Initium Novum: Episode 1

[4everDifferent]

Vick's Hideaway

Victor 'Vick' Saltoro had made quite the name for himself in the slums. Vick ran the slums. He had his hands in everything and rumor has it that he's even begun to branch out into levels two and three. Most if not all of the officers, at least the human ones, that 'graced' the slums were in his pocket. Seth knew that as he pulled his red hood over his head hiding his scarring and approached the nicest building in the slums.

That was not saying much, considering that the nicest building was just as shitty as all the rest but with fresh paint. It was the inside that blew everyone's mind. Vick had all the latest and nicest things that he could fit into his home. But everything Vick did, he did for the good of the slums.

Look at Seth's family for example. His father dies in a work accident and the company gives them their condolences. His mother grows I'll and the doctors, if you can call them that, charge out the ass for the medicine she needs knowing full well she can't work to pay for it. It was Vick that helped Seth earn the money to pay for the medicine and the bills. If it was not for Vick, Seth knew his mother probably would have died. Vick was a god damn hero to Seth.

"Hey, Scarface," one of the two men 'watching' the entrance called out when Seth walked up to the door. The other man chuckled. Seth wished he were bigger. He kick both their asses, "Vick told us you'd be stopping by. He's inside."

"Thanks," he said quietly as he stepped between them. One of the douche bags reached out and pulled his hood back. Seth hurried to pull it back down as they laughed. That was how it always went. People reacted in one of three ways when they saw him. They either laughed, pitied or gasped in horror. No one, except his mother and sister ever saw him for him. Sometimes he wondered if that was because they had to because they were family.

Seth hurried inside keeping his head low and his hoodie pulled over his head. Just like they said, Vick was inside. Vick approached him with two women on either side of him, "Seth, thought maybe you weren't coming," he spoke with a smile on his face.

"I told you I'd come by," Seth said his blonde hair poked out the hoodie, "I'll do the job, Vick, but not with that. I do it my way or not at all," he spoke quietly but determined. He wouldn't give on this, not at all.

"Okay, Seth," Vick laughed, "No need to get all hard on me. Take Jimmy with you just in case you get in trouble."

"I don't-"

"Jimmy's going, Seth," Vick spoke sternly and Seth nodded, "Good. I'll have Jimmy contact you when it's time. Seth, don't forget. "

Seth nodded and then excused himself. He needed to get home and check on his mother and sister. No doubt they worried about him already.

 

[Akashi]

Diana Scarlette - Highwind Manor - Level 4, #4d4dff

The man, the journalist, was indeed persistent. Using her visual enhancement to gather the data from her account, she confirmed that the credits were transferred. "Mr. Riker, I don't have the time to give you my opinion, nor do I take bribes. Your money has been transferred back to your account.." She firmly stated, walking back inside the room.

"You'll have your chance to get in touch with her, if she allows, at the party this evening. That'll be all Mr. Riker." With nothing more to add, she disconnected the call. She knew that a man like him would do anything in order to achieve whatever they need. However, it could wait and Diana would not go against Miss Highwind's order.

Back inside the room, she approached the Councilwoman. "Madam, A journalist by the name Florian Riker was here to visit and inquire you regarding the matters on the screen. But, I've made sure that he wont be bothering you for now, however, he may try to make contact during your scheduled party later in the evening." Addressing the issue to Miss Highwind was good for now. It was her duty to make sure everything was in order for Miss Highwind and make sure wherever she went was safe. She would have to make sure that no other journalists or anyone similar to that would bother her.

Seconds later, she took a few steps to the side and stood by her. "Is there anything you would like to convey, Miss?"

 

[MrBriWolf]

Florian smiled softly. "I knew this would happen..." Immediately, the young journalist got onto public transport and made his way to Nova's Glow, paying 200 Credits for a table in the back away from prying eyes, and took out his laptop. The manager of the establishment questioned him about this move, and Florian simply replied- "My apologies sir, my job requires a quiet atmosphere." The manager, having been paid, said no more.

"Now... Where to look..." Florian was pouring through discussion boards and files leaked onto the internet by fellow journalists. "Corruption in Level One, that's no surprise..." Florian looked over his laptop and saw Lydia herself, talking with the Captain. He smiled faintly before he began to eat his meal- sauteed red mushroom with a haddock fillet served in a cream oyster sauce garnished with dill and a hint of sage. The haddock was lightly friend, almost in the fashion of a tempura, yet retained the flavors and aroma. The sauce was light, yet beautifully crafted, and the presentation was divine.

Now, as Florian swallowed a piece of the haddock, he looked back at his computer and turned on the recording feature of his cybernetic. Beginning to speak, he plugged a cable into his laptop that connected to the device- instantly uploading and recording what he said to the internet (1 Mana)- specifically, to a popular news site that Florian's family ran.

"Hello, I am the Arisen One. My friends, my compatriots, my fellow man, I am here to talk with you today about something very serious. As we all know, the party is tonight- as is the vote. There is talk of not allowing Miss Lydia her chance at becoming the Captain. Today, I am here to tell you that this talk should be silenced. We have taken strides in the past 15 decades to not wipe our own race out- and now we are facing a crisis morally. Do we allow that which we created to rule us? I, personally, say yes. They cannot die in the traditional sense, the androids can be impervious to feeling pain, and yet they are human. They have wants, desires, feelings- the same as we all do. I want Lydia to be Captain, and to see that androids gain more freedoms in this ship. Our civilization has become gluttonous and, for the lack of a better term, narrow mindedly ignorant. Look at Level 4- they do not care for anyone but themselves many of them. They do not care if people in Level One starve- so long as those at the top get their fish and their meats and their cakes, they could care less." Florian was saying this as if he was another person- though this was based on his own observation, as well as personal opinion.

"My friends, I offer you one final choice- do we, as a species, move ahead, or do we stay in the old ways because of institutionalization- the fact that this is unprecedented and new? Humans are a curious species by nature- we are normally always wanting to explore. That is why we set forth here in the first place!..." Florian took a sip of wine, swallowing and catching his breath before continuing.

"I say that we, as a species, move forward. We came together once- to build this ship. Will we only give androids more rights when we are on the brink of similar inihilation, or will we grow up and realize that the things we've created are capable of their own sentience?" Florian unplugged the jack and finished uploading the file. It was his voice, his two cents. He hoped people would see it... Despite the family owning a huge news site- it's content was not always respected highly.

 

[Detective Zero]

Kallen - Eugine's Lab - Level 3, #ff3333

[spacer]As Eugine rambled on again, Kallen was already finishing up the changes she was making, atleast for the ride. "That's all nice and dandy for you, but I also need to get down to level 2, so it's likely we'll need to take a cargo elevator down or cut through the entertainment sector. You can do your diagnostics, but when it comes to androids, that's my field, not yours. Plus, you have connections with part of the government, which would make it easier to get to them - and for them to accept the claim - if this is a serious case... But we'll never know until we get over there... She switches off the tools within her fingers as they turn back to normal, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand.[/spacer]
[spacer]Eugine reaches over for the front panel, pressing a few things, then doing the same on his tablet, continuing his rambling on and on, before finally getting back on track with "Okay, so, three-hundred miles per hour then, accelleration of zero to one-hundred in approximately.... Point eight-nine seconds, the speed of several sports cars from times of old, better?" He then began to pull up a few things on his tablet, saying "My contacts are purely for research application of technology... Not all androids are considered property of the government to some, and a claim would need proof that they owned or controlled the android at a certain point in time for government recompensation or repair of the android." [/spacer]
[spacer]She looks over to Eugine as she places her cybernetic hand on the seat, "That's for some androids, Eugine... So-.. You're sure this thing won't blow up while we're driving it? Because if this ends up being another accident, it's on your hands if you end up injuring anyone." She sighs out as she crosses her arms, walking over by one of his spare parts, "By the way.. If you are going to work on the inertia issue with those speeds - and please, make it more realistic until we know it's ok for that - I suggest getting an iodized calibrator on that weld for starters. Now.. We ready to head off?" As she spoke, she returned to the bike's side.[/spacer]
[spacer]"The probability of SCIENCE is only at a thirty-percent. At the startup of the VROOM it was around... Eighty-seven? So if it's kept together, it should be perfectly fine. Though the problem of power consumption must be attended to soon, as the VROOM-MT could only maintain speeds of Mach Two-Thousand for around ten seconds, and there's a exponential decline from there." He continues tapping away, before saying "I could try to use that iodized calibrator, but that would endanger the rest of the parts, you know how iodized parts interact with other parts that may be unstable in nature, and I'd rather you not tip the scales until you've tried it out."[/spacer]

[spoili]

[/spoili]​

[spacer]Kirine smirked and shook her head, pulling what looks to be a red-tinted visor with a black frame on the top. Placing it upon the bridge of her nose, she pulls down the ponytail on her hair and presses a button on the side shaped like her insignia from earlier. As she presses it, it slowly forms into an intricately designed helmet as the black stretches out in metal plates seeming to have been hidden within, red lines coursing through edges that glow as if it's giving it power. (mana cost = 1) Hopping onto the bike as Flint hovers closer, latching onto her cybernetic arm, she looks back to Eugine, "That's the beauty of the irony, Eugine. Imagine if it actually cancels out what instability you already have in your toys." Kallen laughed, offering a hand over to him to get on and pulls him on, waiting if FLI needed to come along as well."Just watch the hands, I know you're not the type, but still. Tobi's expecting me so we shouldn't have him and the android waiting." And with that, she kicked it off and there they went. Exiting his garage using her cybernetic hand to control the speed was a good idea, considering it'd be more precise than her original. Flying over low-level buildings, she made their way towards the number of entry-ways into the Entertainment sector and made her way down to what level 2 would be for that place. "You know, now that I think of it, might be a good idea if we keep it so we don't build something together. I can already hear how we'd just keep arguing what goes where, what does what.. Anyhow, ride may get bumpy in level 2, but we should make it in good time, I'd hope." As they rode, they'd continue through on Eugine's possible deathtrap bike into level 2, towards the maintenance sector where Tobi was waiting.[/spacer]

 

[JextheShadow]

Giovannis Room-Maintenance HQ, yellow

"So your saying you don't know why you snapped at Ricardo when"

Tobius words were cut short by the opening of the door. Both he and Giovanni looked toward it, Tobius surprised by the arrival of both Kallen and Eugine in such short time. They both came walking in, Kallen in front a playful smile on her lips as she looked at both Tobi and The AI, Eugine chattering away lost in his own world at least for this moment.

Quickly Tobuis stood up from the bed, chart in hand, brushing of his jumpsuits pants as he went to extend a hand toward Kallen. "Well you didn't waste any time getting here," he said with a smirk.

Eugine detatches himself from the bike, the magnets making a noise as he does so, stepping off of it, blonde hair ruffled in every which direction, glasses a little bit crooked, his hands also seeming to be attached to Kallen's sides before finally letting go. Kind of brushing himself off as they enter, he starts off saying "We could have been here in approximately thirty seconds at the speed I was intending, however, Kallen believed such speeds to be unsafe." He then reaches to his tablet, slowly detaching it from his arm and starting it back up, a little shaky from the ride still "Quite stable in flight however..."

Kallen rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she walks in further to the room, "Yeah and if we were to go to those speeds without some kind of inertial field since we were in open air on a bike, we'd be getting scraped off the side of one of the entertainment sect's holo-screens.." Taking a good look at Giovani before offering her hand, she smiles as her attention shifts fully towards the chef android, "Kallen Kurenai, professional in engineering in level 4. Don't worry though, you're in good hands that have plenty experience with fellow androids.." She then turns to Tobias, "So.. Anything else you'll need to tell me before I begin?"

Tobius smiled at her, sending a wink in her direction. "Only need to know if you have a date to the prom later Kal."

"You wish Tobi, but I've got a date with my agenda.. Plus, I'll be taking Flint to the party." She smirked at that, looking back to Giovani, waiting for Tobius to tell her what she needs, pulling out a hand-held tablet as Flint hovers about.

Tobius quickly put a hand to his chest in mock sadness, before handing Eugine the chart. "Everything you two need I have already told you or I put in the chart. Like I told you earlier this is a strange one." His gaze flickering between both of them then toward the door. "Can you guys take this case for me? I have places to be."

Eugine starts tapping away into his tablet, saying "Can I have the access codes in? I want to see if there's a log of any connections or possible activities of the android. I'd be fancinated to just see what was going on beforehand, though, I might not know what to make of it entirely, but I would enjoy possibly confirming one of my theories for android personalities."
"Alright, but no tampering, got it? Leave any of that to me. We don't need him randomly exploding somehow." Kallen was half joking by her looks, but her tone was showing otherwise. "But yeah, we'll take care of this."

With a long sigh of relief Tobius began backing toward the door, leaving these two to squabble over the proper way of not killing the AI. with his "colleagues" handling the case for him, it freed up Tobius to get to other business. His mind already shifting gears, turning from work to his personal life, two things he made sure always stayed separate. So far deep within his thinking he almost forgot to call back over his shoulder. "Just keep me updated, and try not to blow him up." before he was out of the door and out of sight.

 

[BoxBob³]

Eugine, orange

Eugine reached up to his glasses, correcting them on the bridge of his nose as he entered in the access code, going straight to the logs stored by the android and downloading them, not bothering to even look for anything else, talking to himself mostly as he says "Impressive that someone could breach the androids defenses without being onsite to ensure it was unable to shutdown for self protection, though they might have been, these seem pretty inconclusive to me... What's a Kouglof?"

He continued tapping away at the tablet as FLI detatched itself from his arm, dropping a small amount as it catches itself before hitting the ground, fluttering about for a moment, flying over towards Kallen, then to the bike, inspecting it, something Eugine mostly neglected to do, starting to file the first field test report automatically.

Eugine continued talking in his manner most common when running diagnostics, probably the thing that really set his path as a engineer, and not a doctor, as his bedside manner would have been terrible. Continuing on with "I'm assuming you'd rather me not attempt to figure out what the intrusion actually did? It's not a risky procedure, only... Around... Maybe ten percent of a really cool explosion?"

"Think you might find more, Kallen?"

 

[Tone 6th]

"Hey, thanks Frank." Artemis closed the door to a security tram.

"Anything for level 3's own white knight. Hey you think about retiring?" Frank shouted from inside the transport.

"You know androids never retire. Nope this knight is going to be riding his hours until his core dies out." he laughed a little.

"That's a shame. Well better get this dirt ball down to big house." Frank motioned to the thief.

"Take care Frank." Artemis waved.

The transport zipped off

*Bing*

Artemis wrist communicator went off. Two e-mails were waiting for him.

He read through the first one. It was about the vote Lydia to become the ships new captain. "Well I'll be. Never thought I would see the day where an android would be up for the position of captain." he chuckled. "Wow she is quiet the looker too. Damn these new age androids and their human bodies." he said reflecting on his own age.

The second email was a summons from councilman Davis. "Hmmm how odd. Never the less orders are orders." The HQ wasn't to far from his current location.

*Thud*... *Thud*... *Thud*

Artemis could be heard coming down the hall from a mile away.

"137 this is the place" he tapped his index finger on the sign. The large android ducked through the door frame and scanned the room. A few people stood out: A military woman who looked to attractive to be a solider, a red headed woman with a few cybernetic enhancements, and a cop he was sure he had seen before at the station.

Artemis sat next to the military woman "So what branch are you in if you don't mind me asking?" he asked awkwardly. There was one thing he hated more then small talk and that was silence.

 

[Voices of Nerat]

Keloran 7b - Level 3, cadetblue

Keloran followed Rowan out into the busy streets of the third level, intending to return to their regular duties as per usual. At least, that was what they had intended. Fate had other plans in store however, and just as he was thinking the announcement earlier would be the height of his day, the pair both received the priority message, Kel glancing at his partner curiously before reading over the message that displayed on his commlink.

"...Great. This is just what I needed." A grimace lined his lips, sighing. "Davis always did have really bad timing." He clutched his wrist, swiveling the metalic joints, which creaked rather audibly. "Thought I'd have time to get this problem checked out, but I guess that'll have to wait."

He waved to his partner, motioning for her to go on ahead. Watching her turn the corner, he slid back a panel on his forearm, revealing a small LED touch screen. His fingers started tapping, hurriedly typing out a message.

----​

Keloran met up with Ro again just outside the HQ, offering a curt apology for taking so long. Quickly he followed her inside, hoping the two weren't late; like he needed another reason for his superiors to get on his ass, given his rocky track record.

He took the seat next to her, as she had so graciously directed him to, the heavy android looking a little too big for the chair he was sitting in. Arms crossed, he tapped his shoulder impatiently, not particularly curious about the other personnel taking up space in the room, as the others seemed to be. Hopefully they could get this, whatever it was, over with sooner rather than later.

 

[Zen]

Perhaps it was meant to be a slight to the man's wealth, or perhaps it was meant to be honorable and courteous, but when Seth arrived home, his sister had an envelop in her hands addressed to him.

"It came while you were out."

The paper felt heavy, smooth, and smelled of cigar smoke. Such materials were rare on this ship, so why was it wasted on a poor Level One citizen?

 

[Detective Zero]

Kallen, #ff3333

[spacer]Now that she had time to do what she came here for, Kallen turns her attention back to Giovanni with a smile, "So then.. Let's get started shall we? And don't worry, my friend here isn't going to do anything that'll make anything explode.. I'll be sure of that." The android in question that was sitting down looked to her and then to Eugine, then back again. His gaze averted again as he spoke out, breaking contact often, "Well, I suppose, but I don't think there's a rush.." Kallen grins a bit as she fiddles with her hand-held, gesturing with her cybernetic hand at him, "Come on now, it's not going to hurt. I'm just going to take a look at you as did Tobius earlier. You'll be fine." She placed the hand on his shoulder gently to try and reassure him, along with a smile.[/spacer]
[spacer]"Well yes, but-.." "But nothing.. Hehe, you're sounding like a little boy not wanting his shots visiting the doctors.. This won't hurt a bit, hell, you won't even feel like anything is happening." While she spoke, Flint was already at work as two cables snaked its way out from its underchassis, one connecting to her handheld as the other snapped its way into the back of Giovanni's head, the last place Tobi had fiddled around with. Placing a finger to her temple, a red-tinted visor pops out to cover her left eye as it seems to be part of the cybernetic, holo-data appearing upon it for her eye to inspect as she begins, "See? I bet you haven't even noticed yet.. Flint, go on and temporarily cut off any reactionary systems while we run these diagnostics.."[/spacer]
[spacer]Before Giovanni seemed to be able to react before he realized it, he seemed to have gone into some kind of docile state, atleast what would count for a machine slash android. Kallen sighs out and shook her head, looking to the data that streamlined from her tablet to her eye, "Alright.. Let's see what kind of mess I have to look at.. If Tobi needed to call me, then it definitely is something possibly serious. And remember Eugine.. Just research, no tampering.. We don't need his circuits blowing out." And with that, data started rushing over for them to peruse, Kallen likely understanding it better than Eugine, but of course he wouldn't be too left out unless he had questions. He was an inventor and a researcher, not a fixer. Though, she was plenty of both among other things in her case, but she never thought herself above anyone.[/spacer]
-----

[spacer]With work at hand, the data she was recieving was rather.. Peculiar for her. Unsettling even. Not only could she not tell who could have possibly done the hack, but how it could have even occured. The only signs of tampering were on his primary functions. His personality even. Weird.. With a growl, Kallen pads away at the tablet as Flint keeps the connection together, her eyes darting which way and that at bits of data, moving and editing pieces on her own as well. After some time, she'd manage to atleast restore Giovanni back to his original state, but the question of the matter still remained. Why was he chosen to be hacked? Who and how did it happen? Why this intricate, and with what she's done, does it still remain somehow? These questions were ones she had hoped to have answered herself, but she was afraid that was not possible. Sighing out as she disconnects, retracting the visor and shutting off her tablet, Flint disconnects its two cables and flutters about as Giovanni kicks back to life, "Oh my.. What has just happened?.." "There's no need to worry Giovanni, you should be alright for now. But don't be afraid to give me a call or anyone else you feel proper to take a look. I'm in a certified business after all."[/spacer]
[spacer]Getting up, she rolls her neck to give an audible pop as she then offers a hand to pull him up to his feet, "Feel free to do what you need to do or rest up, you should be free to go. We're all done here, but thanks for your time. My friend and I will be taking our leave now, but here's my contact info if you need me." And with that, Flint hovers on by and spits out a business card under its optic, tilting towards Giovanni to offer it to him, "Oh.. Well, thank you Miss Kurenai.. Have a pleasant day." "Of course." She waved, Flint, Eugene, FLI and herself now exiting the room as they head off to a lobby.[/spacer]
-----

[spacer]Leaning against the wall with tersed brows, her expression was definitely malcontent, "Well.. That didn't help us with jack.. All I could do was reset his functions to what they originally were. I don't even know if the hack was completely wiped.. We don't know who did it or even how it could have happened or when.. But like I said, I think we ought to let the more 'official' people know. Got a contact nearby to any of the feds, Eugine?"[/spacer]

​

 

[Ai]

KT317704, #EE7600

KT's orange hues settled onto the row of instruments that lay upon the wall, all beautifully preserved and waiting for the android to pick one up. The only problem found was that KT did not understand the motive of this exercise. Despite her confusion an outcome still need to be made, in the end she picked up a beautifully carved oak object labelled 'violin.'

At first the android attempted to pluck the strings with her fingers but was quite obviously at loss. Looking toward the strange stringed stick and the structure of the instrument itself the android began connecting the dots, figuring the instrument out bit by bit while the other androids sat playing a mixture of random sounds with no real purpose to them, the small human children much the same.

When KT thought she had finally got it, the android placed the instrument against her chin that slotted perfectly and rubbed the strings against each other to make a singular note. Taking record of the tone, the android explored further as she began tried placing the violin at different angles which didn't make much difference. When she then wondered if it would sound different dependent on the placement of her fingers.

Tone after singular tone the android played different notes in no particular order as she recorded them into her memory banks that started to compile the data that she was receiving and translate the tunes to fit together into a structure. Movement by movement a strange sense of peace came to the android as she let the music take her into it's hold.

Followed by fleeting thoughts of clarity, finally she had began to develop a delicate understanding of feelings and the weight they held. For the first time the android smiled, relaxing into the sounds and playing the notes one after another as they jumped out at her. Transforming the jumbled notes into sound with structure, producing a pleasant tune the android continued to play.

Unaware of the eyes that settled on her, of the children that looked up at her with bright smiling faces of adoration or of Nira's team as she drifted off into the serenity of innocence.

 

[4everDifferent]

Seth's home - The Slums, red

It was late when Seth got home finally. The door to their shanty creaked loudly as he entered no matter how hard he tried to be quiet. His sister was waiting in a chair at the table. His eyes flicked to his mother who slept on the thin mattress tucked into the far corner of the one room structure. He and his sister took turns sleeping in the only other mattress they had which laid on the other corner of the one room structure.

It was Seth's turn tonight which was probably the reason Sarah was still up. The fifteen year old girl had a hard time sleeping on the pile of their dirty clothes and rags. It was not like the mattresses were any better as far as cleanliness. Seth had found both of them on the street for disposal and decided to 'rescue' them for his mother and he and his sister to share. The good nights rest just made them worth dealing with the stench.

Sarah brushed a loose strand a blonde hair behind her ear and stood with the envelope in hand. She was a spitting image of their mother when she was in good health, "It came while you were out," she handed him the envelope and pushed her hands into her pockets.

Seth took it and tore it open with a confused look on his face. The only thing they ever got were letters about overdue bills. He unfolded the paper and began reading. When he was done, Seth moved to the chair his sister had been sitting in and sunk into it. His face reflected the shock that he was feeling.

Sarah took the letter and began reading it. Because of her lack of schooling, it took her a little longer than Seth. She started to cry when she finished it, "Oh, Seth," she pushed out as the tears slid down her cheeks.

"I know. Seven hundred and fifty credits," a small smile slid across his face that continued to grow with each passing thought, "That's enough to pay for mom's medicine for six months and the month we owe. We could even have a decent meal for once instead of bread or canned beans."

"You're taking the job aren't you?" Sarah said.

"Of course," his eyes flicked to his mother still sleeping on the bed and then back to his sister, "Anything I can do to help you two, I will."

Sarah threw her arms around her brother and wept. Seth couldn't help but feel a tear roll down the good side of his face. He had worked for so long and stolen for almost as long and in one day, no, one night, he was going to make more money than he would ever bring home in two months time.

"Sarah, you sleep on the mattress tonight."

 

[Rainjay]

Celyn:Room 137

So why are we all here... Why did they call a bunch of security cops and officers- including her- to a conference room?

For a moment she had to remind herself that she didn't care. As long as she wasn't stuck at VRT with stupid Barnes, she was happy, even though she was stuck in an uncomfortable chair and not aiming a gun at holographic beings, which was admittedly fun sometimes, when she wasn't being screamed at. She shifted a bit, trying to ease the pain in her spine. The back of the chair was pressing against it oddly, aggravating the nerves around the cybernetic. She tried not to let it show. The people in this room looked generally tough, as they should be, being cops and all, and she felt an innate need to compose herself and keep herself looking tough, too.

"So what branch are you in if you don't mind me asking?"

Looking up from twiddling her thumbs, Celyn saw a large silver android approaching her, cape and big gun at hand. Somehow, she had failed to notice the hulking robot entering the room- he looked heavy enough to cause earthquakes with his every step, but she had been preoccupied with her thoughts. He sat himself beside her before speaking.

For a moment she was caught off guard before replying, "Military- or, I guess Defense if you wanna call it that. I'm a field officer. And you?" Why did this guy care? Usually people just ignored her existence. Everyone else that was a high ranking cop or officer or whatever tended to have a assload of cybernetics, scars- visible marks of the job. She was like a fresh, new office secretary that visited her bosses room after hours for a raise. The only scarring of the job she had was hidden behind her shirt, and she couldn't really show it off without a security bot reminding her of what was acceptable to do in public, and what wasn't. She wasn't keen on chancing the encounter.

 

[Tone 6th]

"Third level officer." he leaned back in his chair, it gave a rather worrying squeak. She didn't carry herself like the other arrogant military personal he had come across. "So how does a pretty lady like you get into the military." Artemis paused for a second "Err forgive me I'm used to hearing a lot of street talk, let me rephrase. How did you come to join the military?" he sat back up in his chair. "Oh and the name's Artemis." he extended his had for a handshake. "Though most people just call me Atri." he tried to cover up the "White Knight" slogan on his shoulder with his cape.

 

[Obskeree]

CONCORDIA'S MUSIC LESSON

It had been a surprise when Councilwoman Hadiya had contacted her - almost as much as the previous encounter with a council member. Normally, all business she conducted was based around her club - she had frequent requests to host functions (though none as important or large-scale as the anniversay). But to be asked to teach a music class? The Education hub was quite a trek from her club.

Though she had tried to remain composed, inside her circuits jumped for joy: it was a dream come true to be able to actually play an instrument instead of software - she so rarely got the chance. And while she enjoyed herself, her secretary Pa was following instructions for preparation of the evening's entertainment. Life didn't get better, and while some might consider it overworked, she thrived doing back-to-back activities.

"Choose your instrument. Once you've done that, sit down and try playing it without my help."

She sat at the front and watched, carefully scanning each student. If any were stressed by the freedom, she would catch it and step in. Maximum enjoyment was her priority in the club and it would be here, today. She had never taught anything before, but a quick look at educational grades and surveys showed that enjoyment increased learning. That, and effective teaching for the appropriate level. This exercise would help show how much everyone already knew.

One of the human students had picked up a modulated sitar, and was the only one in the room not to begin making noise. He just stared at it, daunted, and occasionally glanced around.

Concordia made her way to him. "Is there a problem, student? Do you know what this is?"

"Not really..."

"It is a replica of an ancient instrument called a sitar. To play it, pluck the strings." She held it out to him. "If you don't like how it sounds, or it doesn't feel right for you, we can find another."

At that moment, another student began to struggle while in the background, KT was proving herself more than capable and distracting some of the children from the exercise.

Scenario analysis led to a realisation - using this model of 'try it yourselves' would fail if she tried to tend to each student in turn. She would need to generalise things to prevent uneven learning across the classroom. While the students varied in terms of talent, they were clearly of the same level technically. Theory and technical skills would reign this lesson.

She rose to her feet, exhilarated by the learning she was doing herself.

"Excuse me, class," she called over the clamor hoping she sounded authorative enough and not like a giddy human child. "Now that you have had a chance to experiment, I will take you all through some groundwork." She glanced to two of the more innately skilled students. "KT317704, and... Munroe, Julie. Would either of you like to volunteer for my first demonstration?"

 

[E.T.]

Today was just really going to be one of those days.​

The past four and a half hours had been spent by Sarah waiting around in the justice department on level 3 only to have then tell her about ten minutes ago that her case was officially closed and not open to further appeals. It had taken a good deal of effort for her to keep from punching someone on in the face on her way out, especially that secretary behind the from desk that seemed to be taking great pleasure in making her late for work. Oh yes, that was the other thing, while a stupid amount of files were being sorted through at a pace that would have only competed with a snail Sarah had been forced to watch the clock as the time approached the start of her shift and then proceeded to carefully tick by the first hour that should have been spent at work. When they gave her the news she didn't even have time to process, she just murmured a half hearted thank you and left sprinting out the front door.

Now she was just hoping that by breaking several speed regulations that she would make it to work before her manager decided that it was high time to fire her. Legs working furiously she pushed her hover skates to the absolute limit dodging people, tables, and displays as she made her way through the entertainment hub. While it could be a little annoying the hub connected all three levels and could provided a quick way to travel, if you knew some of the short cuts. As she rounded a corner the area suddenly opened up to a grand balcony that overlooked the other levels and a drop of fifty stories where the central park could be seen far below. With powerful strides Sarah picked up a bit more speed one hand reaching up to pull her jacket collar up over her nose, resting it just under her eyes. Her eyes themselves were fixed on her target, a giant center piece that hovered just below the level she was currently on. It was a mobile with two large beams crossed with many smaller and smaller bits of metal hanging down, moving lazily as though pushed by some unfelt wind.

As she approached the edge of the railing a small smile crept onto her face, hidden behind her jacket's collar but lighting up her features as she tensed in preparation for the jump. Only three feet from the railing she left the ground her body pulling inwards to avoid bumping anything in air. For a moment time seemed to slow, her heart, which had been pounding in her chest quieted to just a dull thumping and the mobile seemed to be approaching her at such a leisurely pace. With a solid thunk she landed sending slight vibrations through the entirety of the mobile. In her head she counted the strides to the end one...two...thre-halfway through the last stride she collected again and leapt through the air. When she landed this time she was two levels lower than when she had started. No time to even think about the stunt she had just pulled she raced through the crowd, only one block from where her work place.

"Hey I'm here." Sarah said as she buzzed herself into the back door and spotted her co-worker Margaret.

"You are so late, Tom has been looking for you." Margaret said picking up a stack of boxes that contained different pairs of hover-skates.

"I don't have any classes today, the kints at the justice depo wouldn't even give me a chance to talk." she said pulling off her jacket and hanging it on her designated hook. Underneath the dark cloth was a bright orange shirt with the word Zoomz displayed proudly on the back and on the upper left side of her chest. Dashing out into the store front she was greeted by the familiar sight of Zoomz, everywhere you looked there were hover boards, hover skates, with even some hover bikes lined up by the back wall. Towards the far back corner was a fenced off area where someone could try out a pair of hover skates or a hover board. There were also a large room through a door on the right wall that led to what looked like a skate park, which provided more serious customers a place to really try out a product before they bought it.

Today the store was pretty crowded, unlike most days it seemed that it was mostly parents here today. Most likely they wanted to get their kind something "special" for the upcoming anniversary. On the plus side this meant that she was kept busy and sparred thinking about the news that she had been given that morning. On the downside that meant that she had to explain in often over simplified terms the pros and cons of each and every model to parents who were either to sure of themselves or to uncertain. It also meant that she got to avoid her manager Tom, although she did catch him shooting her a withering look. When break finally came she was relieved when Tom just gave her a warning and then let her retire to the backroom, where Margaret was already waiting for her.

"So...didn't go so well?" She asked carefully unpacking her lunch.

"Went well for them, they can now officially say on the records that I single handedly sabotaged the championship hover board matches." Sarah's voice was humorless and she picked idly at the cold leftover pasta that was serving as her lunch. There was a long silence before Magaret finally cleared her throat and said.

"No word about Z?"

"Not a fucking peep." she said grasping the small silver gear that hung from her neck. Oh ya, that was the last thing, her android brother had been missing for a week and she was running out of options for finding him.

 

[Potatocat]

Mark had finally finished his work on the elevator, speeding up his pace after his interaction with the two human police officers. He stood up, put his tools in his bag and began to walk back to his workshop. He began pondering the idea of psychic abilities when his supervisor intercepted him on his way to his room.

"Hey, you done with the elevator?" The man glared up at Mark.

"Yes."

"Well, I've got something else for you." The rat of a man started, "They want you up on floor 17 in room 137. Get your ass there now."

"Of course" Mark replied as he began his way to the room.

He was not surprised that they had not asked for him directly. He was used to all work going through his asshole of a boss. He got in the elevator and pushed for the floor. It rode smoothly, and Mark was proud of his work. When it got to the floor the doors opened and he stepped out. He knew where this room was. He knew where all the rooms where. He opened the door and stepped through. He was not surprised by what he saw inside. He walked over to the rear wall of the room and simply stood against it, waiting for instructions.

The housing that held his lenses rotated so that he could scan the room without moving his head. There were police officers, all men, women and androids. A few of them were talking to each other. He wasn't surprised that one of the women was holding conversation with one of the androids. Androids with the service were always treated better. More like actual people, and only because they carried guns. Mark did not have much to think about these kind. They had been born into a position of authority. Made for it. They had not ever known what it was truly like to live as an android on this ship.

 

[MrBriWolf]

Florian sat back in his chair, scrolling through the list of contacts in his phone. The coffee he held in the left hand was heavily sweet- too much so for Florian's tastes. "I might need to call in Concordia... Not for music necessarily but for that audio file to be played before the party.. All depends if she's the one hosting the damn thing or not." Florian dialed for the operator and took a sip of the coffee.

"Operator- get me the android Concordia. The one who works in the Entertainment Area." Florian sounded cool, collected. One would hardly assume that he was angered. "Tell Concordia that Oslo Riker's son wants a word with her about a potential... Shall we say... Bonus?" Oslo Riker- head of Kilo News Network. Florian's father was very fond of his only son- though Oslo himself was a worried man. He knew that the military could be using his platform to apprehend or arrest those trying to disrupt the order of things. Florian himself thought that he could change things through the platform- so he has been relentless in trying to get KNN to be handed over to him, and not a member of the board.

"Concordia dear, I have a job for you."

@Obskeree

 

[Kino]

Xavier Reeth - Nova's Glow

Xavier looked back to Lydia after Vanessa's speech, and what he saw gave him pause. This was the first time he had seen this side of her. Normally, Lydia was quite cheerful around him, but this was... he didn't know how to describe it. It was wrong.

The look on her face was heartbreaking. She looked almost as though she was about to cry. Xavier had nearly forgotten that she even could. He met her gaze with his, peering into those beautiful green eyes which he allowed himself to believe were real.

He moved his mouth for a split second, about to respond to her question, to reassure her that the ship was certainly ready for such a thing. But he didn't. He caught himself just before the words came. Something about seeing her like this kept him from lying. The look on her face... he had to give her the truth.

"Lydia I... I wish I could just smile and say 'yes, of course,' but I'm afraid I just don't know. The people... They MUST be ready. They HAVE to be ready. I have to believe that my people, OUR people are ready for you to be captain, are ready for you to be a leader."

He started to tremble. Taking a moment, he grabbed his drink and took a gulp to calm his nerves, but it didn't seem to help. Talking about her becoming Captain rattled him perhaps as much as it did her. It made him feel a bit like he was tossing her to the wolves by putting her in this position. The look on his face was just as uncertain and pained as hers. Perhaps he needed to be reassured as well.

His gaze drifted off into nothing. He was almost shaking now, and it could even be heard in his voice.

"They have to be ready... I've spent the better part of my life on that bridge alongside you, and I mean it when I say that there is no one better than you for the job. I would be doing the people of this ship a disservice if I named anyone else as my successor. I've had thirty years to make that decision... They have to be ready."

His gaze shifted, meeting her eyes again.

"They have to accept you. They have to accept my love for you."

Carter Davis - Security HQ

After a short while, the door to room 137 opened one last time, and in came Carter Davis. The young councilman made his way quickly to the front of the room, and turned to face his subordinates with hands behind his back. A black eye patch was strapped around his head, covering his right eye while his left shifted around the room, looking to everyone sitting before him.

"Well lets get to it shall we? You've all been selected, security and military personnel alike, to be on guard duty at tomorrow's big party at the Concord club in the Entertainment Hub. Wonderful news right?"

He smiled to them all, behaving rather casually.

"Except not a god damn one of you is going to be having any fun. You see, as you all should know by now, not only is tomorrow our 150th anniversary, but it is also the day that the people of this ship decide if an AI will be on the council. Well as it turns out, the Concord has been selected to also be the location of the big announcement of whether or not she wins. That means Concord is the place to be tomorrow night. It also means that Concord is going to be the most dangerous place on the whole fucking ship. Council reps will be there. Celebrities. Even the AI Lydia herself, along with Xavier Reeth for his final day as captain."

Carter took a moment to let all that sink in, looking around the room to everyone as he did.

"This is going to be the most important mission of your pathetic lives. A joint effort between security and military. I don't give a shit what your personal views on an AI becoming captain are, if you fuck this up I will personally throw your worthless ass out the airlocks. Is that clear?"

There was a resounding "Sir yes sir!" as everyone in the room gave their answer. A moment later, the lights dimmed and a holoprojection of club Concord was displayed in front of Carter.

"Good. Now lets get to the gritty details..."

Melina - Highwind Manor

"Great, another fucking asshole trying to pry into my god damned business."

Melina sighed heavily and stared at the screen, trying to take her mind off of things. Unfortunately, it wasn't working, and her patience was already running thin.

"Yeah, I've got something to convey."

She stood up suddenly and turned to face her bodyguard. Irritation shown in her eyes.

"I'm going to go and get that drink now."

With that, she moved past Diana towards the front door. There was a hover car parked outside with an AI driver already sitting inside. It was the only job the AI had, to sit, wait, and take them anywhere they needed to go on a whim. They would be heading to the Nova's Glow, Melina's favorite social destination. Great drink, and lots of men willing to go out their way to try and gain her favor. Maybe this time she might find a husband.

 

[JextheShadow]

Going Home, yellow

Tobius left the room, hurriedly slipping through the crowd with learned ease. He reached the locker room and quickly traded his uniform for black jeans, a dark t-shirt and a black hoodie. He grabbed his personal effects before racing out the door back through the hallways.

Outside, he shielded his eyes from the glare of the artificial sunlight as he scanned the parking lot for his hoverbike, Brianna. It was a junker of a bike, but Tobius spent years building it piece by piece, and it was one of his most prized possessions. He slipped into the worn leather seat, hoping that for once, she wouldn't give him trouble. Pressing a hand on one of its faces, he could feel the familiar drain of energy as he focused on bringing the vehicle to life.(2 mana) The engine tried rolling over, once, twice, and just as Tobius was going to curse the wind, it sparked to life. The engine glowed a bright blue as the bike lifted off the ground before stabilizing several feet in the air. Putting a hand on the throttle, the engine roared as he sped away into the belly of level 2.

The ride home was a short one, and within minutes Tobius arrived, parking his bike beside his small apartment. He wasted no time within his home, instead setting off on foot through the smaller, less used streets around his home in one of the poorer residential areas in level 2. He moved through the area, hood over his head, sliding unnoticed – or at the very least unnoted by onlookers.

After several minutes of walking, he arrived at an aging, worn maintenance hatch. It had fallen into disrepair, dull red letters deeming the door for maintenance use only now only barely legible. Fortunately, the panel beside it was in better repair. Tobius keyed in the universal access code of the level, and the door slowly creaked open revealing the other side.

A dimly lit corridor greeted him. Orange lights dispersed along the walls flickered, providing barely enough light to see. He quickly entered the tunnels as the door slid shut behind him. The path branched off in a maze of different directions, each path leading to its own forks and twists. Tobius navigated the corridors with an effortless fluency before arriving at a manhole, with nothing but a ladder disappearing down into the darkness. It was here Tobius smiled again before starting to climb down.