Nimby's Refuge is shaping up fast. At this point, mostly the landscaping needs to be finished, the buildings themselves done, at least on the outside. Wolfsinger, thrilled to have a working translator on an armbadge now, has been searching for something to do, and decides to go visit the grumpy dragon at her temporary quarters.
As the wolf pads up to the floor where Kainudy has taken residence, he notes that all of the felitaurs seem to be working everywhere BUT here. Seems even they know enough to let sleeping dragons lie.
The dragon in question seems to just be sitting around and.. rubbing rocks against her scales?
WolfSinger pushes the palmpad button. "Wuf?
A kind of annoying "meow" like doorchime can be heard.
Kainudy stops her scrubbing and looks to the doorway. "Yes? Oh, hello WolfSinger. What can I do for you?"
WolfSinger barks, "scrubbing yourself with rocks? looks like you could use a new coat of oil for your scales to keep them shiney!"
Kainudy holds out the 'rock' to WolfSinger, "It's pumice. Best natural soap there is for scales."
WolfSinger barks, "ah.... good for scales and skin, but not for fur...."
Kainudy smiles and shrugs, "Nothing's perfect. I see you've gotten rid of your big box."
WolfSinger barks, "yep... they programmed this armbadge with what the translator device learned.""
The dragon leans closer to peer at the shiny badge. "Convenient. So what brings you here?"
WolfSinger barks, "I have a little statue to show you." His tail wags excitedly.
Kainudy raises her eyebrows, "Oh? Something from your homeworld?"
WolfSinger barks, "One of the felitaurs gave it to me... it's pretty neat!"
>Simtra, with the help of daylight and Samantha's instructions, has
finally made his way to Haven to do some business. Earlier, Chastity
had gotten a ride over to Haven with Copernicus, so she could look around
for some more herbs, and possibly a place to set up shop. Copernicus
has, as usual, wandered off somewhere. For a supposed feline, he rarely
stays in one place.
Kainudy sits down on all fours so her head will be at the same level as WolfSinger's. "Oh, I'm curious now!"
The statue is of a stylized dragon of sorts, more on a chameleon body plan. It's of a deep amber, and when held up to the light, has a very intricate crystalline lattice that permeates through it.
WolfSinger grins. His tail wags excitedly. "pretty, isn't it?"
Kainudy looks at the way light plays inside the figurine. "That's very beautiful! Did one of the felitaurs make it?"
WolfSinger barks, "I think he said he got it from someone in Haven... Never been there myself."
The dragoness hmms, and examines the figure more closely. "I didn't think they'd have the means to make something like this. It's not glass or amber." She watches the patterns of light some more, and asks WolfSinger, "Do you know if it has been analyzed to see what it's made out of?"
>Simtra pants lightly from the load that he has been carrying as
looks for a place to sell it.
>One of the the skunk guard walks by Simtra, looking all official
in his new armor. And looking rather bored.
WolfSinger barks, "nope..... it is very pretty! I know how dragons like pretty shiny things... I had a close dragon friend once. The felitaur said he bought it in a simple trinket shop."
Kainudy hands the figurine back, and asks, "You knew a dragon? Did your felitaur friend say where the shop was?"
>Simtra looks at the guard for a moment but tries to avoid making
eye contact to try to keep the guard from bothering him.
WolfSinger barks, "I knew a young red dragon on my home world. His name was Thae'aradon." He thinks for a moment. "I didn't really ask where he got it. It was in some market place in Haven where they sell allot of trinkets and jewelry and stuff."
>The guard, noticing Simtra's avoiding him, walks over, "Can I help
you with something citizen?"
"Hmmm," the dragon ponders. "Let's go find one of the construction workers. I need to borrow a laser."
WolfSinger tilts his head. "A laser? What for?"
The construction crews, or destruction crews as Kainudy calls them, are working on floor 15 of the tower, clinging to the sides as if by static electricity. Or at least a suspension of disbelief.
>Simtra sighs softly, "I guess so. Would you be able to show me
where I would be able to trade these gems that I have?"
Kainudy says, "I want to shine it through the figurine. There might be a hologram encoded in it."
WolfSinger barks, "A hologram? what makes you think there'd be a hologram in it? Well, and long as you don't melt it or anything... I wanna keep it. It reminds me of ole' Thae... I miss him. ::sniffle::"
Kainudy says, "Oh, it won't melt! I'm sure they have data lasers, I saw them installing a lot of glass fibers."
>Chastity walks along the wharves of Haven, a satchel slung over
her shoulder bouncing against her hip as she pads along, leaning on her
cane. She stops every now and then, asking a few merchants how they came
to come into possession of their stores.
>The guard nods, "Down towards the far end of town we have one jeweler,
and some smiths. And a couple of the street vendors use stuff like
that. Do you want an escort?"
WolfSinger barks, "oh... okay. I still don't know what would make you think this statue has some kinda secret hologram, though..."
Kainudy leans out of a window (or maybe it's just an open wall, hard to tell), and yells up at the workers several levels above, "Hey! Where can I get a communication laser?!"
>Simtra shifts the pack to the other shoulder, "Well that could be
helpful. If you would lead the way."
>Many of the merchants talk about having inherited the shops for
generations, though a few mention to Chastity that now and then someone
decides to quit, and older, more worn shops can be bought, for a price.
One of the females purrs, "The communication center isn't finished yet. Try the storage room next to the food supply." and then waves to Kainudy as she goes back to work.
WolfSinger's ears flatten as Kainudy yells out the window. Dragons DO tend to be a bit loud for sensitive wolf ears when they yell.
>Chastity finds herself going a bit off the beaten path, a little
deeper into the city, but not too far, keeping the docks in sight, looking
for older shops and also an area where there isn't already an herbalist,
apothecary, or similar profession.
>The guard nods, "I'm Graffi by the way. Follow me, and stay close."
as the young skunk struts. It's hard for a teenager not to show off
when he's one of the city guard.
Kainudy grins to the wolf, "Let's go get some lunch, and raid the AV closet."
>Simtra quickly follows behind Graffi as he leads the way.
WolfSinger grins! and prances on down the hallway.
>The young skunk pads along and stops at a fairly large tent, though
you can't see much inside, the tables at the edges are loaded with
figurines carved out of many different types of metals and minerals. Graffi
hmms, "Not sure if he's in the market. Want to ask him?"
>Simtra nods, "I will try here. However, will you be near by in case
he is not buying and I need to find another merchant?"
>Graffi nods and pads over to get some of the free food guards are
allotted, while the merchant, a rather friendly looking feline of some
sort, comes out and purrs, "How may I help you sir?"
>Simtra bows his head in a greeting, "I have some assorted raw gems
that I wish to sell. Are you buying?"
>It's getting frustrating trying to find the right place. Chastity
turns the corner to a nice, if somewhat secluded neighborhood, not TOO
far from the docks. An old two story house, made of large pieces of stone,
dominates the street. It is well built, if looking a bit primitive
in comparison to some of the houses, but very clean. The door has been
elaborately done in designs, suggesting jewelry. Next door, is a wooden
house. Rather small and simple. It's looking a bit weathered, and is
maybe a few years overdue for some paint and minor repairs, but still
fairly nice.
>The feline hmms, "Possibly. We tend to do carvings. What types of
stones do you have?
>Chas tilts her head to the side, and pads around the house, looking
it over. Then she grins a little bit, and pads up to the doorway.
She knocks on it with her cane. "Hello? Anybody home?"
>Despite her knocking, no one seems to be at home. Some dusty looking
furniture can be seen inside.
>Chastity hrms softly, ad takes a few steps in, tapping the floor
with her cane to check it's strength. She walks towards the stairs, looking
around. "A rather nice place," she murmurs."
>Simtra places his pack on the ground and pulls out a few gems,
"Mostly I have rubies and some sort of turquoise colored gem. I also have
a few others types in my pack."
>The feline hmmms, "Raw rubies? I don't deal with those much. I
understand
there is a jeweler in town who does. How big is the turquoise?"
>As Chastity explores the house, it becomes clearer that it has been
abandoned for some reason. The few meager pieces of furniture still
have coverings, and the kitchen still has some of it's utensils. The dust
would seem to indicate it has been uninhabited for about 3
years.
>Chas frowns slightly at the utensils, then heads up the stares --
carefully, never know how weak an old stair is.
>Simtra hands the feline a gem that is a about the size of both of
his paws put together, "I have about three more of them like that in
my pack."
>The upstairs is tiny, an attic room apparently. A small desk, and
on it, a few pieces of paper.
>The merchant hmms at Simtra, "Some nice pieces. I'll probably take
them all. Where did you get them? And of course, how much?"
>Chastity, pads over quietly to the desk, looking around curiously.
She tests the chair a little, leaning on it, before brushing off the
seat and sitting down.
>Among the papers on the desk is one labelled "Public Notice". It
has what looks like a nail hole in it near the top.
>Chas frowns, lifting up the paper and reading it...
>Simtra pulls the other three gems out of his pack, "Well I picked
them up from the town of Turning Point, and as to how much. . . Three
gold pieces?"
>The paper notifies the public that the occupants of this house have
died of the spreading madness. From the description, Chastity gets
the idea that it was something along the lines of contagious distemper,
but the virus should be dead after 3 years.
>The merchant starts as if shot, "3?! My, I don't need them that
badly. One gold coin for the lot."
>Chas blinks, shivering a bit, her tail twitching. She glances around,
one hand almost involuntarily touching the pendant at her throat.
Three years? For some viruses that's a nice short nap. But if it had
still been here then the city would have long been deserted.
>Simtra blinks, "Only one gold piece!?! I had to bring these all
of the way from Turning Point. I will tell ya what, how 'bout two gold
and a rod of silver?"
>The merchant shakes his head, "I have to be able to sell them at
a profit. A gold and a silver rod."
The dragon and her wolf co conspirator descend upon the store rooms that are recessed behind the tower. One quite large, and resembling a cross between a delicatessen and a zoo. The other full of equipment.
Kainudy starts building a dragon-sized sandwich, and asks WolfSinger, "So, what did you do before showing up here in reality's armpit?"
WolfSinger peeks into the equipment room at all devices and gizmos. "Well, ummmm.. thanks to some quantum spatial irregularities, I got bounced around between a few planets.
Kainudy leaves a trail of crumbs on the way to the equipment room. "Do you know what a laser would look like?"
>Simtra turns to see if the guard is near by, "I am sure that someone
else would buy them if you don't. But just for you how about 2 gold?"
>Chastity reads through the papers some more, then purses her lips,
nodding slowly. She folds them and tucks them into her satchel, and
moves to stand -- then hesitates. She sits back down again, and rests
a hand on the desk, looking it over. "I wonder who you were,' she muses
softly to herself
WolfSinger barks, "well, most of the ones I've seen have some sort of tube where the lasing takes place."
>The merchant hmmms, "Two gold is still steep. But maybe you can
help me out a bit to make up for it. How about I give you one of my simpler
figurines. Just keep it out and in the open, and if people ask about
it, show it to them and tell them where to get it. Sound fair?"
Looking around the mass of strange equipment, Kainudy notes, "Lots of things have tube shapes."
WolfSinger barks, "Well, a communications laser would be smaller since the are low power. Probably some sort of hand held device."
>The desk doesn't respond, but you get a sense of the person who
once owned it. The desk, while in good shape, shows signs of heavy use,
and some of the pages seem to have poems on them.
Kainudy finishes her sandwich and starts rummaging around through the hand-held tools.
>Peering closer at the pages, Chastity lifts up the sheets, holding
them up to the beams of light filtering through the windows, in which
dust-motes dance in the afternoon sun. She begins to read..
One hand held tool has the tubular look that Wolfsinger described. And a simple thumbpad style button.
>Simtra smiles, "Sounds good. Would I be able to see the figurine
before I agree?"
"Think this might be likely?" the dragon asks, showing the gizmo to WolfSinger before aiming it at the wall and pushing the button.
WolfSinger barks, "That might be one... point it away from you and press the buttons."
>The merchant nods and puts out three amber colored figurines. One
carved into a skunkmorph form, the others are a fox and stag, respectively.
The feline purrs, "Take your pick. And...what was that?" as he hears
a small explosion echo from where those weird spacers are moving in.
After about ten minutes, the Chirr'T'Thar remove the rubble by where there storage wall USED to be and look inside to the unhurt pair, "What exactly were you trying to communicate with?" purrs the surprised felitauress.
WolfSinger yippss! "ummmmmm... sorry!
Kainudy blinks in the sunlight. "I wanted to see if there was a hologram embedded in a figurine WolfSinger showed me. Where do you keep the low-powered lasers?"
>Simtra ignores the explosion and places the raw gems on the table
and looks over each of the three figurines and points to the fox figurine,
"I think I would like to have that one."
The felitauress sighs, "Well, you only blew out the wall and a chunk of the hillside we needed to excavate anyhow. Here, let me." and after a minute of rummaging, comes up with a pencil sized rod with a button. As she pads out, "Only thing you need to know is, don't shine it in your eyes." Yeesh, she's like Copernicus.
>The merchant nods, "I rather thought you'd pick that one. Here are
your coins, and have a good day."
>The papers that Chastity can make out indicate that this room belonged
to a young doe, and that her father had been a traveler, and had
picked up the spreading madness from a ship. After that, her writings
stop.
WolfSinger whimpers a little. His ears are flushed red with embarrassment.
Kainudy hands the device to WolfSinger, "It's too small for my fingers."
WolfSinger nods, and aims it out the hole in the wall, and winces before pressing the button.
>Simtra picks up the figurine and places it in his pack. "It was
good trading with you."
>Chastity bites her lip, then hesitates, looking between her satchel
and the desk. For the moment, she slips the papers back where they
were, and stands, taking another look around the room.
>The merchant tut tuts, "At least through the market, you need to
carry it openly. So people can see it."
A small, bluish dot appears in the fresh crater in the hillside. But nothing else happens. It's safe to use on the figurine.
WolfSinger barks, "hmmmm... looks safer then the one you picked. ::grins sheepishly::"
>Simtra nods and removes the figurine from the pack and carries it
in his left paw.
Kainudy says, "Okay, shine the laser through the statue onto that wall there, so we can see any diffraction patterns."
WolfSinger places the figurine on a table, and aims the laser at it, pressing the button.
>Graffi explains to Simtra how to get to Michael's shop, noting that
the jeweler has very little fur, and is a bit odd, but otherwise a
model citizen.
>Chas pads down the steps, her fingertips brushing the wall. She
leaves the house, and looks around, frowning. Finally she heads for the
market, to ask someone there where she can find the city housing office,
or the county clerk's office, or something...
>Simtra thanks Graffi for the help and turns in the direction of
Michael's shop.
No image appears on the wall, but the beam passes into the figurine, and travels along the crystal lattice inside, causing a series of complicated pulses of light to be just barely visible.
Kainudy turns her attention from the wall to the figurine itself. "What's that inside? Do you see it?"
WolfSinger barks, "hmmmmm..... no hologram, but some pretty special effects." He peers inside the figuring, now illuminated internally by the laser.
>A large number of the furs walking about the merchant area admire
the vulpine figurine Simtra is carrying, and one tall stag, wearing lots
of metal jewelry, including necklaces and rings asks, "May I see that
for a minute? It's a lovely piece."
The pattern of flashes seems to repeat after about a minute, with a 5 second pause between repetitions.
WolfSinger barks, "looks like there might be something small inside, hard to tell, though.... hmmm... might be some kinda binary code."
>Simtra nods as he hands the figurine up to the stag, "I don't see
why not."
Kainudy rubs her chin. "Maybe there's a.. computer.. in there do you think?"
>The stag grasps the figurine with his ringed hand and looks at it
for nearly a minute and then asks, "Wonderful work. Where did you get
it? And does he do does perchance?"
WolfSinger barks, "could be, but who'd put a computer in a figurine? If it is binary, we should try to decode it."
The dragon shrugs, "What do I know about computers? The Chirr'T'Thar should be able to figure it out, right?"
>Simtra points to the large tent, "I got it from a feline just down
there a little ways. I am sure he would be able to make you another
one like it if you wanted."
WolfSinger barks, "we could probably ask one of them... after helping fix the wall, of course."
Kainudy pats the wolf on the shoulder, "Good plan. Let me know how it turns out?"
>The stag nods, and finally releases his grip on the figurine. A
soft scraping noise can be heard as his ring rubs against it and then hands
it to Simtra, "Well, I'll go see then. Thank you for your time citizen."
and walks off towards the booth.
WolfSinger peeks out the hole in the wall, looking for the 'taur that was there earlier.
>Simtra takes the figurine and checks it over for a sec to see if
there is any damage to it.
>The figurine is unhurt, but seems to have a slight glow inside for
a moment. While Simtra checks the figurine, the stag walks right by
the booth and disappears into the crowd.
Simtra and Chastity wander off on their own respective hunts this day, but Wolfsinger and Kainudy have a puzzle before them, and Wolfsinger tries to search out one of the odd felitaurs for help.
WolfSinger barks, "We need ta find someone that might know how to decode this thing... that felitaur that gave us the laser is gone now, though..."
"Probably someone that works with their computers could do it," the dragon suggests. "Maybe one of the pilots?"
WolfSinger barks, "well, lets get going! I like looking at the shuttles anyway..."
Kainudy looks at the hole in the wall, and knocks a few more chunks free so that she can fit through. "Okay."
WolfSinger's tail wags excitedly. "I think I'll offer to help fix that later." He takes the laser with him to show whoever they find.
Kainudy says, "Do you know where the shuttles are roosting?"
WolfSinger barks, "yeah... they gotta big landing pad.. can't miss it!"
The island seems fairly deserted, with the only activity being over by the volcano where they are installing the thermal plant. The shuttle field is clear, but the door leading to the underground hangers can be seen set into the hillside several hundred yards away.
WolfSinger barks, "see? over that way... they keep the shuttles underground to keep 'em safe."
Kainudy heads towards the door, and asks, "Safe from what?"
WolfSinger barks, "the elements, I guess... or maybe attack....."
"They must get bored being underground all of the time though," the dragon comments.
Luckily for the dragon, felitaurs are not tiny either, so the sliding doors to the underground facility are plenty big enough for her and Wolfsinger.
WolfSinger barks, "from what I've seen of the felitaurs, they seen to make fun where it doesn't exist."
Kainudy smirks at Wolfsinger, enters the passageway.
The tunnel is softly lit, and drops 20 feet as it spirals left, til it opens up into a large underground hangar where 6 shuttles are presently housed, and two more are being rebuilt. One lone felitaur can be seen working on the belly of one shuttle.
Kainudy blinks at the sight of shuttle parts spread around the two being worked on, and suppresses a shudder.
WolfSinger barks, "you okay?"
The dragon turns to the wolf, "Just not quite used to mechanical spacecraft yet.."
WolfSinger barks, "I think there's someone over there working on one."
Only the hindquarters of this felitaur can be seen as he is deep underneath the shuttle working on the repulsors, but it is clear he's male.
Kainudy nods, "Might be best if you get his attention.."
WolfSinger pads over to the 'taur, and peeks underneath.
WolfSinger barks, "ummmm.. excuse me sir?"
A head clunking sound is followed by an oath to the firstmother's sore back and finally a young, tawny colored male appears, "Yes, what do you want?"
Kainudy looks over the wolf's shoulder.
WolfSinger barks, "do you have any way to decode a binary signal? we think we found a message in this statuette."
The felitaur looks at the wolf, and at Kainudy, and hmmfs. "I have a lot of work to do, do you really need to read your mail so badly?"
Kainudy takes a moment to parse that. "Oh, yes, that kind of mail. Actually, it's an artifact."
WolfSinger tilts his head a little. "well, umm... it would be nice... unless ya can point me in the direction of someone who can help....
The male felitaur blinks confusedly, "An artifact? Of what? I know I'm young, but that doesn't mean you can pull something over on me easily."
WolfSinger holds the statue out to the 'taur to show him. "we shined a laser through it, it it gave of some kinda binary code... my binary is a little rusty, though."
With a look of surprise, the felitaur hmms, "That is odd. My name is Boros by the way. What kind of code?"
Kainudy says, "Shine the laser through it for him, WolfSinger."
WolfSinger sets the figurine on the floor, and holds the laser up to it. He turns it on, and the pulses of light return. "neat, huh?
Boros blinks, "That does look like some sort of pulsed light encoding system. Where did you get this?"
WolfSinger barks, "another 'taur gave it tome... he said he got it somewhere on the mainland."
Boros looks doubly surprised, "This is a native piece of art? Very odd indeed. The shuttle over there has some analysis equipment, mostly used for ore typing.
Kainudy says, "Do you know how to work the equipment, Boros?"
The young male hmmfs, and purrs loudly, "Of course I do. Just because I haven't reached the age of trrlecht doesn't mean I'm an idiot." and pads off to the shuttle.
WolfSinger barks, "ummmm.. the age of what? errrr... nevermind...." He follows Boros."
Kainudy looks at WolfSinger and shrugs. "Trrlecht? I wonder if that's when they start falling out of the sky."
Boros hops into the shuttle and disappears from view for the moment.
WolfSinger peeks into the shuttle, his tail wagging excitedly.
Kainudy just waits by the hatch. No telling when of these things might just explode.
The shuttle interior is rather roomy from the wolf's point of view, being designed for beings the size of small horses. The control panels are in easy to reach places, and instead of chairs there are flight couches. In the rear, Boros is setting the figurine on a small table amidst a set of diagnostic lazers.
WolfSinger pads over to Boros and stands next to him. "find anything yet?" he asks. His tail swishes excitedly.
Boros hmmfs, "Still setting things up. I want the main processor to record the output so we have a hope of figuring out the code. Oh, and tell your dragon friend that we start "tempering" a year after we can fly. Usually at 16. I am 19. trrlecht is when we Chirr'T'Thar start to physically mature. And also act like idiots for a few years. Ok, almost ready. Say, why is she outside?"
"I can hear just fine out here," Kainudy calls through the hatch. "And you only act like idiots for a 'few' years if you die early, otherwise it's permanent!"
WolfSinger barks, "oh, ummm... I don't think she likes shuttles or something."
Boros blinks, "She hasn't met a Chirr'T'Thar in trrlecht. Copernicus was well past that when he left Tharhome. Oh well, she's probably better off. Ok, I'm about ready, let me check the position of the figurine."
WolfSinger wags excitedly, watching the statue.
Boros hands Wolfsinger a set of special eye protectors, "No telling how the laser beams will bounce. No need to lose your retinas." and yet doesn't put any on himself.
WolfSinger nods, and puts the goggles on. He looks real goofy with them on.
Kainudy calls, "Are you done in there yet?" from the hatchway.
"Not yet!" WolfSinger calls out. "He's just turning the laser on now."
Boros runs through a few more checks, then turns on the scanning lasers and he grumps, "I'm doing this because of my own curiosity, and it might be important. I'm supposed to be fixing that shuttle instead of this, so keep your tail down."
WolfSinger's tail is not down, it's wagging excitedly. "Well, I might be able ta help you in some way if ya want."
Kainudy hmphs. Since when did a felitaur ever want her to keep her tail down?
Boros watches the laser scan the insides of the figurine, blinking at the complex crystalline lattice inside. Curiosity piqued, he turns on the data lasers, "This is interesting. Let's see what we can get here." and watches the monitors as the lasers ricochet around inside.
WolfSinger barks, "pretty, huh?"
Images start to take shape on the monitors. Some of the felitaurs, some of the mining station and gate, and there is one of Charon playing with asteroids in the Nexus system.
Kainudy tries to look over WolfSinger's shoulder from the hatch.
An image of the device the Stela'rhyan are making shows up on the monitor as Kai peaks over, with some odd characters underneath it. Then the image goes out of focus.
WolfSinger barks, "is that all coming out of that figurine?"
Borus nods, "It has some form of data crystal woven inside it. Very impressive. But I'm having troubles keeping the signal locked."
The dragon's ears shoot up and her mane puffs out.
WolfSinger barks, "Something wrong, Kai?"
"We have to find out where this figurine came from," the dragon says with forced calm.
WolfSinger barks, "I suppose we're lucky we got that much out of it...."
Boros hrrms, "The signal is degrading rapidly and...what's that smell?"
WolfSinger sniffsniffs at the air.
Small whisps of smoke are coming from the figurine, which is in the process of rapid melt down.
WolfSinger barks, "ack!! you melted it!! ::whimper!::"
"WHAT?!" roars Kainudy, as she pushes her way into the shuttle..
Boros turns and blinks, "That shouldn't have happened. I was using less power than the laser you used. A lot less."
The young male felitaur turns off the lasers quickly, but it seems that a chain reaction has been triggered as the figurine continues to melt into a pile of goo.
Kainudy frowns, "Can you still tell what it was made out of at least??"
WolfSinger's ears and tail droop. "I hope you were recording that...
Boros hmms, "Well, we have some idea of the structure of it, but it seems to have some sort of failsafe built into it."
WolfSinger barks, "What were those pictures of? "
Boros hmms, "Well, some of them were of our orbital stations here. Others were of those odd living ships that some dragon supposedly gave birth to somehow."
WolfSinger barks, "living ships??"
Kainudy relaxes a bit, "So a Chirr'T'Thar made that figurine then?"
Boros shakes his head, "Nope, it's not anything I've ever seen before."
Kainudy blinks. "Then how did those images get stored in it?"
WolfSinger looks at the melted figurine on the stand. "I've heard of technology to store data in crystals before.
Boros shrugs, "Seems that someone has been collecting information. Well, if you find another one, let me know. I'm behind on fixing those repulsors."
"That's it?" the dragon asks. "You aren't alarmed that someone is eavesdropping on your transmissions??"
Boros is already putting things away, "We don't trasmit critical data anyhow, and I will report it, we've got a lot of repairs to do first."
WolfSinger whimpers looking at the melted mess. "And that was a pretty statue, too."
Kainudy says, "Just because you didn't see any critical data in the scan doesn't mean it's not being recorded!!"
The young felitaur shrugs, "I said I'd report it. I have to get back to that shuttle now."
WolfSinger barks, "ummmm... anything I can help with since you helped us?"
Boros finishes putting away the diagnostic laser system and turns to Wolfsinger, "No need. I was kind of curious about it too. And I had a short break coming, but I really have to get back to work."
Kainudy grabs WolfSinger, "Come on, we're going to find the Felitaur that gave you that statue.."
WolfSinger eeeeppppsss!! as he unexpectedly gets dragged away.
Boros shrugs and crawls back into the repulsor assembly and returns to work as the odd pair return to the surface.
WolfSinger coughs and gags! "okay! I'll take ya to him, but let go of my collar!"
A handful of felitaurs can be seen working on the sides of the small, 15 story or so tower that is going up, some of them apparently walking up the walls as if they were one of those garfield car window toys.
WolfSinger barks, "How do they climb the walls like that?"
Kainudy asks the wolf, "Do you recognize any of them?"
WolfSinger barks, "nope.... maybe he's inside?"
"Hmmm." Kainudy goes up to the side of the building and just yells, "Hey! Did any of you buy a figurine and give it to WolfSinger here?!"
WolfSinger's ears flatten at the yelling. =X
The wolf's ears aren't the only one to go flat, and finally Ceres pops her head out a crawlspace, "I think that was Sirius, he and Leda have gone off on a mission I believe."
WolfSinger barks, "A mission? will they be back soon?"
Ceres shakes her head, "Nope, going to be gone a week or two, doing a run to our old location by way of the gate."
"Do you know where he bought it from then?" Kainudy calls up.
Ceres nods, "I think he said he bought it from a street vendor near the docks in Haven."
Kainudy calls back, "Right. Thanks Ceres!" Turning to WolfSinger she asks, "Want to go to town and do some shopping?"
WolfSinger looks up at the dragon. "Let me guess... we're going to Haven?"
Kainudy grins and nods.
WolfSinger barks, "Is it a big town? I've only heard it mentioned a few times..."
Kainudy stretches her wings a few times, and replies, "Define big? It looked like it had a few thousand people at least."
WolfSinger's ears drop again. "ick... I hate crowded places...."
Kainudy says, "Well, the booth is supposedly near the docks. Maybe it won't be too crowded there."
WolfSinger barks, "good. Now, how do we get there?"
Kainudy smiles. "We fly of course!" The dragoness lays on the ground, and says, "Climb aboard."
WolfSinger looks a little surprised. "NOW?? You must have seen something in those pictures that I missed." He reluctantly climbs onto the dragon's back and holds on tight, closing his eyes.
Kainudy says, "It's an emergency, that's why. Someone is spying on us!"
Kainudy leaps into the air and starts beating her wings..
WolfSinger holds on for dear life. "ack!! now don't fly too high or make any sudden moves... I don't wanna fall off and end up as shark bait!"
The rather odd sight of a wolfman riding the back of a bright blue dragon startles a few of the sailors who are sailing down the Big Serpent and out to the sea. Considering how they reacted to her first arrival, Kainudy may have some interesting times in Haven.