Knowledge is Power! [Closed/Bendytimed to after Holiday Plot]

[governorkang]

It hadn't taken Kang long to figure out how to access the map on the omnicom, and luckily, he only took a wrong turn once, catching it almost immediately. When he reached the Special Weapons Division, he looked around curiously; there was evidence of a previous mess, apparent by a few machines that still looked broken, but for the most part, it seemed clean (well, except for the dust that was tickling his nose). His gaze was drawn to the pods first, and then to the strange harness.

This place was giving him the willies.

The bozak knew what this Billy looked like, but he hadn't yet figured out how to attach his own image. Belatedly, he realized that he hadn't even given his name. This could be problematic. Before he could ask for the human, though, he sneezed loudly, cursing under his breath in Nerakese.

Comments

[morphitudinous]

It was only on his way to Special Weapons that Billy realized he had neither name nor physical description of the person he'd agreed to meet. Oh well, he thought, life would be tedious without surprises every now and then.

When he slipped through the entrance, though, he was somewhat surprised by the being. He was taller and scalier than his human-centric expectations had imagined---but it was no matter. Interactions with people of different species were nothing new to him. The unfamiliar curse words intrigued him as well, but he put them aside.

"Ah...hello, sir. Are you all right?" Hi, Kang, have a somewhat small adult-sized human looking up at you.

[governorkang]

Taller, scalier, and very much more medieval, to judge by the leather armor and the axe between his wings. Kang straightened up, turning to face the source of the voice. Ah, there he was.

"You're Billy, right? I spoke with you through the... omnicom just recently, in regards to learning more about engineering," he tapped the device that was peeking out of a pocket in his kilt, then offered his scar-covered hand. "I am Kang."

[morphitudinous]

Billy offered his best welcoming smile. "I am. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, carefully gripping the hand in his while avoiding the claws and shaking it as firmly as his weaker muscles would allow.

"If it's not too much trouble to ask, why are you interested in this department?" Maybe he had some relevant skill, or an interest stemming from a valuable experience.

[governorkang]

The grip in that hand wasn't very strong, and Kang was careful to keep his claws from Billy's skin. He was stilll getting used to the humans on the ship being so... friendly towards him.

"You as well. I was an engineer for close to forty years, but my knowledge is more geared towards trebuchets, siege engines, and the like. I doubt you'll have much use for them."

[morphitudinous]

"No, I'm sure you'll be useful to us. We may not always have access to the advanced technology available here. Stacy rarely warns us before we're sent on a mission, so we may well have to raid a fort using traditional methods. Also, that work gives you an understanding of physics that is useful for more advanced work."

He smiles slightly. "I don't have the problem to nearly the same extent that you do, but I'm also further behind on technology than my peers. I've used my downtime to attempt to catch up. At least we know where to begin now---from there, we can probably move to the mechanics of cannons, guns, and other devices."

[governorkang]

Kang's head tilted to one side slightly, "That's a good thing to know. The missions, that is. And, I would be happy to share what I know." It wasn't like it was going to hurt anything, with how far behind it was compared to what most of the others were used to.

He crossed his arms over his chest, looking around the area again. "I'm going to need something to do, to keep my mind off of why I'm here. I do appreciate your help, and don't worry. I'm a fast learner."

[morphitudinous]

"Thank you, Kang. We'll appreciate your assistance immensely."

Billy tapped a finger to his temple. "I know what you mean about finding ways to occupy your time, so this will benefit both of us. We have a physics education program in place, but it's more conceptual. I'd prefer to start one more geared toward practical application, such as weapons development."

He ruffled his hair with a hand. "But before that, are there any questions about Stacy or life aboard her that I may be able to answer for you?"

[governorkang]

This Billy fellow was alright. Kang liked him already. "Well, we're all stuck in this situation together, and I'm a firm believer in unity in the face of adversity."

He chuckled, "Between this and possibly helping with combat training, I think I'll be fine. It'll almost be like when I was still military." He may have retired, but it was what he'd been created and raised to do, after all.

"Actually, yes. I seem to be the only one from my world here; Captain Kirk mentioned that our families are more than likely still in podsleep, but I'm a former officer. I'm very well aware of the things that are said to placate others," his wings rustled. "What are the actual, realistic chances?"

[morphitudinous]

"Oh, so that's the upside to all this trouble," he joked half-heartedly. "We've had some definite issues with crew unity, but hopefully they'll be resolved."

Billy silently noted Kang's military background. That would probably make the adjustment easier for him than other new crew members.

He closed his eyes. Recounting this information would be painful. "I'm not able to calculate that, but I can give you the version of the story I was told and what I've seen here. According to our allies and saviors, the Daligig, the people saved were of exceptional character and extraordinary influence, whether for good or evil, and their stories became legends that spread far beyond their home worlds. You probably saw how many pods Stacy holds when you woke up---they told us that the chosen legends and their immediate families were saved whenever possible."

Here, he needed to breathe. "I've only seen one of my close friends awaken here. Families have reunited here before---adopted children, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters. In their cases, usually all family members who awaken have some sort of combat experience or claim to fame in their world. I'm not so sure that my civilian parents were saved. If they were, though, I'd prefer that they stay asleep. They don't need to become involved in this war."

Billy rubbed at his forehead, looking suddenly tired. "I'm sorry that I can't give you a precise answer. I don't have sufficient data for that, as everyone you see around the ship is a tiny fraction of the refugees. No one knows how Stacy decides who to awaken or when, and if there's a list of all the refugees none of us have access to it."

[governorkang]

"You've got one right now with a human named Dustin. The arrogant bastard seems to think that he can play the hero and save all of us, and he's only been here as long as I have," Kang snorted. "I'm looking forward to seeing him get knocked off his high horse."

He listened carefully, wings drooping slightly. "That would explain why I was chosen, then. It's hard to imagine my being known outside of Krynn, though." A pause, and he frowned. "If that's the case... I have a mate, and children. They're only a month old. I don't know if they were saved or not, and I would rather have them awake so I knew that they were alright."

[morphitudinous]

"I'll keep that in mind." He'd try not to judge this Dustin unfairly before knowing him, though. In time, he hoped, he'd learn. "Stacy and the command crew have disciplinary powers here. If his behavior becomes a threat to your safety or efficiency, you can brief Command on the situation."

Billy suddenly wished they had some sort of mediation service available. Perhaps he could make the suggestion.

Upon hearing Kang's concern for his family, Billy's face shifted into a look of compassion. "I think I can understand that. Some time ago, a zombie infection took the lives of thousands of refugees before they had a chance to awaken. We were forced to kill our own, but fortunately none of us knew any of the deceased. But a similar tragedy could happen---you can better protect them if they're here with you. I hope you find them soon." He wasn't mentioning that to scare Kang, just to prepare him for the sorts of horrors he might be in for.

[governorkang]

If he didn't learn, he'd likely end up dead, or causing the deaths of others on the ship. Preferably the former, and no great loss, as far as Kang was concerned, though he wasn't going to say that out loud. "If I end up having problems with him, I'll take care of it myself. It's in his best interests to learn to respect me."

Oh shit. He didn't know what exactly a zombie was, but it sounded bad. His scales clicked anxiously at the news, "Is there a list of the names available?"

[morphitudinous]

"Then I wish you success." Billy wasn't quite sure what to think about the dispute, but he understood the value of resolving conflicts among themselves.

"Yes. Stacy made a list of names available to all of us before their funeral. It's probably stored on someone's omnicom if you'd like to review it---actually, I think I might have saved it. Here," he searched, pressed a string of buttons, and the file would now appear on Kang's device. "I sincerely hope your family is safe."

[governorkang]

"...thank you," Kang took out his omnicom and began looking through the list, before realizing there was a search option and awkwardly inputting names. Claws were not very conducive towards typing. Sighing in relief at not finding them, he smiled to himself, "There's still hope, then."

[morphitudinous]

Billy sighed in relief. Thank goodness they hadn't been forced to kill Kang's family. Well...maybe kill wasn't the right word if the zombies were already dead. He'd have to ask others how to correctly classify them.

"I'm glad. With any luck, they're sleeping safely and will be returned to you soon."

Fiddling with a small tool in his hands, he craned his neck up to look at Kang. "When did you want to begin the lessons?"

[governorkang]

Kang put his omnicom away, taking a deep breath. "Well, I don't really have much of anything else to do at the moment. If you're not busy, maybe now?" He did have several centuries' worth of information to learn, after all.

[morphitudinous]

"Now is fine with me." Here, Billy picks up his datapad and sketches a rough model of a trebuchet. "Make yourself comfortable."

"We'll start with the trebuchet, and how its mechanics apply to the laws of physics..."

The lesson proceeded in much that way for a little while.