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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 18:08:25 GMT -5
"I'm sorry to hear that." Aron said. "Our group were just transported into an alien world, inhabited by the likes of what you saw on the dock, minus the cattaurs. Three different people tried to kill me four times total. I got kidnapped by a car that eventually wanted me dead, and my wife can change into everything under the sun, and so can my daughter." Aron wasn't sure if that was a good move, either he would distract Jessica enough to save her from a nervous breakdown, or she would be pissed for diverting the subject onto him.
"We can probably provide you with some of our culls." Leroy said. "Maybe the Prime Minister will hand over the best of the bunch if he is amazed enough."
Leroy looked to the side as Lazaro said the second part. "This is bit too much. I can see the academics being mad with joy over this, as they don't have to run simulations to see what happens during a global disaster." He sighed. "This is a dog eat dog world out there now. Not exactly the place for civilians that don't know this first-hand. No offense."
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 18:34:47 GMT -5
"We also have animals of breeds that you might be missing." Lazaro pulled out a PDA with a list. "The Mountain was, among other things, a rare breed conservancy. As for the scientists, I think the environmental readings will keep them busy enough to stay out of trouble zones for a while." Lazaro said. "If your Prime Minister or a representative wishes to meet with us, that can be arranged." He glanced towards the docked ships. "Are you interested in meeting the rest of the group?"
Jessica continued to lean against the wall, taking in Aron's story. The "magic" parts she seemed to tune out for the present, but "wife" and "daughter" leapt out at her. "You have a family?"
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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 18:52:14 GMT -5
"Yeah." Aron waved his left hand, sporting a silver ring. "Wife, daughter and a son. It happened shortly after the shift, when we moved between worlds, but things went bit slower than with everyone else. Tess used to say that the instinct to reproduce kicked in. We were just under thousand people there."
Leroy nodded. "Sure. I'll send a message to Administration once you've given me that tour. It's going to take few days, I hope you knew it was going to take that long." He smiled and stood up.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 19:47:10 GMT -5
"We can definitely accommodate that." Lazaro nodded.
"I've heard that's the minimum viable human population." Jessica answered. A strange curiosity seemed to overtake her. "Do you have pictures?"
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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 19:58:51 GMT -5
"We can also arrange sleeping quarters for you. But should we then get back to the docks?" Leroy walked to the doors and opened them.
Aron took her curiosity as a sign to move on from their backgrounds. "Yeah." He reached into his wallet and took out three pictures. One was with him and Delfina, second of a ten year old Stephanie, and the third with Aron holding a three year old Bryan. "Here."
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 20:20:00 GMT -5
"Certainly." Lazaro swept an arm toward the ships. "I'm sure they look forward to meeting you as well."
Jessica's eyes lingered over the faces. "They're all beautiful - your wife and children. I can see from the pictures that they feel very blessed to have you for a husband and father." She paused to reach inside her vest pocket, and pulled out a yellowed plastic sheath with photos inside. "This is the most recent one of my daughter, Chandra. She's thirteen now." The picture was of a girl of perhaps ten or eleven mounted on a fuzzy-coated Icelandic horse. "Not often that we can get pictures taken." The girl's features seemed to be an amalgam of WASP and Semetic characteristics; that and her stated age gave more than a clue as to the girl's paternal heritage when combined with her mother's past story.
<<< WASP - White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, esp. American. The sort of people whose ancestors might have arrived at America's shores on the Mayflower. >>>
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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 20:34:36 GMT -5
Aron gave himself a time to study the image, and he still recognized the horse breed. "She has your eyes." He said as handing back the image, figuring not to comment on the less than fair complexion she had. He saw Leroy and Lazaro coming down the hallway.
"We're going to the docks to meet the rest of the crew. You can come with us if you want." Leroy said to Jessica.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 20:44:22 GMT -5
"She is a joy, and the reason why I bother to get up every morning." Jessica returned the picture to its place of keeping.
As Leroy beckoned, she fell in with Aron, now curious about these visitors from another continuum.
<<< Hmmm... I wonder if Mairi meets somebody? >>>
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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 21:00:36 GMT -5
Marisa was waiting on the dock now, given a space to exercise better after the action. She yawned tired, unwittingly scaring some of the workers with her sharp teeth. She was too used to humans actually being used to her. She sniffed the air, getting the smell of Lazaro and Aron in the wind. "Lazaro and Aron are returning with company." She said back to Urqhart.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 21:04:31 GMT -5
<<< I think you have Mairi and Marisa mixed up XD >>>
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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 21:13:07 GMT -5
((... So it seems. Edited))
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 21:35:07 GMT -5
"That must be the harbor chief." Urqhart looked sidelong as the group came to board. He was quite conscious of the effect his open mouth might have on humans and allowed it only the absolute minimum of movement for clear speech. At times, he envied the large cargo ships and aircraft carriers who had more "pipes" or duplicate vocal systems distributed throughout their bodies so that they could converse with anyone on board at almost any location at a normal volume.
Lazaro paused at the gangway. "Captain Urqhart, harbor chief Leroy Wells and companion request permission to come aboard."
"Permission granted." the frigate replied. "Welcome aboard."
Mairi, in the meantime, had gotten the first group of patients cleared to take into the sickbay. The doctors at the hospital had performed a sort of triage and assigned first priority to children and adolescents who were treatable in the ship's facilities, and adults with dependents. A bus powered by charcoal gas was commandeered to transport them to the dockside. They arrived just as Wells was boarding with Aron, Lazaro and Jessica.
Jessica, as she waited to board, dared a glance towards Marisa, her eyes widening a little at the impressive display of teeth. Those alone would give any miscreant second thoughts!
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Post by elizar on Sept 4, 2008 22:10:21 GMT -5
Leroy was considerably impressed as he walked on the frigate. Though it was not a Cruiser like his old ship, he was reminded of his time in the navy. What he noticed first that it was well kept. He glanced at the trawl, seeing the difference, or even smelling it.
"Impressive." He said. There were few differences from Urqhart and the other ships he had been on. He could for instance see locks for cars and for forklifts, but he didn't know that there were sentient forklifts as well so the mystery of those locks was still shrouded. He saw one of the cattaurs passing by, and couldn't help but to look long enough that it would be considered a stare.
"I guess I wasn't really believing you at the office." He said to Lazaro.
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Post by Evangeline on Sept 4, 2008 22:35:39 GMT -5
Several forklifts presented themselves, saluting smartly as the visitor came aboard.
"It's one of those things that just has to be seen first-hand." Lazaro answered. "Here's the technical crew, and over there are the gunnery crew. A carsverse Frigate doesn't have much need for executive positions because, with the notable exception of aircraft carriers, the ships are the seagoing officer corps."
Lazaro paused at a "pipe station" set into the superstructure. "Captain," he spoke at a normal volume, "Would you mind if Mr. Wells has a look around?"
"Not at all." Urqhart's voice replied from the station. "Is there any particular area you'd like to see first?"
Jessica hesitantly followed Aron aboard, hands clasped one over the other in front of her chest.
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Post by elizar on Sept 5, 2008 6:40:12 GMT -5
Leroy looked around, and the first place he went to was the sickbay. There were few faces that he did recognize, and was both glad and amazed over the technology. New Zealand had lost drugs and some machines long time ago. There wasn't even a defibrillator in the local hospital.
"So they are manufactured into this shape?" He asked.
"They breed, like us." Aron replied to him. "There are few factories up, usually one for each clan, a manufacturer in our case, but those are used for registered vehicles, and when presented with a valid reason. They do an embryo transfer then grow them in an artificial uterus."
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