It's been one of those days, thinks Copernicus. At least the meeting with the Varella went pretty well back on Tharhome, but dealing with some of these other races who suddenly try to claim what used to be empty space, just cause now there is a solar system in it. Yeesh. And of course the folks in Haven are still a bit touchy about him and his friends. And, oh yes, he nearly forgot, those odd statues that apparently serve a dual purpose as data storage units. He forgot about those, best check with Kainudy and group in a bit. Someone said they came back to Nimby's refuge in the last few days. He finds a nice warm spot on the nearly finished tower and sprawls on his back, ready to snooze.
In the unfinished tower, a dragon drifts up through a tube and yells out Copernicus' name at every level.
Copernicus stretches his wings out and soaks up some sun. (What, you didn't know all felines are solar powered? ;)
Copernicus's ears flick as he hears Kainudy screeching for him. He hopes if he lies VERY still, she won't see him.
"AHA!" shouts a familiar voice. Kainudy has reached the roof. "There you are! You aren't trying to hide from me or anything, are you?"
Copernicus drats and goes for his next ploy. He plays dead.
Simtra ears turn white as he watches Kainudy rise up the tower shaft.
Kainudy stalks over to the feiltaur. "Don't try to play dead. We blew up a mountain at Turning Point."
Copernicus goes from playing dead to wishing he were. Finally, without opening his eyes, he purrs, "Any reason why?"
Kainudy shrugs, "It was an accident. I need you to dig something out of the rubble. A big crystal brain."
Copernicus nods. Of course. She blows it up, then wants HIM to dig stuff out of the rubble. He groans and starts rolling to his feet, "Well, I'll have my staff look into it. (Gah, I can't believe I just used that line.) Meanwhile, we need to have you retrieve a few things from the mining station. My mates are complaining."
Kainudy blinks, "Complaining? Oh, I think nanocritters are involved in the way the brain thing works, too."
Copernicus smiles in spite of it all, "Well...wait a minute? I thought I told you and Jenora to wait till we had more time to investigate? Why'd you go anyhow?"
Simtra walks over to the tube and looks up, "Kai? Are you up there?"
Kainudy waves over to Simtra, then tells Copernicus, "Told us to wait? You sent a message telling us to go on ahead, and money to cover the trip expenses."
Copernicus blinks, "I sent some food and money, but the letter clearly said hold on."
A lone grey shape stands at the corner of a room so vast that the concept barely fits it, staring off into the vast, bleak darkness that no amount of lighting seems to dispel. The lupine turns and walks from the cavernous space, content for the moment with a cursory visual examination.
Simtra gulps at seeing how high up the dragon it.
Kainudy says, "No, it said to go on ahead. Jenora read it too."
Simtra sits down next to the opening and hopes that someone comes back down soon.
Copernicus hrrrrrrrrms, "Someone or something must have altered it. Great. Is Jenora around?"
Copernicus pads towards the gravity tube as he scritches his flanks a bit. He had SO hoped to catch a nap.
Kainudy says, "She stayed on the mainland to do something."
Copernicus nods, "Well, I'd prefer talking about this when everyone who went was around. For the time being, we might as well deal with your shuttle and talking bean bag, before Ceres, Aurora and Libra get really annoyed."
Simtra finds a small rock and throws it into the tube to see what happens.
Copernicus leans over into the tube just in time to get thunked under the chin with a rock. "Urk?!"
Kainudy says, "You brought my shuttle? Why are they complaining?"
Copernicus peers down and sees Simtra at the bottom, and then jumps in and floats down, "Simtra, tossing objects in a gravity tube isn't a great idea. Luckily, I'm not easily hurt. How have you been? And how is Chastity." He really doesn't want to go into why Kai's "living tech" bothers his mates. No sense hurting her feelings.
The lupine navigates the labyrinth of corridors slowly, familiar but cautious. The trip back to the command center is uneventful...not surprising in this place, where an atmosphere has been absent for a very long time.
Simtra says, "Oh, sorry about the rock, Copernicus. I did not know what it would do. Me, well this has been a most 'interesting' week that I have ever had. As for Chastity, she should be doing well back in Haven with the supplies."
Simtra stands back up and dusts the dirt off himself.
Copernicus nods to Simtra, "Well, this has been a learning experience for all involved, I hope we don't scare you. I understand you're into mining? How would you like to visit my mates' mining station? I'm taking Kai up to get some of her property."
Simtra says, "Really? I do trade in ore. Does it have any rare ore that I would be able to have a sample of?"
Copernicus nods, "Some very hard ones. Iridium. Maybe some Osmium. No problem with small samples. You're welcome to come along. Kai, you ready?"
Kainudy nods. "As ready as ever to ride in one of those deathtraps."
Simtra says, "I have not heard of those types, but then in that case, they must be rare. Oh, about how far of walk is it to this mine?"
Copernicus hmmfs at Kainudy, "Why, by the first mothers bountiful teats, would you be afraid of our shuttles? They're perfectly safe Kainudy. Oh, this is in orbit Simtra. About 50,000 miles up."
"Because I've seen the people that work on them," the dragon smirks.
Simtra gulps, "Orbit? Uh, would we be taking one of those shuttle thingies that I have heard you guys talking about?"
Copernicus hmmfs, "You've never seen someone get hurt in one. Repairing one doesn't count. Yep. One of our quite safe shuttles, despite Kai's paranoia."
Simtra says, "I guess I would like to go, but only if I might be able to fill my pack up with some of ore that you said that was in that mine."
The wolf settles into a thickly cushioned chair and sets his helmet aside. He checks the warn-off beacons and sighs, leaning his head back into the padded rest. "If I live to a thousand, I could not finish this."
Copernicus ers and nods, "Sure. That's not much ore. Let's get going. I'm still hoping to get a nap today. Somehow."
Simtra tries to act brave but with his hackles up and blood drained from his ears he does not look it, "So where is this shuttle"
Copernicus points over in the direction of the landing field, where a shuttle is just now rising out of the ground, apparently in response to a signal he sent. He blinks as he sees a slightly startled WolfSinger coming up with it. Talk about fascinated by shuttles. ;)
WolfSinger yips! and backs way front he shuttle. "I swear! I didn't touch any of the controls!"
Copernicus chuckles as he pads up to it, "It's ok WolfSinger. I know, I triggered the platform to bring it to the surface. Want to take a ride?"
WolfSinger answers, "Oooooo!! I thought you'd never ask!" His tail is wagging excitedly.
WolfSinger barks, "I wanna fly one again some day... My old one wasn't anywhere near this big, though."
Copernicus grins at WolfSinger, "Well, it's designed for my race WolfSinger, and we don't' like being cramped. ;) Let's head in and warm it up. You can sit in the co-pilots couch if you want?" as he pads up the ramp into the shuttle.
Kainudy says, "You flew shuttles, WolfSinger? I thought you were afraid of flying?"
WolfSinger quickly runs inside, looking around. "Yeah.. I used to fly a shuttle years ago... until I was attacked by pirates and forced to crash land. and I'm only afraid of flying out in the open whenever you can fall and go splat."
Simtra follows slowly behind Copernicus, but stops at the door or the shuttle, trying to peer in before entering.
Kainudy takes one of the flight couches furthest from the controls.
Copernicus curls up on the flat, mattress like couch, the claws from his four paws dig in as he starts the warm up sequence. The cockpit is pretty roomy with only one felitaur inside. It's designed for 3, and can hold 5. "Take a couch Simtra. Let me adjust it so you can sit up in one."
WolfSinger plops himself down in the co-pilots seat, tail still swishing happily. He looks the controls over.
Simtra slowly enters in, looking around carefully and sits down on the couch that Copernicus finished adjusting.
Kainudy waits patiently for something to explode.
Copernicus purrs, "It should be a smooth take off, but you can strap in if you want."
Simtra finds the straps that Coper was taking about and tries to strap himself in, but is having problems with the buckle.
Copernicus chuckles and pads back to help Simtra strap in, then pads up back to the controls, his fingertips floating over them as the repulsors start lifting the ship from the surface.
WolfSinger barks, "hmmmm.... all electronic controls... no yoke?"
Copernicus's ears flick at WolfSinger, "Yolk? This isn't an egg. Your shuttles must be like Kai's. Ok, we're high enough now, I'll kick in the main thrusters." and everyone feels a slight push from the acceleration, despite the inertial dampers compensating as best they can.
Kainudy digs her claws into her couch.
Simtra oofs as the acceleration hit him.
WolfSinger barks, "well, I actually controlled it using a kind of neural link helmet.... I ummm.... was a 4-footed wolf at the time...."
Copernicus hmms as he adjusts for leaving the atmosphere, and the planet below them shrinks from the viewports. "I had a few friends who switched from four footed to bipedal wolves. Wonder if you're related?"
Simtra shudders as he sees the planet get smaller and smaller.
WolfSinger barks, "I doubt it.... my change wasn't by choice..." He sighs a little.
WolfSinger barks, "pretty, huh, Simtra?"
Simtra just nods his head slowly up and down.
Kainudy cranes her neck to look out at the planet as well. Maybe it will explode. Something bad is sure to happen whenever she rides in one of these things.
Copernicus hrrms at Simtra and alters course slightly, "How would you like a good view of your largest moon? You'll be the first to get this close, and it's quite pretty. You can still see Jenora's imprint on the far surface."
WolfSinger barks, "do you have any kind of galactic maps I can look at some day? I'd kinda like to figure out where I wound up... that worm hole could have dumped me anywhere."
Kainudy says, "This region is the armpit of nowhere, WolfSinger."
Copernicus thtttptptptps at Kainudy, "She's not usually this cheerful. ;) We're still mapping this galaxy. We haven't been here long. Ah, here we go, if you look outside Simtra you can start seeing the moon. And...that's odd?"
Simtra looks out the window for a bit and then back into the cabin trying not to shake. "I think I will just look around in here for a while"
Kainudy uh ohs.. "What's odd? It's going to crash into the planet, isn't it?"
Dark eyes look at the screens for a few minutes and crease into a frown. No one has flown this close yet...will they listen to the beacons?
Copernicus shakes his head, "No, there seem to be some warning beacons around a large area of the moon. I do remember Zilvar borrowed a shuttle a while back, said he was going exploring. Hmmm. Let me send a general hail."
Zilvar rubs the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. "I can look on the bright side, and say that whoever they are just verified which light is for incoming messages...or..." He leans over and barks into the comm, "What?"
Copernicus's voice responds, "Zilvar? What's up? Why the warning beacons?"
A heavy sigh, then, "To keep people away?"
A moments silence, and then, "Everyone? From the whole moon? We still have some invader wreckage we are salvaging in one spot. But if that's what you want, I think I can arrange it, but I do...need to see what's going on first. I trust you, but the Chirr'T'Thar are a bit nervous. You understand, I hope?"
Kainudy says, "What's wrong on the moon?"
WolfSinger tilts his head, trying to figure out what's going on.
In the control room, Zilvar shakes his head, "No...not the whole moon. Just the area marked by those old warning beacons."
Copernicus turns to Kai, "Well, somehow, Zilvar seems to have set up some sort of base there. We bumped into his warning beacon signal."
Copernicus returns to the speaker and purrs, "Mind if we come down to look around? We can make it a very short stay."
WolfSinger barks, "who's Zilvar?"
Copernicus's whiskers twitch a bit, "An old friend."
Kainudy says, "A big wolf. Really big."
Zilvar shakes his head, "If I said no, you'd just kill yourself trying to figure it out. I'll open a bay for you...if I can remember which button is which. Look for the flashers."
Copernicus nods, then purrs over the connection, "Thanks. I kind of want to make sure you are ok anyhow."
Kainudy says, "Sounds like he's found another old installation?"
WolfSinger suddenly gets rather quiet. He senses something doesn't seem right.
Down on the surface of the moon, four brilliant green lights flash, each marking the corners of a door that begins to slide open...and considering your altitude, that must be one LARGE door indeed. Zilvar's voice comes over the comm, "Once you land, you'll have to give it a few minutes to pressurize."
Simtra sits quietly trying to hear what is being said.
Copernicus blinks as he looks at the size of the door and nods, "A rather large one it seems. Well, Simtra. Looks like you get to be the first one from Nexus to visit your moon." and changes course to land inside.
WolfSinger chuckles, "maybe they'll name a crater after him!"
Simtra blinks, "Visit the moon? I am going to be on the moon?"
Zilvar watches the readouts carefully. Almost as soon as Copernicus clears the doors, they begin to slide closed, their mass dwarfing the shuttle, which no longer seems quite so large in the huge docking bay. A cradle lights up nearby, beckoning.
Kainudy doesn't look as thrilled about the visit.
Red lights flash outside the ship, a clear warning not to exit.
Kainudy says, "Why do lights always flash like that? It's annoying."
Copernicus does a very nice job of landing in the docking cradle. Apparently it's only when he's using his wings that his landings are sometimes...off.
WolfSinger barks, "gonna take a rock back as a souvenir?"
Copernicus purrs, "They're designed to catch your attention. Right now there is no air outside. That's what they are warning about."
All at once, the lights flash green one time, and then stop flashing.
Simtra nods his head, "I guess so, but I don't think anyone would believe where it came from."
Copernicus hrrms and checks the sensors, "A little thin, but fine. So, shall we take a stroll inside the moon?"
Kainudy says, "Umm, how do we find Zilvar in all this?"
WolfSinger barks, "through the big doors? gotta start somewhere."
Simtra tries to stand up but is held down by the straps. "Can I get some help here?"
Copernicus ohs as he cycles the airlock, and pads over to the comm set, "You going to meet us somewhere?"
Copernicus motions to WolfSinger to unstrap Simtra.
WolfSinger unlatches Simtra's buckle for him. "you just gotta press this button in. See?
Zilvar comms, "Yeah...I'm here."
Simtra nods his head and releases the straps, "I see. Thanks."
Copernicus pads outside the hatch and looks around.
Kainudy calls, "Do you see any brain-sucking aliens lurking in the shadows, Copernicus?"
The vastness of the docking bay cannot be overstated. The felitaur shuttle, for all it's apparently size alone, seems almost insignificant in this cavernous room. There does not seem to be enough light in all the world to fill a space this large. It is cold, the chill of space still not vanquished in the suddenly closed space.
WolfSinger barks, "send them back to the mountain if you find any..."
Copernicus looks around, "Well, if they are, it could take weeks for them to find us. You could park your kids in here Kai." and he pads further out, clearing the hatch to the shuttle.
Kainudy pokes her head out as well. "Maybe the builders just domed over a crater?"
Zilvar steps off a nearby elevator. "It's more or less open space through most of the bays. Not that hard to find people in it."
Simtra takes a few steps out side of the shuttle and then starts to faint as it dawns on him what he was doing, "I am on the moon?"
Copernicus pads up and snugs Zilvar, "Good to see you again. Sorry that I've been so busy lately. Looks like you found a nice little place."
Kainudy gives the fox a sideways look. "Yup. Thrilling, isn't it?"
Zilvar looks at Simtra, "In the moon, actually. A few hundred yards beneath the surface."
Zilvar halfsmiles at Coper. "I've been a little out of touch, as you can see."
Kainudy taps the floor with a claw. "So how old is this place, Zilvar? Oh, and it's good to see you again. }:)"
Copernicus nods, "This whole system is quite a mystery. I have some guesses as to what it's for, but I'll let you give us a tour."
Zilvar halfsmiles, "Kai..it's old. Very old."
Copernicus frowns slightly at the armor, noting even a friend wolf in the invaders armor raises his hackles a bit.
Zilvar nods toward the elevator, "Sorry, Coper, about the armor. It's airtight, and came complete with a helmet...and the previous owner did not need it any longer."
WolfSinger barks, "a wolf with stripes?"
Zilvar stops and looks at WolfSinger, "Yes. Stripes."
The fox seems to be adjusting a bit to where he is and begins to straighten up.
Zilvar shakes his head and steps onto the elevator, waiting for you all to follow. The elevator seems to have been built to the same scale as the docking bay...Big.
Kainudy says, "Oh. These are WolfSinger and Simtra, Zilvar."
Copernicus nods at Zilvar, "I understand. Just makes me jumpy. I've seen a lot of that armor as we've been salvaging their destroyed ships."
WolfSinger grins, his tail wagging happily.
Simtra waves to Zilvar.
Copernicus pads along and is amazed. It would take decades for his race to build something like this, and they'd never see the need.
Zilvar nods to each as they are introduced. "A pleasure. I'm sorry...I'm not really prepared for guests at the moment. You're the first ship that's been curious enough to investigate those thousand-year-old beacons."
Simtra follows along behind Copernicus trying not to lag behind.
Copernicus's tail flicks as he nods and moves back to Simtra, "You dealing with this ok?"
Kainudy says, "Sooo.. what would you use a big empty space on a moon for?"
Simtra voice shakes, "Better then I though I would, but this is not quite what I though I would be doing today."
Zilvar closes up the elevator and starts it on a trip to the command center, "As near as I can tell, this was once a shipyard. A very, very NICE shipyard. When the space around Nexus became too unstable for ships, and the Gates all closed...well...bad things happened."
Copernicus nods to Simtra, while listening closely to Zilvar.
WolfSinger barks, "gate? you mean the worm holes?"
Copernicus hrrms, "Not all are wormholes WolfSinger. There are other ways to bend space. But I have been sorting through some of the history of Nexus. It makes sense. Quite the shipyard though."
Kainudy says, "I guess they just.. abandoned all this then?"
The elevator slows, and the doors open to reveal a largish room with hundreds of consoles and displays, "Yeah. Wormholes are as good a word as any. Anyway, most of the people panicked. Big time. There were a few massed assaults on this place, but they were all fought off. When the last of the space-capable ships had finally broken down, the owners sealed this place up and jumped ship...down to the planet. Not much else they could do, really."
Copernicus hmmms, "And you've claimed salvage rights I take it?"
Zilvar nods slowly.
Simtra ears perk up, "The owners went to the planet? My planet?"
Copernicus looks around and nods, "Mighty impressive piece of salvage. Think you can give some flying fuzzballs a deal on renting the use of some of this?"
Copernicus nods to Simtra, "You're probably a descendant of theirs."
WolfSinger barks, "so you own all this now? Some guys have all the luck."
Kainudy clears her throat. "Why the warning beacons, Zilvar? Is there some danger here?"
Simtra ohs
Zilvar looks at Coper. "Maybe. Depends on what you want. I've got a stockpile of information up here that you wouldn't believe...and as far as I know, I'm the only person who can read it."
Zilvar nods to WolfSinger, "Don't we, though."
Copernicus purrs, "Well, we'll be happy to compensate you for technology too. You've learned the language that fast?"
Zilvar looks at Simtra, "Yeah. They dropped down to your planet in the last shuttles, sealed this place tight, and then destroyed the shuttles after landing, so that no one would come up here and destroy the place."
WolfSinger hurumphs a little.
Zilvar turns to Kai, "Because it's mine, Kai. And until I had a chance to figure out what all is here, I didn't want to have to kill anyone for trying to butt in."
Zilvar nods to Coper. "There were some learning systems. They put you under and teach you while you sleep. Apparently, there used to be quite a lot of people who couldn't read, write, or speak, the trading language of that time."
Simtra stays quiet trying to think about what he has heard about his possible ancestors.
Copernicus nods, as if confirming something to himself. He remembers how territorial wolves can be, and Zilvar...something is bothering his old friend, and he's using this place to compensate. It would be a BAD idea to try and muscle in, and as long as they can get some access, it's probably better off in Zilvar's hands anyhow. He nods, "Well, the ancient trading languages are still on record. Most of them anyhow. We can probably deal with some of our translators, but it's quite a find. Is the place easy to run on your own?"
WolfSinger quietly sits down out of the way.
Zilvar halfsmiles, "Probably not, Coper. But I haven't really been running anything. With the only operations being what I've been doing personally, there is precious little to do."
Zilvar looks around, chewing on his lower lip, "I'll tell you what, Coper. You want to make a deal, you said?"
Copernicus nods quietly, "We have some chunks of invader station that would fit nicely in here to work on. What do you have in mind?"
Simtra takes a seat next to WolfSinger.
Kainudy listens to the spacers discuss dealing with each other's garbage, and sits with the others. "I think this place needs some plants. And maybe a small lake."
Zilvar says, "Getting it working again. I don't have any way to pay workers, though. Not until and unless ships can be sold..." He gets quiet for a few minutes, "Think your government would be interested in some ships? I bet we could come up with a good deal."
Zilvar blinks a few times and looks at Kai. "Whatever for?"
Kainudy says, "To make it look less barren and.. moonlike."
WolfSinger barks, "maybe some trees."
Zilvar scratches his chin, "Up until a little over a month ago, this place was hard vacuum. I've had other things on my mind than improving the looks in that space of time."
Copernicus chuckles and nods to Kainudy, "We could definitely use a local shipyard near our mining station. And we're trying to figure out as much of the invader's technology as possible. Sure, I think we can help you get this place into production, in return for a good deal on the use of some space. Heck, we'll even put in a large arboretum for you if you want. ;)"
Kainudy hmms.
Kainudy says, "If they didn't want this place destroyed, they probably didn't want it taken over either. How many booby-traps have you uncovered so far, Zilvar?"
Zilvar turns back to Coper and regards him quietly for a few seconds. "Let me think about it some more. If you send someone up here in a day or two you can have your shuttle back, by the way. I've got my own ride now.
Copernicus nods and hmmms at WolfSinger, "You may have at least one other person who might want to help. Just give us a call, you know the frequency. And it's good seeing you again."
Zilvar glances at Kai and rubs his nose, "Enough that I'm not going to let anyone run free through the halls.
WolfSinger tilts his head, looking over at Coper. His tail wags a little.
Zilvar hesitates, then nods, "Yeah. It's been good seeing you all again, too." He walks over to the control panel and types for a few seconds. "Follow the blue stripe. It'll take you back to your ship and make sure you don't get lost."
Simtra stands up to follow the group back.
Copernicus tilts his head slightly as he looks at his friend. He nods and quietly whispers, "Sometime, in private, we can talk if you want. I'll wait for your call." and then purrs, "Well folks, back to the shuttle. Thanks for directions, it's so hard to remember where you've parked."
Kainudy looks over the stripe, then asks Zilvar, "One thing Zilvar.. have you come across any crystalline neural network structures here?"
Zilvar halfsmiles at Coper. To Kai he gives a blank look, "Crystal...brains? If that's what you mean, no.."
Kainudy nods, "Okay. Let me know if you find any though, won't you?"
Zilvar nods, "I suppose. Yeah."
Copernicus makes a twirling motion by one ear as he looks at Kai, then heads off, "C'mon folks. We need to get to the station and get that shuttle of Kai's to stop suckling on it."
Kainudy blinks at Copernicus. "Suckling?"
Zilvar watches the group go, confident that the automatic systems will handle the shuttle launch without a hitch. He settles into the heavy chair and shakes his head. "I hope I'm not making another mistake." he murmurs to himself.
WolfSinger wufs good-bye to Zilvar before heading off.
As the odd little group takes off in the shuttle, Copernicus explains about the odd problems they had with the shuttle looking for a "womb port" or a nipple, and how Jenora refused to grow to giant size to accommodate it. :)