Aboard the Khonsu

[Big Bison Bessie]

(This thread is a closed forum RP, I will approach people or factions on the side who are involved)

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OCV-128, Battleship Khonsu: Early 835 AS. Sigma-15.

The airlock door loomed before the two officers and guards. The starboard side gantry umbilical had linked to Bielefeld base not long ago, the loud and resounding bangs and clunks having echoed quietly through the hull before the officers had arrived. The clean man, well put together and with a striking and stoic face paced slowly back and forth. His moustache twitched with the vague air of stress, his graying hair along the temples of his skull further added to his exhausted, yet experienced look. Nearby, a disheveled looking technician stood lazily, drinking coffee out of a thermos that was just as covered with grease as the rest of her and her jumpsuit. The scruffy looking, black haired woman looked like she hadn’t slept in a week, and the coffee was providing her more than enough energy despite the fact that without it she’d be on fumes. Regardless, a smile slowly crossed her face as curious idea crossed and amused her thoughts. “You know, I heard Civil Servant was some kind of ninja or something.” Sleepily she turned to the well put together officer. He stopped pacing, raising a single eyebrow. “This is the kind of scuttlebutt you subscribe to, Forbes?” “Who doesn’t enjoy a good rumor, Hebel?” “I don’t.” The Commander huffed. “Maybe it’s true. All that intense EVA training I’ve heard about, maybe it’s a Rheinlander thing?” She took another sip of her coffee. “Don’t you-” “Enough, Forbes.” He sighed, turning on his heel. “We have guests coming over.” He looked her up and down. “You couldn’t even get cleaned up?” “Sorry, sir. Been damn busy sir, or do you not want a working water recycler, sir?” Her mouth twisted into an exhausted smirk. “Forbes!” He snapped in a whisper. He gestured a moment, signaling her to stop talking as he nodded towards a light on the airlock door that’d gone from red to green. The Chief Engineer bit her lip before taking a long swig of her coffee, quickly withdrawing all the smarminess she had on display into her core. With a quiet huff, she placed a hand upon her belt and watched the signal lights. Quietly, the airlock finished cycling, the various hisses and vibrations echoing through the docking lounge before it all stopped so suddenly. Then the doors rumbled to life, and they all straightened up.

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[Civil Servant]

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The gantry was a dimly lit and sparse utilitarian space that suspended across open space between the Bundschuh gas refinery and Order capital ship. Only the ventilation system and quiet combined resonance that came from both structures were merged here could be heard, it filled the room quite sufficiently with the lack of conversation between them all as they either patiently waited or were occupied within their own minds... It was hard to tell past all those helmets and visors.

The team of five troopers across the gantry were all suited in similar fashion, fully sealed and obscuring combat flight-suits with rifles slung over their shoulders and equipment webbing from shins to shoulders. A notable pair facing forward towards the Khonsu were the recognizable Civil Servant and Doctor Forlorn Hope, two in the middle at either side that took a window to look out of and the rear most trooper kept at the Bielefeld's airlock like a armed stoic automaton, the pair that took the time to gaze out into the distant teal Crow nebula seemed content while the latter at the rear kept guard facing down the Khonsu's airlock.

"Do you consider this important enough to trust them?"

"Ross and these Order agents reached out to me for assistance. They're not from the Overwatch and you told me to consider looking past my preconceptions."

"I wouldn't have considered it would go this far, especially you being this way with the Order."

"Then I ask you to keep an eye on them Doctor, allies or not, treachery in the name of greed is a fatal move for Thuringians."

The pair of them didn't make a sound as they talked, the conversation remained behind their visors internal display, but they were clearly communicating with the way their heads nodded and tilted at each other. But as soon as it had just managed to start, it was interrupted by the hiss of the airlock door reaching balance and their sudden return to facing towards the Kohnsu.

"Good first impressions please, Doctor."

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"Thuringia, my home, my tomb."

[Big Bison Bessie]

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The whir of the doors filled the room for but a moment before dying down. Beyond them appeared the team of faceless Platform agents, the teal light from the Crow bleeding in through around them. Their visitors stepped forward, past a set of security scanners that quietly whirred and clicked as a guard behind an armored, transparent metal viewport spoke unheard to someone about his scans as they passed through the security checkpoint. The barrier blocked all sound, and soon the man vanished from view as the viewport turned opaque. Before the visitors stood four crew in the light of the docking lounge. The two at the back, security officers, stood vigilant in their dark ballistic armor. One of them looked from a handscanner to the visitors and back again as the other simple stood there at attention. Though the eyes of the visitors would be drawn to a crisp and clean looking officer. A Kusari man with short, graying hair that framed his face and a big moustache and sharp steely features stepped forward. "Gentlemen. Welcome aboard Battleship Khonsu." He reached out to shake hands with the leader of the group. "I'm Commander Hikosaka Hebel, executive officer." He turned slightly to his side, gesturing at the somewhat messy woman with him. "This is Chief Engineer Jordan Forbes." "Sirs." She nodded. "Pleasure to meet you. I heard about your EVA stunt the other day. Your clean readings really did us a favor in tuning the nano-filament alignment on the deep scanners." She reached out to shake hands, but paused upon realizing she still had machine grease on them, unceremoniously folding them behind her back. "The Captain would also like to extend her thanks. No doubt you gentlemen would like to get to work straight away, though, I am sure we can give you the tour if you like. The Captain also wants to meet with you, when you're ready. She's up in the CIC." He turned to some of the adjacent doors marked 'storage'. "If you like we can have your weapons stowed along with anything you're not interested in carrying around. Though I've heard that you... rarely part with your equipment."

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[Civil Servant]

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The five troopers assembled themselves together, departing from their rear guard and stellar observations to return with the leading two agents. All of them looked at eachother, conveyed some manner of body language whilst they shared glances, a conversation subtle to external observers... But likely rich in detail under their whispers. As they passed the security barrier they were all scanning about the ship, slight squeaks or even a turbulent hiccup of a ventilation fan. But to the sudden appearance of a transparent window and an Order agent had all their visors suddenly lasered their view onto him like tracking cameras. Like owls fixated on even the slightest movement while the lead pair upfront prepared themselves for commissioned formalities.

"Commander Hebel, its agreeable to make your acquaintance. I am Civil Servant, commander of the Platform and representative of the 'Damnatio Memoriae', but I'm sure your intelligence records already have taken account of that... This is Doctor Forlorn Hope, she'll be co-leading this assignment with me."

Civil Servant was the first to raise a hand, his right hand... Gloved by that flight suit and cold to the touch. He gave a single affirming nod followed an equally precision and single shake with the hand before letting go. Allowing for Hebel speak about the assistance that him and Doctor Hope were able to deliver from their external vehicular event.

"It is what we do... And there is no better way to study the Void, our people take pride in our ability to live within it."

Doctor Hope in the meantime had extended a hand out towards Chief Engineer Forbes and slipped her grip to give a atrociously strong grip and jittery raise and unbalanced drop in her own. Was this... Their handshake? But this was a night a day difference to the one Hebel had. But Doctor Hope didn't seem to mind or took no attention the layers of oils and grease she had just compacted into her flight suit glove, unbothered of how delicate that faded lilac embroidery was across her suit.l

"My name is Doctor Forlorn Hope, 'Damnatio Memoriae' specialist and medical officer. I want to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to work on these studies with others. I hope to help in gathering as much information about stellar studies as possible with you, Chief Engineer Forbes."

But as Commander Hebel continued, her and the rest of the team had their attention taken to the offer of having their carried equipment taken away...

They all huddled closely with each other, peering over shoulders but their gazing attention kept on Hebel. Again, it was a strange silent display where their slight head tilts, shakes and tightening grip around their weapon slings and webbing showed them assessing their hosts.

"Surrender our tools, they not think we care for them."
"Are they as untrustworthy as the archives say, or do they not trust us?"
"I think its an offer... We can always say 'No'."
"Really? Who watches that closet? Would they even care for them?"
"Take Hope's guidance on this one... Shes correct in requesting otherwise first."

"Commander, my team would be functional and operating at best knowing they were responsible for the equipment they carry and sustain. That way, we know where our tools are... And in turn, so do you."

The delivery of his response was clear cut, without much deviation in tone or stress on any words. It could be delivered as honestly as it could have been from him.

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"Thuringia, my home, my tomb."

[Big Bison Bessie]

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Commander Hebel raised an eyebrow at the exchange. After wordlessly exchanging glances with the marine towards the back of the room he turned back towards Civil Servant and their Doctor. "Very well. You may keep your equipment. Perhaps you can humor me and keep your weapons unloaded while aboard then." He gestured towards the far side of the room with the dark red blast door. "I imagine you'd like to get to work straight away then. We can save the pleasantries for after you see the ship's systems. Forbes, you can fill them in." The commander lead the way through the heavy doors and out of the docking lounge. The corridor started narrow, but after the next set of doors opened up wide to account for a nearby cargo bay. Through the transparent metal viewports on the wide doors, crew were actively moving and taking aboard several crates of supplies they'd procured recently. Their work was quickly and quietly left as Hebel led the visitors deeper into the ship, through a variety of pressure doors and down through hallways which had that clean and unscuffed look of a ship fresh off the line. Though it was not an uncommon sight to pass a technician working on an open access panel or halfway up in the ceiling working on unseen systems, parts and tools often stacked neatly nearby. "I hope you excuse the mess." Forbes smiled somewhat sheepishly. "We've just about barely got her put together. Almost all of the work on the interior and laboratories was done outside of drydock." She gestured around her. "The uh, there were some sections that were lacking paneling for some time. Though this is uh, sorry, small talk." She cleared her throat and took another long sip of coffee. "We've got virtually all primary and non-essential systems online and fully operational. The sensors array was one of the outliers, as you already know. However we've encountered some issues with our jump drive." The party was led through another series of blast and pressure doors, and once they passed through the security checkpoint there, entered a section of the interior that lacked the vague ergonomic pleasantries of the previous corridors. The engineering section was dedicated entirely to the machinery therein, and the safety of those crew working on it, all aesthetics were out the window for pure function. Jordan Forbes took the lead, and began walking backwards as she led the group herself. "We're using a modified K-4 series Kishiro drive. We've had to make some significant modifications to the magnetic interlocks and power conduits to help make it more compatible with Liberty style power-plant set ups. Frankly, that will make future maintenance on our power infrastructure much more tolerable down the line, despite the headache of setting it up. But, we've run into an issue with one of the paragravitic toroids where it was inadvertently damaged in equipment malfunctions. Which is uh, somewhat embarrassing, I admit."

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[Civil Servant]

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The troopers all shallowly nodded in agreement to the compromise, keeping their hands away from grips and triggers, they'd unloaded the magazines from their weapons and reinserted them into their slim fitting combat webbing. Every button was checked to ensure they were secure, and even peer-reviews like paratroopers to ensure everything was buckled down. Once the moment had passed, they returned to their prior formation, Civil Servant and Doctor Hope taking the lead as per usual.

"We are ready, please show us towards our permitted work location, we wish to get started as soon as possible."

As they passed through the ships corridors, all of them walking in pace with eachother They either made blatant 'visor contact' with passers by, peeking at the engineering work being done all over or taking caresses across the walls with their hands, gently sensing the vibration and noise that came from the vibrations from the Khonsu's systems. Said trooper retracted her hand and looked towards CS ahead of her. Hearing Forbes talk about the ships current state and seeing people work with haste and care towards its repairs. CS picked up his pace gently to closer walk near Forbes...

"Your determination is noted Cheif Engineer Forbes. Our analyst, Cipher, shes commended the crews work at ensuring such a high-tolerance vessel is getting its due attention. She appreciates the... Stability, silence and harmonics the Khonsu's systems, an unusual trait in such a heavy vessel. Is this the first time your crew have done mobile fabrications? Shipyard ownership is a luxury these days for many underground organizations, our teams have had to constantly attempt fabrications without access to such facilities. These things take time, but more hands do help and my crew find comfort that they service the vessels that allow us to live within the Void."

As they continued through the vessel and passed engineering's security checkpoint, the trooper team were immediately taking alternate gazes across all the various machines, ship critical systems and even the smallest of engineering doodads. CS on the other hand was keeping himself attentive towards Forbes, hearing her divulge their Jump Drive progress...

"Considering the difference in Liberty and Kusarian power requirements, you've already done a lot of work to resolve the dirty-power issue. But sub-space is a tricky dilemma... You're working with the nature of the Void more closely than one usually realizes..."

Doctor Hope also moved forward from their formation for deliver some vocal input, arms held behind her back. CS in turn steps back.

"We may need to work down the line to see where this issue has originated from, with the data we've collected regarding jump-network tolerances, we could try to configure the toroids to produce the required graviton emissions to cause a opening into jump-space with the correct guidance but that might be effortless is something else is causing it to mis-function. Let us hope we can at least try to get this resolved."

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"Thuringia, my home, my tomb."

[Big Bison Bessie]

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Forbes smiled and nodded. "Mobile fabrication? I've overseen a few field jobs, mostly repair, hardly a build of this scale in the field. One of the more notable ones was working on the Mafdet. Me and a crew had been sent over after she took a torpedo hit out in Delta maybe, eighteen months ago I think? Stayed on as Chief Engineer for about two weeks after that. Though, I've had more than my fair share of experience as a shipwright." She led them through another door as she spoke. "I was one of the foremen at Carthage for a time. Second shift leader on drydock A. This one here. And, uh, don't worry, it's all powered down, it's safe to go inside." She pointed towards one of the blast doors down the hall, this red one looked up armored and had a big label on it: 'WARNING: VARIABLE GRAVITY' with the small stylized image of a man tumbling beneath the words. In equally big and dramatic print across the door it read: 'DANGER: DO NOT OCCUPY WITH DRIVE ENGAGED'. The airlock opened up to a large, cylindrical hall with a massive structure running through the middle of it. Massive rings lined with power capacitors, a half dozen of them, circled around the walls of the room around the core that ran through it. Literal tons of machinery and electronics sat quietly around them, no doubt yearning for purpose and use. "But uh, Captain Ross, she managed to convince me to go with her. She got the approval of the brass, of course. Her and the higherups wanted someone with enough experience and knowledge of the ship to serve as her Chief Engineer with her working so far from Carthage. Sure, we could grab a tech from one of the other Osiris class ships, but I oversaw a third of this girl's construction, so I already knew her from stem to stern." "Though, I dunno much about the Void itself, at least not in the way you seem to speak over it with such reverence." The walkway curved, and Forbes led them seemingly up the side of the wall as she gestured around herself. "For me, I'm all about the machines more-so than the physics of space-time manipulation and spatial anomalies and all that. That'd fall more in line with Doctor Blackwood's work. I just solve the practical problems down here. Like this thing. The Kishiro K-4 jumpdrive, or what we've turned it into. It's the number 4 ring down there that's causing us grief." She pointed down the chamber, towards a unit down closer to the opposite end of the core.

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[Civil Servant]

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The approach to the large blast doors to the jump drive system was met with more and more discretionary whispers between the Platformers. The presence of such a large engine to them brings much judgement to discuss on its operators, the other four soon wandered off to observe individual components of the jump drive and soon left CS alone with Doctor Forbes... Hearing her let out about the issues and processing it all quietly behind his visor. But his visual attention wasn't on the extreme array of half assembled component and hardware or the benevolent engine that occupied this deck... He watched his crew, in his company they pointed, leaned in and gazed at the various advanced equipment and seemingly conversed again with silence... But their bodies spoke with excitement and curiosity, and caution not to touch but enough just to enjoy the sights at a distance as they viewed the various tools of jump space manipulation awaiting their positions.

"I have to give your engineers my admiration for their work, to mobilize such a system so quickly... Although sometimes even when one has learnt to walk in their own void, areas like this present new challenges to their methods. As you said you work with machines, I'd like you to first explain to me the list of issues that you're facing on the fourth ring, we can work with your teams and see where our adaptations would be most effective... I may have to get in touch with a courier from Tennstedt for some sensor hardware that we may be able to gift your ship... I think she would sail into the chaos between the Voids with grace." He was rather focused on that jump system that laid ahead, he didn't break his gaze from the hyperspace drive that laid dormant with intimidating potential. "She is indeed a well balanced ship so any alterations with such powerful equipment with take great effort to synchronize, so your insight would be well appreciated while we conduct our work."

As he finished complimenting her ship, he reached in the inside of his plate carrier, slipping out data-padd from such an oddly small pouch and handing it over to Forbes. It's screen was already displaying a list of directories and documentation regarding Rheinlands local stellar studies and the recent influx of ones relating to investigations about the fallible jump gate network.

"I'll be going over this with Doctor Blackwood as well, but I understand your departments and 'methods' differ from each other. One engineer to another Forbes, I want to see this work and for something you could maintain and understand once I'm no longer around... Doctor Blackwood will be the one responsible for studying the environment the Khonsu traverses within, be it in regular space or Jump space. So here's everything I can do to help you collect that data, what I ask in return is only a bilateral benefit we can take away from this in our own pursuit of traversing through the Void."

The classified information on that tablet had one last folder marked as 'Jump test: Chrono pathfinder', this seemed to be premarked as a favorite-file... The files were your usual engineering document which any engineer could at least take away from its key wording and designs relating to other required ship equipment could easily be screened as sub space navigator, able to adapt and adjust to the heavy interference and disruptive instabilities within 'normal space' with a small array of quantum multiplexors, the shape of this component called for a merge of Rheinland precision engineering and advanced Sinclair-Protocol research with it's flowering half-moon of processors that could be fixed atop the Khonsu as a mounted compact sub-computing module. But what set them apart was the blueprints all came with flavor of respecting it's function and components like a sacred instrument, each named blueprint came with notes by their designer... One excerpt on the left bottom of the page read

"This fabrication guides those through the volatile 'stellar engine', deflecting cosmic interlopers from collapsed rifts and temporal ruptures. May it open ones eyes to the way of the Void. - Cipher"

There was much more on this data padd than one would expect for an opening offer of assistance. Even as absolute awe took over his body within the presence of the hyperspace drive, CS didn't even blink an eye... If he had any behind that visor. "I hope for a fruitful period of cooperation between your teams and mine... You have my thanks to allow us to work on your ship, my people can find peace in this work."

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"Thuringia, my home, my tomb."

[Big Bison Bessie]

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"I appreciate the kind words." She glanced up at the machinery above them as she spoke. "It has not been easy, as this frustrating setback we're facing has no doubt worked to further punctuate that point." She walked as she spoke, leading them around the walk that circled the chamber. Slowly they gained some distance from the other members of the Platform, and Hebel, who had hung back. Muttered, incomprehensible words on the ship's intercomm echoed through the chamber as they went. Though, there was enough audible through the poor acoustics of the room to make out that at least part of the message was a call for Hebel to contact CIC. The XO retreated back to the entrance of the chamber and pulled a handset from the wall near the data terminal, punching in a few keys before he began speaking. The conversation was unintelligible given the distance and his hushed tones. As CS spoke, Chief Forbes took the datapad he offered and began to skim through the information. She brought a finger to her lip as she glanced over the intricacies of the proposed device. "Curious. I will need some time to review this. No doubt when Blackwood sees this she'll likely make a case to the captain about her need for such a device. She'll be salivating at the opportunity for data like this. So it's probably worth getting out ahead of this." She let out a half chuckle. "I'll write up a feasibility report and submit it to Ross. In the end it's her call. But, it looks promising." "As for the problem we've encountered with the engine itself, I am afraid it came from a faulty sensor. Part of this unit is a very robust structural integrity field, however that sensor I mentioned had been feeding poor data into the computer. Effectively, the parts of the field that overlapped and protected the fourth ring were over-tuned and we didn't realize it until it was too late. The stress on the toroid from the poorly calibrated SIF field damaged it." With a huff she pulled a datapad from her rear pant's pocket. "You can see the simulation data here. Once the drive starts pushing around eighty-two percent of its thermal load we're looking at potential spatial aperture fluctuations of plus/minus at most eight percent due to the damage. It's more than enough to risk significant hull damage or worse if we're in transit. So you can-" "Forbes." Hebel called up from the other side of the chamber. "I am afraid I'm needed up top. If you need me, contact CIC." "Aye, sir." She called back down. The half-Kusari half-Rheinlander gave an affirmative nod up to them before turning on his heel.

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