AmongHeroes

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

Terminal, I sent you a PM regarding my completed NS and application. Especially since the IC is beginning today, I would be grateful if you could give it a look.

Thanks.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

Valeth Unified Republic

Hider

General Overview

The Valeth Unified Republic is the primary interstellar state of the lupine-humanoid race known as the Val. A young nation, the Valeth Unified Republic (VUR.), was founded a mere hundred and fifty years before modern time. As such, the nation’s success amidst their more established neighbors in the galaxy was borne upon the adoption of an almost religious-like pursuit of advancement and growth. With this mindset pulling the nation behind it, a churning engine of private-sector industry and free-trade quickly propelled the VUR into a status as a major player within their galactic region.

Much of the VUR’s success was achieved with large investments into physics and engineering, applied specifically to heavy industry and its use in intergalactic trade. The roughly 20 light-year in diameter region of space that make up the VUR is crisscrossed with some of the most efficient and reliable FTL freighters known to exist. Cutting edge robotics, coupled with advanced resource processing facilities, allow the VUR to produce engineering marvels and proprietary materials that are coveted commodities among their trade partners.

However, with such an early and intense focus upon private-sector growth, the VUR is woefully lacking in areas of defense. Enjoying a confluence of factors that allowed it to initially prosper without external threats to its sovereignty, the VUR spent little on military proliferation. Throughout most of its existence, the military has been almost solely focused upon the maintenance of peace and smooth operation of trade within the nation’s boundaries. Territorial expansion and defending against invasion simply were not a priority to the Val.

In recent years this glaring weakness in the VUR’s otherwise strong national makeup became a highlight issue for both the government and populace alike. This became especially true as outside factions began to show more interest in assuming control of VUR assets, rather than simple trade. Initiatives in military spending to right this reality were undertaken, and done so with the same unifying passion that first elevated the VUR in the first instance. Yet, even in spite of this, the VUR’s burgeoning military growth still often pales in comparison to its counterparts.

Territory

Home System—Qetesh
The home system of the Valeth Unified Republic is known as Qetesh. The star is an M2 V Red Dwarf, with a mass of 5.22x1029 kg, and a luminosity of 2.17x1025 W (.06 x Sol). Qetesh is orbited by six planets (listed in order of relative orbiting distance from the star):

-Pealara: Small, barren planet rich with several valuable metals and other elements. Following advancements in radiation and heat shielding, as well as robotics, the VUR were able to develop a reliable means to mine Pealara’s abundant precious metals.

-Zeni: Another relatively small rock planet with heavy volcanic activity. Where Pealara has high concentrations of usable elements, Zeni is basically devoid of them.

-Glissau: The Val homeworld, and the seat of the republic. Glissau possesses a radius that is 1.28 x earth. It has a period of 32.56 hours, and an axis tilt of 29.59°. Water makes up 68% of the planet’s surface, with another 9% covered in ice. Its average temperature is 23° C, and a large portion of the planet is forested. The land mass is grouped into three main continents. It possesses two orbiting moons; Flara and Einus. Both are inhabited. Glissau also has several large arrays of orbital platforms that are linked to the planet via space elevators. These platforms are inhabited, and generally used for industrial or scientific purposes, though there are scattered defensive structures spaced within them.

-Lioter: A gas giant, roughly the size of Jupiter, with four orbiting moons. Lioter is one of the most important economic hubs of the VUR, as it links Glissau with the outer rim planets and asteroid cloud where the majority of resource mining within the Qetesh system takes place. Two of the four moons possess atmospheres—both of which the Val have terraformed for permanent habitation. Several large private conglomerates call the moons of Lioter home, and the local politics of the area have great influence on Glissau, and the VUR as a whole.

-Ocreon: Another gas giant, made notable by its vast orbiting asteroid cloud. These asteroids are heavily mined by ships based out of the moons of Lioter. Though it possesses no habitable natural satellites, Ocreon is home to a major mining and naval outpost named Rift Station.

-Caglilia: A small ice planet located 4.1 AU from Qetesh. There are no permanent settlements or regular excursions to the planet by the VUR, however several automated research vessels were placed in orbit around Caglilia as a means to search for further celestial bodies to mine from within the system.

System II—Crion
Crion was the first star system colonized by the Val. It is located 4.2 light-years from Qetesh, and was the first system to join with the Val homeworld to form the Unified Republic. The system possesses two companion stars: Crion and Eridani. Crion is a K7 5 Orange Main Sequence star, with a mass of 1.78 x 1030 kg, and a luminosity of 1.02 x 1026 W (0.27 x sol). Eridani is a M0 V Red Dwarf star, with a mass of 8.77 x 1029 kg, and a luminosity of 1.41 x 1025 W (0.04 x sol). These stars are orbited by two planets (listed in order of relative orbiting distance from the stars binary axis):

-Espion: The seat of the VUR government in the Crion system. This ringed planet has a radius 1.18 x earth. It has a period of 48.84 hours, and an axis tilt of 6.21°. No liquid water exists naturally on the planet, though nearly 35% of it is covered with ice. It’s average temperature is 8° C. Espion has no moons. The VUR have invested heavily in terraforming the planet to more resemble Glissau. Of the nodes of Val civilization, the most notable are the orbital shipyards operated by the Extron and Unitis Corporations. The vast majority of modern FTL ships within the VUR fleet—both military and civilian—are produced at these shipyards. Due to its economic significance, Espion is home to one of the largest naval fleets within the republic.

-Boecury: A relatively small rock planet most notable for being a waystation for mining and shipping vessels operating in the asteroid mining colonies located between Boecury and Espion. It was once a haven for Val outlaws and privateers prior to the formation of the Unified Republic.

System III--Kadesh
WIP

System IV--Maw Frontier
WIP

Governance

Tier 1—Intersystem Level
Senate: The senate is comprised of two elected bodies: The Pillar of the Commons, and The Pillar of the Wards. Legality of legislation is regulated under the Valethian Constitution, and individual bills must pass in both bodies before they are sent to the Premier for ratification.

The Pillar of the Commons represents the will of the Val population most directly, as this body of the senate expands with the population of the Val itself. Its elected officials, known as Senators, are appointed via direct election from within individual system-wide districts.

The Pillar of the Wards represents the interests of the star-systems that make up the VUR equally, as there are only a set number of officials appointed from each system, regardless of that system’s population. These officials are known as Wardens, and they are elected from among the local system senates. No direct elections are held for their appointment, except in the rare case of Referendum—a process by which the population of a local system can recall a Warden from service if that individual is deemed unfit by a supermajority of the citizenry.

Premier: Executive power lies with a single Premier, which is directly elected by the entire population of the VUR. The Premier is granted powers of enforce laws passed by the Senate, and is also considered the Altos, or Supreme Commander, of the armed forces. Premiers are elected to single ten year terms, and can only be removed via impeachment or the process of Referendum. Once an individual has served as a Premier, they are banned from holding any further office at any intersystem level in the VUR.

Coalition of Courts: Judiciary power resides in a group of judges appointed by the Premier. These judges make up a total of five courts, all of equal “rank.” When a trial reaches the intersystem level, the trial is held simultaneously with all five of these courts. During the trial, these courts have no contact with one another, and they observe the trial proceedings anonymously via electronic proxy. Once each court has reached a decision, a final decision is delivered based solely upon a simple majority of the five individual decisions made by the courts.

Tier 2—Systems Level
Local governments are comprised almost identically to that of the intersystem level of the republic. Systems are governed by senates, as well as a governor’s office. Systems hold sub-sovereignty status, and can act on their own accord as long as it does not interfere with the Valethian Constitution, or established intersystem law.

Species

The Val are a lupine-humanoid species with physiology akin to earth’s mammals. They breathe oxygen, and metabolize energy through the ingestion of other living organisms. The species is a generally strong and lean one, wherein an average male stands 2.1 meters tall, and weighs 140 kg. Females average 1.8 meters in height, and 112 kg.

The musculoskeletal system is relatively strong and resilient, though not naturally suited to zero-gravity. Val are viviparous, and offspring are produced in litters of 1-4 cubs following a gestation period of six months. Though exceptions exist, the physiological tendency is for Val to mate for their entire adult life.

The Val possess excellent hearing, smell, and eyesight. Their immune system is also hardy, and naturally responsive to many classifications of microbial. A harsh evolutionary crucible during the formation of the species has developed this trait.

Culture

Modern Valethian culture has varied greatly from the warlike clan/family ethos that existed for the majority of the species’ existence. Prior to the Val expanding beyond their home planet, and even into the first iteration of Valethian intersystem governance, this primitive structure held sway. However, as the universe continued to expand for the Val, the adherence to the cultural pillars of the past proved more and more at odds with the success of the species. In response to this reality, a period of Valethian unification and rebirth occurred, where many of the ancient customs and schools of thought were cast away, and the species coalesced into a more singular body.

This paradigm shift dovetailed directly with the adoption of the republican form of government for the Val, and a vigorous pursuit of individual freedom and prosperity. To the Val, the future was bright and promising, and they were going to achieve their best destiny with force of will. Interest in science, mathematics, engineering, and technological fields exploded, and a fresh wave of philosophical renaissance griped the populace. Quite literally, the Val viewed their potential amongst the stars.

However, in spite of this unprecedented shift in culture, the Val still retain many of their core traits from their more primitive and violent past. They are a dogged, and often stubborn species. The bonds and associations of the ancient clans still exist, thought to a lesser extent, and Valethian politics often reflects this tradition. The Val can often be quick tempered, and violent. This is especially true in areas of the republic far from the civic-minded beacon of Glissau, where many of the shadows of Valethian history still caste their silhouette.

Organizations

The New Star Party: The most prominent of the political parties formed during the fledgling days of the republic. Members of this party still hold most of the offices within the system and intersystem governments. Generally, New Star members identify with ideals of individual liberty and decentralized government.

The Quinring: An organization and political party that represents the more traditional culture of the Val. While no direct link has been as yet proven, many believe the Quinring sponsors domestic radicals in acts of terrorism and sabotage against the republic.

The Extron and Unitis Corporations: These massive private companies own and operate the most advanced industrial conglomerates in the VUR. From robotics, biosciences, heavy industry, and chemical production, Extron and Unitis have their hands in it all. They hold huge political sway, so much so that some call for sweeping anti-trust legislation as a means to ensure fair and free markets.

Maleth Rokulval: An extremist organization of Valethian dissidents and terrorists that strive to return the Val to their ancient clan system. Their name translates roughly to “The Soul of the True Val.” Many Val that identify themselves as members of the Quinring, are also Maleth Rokulval sympathizers.

History

WIP

Outlook

Following the True Vacuum event, or Quantum Spacetime Anomaly (QSA), as it has most commonly come to be known amidst the Val, the VUR found itself a reeling nation, but one that maintained general law and order. The state of the economy fell sharply in the immediate aftermath of the QSA, but as the weeks passed, it rebounded to a state yet far from normalcy, but one where the functions of society and the republic could be sustained.

The scientific community is still unsure of what exactly happened, but the general consensus is that some form of rift or anomaly forced a dramatic shift in the fabric and arrangement of spacetime. While the search for scientific answers continue, the current state of affairs vis-à-vis the VUR’s relative proximity to unknown factions of sentient beings has wholly consumed the attention of the nation. With the armed forces well-equipped, but woefully lacking in size to repulse a full-fledged invasion, the republic has initiated a drastic shift to a wartime footing.

Initiatives ranging from dramatic calls for increased recruitment into the armed forces, the implementation of mandatory convoy protocols for merchant shipping vessels, to the commissioning of an unprecedented level of capital-class naval vessels, have all taken place in the wake of the QSA. Thus far, the Valethian people have responded with a unified determination to the new demands of their place in the universe, but all is not as balanced as it once was.

Shortly after the QSA, there was a drastic increase in dissenter agitation and terrorism within the outer systems of the VUR. Groups like Maleth Rokulval attempted to seize the opportunity for an uprising. Though no attempts to overthrow VUR governmental bodies were successful, the audacity of the attempts shocked the populace. Garrisons and security forces across the VUR are on high alert for domestic threats.

Diplomatic contact with factions near to the VUR have been initiated, and envoys from Glissau have been dispatched to attempt peaceful détente agreements before war comes to a head.

Technology:

Important/Noteworthy Tech

-Tetra Matrix Polymers: The Val’s enormous leap forward in prosperity was quite literally built with Tetra Matrix Polymers. Using a proprietary process of quantum-level manipulation, Val physicists were able to perfect an atomic matrices that allowed for precise construction and adhesion of materials that were traditionally thought impossible to bond. With this technology, the Val are able to produce a near limitless combination of materials for application-specific uses. From highly durable crystal-laced ceramic ship armors, to paper-thin sheets of radiation deflecting shrouds, the Val enjoyed the most diverse and effective synthetic materials when compared to their former intergalactic trade partners. These polymers are widely used in both civilian and military applications.

-Tachyonic Particle Tunneling: Another Val innovation that was achieved to further the growing economic engine of intergalactic trade, Tachyonic Particle Tunneling, or simply Tac Tunneling, has all but replaced older FTL drives within the VUR. Using a combination of drive core that utilizes the unique nature of tachyon particles, coupled with the principle of quantum tunneling, the vessel is able to achieve speeds many magnitudes higher than that of light.

However, the physics of tachyon particles that allow for Tachyonic Particle Tunneling in the first instance, are also the source of the drives primary weakness. Since tachyon particles increase in speed as their energy decreases, Tac Tunneling cores must keep these particles highly energized when FTL speeds are not desired. In rare cases, vessels equipped with Tac Tunneling cores have accelerated out of control as a result of a catastrophic loss in primary and secondary power.

-Tachyon Burst Communication: A technology developed alongside with Tachyonic Particle Tunneling, these special transmitters utilize bursts of regulated and focused tachyon particles to transmit data across great distances. While not instantaneous when data is to be sent across hundreds of thousands of light-years, it is possible for reliable bursts to be sent a small magnitude faster than a Tac Tunnel equipped vessel could travel.

Military Structure:

Military Organization

The battlecruiser VRS Roost

The military of the Valeth Unified Republic is proportionally small for an equivalent nation of similar size and economic stature. As mentioned in the Overview section, several external and independent factors during the birth of the republic allowed for the VUR to exist and flourish without substantial threat from outside entities. That being said, the VUR military apparatus is well-funded, well-supported by the populace, and very well equipped. This is particularly true in the aftermath of the True Vacuum event.

There are three main branches of the armed forces: the Navy, the Systems Corp, and the Republic Commerce Corp.

-Navy
The Navy is by far the largest of the three branches, having the responsibility of patrolling and defending VUR space in both atmosphere and vacuum, maintaining the ability for offensive operations outside of VUR space in both atmosphere and vacuum, as well as operating as the transportation apparatus for the Systems Corp. The Navy also maintains the VUR’s main intelligence gathering division, the Fleet Intelligence Office. The VUR’s largest and most versatile infantry section, the Republic Marines, also fall under the navy’s umbrella.

The organization of the navy falls into fleet classifications. Fleets are traditionally organized by the systems to which they are assigned to patrol and defend, though there are plans for a fleet that operates on a solely intersystem basis, and would be the VUR’s primary force for missions outside of friendly space.

1st Fleet—
Based out of the VUR capital world of Glissau, 1st Fleet maintains the largest number or warships, marines, and auxiliary vessels within the navy. It also operates one of the VUR’s three super-capital class battlecruisers, the VRS Praetor. 1st Fleet has also been tasked by Fleet Command to operate as the primary offensive flotilla should war come to the VUR.

2nd Fleet—
Based out of the star system of Kadesh, 2nd Fleet is the smallest of the navy. Often 2nd Fleet is utilized as a tempering ground for new naval officers and ship commanders.

3rd Fleet—
The second largest of the naval fleets, 3rd Fleet is based out of the Crion system. It maintains an important vigil along with its other duties—that of defending the strategically important Extron and Unitis orbital shipyards around the planet Espion. As such, it operates the remaining two super-capital class battlecruisers of the navy: the VRS Roost, and the VRS Obsidian.

4th Fleet—
Tasked with patrolling the Maw Frontier, the Val of the 4th Fleet receive the most duty missions, in proportion to their size, of any fleet in the navy. As the Maw Frontier holds the largest percentage of pirates, radicals, and political extremists within VUR controlled space, it has a very real prerogative to maintain vigilance.

-Systems Corp
The Systems Corp operates as the main military force for operating in atmosphere. It maintains forces for traditional waterborne navies, atmospheric capable aircraft, infantry, and innumerable other in-atmosphere equipment and material. For transportation outside of atmosphere, the Systems Corp relies totally on naval support.

-Republic Commerce Corp
The RCC is the second largest of the military branches. It is tasked with operating and securing public spaceports and spaceborne commercial hubs, enforcing trade laws, patrolling established shipping lanes. They are also the only policing force that has jurisdiction across all VUR systems. The RCC operates no capital class vessels, and must rely on naval support for operations that require such resources.

True Vacuum - New Universe Space NRP

This NRP seems awesome enough to bring me out of my short retirement. Working on a nation now.

The Last Kings of Orion

With his hands placed deeply within the wells of his coat pockets, Jasso meandered the corridors of the Copernicus. He had come from yet another check of the cryobed loop systems, and once more, they were performing at its required efficacy. This was no small miracle, despite the advanced technology that was the backbone of the system. Or perhaps, it should be said that this was accomplished in spite of the advanced technology of the cryobed system.

Dr. Bieto Jasso had completed his engineering of the means to sustain humanity across the vast ocean of the galaxy in record time after the beginning of The Change. It had been a laudable, and valiant act of genius borne of necessity. But, the swiftness by which this technological feat had been accomplished had come at the high price of reliability and efficiency. In truth, the beds that held humanity’s remaining progeny were woefully flawed. A scant few were privileged, or more aptly burdened, with this truth. The cryotechs, a few engineers, perhaps the NI-techs, and Jasso himself, were the extent of those in the know about the cryobed system's true nature.

Even so, no one had yet died while in the cryobeds. At least, not as a result of the system itself failing.

It was this fact that set Jasso wandering aimlessly amidst the now mostly quiet starship. The itch. The brilliant, psychopathic man had lost his outlet. His means of release. The one and only tool by which he could scratch at the growing desire in the back of his dark soul. Sylus Adams had been that tool. A tool honed precisely and carefully with Jasso’s own hands, and intoxicating cult of personality.

No more.

Jasso found himself within the cramped confines of his bunkroom. As the door hissed shut behind him, the man slammed his hands down upon the small desk that stood beside his bed. His eyes were dark, wide, and wild in the dim light of the room, and he resembled every bit the animal caught in an ever-tightening snare.

The Last Kings of Orion

Thanks for the praise guys . You are all way too kind!

The Last Kings of Orion

Gavin chuckled, happy to have Abby’s jest to distract from the blush upon his cheeks.

“Well I certainly hope my condition wouldn’t be severe enough as to require euthanasia!” Gavin shrugged. “But, I suppose that would be up to Ms. Albright’s professional opinion. One can’t argue you with a doctor, Abby. We always know best. Even DVM’s.”

The time passed quickly as Gavin followed beside Abby, and they continued their lighthearted conversation. For someone eavesdropping upon them, it would have been difficult to tell that they were on their way to discuss a murderer’s habits with another cryo-tech. Especially when Abby dropped the last bit about Gavin still owing her a “real date.”

The doctor looked to the sergeant, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Abby,” Gavin said, his voice matching the quiet volume of hers, “I would count it as the best debt I’ve ever accrued. I shall make sure it is paid in full, and as soon as possible.”

With the bubbling warmth of happiness filling his belly, Gavin lapsed into silence as they arrived at Antoine Eadore’s quarters. Abby announced their presence to the closed door, and they pair hadn’t to wait long for their call to be answered.

It was apparent to Gavin from the time that Antione opened the door that he and Abby had interrupted a nap. And a pleasant one at that, from the looks of it. Gavin cringed in empathy. Any man worth his salt understood the value of a good siesta, and to bring one up short was simply cruel.

Gavin reached forward to shake the man’s hand. “It’s good to meet you Mr. Eadore, and I’m dreadfully sorry for interrupting.”

“We,” Gavin said, indicating both Abby and himself with a waggle of his thumb, “had a question regarding the cryo-sleep system. Specifically in regard…”

A very insistent beep on his mobile device interrupted his explanation, and he immediately gave both Abby and Antoine an apologetic look. “Excuse me one moment.”

Stepping away, Gavin took out his device, and read the message. It was a request from one of the medical technicians Gavin knew vaguely named Devika.

"Dr. Brock, you're needed as soon as possible to come take a look at one of our NI techs in the surgical ward. I know this is not your bailiwick, but your input would be invaluable - I'll explain when you get here."

Frowning deeply, Gavin looked up to Abby and Antoine. “I’m terribly sorry, but there’s a slight emergency that needs my attention. I’ll have to catch up with you both later.”

With that, Gavin spun on his heels, and made his way quickly down the passageway towards the surgical ward.

* * * * *

In a few short minutes, Gavin found himself at his destination. Sliding inside the sterile interior of the surgical ward, he instinctively pulled a white lab coat from a hook on the wall, and slung it over his hoodie.

Stepping towards Devika, Gavin got straight to business. “What seems to be the issue, and how can I help?”

The Last Kings of Orion

OLGA’s cat eyes peered along with Hob’s, scanning and cataloguing the video as it wound in reverse. She knelt beside her friend with her chin resting upon a demure palm, her slight fingers curled upwards to rest gently upon her lower lip.

In the brief period that the two merely sat watching the footage, OLGA felt a distinct welling of happiness fill her. It was at first merely a warm, ethereal feeling, which seemed to effervesce from within her stomach. As the moments passed, that feeling spread to occupy her being, down to the very tips of her digital toes.

At first she merely reveled in the unknown source of the emotion, not caring at its cause. But, soon enough, her eyes drifted inexorably up to the man that sat next to her. OLGA’s mouth teased upward into a smile as she observed the keen, intent face of Hob. So focused was he upon his work, that he didn’t notice the somewhat vacuous look that occupied his eyes. It made OLGA smile all the more, as the look was so very natural, so very effortless, so very human.

With her eyes squinted with the happy smile, OLGA’s free hand began to slowly snake upward, intent upon the warmth and connection afforded from Hob’s own grasp. She had no inkling of what should occur next, once her hand reached his, but she didn’t care. That was the beauty of it all. Her logic was not that of a machine, not that of some organized series of 1’s and 0’s. No. Her desire was organic, unplanned, and illogical. It was bent upon a desire for connection, to further that happy feeling which had snuck upon her only moments before.

Her hand was scant inches from his when everything changed.

Hob’s curse cracked the fragile spell of OLGA’s moment, and she recoiled in surprise as he stood. She looked from him, to the screen, and then back. Like some baleful flower, Hob seemed to blossom with anger and ire before her. She could only watch in stricken shock as her dearest friend shed the petals of his rage, wilting these shades of emotion into physical manifestations that fled throughout the room like sparks upon the wind.

Amidst it all, despite her fear and worry, OLGA came to her feet. She stepped to Hob, and enveloped him in her arms. Shorter though she was, she stood upon the tips of her toes, and pulled her friend’s head to the well of her neck and shoulder. Her blond hair fell over Hob as she rested her cheek against the top of his head.

“Don’t apologize, Hob. I am so sorry. So sorry,” OLGA said, her voice quiet, but filled with compassionate conviction. “I’ll never understand what some humans are capable of.”

Standing there, with Hob held to her, OLGA’s bright green eyes opened. Her vision was met with the video footage of Sylus’ incarceration that continued to play out, irreverent to the emotional toll it had just sparked. The images were still playing in reverse, showing the makeshift brig used to hold the murderer and rapist before his execution.

As she had only been half-watching, with her attention given to Hob, OLGA almost missed the appearance of the man captured on the video screen. He had visited Sylus, and judging from the time stamp, he had spoken with the criminal for almost three hours. Raising her head slightly from Hob’s, she stared more intently at the screen.

“Why the hell would he be talking with Sylus Adams?” OLGA muttered.

---

Dr. Bieito Jasso sat at his small desk, his feet propped upon an empty crate. Tendrils of blue smoke rose in thick waves from the bowl of his Bulldog pipe as he reclined in the worn office chair. Taking a light puff from the pipe, Jasso blew out a perfect ring, denoting a man that had spent many an hour wiling away time amidst the company of his pouch tobacco.

The room was dimly lit, with only a single LED lamp set on low to illuminate the tiny living space. A bed, with storage beneath, the table, the crate, the chair, and the man, were all that occupied the room. It was a desultory accommodation for a man who had to be awake for so long while others passed their time in the clutches of dreams.

An alarm beeped on Jasso’s watch. Looking down to the watch-face, the man silenced the alarm. His pipe-hand turned the object over, dumping the smoldering contents into a tin ashtray upon the desk. With the heel of the pipe, Jasso smashed the tobacco until the glowing embers were snuffed, and the smoke ceased to drift to the heavens.

With an exasperated sigh, the man stood. From the back of his chair, the inventor of the Copernicus’ entire cryobed system took his jacket. Slinging it about his arms, Jasso stepped through the automated door of his room, and into the passageway. There was work to be done.

The Last Kings of Orion

Hey all, sorry I've left everyone waiting. I had hoped to have a post up last night/this morning. Unfortunately, I had some very troublesome vehicle and appliance problems that have eaten up the hours of my free time. Yay for being an adult. Anyway, I apologize again, and I will do my best to get a response up tonight.

Aphelion

Hey all,
I'm going to go ahead and pull the plug on this RP. I know that several of you have done a wonderful job of staying interested, and posting in a timely manner. However, my own heart has not turned out to be in this project. Perhaps my expectations were too lofty and unrealistic. I didn't intend to do this RP with so many NPC's being required to play, and instead of forcing something, I'd rather just go ahead and put this to bed. I apologize for this sudden change, but I feel it necessary.

Once again, thank you all for your time and work. I wish you all the best, and hopefully I'll see you around RPG.

The Last Kings of Orion

>>Collab between Justric and AmongHeroes<<

OLGA sat upon crossed legs, her eyes darting rapidly over the footage data which streamed in a blur before her. Thanks to Hob’s gift of freedom, OLGA lingered comfortably within the Copernicus’ server farm, wrapped in an oversized sweatshirt with the same Cal-Tech logo that he father loved so much. Her knees, folded as they were, bounced distractedly as she went about her work. She had been at it for several hours now, pouring over the footage of Second Shift, and the digital woman counted it a blessing that there was no subroutine in her programming to account for humanlike fatigue.

She had yielded nothing of interest yet, though she was hopeful something would appear. There’s simply too much here for it all to be a waste of time, OLGA thought. I wish Hob would show up to help…

As if on cue, Hob materialized into the digital world scant seconds later. Being within the server network, OLGA had little control over the appearance of their surroundings, and so currently the two of them resided in a space virtually indescribable to the human mind. Still, even within their singular location, OLGA turned to Hob and gave him a dazzling smile. She pushed a lock of light, golden hair behind her gauged ear before patting the “ground” beside her.

“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear,” OLGA said, her nose crinkling. “Take a seat and we can share this blockbuster film together. We’re still in the ‘build up’ stage of the plot, unfortunately.”

As the elevator doors slid open, Hob's mind automatically began to fill in the cyber-limbo with details and scenery. The human imagination abhors a void, and so his filled it. Like a wave it flowed out from him in a vast and ever expanding globe, mixing metaphors as it went to make some sense of where in the computer's system he and OLGA had come to be at. The smell of sweet hay and grass filled the air, a warm August's breeze tugging playfully at her hair. Then a vast barn arose up around them, outside of which could be seen a vintage farmhouse and a rolling landscape that was pulled directly out of a Bob Ross painting. The structure of the barn was classic, right down to the hayloft above them. Hob's clothes readjusted themselves as well. Instead of the snazzy boater's jacket and hat, the NI-tech was decked out in jeans and a t-shirt with a green John Deere baseball cap that had seen better days.

Out of twisted humor, Hob's imagination placed one additional feature near the door. True to his early message to her, it was a big thing. Made of hay. All in a stack.

The contents of the barn, however, were not what one would find in a normal farm setting. The walls were lined with metal filing cabinets. Against the back wall was a movie screen upon which flickered footage from an ancient projector in the middle of the floor. To Hob's perception, OLGA was rifling through the contents of a file cabinet at superhuman speed while glancing at the moving picture now and then as if to confirm what she was reading.

"Hey, what can I say?" Hob snickered as he walked up to her, "I'm a man of wealth and taste!"

A folding chair came to being in his hand, and he flipped it open to then sit and watch both her and the movie. There was no point in his digging into the same files. Better to wait until the next reel change. In the meantime, he tried to focus on the feature film.

"You hear about Sung Pak?" he asked awkwardly after a few moments. "They found him. All... locked up like a buggy app. No one knows what to do. There's been a Ghost sighting, too, only in a mining pod; you know, the last place a Ghost should have access to? I'm also getting the horrible feeling that Command is planning on 'recruiting' more people to become NI-techs. Meanwhile, there's some staff who started becoming all nicey-nicey with the NI-techs, and I'm not sure if I should be thankful or suspicious."

Glancing back over at the teenage girl, Hob chuckled wearily. "Sorry, dear. Let's try this again. How was your day? Any progress? I don't think anyone on the outside knows you're loose, by the way. Oh, and I might have... pissed off your Dad. A bit."

OLGA smiled and laughed lightly, looking about to the fruits of Hob’s imagination as it filled the digital void around them. She noticed the large haystack affectation near the barn door, and she gave an exasperated nod of agreement.

“Your wit is so very subtle and nuanced,” she said. “Though certainly accurate.”

Leaning back with her legs still crossed beneath her, OLGA propped herself upon her palms. She gave Hob her full attention as he continued, speaking of Sung Pak and Ghost spotted within the mining pod. A deep frown crossed over the avatar’s delicate face, and her bright eyes darkened with concern.

“Oh my God. Hob, I had no idea.” She searched her friend’s face for a moment, almost not believing what she was hearing. “A Ghost…? I…how did this happen? And getting to NI-techs? This shouldn’t be possible. All the systems get defragged every twenty-four hours right?”

A thought came to her, and the petite woman rose quickly from her place on the barn floor. She stepped towards Hob, where he sat upon his folding chair, regaled in his John Deere cap. When she reached him, OLGA waved away Hob’s question about her progress and the statement about her father.

“Forget all that.” OLGA bent at her waist until her emerald eyes were level with Hob’s. Several stray strands of blond hair freed themselves from her messy ponytail, and fell before her face. “Hob, you just began your shift. You don’t have to go looking for that Ghost do you?”

Looking into OLGA's eyes, he found there was no way he could deceive her or simply put it off. If anyone onboard cared about Hob, it was OLGA, and he'd be damned before he lied to her. With a tired smiled, he reached up and tucked the stray strands of hair behind her one ear tenderly. "Not immediately, but it's on the work docket for whoever drew the short straw for doing troubleshooting this watch. Which was me. So I could spend time with you. Helping you, I mean. I've to have something to show for my time away from processing astro-navigational corrections and regulating the waste disposal systems. And it's kind of weird, don't you think? No one's seen any Ghosts since start of Second Shift, now one pops up in a mining pod's communications! And it was one of mine, OLGA! How freaky is that?!"

Leaning back into the metal chair, Hob sighed and pushed the baseball cap further back on his forehead. "De-fragging has never affected Ghosts one way or the other. No one knows why. Hell, no one even knows how they get created to begin with. Best anyone has been able to guess is that they're sort of like a browser cookie, a little something left behind to mark the passage of an NI-tech. As far as Sung Pak?" Hob shrugged. "Again, your guess is as good or as worse as mine, there. The other team said they found him near the linkages between this and the ship's emergency computer backup. We don't go in there much. No need to, really, it's pretty much just a big warehouse containing everything needed in case the main computer core fries."

Hob suddenly frowned as though something struck him. "Which... make me wonder. What was he doing down there?"

OLGA frowned, her green eyes squinting with worry as Hob reached forward to tuck a strand of her hair behind an ear. As he did so, she leaned her head towards his hand, and let out a small sigh as he spoke of his duties. Silently she listened to him describe the Ghost and its singular characteristics, and her sense of concern for her dearest friend only deepened.

For an entity created digitally, OLGA was ironically woefully uneducated in the ins and outs of the inner workings of other computers. Her father had built her first and foremost to aid him in his manipulation of genes and their sequencing. It was only since she had been brought onboard the Copernicus that she had had extended interaction with a vast, advanced network of machines.

The Ghost scared her, and Hob’s nonchalant attitude did nothing to dissuade that feeling. Even if he presented a brave, carefree attitude about the whole thing, OLGA could see in his eyes that the Ghost’s existence bothered him too.

“Damn it Hob,” OLGA said. “You make it sound like you’re looking for nothing more than a lost cat in the server room.” Her voice was low, and filled with righteous apprehension. She reached up, and flipped the baseball cap from the top of Hob’s head. “If you have to go look for this…this Ghost, you be careful okay? Damn careful.”

She stood and crossed her arms, causing the neck of her oversized sweatshirt to drape slightly over her right shoulder. For a time she merely looked down to Hob, trying her best to convey that her request was anything but optional. After she felt her point had been made, OLGA cocked her mouth so she could blow yet another loose stand of blond hair from before her eyes.

“Besides,” OLGA said, “you have to help me look through this video data. You don’t have time to play Ghostbuster anyway.”

"I'll be careful, " he replied sincerely as he tried to keep his eyes from shifting to her bare shoulder. It was hard to ignore how perfectly the line of her neck flowed down into that young flesh, a body crafted to have all the grace and suppleness of youth. Hob forced himself to stay on the topic. "Ghosts by themselves aren't dangerous, but I'm starting to think that there's more to them than anyone realized. They're a symptom of something. I just don't know what. So trust me, OLGA, I am not going to rush headlong into things! Besides, I look'd ridiculous wearing a proton-pack. I'm hear to help, just like I promised, just bear in mind that I have do some other work or folks'll get suspicious. Before the end of my shift, I should check on Sung Pak myself, too."

Hob waved his hand at the filing cabinets, trying to dwell on how OLGA's hair had felt no more or less real than Devika's hand. "So... let's keep going and see what we find. Did you find anything odd yet? Missing time or duplicate time stamps, personnel in places they shouldn't be, clowns lurking in the sewer, a butler with an unsavory past and muddy shoes, someone holding up a sign that says 'I am the real killer, ha-ha'?"

OLGA found herself smiling in spite of herself. Hob had that ability, to make her smile, even if it was only to distract her. With a sigh of resignation, OLGA stepped over to where Hob had envisioned her sifting through the contents of the video file cabinet. Withdrawing a stack of files, she turned back to her friend, and dropped a hefty stack of folders into his lap.

"I haven't found anything of interest yet, and I've been through a good chunk of the video data." OLGA said with a forlorn air, as she resumed her own spot upon the floor before the ancient reel-projector. "I've been following this Sylus character around from the time he was awoken at the beginning of Second Shift."

OLGA shrugged, before tucking some hair behind her ears as she focused upon the video screen. The image started to scroll past at incredible speed, and OLGA squinted her green eyes as she looked upon it. "I don't know, maybe it would be easier if you worked backwards from the time Sylus was apprehended we can find something in the middle?"

Hob grimaced at the sight of the paper and photo filled folders that had landed in his lap. He felt like cursing his own imagination; the files even had the weight and feel that he would expect to come out of a bureaucrat's office! "Oh, joy," he muttered, "Paperwork."

His hand hovered over the first folder for a moment, pausing as a sudden thought came to him. The musical had never been one much for murder mysteries; not in literature, not in theatre, and certainly not in film. Yet there was a common theme to be found within the genre regardless of the medium, and that was there was always one cruel piece of evidence missed at the very beginning. Clever authors and directors would throw in any number of false leads and red herrings to divert the observer's attentions away from the the real culprit, all the while smugly congratulating themselves for leaving the primary clue right in front of the readers' eyes from the outright. Hob set the folders on the floor next to his chair as he arose the stalked over to the file cabinet again.

"Actually..." he drawled as he pulled forth a few more folders, "I think I'm going to start backwards from a little later. Just after his execution, actually. I want to see Checkov's gun used so we know to look for it hanging on the wall in the first act."

He wasn't quite sure that OLGA would get his metaphor. Considering the nature of their investigation, he thought the term to be rather appropriate! As he sat down again, he began to rifle through the files and the photos therein; they moved like filp-card animations before his eyes, which flickered back and forth nearly as fast as OLGA's. The scene of the gathered witnesses at the man's execution played backwards for him. "I think I prefer watching this in reverse," Hob snarked darkly. "Then it becomes the wonderful story of a dead man they find the airlock who comes to life, heals a woman, and then revives a couple of people from the dead to then put them back into the safety of stasis." Let out was that should the reversed timeline hold true, the story would also then include how a bunch of people arrived on Earth as an alien population was dying out...

"Part of me is almost thinking that there's more than just one crime here," Hob muttered as the grisly recounting of the execution played out in reverse, "Did he get started on one thing and then start wondering what else he could get away with? How would a partner benefit from all of what happened, hm? There's no evidence that anyone else other than him raped the women, and that sort of thing would be difficult to remove from all of the security videos. Did he start with his own crimes and then someone blackmailed him into doing their for him? Or was he hired on to do the dirty work and just kept on going, secure in the knowledge that he got away with it the first time?"

"Or we could just be paranoid and inventing conspiracy plots to keep ourselves gruesomely entertained," he admitted wryly as Sylus shuffled backwards out of the airlock, "since there's nothing other than our gut feelings that something's out of place in all of this."

OLGA had no clue what Hob meant with the statement about Checkov’s gun, but she smiled sweetly nonetheless. There was an innumerable number of references and idioms from the long history of humanity that she would never understand, or even hear in the first instance. But, the one’s she did come across she appreciated all the same—even if they made no sense to her.

“The more data we cover, the better. So starting from the time of the execution sounds like a good plan to me.” OLGA said, not looking up from her own work. “No matter where we begin, we’re still looking for something that might not exist.”

Hob gave voice to some of her own thoughts as they set to work, and OLGA contemplated his words silently. Sylus’ actions were terrible crimes, especially when framed by the context of humanity’s survival. The almost unnatural ease at which he was able to bypass the various levels of security, and even just the fact that no other human awake during Second Shift had caught him until it was all too late, was all the more disturbing. To OLGA, it seemed that there had to be more there, that a motive, or other hidden wrinkle, had yet to be uncovered. It was like everyone involved—herself included—had read the first and last chapters of the story, but had somehow missed everything else in between.

Even all the video footage she had been over, which was a total of nearly half the duration of Second Shift, from every available camera, had yielded nothing that seemed to deviate from the original plot. It was a frustrating reality, and one that OLGA realized must have been something detectives from all eras of the human litany had experienced—that of a gut feeling that was supported by absolutely no evidence.

She was about to force the thought from her mind, and resume her work, when an idea came to her. Blinking her green eyes with excitement, she stood and rushed around to behind where Hob sat. Taking his shoulders in her hands, she bent beside him with a palpable sense of inquisitiveness.

“Hob, can you look into the footage of Sylus from the time he was taken into custody until the time of his execution?” OLGA smiled, and gave Hob a pinch on his arm. “Or from the time of the execution to when he was taken into custody? Whichever floats your boat.”

“Anyway,” she said, kneeling beside his chair so they could both look at the projector. “I want to see if Sylus had any frequent or unusual visitors while he was awaiting his trial and punishment.”