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 Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:12 am
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In the dead of space, high above the surface of Alternia, a fleet of derelict crafts waits for anyone brave enough - or mad enough - to try and wander their depths. On one such vessel, light has not been seen for many years. Centuries, even. Dust didn't line the walls, it practically caked it. And while there was no life, there was movement. The shambling, soft footfalls of what remained of the derelict's crew, now lost to the endless rest of vacuum. Trolls who once had dreams and ambitions, reduced to mindless hunger and endless thirst.
A door slowly, painfully began to open. There was a crack at first as the ancient mechanisms gave way, then a painful grinding as the door itself was pulled back from it's moorings. Flashlight beams shone into the dark of the room beyond for the first time in scores of sweeps. There were soft footfalls as trolls, living and breathing, entered the small room. Dark as it was, a terminal woke at the approach of the intruders, displaying it's final message on a larger screen.
Hivestuck The screen flickers with a message...Quote: AFYB-STA-AKL MEMORANDUM FOR ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL Subject: Details on Scheduled Fleet Launch (DT-KA) Preparations have been finalized without problem, and the scheduled geoforming droid launches will commence tomorrow at 0400 sharp. Be at your assigned stations by 0100 in full garb for orientation and a brief address by Her Most Magnificent Majesty Condescension the Queen. STAFF SERGEANT 5500-4 REAUBU ARINIS A-AD-121-C01/FP-000 WRITING PROCEDURES FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ALTERNIAN UNIVERSAL AFFAIRS CONTACT #8232-2133-6362 EXT. 8
Engrav advanced towards the display, team close nearby. "A message," the yellowblood exclaimed, a little breathless. He read the display under his breath, hoping that his environment suit mic was picking it up. Engrav knew that some of his group had a harder time seeing than others, though they might not want to admit it. Better to just get that part over with without any further awkward questions from the group.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:06 am
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:30 pm
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"I doubt it." Polair shook her bangs away from her face revealing her red eyes to Engrav again. "Remember I can't see a thing, these are useless." Was it just a tactic? To make her move her bangs back and stare at her horrible eyes? She hoped not. Why would he even want that, to see her face? There was nothing to look at but disgrace.
"I had another thought, though. Maybe there were instances of self-experimentation among space cadets prior to the discovery of... Well, whatever they sought out to discover. My guess, whatever they wanted to accomplish by sending them to outer space could alter them." Polair shifted closer to Engrav, biting her lip as she tried to put her knowledge to the test. "Geoform might be a designation for these droids... Trolls that decided to undergo radical self-alteration to become droids. " All was hypothetical, she didn't have any evidence. "But that's just what I think, we haven't encountered any droids... So maybe I'm just thinking irrationally." She softly laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. What would he think of that? "I doubt that makes any sense."
"I suppose whatever they were working with probably had to do with terrain, like you said. I do recall hearing the word geoform in a book. Geopedology: An Integration of Geomorphology and Pedology for Soil and Landscape Studies. The prefix geo- in geopedology refers to Alternia's surface – the geoderma – and as such covers, in addition to geomorphology, concepts of geology and geography. Geopedology is based on the conceptual relationships between geoform and soil which center on Alternia’s epidermal interface, is implemented using a variety of methodological modalities based on the three-dimensional concept of the geopedologic landscape, and it becomes operational primarily within the framework of soil inventory, which can be represented by a hierarchic scheme of activities. The approach focuses on the reading of the landscape in the field and from remote-sensed imagery to identify and classify geoforms, as a prelude to their mapping along with the soils they enclose and the interpretation of the genetic relationships between soils and geoforms. There is explicit emphasis on the geomorphic context as an essential factor of soil formation and distribution." She said as a matter of fact.
"Geoform is the generic concept that designates all types of relief form regardless of their origin, dimension, and level of abstraction. Think about how the concept of plants relate to botany so you get a clear idea. All of this is focused on terrain. Geoforms have an internal and external component in relation to the terrain surface. The internal is deep into Alternia’s crust with the external is visible with visual perception or with the use of machinery." Sure, she wasn't very familiar with the terms used in the sudden message but she could at least try to decode it with what she knew.
"Well.." Oh wow another question... Polair blushed, wishing she wouldn't bore him with her usual and excessive talking. "I think the department of universal affairs is the department responsible to contribute to the enhancement of the planet's security and the protection of the Alternian territory."
"What do you think of my hypotheses?" She asked, wondering if he thought of her as a hypothesis making freak or something. Or worst... IGNORANT.
"Maybe we could find more information by pushing buttons?" The highblood touched the corners of the screen, trying to see if there was any way to make the integrated device give out more information. Nothing. She did though managed to turn the screen on and off.
"Did it do anything?" She asked filled with hope.
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Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:01 am
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Wait. Engrav was confused. Polair was... blind? She didn't just have really terrible sight? She was physically unable to see images?
How had he not picked up on this? And how much of a chagrin tunnel did she think he was? He kept asking if she wanted to take a look at something, or if she'd seen... Engrav's eyes were the size of dinner plates, looking at how damaged the purpleblood's own eyes were. She was saying something about geoforming or droid designations, but everything was just an unpleasant, background buzz. Why... Why hadn't she said something? Clearly she could function somehow but it just didn't make sense to the yellowblood. He paused and tried to puzzle it out while Polair ranted about Geopedology. The yellowblood wasn't... ignoring her, but he wasn't listening particularly closely.
He thought about the situation for a second. If he were a seadweller, he wouldn't need to worry about what other trolls thought of him. So that certainly couldn't be the origin of Poliar's reticence to share this information. Unless... unless she was worried about appearing weak. To who? Even a fairly high-blooded troll would think twice about challenging a seadweller, eyes or no. Too much possibility of blowback, regardless of the actual outcome of such a challenge. No, if she was worried, it had to be about a more powerful troll. Other seadwellers? That made sense. And if she was worried about other seadwellers knowing about her loss of sight, it made sense that she didn't want it getting out among low bloods as well. They tended to chatter, especially to highbloods. But why share any of this with him at all? What did she possibly gain from that?
Nothing. Other than showing that she thought he wasn't a threat.
Or that she trusted him.
He didn't know how to deal with that. One thing for sure, though, was that she didn't seem to want his pity. Instead, she probably would rather act like nothing had happened. He would have acted exactly the same in her position, and pretended like nothing was wrong at all. It seemed...
Well, it seemed a little foolish now that he thought about it. Prideful.
He wasn't going to bring it up unless she asked.
Engrav flushed as Polair finished her lecture on geomorphology, glad to know that she couldn't see it. "Er." he managed to get out, tripping over his own tongue. "That seems... Um, I mean, that sounds..." Oh gog, he was losing it. He didn't want her to think he was obtuse, but he was having trouble processing, his thinkpan ahead of his grubhole by what felt like half a sweep. He coughed in an effort to buy time. What had they even been talking about?
"Geoforms being all well and good, but from the context of the message, I suspect the drones are not for the reading and measuring of the land, but the radical alteration. Think about where we are right now. This ship is capable of traveling hundreds of lightyears across space. It's not so inconceivable that they might have found a world that could be habitable with some... slight alterations."
That sounded like something a smart troll would say. Then, a thought hit the yellowblood as Polair rebooted the console.
"Looks pretty much the same actually. Um. Do you think there could be more trolls living on another planet somewhere? Even surviving ones from this same society?"
ImaginationsParadise if you post a bunch, expect a mess back <3
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 12:21 pm
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"Hm... You're probably right." Polair considered his view point for the time of being, if she managed to find any information on her favor, however, she'd definitely let Engrav know. She kept pushing buttons until the yellowblood asked her a question. Trolls, living in other planets?
"I always liked to believed there would be trolls living in other celestial bodies. Seems logical like in the past, the monarchy could have sent some troops elsewhere. I remember a few sweeps ago, a ship crashed in Four Fronds, it's remaining crew members even survived the crash landing!" That was as much as she learnt from the whole thing.
"Though my thoughts on the amount of surviving trolls offplanet... I'm not sure. The are plenty of factors that would say otherwise." Polair sighed.
"I remember I visited the crash site a few weeks after. I always wanted to be one of those trolls, living out there you know?" Live in Alternia had been predictable in her younger years, the seadweller always searched a way to escape and, for her, the only way to achieve that was leaving the planet. "I... always wanter to see galaxies streaked across the sky, just right there in front of me. Billions and billions of stars. Billions and billions of worlds..." The dream had ben cut short from the space tower forward. "Seems like a foolish dream now." Why did she kept insisting?
Polair remained quite for a few minutes, feeling the many buttons on the device. "Maybe if we travel deeper in the ship, you can spot something in regard's to this whole mystery." She could at least keep him company and spot any moving objects with her sonars.
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:42 am
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"I..." Engrav paused for a second, thought. Polair thought trolls escaping Alternia and visiting space was a foolish dream? It didn't seem foolish to him at all. If anything, it felt... inevitable. Trolls had been to space before, in all the history texts and stories. And as always, the exploration had benefited high-bloods. Engrav chucked darkly at the idea of lowbloods seeing the galaxy as anything but playthings. "It doesn't seem foolish to me." They were in space right now, after all.
The yellowblood put his metallic hand to his mouth, thinking briefly. If the royals were to get off-planet, he guessed the rebels would be soon to follow. If that were the case, then the explosion of resources, and difficulty in finding outposts in an expansive galaxy... the war could go on for decades. Given enough resources and trolls, it could even be hundreds of years. Engrav wasn't sure how he felt about that. Trolls heading to space might give lowbloods a little more distance, and a little more freedom, but he was pretty sure the fighting wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Engrav did another scan around the room, not finding much new. "Well, there's definitely nothing to be gained from hanging around here." He considered the schematics of the other ships he'd boarded. Maybe they'd find more answers in the ship cockpit. He wasn't gonna hold his breath, though. "Looks like the others are starting to leave us behind. We'd better catch up." Together, they followed deeper into the bowels of the deactivated ship.
ImaginationsParadise Up to you if you think there's more to do up here
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