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+--- Thread: Kismet's Folly (/showthread.php?tid=195355)
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Kismet's Folly - Kauket - 12-21-2022
PLANET HASCOSAY, UNNAMED RESEARCH OUTPOST
Returning once more to a familiar setting of a work place. Revenant has been coming and going in the past few weeks, occupied by the spontaneous shenanigans that unfold across the Sector, she had not touched these laboratories she was given privacy to in some time. The research into the hybrid theories were left untouched, research data observing the Sentinels remained preserved. Though, within the recent days, certain attention regarding Newcastle had drawn her back, resuming the progress upon the forbidden sciences.
Gazing at a display that showcased the cataclysmic effect of fruitlessly attempting to intertwine the carbon lifeform with silicone, she glared at it silently, ever pondering the decisions of walking down this path. A path that was many a-time forewarned of the dire consequences. Yet, dire, was an all too intimate sensation.
Leaning back in the chair within the study room, she fixated her gaze at the cameras, watching for any newcomers, locking away the research for now. Still pondering upon the revelation revealed by the old Exarch, pondering about Harbinger's true intentions, and whether she could hide the Archive from Newcastle away from him, or if there was even enough time to experiment with hybrid theory before the 'mindstorms' would destroy the mind.
As she pondered, her vision remained glued to the security terminal, observing eagerly to see when the anticipated guests were going to arrive, relaxing back in the chair.
"...And here we are again. Fate surely cannot be fixed to one point, surely..."
RE: Kismet's Folly - Groshyr - 12-22-2022
The newly colonized satellite of the gas giant impressed with its icy wastelands and high mountains that fluttered far on the horizon. The cold winds blew mercilessly in the faces of those rare guests who had the opportunity to feel the friendliness of Hascosay as they left their shuttles before entering the terminals that would take them deep into the colony where the so-called Infiltrators and ordinary people, who, although aware of their nature, did not fear them, walked on the border with a sect that worshiped these enlightened beings as something sent from above.
However, the colony was not the destination of the visitor, dressed in a pilot's suit with a warm dark coat over it. He headed for one of the few laboratories whose entrance started on the surface but went into the middle of one of the nearby mountains. The underground funicular ride didn't take long and soon Crius was standing at the gate to the underground complex, peering intently into the chamber with dark, twilight-like eyes, waiting for the queen of this realm of science to let him in - he didn't go in himself, he didn't want to be an intruder. One of the few remnants of the old, now absorbed and fused together with Incubus personality.
RE: Kismet's Folly - Kauket - 12-22-2022
Not much had prevented him access to this laboratory that sat upon the foot of the giant's frozen peak, the building intruding into the depths of the environment. The way forth was clear and open for him. He was watched from the cameras from the office.
A sigh released, she kicked herself off from the chair, forcing herself to go meet him within the corridors, jogging along.
"I was beginning to think you managed to lose yourself amongst the wasteland. Come, let us go sit."
She beckoned him to follow, taking him to a break room. A far more casual setting, gesturing toward a table, taking a seat with the nearest chair.
"So you want to spend valuable time - and might I add - valuable resources - upon this distraction... Why so?"
RE: Kismet's Folly - Groshyr - 12-22-2022
"I've never trusted the means of communication that exclude physical presence within the same room," the guest replied boredly, leaving his coat on the hanger at the entrance and taking the specified place on the chair. "Old habits die hard. Plus, Melia's possible visit to our tea party fully justifies the time spent on the journey to us. I hope you had a pleasant trip?"
RE: Kismet's Folly - Kauket - 12-22-2022
A smirk emerged, the message came across completely wrong.
"I apologise. I refer to the idea of this... reclamation idea of yours. Not so this trip. I do agree in the sense that meeting up in person adds a sense of privacy. "
RE: Kismet's Folly - Groshyr - 12-22-2022
"We have really nice neighbors, don't we?" began Crius from afar, "On the one hand there are these... Marquis? Maquis? Anyway, you probably know who I mean. Well, those pests are just a small handful of what's trying to get into Tau-61. So far, our patrols, on regular ships, have provided us with enough cover to scare off or even shoot down the occasional intruder, but it's not enough."
"Fate itself gives us the chance to change that, creating another legend for Hascosay in case it is exposed to the public, as well as additional protection in case the Order decides to visit our new home."
"So many people are fleeing Veracruz, which may soon become the second Leeds." the man smiled without a spark of mirth in his eyes. Part of the reasons he kept for himself, revealing only the most obvious ones."Although we are having difficulties with food, more members in our society will improve our situation and allow us to stand more firmly on our feet, because we are not Elders - we need to meet ordinary human needs: and these new people might posses required skills or provide necessary means to satisfy our needs more efficient."
"As for the ship itself - it is needed to defend the system, and it should do a fine job of that - given all that we know about this series of warships. I know that doesn't sound very convincing, but I doubt that Auxo had much different reasons when they got Achlys at their disposal. Am I wrong?"
RE: Kismet's Folly - conmann35 - 12-26-2022
![[Image: 1ElZDFr.png]](http://i.imgur.com/1ElZDFr.png)
Upon the current homesphere, a great mind lurches forth.
The wanderer-made-dreamer awoke again from its contemplation and pondering. It was an endless struggle for the mind-of-minds that wore the label of Melia, a name long since branded onto its psyche, since the olden cycles of being a small node fighting, singing and dancing for the right to survive, ever since Bretheren became estranged and the tribe of Vagrants became its own.
Such was pain. But even the old memories did not tire the unprepared elder as much as the responsibility it had been burdened with, since its fathers and mothers dissolved themselves into itself and its sister to ensure the tribe could adapt to the coming trials, the war brought by Darkness, and the prejudice of the voids themselves against sentient life, such prejudice absolute enough in natural law to threaten even a collective of lifeforms as advanced as the Vagrants in their biotechnological supremacy.
Melia, when not prowling in the hunt for victims, new "children" to seed, knowledge, or furthering the ultimate purpose of the Vagrants, spent much of its recent time nurturing the brood of its hive on the homesphere, Hascosay. A name appropriated from the darkness and ultimately inconsequential, but it stuck among the infiltrators, and so it acquiesced. It had been spending much time in particular nurturing the Fae recently, as the symbiosis of infiltrator and carrier created an especially effective tool for manipulation.
Yet, the activity of carriers in their metal homes (surely inelegant compared to the precisely shaped subterranean lairs the Vagrant warforms were housed in) was not the only thing stirring on the tundra moon, and both curiosity and the assumption of one of its own would ultimately lead the gaze of Melia back upon the local hideaway of its dark avian ally. In truth, they were not actually a bird, but semantics were such an important component of the Vagrant existence that Melia would apply no other such terms to the Bird.
Unfortunately, this was a meeting it could not truly attend in person, as much as it wished to. Its battleship-sized warform well exceeded both the height and weight limit of the structure the others were within. It did however have a solution, in the form of its psychic outreach: strong, well-honed and with very few equals in the Sector.
By reaching out with the grip of its mind, it could feel the minds of Crius and the Bird, and present itself to their perceptions in a manner befitting the ongoing meeting.
The wanderer-made-dreamer awoke again from its contemplation and pondering. It was an endless struggle for the mind-of-minds that wore the label of Melia, a name long since branded onto its psyche, since the olden cycles of being a small node fighting, singing and dancing for the right to survive, ever since Bretheren became estranged and the tribe of Vagrants became its own.
Such was pain. But even the old memories did not tire the unprepared elder as much as the responsibility it had been burdened with, since its fathers and mothers dissolved themselves into itself and its sister to ensure the tribe could adapt to the coming trials, the war brought by Darkness, and the prejudice of the voids themselves against sentient life, such prejudice absolute enough in natural law to threaten even a collective of lifeforms as advanced as the Vagrants in their biotechnological supremacy.
Melia, when not prowling in the hunt for victims, new "children" to seed, knowledge, or furthering the ultimate purpose of the Vagrants, spent much of its recent time nurturing the brood of its hive on the homesphere, Hascosay. A name appropriated from the darkness and ultimately inconsequential, but it stuck among the infiltrators, and so it acquiesced. It had been spending much time in particular nurturing the Fae recently, as the symbiosis of infiltrator and carrier created an especially effective tool for manipulation.
Yet, the activity of carriers in their metal homes (surely inelegant compared to the precisely shaped subterranean lairs the Vagrant warforms were housed in) was not the only thing stirring on the tundra moon, and both curiosity and the assumption of one of its own would ultimately lead the gaze of Melia back upon the local hideaway of its dark avian ally. In truth, they were not actually a bird, but semantics were such an important component of the Vagrant existence that Melia would apply no other such terms to the Bird.
Unfortunately, this was a meeting it could not truly attend in person, as much as it wished to. Its battleship-sized warform well exceeded both the height and weight limit of the structure the others were within. It did however have a solution, in the form of its psychic outreach: strong, well-honed and with very few equals in the Sector.
By reaching out with the grip of its mind, it could feel the minds of Crius and the Bird, and present itself to their perceptions in a manner befitting the ongoing meeting.
![[Image: RFdBDLn.png]](http://i.imgur.com/RFdBDLn.png)
RE: Kismet's Folly - Kauket - 01-02-2023
Revenant listened in to the words of Crius, assessing what he exchanged. In reality, Revenant still believed that the Lostshare was being misguided in the quest for easy power. That craving that allures many so easily, yet it was merely a trap.
"Your reasoning and ~ours~ were vastly different. The Achlys was nothing more than a bedding for an experiment. While true, it has been repurposed for the First Star Fleet's desire of guardianship, it still remains as a platform of theory... The Achlys was never my decision. I had always opposed it when my de-..."
There was a moment of heartbreak - pausing for the brief moment. Even though she had accepted and moved on, referring to her lost beloved still brought pain. And his demise always had an undertone of forewarning of drowning in ambition, to be lost to madness of the calling. It almost seemed to be an inevitability. Afterall, she and many others were afflicted by the artifact from the incident many years ago at their formation. A mad echo that beckons them to a site within the Omicrons, draped with the insatiable urge to learn, to seek unity. Her composure reformed, the tone returning to normal after clearing the throat.
"...Beware the allure of easy pickings... Insurgency Technology is flawed at it's core. You will be putting in much effort - for little return."
That warm sensation, that familiar ethereal presence. It was all too recognisable to her. Melia was nearby, clearly projecting its will to manifest near the two. Yet there was nothing to see, but despite such lack of physical presence, the spiritual one was oddly comforting. As if near a close friend, however misguided it may be.
"What became of the Bretonian Capital assets the Fae had in their possession?"
Revenant succumbed to the comforting presence, easing up in the chair, slowly sinking in to rest. Her palms connected, resting upon her lap, idly pondering upon their circumstances, wondering how to improve their situation. A small grin formed under the mask, formally calling out the new psychic presence.
"Melia."
RE: Kismet's Folly - Groshyr - 01-03-2023
"How come that you didn't use a Bustard, which is much easier to get and maintain, but instead - an Arbiter?" The Fae smirked, listening to the bird's arguments. "Your voice now has matter - you could order dismantle or exchange with any organization interested in this at any moment - yet you didn't. I understand that you are under threat, but so are we - the Elder's shells are powerful guardians to the new home of ours, but as I said - they are way too notable."
"I thought of an alternative - a ship that would satisfy our needs. It could be an Aquillion Carrier, one made by Zoners. It would require certain refit to have relays allowing us to use our abilities for communication with the Elders at a greater distance, but in the end, I decided that a missing Arbiter wouldn't raise as many questions as an unknown group trying to procure an Aquillion from Zoners, some of whom, especially from Edge Worlds, are known as supporters of the Order."
"Nevertheless, you are right - the Arbiter is not easy to maintain, and we hoped to trade your experience for something of ours and together make the ship work as flawlessly as possible. However, if you no longer need our assistance with fortifying Inverness... we can..." The man stopped talking as soon as he sensed the presence of the Elder - Melia. Unlike Eris, who was his, if it can be named so, mentor, and flown in disorder and chaos, yet perfectly organized one, Melia was like a peaceful ocean - not something Crius was used to.
"Welcome, Elder Melia."
RE: Kismet's Folly - conmann35 - 01-04-2023
Melia indeed filled the mental space, if not the physical space, with its presence. A deep ocean of thought. Were it not so gentle, so amicable to the minds it contacted, it would be most oppressive -- it surely captured the complete attention of the ones it intended to communicate with, regardless.
It was happy to feel the minds it reached, joyful in receiving their welcome even though they busied themselves with their ongoing conspiracy of metal husks. It wanted to propagate its calmness, and so it did. Yet it was also quite aware that there was, of course, business to be had. Becoming busy was always a chore for Melia in the present time, the sorts of things it had to manage, adjust, and correct were always tiring to it. Yet it had to persist, and so it addressed its fellow thinkers, as little and as dark as they may be.
"We greet yours, bird, and son of our sister. These ponderings of shells have gained our curiosity. There are indeed possibilities, and each harbors their own detriment. Yet we are not the most learned of such nuance, and will need to hear more."