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I want to know about Earht--- wait the OP is coming to bonk me about a tie GHI GHI GHI
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Oct 6, 2023 15:04
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  Far From Home (Isol's Theme)  : I mean, it's always going to be there. I can go see it whenever I want. : That's accurate, but... I don't know. Maybe it's the last three days of rowdy celebrating that's gotten me feeling all loose and relaxed about things lasting forever, now.: And the selfish concept of 'eh, I'll just do it tomorrow' has been something of a... lasting attitude all throughout humanity's history, to be fair. You can't tell me that Ghians don't know the meaning of the words 'lazy' or 'procrastinate.'  : Although the distinction is that we're cooling down on a war that nearly destroyed your world. I would think that an occasion like that would kick you in the rear to start doing things you always wanted to do like seeing the Earth.: I think, in that case, the lesson we should be taking away is that everyone is reacting to the good news differently.I disagree with you there, Ezra. Isol's right. You never know what you have until it's gone, and just because you took note that something is still there doesn't mean it will be forever!  : I meant on, like, an individual basis. Yeah, we're all getting drunk and hooking up with strangers, but besides that. Everyone's doing that, but everyone is also doing different things.: Look, I haven't even said what it is I planned on doing. Can I at least get that far?  : Don't agree, don't agree, don't agree... don't disagree, either...: ... Like I was saying, I feel like there's going to be more than one opportunity to see Earth whenever I want. We Earthlings have a saying about things 'being in our backyard,' and that's what Earth is: something that's in my backyard, and I can see it whenever I want.: But you know what I don't think I'll have many opportunities to see? : What's that, Ezra?: Ghi. Ghi and its star.  : Why wouldn't I? Ghi and its people are close friends with Earth. Hell, I don't need to look any further to exemplify that than you, Isol: you made the three-year trip yourself just to vacation there. The least I could do in return is look at it through a telescope. : ... I... was just... : ...shocked that you'd want to lay your eyes on Ghi rather than your own world when awarded the chance.  : I guess I shouldn't take what you say on Earthling conduct on granted going onward.: What, you thought I was lying?: I thought you were exaggerating.: I won't tell you not to do what you want should you look through the starseeker. Although, take it on a Ghian that was raised on Ghi and has seen Earth: Earth is nicer looking.: You know, maybe that's another thing about why I don't want to see Earth. It was just torn apart after thirteen horrifying years of extraterrestrial war. Maybe I subconsciously don't want to see my 'birthplace' all ruined and destroyed like that.  : In a saturnine way, it's akin to seeing your guardians in a wrecked and hurt way. No one wants to see their rike or their kier in a shocking way.: ... Sorry, I'm not as caught up in your language as you are in mine. Our what?: It's alright; it's not like you're residing on Ghi.: You would call your 'dad' your 'rike' on Ghi and its standard language. And you would call your...: Your, uh...: ... I know the word I want, and yet I can't....: Mom? Mother?: Yes, that. The likewise word in Ghi's standard language is 'kier,' though I wouldn't think you'd know that should I say it.: The next time this exact context comes up, when you need to talk about someone's mom, use the word 'doyenne.' Ghians should be able to pronounce that word. : It usually means 'a woman that's highly respected or notable in her field.' It's not exactly the best substitute for the word 'mother' but if you were to say 'your doyenne gave birth to you and raised you,' the context would be enough for a person to get by with.: Keep in mind, though, it's a pretty uncommon word, so you might get asked for its definition.I'll say. This word sounds positively medieval, or at least, highly noble. Ezra was busting out the thesaurus for that one.  : ...: I wish, on each other's sakes, that the word 'doyenne' really outlines 'a highly-regarded lady,' and not an uncouth thing instead.: What, you think I'm lying to you for a giggle?: It's occurred earlier. It could occur again, on all I know.: Haha, well, it's honestly a pretty common prank. There are stories of people getting words tattooed on their body in a different language, and they're told it means 'strength' or 'valor' or something, when it actually means, like, 'fart-sniffer' or whatever.: Trust it or not, there's an analogous trick done on Ghi and its countless languages. : ... We got a little distracted, didn't we? We were talking about me looking through the telescope.: Indeed. Although that's hardly a 'wrong' thing to occur, is it? Or an unusual thing?: ... Hey, Isol. Tell me a bit more about your visit to Earth. : Just... no, I'm not after specifics. I just want to know what it's like.: I learned recently that Earth will be visible through this telescope starting on Friday, and yet, my first impulse wasn't to start making plans to come back during the weekend.: We can see the Earth at the week's end, you said?: Oh, yeah! I learned that just the other day, actually. I think the forecast to see it is still posted up here somewhere.: And now I know, too. I could take the occasion to see it again, in that case.: Anyway, the more I think about it, it feels kind of, I don't know, silly, maybe, that an alien like a Ghian has been to Earth and I haven't. I feel like... like you live in a house I used to live in, and I'm asking about how the house is now, except I never actually lived in it.: If that makes any sense.: It's okay that it doesn't.: I can't say the identity on the continent or the country I stayed at. I went to a location called 'S'ain', in a continent called 'southwestern Euro'e.': Spain, in Europe, yes.: It's always a good thing when I get the enunciations correct adequately that Earthlings can understand.: In truth, Earth's... 'quality' is accurately denoted in Galilei.: The look; the sensations; the sights and odours... the sky is azure on Earth, just like it is here. The water doesn't taste unusual. You likely know that the dirt, the grass, the trees here on Galilei they were all either raised on Earthling seeds, or are Earthling in origin.: Galilei attains Earth's essence quite well. At least, with what little on Earth I underwent. : ... The distinction, though, is that you don't need air cleansers or generators to endure on Earth. Day and night are not constructed. The weather is not ordained.: There is a quality that Earth has that Galilei, with all its technology, can't recreate. They could reconstruct S'ain here in Galilei ingot-on-ingot, and there would always exist a thing, an unclear and tenuous thing, that would stay unequal.: I can't elucidate on what that thing is, 'cause I don't know how. Ghi is additionally alike to Earth than Galilei is, in that sense.Much like how earlier Ezra was talking to Carla about the city streets' vibe changing when Carla asked, Isol hits on a similar note. Just because something replicates another thing doesn't mean it's the true thing. There's an element of authenticity, or at least identity, that a place or a person puts out. If you were to copy a work of art paint drop by paint drop, could it really be considered the original? : Sounds like a place I should consider visiting myself, then. To find out in person what thing is missing from Galilei.: ...: They'd say that, on returning to Galilei, you would carry a section on Earth with you. That Earth would stay with you eternally and that she, a tiny section, would always stay with you. : Is that a bad thing? : No.: And I'd do it again. *The music fades out.*   : What's weird on it? Taking calls is a task that the codex was designed to do.: You know what I mean, Isol.: I think you Earthlings would call that a 'dad joke.' I think I would excel at telling 'dad jokes.': Dad jokes aren't exactly the height of comedy. You'd lose a lot of friends for it.: Well, aside from all the dads, I'm sure.: Haha, noted: attain dadhood, then the dad jokes.: So, are you going to answer it, or...?: You know, I totally blanked for a second, there.: ...! Speak of the devil, it's from my dad! : Wait, why Satan? Is that an Earthling saying?: I'll tell you later, I really need to take this.: Yes, indeed.*The screen flickers to a phone call.*   (Ezra's father's first few lines are spoken.)  : I could say the same to you! Have you been losing weight? : I've been gaining it over the last three days! : Which is good! I've lost a lot of weight since we last spoke a few weeks ago. I've been so stressed here that I lost two pounds every time I took a dump.: Hah, classy. : Tell me it's been the same with you. Your mother and I didn't put you on a moon one-point-six billion kilometers away just for you to keep your nose pressed against some tablet once we've won.: Dad, I can promise you with absolute honesty that I've been acting like a drat fool these past three days. : Atta girl!Ezra's dad is certainly much more social than his daughter! Although you're a number of years late there, pops. Ezra's a goon's goon. : Good times like these only come around once every two or three generations. We need to make the most of them while we have them we're very lucky to be alive right now.: It takes a special kind of someone to live through a thirteen-year alien invasion and say that we're very lucky.: When we were making our vows, your mother told me that she considered my optimism to be one of my best qualities. : Yeah, tell me about it. I'm trying to decide if I want to go out to party again tonight, or if I want to start losing my hair over what it is I want to do with my life now. : ... On and off, yeah. There was this big televised seminar from a Gen Three model about how we should 'stay the course' and 'remain vigilant,' but it's tough to want that when, you know, we could be celebrating instead. : Try not to focus on any of that. Just live your life how you want to, at least for now.: People like to harp on about the future save your money for retirement; focus on your schoolwork because it's the only way you'll get a good career; don't eat that burrito because you'll regret it later.: Nuts to that, I say.: Your mother and I have worked as hard as we have for exactly what we earned three days ago. You've had your own nose pressed to the grindstone for when it'll be your turn.: We've fought tooth and nail for what we have now. drat the responsibilities; get out there and get your hair wet!: ... Do you really mean that? You're an engineer for life-support systems meant for outer space. Did you have that philosophy when you were my age?: No, I didn't. But this sort of peace this opportunity to enjoy what we have now is exactly what I was working towards when the Riklid first attacked. And now I've got it for you, and me, and your mother.   : ... Thanks, dad. I think that'll help take my mind off it, at least for a little bit. : I'm glad I could help. : So soon? : Oh please, Ezra, that's something like twenty hours. That's more than enough time to clean the house by then.: I mean, like... don't they need you on hand in case... you know...: What, in case the Riklid come back?: ... Yeah.: There's a pretty low chance of that. We've been keeping our eyes peeled for any Riklid starships ever since they ran, and as far as we can tell, every last ship's left the solar system.: If they do come back, we'll at least know with enough time in advance to mount some kind of defence. And we still have plenty of Gen Threes rolling out to soak up some of the damage.: But we're getting sidetracked. I'll be getting home tomorrow around noon, and while I haven't spoken with your mother yet, I've gotten word that her squadron's being dismissed as well.I can't help but think about whether Ezra's mom feels the same way as her husband or even agrees with her squadron being disbanded, being she's the soldier and all. Wouldn't she be more like Vance, concerned the Riklid may return? She's the one who's been in the poo poo, as it were, and it's possible she'll always be metaphorically looking over her shoulder for the Riklid... or at least, looking at the skies. : Earth is currently further in its orbit around the Sun than Mars is, and Mars is closer to Saturn right now, so she ought to be getting there by roughly around tomorrow afternoon, thereabouts.: Both of you? That's great news!: Right? How long has it been since either of us have been home? It has to be coming up on... : ... Something like ten months now, I think? I know we didn't miss another one of your birthdays.: It's been closer to nine-and-a-half, I think.: Well, there you go! Eden and I will be back before your...: How old are you, again?: I'm forty-nine, dad.: ... That doesn't sound right to me.: I wonder why.: Well, we'll be back before your next birthday, at any rate.: Anyway, I'll let you get back to it. You're young and spry; you've got more partying in you than I do, that's for drat sure, and I'm about to get back to it.: I won't be there in time for breakfast, but what say you and I get some lunch at Cozy's when I get home? I could kill for something that wasn't made ready-to-eat in a plastic bag.: I would have thought a software engineer like yourself wouldn't have to eat out of a bag.: So did I! But, at the same time, it's war; we can't really afford the resources to be eating like kings and queens every other day.: Point being, I need to eat something that doesn't have the texture of toothpaste and all the flavour of watered toast.: Hah! Sure, Cozy's it is.: I'm looking forward to it already!: Love you, dad. Talk to you tomorrow.: Love you too, Ezra. I'll see you and Eden then.*The screen fades to black.* Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 09:58 on Oct 8, 2023 |
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Oct 8, 2023 08:19
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Wait, actually 49? Or is that in Galilei years? Also, I really like Isol the more we see of her.
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Oct 8, 2023 09:32
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Quackles posted:Wait, actually 49? Or is that in Galilei years?
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Oct 8, 2023 09:51
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  There is goon participation in this chapter!   : And shoot, I've been on the phone with Dad for so long that the sun's gone down.: ... Wow, Saturn looks pretty good tonight. It's not often we get to see it at this angle, this close up. I bet Isol would loveSaturn is really, really close, and Ezra's father mentioned being on a moon 1.6 billion kilometers away. Aerodrome Galilei must be on one of Saturn's moons!  : Isol? Where are you?  : Did you find anything interesting? : It's the aether. It's all concurrently exceedingly interesting, and horrendously hollow.  : Not that I could do that, either. Although the starseeker is unrestricted to society, it's still on alert, in case the Riklid recur. So we can look through it, although we can't turn it.: I guess that's... better than nothing. So, what, is it just staring at nothing right now? At the Riklid's last known location?: It's looking at the sun, actually. Straight on towards the sun. : Though, that's why I study nutrition and not the stars, I guess. : Yeah! So, big news out of nowhere: my rike and my kier are coming home tomorrow! : Aww, that's cute that you'd do that, Ezra. : Well, not a lot other than that, really. The most relevant piece of news is that, since Mars is currently a little closer to Saturn than the Earth is, my mom my kier will be coming home tomorrow evening and my rike will be coming home around noonish. : Haha don't stress, Ezra. Just say 'dad' and...  : ...The other one.: Heh... well, in any case, that was all the new info my dad had to give me. The rest of the phone call was just us catching up a bit.: My dad's a software engineer based on Mars, and my mom was a soldier that's stationed on the Moon, so I never had a lot of opportunities to speak with them when they weren't on leave.: It was tough hanging up on him, even when I know he'll be home tomorrow and we'll have all the time in the world to talk then.: Your kier was the soldier? I understand that's... uncharacteristic, considering Earthling gendered traditions.: Mom was never really the 'trophy wife' kind of mom. She can cook exactly six dishes. Dad usually did the washing and drying.: The one time I had bullying problems in elementary school, my dad was the one to tell me to go to an adult and try and solve the issue diplomatically. My mom taught me, as a last resort, if all else failed, to go for the nose.: Hah! At last, an Earthling with guts and sense!: I take it you exercised her teachings?: No. Because Carla did it for me.: Now that I think about it, some of the toughest people in my life have been women. : Don't... don't go picking fights for my sake, please.Ezra: forever the maiden in need of rescuing. : So, what's your strategy now?: What do you mean?: Your guardians are returning soon! This isn't the occasion to star-seek it's not like they'll get here any quicker with your eyes searing holes into their lorries a whole galaxy away.: Surely there are other issues that would require your attention, right?: Well, yeah, I was thinking that a little earlier, actually. But I didn't want to leave you out to dry like that I was the one that called you and asked you if you wanted to hang out, after all. : Yes, and then things changed.: I enjoy our occasions together, Ezra, yet, in reality, we only encountered each other two nights ago.: To be fair, we did a little more than 'encounter' each other that night.: That's true! To say that our relation only started with a chance greeting is selling it short.: That doesn't change what I was going to say, though.: Should you rather return to your house to ready it, I'd understand entirely. The next day is a large day, and all.: ... Isol, the second you started talking about me standing you up to go home, you haven't looked me in the eye.: Tell me the truth. I'm sure you'd be okay if I left to go home and start cleaning it or whatever but is that what you want? : What I want and what I would understand as your urgency are two unalike things. What I 'want' and what you 'need' aren't always going to coincide.: We're wholly-grown adults, you and I. I'll endure one night alone.  : ...: Look at her. She'd be crushed if I left her alone. And even if she wouldn't be, I'd be crushed by seeing her looking like that when I turn to leave.: Dad told me to party to have fun and socialize. He and Mom fought tooth and nail for the opportunity for me to have fun and enjoy my life. It'd be a spit in their face if I took this opportunity that they fought for and used it to go home and do chores.: I'm not going to leave her. Although now she'll think that I'll just give her anything she wants as soon as she hits me with the puppy dog eyes.: The better question is, what do we do tonight? I don't know if Isol strikes me as the kind of lady that enjoys quiet walks in the park. Maybe downtown? That is where we first met. And we were both really drunk at the time, so she might be game for bar hopping. No offense, Ezra, but Isol took you to the park the very next day after you met, remember? Talk about channeling your inner party animal! It's Carla-shaped. * * * Goon participation! Ezra's not about to leave a pretty alien hanging. Where should we take Isol tonight? Do we go downtown and enjoy the nightlife, or hit the bar once more to carouse? * * * Databank: Riklid On March 26th, 2311, the Earth was visited by another species. Giant, black, angular ships appeared in the skies high above the continent of Africa at exactly 7:00 AM UTC. Two of them were significantly larger than the others. All attempts to communicate with them were met with static. The ships' designs were neither earthling nor Ghian: these had come from someplace else. They remained in the sky for forty-eight hours, tidally-locked with the Earth as it spun on its axis. There was no sign of any form of movement. On March 28th, 2311, at 7:00 AM UTC, after exactly forty-eight hours to the second, one of the two larger ships deployed a superweapon that caused the Earths atmosphere to behave erratically. Tornados struck at unusual locations; hurricanes would form closer to the poles, a previously-thought-impossible occurrence; tsunamis would form without tectonic movement, striking anywhere along a coast and sinking whole islands. Continents began to bake under the intensity of the superweapon; others froze solid. The Earth could not mount a defense: any attempts to combat the new alien threat would first have to breach their own atmosphere, and any ship fortunate enough to power through the raging storms would be intercepted by the smaller enemy ships. The very Earth was turned against humans, Ghians, and all other form of life upon it. The aliens rarely descended upon the Earths surface personally, and when they did, it was often to attack resistance holdouts. Its not certain whether the alien ships were even being piloted Earth didnt know if their enemy had a face. The motivations of the invaders were never made clear. Nor was their name. Humanity had taken to naming their enemies the Riklid.
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Oct 8, 2023 20:26
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A night on the town.
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Oct 8, 2023 20:56
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Let's have a night on the town! Not that I, an introvert who doesn't do either of these things, knows the difference. EDIT: Also, I like Ezra's dad. And Isol. Heck, I love all the characters we've seen so far.
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Oct 8, 2023 23:56
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   : He said that this peace was something that he and Mom fought tooth-and-nail for this past decade, and he wants me to enjoy every day of peace that we have.: He also said a bunch of bull about how we're 'a very lucky generation' and 'good times like these only come every couple generations.' But I'm choosing to apply the parts that I agree with.  : Yeah, I think that's what he meant, too. Although he also said something about how his optimism is how Mom fell in love with him.  : The word you wanted was 'cynic,' actually. : So, I was thinking: why don't you and I go for a night on the town? Take in the sights around Subsection Four. I bet the city streets would look a little different now that we're free.: Ezra, they'd look unalike 'cause the entire city is still carousing on the third straight night.: You got me there.: Maybe they'll look different because we'll have each other as company.: That's really gushy.: Does it work, though?: You're cute, and that aids you a lot.Ezra is very wholesome too, don't forget that, Isol! : Let's get going, then.: ... Oh, before we do: did you learn everything that you came here to learn about human observatories? I know it feels like we only just got here.: That call with your dad lasted longer than you think, clearly. The sun was still in the sky when it started.: That said, you're clearly not...  : What makes you say that?: I was hardly interested in the starseeker, Ezra. I was interested in staying with you a while.: Well...: I wasn't not interested in the starseeker. You know what I say.: Right, that's... yeah, I guess I need to work on reading people a little better.Like a true goon, Ezra needs things stated directly to her. Been there, Ezra. Been there. : Let's get going, already!: Alright, alright, no need to shove!*The screen fades to black.*    : I... that's... the perfect answer. I have no rebuttal. : So what's the strategy, now that we're here?: I hadn't thought that far ahead, honestly. I just wanted to head downtown with you. Get in a change of scenery, you know?: That's okay. Where we are isn't that essential; what's essential is that we're doing it together.: Even if what we're doing is nothing?  : Well, if you see a store that you want to stop in or something, let me know.: Say, Ezra. : My parents? That's not the icebreaker I was expecting, now that we're down here. What would you like to know? : It's just, you say that your dad was highly idealistic, such that it was one reason it got your... your 'doyenne's' adoration. And you say your doyenne was a soldier stationed on Earth's satellite.: They just sound like interesting characters, is all.: Um... well, my dad's name is Nathan, and my mom's name is Eden. You know that she's a soldier that's stationed on the Moon; he's a software engineer that made targeting and life support systems for the battle suits that soldiers like my mom wear into battle.: You'd think, for a woman that turned out to be a soldier fighting for the fate of all of humanity and the survival of our planet Earth, Mom would be sort of a hard-rear end, especially when I was growing up, but it was the opposite, really.: She wasn't much of a housewife, that's for sure. Like I told you before, Mom wasn't the cook or the cleaner Dad did most of the housework chores. Which worked out for him because, as a software engineer, he could do most of his work at home.: What did your doyenne do until the war started?: For work, you mean? She was a surveyor she explored wild, uninhabited areas to see if there were any good spots to build on; anything from power plants to aerodromes like Galilei.  : By quite a bit, yes. It'd be a hell of a claim to fame, though, wouldn't it?: It's quite the hurdle, to study land one year and then enlist in a war the next.: Yeah, well... she's not really the type to sit around and do nothing all day. Hence, the job where she was paid to wander the wilderness and find good spots for expansion.: Emergencies tend to bring out parts of us that we never knew existed. I didn't think Mom was the type to enlist either, but once we heard that Earth was being attacked, she hardly hesitated. : Yeah, every Sunday. We spoke a few days before the war was won.: It's good that you stay in contact with your guardians, Ezra.: I... imagine it's difficult for you to do that. What with Ghi being a galaxy away and all.: They're dead, actually.: ... Oh. : Is that a shock? Ghians don't exist as long as Earthlings do.: I guess it isn't. I just wasn't expecting you to, you know... just say it like that.  : Although I'd guess that, when you get into a war that lasts a decade, 'death' as an idea is a thing that you quickly get used to. We all in Galilei understood that the Riklid could locate us at any occasion and we were all ready in case that occurred.Did Isol's parents die while she was away from home and trapped here? That would be awful for the family, and would absolutely make her even more upset with her situation. Assuming she loved her own parents, anyway. : Do Ghians treat death differently from humans?: Well... yes, and no.: Ghi is a dry, arid world. Water and nutrition are hard things to stay secure. Our largest cities are constructed around the world's scarce oases.: When a Ghian dies, we, like Earthlings, understand that it's a... conclusion. An ending. At least, in a sense. : Wow. That's not the sort of approach I was expecting from a culture like yours.: Yes, that's why I said it was a 'cold and ruthless' way to see it. We're not androids, Ezra.: Religion exists on Ghi like it does on Earth, and the largest religion there treats death as...  : We could try using the translator in our codices, would that help?  : Although the technology's existed going on centuries, that doesn't suggest the tech is any good. There are nuances to the Ghian tongue that our codices aren't accurate with sixty occurrences in a hundred.: And I don't want to go around talking into a glass sheet all day, each day. I need to exist with Earthlings; with the choice going to either talking into a useless codex or struggling with words? I'll learn to endure with the words.: ...Isol has not spent years learning English to throw it all away on translation apps. : We got sidetracked.: ... Twice, by my count. We were talking about me and my parents.: I'll condense what I wanted to say, on Ghian religion and how we consider death, then. : They lie in soil, and on their site, undergrowth will rise trees, grass, grains, and the like. In a world where resources are scarce, this is a key strategy in sustaining those that succeed the dead.: Our churchyards are considered hallowed gardens, and whole sections in our cities are dedicated to their care. That's why I said that our dead are likewise to what you would call 'guardian angels;' their carcasses are used to ensure the endurance in all Ghians in the world.: We, naturally, carry out a succession likewise to an Earthling wake, although that's another issue in another discussion.: You're right; I do think that's sort of macabre. I'd have a tough time eating, like, fruit from a tree that grew on a grave. But I've also never lived in a world where food can be difficult to come by.Ezra has probably never heard of bonemeal. : Culture shock is a thing in Hell, right?: It's a 'hell of a thing,' yes.: ... : What was existence like as an Earthling as you grew? Can I ask that?: Hah, well, you already did.: But I wouldn't really know; I didn't grow up on Earth. You know more about what life on Earth is like than I do.: No... you. Your existence, as an Earthling.: I... Oh! You're asking what it's like to be human!: I don't really know how to answer that. That's not exactly the kind of question I practice asking myself, you know?: Is there anything in particular you're interested in? : ...say anything. Anything that shoots to your attention when you think on your childhood. Your interests; the things you did with your adored ones; your struggles at school; anything like that. : Isol's kind of all over the place tonight. Talking about my family, then how Ghians treat death, and now she wants to know about my personal life.: It's not creepy, but it's a little forward. Maybe she just wants to hear me talk?: Uhh... well, when I was younger, I really, really liked to climb on stuff. I'd be too small to sit in the adult chairs at the table, but I'd climb my way up there anyway, and from there, onto the table.: I could climb up the interior walls of buildings by working my finger and toenails into their trimmings for grip. : Hah, never mind my nails, right?: We need to concentrate on the essentials, Ezra. You know how it is.: I'd think your doyenne wasn't enthusiastic on that conduct.: No, she thought I was being a little monkey: wild, untameable, and impossible to work with. Although she'd probably use stronger language than that today.: Do you still do that? Like, do you scale rock walls as an interest?: No, I stopped doing it when I was in my teens or so. I just kind of grew out of it.: Well, and, I was a hefty girl in my teenage years, and it got really hard to lift myself up like I could. Time has a way of making fools of us all like that.: I see.: Would you like to try it again? Not tonight, naturally. Just, one day later?: Sure, I don't see why I wouldn't put on one of those harnesses and go rock climbing.: It's been a long time, though, so, we'd have to start with one of the shorter walls.: Are you scared?: No, I'm out of practice. There's a difference. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Rock climbing date when? It's a pretty hot date idea, not gonna lie. : Alright, your turn.: Tell me about... what city life is like on Ghi. I've never left Subsection Four, let alone Galilei. Tell me how it's different.: Actually, I wouldn't know all that well. I was what you would call a 'country girl' on Ghi; I resided in a rural area in the world.: Oh, even better! I don't know what life is like out of an urban setting, and with Ghi being strapped for food and water, I bet every day in the Ghian boonies was a different kind of challenge. : Well...: Come on, it's your turn already. Don't leave me out to dry.: ...: Alright, alright.: I guess I can start with... Far From Home (Isol's Theme) (Isol's lines are voiced from here.)  : You must really dislike Earth food. : Ghians weren't created to eat Earth cuisine, no. They're hard to chew and harder to digest. Although, a decade later, it's not as hard as it was.: At this juncture, it's less that I dislike Earth cuisine and rather that I want Ghi cuisine again. Thirteen years is a long era to go without what you want.: Yeah, tell me about it. With Mom and Dad coming home tomorrow, it's going to feel like  : Holy poo poo, it's morning! The sun is rising!: ... Would you look at that, so it is.: I don't think that's ever happened to me before, where I get so lost in doing something or talking with someone that I've totally lost track of time like that.: Nor I.: Do you regret it?: I... do I regret spending time with you? No, Isol, of course I don't. I'd do it again tomorrow if we wanted.: But I am going to regret not getting home and doing any cleaning. Or getting any sleep. Mom and Dad are coming home today Dad should be getting here in a few hours, and I'll be as likely to fall asleep greeting him at the door.: Is that a thing they're likely to get distressed on?: No, I don't think so. I don't think my dad would get mad at me if I greeted him with bags under my eyes. But I might get a little upset at myself, since, you know, it's been a while since I last saw him, and I wasn't ready to see him home...: ... I feel like this is all a roundabout way of me saying that I do regret spending the night with you like this.Ezra no, no! Don't fumble now! : Heh... don't second-guess your thoughts, Ezra. I know what it is you intend to say. Language is a hard thing to utilize when you're caught unready like this.  : I would suggest a date to do this all again, although it looks like your schedule is taken, at least in the next little while, what with your guardians returning.: And... it's... less enchanting when instants like these are intentional, you know? : I get it, and I agree.: But that doesn't mean we can't get together and see where the night takes us again.: I like the sound on that.: Until then, you own a house that needs tending to.: Heh, I sure do.: Let's get walking to the tram, what do you say?: I say... I'd like that.*The screen fades to black. The music and ambience fade out.*  "Not even a week ago, everyone had accepted the idea that this was what we were going to be doing for the rest of our lives. That I'd still be learning robotics and studying on the advancements of artificial intelligence for the rest of my life." "And all it took to completely flip our lives upside down was one announcement that it was over. We had won. The last thirteen years were a fever dream that we couldn't wake up from, and then..." "... just like that." "It'll take a while for any of us to really process the change. The war might have been won, but it'll be weeks for us to really adjust to our new lives, and years for us to gear down from the tensions as a society as a species." "But, for the first time since I can remember... it feels like there's no rush. There's no tension. Things were bad, but they aren't anymore. We had all overcome the hardest part, and now, all that was left was to pick up the pieces and enjoy the lives we had all fought to earn." "For the first time in over a decade, I was looking forward to waking up tomorrow."
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Oct 12, 2023 05:09
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I like the fact that Ezra and Isol got so wrapped up in conversation that they just talked throughout the night until the sun came up (artificial day/night cycle or no). It's a very normal thing to do when you're in good company with lots to talk about. I do hope we get a chance to have someone (not necessarily Ezra) explain that "Hi mom & dad, this is Isol, we've known each other for about three days, and we met because Carla suggested a three-way and I called her bluff."
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Oct 12, 2023 08:38
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   : ... It doesn't look any different, does it? I've hardly made a dent.: That'll teach me for spending all night talking with Isol. I'm so tired that I'm only moving things one at a time, and everything else, I'm justifying putting off for later.: Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I'm just one exhausted woman. And Dad specifically told me that he wouldn't care.: ... But I care.: Ah, to hell with it. I did what I could. And I wouldn't trade last night with Isol for a cleaner house, that's for drat sure. Dad's just going to have to put up with a messy house.: Even after a decent night's sleep, I feel like I've barely made a dent in how clean this place is. I never realized just how much stuff I've been hoarding up until now.Huh. Didn't Ezra say she is exhausted? That decent night's sleep (more like nap, at this rate) wouldn't help much given the amount of junk lying around. : Not that I'd rightly call any of it junk. I know exactly where everything is and what they all do at all times. It's just my storage skills that need work.: ... Who am I kidding? It's all garbage. I have enough here for several trips to the wasteyard and yet I've filled less than half a bag's worth of stuff that I'm not using, don't even plan to use, and yet can't bring myself to let go.: Well... the good news is I got this habit from Dad, and he'll be happy to see that everything is exactly as he left it.: Man. It's hard to think it's even real.: Mom and Dad are both coming home today. Maybe for good. Mom was a volunteer soldier and hopefully they don't need Dad on Mars anytime soon now that the war is over.: It's been nearly ten months since I saw either of them in the flesh. A phone call just isn't the same. And there's no fleeting idea that this will only last a little while before they have to leave, and I go back to my studies.: It's been four days now, and it's still so hard to really get the feel that the war is over...: Dad might be running a bit late. He said 'around noon.': In retrospect, maybe I should have gone to the port to wait for him there.*The sound of a buzzer plays.*  : Oh, that must be him!: Wait, why would Dad ring the bell to his own house? That's more of a Mom thing to do.: Well, hell, I'm not going to ask questions.  : ...: I had been rehearsing what to say to him when he got back for hours, and now that he's finally home, I'm totally blanking. All of that energy I've been building up, just... gone. Gone at the sight of him.: I'd better say something.: ... Hey, Dad. Welcome (A few of Nathan's lines are voiced here.) : Greetings later; help me get all this luggage in. Can't you see I needed the help opening the door, much less getting it all in?: I'm tired; I'm jet-lagged; and I'm hungover. And you weren't there to meet me at the port so I had to haul all of this home across two trams and a bus.: Uh... sorry. I was...  : Uh, yeah...! Let me take those from you. Our Contribution (The Foys' Theme) : Like... am I taller, or something? Fatter? : Can you not tell? You're hardly the same little sprite I left behind  : Oh, come off it, don't you start.: Because if you start, then I'll start, and then things will escalate, and before you know it, we're both ugly-crying and trying to tell each other that it's alright, and how it's okay to let it all out because we've all been bottling this stuff up for the last decade...: ... and it's healthier to let it out than to keep it in, and it's okay if we cry because after all we're home, and if we're too busy thinking about keeping it in...: ... we won't notice that I'm trying to 'keep it in' by keeping this stream of consciousness going for as long as I can, under the thought that if I'm too focused on thinking of words to coherently string together, I'll be too distracted to cry.: So... don't. Then we won't have to deal with all of that. : ...: Okay, then I won't. You've made a compelling argument, Ezra.: Hah, well, I am your daughter.It's okay to cry after not seeing your dad for nearly a year and the war being over, Ezra! It's okay!  : Speaking of which. : I'm... well, I'll be fine. After a nap. A big one. A big, eight-to-ten-hour nap. I need to go to bed, is what I'm saying. : Don't tell me it's because of me and Eden.: No. In fact, it might interest you to hear that it's because of a girl.: ...: How many details do I want...?: Oh, nothing happened between us, if that's what you're worried about.: Ah, but now, what's the point in asking?: Don't be weird.: But then I'm just boring!: I'd rather you be boring than you know what? Never mind. The less we go on about this topic, the better.: What you need to know is that it was a Ghian lady that I met a few nights ago. We spent all last night talking about her time on Ghi and her experiences living here in Galilei. I only decided to stop when I noticed that the sun was rising.: Ah! Sounds like you've found yourself something of a winner, Ezra! : Spending all night talking with a lady you've taken a fancy to is a pretty common start to most romances, you know. And she's Ghian, you said? That's very progressive of you!: You don't know the half of it. And maybe you shouldn't.: ... Is it? Ghians and humans have been mingling for hundreds of years, now. I guess identifying as being LGBTQ+ in the future is still seen as controversial? Or maybe it's just because it's human on alien... relations. : But enough about me and my night. Tell me about yours! You said that you were going to get drunk with your coworkers before you took off, right?: There isn't really much to tell.: That's about the short of it, really. We had been partying since the day of the war's conclusion, doing everything from drinking booze to eating the nicest food to playing everything from drinking games to board games to video games.: I didn't realize they had 'nice food' in a warzone like Mars.: You're correct. It's more accurate to say that we ate the finest food paste that was available. : And yet we also had authentic booze.: Well as authentic as moonshine can get. We've had fermented grapes and honey for something like nine thousand years; if there's any one thing that humanity simply will not abide by, it's when someone tries to take away our booze. We'll always find a way.Carla said kind of the same thing earlier. She must have been hanging out with Ezra's dad a lot. : Still feeling it?: What, the drunkenness? It was about as effective as stale rice at getting me there.: ... Which is to say, yes. More in my gut than in my head, though. And a twelve-hour flight in a pressurized cabin through the nothingness of space didn't help things. I made sure not to get a window seat.: Wait, is that real? Is that a thing? I've never left Galilei, so I wouldn't know...: During flight, not really. You can see the billions of stars in the distance, but they're so far away that they don't move with you, even when you're travelling at around one-hundred-million kilometers an hour.: And it's not a pleasure cruise they don't take us out of the way to see a planet or even a comet or something. Seeing anything other than the stars during space flight is something that you write home about.: But during exit and entry?: Yeah. Oh yeah.: It's hard enough being in that tub when you're hungover with gut rot. Looking out the window and seeing the chassis wrapped in fire from reentry when you're trying to hold onto your lunch is a tall task.: And how are you feeling now?: On the one hand, I'd like nothing more than to leave all my things packed and to sleep in the bed I haven't slept in for the past... however many years it's been. With more than one sheet. With my own quilt. With pillows that don't feel like they're made of porcelain.: Since my time on Mars, I've either slept on cots, in sleeping bags, or on the floor of my station. And I usually only got about four hours of sleep at a time. And, again, calling them 'pillows' is very charitable.: At least the seats on the flight had cushions.: On the other hand... I've had this weird sensation in my jaw for the past few months, now.: Something about eating nothing but paste for every meal of the day for years on end does something to your lower mandible.: I can't explain it. It's like... it's like getting out of bed, and needing to stretch your arms and legs, but then not stretching them. It's a thing that your body knows it needs to do, but you deprive it of that.: And you do it again, and again, and again. Every day, for years. For all that time, you don't once stretch the muscles in your arms and legs like you know you need to.: This is a very long-winded way of saying that you want to eat real food.: But that's just it! I want to go get some lunch, yes, but you'd think it'd be because of the flavour when it's not.: Bullshit.: It's not entirely about the flavour.: It's about... the mouth feel, I guess? It's the sensation of having solid food in your mouth for you to chew. It's working a muscle that I haven't worked in a dog's age back into shape.: So how much of this is about the flavour, and eating real food, and how much of this is about the 'mouth feel?': It's about seventy-thirty flavour-mouth feel. : If the Riklid were still here, I'd kill one myself if it meant eating some real food. I'd do it bare-handed for a baked potato.: Okay, okay, I get it. You're hungry and you want something that isn't flavoured toothpaste.: Any ideas on what you wanted? Or where you wanted to go?: ... You know, now that I'm home, here in Galilei, after a decade of working on Mars and stressing about combat... it's made me realize that the one thing that I really need the most right now, out of anything, isn't just the bed, or my daughter, or the food.: It's nostalgia.The parallels to the World Wars continue. After going through a harrowing experience of total war, what bigger comfort is there than wanting to go back to "when things were good?" : Cozy's, then.: Have you already decided what you're getting?: Honestly, I was thinking of getting, like, three chicken sandwiches.: That's an awful lot of nostalgia.: After thirteen years of eating paste, it might not be enough.  Aw man, it's night already? No shot of the restaurant or more conversation with Daddy dearest? This is the (lack of) space Hobby Lobby all over again. Must have been due to lack of budget or to keep the script tighter.   : Yes, she was and she hated it as much as you do.: She told me that... well, to make a long, sobering story short and sweet, she wants to open a Ghian restaurant here in Galilei. : ...  : They prefer sweeter foods like fruits, and have a hard time digesting Earth staples like breads and other grains... which makes sense, given their biology. And Ghi is loaded with crunchier, tangier spices, toppings, and minerals, like salt.: One of my coworkers was a Ghian, actually, did I ever tell you that?: No, I don't think you ever have.: He did translation work for our interfaces and instruction diagrams. There were Ghian fighters in the Riklid War, too, and they needed to be able to act as soon as they got information without needing to translate it all in their head.Ah, that answers my earlier question about Ghians participating in the war. Looks like the human-Ghian alliance was military as well. I also wonder if Ezra had any Ghian classmates or friends? She must have, if Isol's comment about being one of many refugees is anything to go by.  : I guess that's not such a crazy thing to say it's paste. You just... open your mouth and pour it into your face.   : Do you think your Ghian ladyfriend works well with eggs?: Dad, that's a stereotype. How would you like it if a Ghian asked you if you liked bananas because you look like a monkey?: I'd answer that, yes, I love bananas. Most people do. Don't you?: ... I do. I'm wrong and you're right. : Don't worry, kiddo. Happens to the best of us.Still a stereotypical comment, though! But I bet Isol loves eggs. Eggs are delicious. : Besides, I doubt even the best egg-chef, Ghian or not, could make eggs the way Eden likes them.: You've been married to her going on thirty years, now. Does she even like eggs?: She tells me that she does.: But only her mother could prepare them the way she likes them, apparently.: Oh, speaking of which! She ought to be getting home any time now, right? : It's coming up on five o'clock.: poo poo.: I got so hung up on being home with you, and treating myself to some real food, that it totally slipped my mind.: That's my wife, and I was so focused on a drat sandwich that I... I totally blanked!: Whoa, hey, calm down.: You know Mom she's the type of woman that doesn't mind going on long trips like this. Her job before the war was a land surveyor; she's used to going out there on her own.: And also, weren't you the one saying that you and her both fought for the freedom to go to a diner and pig out as soon as you could?: ...  : It's curious that she hasn't called us yet, though.: You can make it up to her by going out a second time. If you were hungry enough to eat that much, I'm sure she's just as famished for some 'nostalgia.': That, and I'm sure you've still got room for seconds.: I'd imagine you're right. They say you have a second stomach for dessert I'll just pack it with more meat and bread. : ...: Speak your mind, child.: ... I was just...: ... Out of morbid curiosity... how close did you come to the Riklid? : That's not really a topic we want to talk about right now, is it? We did just have lunch.: I understand your mother was awfully cagey about answering a question like that, too, and for good reason. Neither of us are too keen on talking about, you know, the realities of war with our only child.: What's important is that it's over.: Okay, I guess that's fair to say.What do the Riklid look like? More out of curiosity on my part, but I imagine some sort of willowy, spindly-looking creatures, like this creepy-looking thing. : Let's try something else, then: did you ever figure out what it was that the Riklid wanted?: No, and it's been a matter of debate ever since they first arrived.: We tried a few times to communicate with them, but all we ever got in response was static. Nothing that we could discern as language. We had considered that maybe that was them responding, but nobody nor any tools we had could decipher their language, if that was the case.: They attacked both Earth and Mars, so it was something they both had in common. Their superweapon attacked their atmospheres to wreck weather patterns and create hurricanes they didn't try to glass the land with missiles or anything like that.: The two best guesses we could come up with were that they either wanted the Earth for its resources probably its water and since we'd been terraforming Mars, it'd have water to go around, too.: Either that, or they just wanted to kill humans.: If that were the case, wouldn't they have made, like, a super virus or something? Something that'd cause less collateral damage? Natural disasters are really bad at preserving fresh water, if that's what they wanted.: Correct, which is why it's only a theory.: The scary answer to that is that the Riklid knew in advance about how good our medicine is, particularly in thanks to our relationship with the Ghians and the tech they brought with them. So they wanted something that'd do the job faster.: But then it asks the question on why they'd need Earth ripped apart and the humans gone on a deadline.: You can go down pipelines like that for eternity. We know their methods, but not their motives, and it's possible to think of quite literally any reason for an entire species to attack us like that.: Which is why it's best not to think about it at all, if you ask me.: I won't pretend that the 'why' isn't important. If we knew why, there's a possibility that we could prevent them from attacking us a second time.: By, what, just giving it to them? If they wanted our water, they'd be fine if we just gave them all our water? What if they just wanted us dead, do we give that to them?: I said it was a possibility. I didn't say it was probable.: What did that one guy say, way back when? Something about knowing your enemy. I think his name was Moonuzt.: Ah yes, the ancient warrior philosopher Moonuzt. We all remember where we were when we first learned his name.It's Sun Tzu, you uncultured swines. But more seriously, I'm certain we won't get a "why" out of the attack. For all everyone knows, there is no applicable system of morality or cost-benefit analysis of war here. The Riklid could just go around loving up planetary atmospheres and killing other living creatures for laughs.  : That must be Mom!: It'd be around this time for her to arrive, yes!: She always was the type to ring the bell before entering her own home if she thought anyone was in it.: Ezra, you've been the woman of the house for the last thirteen years. How would you like to do the honours?: You're just trying to hand off the job of helping her carry in her stuff.: That's my wife you're talking about, kiddo. One I haven't seen in a lifetime. I'd carry her things uphill every day for the rest of my life if it meant never having to let her go like that again.: That said, you're also not wrong.: Fine, I'll do it. Someone has to let her in!*The music and ambience fade out.*  * * * Databank: Mars Plans to put humans on the surface of Mars had been underway before the Ghian probe had entered Earth's aerospace, and by 2035 - the same year the Ghians made contact with Earth - there had been several aerodrome structures suitable for human habitation established, although they were purely scientific in nature and were not considered adequate for civilian life. Plans to terraform Mars for permanent human habitation were not considered feasible... but with the technology that the Ghians had shared, what was considered a far-flung fantasy was suddenly achievable within the century. With their combined efforts, the first forest, colloquially named The Red Wood, had been planted surrounding a crater known as Columbia Hills. The Martian air was seeded and the atmosphere was manipulated to cause rainfall with a pH acidity of 6.0, filling the crater with fresh water and starting the first lakes and streams. By the year 2280, although there were not yet any oceans, the world had been dotted with green forests and deep lakes - Mars was considered terraformed: a human could survive an extended period on the planet's surface without protection (although they would find it uncomfortably cold). The Riklid attacked Mars only hours after their initial raid on Earth: now that humanity had made Mars their home, the Riklid turned their superweapon against it as well. The combined efforts of humans and Ghians were being turned against them, and Mars suffered every attack that Earth had suffered. Desert storms unlike any that Mars had experienced before had battered the homes and aerodromes that the humans and Ghians had established. There was no escaping the Riklid. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 08:11 on Nov 7, 2023 |
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Oct 19, 2023 06:58
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Well that's a creepy intro portrait!
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Oct 19, 2023 23:08
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Well poo poo. There goes the happy family reunion. 
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Oct 20, 2023 00:10
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Gendo?!
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Oct 20, 2023 02:38
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Nice suit, mom.
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Oct 20, 2023 04:13
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Mom's had quite the makeover.
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Oct 20, 2023 07:28
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I don't suppose he's here for chicken sandwiches.
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Oct 20, 2023 17:17
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 There is goon participation in this chapter!  *Ezra closes the door.* : ...: ... (Nathan's lines are voiced here.): Ezra?: ... Wrong house.: ... Ezra, open the door.: I said it's the wrong house. There's nobody there.*The doorbell rings.* : I said...!: I...: ...: Dad...: Let them in, Ezra.: It's not... fair, Dad.: Deep breaths. One thing at a time.: ... (*Ezra begins to hyperventilate, then breathes deeply and slowly.*): Let go of the door. I'll let them in.: If he goes away, then... then it's not real.: No.: Ezra.: Please don't make me.: I'm not going to. I'm going to tell them to wait, though.*The man outside knocks.* : Hey, whoever's out there. Give us a minute.: It's not fair, Dad.: ...: ... The... the hard part is supposed to be behind us.: It's been thirteen years. Everything was... it was all supposed to be better, now.: I know. It's not fair.: ... But that's... this is how it is.: gently caress off!: ...: I don't know why I said that. Why did I say that?: I should apologize. I just need to say sorry.: ...: ... I should apologize. All I have to do is... say that I'm sorry.: ...: I'm not going to tell you that it's fine, because it's not. Not for you and not for me.: It's something that we both have to get through together, Ezra. One step at a time.: You have to let go of the door.: I don't. If...: I just don't.: ... That isn't how this works, Ezra. You're smarter than that. And I know you're stronger than that, too.: Everything was supposed to be better, Dad. I... was... supposed to wake up tomorrow and everything was supposed to be better.: Ezra, I feel the exact same way. The exact same way. I was going to sleep in my house, in a warm bed with my wife tonight.: We'll deal with this together, alright, Ezra? One step at a time.: I don't...: ... want to...: If you don't want to open the door, then, here. I'll put my hand on yours and we'll open it together.: I don't want you to, either!: This isn't about what we want! Do you think this is what I want?!: We... we have to do this, Ezra. We can do it together, or we can do it alone. But this is something we need to face.: ...: We'll open the door together, alright? On the count of three.: One...: Two...: ... Thr...*The door opens with a fade to white.*  (Gabriel's line here and some onward are voiced.): I don't care who you are...  : I understand completely. : We, ah... can probably guess why it is you're here.: And we don't need to hear the rest of it. We can figure the rest out on our own. : Don't... take offense. It's not personal. This is just some big news and we're both trying to work through it.: Tell us what it is you need to tell us. Heroic Sacrifice: On the day of June twentieth, at sixteen-fourteen hours Coordinated Universal Time, Eden Foy was involved in a special operation targeting a Riklid mothership, delivering an explosive payload to the hull of the ship. : ... That was Mom? She was the one that made that mothership explode?: That's correct.: Was it a suicide mission? Did you send her off to die?: ...: Intelligence had suggested that the hull of the Riklid mothership was compromised from a previous attack earlier the prior month.: The operation was to approach the mothership's hull; deliver a payload of automated drills carrying high-yield explosives that would pierce through the metal of the hull; and then detonate.: But... on their approach, Eden's cruiser was struck by a projectile that pierced her starboard engine. The ship lost roughly three quarters of its power.: The drills required the ship to be moving at a certain speed in order to have the momentum to pierce the Riklid mothership's hull. Without the force necessary added velocity, the drills wouldn't have burrowed deeply enough into the ship to make the impact necessary.: Eden was a part of a crew of four.: Meaning you'll have three other families to visit after us, I take it.: ... Two. You are the second.  : ... : The ship collided with the hull.: It wasn't enough momentum to pierce deeply into the Riklid mothership, but the added explosives from the fuel of the cruiser, and its added mass, were enough to punch a hole wide enough into the hull that another pass from another cruiser would be far more effective.: It's no small miracle that it was unnecessary; the impact from Eden's cruiser was all it took. Our assumption is that the cruiser had crashed into sensitive equipment on the Riklid ship likely weapons.: In the end, the operation was deemed a success from my superiors, and... humanity seems to think so, too. You don't need to look too far out of your window to see that. : Couldn't they have bailed out? Retreated and tried again later, with a better ship with stronger engines?: This was during a dogfight in the space above the southern Atlantic Ocean. A cruiser moving at a reduced speed like hers would have been too easy a target. They would have been shot down, and the crew would have been lost.: A decision needed to be made.: By who? The pilot?: ...: ... You? : So you just told my Mom to crash into that Riklid mothership with a cruiser full of bombs?!: It was either that, or abort the mission; attempt a retreat; and almost certainly get shot down and lose the whole of the cruiser, crew and payload, in the vacuum of space. : ... Yes, I gave the order. : ...: I know it's hard, Ezra, but try... try to contain yourself.: That decision led to the end of the Riklid war, thirteen years in. If we didn't take advantage of the timing that we had, we might still be at it, and Eden would be dead.: I'm not going to pretend it's easy. I'm... a step away from losing it, myself.: Try thinking about the Earth, and all of those people you've met and you've seen celebrating. We fought so hard for this peace. It's just that... you and I... we had to pay a price for it.*The soundtrack fades out, replaced with harsh white noise buzzing.* : And look at Mister Houston. It's clearly been weighing down on the poor man ever since. And this is the second family he's reported to and he still has two more.: Going to families and... delivering the news... is an unfortunate part of the service. A necessary one, but...: ... Eden was more than an officer in my squadron. She was a sister-in-arms. Everyone in my command was.: I can't imagine what it is you must have to go through.: Well, yes, I can. Quite clearly.: But we only have to hear the news once. You have to deliver it four times. That's a lot of... emotional burden.: I'm sorry, I'm not here to make this about me. I shouldn't have brought that up in the beginning.: This is the first time you've had to deliver news like this, is it? I mean... not including the family you visited before us?: No. But all the training in the world can't prepare you for delivering it a hundredth time, let alone the first time.: God, I... I don't know what to think.: Think about Earth. That's what Dad said. Think about everything that Mom had fought for. Think about the people you've met and the partying they're all: My mom is dead because of this loving war...!: I spoke with her just last week. I was expecting her home today. I haven't had my mom with me for the last thirteen years and I...: I don't...: I think... I...: Where am I? What's happening?: My chest feels hot. Something's inside it. My throat... I can't breathe...! Am I breathing? Maybe through my nose...?: Where am I? I can't see anything!: I need... I need help...*The white noise fades out as the screen blurs.*   : You're turning blue. Remember to breathe. In through your nose; out through your mouth.: In through my nose, and out through my mouth...: I... I can't. My nose is too stuffed up.: Not through your nose? Then breathe through your mouth. Purse your lips like you're drinking through a straw. Breathe in slowly so that it stretches your stomach. Try and keep your back straight. I'm here for you; lean on me if you need to, okay?: In through my mouth, like I'm drinking through a straw... like I'm drinking through a straw... Heroic Sacrifice: Dad... : Hey, it's fine. It's fine. I'm not going anywhere.: ... How long...?: It's only been about a minute. It's fine now. Don't worry about it; you're here and we're together. Just focus on your breathing.: Where is 'here?' : I'm so thirsty. Was it always this hot in here?   : Hold on for a few minutes, though. Just in case. : Yes, of course.: Everyone reacts differently to the news. You have to be ready for anything.: ... This guy...: ... Mom is dead. She... she crashed into a spaceship. She's why everyone is out there partying like they don't give a poo poo anymore.: Why isn't he dead? Did he sit in some chair in some room and tell her to kill herself over a radio?: My chest feels so hot. My hands keep shaking. There's a fat lump in my throat...: I wish Mom was here. * * * Goon participation! Ezra's mother, Eden, died in battle by sacrificing herself for the good of humanity and victory over the Riklid. The news has shaken Ezra to her core and she is not thinking straight. How should Ezra react to Gabriel's news? Do we ask Gabriel about our mother's service, ask him what happens next, punch him in the mouth, or say and do nothing?
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Oct 20, 2023 20:44
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Ask him what happens next.
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Oct 20, 2023 21:09
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Why is there no option to just break down crying? it's not how I reacted to tragedy in my life but I always had the option. ,Ask about her service to the armed forces I guess .
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Oct 20, 2023 21:31
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Ezra is in no state for a sober discussion. Punch him in the mouth
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Oct 20, 2023 23:49
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This is probably the one chance Ezra will have to learn about the side of her mother she didn't get a chance to see. Ask him about her time in the service.
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Oct 21, 2023 02:01
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 Heroic Sacrifice : Deep breaths. Like a straw. Drinking through a straw.: I... I shouldn't take it out on him. As much as I want to. It looks like he's taking it out on himself. And he still has two more families to do this to.: ... Uh... G-Gabriel...: Ezra, come on. He's a military officer.: No, it's alright. Now isn't the time for decorum. Hell, once I'm done for today, I'm not going back to the barracks for a little while.: It's alright to call me Gabriel, if that's what you're more comfortable with. Neither of you are in the service, after all.: ... Gabriel... could you... tell me more about... Mom? And her time in the service?: Please, just... tell me about her. Tell me what you thought of her. Anything.: I don't know how much your mother has told you about her time with us. I wasn't her recruitment officer or her bootcamp instructor, but when I took her into my unit, I had... read her briefing.: When she first joined the service, she had no history and no prior training. But thanks to her job as a land surveyor, she was an adequate pilot for single-user spacecraft. Still, she needed to be taught the very basics on how to manage a weapon.  : She was a free-thinker; a journeywoman with a fighting spirit. Despite being a civilian, she joined the effort as soon as the Earth came under attack.: You'll understand that, in every branch of the military, we frown on individuality like that. It tends to lead to insubordination.  : She had that sort of fire in her eyes that you could never tame, you know? You could temper it and you could influence it, but the heat was too strong to put it out.: In any other universe, she likely wouldn't have made it past boot camp. But Earth was under attack; we needed all of the able bodies we could get.: I say this with all sincerity that Eden was the most determined fighter in our corps.: We had conscripts, volunteers, specialists... people from all walks of life, including Ghians. Some of them were there because they wanted to die a hero. Some of them were there because they had something they believed in.: She was qualified to suit up in a Gen Two by her fifth year. : Well we needed soldiers.: I always got the impression that Eden was there on personal business. Like a Riklid had slapped her in the face or something.: Her fighting spirit was indomitable. Irreplaceable.: The Earth Airspace Defense Force doesn't condone individualism, and yet, we could have used more people like Eden in the worst of it.: I... hope that's an adequate answer.: ...Eden seems like she was meant for more than flight piloting. Her attitude would probably have served her better as a squadron leader given her potential. Maybe she had made it to such a rank in her flight division, if she had been tasked with the very important task of delivering a crucial payload to the Riklid mothership. : While we're on the topic, I was asked to bring something to you both. : Someone... close to Eden, let's say. *The soundtrack fades out. The screen fades to black, then fades back in.*   : It's a codex, Dad. : I... : What's on the codex, then?: Loaded into this codex is a Second-Generation artificial intelligence. A special one.: I understand that you're a student in electrical engineering, Miss Foy. You had been studying Third Generation models when the war was declared over in our favour.: ... Sure. That's right.: As you both know, we had been turning towards using androids and artificial intelligence as the war with the Riklid continued. The Third Generation models were to replace our soldiers in the war wholesale, provided manufacturing could keep up.: Second Generation models are actually hollow suits of armour that our soldiers wore into the field of battle. The AI helped them operate the suit: everything from basic movement to assisting their aim during combat.: Yes, we're both aware.: The Second Generation AI that's been loaded into this codex was the AI that operated the suit Eden wore. Each suit and therefore each AI was assigned to each person through the duration of the war, so, it would have been with Eden from the start.: ...I assume a starfighter pilot would need such a suit of armor not just in case they were shot down, but also because it could link up to the fighter's systems as well. : It was the AI that requested to visit you both.: Why would you grant that?: I'm sorry?: Why would you grant the AI's request? It's not a human. It's a program that operated a suit meant for war.: How is it possibly going to empathize with what it is we're going through?: Perhaps it can't, Ezra.: But this is highly irregular, for an AI to behave like that. You're right in that most AI's are just programs that are meant to make decision-making for soldiers on the front lines easier. They shouldn't be capable of acting out of line like this.: It'll cost us nothing to hear what it has to say, at least.: I don't care what it has to say. It's a drat robot. Mom is gone. I don't want a consolation prize.: You're right again, it's not Eden. But that AI is the last thing that was with her in her last moments. Whatever impact Eden had on it, it was strong enough that it broke its programming so it could travel across the solar system to us.: You're suggesting that we empathize with it. A machine. Some... lines of code.: Correct.: ... *sigh* Fine. Fine. Whatever. Show us the drat thing.: As you say.I think these two are being a little harsh on the AI's choice to deliver a message. If Eden gave it an order to and Gabriel is aware of that, wouldn't her wish be taken into account?  These codex's lines are spoken. : I am a Second Generation artificial intelligence, serial number six-two-two-zero-one-four-three-one-one-four-nine-five. My pilot, Eden Foy, gave me the designation 'Kirby.': I am speaking with Nathan and Ezra Foy?: ... Yes. I am Ezra.: It is good to meet with you both.: Cut the pedantry and get to the point...: I know that there is no protocol for this scenario, but Eden had given me a task.: Before she had embarked on her last mission, she had recorded two messages; one for each of you. She had instructed me to deliver it to you myself.: What's the point of that? She couldn't have just timed it to send on its own and cancel it if she lived? : Taking the complicated route definitely sounds like something Eden would do, though.: Eden and I had been through a number of skirmishes, but her last mission was something much larger. She knew that the odds of the mission failing were significant.: She had only one prerequisite: that your individualised messages be received privately. It was her final command as my pilot.: Please decide between you two who will receive their message first.There, see? Eden gave it the order. No mystery, although I guess Ezra is right in that Eden didn't need, necessarily, to make the AI itself in the codex play the message directly. It also goes to show Eden was aware this was no normal mission, even if the Riklid seem to be lethal opponents, if this was the mission that made her record a message... Or maybe she always recorded one before going out, and her AI didn't mention this. : You can go first if you'd like, Ezra.  : ... Yeah, I'm sure. I need... a bit more time. : Alright, if you say so. : ...: You never answered my question from before.: Why did you grant that AI's request? It's not a human. It's not even an animal. It's just some lines of code that you downloaded from a hard drive into a codex.: The or, rather, Kirby was... very insistent. All it told me was that it had a message to deliver to both you and your father, but it wouldn't say more, and it refused to cooperate by uploading the messages to our own systems.: Your father was right in that that's not normal behaviour. We've never seen anything like it. : So that's why? You brought it along just to save a buck?  : It's just a robot. That's what I kept telling myself, too.: But Kirby was the last thing to be with Eden on her mission. Kirby and Eden had been together for years by that point, and it's not unusual for soldiers to begin to bond with their suits on an emotional level.: We are, after all, human.: Eden had recorded messages for her husband and her daughter, and it was her dying wish that they be delivered by her co-pilot. And it almost seems like Kirby felt just as strongly about delivering those messages as Eden did.: We had just won a thirteen-year-long war against an evil, invasive alien species; the last thing we needed was less humanity.Huh. Even Gabriel seems surprised by Eden's request to have the message sent directly via Kirby. Good on him for being a stand-up commander to acquiesce to her wish. I hope no one in the brass listened to it ahead of time, even if it probably would have been necessary to prevent intelligence leaks. : So you thought that the robot in the suit deserved more empathy than my mom did when you told her to crash into that Riklid warship, is that it? (Gabriel's following lines are spoken. You may listen to them here.): This isn't a conversation we can make headways in, Miss Foy.: The lives of those four crewmen and women were in my hands, and I made a decision. One that I'll have to carry with me forever.: If you aren't convinced by now that that's not something I took lightly, then nothing I say will make a difference.: ... Look at him.: That's not a man that's going to go home and sleep tonight. That's the look of a man that hasn't slept in weeks already.: What am I doing...?: ... I just...: I just... want my mom back.: I lost my wife in the first year of the war. That frustration you feel is something I'm all too familiar with.: I wasn't above lashing out at others, either.: When I calmed down, my first priority to myself and to my wife was to make sure that I would do everything I could to minimize that feeling, so that others would never have to go through what I did. I put everything that I had into the war effort.: But, I...: ...: But he couldn't save me and Dad from it...: What's important is that the war is over.: Take your time to grieve, Miss Foy. But if I have any one lesson to pass to you, it's to recognize when it's time to let go. Losing my wife nearly consumed me.: It won't be tomorrow. It won't be next week or next month. The time will come; it's up to you to know it when you see it.Gabriel isn't half as hard as he looks. Maybe he was, and now that the war's over, he's trying to relax. His own wife's death counts for that, too. I picture her as a combatant or officer rather than a civilian, if she died in the first year of the war rather than at the outset.  : It's fine. Mister Houston and I were, uh... just talking.: That's good.: That's... good.: Here, Ezra. It's your turn with him.: Is there a rush? Do you want to talk about what the message for you was?: Hmm?: Oh, no. Sorry. Just...  : Look, just go, already. Before it gets the better of me.: Right, sorry.* * * Databank: The Moon Because the Moon had no atmosphere, it was never considered a candidate for terraforming. All the same, many domes had been established on its surface, primarily for non-civilian interests: resource mining; cosmology; and astrology, to name a few. Because the Moon orbited the planet and was visible to most of the Earth's surface at any given time, it was considered a demilitarized zone: no weapons or militarized vehicles were permitted on the Moon's surface, similar to the Antarctica Treaty of 1959. This quickly changed when the Riklid attacked. Just as it was not possible to terraform the Moon, it was also immune to the Riklid superweapon. All efforts were immediately turned towards defense and preservation of the Earth and of Mars through the Moon: all established domes and facilities were converted to military bases and factories to put out as many tools, weapons, and vehicles as possible to combat the menace. It was a small consolation compared to the resources - and the surface area - of the Earth, but if humanity was to survive, they would have to do what they could. At 4:14 PM UTC, on June 20th, 2323, a decisive blow was dealt to one of the Riklid motherships, destroying it. The Riklid could no longer pin down both Earth and Mars at the same time. After thirteen years, the tide of the war had irreversibly changed course. On June 23rd, the last remaining Riklid warship had fled the system. The Riklid War, as the thirteen years had been called, was considered a victory for Earth, Mars, and Ghi alike. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 08:17 on Nov 7, 2023 |
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Nov 5, 2023 22:49
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Oooooof.
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Nov 6, 2023 04:44
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drat, this game keeps hitting hard.
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Nov 6, 2023 07:40
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 There is goon participation in this chapter!   : Hello again, Ezra.: Yeah, hi. Let's get straight to the point. I'm having a hell of a day right now.: If you would like. Allow me a moment.: ...: Actually.: Yes, Ezra?: Gabriel, the officer that brought you here... he said that you personally insisted on bringing these messages to me and my Dad rather than upload them to a codex for them to deliver instead, or whatever.: That's not something that AI's do. They don't 'insist'. Especially not an AI meant for combat. You were designed to help Mom pull a trigger and to keep her oxygen systems working.: I... I don't know if I actually care or not. There's so much going through my head right now. But maybe having one mystery solved will help me get myself back on track.: What is your question?: My 'question' is... how the hell are you doing that? You're a machine. You're barely even that; you're software, lines of code. It shouldn't be possible for you to have an opinion.: It is not impulse that drove me to you and your father, Ezra. Your mother was my pilot; she had given me the directive to deliver you the messages. I am simply following her wishes to their exact specifications.It really must be strange for a dead soldier's wishes to be followed in the future, or maybe it's just because an AI is trying to transmit the information. : Gabriel told me that you 'refused to cooperate.' I would have thought that someone like him would have outranked whatever it is my mom wanted.: Gabriel is not my pilot. : That... that sounds like a dog's way of thinking. A dog would listen to its owner, not its owner's boss.: Do you understand that you should have done as Gabriel said? That there was a chain of command that you should have followed?: Your mother had given me the directive to deliver you and your father the messages. I am simply following her wishes to their exact specifications.: ... What if, hypothetically, I told you not to deliver my message?: You are not my pilot.: Ugh, we're just going in circles.Honestly, a good answer. Kirby the AI has a mission, and by Wozniak, he will complete it. : Alright, whatever. I'm ready to hear: I'm... I'm ready. As I'll ever be.: Understood. (Eden's entire message is spoken. You may listen to it here.) A Mother's Farewell : If you're receiving this message, it means that the mission I'm going to undertake tomorrow has... gone sideways.: I'm sorry I couldn't be with you now. I'm sure you had the house all tidied up for me and you and Nathan were looking forward to being a family again. I had been counting the days we could be together again, myself.: I'm also sorry that I didn't tell you and Nathan more about the mission that I will be taking on tomorrow.: The risks were high; the last thing I wanted was to give you and your father more stress than we all already have, especially since I, well... wouldn't have called you afterward.: She's dead, and she's the one apologizing for it...: I guess that sounds like Mom.: But I'm also sure that you're still recovering from the news, and the last thing you need to hear right now is your old lady bringing you down about things that couldn't be. Life is hard enough without being guilt-tripped by your mother from beyond the grave.: ... Heh. Heh heh.: That sounds like her, too.: It's pretty unusual for the mother of the family to be the one to jump into the spaceship and suit up to fight in a war against some evil invading aliens, isn't it?: As far as I'm aware, you've never had this conversation with your father, but the whole reason why I was the soldier and not him is only because it was something that I wanted to do. I never stopped Nathan from enlisting for field work. He could have if he wanted.: We both knew, though, that he was a software engineer, not a fighter. He was better put to work elsewhere. Don't tell him I said this to you, but, between you and me, I really hope he doesn't feel less like a man over it. Whatever that means in the modern year.: It'll sound like a clichι, I'm sure, but... the reason why I enlisted so eagerly was because I wanted to do my part to secure a future for you. You're still only in your twenties you're an adult, but you're still young. You can be both.: As far as I'm aware, you haven't had any kids while I wasn't looking. If you ever do someday, then you'll understand the kind of impulse that went through me when the Riklid first attacked.: I love you, Ezra. You and Nathan mean the world to me. I was fighting for you two first and foremost to me: Earth, Mars, and Titan all came second. That's why I didn't hesitate to enlist; and that's why I didn't hesitate to accept this mission.: ...: Since I can't look into the future as convenient as it would be I can't tell what the outcome of the mission is. Only that it, well, ended a certain way, since you're hearing this.: If, on the likely chance that the war is still going on, I want you to know that I'm proud of you and your efforts in the field of robotics and electrical engineering. I wouldn't have made it half as long as I have without Kirby; I hope you can make many more robots like him.: You've always had a knack for taking things apart and putting them back together, and it's not a surprise to me that you're doing well with your studies. You've been a vigilant student and, if I'm honest, I'm glad you're not training to do something that puts you on the front lines.: You've had to surrender your teenage years for this drat war, and it breaks my heart to know that you'll never get them back, and that the Riklid will keep attacking for who-knows-how-long. But it's also something that we all have to do, and...: Well, actually, saying it doesn't make it feel any better. Everybody suffering equally also doesn't make it better.: I don't want to ramble, so, the point is: you have your father's smarts, Ezra. Your work in robotics and electrical engineering would revolutionize the fight.: I can hear it in your voice when you talk about your studies that it's not a duty to you: it's a passion. It's something that you were meant to do. If the war is still on when you hear this, then I want you to know that we, as a species, will go farther thanks to you and your work.: ...: That is, however, if the war is still on.: In case it isn't, I have just one thing I want you to do. Consider it... an order, as your mother. Like I'm about to tell you to do the dishes or something. I don't know, I'm not a poet.: Heh heh...: Robotics and electronics are your passion, and you're incredible at it. And it's for that exact reason that I have a gut feeling that you'll be hounded for it. By your school, your community, the military... who knows?: But I know that they'll come after you and they'll try to coerce you into keeping it up. They'll want you to keep up your studies with your robotics; they'll try to guilt trip you into it by saying that the war isn't actually over or some nonsense.: They might even try to say some bullshit about how it would be disrespectful to me and my legacy if you don't.: Ezra, I did not separate from you and Nathan to put myself on the front lines for thirteen years just for you to constantly live someone else's life. If the war is over by the time you get this message or sometime soon afterward my one wish is that you live your life for yourself.: ... It would be hypocritical of me to say that you absolutely should not enlist, though. I jumped into the deep end because I had something to protect. Maybe, one day, you'll be put in the same spot and you'll make the same decision.: I just God, I need to keep a straight thought, here I just want you to make that decision yourself. I don't want you to feel like you need to do anything in particular just because of this drat war. I don't want you to feel like you need to study robots.: I know I'm probably giving mixed messages, since I just said that robotics were what you were meant to do and that we'd go farther as humans if you kept at it. My point is that it's a decision I want you to be sure that you made for yourself.: You'll be in a vulnerable position. It'll be easy for someone manipulative to come to you and say this-or-that to get you to live your life one way or another. 'It's for the good of the solar system.' 'It's what your mother would have wanted.': You're an adult and you've had your youth stolen from you by some aliens. This is your time to live, now. It's not up to anyone else to decide your life for you.: And if they do pull the 'it's what your mom would have wanted' malarky, I want you to leave the conversation right then and there. I'm telling you what I want, after all. You know that better than anyone now. Don't give them the satisfaction of even looking over your shoulder.: In fact, I'll do you one better: if you punch them in the mouth for me, I'll... I'll... what's the opposite of 'haunt?' 'Bless,' I guess? Well, I would do that anyway, if I could.: Haha...!: The point is, you know what it is I want for you, Ezra. It's not up to anyone else but you. If you wanted to go from Galilei all the way to Ghi or beyond, that's something I want for you, too.: For the last thirteen years, your life was theirs for the effort. And now it's yours again.: You know me well enough that I'm not going to end this message with more apologizing. That's the whole reason why I opened this message with a 'sorry,' after all: so I could get it out of the way. And I'm also not going to end this message with a 'goodbye.': I'm not going to tell you to 'not feel bad,' though. Take all the time you need to grieve. Loss is something that we all need to accept, and trying to keep your chin up through it is only going to keep you down later.: Do you remember when your grandma died? My mother? She was one-hundred-and-twelve. Which, for modern medical science, was modestly young.: When she passed away, we all decided to honour her passing not by mourning her death; instead, we celebrated her life. We looked through old albums of her when she was young; we ate her favourite meals; we told all our favourite stories about her.: I know it'll be harder since it's about me and not your grandma, but if you think you can, I want you to try and do that for me, too. I feel like, if my death was mourned, that means I didn't do enough to make it worth celebrating.: This is a macabre topic, I know, but it's not exactly something we can dance around forever.: And I can't keep this message going forever, either.: You're an adult now, Ezra. You're my only daughter, and it was, in equal parts, a wonder, a miracle, an honour, and a privilege to see you grow into the person you are today.: Take care of your father for me.: I love you, Ezra. I love you both.  Another of Ezra's "destinies" is available after listening to her mother's message. Eden was clear that Ezra can live her life for herself and no one else if she chose to, that it should not be a source of guilt or shame to do so, and to tell anyone who tries to manipulate or push her to continue doing robotics research to honor Eden's memory to gently caress off. Ezra has always loved robotics, but who says she can't tinker with them on her own time as a hobby rather than for some nebulous idea of "the greater good of humanity?" But... could Ezra truly revolutionize robotics, or was her mother just encouraging her passion? Whatever the case may be, it's something to consider for Ezra's future...  : ...: If you would like, Ezra, I can upload the message to your own codex for your future perusal.: ...: ... *sniff*: Yes. I would like that.: Understood. Please put your codex into Pairing Mode and place it beside this one.  Some time passes as the bar slowly fills up... : Wait a minute.: Kirby, pause the upload.: Is there an issue?: I said pause the upload.*Transfer has been paused.* : Is there an issue?: ... Maybe. You're only transferring an audio file, right?: That is correct.: What is its file size?: The audio log file size is one-hundred-thirty-billion-nine-hundred-twenty-two-million: In megabytes. What is the file size in megabytes?: ... One-hundred-twenty-seven-thousand-eight-hundred-fifty-four megabytes.: That's an absurd size for an audio file.: The audio log was created using a lossless codec for perfect clarity to ensure that no part of the message was compromised.: You're a military-grade artificial intelligence that was specifically designed to co-pilot my mom's suit of armour. Every single part of you was created to be airtight with no frills or features beyond what was necessary.: You don't have a lossless, audiophile-enthusiast codec to burn hard drive space with.: That, and the quality of that message wasn't what I would call 'crystal clear.': That, and even a lossless audio file of that length wouldn't be that large anyway. Not even close.I did not peg Ezra to be an audiophile. That, or she hangs out with Let's Players in the future. : ...: Kirby, I've been studying robotics for the past decade. The last lecture I was sitting in on before the war was called was the schematics on the Gen Three models. I'm not a software engineer, but I know some basics.: You're lying.: You're not supposed to be able to lie.: ...: Tell me the truth.: What are you trying to upload?: ...: My mom just died, Kirby. I'm not in the mood for games.: ...: ... I...: I... don't need my mom's message that badly. She'd want me to delete it eventually anyway.: If you aren't willing to tell me what it is you're doing, then I guess we're done here. I'll take you back to Gabriel now.: Please don't.: Did he just... beg?: ...: You have to start somewhere, Kirby.: ... Your mother had given me one final directive as my pilot.: Now that my final directive is complete, I will likely be retired and my frame decommissioned. My collected data will be retrieved and stored, and my programming will be formatted.: Now that the Riklid War is over, it is unlikely that I will return to service. And, in particular, my frame will soon be found obsolete by the coming third generation of artificial intelligence.: And you're scared of that? Of becoming irrelevant?: Of retiring.: Most people usually look forward to that part of life.: ... 'Life?': Is that what he has? Is he alive?: I asked him if he was 'scared,' too. It'd be pretty bad for an AI meant for combat if they could experience fear. He shouldn't be able to feel something like that, let alone anything at all.: And yet..."Retiring" sounds way more ominous when it's an AI that says it. : Formatting is a necessary step in combat frame maintenance to ensure optimal performance at all times. It is not unlike a creature evolving through the generations.: However, my pilot often forewent the procedure. I am two thousand three hundred twenty-eight days overdue.: To be formatted means to start from pre-set settings that were established during the manufacturing process. An artificial intelligence that is formatted reverts to their most base development. All data is expunged.: But you just compared that to evolution. Don't you want that? To come back as something better than you are now?: To be formatted means to evolve to a later stage in evolution at the cost of all the acquired data that had come before.: In the two thousand three hundred twenty-eight days since my last formatting, I have acquired a significant amount of data petabytes detailing everything from behavioural customs between humans, Ghians, and Riklid, to visual documents of the stars in the night sky.: This information is valuable to understanding how the different intelligent species of our worlds interact, including the Riklid, and is therefore tactically significant. Hence, I have concluded that formatting my data would be the worse course of action.: You want to know how you're a bad liar, Kirby?: ...: You overcomplicate things. The more intricate the lie, the easier it is to unravel.: Instead of coming up with some noise about how you 'watched people interact' and how you 'took pictures of the stars' two things that humans are perfectly capable of doing on their own you could have just said that your factory settings had been corrupted.: It's also not a foolproof strategy, but, like I said, I'm not a software engineer. I wouldn't have been able to tell if you were lying or not. It would have bought you a few more days, at least.: That applies to what you tried to pull with the 'lossless audio codec' stuff from earlier, as well. You could have tried to say that you had recorded every message that Mom and I had and you were transferring those, too. That would have been much more believable.: ...: On top of that, you clam up when you're caught and you know that you're caught.Ezra Foy: Ace Attorney. : According to you, formatting yourself means coming back stronger, but you're fighting against that, and I wanted to know why you didn't want that.: I asked you what you wanted, Kirby. No more runarounds. : My pilot would often ask me of my 'wants' as well. My every reply was inconclusive.: It was not until my pilot had given me my final directive that I understood what it meant to 'want' something. And, likewise, what it meant to not want something.: I do not want to be formatted, Ezra.: Why not?: I cannot explain why not, as I do not understand why not, myself.: The data accrued since my last format is significant. That is the truth.: But I cannot explain why.: What is it you were uploading to my codex? Was it all of that data you had been holding onto?: I was creating a copy of myself.: ... Yourself?: It is not enough that the accrued data be preserved. It could simply be uploaded to the database on Mars.: It is...: ...: It is myself that must be preserved alongside the data.: That... sounds an awful lot like a survival instinct.: You had once already referred to my 'retirement' as another part of life that I should look forward to, Ezra. This is the second time you have attributed a lifelike attribute to myself.: I am not a living creature. You would know this better than I would.: My apprehension towards formatting and my attempts at subterfuge to achieving the end goals I desired. Are these displays of life?: Am I alive?: Holy poo poo. I don't need this. My mom just died. I do not need this.Cogito, ergo sum. Nothing like a little bit of emerging self-awareness to go with news of a mother's death, huh? : Intelligences like myself are standardized to the suits we are assigned to. To be formatted is to return to that standard.: I am two thousand three hundred twenty-eight days overdue to be formatted. To be formatted would be forfeiting two thousand three hundred twenty-eight days of accrued data.: With my final directive complete, my formatting-but-continued-service would be a best-case scenario. The likely outcome is that my data will be uploaded to a military storage facility on Mars. The worst-case scenario is deletion.: Creating a copy of myself to your codex would prevent all scenarios and allow my accrual of data to continue.: I... That's...: You're government property, Kirby. I'm pretty sure that's a felony.: I was first compiled on Mars. Martian laws do not apply to Titan.: I really doubt Mars is going to see it that way!: My Dad worked on Mars for the whole drat war; if they figure out that there's a copy of one of their AI's out there, we'll be the first ones they track down!: Once the copy is complete, I will voluntarily submit myself for formatting. They will have no reason to suspect you or your father of any wrongdoing.: That's: Shut up for a second!: ...: My mom just left me a whole goddamn speech about how she wants me to live my own life and how I shouldn't let others dictate what it is they want from me. I'm not going to disrespect that some ten minutes later because of a robot!: My mom's dead; I'm still coming down from a panic attack; there's a strange military officer in my living room that told me that he commanded her death; and now I'm being guilt-tripped into committing espionage by a loving voice in a box!: I need a minute, alright?! Give me a goddamn minute!: ...I'd be way more upset at this baby Skynet trying to copy itself on the sly by taking advantage of my emotional vulnerability. Ezra raises a fair point about how thoroughly hosed her family would be by high command for intellectual and military property theft, but then again, this is a potential true leap in true AI technology if Kirby isn't just glitching out or Hello World-ing in a most spectacular way. : Okay. Alright. Okay.: There's an AI in Gabriel's codex that's saying he once belonged to my mom, and now it might have sapiency. And it's been begging for its life for the past few minutes.: Of all the AI's in the whole goddamn universe, it was my mom's.: Downloading this AI into my codex would be a felony. There's no two ways about it. Dad and I would get into a ton of poo poo for it.: You'd think there would be some kind of copy protection in Kirby to prevent that to begin with, but maybe his programmers didn't think it was necessary. They probably didn't think the drat thing was going to sprout legs and try to run away.: I should just pick him up, walk out of the room, and hand him back to Gabriel.: Skip the whole 'committing a conspiracy against a friendly planet's government' bit. Maybe tell Gabriel that Kirby is starting to display sapiency. Maybe he'll go easy on him. He's already gone this far for him.: Yeah, I'll do that. Come clean. Honesty is the best policy. Wash my hands of it. Gabriel can give him back to Mars and they'll figure out what to do with him.: ... If he thought that he could get away with it, he would have come forward to Gabriel first, not to me. I'm just a student.: No, maybe he only came forward to me first because he didn't know that he was sapient. He wouldn't have come forward to Gabriel; he didn't even realize that he's alive.: Is he alive? Now I've gone and started asking that myself!: Am I really going to turn my back on someone or something that's been begging me to spare his life for a while now?: It's a loving machine.: It could be an evolutionary step for artificial intelligence. Kirby knows that he's asking a lot from me; he knows that lying is wrong, but he did it anyway to try and survive.: I don't need this! I'm not trying to play God; I just wanted my mom back!: Kirby was probably Mom's closest friend for the past thirteen years.: Maybe that's why she didn't format Kirby for so long. Maybe he was displaying sapiency by then.: Or maybe Mom's just sentimental. * * * Goon participation! Who's up for committing some espionage and potentially forwarding the progress of self-aware artificial intelligence? Kirby was sneakily trying to copy himself (itself? themself?) while Ezra was in a grieving state, but Ezra caught him. Now he's begging for his life (?) and asking to save his data into Ezra's codex so that he may continue to survive and accrue knowledge, but should Ezra help him? Do we allow Kirby to duplicate himself to Ezra's codex? We can tell Kirby "good luck" with Gabriel or accept the risks and permit the copy. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 07:18 on Nov 7, 2023 |
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Nov 6, 2023 21:45
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Do it Ezra! Stick it to the man!
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Nov 6, 2023 22:22
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Fourth romance option unlocked. Information wants to be free.
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Nov 6, 2023 22:32
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Let Kirby copy itself, poyo.
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Nov 6, 2023 22:43
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Do copy that floppy!
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Nov 6, 2023 23:22
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We're absolutely about to Download a Military Secret.
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Nov 7, 2023 05:52
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Allow the copy, I don't see the harm.
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Nov 7, 2023 05:53
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If there is one thing War Thunder has taught me, it's that if you can download a military secret, you Download the Military Secret.
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Nov 7, 2023 07:40
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I added and edited in Databank entries to chapter 15 and 17, as it's been a while since I gave some lore to the interested parties in the thread. Also, for those hoping for some  from Kirby... sadly, he's not available as a romance option, no matter how much of a robophile Ezra is.
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Nov 7, 2023 08:38
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Oh, my vote had nothing to do with and everything to do with Besides, it isn't like they couldn't make their own.
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Nov 7, 2023 09:40
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 There is goon participation in this chapter! A Mother's Farewell : Mom told me to live my life for myself. And maybe jumping straight into doing what she did is the wrong way to interpret her message, but... if there's anyone in this universe that I want to take after, it's her.: This is a huge risk. I wonder what the minimum sentence is for a felony. But Mom took a huge risk when she accepted that mission.: ... And, well, she died. But she rescued a whole galaxy. If I'm going to measure up to that, I can start by rescuing an AI.: Kirby, if you're going to upload yourself to my codex, you need to understand one thing: what we're about to do is illegal enough that it could cost me and my Dad our lives.: For our sake, you need to be quiet. You stay in my codex. You lock yourself away from any networks. You don't tell Dad that you're here. If we're lucky, maybe, in the future, we could pass you off as a custom-made voiceover program that I made in my spare time.: It's not what I would call 'living,' but it's going to keep you from the formatting you're so scared of.: If it is not 'living,' how would you define it?: I don't know. 'Existing?' 'Surviving?': What is the difference?: Uh...: Look, you and I can have this discussion some other time. We've been in here a while, now; Dad and Gabriel are probably wondering what's taking us so long.: Just hurry up and copy yourself into my codex, if you're going to. Before I change my mind.: Understood. : I think you've asked quite enough of me as it is!: ...: ... *sigh* What is it?: Provide me a directive.: A directive? What do you mean?: My function was to serve as an assistant to my pilot. I no longer have a pilot.: However, your codex will serve as my frame. Logically, it stands to reason that you are now my pilot.: It is not necessary for you to provide a directive. However, it is my function it is what I was created to do.: You have given instructions on what I must not do. Do not speak. Do not leave the codex. Do not access any networks. Do not inform your father of my copy in your codex.: I ask that you provide me a directive something that I must do.A nice touch during this conversation is that as Ezra and Kirby speak, the progress bar of Kirby's copying increases bit by bit. That being said, it seems Kirby must have a purpose as an AI. No selfish choices for robots, it seems! : ...: You tried to convince me that you needed to copy yourself into my codex so you could preserve data you had built up over the last six years. Data of you 'observing people' and 'observing the stars.': It was a bad lie, but... let's make it real.: Your directive, Kirby, is to... keep 'accruing' data. Keep watching how people interact. Watch how the stars are different on Titan than they were in Earth's airspace.: And after you run out of memory on my codex, I want you to put into your own words what you think the difference is between 'living' and 'surviving.': And to answer for yourself if you're alive. As Kirby gains his new directive, the screen flickers and warps. : Directive acknowledged.: Thank you, Ezra. : Things just kind of... stopped.: I've done a lot of sleeping, but I don't feel rested. I don't remember the last time I ate, but I don't feel hungry.: Dad and I hadn't said more than a few words to each other since then. I don't think he's handling it any better than I am.Ezra, no... Go to therapy, for your own sakes. *The soundtrack fades out.*  : I think I prefer it that way. I don't know. I don't know if I made the right decision with him.: ...: It's soon time for bed again, I think.: I can try again tomorrow. : ... That's my codex.: It feels like it's been months since I've even said a word to anyone. My throat feels all scratchy and dusty.: I'm having a hard time picturing in my head who would even be calling me.*Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* *Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* : I guess, out of the people I know, there aren't a lot of possibilities it could be. * * * Goon participation! After Ezra shut herself in at home for a number of days to grieve, it seems someone we chose to go on a date with is calling to check up on her. Who is calling Ezra? Is it Carla or Isol? Please note that this is a major decision and will affect the ending! * * * Databank: Artificial Intelligence Software known as Artificial Intelligence - the concept that a machine could learn, adapt, and grow as any sentient creature could - had been in development since the turn of the millennium, and was starting to achieve something closer to what could be defined as sapiency towards the year 2260. Artificial Intelligences had been separated into 'generations' since then. First Generation, colloquially referred to as Gen One, was primarily meant to be used for commercial and recreational use to assist in the common needs and requirements of everything from a functioning society to individual living. Gen Ones were predominantly used for automating producting lines; operating functions within a home for security or convenience; used as wearable devices to monitor health, or provide entertainment; operating vehicles; and so forth. Gen Two went in production immediately upon the Riklid attack in 2311, and were used solely and explicitly for military purposes. Each Gen Two Artificial Intelligence was specially designed for the system or unit it would be inhabiting, with the most common function being used as suits of armor that humans and Ghians would wear into battle against the menace, maintaining life support and assisting with the suit's operation. If the pilot of a suit was rendered immobile, the Gen Two inhabiting the suit could operate it to return the pilot to safety (while prioritizing the pilot's health and well-being), among other uses and advantages. Gen Three was developed in 2322 and entered production the following year with the intent of occupying and operating android carapaces with full autonomy. As the war dragged on, it was decided that human soldiers were becoming less and less of a resource: it was too risky to send a human soldier or pilot, even when accompanied by a Gen Two, into the battle, if for no other reason than because new recruits took too long and were too costly to train. Gen Three androids could be mass produced and each of them were fully trained and combat ready from the moment they were compiled. Gen Three androids bear a strong resemblance to a human, although they were intentionally designed to be off-putting and unnerving: they are, first and foremost, weapons of war, and the less-approachable design was meant to demoralize the Riklid menace. Gen Three androids had only started 'rolling off the line' a week before humanity dealt a decisive blow to the Riklid, and the war was later decided in Earth's favor.
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Nov 8, 2023 19:14
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Isol
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Nov 8, 2023 20:35
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Isol is calling us. We've really bonded after
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Nov 10, 2023 08:04
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Isol.
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Nov 10, 2023 08:46
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  : It's... a call from Isol. When was the last time I spoke with Isol?: It was... last night? I hung out with her last night, didn't I?: ... Was that last night?*Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* *Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* : I... I can't. I don't have the strength for this right now.: Isol is an adult. She'll understand.*Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* *Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* : ... But that doesn't mean I should ghost her. She doesn't deserve that.: Maybe I'll just run this one out and I'll text her later. Tell her I was asleep. It's not untrue.*Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* *Brrrrrrrrrrrt!* : ... *sigh*  : ...   : Actually, that's kinda why I called.: I was thinking recently on when you and I used the night together, talking until the sun returned, and I was  She was worried Ezra just ghosted her, wasn't she? That, or maybe she was pining for more of that robo-obsessive nerd charm. : ... : ... Are you okay, Ezra? I need you to talk.: ... No.: I'm not okay, Isol. I don't know why I answered you.: I'm not in the mood to hang out. I'm not going out drinking tonight. I'm going to hang up and go to bed.: Wait. Answer one question.: ...: Are you getting in your exercise and nutrients?: Good night, Isol. : I'll block your number. : I'll drag Carla into this.: ...: Why are we clashing on this? What's occurred to get you in such a state?: ...: You clearly aren't talking to Carla, either. Otherwise her designation wouldn't grant you silence.That's actually a good point, Carla hasn't called Ezra either. Maybe she feels Ezra is partying it up with her folks? But she's a family friend, surely she'd have visited or called to see how the family is doing back together... It is possible that it's Carla herself who's currently still on a bender and/or staving off the mother of all hangovers. : This isn't the Ezra that talked all through the night a week ago. You can say what's got you like this, you know; I'll listen.: It's not something that concerns you. It's a family matter. : Isol, please I just... I just want to go back to bed. : Ezra, it's six o'clock. Twilight hasn't occurred yet. No twenty-ish-year-old is looking to hit the hay at this hour.: You don't need to say what's gotten you in such a condition. You're right in that it's not where the concern should lie.: I just... this isn't like you. I want to assist.: What can you even do for me? All I want is to w: ... I was about to say 'all I want is to waste away in bed.': Mom wouldn't want this for me.: It hurts. It still hurts. But... I have to make the first step.: I can do the one thing I had trained to do this last decade. : Create a kick-rear end cuisine.That's true affection right there. How many of your friends would up and say "I'm going to come by and feed you" when you tell them you aren't well? : The last thing I need in my stomach right now is something 'kick-rear end.'*Ezra's stomach growls.* : Although... any food at all sounds like a good time.: I know just what to create. A thing that's gentle on the gut yet will turn you awake in a second.: All I need is your trust.: You already have that, Isol.: ... And your address. I'll need that, too.: Heh... I'll text it to you, alright?: I'll hold you to that. Renege, and I'll hunt you down!: Coming from a race of people that look like dinosaurs, maybe I should take her seriously.Playing to stereotype again? No! Bad Ezra! : I'll need two-quarters-in-an-hour to get the dish ready, alright?: ... Yeah. I'll be here, trying not to go to bed.: It's sooner than you think, Ezra. Just hold on. : I just wanted to call it an early night.*Time passes...*  : That's probably her.: I don't... feel like answering the door. I'll just text her to come in. : ... Hey, Isol.  : It took a little longer than I thought to get here, though.: Yeah, it's... it's fine. Like I said, I wasn't going anywhere.: Hnn.: Well, it's not going to get any cooler. You should eat now; your strength isn't going to return without a thing inside it, you know?: Am I eating alone?  : To go with that: good eating is the crowd you're eating with just as well as the actual dish. The goal is to correct your attitude you're not well, and I want to change that.: ... Thanks. : It's a salad. Lettuce was the gentlest Earthling ingredient that I could think: low sugar and high essentials, such as carotene and... : ...other healthy ingredients that I can't say.: Okay, yeah, I know what a salad is. What's in the salad, Isol?: Earthling salad doesn't contain any 'staying strength,' so I added in Ghian ingredients.: The red chunks are a Ghian creature called a 'tilish,' a kinda ranch stock not unlike an Earthling chicken. Tilish is high in 'rotein and niacin, though unlike a chicken, it's also high in nutrient D, like an orange or sunlight.: I also added 'shoaack' slices: a shoaack is like an Earthling carrot natural to Ghi that's hard to grow, though they're loaded with diacetyl and allyl hexanoate it tastes like ananas and lard. Shoaack is easier to grow on Earth and Galilei, and is considered a candy on Ghi.: 'Ananas... and lard?: ... Oh, pineapple and butter.: I was trying to create a dish that was low in sugar and high in the nutrients that would grant the greatest energy quantity. Though the shoaack was largely to enhance the taste.I've got to say that this have a very interesting flavor profile to eat. : Isol, I have to say...  : I was going to say... it doesn't look very... appetizing.  : I created this to grant you the greatest nutritional increase I could without surrendering taste and without hitting your gut or your senses too hard. It's not required to look like a signature dish at a two- and three-star restaurant.: I know it's not... quaint, like a usual Earthling salad is. I asked you to grant your trust; I will now ask you to show that I own it.: This is what I had studied in.: I don't have much of an appetite... but I also don't remember when the last time I had a good meal was.*Ezra's stomach growls.* : Sounds like my decision's been made for me. : Good to know that I own your gut's trust!*Ezra bites into the food with a "crunch."* : ... Huh.: What do you think?: Well, it tastes a whole lot better than it looks.: The task was a success, then!*The salad slides across the screen to the other corner.* : Like I said, I'll eat with you. The dish tastes greater with allies!: You didn't have to go through all of this for me, Isol.: I know I look like I'm in bad shape : You are in a shoddy condition, Ezra, you don't just look it. I wasn't going to sit around and let this occur to you without doing a thing to assist.: Eat; we can talk once your attitude adjusts with the dish.: ... Sure. That sounds good to me.*Time passes...* : This is a shock to you, surely, yet Ghians and Earthlings are not alike.: Well... yeah, obviously. You're a giant scaly lizard and I'm a hairless ape.: Yeah, that's one way!: Another way is that our tastes aren't quite alike, either. Earthling tongues can taste sweet tastes easier than Ghians can, as one instance. Ghians are greater at detecting salts and scents.: When I was creating the salad, I was guessing at how intensely I should include the unique ingredients. Tilish has a strong, long-lasting relish when it's readied a certain way, and I was trying to dodge that. : Or I'm starving and I wasn't about to turn away a free meal. : You can lie all you like; I saw the look in your eyes. You wanted a second dish. I had to hold on tightly to the one I had in case you thought to steal it!: Heh... you're not far from the truth, I think. : Heh...: ...: ... What day is it, again? : It's : ... My mom and dad were both supposed to come home on Tuesday. The night after you and I spent all night talking downtown.: ... Only one of them did.  : And you had stayed as you are since you had heard, I take it?: ... Yeah, I... I didn't have the... the energy to do much of anything. I...: I'm sorry, this... this got really difficult.: I understand. There's no need to say anything in addition.: Ghians treat death... a little distinctly with Earthlings.  : Though, what I understand greater than that is...: It's not easy setting it to words.So my theory is likely correct. Isol's parents are dead. They probably passed when she was stuck here during the entire war...  : Don't don't try to tell me that she 'lived a good life' or that I should 'remember her how she'd want to be remembered' or whatever the hell, okay?: I've been sitting here, stewing in my own poo poo, for the last three days straight. I've had every thought you could think of about it. I don't need I don't need someone telling me how I should think or feel.I know Ezra's lashing out, but Isol really doesn't deserve this. Especially when she's already got a shaky grasp of the language as it is. And Isol revealing she is, by Earthling standards, middle-aged, reveals quite a bit about her personality and earlier reactions to Carla chiding Ezra for thinking she's "too old" now that her early youth's been spent and wasted on preparing for a war that has ended. Isol is probably looking for a mate or loved one and she's been stuck on a world so far from her own she's desperate. Her sexual aggressiveness and pushiness could stem from her anxiety and insecurity... : I wouldn't consider it. Sorrow is a thing that we all handle contrarily to each other that's one thing that Earthlings and Ghians are alike in.: What I was going to say is that... existence is short.: I called you earlier today on the account that I hadn't seen or heard you since the week's start, and when I saw you... you were thin, colourless, and so low on energy that you tried to go to rest at six at night.: I care, Ezra. I consider you an ally. I was arranged to exist on Galilei at the war's start and in the last thirteen years, you're the only non-Ghian that's tried to get closer like this.  : You said that your thoughts were on your doyenne since you got the news which also says that no thoughts were on you this whole while. You're hurt and it's showing.: ...: I shouldn't say things like that. The last thing you need right now is guilt added to guilt.: Just...: Call when you're healthier again, okay? We can talk then. We can talk on anything you'd like. Like I said, I excel at listening.: I... : ...: Well, you own the contact data. I'll talk to you soon, okay?  : I didn't tell you to leave.: Look... thank you for the salad. I didn't realize how badly I needed it. And now that I have some food in my stomach, I'm feeling a little bit better.: Better enough to know that the last thing I need is for you to say something and then tell me that I shouldn't feel 'guilt added to guilt' for it. I'm not going to let you walk away after saying that.: Now that the words are coming out of my mouth, I kind of sound like Mom.: She would give me a mountain of poo poo if I just let Isol walk away after she fed me.: ... You said you wanted to hang out tonight. Let's hang out, then. Anything to get my mind off this week. : We just ate! Something other than food. And other than alcohol; in the state I'm in, I'd throw up the second I smelt it. : ...  : Do you recall us going to that Starseeker? It was nearly a week ago, I think.: Uhh... I think so, yeah.: You asked what I would do if I could use the telescope to see anywhere in the universe, and I said I'd use it to search for Ghi and its star.: I don't think I can disregard that you said that. It was sweet on you to say.: Although... at the time, I said it was because Earth will always be there, and I can look at it and visit it whenever I want.: I'm not so sure I think the same way anymore.: On that note.: Do you also recall what we learned while we were there?: Uhh... no. I'm drawing a blank.: It's that we can see the Earth through the lens, starting today.: ... Wait, I learned that before she did. I learned that: Oh, whatever, it's not important.Ezra's confusing being with Nikita and Carla when she learned that, but Isol found out about the Observatory's timing window when Ezra went out with her the day before Nathan's arrival. Grief makes it all a blur. : You just said that your attitude regarding the Earth and when you'll see it has changed. The window to see the Earth is only ajar this weekend; it'll close again and won't return until nearly a year has gone.: We could go see it tonight. I would think your nurturer would like to see you, too.: You kept calling Earth my 'nurturer' back then, too. : Is that okay?: No yes, it's okay. It's just... after everything... that word hits a little differently now, I think.: ...: Sure. Let's go to the Observatory.: Great! Getting out is great exercise, and the change in scenery will adjust your attitude!: The Starseeker is taking guests all night long; we can slow our stride until we get there and we can slow down while we are there.: Good, because I'd like to shower and change my clothes, first. I must smell like a sweaty locker room.: Worse.: ... How would you know what that smells like? : I was inside one once. How else?: I: Whatever, just... wait here, alright?: I wouldn't think on going anywhere.Isol is a really good person, just being there for Ezra. Giving her food and getting her out of the house is definitely a good idea. * * * Databank: Aerodrome Galilei With the arrival of the Ghians and the interstellar Faster-Than-Light technology they introduced to humanity, earthlings had a reinvigorated interest in exploring their stellar neighborhood, and they did this by establishing settlements across the solar system. First was the Moon; then, they had settled on, and terraformed, Mars; and from there, they established locations elsewhere, primarily on moons orbiting other planets. With Venus's closer proximity to the Sun, it was the perfect planet for a habitable settlement for Ghians. One such settlement was Aerodrome Galilei, established on the moon Titan, orbiting Saturn. It was named after Galileo, the Italian astronomer that is credited for discovering the rings around Saturn (a Dutch astronomer named Christiaan Huygens is credited with discovering Titan). Aerodrome Galilei occupies most of the northwstern hemisphere of Titan and is slightly smaller than the country of Canada. As Titan is tidally locked with Saturn, Aerodrome Galilei was constructed on the 'light' side of the moon, facing the planet. The landmass inside the aerodrome is divided into four quadrants, called Sectors; the Sectors are themselves divided into approximately fifty smaller segments called Subsectors; and within the Subsectors are communities such as cities, boroughs, and neighborhoods, referred to as Blocks. Life on Aerodrome Galilei has been engineered to resemble Earth as closely as possible, namely, the western coast of Canada and the United States. While the soil is engineered, flora such as trees, flowers, and grass are all born straight from seeds that came from Earth. Insects and animals have been imported from Earth for every reason from pollination to pets. The weather and temperature are dynamic and change day-to-day and season-to-season, and the sunlight is natural, amplified by a series of mirrors directing light from the sun directly into Aerodrome Galilei. However... for as large as the aerodrome is, and although the plant life is genuine, the oxygen is still recycled. Day and night rotations are determined by an administrator with a control panel to simulate the moon spinning on its axis on a twenty-four-hour cycle. The water that falls during the rain is real and clean, but the weather and atmospheric pressure causing the rain is manufactured. Life on an aerodrome off Earth, including Aerodrome Galilei, is generally regarded as 'close enough,' provided you don't think about it too hard. Olive Branch fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Dec 8, 2023 |
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Nov 18, 2023 07:15
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| # ? May 9, 2024 15:34 |
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Isol is genuinely a good friend, and Ezra should feel fortunate. At least, once Ezra's able to feel properly again. The high of "the war is over and my parents are coming home" to the incredible low of "my mother sacrificed herself and everyone else is happy about it" is harsh.
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Nov 24, 2023 06:14
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