the view, almost a gravitational tug, like the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff and imagining stepping forward into empty air. Here, though, there wouldn't even be air to catch her.

Even as she stands there, awe-struck, a part of her stands at a distance, trying to analyze. It tries to think of a way to explain what she's feeling, what the sight is doing to her, but on some level, it knows that she'll never be able to. Not to these people, working so casually next to this doorway to unfathomable emptiness.

She stands there for several moments, just watching enraptured as her homeworld slips by against the inky blackness beyond, rotating in her vision with Turpal's Star's orbit. Only when the clerk clears his throat for the second time does it manage to shake her from her reverie. She tears her eyes away from the mouth of the hangar, her voice catching in her chest as she tries to speak.

"Oh! Ahem. Uh, yes. Yes, Lieutenant Sabine NicDhirhom, Hrafnhelmr Astralle Service. You might have another surname for me there, but it's a bit of a cultural faux pas to use it off-world." She has the feeling she'll have to explain this detail quite often going forward.

As you stumble, staring out into the void in a way more pure than even looking up at the night sky on a moonless night, you feel a large slender hand settle on your shoulder, reassuringly as Anika seems to intuit what you are feeling.

A small whispered voice comes through. "Look at the ground. You are standing on solid ground. Slowly bring your eyes up. You are looking at the horizon." She is so quiet, no one else could hear her words in this noisy landing bay.

The attendant looks up, startled to see you nearly trip, as if he's about to lean out and catch you. He's young, very young. His face is still pimply a bit and he seems unsure of himself. "Ah, ma'am.. hm... Astralle Service... right, right. Uh..." He looks around and shoves a couple of familiar bags towards you and presents you with a holographic tablet of some kind which after a moment appears to be a signature prompt. "Just sign here and they're yours." His voice cracks a little. He's clearly an adolescent, still.

Trying to keep her eyes focused inside the landing bay for the moment, Sabine signs as best she can. After a couple of mildly embarrassing false starts, trying to work the unfamiliar technology, she finally manages to produce a legible signature, at which point she hands the pad back to its owner. She waits a moment as the young man looks it over, and then accepts her luggage from him with a smile and a bob of her head. As she takes the weight fully in her hands, she braces herself for the complaints of her lower spine, but they never come. The supportive harnesses of the exoskeleton are doing their job.

"Thank you..." she falters for a fraction of a second, her brain working very fast as she tried to find a way to complete the sentence. She doesn't know the youth's proper mode of address. In her own accustomed military structure, he would likely be an ensign, but ensigns rarely take tours of service aboard Hrafnhelmr spacefaring vessels. Not wanting to take a chance, and certainly not wanting to address him as 'kid,' she decides to finish in a different way. "...very much," she says, brushing past her slight verbal stumble with a genuine smile of gratitude.

She turns to her guide and walks with her a few steps away from the young man. "I really need to learn how to read Hegemony rank insignias," she mutters as soon as they're out of his earshot.

After another couple of moments, she adds "Thank you. For the, uh, space thing this time. That openness - views like that - it's going to take some getting used to. Heck, the screen in my room gave me vertigo sometimes. I'm glad you're around. If you don't mind me asking... do you have experience with this? Getting used to all of the..." She gestures around at the cavernous landing bay and, more generally, to the ship as a whole. "You seem like you're anticipating most of the big shocks, and working to mitigate them. Did you experience the same thing at some point? Or are you just really good at your job?"

The young man is already on to something else. An alert pops up on his interface and after clearing things with you his off to scanning some other cargo you don't recognize.

"I already sent you a primer to your dataslab." She stops for a moment. "Um, you did bring that from your quarters, right?" She looks at you seriously for a moment before her smile cracks and she hands you a similar device. "I'm sorry... this is keyed to your biosignature. It'll act as a sort of passport, ident device, and more. It has a long library of information stored locally and access to public system databases."

"Don't worry. You'll see stranger sights than that with us." Your question hardens her features a bit and she steps back. "Yes. I do. Let's not go further than that right now." Her tongue slips against her lip briefly but loud enough. "Now that you have your things, we need to decide on your assignment. Tell me... what are you looking for? Why did you sign up for this program?"

Sabine is silent for the better part of thirty seconds, considering. By the time she speaks, she and Anika have reached the door of the landing bay again, and are returning to the labyrinthine lattice of tunnels and corridors. She knows how she would answer this question to a Hrafnhelmr officer, but here? Here she's not so certain.

"I... suppose a large part of it was for curiosity's sake," she admits. "No Hrafnhelm-born human has left the system since the Scream, and if we are advancing down the path to becoming an interstellar society again, I want to be on the forefront of that advance. But I imagine that doesn't tell you much that's useful for deciding my assignment. My people's horizons are expanding, and I'm eager to go off into the unknown. But that's not overly helpful, is it? It doesn't tell you much about what kind of assignment I'd be fit for."

"My experience so far has been as a pilot. I'm not sure how well my skills will transfer over to these, um, gravity-powered craft. I'm interested in them, of course. Who wouldn't be?" She shrugs, eyes fixed on the ground ahead. She's already becoming much more stable in her assisted walk, and her gait is getting faster and smoother, more in keeping with her customary stride.  "As cliche as this might sound, though, mostly I signed up for the program and busted my ass to get in because I just... want to see the galaxy. Meet new people. Find out what their problems are, and find ways to solve them if I can. Indari technology is clearly leagues ahead of anything I had guessed at, and I don't think I'll ever have a meaningful understanding of it - certainly not enough to have a technical or mechanical job in your navy. For obvious reasons, I also won't be great at any assignment that's too physically strenuous. But diplomacy? Communications? Maybe archive-keeping and organization? That's all stuff I can do."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:59, Thu 13 May 2021.

She considers your answer and nods, as much to herself as to you. All things considered, she's being surprisingly open with you. Or perhaps that's what she wants you to think, a small paranoid voice pipes up for a moment.

"Curiosity is one of the greatest parts of Humanity. It's the reason for everything beautiful, for everything we love, it's the reason we charted the stars and then set out to explore them." There was a look in her eye, as if she was reciting the words of another, or thinking about something important to her.

"Are you interested in learning to fly our ships? I can't promise to put you behind the helm of a cruiser, but we could get you started on something smaller..." Her expression changed to a smirk as you walked back through the corridors. You realize that Anika is carrying your things almost effortlessly. She doesn't look like she should be that strong. "You know, there's a very decent chance that within a generation, or even less, Hrafnhelmers will be piloting Hegemony warships in service of the Astral Fleet. It wasn't all that long ago that the Gareshi were a bunch of primitive ice barbarians, fighting over iron and honor... now they make up some of the best assault divisions the Hegemony has."

She referred to a contacted planet that was brought into the fold some century ago, known for their hardiness, ruthlessness and martial prowess, they were considered some of the elite shocktroops for the Hegemony. Had first contact proceedings had been less peaceful... it's possible those very troops would have been unleashed on Hrafnhelm to pacify the planet.

"When we get to the communications room, I have two possible assignments waiting for you. Look them over, decide which one you want and then we'll open up communication with your new ship about your assignment."