<> <> <> <> <> * Tomas has arrived early and is busy in his brand new galley cooking up some delicious pancakes with peanut sauce. He's of course wearing the same thing he always wears: his well-worn DunnoCorp blue jacket and pants. You can hear him whistling a jovial tune. * Zeke has already gotten all his equipment inside his room in the ship, today, and is therefore subject to the jovial tune whistling. <> * Hestia is typing away at a pad while standing on the tarmac, registering the name 'Fate Breaker' with the authorities for the ship, because she does not trust these people to name a ship farther than she can throw any of them. Even Amadeus. <> (Fuck yes I do, you people can't be trusted with this sort of thing, if the first ship is any indicator.) (Ha ha.) * Zeke wanders into Tomas' zone and comments to him, "People are... still watching." * Hestia finishes typing, slides her Red iPhone back into one of the Liefeld pouches on her multiple belts before turning to see people gathered. * Tomas plates a half stack o' flap jacks and ladels on some sauce, offering it to Zeke, "They're excited about what we've discovered! New races. New technologies. More information about the history of our universe!" * Zeke looks down at the stack, takes it in both big hands, and replies, slowly, "It... is exciting. Perhaps they should be doing some of it." I'm sure they would if given the chance, but not everybody is as lucky as we are! * Zeke continues holding the pancakes. "It is unlikely to be luck." * Hestia finally wanders her way over to Robo-Pancakes and Lingua McLicksalot, giving a little wave. "Quite a piece of work for something you finagled off a used dealer. Want to know its name?" * Zeke turns to Hestia. "There was an oddity that helped. I was not explained the details." Pause, then he hands her pancakes before Tomas does. "Would you like some pancakes?" (The details are not understood to you?) (It is true.) (Zeke offers Tia food, but wants only her love.) ...I'm good on bulk starch, thank you. (Zeke only want friend.) (Chunnnnnnnnnnnnk!) * Zeke retracts the pancake arms. "Okay." Another pause, then, "What name did you choose?" * Tomas serves up another half stack o' flap jacks for the T-Gal before realizing she already found some of her own. He digs in himself, "Yeah, I didn't hear the details on that." * Hestia looks back at the ship. "'Fate Breaker'. Hopefully nobody will get it." * Tomas raises an eyebrow because he doesn't get it. (Then it's working!) (Tia: Mistress of subtlty!) * Zeke tilts his holo-head, then, "Is that a name of personal significance? Or more appropriate to our previous missions?" (Look, if *Tomas* got it, then there's pretty much no hope.) (He licks alien fauna without hesitation. Paint chips don't even come close. I am just saying.) (pfeh. He has nothing to fear from alien fauna OR flora.) * Hestia half turns back to Zeke and Tomas, basically looking over her shoulder. "The prophecy," she elaborates. "I figured this set the proper tone." * Tomas scrunches his forehead for a moment, "Fate...OH. Clever." ( FUCK YOU UNIVERSE Yeah, there's an app for that.) (The problem is the prophecy's probably fucking true.) (*flips off causality anyway*) * Zeke nods slightly. "It could have multiple meanings. Connections are unlikely." <> Well, I wanted something that sounded nice and generic and rah-rah-adventure-y. You just have to think Platinum Ridge and it's surprisingly easy to pull off. * Zeke replies, "A... TSM quality?" * Hestia just... stares at Zeke momentarily, revelling in his inability to grasp rhetorical language, before saying in a flat tone: "Yes. A TSM quality." (What the hell happened to Z?) * Zeke nods again, as his bird flutters its way in from a side hallway to land on his shoulder. "Hopefully the others enjoy... entertainment." * Tomas pulls another helping of pancake, before cleaning things up. * Amadeus comes walking up to the ship! And possibly even enters the ship. People might ask him for an autograph, but since he's jacked into a datapad and staring at it, it's kind of hard for him to notice things that aren't SCIENCE. <> (...) (It's named the Fate Breaker, but you don't know that yet.) * Hestia has decided, in defiance of logic, to review the flight plan and available info about the Umlaut system in the lounge on a data pad. <> * Zeke is in the galley/lounge area. He has just put down one such stack of pancakes with peanut sauce on them, and his birdsect is on his shoulder. * Amadeus enters the ship. "Morning," he says before stopping and sniffing. "... Pancakes?" * Kyle knocks on the ship a few times, inspecting it over (espically where the new conical section of the welding was done) and nods to himself. He's been reasonably receptive to the crowd over the past few days, and today isn't an exception as he waves to them just before heading into the ship. "Mornin' dudes. What's up?" * Lexi walks in from outside, probably having signed some autographs, but she's used to that anyway. She wanders into the lounge and flops down on one of the chairs. "Man, this is going to be a much nicer ride. This is what I call a ship." * Zeke looks at the people who entered and replies, "Yes. Tomas made many pancakes, for everyone." (Cham... I fucking hate you.) * Amadeus looks over to Kyle. "Pancakes." (I want pancakes so bad now) Sweet. (Blame Og.) (I should get some pancakes, we got some downstairs) (More than a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich?) (Yes) (I had an awesome cheddar and fried egg burger wednesday) <> * Kyle goes and has some pancakes! "No kidding, this is gonna be nice. Good thing, too, looks like this next trip's a long one." <> <> * Amadeus goes to examine pancakes, then er... takes a few. And syrup, because yeah. "Thank you, Tomas," he calls into the kitchen. * Hestia puts down the pad and looks up to see people. After a moment, she decides on: "The phlogiston report is nominal." * Lexi floats some pancakes over to her, with a plate and such. "Yeah, well that's fine. Long trips mean new planets with schway stuff." Good to hear. <> * Amadeus grabs some orange juice, then takes breakfast to the eatery and eats! While still jacked into the datapad. * Amadeus doesn't notice. Too busy with the eating and the science. Our fanbase seems very dedicated. * Lexi peaks out the window and raises an eyebrow. "Fate Breaker? Is that some sort of new TVNet show?" It's the name of this ship. * Lexi shrugs. "Ah, alright. Well we had to call it something. It is much less weird than the last one." (Quite literally.) <> * Hestia glances at Lexi incredulously for a moment, before saying "...indeed," and then answering her Red iPhone. * Kyle returns while munching on pancakes. "Fans are craaaazy." * Hestia raises an eyebrow and actually pulls the phone from her ear for a moment to look at it, before bringing it back. "Speaking." * Lexi floats a pancake up off her plate. It tears into pieces in front of her which float to her mouth. "Eh... They aren't so bad." (One of the fans holds up a sign! "GIVE ME SOME FUCKING PANCAKES!") * Zeke's birdsect is looking at Hestia while his holoface just looks forward. "As long as they do not interfere." * Hestia steps away from the ground and turns her back for a bit, as is traditional for cell phone conversations. * Amadeus doesn't notice the sign. Busy eating pancakes. Ironic. (It didn't really happen anyhow.) (Aw, it'd be funnier if it did!) <> (The fan has had way too much coffee.) (.... okay this was totally not planned but I just stumbled across it: http://www.kitchencontraptions.com/archives/027889.php) * Lexi stands and stetches. "So when everyone's done with breakfast we'll take off." (200 PANCAKES AN HOUR.) (400 PANCAKES) * Hestia nods once. She doesn't appear surprised by who's on the other line. "I don't know many others so that was an easy guess. What can I do for you?" * Zeke nods slightly at Lexi. Holographically. * Hestia pauses, going not just silent, but conspicuously silent. "Well, that's good. Of course now we need a safe way for you to get it to us." <> * Hestia frowns. "Give me a minute." She then turns and, giving Amadeus a meaningful look, beckons him over. * Kyle finishes chomping down pancakes, then heads to the wetbar and starts unpacking the bottles and stocking it, whistling while he works. (I'm sure someone else installed those TVNet screens!) * Amadeus glances up. "Mmph?" He finishes chewing and swallowing his piece of pancake, then walks over to Tia. "Yes?" * Hestia puts one hand over the mic end of the phone and says, in a somewhat quiet-ish tone, "Find out how long it would take us to *personally* go to Sleythin on this thing, would you?" (Oh my.) * Amadeus thinks about that, his eyes flickering in the obvious 'accessing headputer' way. * Lexi looks to Hestia. "Huh? Why would we have to go to Sleythin?" A little less than half a year, I'd say. We'd be moving at about a hundred light years a day. * Zeke walks over to the screens as the birdsect keeps looking at Hestia, and clicks one on, before starting to flip through channels rapidly. * Hestia raises an eyebrow. "Even with the mole drive? Damn." She takes her hand over the receiver and clears her throat. "Alright. How much are we talking?" <> * Amadeus sticks around, watching the conversation and sipping orange juice. * Zeke steps back from the TVNet screen and the holoface smiles as he stands there to watch, while people talk on the phone and such. The birdsect doesn't seem as interested in insectoid yaks that repeat. * Hestia frowns a bit. She gives... something a little consideration, then decides, because she says (in a... well, decisive tone): "Do it." * Hestia nods. "Alright then. I have to go," she says, looking at the rest of the crew. Explaining this is going to be so much fun. * Lexi blinks and tilts her head to Tia. "Eh?" What's up? * Amadeus also looks curious! * Hestia suddenly smirks and even chuckles a little. "[May your waters be clear,]" she finishes, and then hangs up just in case she fucked that up. Then she looks at the group and says, as evenly as possbile, "We need to pool 150,000 credits, FYI." ("I'm having Preston dry-cleaned.") ... Why? Good question. * Lexi shakes her head. "Um, yeah, why?" * Zeke turns away from the TV to face Hestia. He doesn't ask why, that's silly! Delivery of an extremely rare pizza. (Only one of its kind.) * Amadeus looks at Tia like she's crazy, because she clearly is. "Really." * Lexi nods as if she understands. "Oh well that's a worthy cause, er wait no no... that's right. That doesn't make any sense. My mistake." * Hestia pockets her phone. "It's a pizza that tells the future." * Kyle waits for Hestia to make sense. That seems both unlikely and very useful. * Lexi nods. "Right, okay... Do we have some sort of leak somewhere?" * Hestia just... looks at everyone else for a moment, then sighs. "I'll explain when we're not on Mars, surrounded by the media, alright? Besides, it's not like we need the money *right now*." (Didn't Tia say she had to go? Am I misunderstanding that?) (To... the person on the phone?) (Oh!) (As in, "I am hanging up now") (Okay!) (Right right) (I did misunderstand then.) * Lexi shrugs and heads for the cockpit. "Alright, whatev, T. Tell you what, you find some peperoni that can read minds, you let me know and we'll try to track down whoever is spiking your drinks with weird chemicals, alright?" <> Not right now? Good to hear. (Everyone gets to be in the same place!) * Amadeus puts the dishes away, then heads over to the new map set up. With... everyone else. Aw, man. It's a nice layout, though. * Zeke ends up in the cockpit, then! Crazy. He stands back against the wall, nearer the map setup. Also, he turned off the TV. He's so considerate. (Just be glad no Calc character built the ship, or you'd have a Captain Kirk android in the middle of the bridge.) (Thank goodness.) * Lexi sits down in her seat and stretches her arms over her head. "Everyone ready take off?" * Hestia has a seat in some auxilliary station, clearly in a pensive mood. <> Let's get going. * Kyle takes his position at the engineering console and is ready for takeoff. * Hestia glances around the bridge, now that she's seeing it for the first time, and hmms, one eyebrow up. "And you say you got this thing used? Not bad." There's a pause, before she chimes in, "...what's wrong with it?" * Lexi opens up the channel to the docking bay people. "Heya! This is Lexi Calhoun, pilot of the Fate Breaker, requesting clearance to take off." Nothing that's relevant now. ...I'd ask what that's supposed to mean, but you can explain it to me later and we'll be even. <> "Good to see the ship up and running, Fate Breaker. Better name this time. Clearance granted, be safe out there." * Lexi waves Tia off. "Nothing. It just implodes if we fly it too fast. We'll be fine." <> * Amadeus grins in response, then hears the compliment on the name. "Fate Breaker? Good choice." * Lexi nods and grins. She pulls up and out! (And the ship has an easy choice of theme song! Double bonus!) Comparatively speaking to the last one, naming it after some sort of pie would have been a good choice. (Oh my god, Beast of Yucca Flats WAS Tor Johnson, Mecha) An excellent point. I do like pie. Perhaps we could have named it Prognosticative Pizza, Tia. No, dear. That would have been equally stupid. (THE SLIGHTLY PERTURBED FAT MAN OF YUCCA FLATS LOOKS THE SAME FROM ALL DIRECTIONS) Ah, yes. But it would have got us 150,000 credits. <> If you really want to know, Hestia, I can give you a detailed analysis later. 2d6+11 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lexi (2d6+11) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 19. Did it used to be crewed by the damned? Because it's not like we're a big change from that. <> Not as such. Though someone did die. * Amadeus watches the view. It's still very pretty. Isn't that a common occourance? * Amadeus turns to look at Zeke oddly. "In the grand scheme of things, yes?" * Lexi calls back. "Hey, Tia. You see any time traveling pizza delivery ships, say something. I don't want to know what we would have to pay if we hit one of those." * Hestia leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. "Crack jokes all you want. The 150k is for the data I asked the sleythin chainjumper fan to get." Wait, what? Why is she asking for money now? I wasn't aware you had a sleythin chainjumper fan. And what data is this? * Kyle whistles. "150,000 credits, though?" The money's not for her. It's for the courier to bring us the info. * Amadeus blinks. "She can't send it in an electronic format or bodyslide over? This must be some info." Could get picked up in customs? <> * Hestia shrugs. "If she suddenly made the delivery it'd be suspicious, and electronic format isn't very secure. A good discreet courier could cost a lot of money. * Amadeus nods. <> * Zeke smiles slightly at the absence of stuff. When they're on the chain again he asks, "What is this information? Prophecy related?" (Actually, it was star charts, wasn't it? Or wasn't it a little of both?) (Thought it was the Sleythin star charts, yeah. What the probes picked up) (I thought so as well. The answer to the question 'where did you send all those damn Messengers, and who visited you.') (Well, but they didn't want to give it to you because of a "prophecy". Though it was more a reasoned prediction.) * Hestia frowns. "Related. I actually asked for star charts, but apparently the fact that humans bring about Ultimate Cosmic Doom is why they wouldn't give them to us." (Argh, I have to AFK a little bit. Create a diversion!) (*hurls meteors at the ship*) (Don't worry. I'm sure we'll hit plenty of meteors on our own.) < atmospheric makeup.>> Humans ALWAYS bring about cosmic doom. <> * Lexi shakes her head. "Man, why can't we find the planet made of sunny beaches with a race of people who can conjure martinis from thin air?" That's next trip, Lexi. * Zeke adds, "Always next trip." * Amadeus starts running the scans. * Lexi nods and rolls her eyes. "Anyway. Let me know where to land, okay, A-man?" Will do. (Back, sorry.) <> Never this trip. Looks quite a bit like Earth. * Amadeus conducts more scans as he says, "We probably want to land near the equator. Here." And he points out a possible landing spot. "We'll want to avoid the hurricane, though. It's very busy down there." Hurricanes tend to suck. * Lexi nods. "Literally, yes." * Hestia glances at the science readout. "...what a boring planet. Where's the deathtraps Preston usually sends us to? Is this an apology?" Hey, Walphin wasn't a deathtrap, well... not the first time. * Zeke's birdsect looks at Hestia as he responds, "There are several other planets. We certainly have time to be destroyed." Plenty of time. (Deathtraps are on the other four. This one is to lull you into a false sense of security. Or Zeke gets there first.) Although, the next time he sent us somewhere... we got attacked by bugs. So... (Someday we're going to find Zeke with, like, a space panda's leg protruding from his helmet.) ("...what?") (*munch munch*) (It was delicious.) (It's almost like he wants us to be in danger, but not TOO much danger. Like he's testing us. Like it's some kind of game.) * Hestia glances at Zeke. "I'm not in a *hurry*. A little danger is a good workout but I'm not in a rush to die, either." (Meanwhile Preston is shown playing space risk with the other people who are sending out chain jumpers, as they move their little model ships around to different planets.) ("Hail 4Kids!") (I JUSCHT SHCORED FIFTY POINTSCH! SCHUCK ON THAT, DUNNO) (TIME TO LAND) * Lexi shrugs. "So anywhere but the hurricane bit?" A balanced attitude. More or less, yes. * Hestia nods. Then she seems to realize she forgot something, and steps up from her chair, heading to the back of the bridge. So right about there, I'd say. * Amadeus points out a spot. * Lexi nods and brings the ship down to that spot. * Hestia finds a... decently isolated terminal and puts her hand on it, palm down. Anyone bothering to look her way will see a geometric pattern of lines of purple light run down her arm from about the shoulder right to her hand (though not onto the wall) * Amadeus is checking out the readings. Lucky Tia! * Zeke's birdsect seems interested again. It's such a spy. o_o (Someday Tia's just going to shout "...pull!", then turn around and shoot it.) (;_;) <> Looks like a breathable atmosphere. <> * Lexi nods to Amadeus. "Well, that's good news. Let's get out and take a look around, shall we?" * Zeke starts to head out of the ship! As he walks, his other robots form up with him: apparently they were walking around while they were all in the cockpit. * Hestia also leaves! She checks her gun just in case because animals are tasty. Mmm hmm. * Amadeus heads off to get his suit with all of the sample stuff, because you never can be *too* careful, and... well, you have to sample stuff. (SAMPLE MY GOODS) <> * Lexi wanders around and fans herself with her hand. "I'm glad I dressed light today." She begins to wander around nd look at the strange plants though. "Looks like some nice samples to take back, though." * Zeke and friends spread out to begin harvesting plants, as he gets the geological sampling tool. He can science too! <> <> 2d6+9 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Zeke (2d6+9) and gets a natural 3 for a result of 12. * Hestia is basically wandering and taking in the wildlife. Her science has nothing to do with trees. (Go dice go.) <> (What if he doesn't have an imagination.) (I have an imagination. :|) * Lexi stops examining the planets for the moment. "Hmmm...." and she floats up into the air to try to get above the treeline and get a better view of what's around them. * Amadeus walks out and starts taking samples of the trees and the earth and the things. <> <> * Hestia puts a hand on her hip. "Monkeys, huh..." * Hestia pauses, then adds, conscientiously, "SPACE monkeys." <> (Visual is body or mind?) (Mind, in your case.) 2d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lexi (2d6+7) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 11. Hm? * Amadeus looks up. "So they are." Blink. Blink blink. <> (Gonna roll that, Amadeus?) 2d8+11 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Amadeus (2d8+11) and gets a natural 6 for a result of 17. <> (Sorry, I didn't see that one of those rolls was for me! Also, wrong dice. Sec.) 2d6+11 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Amadeus (2d6+11) and gets a natural 11 for a result of 22. (Er. Okay!) (A mighty roll.) * Lexi floats back down to the others. "Anyone find anything interesting, yet?" <> * Hestia keeps a... respectable distance. She knows what monkeys do every now and then, after all. "They're cute, in a slightly bizarre way." * Amadeus whistles lowly at the soil, taking another sample of it as he tries to theorize where exactly the burning would have been from. He stands and gets a look at the landscape. And more looks at the monkeys. <> <> <> (Did it sounds like the chirrupping would have been from other monkeys?) * Hestia frowns, then glances over at Amadeus. "They're running away, Doc." So they are. Let's see what they're up to. (It seems logical, Spock.) * Amadeus heads after the monkeys with, er, less brachiation. * Lexi floats on after Amadeus and Tia, mostly because they seem to have found something interesting. * Zeke has two of his drones moving along with Tia and Ama. (Hey, I never said I was going anywhere! FUCK those monkeys!) (*goes to find an Applebees*) (The monkeys run the Applebees!) <> (No, the monkeys run the Hooters.) (Oh that makes more sense) (Also fuck! Did people know that Hooters has fried pickles now? I so want to go. I love fried pickles) (We have good fried pickles here.) (That aren't from Hooters.) (I hate you) (We need to visit, but that requires money and time. I have neither) (Fried pickles. ;_;) (z_z) (So is Tia staying behind?) * Hestia walks along, looking around. Amadeus can worry about the monkeys! She pointed them out and has discharged her obligation. "I wonder what it'd be like to climb these." * Amadeus keeps pressing forward. "Work and a little luck." <> * Kyle comes out of the ship, after talking some shop with Tomas. He coms in. "What's up? Where are you guys?" Yeah. Shame about our flying machine. <