Lets stop at your home first, we might not have the time after we find out what is going on

>>23857141
this

>>23857141
indeed

>>23857074
"Let's stop at your home."

"Let's stop off at your home, first." You say. "We might not have the time, after we find out what's going on."
"Good point." Damien said.
"Which city?" Anna asked.
"There should be a at the north side of Gerull." Damien said.
"Alright, then."

Screeching out of the atmosphere, shuddering and shaking with sparks dancing off of the heat shield, the wyvern came careening down and onto the starport tarmac, the wyvern's landing legs extending. You felt nearly half again as much gravity as you were used to. The the ship finally stopped, and Damien pulled himself out of the bed. "We're here." He told Jilly through the intercom.
"I'll stay here." Anna said. "Refuel and everything."
Damien nodded, and Jilly poked her head into the cockpit, the four thick wingshells on her back quivering.
"We're ready. How are you handling the gravity, Jilly?"
"Fine. I'm used to this." She said. "Biologically, I mean. We evolved on a 1.5G world."
"And you, Heather?"

>>23857074
"It's up to Anna, I suppose. Do you feel up to atmospheric entry?"

>>23857250
>"There should be a at the north side of Gerull."
>"There should be a STARPORT at the north side of Gerull," even.

>>23857250
"Bit heavier than normal, but I'll manage. If it gets too bad I can keep myself lifted with TK."

>>23857250
"It's heavier, I'll be fine though. Lead the way to wherever we're going."

"It's heavier than normal, but I'll manage. If it gets too bad I can keep myself lifted with TK. Lead the way to wherever we're going."
"Right." He said. "Make sure to breathe more softly here. The pressure will play merry hell with your sinuses if you don't."
You nod as he pulled open Wyvern's door, as air hissed into the craft. Your ears popped loudly as he climbed out, and as Jilly followed.

The city of Gerull wasn't what you expected when you thought of a city. When you thought of a city, you saw the bright blue skies, the open streets, grass between the cracks between buildings... but this city had smog high above you, the smell of smoke and ash around you, the bricked buildings tall and closed in, alleyways dank and dark.
"I've no idea if they'll let Jilly on the bus, so we'll just walk." Damien said, leading you along the streets. Jilly gets quite a few stares from other people on the street, and the three of you get a wide berth from the people surrounding. Soon enough, he reached one of the red brick buildings, knocking on the door.

"... Damien! You're home!" You hear a little girl say.
"Hey, Kat!" Damien responded. "I brought a few friends. Mind if we come in?"
"Go ahead." The girl said, and pulled open the door to let you in. She was nine, maybe ten, and had flaxen hair, thin and wispy. She was constantly grinning, clinging to Damien.
"Kat, this is Heather, and this is Jilly. Jilly's a nagala. You two, this is Katarina, my sister."

>>23857435
"Hello, Katarina! How are you doing?"

"Just going to catch up with your folks then be off, Damien?"

>>23857435
"Hiya! Pleased to meet you, Kat!"

"Hiya!" You say. "Pleased to meet you, Kat!"
"You too!" She responded, and shook your hand.
"Just going to catch up with your folks, then be off, Damien?"
"Mostly just grabbing more of my stuff." He said. "But I'm always happy to catch up with this little brat."
He ruffled her hair, and she gave him a frown.
"I'm not a brat." She said, and he just chuckled.
"Take a seat wherever, I'll be right back." Damien said. "There's food in the fridge if you want any, Heather."
"What, and Jilly can't have any?" Kat asked. "Or she can't have people food?"
"I don't have a mouth." Jilly said, tapping on where her mouth should be.
"Ooohhh, okay." Then the girl wrinkled her nose. "Wait. How are you talking, then?"
"I'm psychic!" Jilly said, and flashed yellow. Damien made his way upstairs, while Kat freaked out minorly about Jilly's sudden color change.
"So, how's Damien been at school?" Kat asked. "He hasn't mailed home, not even once."

>>23857608
"good he can travel backwards in Time now"

"what hes hasn't mailed you, well we will just pester him till he does"

>>23857608
"What? Not even once?"

"He's been pretty good! Although there's this one girl he keeps managing to annoy."

>>23857608
"He's got all the scientists on edge, just the other day he went backwards in time by 15 minutes!"

>>23857608
"How much has he told you about the school, by the way?"

"What? Not even once?" You ask.
"Not even once." She responded, and frowned.
"Well, we'll just pester him until he does." You say, and she grinned at you. "How much has he told you about the school, by the way?"
"Well, he said it was in space, around a big blue sun." She said. "And that there were a lot of pretty girls there. That the work is hard and makes his head hurt, but he can handle it. That's what he said. Hey! You didn't answer my question, you just asked your own."
You smile at the indignant girl.
"He's been pretty good! Although there's this one girl he keeps managing to annoy."
"Well, he annoys me sometimes, so I know what it's like to be annoyed by him."

>>23857734
"How do you deal with it?"

>>23857734
"Tell me some embarrassing stories that I can use against him if he ever annoys me."

"How do you deal with it?"
"I hit him until I'm not annoyed anymore." She said, and grinned again.
"You should tell me some embarassing stories that I can use against him, if he ever annoys me."
She thought about things for a moment.
"There was the time he tried to make biscuits and they burned." She said, finger on her chin.

Damien came back downstairs, a large bag on his shoulder.
"Hey, is Julie here?" He asked.
"No, she's out buying more food." Kat said.
Damien sighed.
"Alright, then we'll stick around until she gets back." Damien said. "I don't like the way she leaves you home alone like that."
He turned to you and Jilly. "You two need anything? We got, uh..."
Damien opened up the refrigerator.
"... Pickles. And apple juice. And mayo."

>>23857910
Offer Kat one of our milkshakes.

What kind of food does she buy?

We could make a pickle sandwhich.

>>23857910
"That's uh...an offer I'll have to turn down for now."

>>23857910
Chug the pickle juice.

>>23857910
"Hey, Kat, wanna see a magic trick?"

Pick up a small item, throw it in the air then keep it suspended there.

>>23857962
do this

>>23857910
ick
"I'll be fine."

"That's, uh... an offer I'll have to turn down for now." You say.
"Fair enough." Damien said, taking a pickle out of the jar to munch on.
"Hey, Kat, wanna see a magic trick?" You ask.
"Sure!" She said.

You pick up a small pencil on the table next to Kat's homework, and lift it into the air with TK.

She just blinked.
"Yeah, so? Damien can do that too. And if I try really, really hard, I can do it too."

She picked up her own eraser, screwed her eyebrows together, and... nothing happened.
The eraser quivered in her palm.

"What kind of food does she buy?"
"Pizza." Kat said. "She's getting pizza right now."

>>23858065
"So I guess from your menu your parents aren't around much, are they?"

Is the fridge one of those internet capable ones? Tell it to order some real food.

>>23858065
"Huh, I guess it runs in the family. Maybe you can come to school with us one day!"

>>23858065
Look at Damien. I kinda think this women isn't fit to take care of a girl. Throw her a shake. Order some real food.

"So I guess from your menu, your parents aren't around much, are they?"
"Nope! It's just me, Julie, and Damien." Kat said. "Dad's on the moon, and mom ran away after I was born."
Jilly suddenly pulled Kat into a hug, flashing yellow.
"Tell you what." Jilly said. "We're going to order some real food, okay?"
"Okay!" Kat said, grinning. You pull a shake out of your bag, and hand it to her. She slurped at it.
You glance at Damien.
He met your glance with one of his own, and shrugged. You made your way to the refrigerator and turned on the internet order system.
"Your tail is so squiggly!" Kat said, sitting down on Jilly's tail and grinning. "What's it like?"
"What's it like to have legs?" Jilly asked, giggling.
"I asked first!"
"But I can't answer, because I can't compare tails and legs." Jilly said.
"Well, neither can I, then!"
The two of them continued giggling.
"Sounds like they're getting along well." Damien said. "What are you getting?"

>>23858232
"Can't you transfer something like that with your telepathy, Jilly? You could share the feelings of having a tail and having legs!"

>>23858260
seconded

>>23858232
"I'll set it to order basic stuff when you run out. I'll set it to pay from my account too, I've got to start on that ten million somewhere, right?"

>>23858232
more then pizza and pickles!

we'll start with some reheatable stir fries and a roast. You have to be a special kind of someone to fail to cook a roast. You guys are fine with meat, right?

>>23858289
They run the whole planet, they can afford basic groceries.

"More than pizza and pickles!" You say. "I'll set it to order basic stuff when you run out."
"Okay, glad to hear it." Damien said.

"Can't you transfer something like that with your telepathy, Jilly? You could share the feelings of having a tail and having legs!"
"Yeah, we could!"
"Will it hurt?" Kat asked, eyes wide.
"No, not at all."
"Okay, then let's do it!" Kat said. Jilly giggled, and pressed her hand up against Kat's head.

"... Julie's the older sister." Damien said, by way of explanation. "Neither she nor Kat are related to dad."

>>23858404
"Oh, do you get on well with Julie?"

>>23858404
"That sounds like it was a bit of a mess."
Sigh
"Can I ask why your mother left?"

"Oh, do you get on well with Julie?"
"Nope." Damien said. He refused to elaborate.
"That sounds like it was a bit of a mess." You say, and sigh. "Can I ask why your mother left?"
Damien shrugged. "She... had her reasons." He said. "She's still out there somewhere, though."

>>23858514
"Do you think you'd ever want to find her?"

>>23858514
looks like a sore topic, sorry to pry.

So what do you do around here then? Did you go to school?

"Looks like a sore topic." you say. "Sorry to pry."
"I assumed you'd pry." He said. "I don't actually expect to keep many secrets, going to a school with telepaths and clairvoyants." He said.
"Do you think you'd ever want to find her?"
He shrugged. "For Kat, at least, I do. I plan to wait until she's a little older, though."
"So, what did you do around here, then? Did you go to school?"
"Yeah. Dad paid for the food and apartment, all three of us lived down here." Damien said. "That's pretty much how I lived, day by day."

"That's so cool!" Kat said. "And the way you can see that is really pretty. It's not a real color, is it?"
"No, it's not." Jilly said, flashing yellow.
"It's really weird to have all those tongues, isn't it?"
"Yep! It even freaks me out sometimes."

Someone pulled open the door, and a woman with tired eyes came in, bags in hand.
"Julie!" Kat said.
"Heya, babe." She responded. "Mind getting the rest of the groc- what is that?"
"Sup." Damien said. "Came by, brought some friends."
"... Damien, mind grabbing the rest of the groceries?"
"Sure." Damien said, and made his way outside to the groundcar with it's trunk and doors opened, grabbing up more bags.
"Julie Ruste." Julie said, nodding to you and Jilly. "Sorry about me not taking the time to greet you properly, but I've got to put this food away."

>>23858755
"No problem, we were going to be off soon anyway."

>>23858755
Not a problem, do you need me to help out as well?

So you're Damien's mysterious elder sibling. Hmmm..

Nice to meet you, I'm Heather!

>>23858755
"Hi, pleased to meet you. I'm Heather, and this is Jilly."

"Not a problem. I'm Heather, and this is Jilly." You say. "Do you need me to help out as well?"
"That would be awesome." She said.
The four of you went out to the groundcar and quickly restocked the refrigerator, with Damien, Jilly, and Julie's help.
Eventually, all five of you were sitting on the various couches and seats in the den, Jilly's tail coiled up beneath the end table.
"So you're Damien's mysterious elder sibling." You say.
"I am, yes." Julie said, and the two siblings met eyes.

Damien sighed, and got to his feet.
"Well, I made sure I got everything I needed." He said. "So we'd best be off."
He sounded... angry, and Julie looked... apologetic.

>>23858968
But we only just got here! We haven't even talked to Julie yet!

What's going on?

>>23858968
"Okay then. See you both again, some time. Take care!"

>>23858968
"That was quick."

>>23858968
"Get everything you needed, Damien?"

>>23859033
>Well, I made sure I got everything I needed.
>Get everything you needed?

"That was quick."
Damien just shrugged again.
"Okay then. See you both again, sometime. Take care!"
"I will!" Kat said, and then kissed Damien on the cheek. "Love you, bro."
"You too, Kat." He said, and ruffled her hair.

The three of you made your way outside, sans one shake, and the three of you made your way back toward the starport.
"What was that about?" Jilly asked.
"What was what about?"
"The way you acted toward julie." Jilly asked.
"That's a rather personal question." Damien noted, and then knocked on the side of Wyvern. Anna pulled open the door.
"You all ready?" Anna asked.

>>23859121
"Yeah, I think so."

"Blast off, Anna! To infinity and beyond!"

>>23859121
"Take me to the moon, captain!"

"Yeah, I think so." you say, and climb in, your legs rather sluggish feeling after the heavy gravity. You climb into your seat, and Damien slips himself into the bed.
"Blast off, Anna! To infinity, and beyond!"
Damien started chuckling at you, until Anna's sudden acceleration of the ship choked it back.
The ship soared out of the atmosphere, the heat shield receding, as Anna took you out into orbit, toward the moon.
"Now, satellite transfers are rather simple." Anna said, explaining as she flew. "Just get into orbit, wait for the right time, and then just thrust forward when it's right. Eventually, your projected path will start to curve around the moon. When you get to that point, you slow yourself down again, and you'll be in orbit around the moon."
You nod, mentally memorizing what she was saying, until the radio crackled.
"You don't have clearance, Wyvern. Please turn back to Haegoth."
"One second." Damien said, and flipped on the intercom. "This is Damien Ruste, in the Wyvern. I'd like to speak to my father."
There was a delay.
"Landing Pad 36, please." The response came, and Anna flipped off the intercom again as Damien climbed into the bed.
"Now, landing on moons is much easier..." She said.

Time passed, and your ship went landing legs down on the surface. Gravity was half of what you were used to, maybe a bit more, and Damien's expression was getting darker and darker.
"... I can see something strange, here." Damien said. "I don't have words for it."

>>23859390
"Can you describe what it's doing? Is it interfering with your clairvoyance?"

>>23859390
"Anna, do you have any spare weapons with you? I'm afraid we might need them. Again."

Jilly can help with that. She can pass it along.

>>23859390
"That doesn't bode well. Are you coming with us this time, Anna? Maybe take your exo-suit."

"Anna, do you have any spare weapons with you? I'm afraid we might need them. Again." You say.
"Can't." Damien said. "If we bring weapons, they'll just stop us and confiscate them." He said.
"Can you describe the thing? Is it interfering with your clairvoyance?"
"A bit." Damien said. "It reminds me of how Summer always seems to be able to find me."
"That doesn't bode well." You say. "Are you coming with us this time, Anna? Maybe take your exosuit."
"If what Damien said was right, then you might need guns eventually." Anna said. "So I'll arm up and stay here. Then you guys can just call me, and I'll... enter dynamically."

>>23859534
"Let's run a quick experiment before we go, actually. Can you amp up the power as much as possible to the shield thing? If it has an effect, you should be able to tell, right Damien?"

>>23859534
"I like the sound of that. Lead the way, Damien."

"I like the sound of that. Let's run a quick experiment before we go, actually," You say. "Can you amp up the power as much as possible to the shield thing? If it has an effect, you should be able to tell, right, Damien?"
"Right," He responded. "Theoretically, at least."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Anna said. She turned off the ion thrust, started toying with the engine controls, and then turned up a switch as high as it could go.

Damien shook his head. "Nothing's happening," He said. "I don't think it's doing anything."

>>23859657
"Worth a try, I guess. Alright, where are we heading?"

>>23859657
if you can keep it on high till er get back

>>23859657
alright then its not the void queen. You once said the demiurge were smarted then us Anna. How are they smarter?

>>23859657
Grab some green stuff just in case.

>>23859657
"Ok so we just talk to your father and then we get out?"

"Alright, then it's not the void queen," you say. "You once said that the demiurge were smarter than us, Anna. How are they smarter?"
"They're just plain... smarter," Anna said. "Faster at puzzling out mathematics, better at learning new things, awesome at reverse engineering... It's just a bad thing for us all around.
"Alright, where are we heading?"
"To the primary facility," Damien said. "The atmosphere is thin, though, so we'll need to wear masks until we get inside."
"I should be fine," Jilly said. "I can just breathe really deeply. I haven't eaten lately, so I have enough room to breathe as deep as I need."
"Okay, so we just talk to your father and then we get out?" You ask.
"... I haven't decided quite yet," Damien said. "At the very least, we also need to talk to his assistant. Confront him, maybe."
Damien pulled out two masks from his bag. They weren't true oxygen masks, but had four pumps around the edges, all constantly pumping air into the mask. They compressed air well enough for a human being to breathe, you realize. He tossed one to you, and slipped the other one on.

>>23859765
Mask up.

"Lead on."

>>23859765
"What's this place even used for?"

>>23859765
MAsk on.
"Can you read the memory of others without their permisionJilly?"

>>23859850
She always is, but she tries not to.

Also, we should probably munch a bit on some rations to get some calories.

You pull your own mask on. "Can you read the memory of others without their permission, Jilly?"
"If it's anything deeper than their whispering, I need to touch them," Jilly said. "For a kind of long time."
Damien opened the airlock, and the three of you climbed out into the low pressure moon. Above you, you could see the enormous red sun and Haegoth, floating in the sky. The atmosphere was thin enough that you could see the stars, despite it being daytime, and you take a few deep breaths, adjusting to the mask's rhythm.
"What's this place even used for?" You ask.
"It's a moon, so it's easy to land and take off of," Damien said. "We build and store bubble drives, here. It's our main export."
You nod, looking around at the other ships and structures in the distance.
"Lead on." You say.

The three of you make your way across the moon's surface.
"... This is delicious." Jilly said, suddenly. "All of the things growing in the dirt. It's tasty."
All of you passed the security guards, and entered a pressurized building. After they checked you all (and einstein), they let you in, and after the pressurized hissing, Damien took off his mask. You did the same, and started munching at your rations.

>>23859948
"Bubble drives? It's a shame the cash for the bounty hasn't come through yet, or I'd buy one for my ship."

>>23859948
"Let's go talk to your father, explain the situation and see what he says."

>>23859948
"Tell us Damien, were you visiting you father often?"

"Bubble drives?" You ask, finishing your rations. "It's a shame the cash for the bounty hasn't come through yet, or I'd buy one for my ship."
"They can deliver one in less than a day," Damien said. "Shouldn't be a problem."
You nod. "Let's go talk to your father, explain the situation, and see what he says."
"Yes, let's."

The inside of the governor's office was... very contrasted with Damien's apartment. It was opulent, with a mahogany desk (grown on terra, no doubt), and with flamboyant curtains covering the window. Damien's father was incredibly thin, with wispy blonde hair, and his eyes seemed to sparkle.
"What's up?" He asked Damien, with a grin. He eyed you and Jilly, and then his grin turned suave. "Oh, you came here to show off."
He turned to you. "So you're Damien's friends, right?" He asked, and chuckled. "I'm his father, Drev. This is Haegost's moon, though I figure you already knew that. Damien's rather smart, isn't he? I fully expect him to have an office like this, one day."
He chuckled, and appraised you with an eye. For a moment, you wish you'd worn longer clothing.
"Better snatch him up before someone else does."

>>23860151
"Nice to meet you, I suppose."

"Forgive me if I cut straight to the issue, but your secretary has given a Demiurg warlord a bubble drive."

>>23860177
Just do this. Cut straight to the issue.

>>23860151
"Nice to meet you. But we are not here to observe Damien's family visit. Right Damien?"

>>23860151

"not to mention he has great abs,is a time traveler and save my life, Nice to meet you I am heather. "

>>23860242
Don't say that, that's just stupid, and not just because you write like an idiot.

>>23860177
>>23860212
These are better, let's just cut straight to it.

>>23860242
this then shake hand for a long time till its uncomfortable than have Jilly do the same and get her read

"Nice to meet you, I suppose," You say. "But for give me if I cut straight to the issue, but your secretary has given a Demiurg warlord a bubble drive."
"... Yep." Damien added, after a moment.

The man sat there for a while.
"... You realize what this sort of accusation would do, right?" The man asked, his eyes going cold.
"Political issues, destabilization of your position, everything goes crashing down." Damien said, shrugging.
"... You brat," He said, and got to his feet. "You-"
"Which is why, of course, I brought it directly to you," Damien said, his voice clear. "Which is why this is a warning. To you. Because you're my father. So that you can make your own investigation."
He was silent for another moment.
"You're.. you're right. Which secretary?"
"When I looked into the past of the bubble drive in question, it looked like the one with the breasts," Damien said.
"Oh! Right. Her," He said, and sighed. "Can you think of any sort of, er, material proof?"
"There should be logs somewhere," Damien added. "Maybe destroyed, so check the database's logs too."
The man nodded.

>>23860177
not this
>>23860221
this

Let damien cut to the chase.

>>23860410
Aside to jilly: "They don't seem to get many women around here, do they?"

>>23860410
Talk to the Database.

(Mr. Database, we'd all really appreciate it if you found the logs about the secretary girl giving that one bubble drive to the Demiurge or any logs about these logs for Mr. Ruste. Please.) Make sure to do a Technopathic pout and puppy-dog eyes.

Rolled 23

>>23860410
look with our mind for the data we need

Rolled 55

>>23860475
yup. try to convince the database that of course you have permission you wouldn't be accessing it otherwise

"They don't seem to get many women around here, do they?" You ask.
Jilly shook her head, and the man at the desk cursed. "I can't find anything, here." He said, tapping at his screen.

You gently reached out, and through the computer, into the database.

Mr. Database, we'd all really appreciate it if you found the logs about the secretary girl giving that one bubble drive to the Demiurge or any logs about these logs for Mr. Ruste. Please, you say.

The Database took some time to respond.
The other lady asked me not to, it said. And she was nicer to me.

>>23860572
"I want to be even nicer, what would you like me to do for you, Mr. Database?"

Rolled 57

>>23860587
this.

>>23860572
Nicer then me? Who would that be?

Rolled 54

>>23860587
yup

>>23860572
>>23860587
This, while batting our digital eyelashes.

>>23860572
Who was the other woman called, Mr. Base?

Perchance, would that woman happen to be called the void queen?

>>23860572

possible technopathy?

>>23860572
"What was her name Database?

Because I assure you I can make you even happier than she made you. I'm a very nice person to good machines."

Technopathic pout and puppy dog eyes followed by Technopathic massage or something like that.

Nicer than me, you ask. Who would that be?
Her, the database responded, and you saw something in your mind.

A girl, wearing a slinky suit, putting her hand on the database monitor. The screen flickered and went static.
The woman had pure white hair, and white skin. She looked at the camera, and you saw - she had violet eyes.
Then the video went static as well.
What was she called, Mr. Base, you ask.
Sigma, she called herself, it said.

>>23860682
Oh great, there's a whole pack of these weird white-haired psychics I bet.

White haired villains, just like my animes.

Rolled 6

>>23860682
"You'd...make me very happy, if you gave me what I was looking for. Is there anything I could do for you?"

>>23860682
>Great so we have another Greek letter here.
"Ohhhh Mr. Base you are sooo mean! Are you sure you wouldn't let me see? I'd love tickle your processor."

>>23860682
"There's another one of them, Sigma, this time."

Mr Base, are you sure you couldn't be convinced to show us the logs? I could perform some, ah, maintenance on some forgotten areas, if you like.

Rolled 43

ironic, thats what our friend called her _boy_ friend. Also it looks like we have more rogue psychics. And for some reason they are covering up this thing. Ask what she did to prove she was nicer?

One final try to get on the good side of this database

Rolled 60

>>23860682
I'd write you a ~program, Mr. Base

>>23860682
Sniffle a bit, try to sound hurt. "That's not very nice of you. I was going to maintain you, fix you up some, maybe give you some new RAM and some hugs and cuddle. But I see how it is, you like her more than me, I guess I shouldn't even bother doing these things."

"Oh great, guys we've got another white-haired purple-eyed rogue psionic messing with stuff. 'Sigma' this time. She technopathed the database into withholding the relevant information. Lemme see if I can undo that."

>>23860682
"I think you would enjoy a nice little rollback, don't you."

Rolled 3

>>23860682
Pleeeeease? I wouldn't want to...hurt anything. I had a supercomputer friend who I accidentally burnt out a few times :(

"There's another one of them," You say aloud.
"Another what?"
"Another white haired purple eyed rogue psionic messing with stuff," you say. "Sigma, this time. She technopathied the database into withholding the relevant information. Lemme see if I can undo that."

That's not very nice of you, you say. I was going to maintain you, fix you up some, maybe give you some new RAM and some hugs, and cuddle. But I see how it is, you say. You like her more than me. I guess I shouldn't even bother doing these things.
The database was silent.
I'm sorry, the database said, and a link flickered onto the computer screen. I didn't mean to make you upset.

"... Interesting." The man said, and used the link. It was an order to send a bubble drive to a certain location, signed by several people...
"This location isn't in Demiurg space." Jilly said.
"No, it isn't." Damien's father added.

>>23860803
Give the database a hug. I always feel bad for leaving those machines fake-promises

Rolled 98

give the database a hug and do our bvest to optimize it

>>23860803
"Einstein, download those coordinates."

>>23860803
"Could the Demiurg have hijacked it?"

tickle the database's toes.

>>23860803
"Who else signed it? Where did it go?"

To the Database "It's okay, I forgive you. I'm sorry too, I overreacted when I heard that you were doing this with another girl, I was jealous."

And give the Database a hug, one hell of a hug, and try to make it run better.

>>23860870
We really should follow through with our claim.

>>23860852
Well, we can safely say that will be running for a good, long time.

>>23860845
We techie femme fatale now?
>I'm so sorry it had to come to this, Mr. Base, but if I don't do this, I'd be quite upset. Cheer up, you're not the first...
>Self-destruct inititated

"Who else signed it?" You ask. "And could the demiurg have hijacked it?"
"Maybe." Damien's father said. "That looks like it's going into Armatek space. Maybe Sigma worked for them?"

You reach for the computer, and... give it a nice, tight hug. Then you reach into the database's deepest, most private places, cleaning everything, optimizing it...
The screen flickered, and then you pull your mind out of it.
It chirped up that it loved you.
"Who else signed it? Where did it go?"
"It was just her." He said. "Over and over again. The machine should've understood that it was the same name repeated, but for some reason it didn't, and put out the order anyway."

>>23860957
"I'll make sure she can't pull the same trick again."

<If anyone else does something like this that isn't me, make sure you tell them to go away, okay Mr. Base?>

>>23860957
"On a different matter, what's the fastest bubble drive you sell and how much does it cost?"

>>23860957
Dat computer, I can't handle technopatchy if we're going to machine's hearts, violating them, and leaving them wanting more, yet never seeing us again. My dick however, can.

You know what to do, smutfag.

>>23860957
Thats the problem with technopaths they can convince programs and machines to operate out of bounds of their programming

>>23860957
Heather, such a Technoslut. Optimizing a machine before you even have a first date, for shame.

"It probably got through because of Sigma. She's like me, but evil.

On a separate note, Damien, do you think finding out what happened here, revealing a mole, and not telling anyone else about it is worth a very expensive top of the line Bubble Drive? Because I think it is."

>>23860957
"Considering that I only had to ask nicely to simply access your database, I'd wager she didn't really have to do much more."

>Sigma
wasn't that the name that came up at heaven's jewel? the "boyfriend" of heather's classmate?

>>23861063
Aw shit.

>>23860957
"That's the kind of thing technopaths can pull off."

>>23861050
To be fair, we had to ask very nicely indeed.

"I'll make sure she can't pull the same trick again." You say, and give the database some very clear instructions - that it should only listen to you or the general controls. Still whirring from the optimization, it agreed readily. "That's the problem with technopaths. they can convince programs and machines to operate out oof bounds of their programming."
"And you made it so that they can't do that to the database again?" He asked, and you nod.
"On a seperate note, Damien, do you think finding out what happened here, revealing a mole, and not telling anyone else about it is worth a very expensive top of the line bubble drive? Because I think it is."
"... Is your friend attempting to blackmail me?" Damien's father asked.
"No, she's not." Damien said, and turned to you. "You're not blackmailing my father."
"... As a reward, though, I think I can let one go for half price." The man behind the desk said. "Five million credits for an S-class drive. Top of the line, comes with a free quantum connection to our navigational computer, and forge replacement for the next ten years."

>>23861117
"Deal! I also optimized your database."

>>23861117
:D :D :D :D

Techno-slutting has its perks.

>>23861117
5 million credits...

But that's a fantastic drive.

It would be my honour to accept!

>>23861117
"Is the quantum connection optional? I'd rather it not be connected to any external sources."

>>23861117
"Nobody ever lets me blackmail anyone. Meanie." Pout and look sad for a few seconds before starting to giggle.

"Deal. I also optimized your Database so it should run better now. He's a real sweetheart."

>>23861146
that should be about half our share of the colony ship bounty

>>23861154
quantum wards off VQ, so it's a good thing, yeah?

>captcha: trolling atelysz
Hug Damien, possibly giving him a noogie while chuckling out "Damien you silly goose, did I say blackmail? Of course not, that price is more than great, I'll see if I can get that together shortly!"

Did we already collect the bount on the Ishelda?

>>23861117
"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I was thinking along the lines of 'for services rendered'. But I do find your kind offer acceptable."

>>23861117
"Deal. The payment should arrive soon enough, or at least when I've receive a bounty on a ship we found."

"Do you have any recommendations for ship-hull fabricators?"

>>23861168
Then the enemy technopath gets into their nav-system and transmits us a virus.

>>23861177
I'm pretty sure the plan was to refurbish a shell from an old ship.

>>23861117
"Blackmail?! No, no! I was just asking what a suitable reward might be and went for optimistic!"

>>23861117
Needs to wait till the bounty comes in.

>>23861189
If we're doing that, then why did we make a design and get Anna's dad to look it over?

>>23861117
"How about letting go three quarters of the price?"

>>23861117
"Does it come with a cup holder?"

>>23861154
>It's not. Because it's a *requirement* for bubble drives. It's just raw information that keeps you from slamming headfirst into a planet at a hundred thousand times the speed of light. You'd have a maximum speed of maybe 15KC without it, and you'd need to stop every few minutes to scan your surroundings.

"Blackmail?! No, no! I was just asking what a suitable reward might be and went for optimistic!" you say, and turn to his father, giving him a smile. "Five million credits... But that's a fantastic drive. It would be my honor to accept! I also optimized your database."
"Did you, now? Well, that's wonderful." He said. "Your name is..."
"Heather Leery." You say."
"... Your mother is Allison Leery, right?"
You nod, and he chuckled.
"She worked for me, once upon a time. Nice girl. You look just like her."

>>23861234
Worth a try. Might as well tell him we performed some 'work' on his database and servers too.

>>23861252
"Really? How long ago was that?"

>>23861252
"Oh wow! what did she do?"

>>23861252
"Small Universe. I'll say hello to her for you next time I see her. What did she do when she worked for you?

How long ago was this? Did you know my Dad Sally?"

>>23861252
"I just hope she wasn't one of your 'breasty' secretaries. She wouldn't like that.

>>23861327
>Actually, Allison's rather flat. It's Sally who's stacked, and, well, you take after your father more.

"Really? How long ago was that?"
"Just when she got out of trade school. Twenty, maybe thirty years ago?"
"What did she do?"
"She was our research fabricator. Made new experimental equipment for us, so we could test them out." He said.
"Small universe. I'll say hello to her for you next time I see her." You say. "Did you know my dad, Sally?"
"I'm afraid I didn't." He responded.

>>23861252
Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer extortion. The "X" makes it sound cool.

>>23861361
Well it was nice meeting you, Mr Drev.

>>23861361
"Did she work on anything interesting? She never told me any of this."

>>23861361
"Well, I'm glad we were able to resolve this little problem without incident.

If you need a consultation from the universe's only known non-evil Technopath feel free to call me, my rates are quite reasonable.

In case you were wondering, as you hadn't asked, your son is doing rather well lately."

"Did she work on anything interesting?" you ask.
"New forge components, mostly. Interestingly, the Class-S was something she worked on, though it took us a few decades to complete it." He said, and chuckled.
"She never told me any of this," You say. "Well, I'm glad we were able to resolve this little problem without incident."
"It's nowhere near resolved," Damien said. "But the moment Heather told you what was going on, I could tell you had no idea about it. Sorry to come barging in like this."
"Well, I'd prefer it was you than the alliance military, to be honest." Drev said, and chuckled.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Drev." You say. "If you need a consultation from the universe's only known non-evil Technopath feel free to call me, my rates are quite reasonable."
"I'll keep that in mind." He said, with a nod. "Feel free to have a tour of the facilities if you want."

The three of you made your way out of the office, and Damien let go of a deep breath you hadn't known he was holding.
"I thought I'd have more to do today." Jilly said, after a moment.

>>23861361
"do you sell ship hulls or just the drives?"

>>23861504
"Damien, Damien, take us on a tour, I want to see the bubble drives get made. Please. It sounds so cool."

>>23861504
"I thought there'd be more to do today. That was surprisingly simple."

>>23861504
I was expecting you to have to sus out his lies, Jilly, but he was rather forthcoming.

He wasn't lying, was he?

I wouldn't mind that tour.

Jilly I'm actually thankfull you weren't needed all that much. It would have meant that Damien's dad or someone close to him was giving the Bubble Drive to the Dimiurge. Though this has its own problems we can report it to Max and we can start tracking these people down now that we know its not just a single one of them but a group.

>>23861504
"Yeah this is almost far too simple... I think things will go real bad real quick. We told you about the mission where we went to rescue Anna's father right? And there we mat a boy with psi abilities who was named of a Greek letter. The secretary who locked the files had similiar name."

>>23861527
This, we have to be on the verge of pissing ourselves in excitement. Perhaps check in with Anna so she knows the coast is (mostly) clear.

>>23861527
seconded.

>>23861504
"If we take the tour, can you tell if there's anyone working here who saw or helped Sigma?"

"Damien, Damien, take us on a tour. I want to see the bubble drives get made. Please. It sounds so cool!" You say.
"Sure, sure." he said. "Masks on."

While you walk across the moon, looking up at the sky and breathing deeply into the mask, you turn to Jilly.
"I'm actually thankful that you weren't needed all that much." You say. "It would have meant that Damien's dad or someone close to him was giving the Bubble Drive to the Dimiurge. Though this has its own problems we can report it to Max and we can start tracking these people down now that we know its not just a single one of them but a group."
"That is good news, now that I think about it," Jilly said, and flashed yellow.

Soon enough, Damien had taken you to a factory line, with drones putting together large blue panels.
"These are the forge bits." Damien said. "They take your basic bubble drive fuels, blast it with energy, and forge together dark particles. Then those are the projection bits, where they charge and fire the particles out. That's the navigation bit over there..."
You have your nose pressed up against the glass, watching, while Damien calls Anna and gives her the all-clear.
You watch them throw together a bubble drive, your eyes wide, and then package it.

>>23861640
Talk to the drones and the manufacturing facility and pester them with questions about how everything works. Learn everything we can from them, maintain bubbly excitement.

>>23861640
Talk to the robots assembling things, talk to the newly born bubble drives, pinch their cheeks.

>>23861676
yes

Your nose pressed up against the glass, you reach out with your mind and start asking questions.

Forever.

Eventually, halfway through an explanation of how pre-forged dark particles were created, Damien grabbed your arm.

"Heather." He said, worried. "We've been here an hour, and if we stay much longer, the docking fees will spike. Whatever you're technopathing can wait, can't it?"

>>23861726
"B-b-but..." then pout.

>>23861726
"I was just asking them questions, newly made drives are so cute. Yeah, we can go."

Bid farewell to the facility, give it a hug, say we'll try to come back and visit them some time.

>>23861726
Give him a very sad look, but we should leave.

"But they're sooo cute!"

>>23861741
Make that "B-b-but...SCIENCE!" with a small mock whimper.

"B-b-but..." You say, eyes wide, as you pout at him. "But they're so cute."
Damien sighed. "We do have to go." He said. "Tell you what. We can go now, and then I'll... find some interesting technology in the future for you to look at. I'll even have Jilly send over what I see. Will that be fine?"

>>23861779
"That sounds okay, but you better make sure it's interesting."

Give him a hug, and then lets head out.

>>23861779
You're the best!

>>23861779
"You better make it worth the while"

>>23861779
"Deal! Just make sure it's super interesting."

>>23861779
ok lets bounce and you can tell me about the Crystie computers a few galaxies over

>>23861779
Big sigh,"Okay.."

Act a little dejected and walk glumly back to the wyveryn.

"You're the best!" You say, and give him a hug. "Just make sure it's super interesting."
"I will!" He said, and nodded with a grin, returning your hug. Then his personacom beeped. He pulled it open, and it was a message from Kat.

"... Apparently, she wants your guys' addresses."
"Go ahead and give her mine!" Jilly said, and Damien typed into the pad, as the three of you made your way to the pressure airlock, pulling on your masks.

Time passed, and walking across the green/brown sand, you made your way back to Wyvern. When you got there, you saw Anna, shotgun in hand, wave at you as she set it aside, getting to her feet.
"We ready to go?" Anna asked. "If we hurry, we might make it back for dinner. What took so long?"
"Miss technopath here started giggling and blushing when she saw the assembly line." Damien said. "she was stuck to the glass like she was taped there."

>>23860682
Y'know, maybe we should act a little faster about these albino folks.
Remember the convo with Heather's old 'friend'?

>"His name is.. um... um... Sigma!" She lied, badly. "And he has this really white hair, and grey eyes, and he's all scarred up. He lives all the way in the north, though, so I can hardly ever meet him."

At the very least, one of them is on Heaven's Jewel. With that, the fact that Heather's mom used to work for the very corporation, that was infiltrated and stolen from by the albino technopath no less, 20-30 years ago and had a hand in making the Class-S drive but yet never mentioning it at all is all to Heather, while oddball, makes this partially alarming to me because it could spell something happening to Heather's parents.

>>23861887
IT WAS SO COOL.

It was like watching the machines give birth in slow motion. And I had to find out how bubble drives bubble!

>>23861887
"They were too cute! I couldn't hold myself! All is set here so let's go back to the school! We will have a rough time if we skip classes too much!"

>>23861887
"It was so cool, and the machines were so cute and adorable. There were baby little Bubble Drives and all the other machines told me about how they did their thing.

Sorry about taking so long."

>>23861899
Also just realized said white-haired gent 'likes' said old friend and could be using or might use her as a stepping stone to get to Heather's parents, at least Allison in particular, if this is the case for why he might be on Heaven's Jewel.

"And given the right tools and parts, I could almost build one myself now. I definitely could if you'd let me keep talking with the machines for a few hours."

"It was so cool! And the machines were so cute and adorable. There were baby little bubble drives, and all the other machines told me about how they did their thing," You say. "Sorry about taking so long."
"It's fine," Anna said. "Once I knew you guys were okay, it gave me some time to relax. Now, everyone, get to your seats."
"I don't have a seat," Jilly pouted.
"Sorry," Anna responded. "If it helps, I'll treat you to a song on the way back."
Jilly pouted. "But you know that my hearing isn't very good. I won't be able to hear it."
"No, no." Anna said, grinning. "You can hear through my ears while I'm playing."
"Oh! Okay! I'd love that!" Jilly responded, and you all got buckled in.
"Goodbye, Haegoth." Anna said, as she slammed up the thrust.

>End of thread!
>Again, my twitter is @futureexabyte, and I spend all my time on the IRC (#Exabyte on Rizon.)
>Feel free to ask questions!
>Also, considering starting up a (second, technically) game of CoA (A Savage worlds module in Vale Quest's setting), so just come to the IRC if you're interested.

>>23862045
What's the cutest robot that heather's technopathed so far?

Are we going to have to virtually molest things to get them to work every time?

>>23862217
Einstein's pretty cute, as are the maintenance drones.

And it's more like shoulder massage. Intimate, personal, but platonic. Or chiropractic.

>>23862308
Huh, ok.

Can we get sexy-intimate with a machine mind if we wanted to?

>you will never actually play a traditional game despite browsing /tg/ every day
>you will never try playing with Exabyte due to your lack of knowledge on specific rules

I'd sadfrog.jpg if I wasn't on my phone.
Polite sage for shitposting.

>>23862346
Savage Worlds is pretty easy, and the IRC isn't one of those "Lurk moar, faggot." types.
I'd play for you, but Exabutt isn't letting players from the first game join the second. ;_;

>>23862346
We can give you the rulebook, anon.

Hey Exabutt, before you leave, what was the IRC channel and server you kick around in again?

>>23862460
#Exabyte on Rizon

>>23862346
Savage worlds is actually pretty easy to learn, even though the dicebot we have doesn't like it very well.

>>23862335
You could, but ... Wouldn't that be beastiality, in a way? Or masturbation? One if they machine mind is a thinking thing (like a computer), or the other if it's not (like an electronic lock).

Though, if you want to hit on Asmodeus, be my guest. That wouldn't be anything wrong, since he's sapient.

Will the poor computers we've left ever stop thinking about the love they never got to act on with the 'nice lady who optimized me'?

>>23862480
Nope, they'll pine for us for the rest of their 'lives'. Occasionally when they're working they'll make beep noises saying how much they miss us and cry when they're done with work, just hoping that we come back to them.

>>23862474
It would however be hitting on our friend's Dad, which would be considered against the bro-code. Though we're one of the few people he could have a sexual relationship with.