[b]Solarel[/b]

The Aeteline, a manufactured machine, does not know the thrill of the hunt. But you do. Even here. Even against a crab not fully evolved. Even though it is slow. Even though it is vulnerable. No matter what, part of you knows that this is still a god. Part of you knows that if you stood upon the ground with your own two feet, you would struggle to stand against the shuddering of the rocks as it stomped past. Part of you remembers that ascending it would take the better part of a day without assistance, and even that only if you could have managed not to take a lethal tumble should the beast have gyrated the wrong way on uneven terrain.

In the Aeteline, it is a matter of moments. The proto-crab is heavy enough you can’t simply walk in and take the leg, but you can circle it easily, identify several structural weak points, disable its motion, and then walk in and take what you want. And even still, you have completed the hunt.

The attachment structures are fundamentally the same between crab and Aeteline. In this, you can thank the quirks of mechanical standardization, no matter the ages of drift. Nanobot attachments are a thing that can be optimized. There is a right answer, multiple independent sources concluded on it thousands of years prior, and that was that. Mechanical evolution does not follow the same processes as biological evolution and mechanical experimentation does not involve trying out thirty mutations of the simplest possible connecting structure only to throw out twenty nine in the way biology might. 

The integrated leg feels unavoidably like a prosthetic though. Its own internal joints are not the bipedal joints of the Aeteline. They easily support your weight, but they don’t bend the way that you bend and so it feels less like moving your own leg and instead like a separate contraption that has its own set of movements that can be observed and correlated with the movements of your leg. 

Some amount of practice may be in order. 

***

[b]Dolly, Mirror, Isabelle, and assorted guests[/b]

It’s not a raucous party like the fashion show turned into by the end of the night, nor an elegant affair like the Crystal Gala. Instead, the celebration for the Goddess Smokeless Jade Fires sees her high priestess sprawled languidly on the couch, fizzy drink in hand, staring fixedly at a series of candles on the table. 

There are candles everywhere now, lit by the crew and by each guest as part of their entry, and the lounge glows in ancient firelight. Someone had the good sense to turn the lights off, giving it that strong goddess cult vibe. 

But it’s a goddess cult with a couple of big comfortable couches that can seat ten if they get snug and a fridge with a light that keeps coming on as people get out more drinks that reminds everyone that it’s still a Hangar lounge. The Hybrasilians around Dolly are giddy. There’s a TV in one corner (far from Dolly) where some of the girls are freeze-framing the match for highlights. And in the rest of the room, the cult and believers (and Angela) are chattering in small groups, sipping drinks and eating snacks and relaxing. Ksharta is the only person who seems high energy at the moment, and that because she’s zipping back and forth from the little kitchen constantly bringing out new snacks and checking multiple pots that she’s got running.

It’s a chance to relax and pass an evening that was full of all sorts of stress. Tell us how you pass the time at the party, what you enjoy, what you discuss and with whom. 

[b]Jade[/b]

When do you join the party, and how?