Captain Acacia Lightheels' ship, the Rump Biter, has raced home, though their frantic message about the possible invaders and the space disruptions arrived long before they did. After a quick meeting with the council of regulators, all available ships are sent to blockade the region of the solar system these things are approaching. For various political reasons, no one sees fit to interrupt Copernicus's vacation to tell him about them.
Rumors of yet another hole in space (and a possible second "Flushing" of their solar system) has the Chirr'T'Thar fleet a little antsy. To add to that, they wonder why Regulator Skygazer isn't getting involved? Adding to an already tense situation.
The leading ships of the blockade fleet begin to detect the leading edge of a *massive* warp field approaching the system.. and decelerating.
Leda grumbles, and would pace about the ship if she weren't strapped into an acceleration couch at the moment. Of all the times to tell the son of a minor regulator where he can stuff his supply reports, she just _had_ to pick right before a big mission assignment.
Sirius has a bemused look on his face, and makes a note to tell Leda to let her first officer get in trouble next time before he purrs, "Captain, the Rump Biter is off our port side, seems like they're going to give the Tail Thrasher a little support at least."
Leda grumbles. "They'd bloody well better not leave us hanging out to dry like a punctured suit in an open airlock..."
The collision alarms begin flashing.
Sirius blinks, "Punctured suit? Oh, yes some races have to wear those. You do have some odd sayings captain. Well, ....kitty litter! Impact warning!"
Leda yanks the ship off to one side roughly to avoid the incoming reported by the sensors.
Acacia Lightheels orders a similar course change as she waits for Anthehr to tell her what's going on.
Despite the maneuver, the alarms are still flashing a warning. They seem convinced the ship is about to hit an asteroid.
Leda says, "Sirius, what is causing that alarm?"
Sirius growls, "By the firstmother's hairballs, I have no idea Captain. We're getting a very large reading of something."
Anthehr is having similar troubles on the Rump Biter as Selene tries to help him make sense of the readings.
Leda pulls the ship back a little. "Well, try and find out. If we keep getting false readings like that, we won't be able to tell if there's a _real_ reading."
After a fraction of a second, the computer has compensated for warp effects to return an estimated mass of three billion tons.
Sirius's jaw drops, "Big. Really big."
Leda looks over at the readings. "What? That thing would have to be close to a klick across!"
Stationkeeping alarms begin to flash now, as the deflection front from the alien begins pushing against the blockade.
Sirius growls as he helps compensate for the force, noting the Rump Biter is actually backing them up. Maybe that regulator's son isn't as powerful as he claimed to be.
Leda frantically tries to get the ship back on something approaching a real course, under her control. "Now, if we can just ride off the wave..."
The deflection begins to fade. The alien has changed course, turning to go around the blockade.
Sirius blinks, "How can something that big move like that? It's trying to go around the blockade, I'm warning the fleet!"
Leda says, "Do it, I'll try and ride its wake here."
Sirius nods and yeeps as one of the ships lobs a small anti-matter torpedo in front of the things path, "Monogamy!"
Leda snarls. "What do those idiots think they're doing? We don't want to _anger_ something this big..."
Another bank of alarms panics as the ship passes through the trailing edge of the intruder's warp envelope, which still extends over a hundred kilometers from the alien itself.
Sirius growls and targets the torpedo with the forward lasers, "Permission to destroy the torpedo Captain?"
Leda says, "Granted. Then ask the person who shot it what they had been smoking."
Leda tries to line the Tail Thrasher up with the edge of the warp envelope, keeping up with it and riding on it.
With a flare of light, the torpedo detonates about 300 kilometers in front of the ship. Sirius hmms, "Must have been some really good catnip. Ensign, any luck with hailing that thing?"
The alien is visible to unaided Chirr'T'Thar eyes at this distance. It looks for all the world like a pregnant, scaled guppy eight miles long.
Selene looks up from her viewport on the Rump Biter and blinks, "Talk about sushi."
Leda shakes her head. "I'm not sure that thing even knows we're here..."
The ensign nods to Sirius and tries to hail the thing in the galactic trade language again.
Aside from a particularly odd magnetic field, the alien doesn't seem to be transmitting anything detectable. It does, however, change course again to get around the flank of the blockade.
The blockade spreads out further, doing it's best to keep between Tharhome and the intruder. No more shots are fired, for now.
Leda says, "Well, unless it has some more tricks up its sleeve, we can keep up with it, anyway..."
A shudder runs through the ship. Apparently the alien's warp field is collapsing.
Leda grumbles. "And after all the work I did to ride its wave, it has to stop _NOW_."
Sirius purrs, "Captain Lightheels is calling, asking for your advice, as we're supposed to be the lead on this mission."
Leda says, "Well, it seems to be stopping, keep trying to hail it. Pull up some of the old weird language logs that Regulator Skygazer came up with, if we have them."
Sirius blinks at Leda then nods, "I'm sending them over to the ensigns communications console now."
The alien finally comes to a stop.
Leda says, "Well, if it can't handle the trade standard we've been sending it, maybe one of those will work."
Sirius nods, "I've told Captain Lightheels to keep about 20 kilometers behind us as backup. Any idea what to do with this thing now Captain?"
Something seems to be drifting towards the ships now. A blue sphere about a meter across..
Proximity alarms go off and Sirius growls, "Spherical object approaching from starboard Captain. Target it with lasers?"
Leda shakes her head. "No, no idea... if we can get it talking, great, if not, I really don't relish taking on something that big."
Leda says, "No, don't shoot it... let's see what it does first."
The spheroid gently touches the Tail Thrasher's hull, and flattens out like a fat pancake against it.
Leda pulls back. "That's weird."
Sirius blinks, "It's attached to the hull? Want me to go outside and check it out?"
Leda says, "Just don't touch it directly."
A few moments pass before the hull begins to resonate. "Hello?" booms an alien voice, horribly distorted from using the hull as a speaker.
Sirius blinks and then checks to see if someone is putting catnip into the air recirculator.
Leda grins. "Oddest way to set up a speaker I've ever seen, but I must admit resonating the whole hull gets the message across. Um, hi."
The volume comes down quite a bit. "Ah, that's better. To whom am I speaking?"
Sirius begins to wish someone WAS putting catnip into the air and sighs.
Leda says, "I'm Captain Leda Caudate of the ship Tail Thrasher. And to whom are we speaking?"
"This is the stelya-rhyan Kraken. Is this Tharhome system?"
Leda says, "Um, yes, it is..."
There's a slight pause, then, "You realize you're in the wrong galaxy, don't you?"
Sirius double checks the data tapes and mutters, "Copernicus's friends. Again."
Leda sighs. "Yes, we're all too well aware of that fact."
"I'm looking for Copernicus Skygazer-Talorn. Is he in system?"
Sirius mutters obscenities to himself to feel better.
Leda says, "Yes, he is... he's not on the fleet here right now, though."
"Which planet is he on?"
Sirius whispers to Leda, "Ask them about that hole they're digging in space."
Leda turns to Sirius. "You know where he went on vacation? Oh, right..."
Leda says, "I'm not sure right now, but I've asked. Anyway, why are you causing the disruption around here? As I said, we know we're in the wrong galaxy, and the space around here still hasn't completely settled down from the big jump."
"Yes, you're appearance here has disrupted our project. Please refrain from sending vessels to the anomaly."
Sirius growls at one ensign who makes a flushing sound and then growls, "It seems the council decided NOT to call him. He's on Tharhome, someplace near the forests by Chareka. Disrupted YOUR project?"
Kraken immediately begins to accelerate towards Tharhome. "Yes," the voice says. "It was already underway when your appearance disrupted the local topology. Will you be moving your system again in the near future?"
Leda says, "We're not sure how we moved it the first time. We're sure not planning on doing it again until we have a better idea of what we're doing."
Sirius growls, "Not that we know of, and we haven't cleared you to approach the homeworld yet!"
"Please do so then."
Leda glares at Sirius. "Please do what?"
Sirius blinks and looks at Leda, "And you thought that regulator's son was a pain in the haunches? That wasn't me captain, it was that...thing."
"Provide clearance," the voice says, assuming Leda was addressing it.
Leda says, "I know it was that, I was talking to it, I was glaring at you to tell you to stop speaking past me."
Sirius's ears droop and nods, "Sorry captain. Just letting you know it was moving towards Tharhome."
Leda clears her throat. "We'll have to run this past the council first before granting you clearance, but I think we can impress upon them a need for an immediate answer."
The voice answers, "I will await clearance at the leading solar libration point of Tharhome."
Sirius nods to Leda, "Shall I inform the council Captain?"
Leda nods. "Do so. And tell them that it would be a really good idea to get Regulator Skygazer out to talk to his friend..."
Sirius nods, "Indeed. Actually it seems Captain Lightheels and her crew, in fact, most of the fleet, seem to agree. I'll see if I can break through all the com traffic to get our report in Captain."
Leda grins. "Good to see that people can actually agree on things."
Sirius passes on the orders to escort the thing to the trojan point between Tharhome and the sun while the council finally gets ahold of Copernicus, who is none too pleased to see the unnecessary mess. He does blink a few times at the "anomaly" pictures though, and is heard to say some things about "Kainudy" under his breath.
After about an hour, the Tail Thrasher and Rump Biter are ordered to escort the Stela'rhyan into orbit, and 75% of the fleet is ordered to return to normal duty.
A shuttle docks with the Rump Biter, and then a signal is sent to the Tail Thrasher, where the "visitor" is asked for docking instructions.
"You wish to enter my biosphere?" asks the voice of Kraken.
Copernicus's voice is relayed over to the Tail Thrasher, "Yes, I've been in there before Envoy, you know that."
"Copernicus Skygazer-Talorn, Lothrhyn no longer pilots this entity. Which vessel do you wish to 'dock'?"
Copernicus's voice is again relayed, "The small shuttle you saw dock with the other ship."
Copernicus voice is then heard to ask, "Er, who IS piloting Kraken then?"
The communication blob reshapes itself into a sphere, and leaves the Tail Thrasher for the shuttle. It is soon attached to the hull of the smaller vessel. "We are the Project Oversight Group," is the answer.
Copernicus hmmms, "Yes, this project of yours has caused a lot of nasty rumors going around. May we dock the small shuttle and enter your biosphere to talk to you?"
"Yes. You are small enough to enter through the shuttle pore you used before."
Copernicus nods and then realizes that can't be seen and purrs, "Fine, will we have to enter the airlock through vacuum again this time? If so we won't be very talkative for about an hour."
"The pore will be closed and pressurized for you after you enter."
Captain Acacia Lightheels looks less than thrilled to be going along, and sighs when Copernicus nods, "Sounds fine then. We're on our way. C'mon Captain, it won't eat you. Probably."
Three people board the shuttle, and with a soft "thunk" it detaches from the Rump Biter and heads towards Kraken, going towards a familiar "spine" where the present pilot once walked to the pore they now fly towards. The flight of the shuttle is a bit more cautious than expected, and a good empath would have noted that the fear of two felitaurs was more directed towards the pilot than what they were approaching.
The shuttle scoots cautiously into the "pore" and lands relatively smoothly outside the interior "door".
The opening of the pore dilates closed, and the area is soon pressurized.
The shuttle door opens, and Acacia Lightheels and Selene walk out, wide eyed as a winged snow leopard pads out, a grin on his face, "Not bad for no hands, eh?"
Light comes from glowing veins in the walls of the spherical chamber, outlining three odd shapes recessed into the walls as well as one wide opening. The entire area remains in freefall.
Acacia's feet adhere to the floor as she just shakes her head and then blinks at the "door" that looks like....doesn't it?
Copernicus purrs and grins, "Part of why I didn't bring Anthehr along. He'd feel inadequate. As I told you, this is a living organism we're entering. So the doors are basically orifices of some kind. Open at your wish Kraken, or whoever you are."
Selene stays very close to Acacia, not thrilled to say the least.
The passage opens, revealing a branching 'tunnel', the middle one having light at the far end.
The winged snow leopard chuckles and pads towards the middle tunnel, purring, "C'mon fraidy cats, lets go!"
Captain Lightheels growls to herself and pads along, her feet, like all Chirr'T'Thar, designed to grip smooth surfaces in low to zero G.
Gravity begins to take effect halfway up the passage, until the tunnel seems to slope upwards towards the light.
Acacia and Selene finally catch up to Copernicus and Acacia growls, "So this...thing is a friend of yours Skygazer?"
Copernicus purrs, "Well, while alive, Kraken is apparently not sentient on it's own. A friend by the name of Lothryn used to pilot it. I'm not sure who is now. I just know it's one of Kainudy's kids."
Soon enough, the passage ends.. opening onto a dry stream bed under an out cropping of rock, in the middle of a small meadow.
Selene blinks, "I wonder what mating was like for her? And my goodness, childbirth? I thought you said this Kainudy was not much bigger than us?"
Copernicus chuckles and grins, "Sometimes smaller than us. How do you like the park?"
Acacia blinks, "The only thing worse than your tall tales...is finding out they were all true."
Copernicus grins, "Keeps life from getting dull. If I remember, the tunnel to the bridge is over that way."
A forest rings the meadow, and the landscape curves up and up until it disappears behind the glare of the artificial, tube-shaped sun.
Acacia Lightheels shakes her head, "And this is all inside a living being? I should be scared out of my wits, but after that bit with the solar system...it's hard to be scared by something that makes no moves to attack."
Selene, pressed against Acacia's flank, seems to disagree, but says nothing.
An occasional squawk disturbs the birdsong from the trees, and large animals can be sensed moving behind the trees, but nothing larger than a rabbit shows itself as the group heads towards the forward end of the biosphere.
Little has changed since Copernicus' last visit, and he soon locates the tunnel at the fog-shrouded end of the long artificial world.
Copernicus pads along and up into the tunnel, reminded of his memories of the world he left not too long ago, he purrs, "We've got a couple miles till we get to the bridge. And gravity will drop again."
Captain Acacia nods and tugs at her first officer glued to her side.
Unlike Copernicus' first visit, nothing but the Chirr'T'Thar move through the tunnels. The path is clearly lit.
Copernicus hmms, "No repair droids zipping along. Ah, that must be the entrance to the bridge up ahead."
A hemispherical chamber lays at the end of the passage. All six of the pilot 'couches' are occupied by what Copernicus will recognize as dragon-shaped remotes, but there is a large bulge near the rear of the chamber that is new. A remote disengages from Kraken, revealing a dragon that appears to me made out of translucent emerald.
"Greetings, Copernicus Skygazer-Talorn of the Chirr'T'Thar," the remote says in a feminine voice. "I am Clotho. I will speak for the others."
Copernicus looks around, then purrs, "This is Captain Acacia Lightheels and her first mate, Selene. Where is Kainudy? And has something happened to Lothryn?"
Acacia and Selene barely nod at the introduction, looking at what to them seems to be a scene from return of the body snatchers.
The dragoness gestures to the bulge, "Kainudy remains in hibernation. Lothrhyn is not capable of operating Kraken fully, so her efforts have been used in other areas."
Copernicus blinks at the bulge, "Why is Kainudy in hibernation? And what exactly are you doing with this "anomaly" of yours?"
Clotho smiles at Copernicus, "I noticed your scout ship, and decided to investigate. I am not at liberty to discuss the nature of our construction project. Do you wish me to revive Kainudy for you?"
The snow leopard thinks about it, noting that Kainudy is easier to get along with like this, but sighs as he realizes he needs to know what's going on, to keep some hysterical Chirr'T'Thar from going after the anomaly, "Yes, I think that's best."
Clotho nods, and a seem appears in the bulge. It quietly splits open, and a blue dragoness is lifted out the amniotic jelly to lay on the floor of the chamber. "It will take her a few moments to wake up."
The two felitaurs stay rather close to the door, though Captain Lightheels is standing straighter, until she sees a dragon emerge from the bulge.
Copernicus chuckles and thinks that just a few years ago he would have been utterly freaked by this place also, and is rather glad Melora is spending some time with the new family doctor right now. He is also hoping Kainudy has a good explanation for this mess.
Kainudy shudders and starts coughing up fluid.
Copernicus is rather glad he's in his snow leopard form, if this is a typical conversation with Kainudy he'd be trying to strangle her eventually, well, at least thinking about it. He chuckles, "Good to see you again old friend."
Kainudy rubs gunk from her eyes and blinks. "Copernicus? Is that you?"
The winged snow leopard smirks, "Yep. You didn't think you'd gotten free of me, did you? ;)"
Kainudy blinks again. "I thought you got over your shape-shifting stage? What are you doing on Kraken?"
Clotho sinks back into her control couch.
Kainudy says, "And who are your friends?"
Copernicus purrs, "I was, until I misplaced my solar system. Space was tearing apart, about half the Galaxy was about to shred itself, so I used a mixture of technology and chaos magic to fix it. Our solar system ended up in another galaxy, and I and the family doctor now shift between forms. Oh, this is Captain Acacia Lightheels and her first mate, Selene.""
The Captain finally regains her composure and bows, "We've heard a lot about you from Copernicus."
Selene just shrinks a bit next to Acacia, looking to see if the dragon is going to smile or not.
Kainudy pushes wet hair out of her face, "I hope you don't believe everything he's told you then." She looks around the chamber. "I feel like a seventh wheel here, let's go someplace sunny to talk."
Copernicus nods and motions for the other two to head back as he purrs, "It seems we may have interrupted some of your plans also."
Kainudy says, "I guess so, if I'm awake.."
As Selene and Acacia pad out, the first mate is heard to whisper, "She looks to be in awfully good shape for having given birth to this place."
Copernicus just smirks a bit.
Once all four are outside in the tunnel, Kainudy manipulates a patch on the wall. A pressure bubble forms around the group, and soon they are being pushed along through the tunnels at high speed.
Copernicus blinks, "I don't remember this the last time I was here."
Acacia's ears are back a bit, but she finally purrs, "You going to ask her about that hole she's tearing in space next to our solar system or not Skygazer?"
Copernicus nods, "All in good time Captain. First, let Kainudy get her bearings after getting out of hibernation."
The bubble slows down, and deposits the group back at the end of the biosphere, where Kainudy stretches out her wings and herself to let the sunlight dry her off.
Copernicus motions for Acacia and Selene to just sit over to the side and listen.
Kainudy says, "I never was able to get to the West because of the spatial disturbances. I'm not really surprised you ended up in this region of space though."
Copernicus curls up next to Kainudy, "So, what's been up with you since I left? I've been too busy trying to fix things on Tharhome, or apologize for the way I fixed them to check on it. From what I can tell, my stunt did stabilize space pretty well in the west. Well enough to allow normal warp travel again."
Copernicus blinks, "But why would you expect us to end up here?"
Kainudy says, "This region is the topological 'bottom' of the universe, energy wise. Once you disconnected Tharhome from normal space in the West, it just fell to the lowest possible state before reappearing."
This is met only by the twitching of whiskers until Copernicus nods, "So, what are you doing with your little neutronium device and dimensional hole? For obvious reasons, another hole in space nearby has set my race on edge."
Kainudy hrmms. "You saw that, did you? I guess it's been progressing well while I've been asleep then.."
Copernicus purrs, "One of our scouts-hips saw it, then saw some of your Stela'rhyan and then Kraken come out of the hole. As the council is still annoyed at me, they never informed me of this till after Kraken arrived in our space."
Kainudy chuckles at that..
Copernicus hmmfs at Kainudy then chuckles, "And you told me that one person can't change a society. Course, this is NOT how I planned it."
Kainudy arches an eyeridge. "You had a PLAN?"
Selene and Acacia are just quietly grooming each other off to the side, but Acacia's ears are intently focused on the talk.
Copernicus thtptptptppts at Kainudy, "Yes, I had a plan. And it worked, sort of anyhow."
Copernicus purrs, "You're evading the question though. What are you building over there?"
Kainudy glances at the other two felitaurs with Copernicus, then looks back at him. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Copernicus closes his eyes for a moment then softly purrs, "I have to know Kainudy. While my project did save Tharhome, not everyone is happy about being in a new galaxy, having to start trade routes over again from scratch etc. And something that close that might threaten Tharhome...I need to be able to give them an explanation."
Kainudy says, "Don't worry, the hole itself isn't a threat to you. It's a cannon barrel."
Copernicus's face fwumps into the dirt as he can "HEAR" the fur stand on end of the other two felitaurs.
Kainudy says, "This is the breech end though, not the muzzle.."
Copernicus mumbles, "Is that all? And where is it aimed?"
Copernicus thinks . o O (You shouldn't have asked that.)
Kainudy says, "Aimed? Well.. nowhere yet. There's still a light year of real distance left before it will be in place."
Copernicus raises his head and shakes the dirt off, "Ok, where IS it going to be aimed, what will it do, and why are you doing it?"
Acacia and Selene just watch the two idly talk about a cannon that spans light years and wonder if insanity is contagious?
Kainudy says, "It will be aimed, so to speak, at a universe whose geometry precludes using known methods to enter. Once the muzzle is placed against its event horizon, a projectile will be accelerated down it to pierce through and turn the cannon into a connecting tunnel. A certain mutual acquaintance of ours is on the other side, probably in need of rescue."
Copernicus blinks, "Er, but so are those nasty things that they left to fight? You know, the ones that tore up space so badly in the western part of the universe, nearly destroyed most of my original galaxy and ended up with me flushing my solar system to fix it?"
Kainudy says, "I'm hoping they'll have been defeated by the time the cannon is ready. Just in case, this end will be capped, and the nature of the projectile will ensure nothing is waiting at other end of the tunnel."
Copernicus hmms, "So it won't be ready for a few years I take it?"
Kainudy nods. "It's being built out of timestone, of course. It takes time to condense and fold space enough for it to act as solid matter."
Copernicus wrinkles his nose, "I'll take your word for it. What assurances can I give that this thing is safe?"
Kainudy blinks. "It's not a black hole. It has no dangerous gravitational or radiation emissions. It's hard to miss, so you can't accidentally run into it. And it will probably have to be moved to flatter space now that your star system has entered the equation."
Copernicus smiles slightly, "I guess I just had to cause you trouble one last time Kainudy. It's good to see you though, I was wondering about how people were faring after I left."
Kainudy says, "Things are.. normal.. last I heard from Lothrhyn."
Copernicus nods, "I was told she was doing other things instead of running Kraken. So what now?"
Kainudy fluffs her feathers out. "I'm pretty useless at the moment. The Stelya-rhyan are more capable than I am to maintain the project. Mind if I visit for awhile? I feel cramped in this place."
Three pairs of ears flick at that request, but Copernicus nods, "Sure, we have a fairly open policy right now. We have to, we need to get new space trade routes. So even the council realizes that xenophobia could destroy us, that, and not too many people know us around here, so maybe we can start over as it were. I don't know if Melora will be happy to see you or not, she's gone through a lot of changes too."
Kainudy says, "Oh? What sort of changes? You haven't had her indoors, have you?"
Copernicus purrs, "Only on a limited basis. She got lost in that portal Wanderer had her make during that fight where he got killed, and it triggered some serious mutations."
Kainudy hmmms.
Kainudy says, "Have you contacted any local civilizations yet?"
Acacia and Selene go back to grooming each other, apparently deciding to ignore the increasing number of "Tall Tales".
Copernicus nods, "A couple. We've already had some good dealings with them, especially when they figured out what flirting is all about. ;)"
Kainudy rolls her eyes..
Kainudy says, "Is Melora the only alien on Tharhome then?"
Copernicus purrs, "Only resident alien. Those that had been trapped on Tharhome during the crisis are being taken back to our...I mean their home galaxy."
Kainudy blinks. "Voluntarily? That's a long trip.."
Copernicus purrs, "We're working on building a "mechanical" gate a distance from our solar system. It should be operational in a few months, we think."
Copernicus shrugs, "We had to find something to do with 3,143 used Heisenberg Uncertainty Stabilizers anyhow."
Kainudy arches an eyeridge again, "That sounds like quite an undertaking. I know several of the stelya-rhyan would be interested in examining such an effort."
Kainudy says, "Via remotes, of course.."
Copernicus nods to Kainudy, "Sure, any advice they can give would be appreciated."
Copernicus purrs, "And I'd love to meet Charon again."
Kainudy says, "I'll mention it to them as soon as the populace gets used to dragons }:) Charon and Lothrhyn are exploring the local systems together at the moment."
Copernicus purrs, "Around here? If they find any good places for trade, we would appreciate the information."
Copernicus hmms as he looks at Acacia and Selene, who are pretending to ignore them and whispurrs to Kainudy, "Er, one thing. For the time being, try not to smile too much around them, ok? ;)"
Kainudy says, "You'll have to teach me about your trading requirements before I can ask them what to look for."
Kainudy nods to Copernicus, and wonders why such a forward people would be disturbed by smiling.
Copernicus wonders what Kainudy will do to him when she finds out what he said about a smiling dragon. ;)
Kainudy merely grins for now. "In the meantime, is there anything I can do for you to earn my keep on Tharhome? Need some moas?"
Copernicus strrrrrrrrrrretches and purrs, "So, want to head on down? I think we can squeeze you into the shuttle. Actually, some captive moas might go over well. We like dinner with an attitude."
Kainudy says, "I can bring some eggs and breeders, if you have hunting parks to let them loose in."
Copernicus nods, "A few. Don't want them to get loose into the wild areas. So, you two want to continue cuddling here or watch a pilot with no hands again? ;)"
Acacia Lightheels licks her lips and looks around for second, "Well, you got us here safely at least."
Kainudy tilts her head, "Why would you need hands to pilot?"
Copernicus grins at Acacia and chuckles at Kainudy, "We don't use neural interfaces."
Selene's ears go up, "They stick stuff into their brains?"
Kainudy grins at Selene, "I don't have an ansible implant, if that's what you mean."
Copernicus goes to put his face into his hands and remembers he doesn't have any right now and purrs, "It's just by dermal contact Selene. No implants. Shall we go?"
Selene just gives Kainudy another odd look.
Kainudy nods to Copernicus, "Where are you parked?"
Copernicus chuckles, "Over by the pore we used last time. You up to walking or would you like a ride?"
Kainudy gets up and stretches her limbs. "I'd better walk. I don't want to arrive as an invalid."
Captain Acacia Lightheels purrs, "C'mon Selene. Lets get back to the Rump Biter. You have some STRANGE friends Skygazer."
Copernicus chuckles, "They help me feel normal Acacia, now be nice, Kainudy isn't all that bad. ;)"
With that, the young snow leopard pads back the way they came, keeping pace with Kainudy as Selene and Acacia go a bit faster. He chuckles, "Somehow, I should have known I'd run into you again."
Kainudy says, "Oh? Not getting enough embarrassment on your own, eh? }:)"
Copernicus chuckles, "No, but you need someone to tell you you're wrong now and then, just to keep you in line."
Kainudy blinks, "And this Council of yours doesn't do that? }:)"
Copernicus grins, "No, they tell me I'm wrong. But I'm sure I can get them to tell you where to go too if you want. ;)"
Kainudy grins.
The group reaches the "airlock" and Copernicus chuckles again.
Kainudy hmms, "I've never been to this part of Kraken before. But then, I don't think anyone has explored the entire body in centuries.."
Copernicus purrs, "This is the one where Ben and I grabbed the shuttle that was, unknown to us, "pregnant", remember?"
Kainudy ahs, "I've asked to have one of those follow us down. Only way I know of to transport moas."
For some reason, comments about pregnant shuttles just increase the two female Chirr'T'Thar's urges to get the Haunches out of here, to put it kindly.
Copernicus nods, "I'll have a crew with a stasis field waiting to make sure the eggs don't hatch and let them loose like last time."
Kainudy nods as she heads down the tube into the freefall zone near the outer skin. She seems to know her way around, despite claiming to have never been in this area before.
Copernicus pads along with no real apparent effect of the zero gravity, other than his fur waving like it's in water and the slightly different rhythm of his feet to insure he adheres to the floor.
The spherical follicle containing the shuttle appears. One of Kraken's own shuttles has detached from the wall to drift next to the Chirr'T'Thar craft, and the little spheroid waits near the airlock.
Kainudy says, "That's your spaceship? I've never seen one that was still operational before."
Acacia and Selene follow Copernicus into the shuttle, where 3 flight couches are evident, though after a moment a fourth one appears in the middle, it's going to be a cozy flight. The young male blinks, "When have you ever seen one of our ships before?"
Kainudy says, "Sorry, I meant that I'd never seen a mechanical spaceship before that was still operational."
The meter-wide sphere follows Kainudy in through the airlock.
That gets a quizzical look from all three felitaurs and Copernicus purrs, "Really? Well, other than myself, no one in our solar system has seen anything BUT mechanical space ships. ;) Hmmm, I guess it would be best with hands, and as I will be back with Melora shortly, I can waste a bit of my time."
Copernicus concentrates, and with a bluish shimmer regains his felitaur form and settles down into the pilot's couch and purrs, "Squeeze into the middle here Kai, hope you don't mind being up close and personal. ;)"
Kainudy looks over the crash crouches before squeezing in between.
Kainudy says, "Don't you get claustrophobic in these things?"
Selene makes sure Kainudy and her...friend..are secure before cycling the airlock closed. Acacia takes up the copilot's spot as Copernicus finishes the flight check and powers up the repulsor field. He purrs, "It's not bad when you have someone against you Kainudy. That, and it's only designed for 2 or 3 at most."
Kainudy says, "Oh.. this is just a shuttle?"
Copernicus nods, "Yep, just a puddle jumper as they are called."
The outer pore opens, causing a minor hurricane of wind and ice outside the shuttle as the air rushes out into space.
The ship generates a repulsor field against the walls, and by adjusting the balance it hovers in the middle, though it does get pulled along by the sudden rush of outgoing air. Copernicus purrrs to himself as he lets that pull them out of Kraken with just a little backwards thrust to speed them up.
Copernicus purrs, "Much roomier than your shuttles. Ben and I both ended up as a pilot even though I hadn't wanted to be one at that time. ;)"
Kainudy says, "Kraken's shuttles are meant to be piloted by mortal Tyrrhyans. They don't have wings, and tend to be a bit smaller."
Copernicus nods to Kainudy, "True. Shuttles are rarely luxurious. Captain Acacia? I'll drop you and Selene off at the Rump Biter first, you can make your report from there. OK?"
Acacia Lightheels nods, "Sounds fine, though I'm already transmitting the recordings of your conversation. I'm just glad it looks like nothing serious is going to happen. Right?"
Copernicus chuckles, "With Kainudy, that's hard to say, but Tharhome should be safe, yes."
Kainudy doesn't comment. She knows from experience that Copernicus will find something to blame on her eventually.
The small shuttle docks with the Rump Biter, and after Captain Acacia Lightheels and Selene get hastily off, the lock closes and Copernicus grins at Kainudy, "Now that we have more room, why don't you move up to the co-pilot's couch?"
Kainudy says, "Which one is that?"
Copernicus points to the one next to him, where Acacia had been seated.
Kainudy moves up to that couch, and looks over the colorful buttons and gadgets..
Copernicus hands flow over the console, and with a muffled "thunk" the shuttle detaches. The shuttle then rotates under repulsors and pushes away from the main ship.
Copernicus purrs, "You really haven't seen a mechanical ship before Kai?"
Kainudy watches Copernicus work the controls. "No, never had any dealings with technological civilizations."
After a sufficient distance, Copernicus fires up the main drives and the shuttle zips toward Tharhome. He hmmms, "Really? Just like I had never had dealings with magic OR with living technology either. Sounds like you could be in for a bit of a shock in Chareka. ;)"
Kainudy hrmphs, "Nothing shocks me anymore. I know about technology, Copernicus.. I just have never had to use it before."
Copernicus turns and looks at Kainudy, "Nothing surprises you anymore? That's a shame, truly. I've come to enjoy the fact that the universe has a lot more in it than I'll ever get a chance to see."
Kainudy says, "When we developed the stelya-rhyan, we had to move our entire population. Technology isn't something you can just invent whole, so we didn't have time for it."
Copernicus nods to Kainudy, "Though I'm impressed you developed them without technology of some sort. If you press on the pads over by that screen on your left? Blue, red, blue green? You can call up the display to see how your shuttle is doing."
Kainudy grins, "Oh, I can still be *surprised*. That's not the same as being shocked. }:)"
Copernicus chuckles, "Sorry, a misuse of words then."
Kainudy taps on the indicated pads.
The sensor screen glows to life and the shuttle can be seen clearly behind them, along with a variety of statistics.
Copernicus's paws move over a few more positions and the shuttle enters the atmosphere, heading towards the space port just outside Chareka. For some reason, Copernicus decides to make it a smooth ride for Kainudy.
Kainudy says, "I'm surprised you have shuttles just for transporting people."
Copernicus adjusts the pitch and yaw for final approach and purrs, "Why would that surprise you? There is some room in back for cargo though."
Kainudy says, "You don't need shuttles. I suppose you use them for convenience?"
Kainudy says, "That's what technology is for, right?"
Copernicus ohs and nods, "I get your point. True, but shuttles are faster. And it's annoying having to wait an hour to be able to speak again. Yes, technology is an excuse to get lazy. That's why some of our "traditions" help keep us in shape."
Kainudy nods. "Tyrrhyans are already lazy enough, which is why we don't deal with technological civilizations."
Copernicus purrs, "Not to mention, we sometimes have aliens riding along who don't enjoy being exposed to a vacuum. Surprisingly though, we all seem to do at least 4 or more orbital trips a month, and we still refuse to use anything like a space suit. We also prefer to hunt our own food. I think our being so enamored of the sensual part of life keeps us from getting too lax. Ah, finally, we're cleared to land.""
Copernicus lands the shuttle off to one corner of the field, where several Chirr'T'Thar await with some equipment.
Kainudy peers out of the canopy at the space port.
The stelya-rhyan shuttle 'lands' behind Copernicus', extending birdlike talons to rest on.
A variety of ships can be seen, several under repair off to the side. They are covered with Chirr'T'Thar who are more often seen to be using their wings, feathers and hands rather than tools. For some reason, calling that "living technology" never occurs to Copernicus.
Copernicus cycles the airlock as the Chirr'T'Thar move nervously around the other shuttle.
The sphere has pasted itself to Kainudy's back, and formed a sort of cloak.
Copernicus chuckles at Kai as he powers down the craft and purrs, "A friend of yours?"
Kainudy grins, "I need some way to keep in touch with the stelya-rhyans."
Copernicus nods, "A shame they don't pick up other forms of communication. Luckily Leda Caudate is a level headed captain. Shall we head outside? I believe the techs here are waiting for your ship to lay an egg. ;)"
Kainudy nods, "They won't be alarmed to see me?"
Copernicus purrs, "No, they have been told about you before we landed."
Kainudy gives Copernicus a look. "What did you tell them? They aren't going to treat me like some dangerous lunatic, are they?"
Copernicus hmms, "In fact, I think there's a customs agent outside too. Hope your ship has had it's shots. ;) No, Kai, much worse than that. I told them you were a good friend of mine."
Kainudy frowns, "Wonderful.." Then she leaves the shuttle.
Copernicus frowns slightly himself and pads after Kainudy, letting the techs service the shuttle. He pads over to Kainudy's shuttle, "Let's take care of the moa's first Kainudy. How do you get it to release those stasis eggs?"
Kainudy pats the shuttle on one of its legs. An orifice opens, and a dozen giant green balls tumble out. "Like that."
Copernicus eeps and backs up as the techs scramble to collect the eggs. In under a minute they are all in stasis and being carted away. One of the techs purrs, "Thanks m'am. We can sure use some different food until we get some more trade going" as he bows slightly to Kainudy before rushing off with the Moa "eggs".
Kainudy smiles. At least the ground crews are polite.
Kainudy says, "Is it okay to just leave this shuttle here?"
The Customs Agent pads up and ahems, "That depends. Does it need to be fed or any other care provided?"
Kainudy blinks at the new felitaur. "No, it doesn't need anything."
The Customs Agent nods, "Then it can stay here. It's part of why we had you land over to the side. Now for yourself, just a few formalities. Name, planet of origin, gender preferences?"
Copernicus looks at a couple of ships being repaired and figures he'll donate some time here, just to keep in practice. His attention goes back to Kainudy.
Kainudy says, "Kainudy Schantryssrhyn, Tyr or Terra, and what are my choices?"
Copernicus smirks as the Customs Agent purrs, "Male, Female, All, undecided, species biased (and name the species) or not interested right now."
Copernicus purrs, "I take it Smoke and McKrishna never told you about their trip here?;)"
Kainudy blinks and slowly deciphers this. "Not interested, I guess. I can change it later, I assume?"
Kainudy says, "Not all of the details apparently, Copernicus. }:)"
The Customs Agent nods, "Oh, of course. We just do this to make things easier for off worlders. Not everyone understands our culture. Have a good day Ms. Schantryssrhyn. And to you Regulator."
Copernicus blinks, "Er, good day to you too Tantlum."
Copernicus blinks . o O (Why the nice treatment all of a sudden?)
Kainudy nods to Tantlum.
Kainudy whispers to Copernicus, "I thought you said he was a customs agent?"
The Customs Agent nods and pads off, leaving Copernicus a bit bewildered. Finally he purrs, "Yes he is, why?"
Kainudy shrugs, "He didn't ask me about my customs, or tell me about yours."
Copernicus chuckles, "True. He made it much briefer than normal out of deference to me I believe. He just covered the bare necessities. You want to walk or to fly over to that tower over there? It's my clan's home, and I can try and fill you in on the way. We also have some cultural tapes you can look at."
Copernicus hmms, "Come to think of it, most of the races we've dealt with in the past know a lot of our customs, and vice versa. I think we need to upgrade our training right away."
Kainudy spreads her wings to shake out the last twinges of stiffness. "I can probably fly."
Copernicus nods, "Sounds good. We don't allow mechanized travel over the city, except for emergencies. But we all love to fly as much as we can. Follow me Kainudy."
Kainudy nods and takes off after Copernicus.
Copernicus leaps into the air and snaps his wings open, gaining about a few hundred feet in altitude as he checks to see if Kainudy is following. When she catches up he starts a leisurely flight to the tallest tower in the city, a good 50 stories tall. He purrs, "It is good to see you again Kai. My mates are off mining more asteroids as we are in dire need of raw materials, and Melora is still having troubles adjusting to her life here."
Kainudy says, "What sorts of materials are you short on?"
Copernicus purrs, "The stronger metals, titanium, osmium and such. Some of the crystals and other components of warp drives. That's mainly it for now."
Kainudy says, "I'll pass that along to the surveyors."
Copernicus blinks as several of the Chirr'T'Thar flying by wave at him and Kainudy.
Kainudy waves back politely.
Copernicus recovers and purrs, "We'll appreciate that. I don't know if you're familiar with family sleeping arrangements, but we have several unused floors if you want your own space."
Kainudy says, "I've been sleeping in a cocoon for weeks, Copernicus. Anything is better than that. }:)"
A few Chirr'T'Thar circle for a moment, trying to get a better look at Kainudy, and one says something about the lovely blue color. All in all, both Kainudy and Copernicus are being given warm greetings.
Copernicus chuckles, "Well, unless we intend to be with someone for the night, we usually just snuggle up against each other and snooze. Oh, be warned, I apparently have started purring loudly in my sleep though. ;)"
Kainudy says, "And they still let you sleep with the others?"
Copernicus nods, "Purring isn't all that bad, it's not like snoring thankfully. And they just kick me in the side if it gets too bad. ;)"
Kainudy says, "I don't think isolating myself will help reduce xenophobia. I'll sleep in the common nest."
Copernicus nods and purrs, "Whatever you feel comfortable with though, you don't have to make yourself miserable for us, and my family is not very xenophobic. Even my dad just likes to be a grump. You two should hit it off great. ;)"
Kainudy says, "Hrmph."
Copernicus motions to the open roof on the tower and banks down to land in the main living space.
Kainudy lands with a little difficulty, as she's out of practice.
Kainudy takes a moment to really look out over the city.
The city is a mixture of very brightly colored towers, all the entrances seem to be on top. Felitaurs of all shapes and size are flying around, or walking on the ground.
Kainudy wonders where everyone is going to, but doesn't ask. She has time to figure it out.
Kainudy says, "Nice carpeting. }:)"
Copernicus nods, "It's a nice home. I'm sure you'll make comments about the statuary, it embarrassed McKrishna to no end. But we are one of the 50 lines started by the first mother. Oh, how do you like your food?"
Kainudy says, "Anyway but deep-fried."
Copernicus hmms, "Well, ours is usually live."
Kainudy looks at the statues. "I guess you didn't have enough poses to fill a deck of cards.."
Kainudy says, "Live is fine.."
Copernicus points to a couch, "Have a seat. I'll show you how to access the cultural database from that monitor if you want. I think one of my mom's should be home in a bit."
Kainudy tests the couch, then curls up on it.
Copernicus explains the keypad, then brings up the basic menu and purrs, "So, I've created a limited access account for you. You can check on this stuff anywhere there is a terminal now."
Kainudy pokes carefully at the keypad, trying to search for 'dragons' in the database.
Copernicus pads off to get Kainudy something to drink from the kitchen as several references to dragons come up. One about Shiran, one for Cymoryl, Timur, Vorgulremik and one with Kainudy's picture by it.
Kainudy blinks at the pictures. "Where did these images come from?"
A cross check indicates that all the entries were inputed by Copernicus. Sources indicate "photoglobs" or some such.
Kainudy hmms. No native legends to worry about.
Kainudy selects her own entry, out of curiosity..
The entry comes up. Kainudy, Female Dragon, mother to the Stela'Rhyan (see entry). Personal description by Copernicus Skygazer-Talorn follows:
Copernicus's voice purrs, "An amazing person all told. An immortal apparently a few millenia old. Her race has learned to use living organisms instead of technology. I have found her to be at times incredibly aggravating, but then most of Tharhome has felt the same about me. She has had to make some incredibly hard choices in her life, and do her best to live with the repercussions. She's taught me more about dealing with others than I'd normally like to admit. She's very shrewd, and can be quite devious, but despite her protests about not believing in "good and evil" she's a good person deep down. She fights for her friends, and she cares about people.
The screen lights up, "End of personal entry."
Kainudy can't help but smirk, and clears the screen before Copernicus returns from the kitchen.
Copernicus comes back with some cool drinks and hands one to Kainudy before sitting down, "So, think you'll be able to relax here a bit?"
Kainudy sticks her tongue in her drink before nodding.
Copernicus laps at his and then hmms, "Would you prefer a different shaped container?"
Kainudy blinks, "This is fine, I was just tasting it first. My throat's a bit tender from breathing liquid for so long."
Copernicus nods, "It's just berry flavored milk. I remember you liking that. ;)"
Kainudy takes a longer sip. "Mmm, thanks. Helps coat my throat."
Copernicus shifts around on the couch till he's on his back with his torso leaning against a cushion, letting his legs dangle in the air lazily, "I like it too. I think you've met my mothers before, at a festival, right?"
Kainudy says, "That's right. Sorry about not keeping Oolong on a shorter leash then.."
Copernicus chuckles, "Well, Shatter did go after him a bit from what Nebula said. The comment to my father about what to do with the last three months of his life didn't go over well, till I explained to him that Oolong didn't say WHEN the last three months would be coming up."
A flutter of wings announces someone landing on the far end of the roof.
Kainudy cranes her neck to see who it is.
A tiger striped projectile lands on the sprawled form of Copernicus and rubs heads, with an oof Copernicus purrs, "Hiya mom. Kainudy, this is ...stop that, it tickles...this is Nebula, my birth mother. Mom, this is my friend Kainudy."
Nebula rests her arms on her son's chest and purrs, "It's good to see you again. Has my son been treating you properly?"
Nebula's tail is thrashing happily.
Kainudy smiles, "Just fine, Nebula. He's a good host when he gets the chance. }:)"
Nebula chuckles and licks Copernicus's nose before she finally gets off of him and pads over to Kainudy, rubbing heads, "Welcome to our home Kainudy."
Kainudy smiles, "Thank you. Sorry about the bits of jelly in my mane still.."
Nebula blinks, "And Copernicus hasn't offered to take a bath with you yet to help you get clean?"
Copernicus grins, "We just got here mom."
Kainudy says, "Well.. no. He showed me how to use the data terminal though."
Nebula nods, "That's handy, seeing as our culture comes as a bit of a shock to some. Though you did live around Copernicus for nearly two years, so not much can probably shock you anymore. I'll make dinner, while Copernicus can help you bathe. I'd like to thank you, you've been a big help to my son today."
Kainudy blinks, "I have?"
Copernicus blinks, "She has?"
Kainudy says, "I understood that I tore him away from his vacation..?"
Nebula cuffs Coper lightly on the ears, "He lost a few hours of his vacation. But first, it showed how conniving the council is to the rest of Tharhome, hoping to cause an incident by not informing him right away. Secondly, the last of his "Tall tales" have been proven, so people realize he's not lost his mind."
Copernicus looks shocked, "That explains the better treatment, but they thought I was insane?"
Kainudy says, "Insanity and genius are often confused."
Nebula looks mildly embarrassed, "Well, you have to admit, 8 mile long living ships...well, never mind. Thirdly, we can use some friends out here. And despite what many have said about you, nearly everyone agrees you have a pretty good judgment when it comes to friends. (grins) Maybe so Kainudy, though most felt Copernicus was just confused. Anything special you'd like me to make while you two clean up?"
Kainudy says, "I'll eat anything }:)"
Nebula gives Kainudy a bit of a look and nods, "Of course. Well, hurry up. Melora and Imbri will be back in a bit. It's been a long day at the academy, so I'll hurry up with dinner."
Nebula pads off to the kitchen. Why live food needs so much "preparation" has never been made clear, but a variety of squawks and growls can be heard, some from the food.
Kainudy wonders what a Chirr'T'Thar bathroom will look like..
Copernicus rolls over onto his feet and pads over to a central shaft, and jumps in, purring, "This way Kai. It's on the fourth floor."
Kainudy walks to the dropshaft, and follows Copernicus..
The gravity tube allows Copernicus to float down till he gets to the fourth opening and pads into a large room, lit by the sun by wall to wall windows. The floor is clean sparkling sand, about 8 inches deep, with a large amount of vegetation forming private alcoves. In the center is a huge pool size tub full of warm water, and a few benches with supplies along the edge.
Kainudy manages to get out on the proper floor without hurting herself.
Copernicus is padding over to the water as he hears Kainudy arrive and he looks back, "Oh, sorry, should have warned you about the gravity tubes."
Kainudy glances about appreciatively. For a technological people, she finds the Chirr'T'Thar remarkably civilized.
Something skitters under the sand, away from Kainudy's feet.
Kainudy slides across the sand, and leaves her 'cloak' on one of the benches before testing the water.
Copernicus grabs a few brushes from a large rack and purrs, "Why don't you sit on the edge and let me get some of that junk out of your mane first."
Kainudy does so. "This visit should be very interesting. Our positions being reversed, as they are."
Copernicus purrs, "Oh, and let me know if the water is too warm. It can be adjusted. How so Kai?"
Kainudy grins, "You have all the responsibilities and authority, while I can just sit back and enjoy myself."
Copernicus begins getting the amniotic gel out of Kai's mane, flicking it on the sand. Something moves under the sand and pulls it under. After a moment an apparent fight ensues over every piece Copernicus tosses down, he grins, "Well, I'm happy to repay the favor. But I had some responsibilities back then too you know."
Kainudy says, "Not quite the same as you do now, though."
Copernicus nods softly as he finishes cleaning up Kai's mane, tossing the last of it to the little sand sprites and he purrs, "It's not exactly worked the way I hoped. I'm probably going to have to take a temporary leave in a bit, when things settle down. There has been too much change at once. True, it was out of necessity, but I'm the one responsible."
Kainudy relaxes deeper into the pool. "Too much change for the populace, or just for the Council?"
Copernicus grabs a bottle of liquid soap and slips into the pool, mrrrrrring slightly and grins, "Much too much for the Council, especially as they've had no way to control it. Luckily several of the worst ones were removed after trying to have me assassinated again. That kind of stuff doesn't go over well. If you're not willing to challenge someone yourself, then you should just forget about it. The populace is still in shock. Most understand that it's better than dying, but not having me around to remind them for a while would probably be best."
Copernicus grins, "And it gives me some more time off of course. ;)"
A few more furrows appear by Kainudy, then zip off in the sand, apparently playing tag.
Kainudy hrmms, "And time for your opponents to move without your knowledge. But I probably shouldn't give you advice, lest they use it as an excuse to say you're controlled by 'alien influences' or something."
Copernicus hands some soap to Kainudy, "Let me know if you need help with your back. Despite what mom thinks, you're probably not as open about communal baths. As for my enemies moving without me knowing, I'm not in this alone. The move here, while accidental, has been a blessing. The total disruption of the old trade agreements, many of which were in the hands of the worst of the council, has tossed the old system out the window. And too many were waiting for a chance to change things to let it re-grow. The only rallying cry the remaining few have is me, and letting me fade from view for a few months while my other allies work and keep me informed may be best."
Kainudy grins, "A lucky side effect, indeed. I guess you haven't heard about the bath I got from Distant once? }:) I'd be happy to have some help with my back."
Copernicus nods, "Just so you return the favor. It's why taurs rarely bathe by themselves."
Copernicus finishes scrubbing Kainudy's back and wings, and purrs happily while Kai returns the favor. They head back up and have a lively meal before the group piles up together. Copernicus heads off with Melora, so Kainudy has a quiet night, assuming she's not allergic to fur.