A little time to himself

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

It was getting to be a little late at night, but the Obs deck was still occupied.

Seated on one of the meatcouches, looking out through the massive window into the Bleed, sat Cargn. He'd managed to calm himself from his frustration at their loss during the previous battle, and was now spending some time trying to relax himself further.

He had the right sleeve of his robe rolled up, since it kept catching in the joint of his new prosthetic arm. With his now steel and adamantium encased right hand he was writing down something in a fairly weathered looking tome using an old-fashioned feather quill.

In his other hand, he had a small glass tumbler with a thick, heady black liquor that he occasionally took sips from. It was a small pleasure he indulged in very rarely, one he picked up several centuries ago when he worked beside a rather eccentric Ordo Xenos Inquisitor in a several year long joint-operation. Even then, it wasn't as if he could get intoxicated with his enhanced physique.

He seemed to be enjoying the peace and quiet. Still, he seemed like he wouldn't mind some company.

Comments

[sanguineroyal.livejournal.com]

Late at night was Nanashi's mid-day. She decided to take a break before her training in the sensoriums, and found herself drawn to the Obs deck to stare out into the Void.

She couldn't help but notice Cargan. She had only met with him once before, when she was watching the basic training, but she was fairly sure that he did not have a prosthetic arm at that time. So there was a good chance that he lost it in the battle. As a warrior, her heart went out to him, but as a potential obstacle, it worked in her favour.

And made a good point to start talking with him. He had expressed concerns about her predatory nature over the Comms after her speech. She did not like how good his observations were. Of course, that meant she wanted to speak with him a bit more to see how much of a danger he might be.

She strode over to him and put her hand on the back of the meatcouch, gazing out into the Bleed. She stayed there silently for a moment before asking, "What is it that you are drinking?"

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"Theosophist's Philtre," he says without looking up from his work. "It's said to lend one who drinks it incredible insight, but I personally enjoy it for more mundane reasons."

Despite his congenial tone, he was wary of this one. One does not let a predator in one's midst without keeping an eye on it.

[sanguineroyal.livejournal.com]

"Does it really lend insight?" she asked, raising a brow. It was not like she could use it even if it did, but it sounded interesting none the less. "And would you mind me asking the mundane reasons?"

She kept watching the Bleed. She wanted to know what he was working on, but she would not let her eyes betray her until she was ready to casually ask as well.

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"Likely such stories arose from the drunken philosophical discussions of nobles intoxicated on it," he says with a slight chuckle. "I personally prefer it for the taste, of course. A good liquor burns on the way down. Reminds you you're alive."

That last part might have been a subtle jab at her. It's hard to tell, really.

[sanguineroyal.livejournal.com]

She laughed, "I would not know. I have never had liquor on its own." Even if she would have noticed the jab, Nanashi was unfamiliar with the idea of the 'undead'.

Seeing an opportunity she let her eyes fall to the page, trying to read a bit of it with what appeared to be an honest curiosity. "What is it that you are working on?"

[bluebrassmonkey.livejournal.com]

When one couldn't tell night from day, a schedule could be impossible to keep.

Still, with as much time on his paws as he's had, Renne had done many hours of studying, practising and otherwise trying to do all that he'd done for the last eleven years. Self-teach in things almost too foreign to really grasp. His lessons had been mixed -- walking was turning out decently despite or because of his utterly odd, rolling gait. The only flaw was, that he had to constantly, consciously remind himself to stand up and not crawl. Like now.

English? That was the slow one but at this time, it didn't concern him. Other things did. Things that worried at him like a pack of wolves worrying a grizzly. Things that did and didn't concern him, things that led him down into the Observation Deck with a shadow of memory passing through his mind.

Renne stopped those particular thoughts before they got too far.

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

Cargn noticed the little blue creature entering the room, the eyeless vision afforded to him by his powers allowing him to see all the way over by the entrance despite facing the window.

"Greetings, little one," he says simply. The wording might sound patronizing to most people, but Cargn's tone implied more respect than that. He knew this one was more than he appeared to be.

[bluebrassmonkey.livejournal.com]

The voice puzzles him, intrigues him. Ears flicking forward, Renne remains down in his crawling motion simply for the knowledge of the floor. Without the training required with cane-use...perhaps crawling is still his safest bet.

Skin flashing thin stripes of curious, the Renne chirps a reply and crawls toward Cargn's sound. Scent? That's...harder to define.

"Hell-loww."

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

Cargn chuckles slightly to himself at the creature's odd behavior.

"It is rather late, my friend. What has you up and about at this hour?"

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Suddenly, beside Cargn, sat Miku. Her hair was still mussed from sleep, and hung down in almost waves and half curls over her shoulders.

"Good evening, Cargn-sensei," she greeted.

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

Cargn smiles slightly, nodding in her direction when she greeted him.

"Good evening, my dear," he says, taking a sip of his drink. "Trouble sleeping?"

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Something woke me up," she replied and shrugged. Knowing she'd been alone in her room, she felt it more prudent to question it. After all, the dead hadn't bothered her in a long while. "But I don't know if it was a dream-something or a real-something, so I thought it best to leave my room for a bit."

Miku tucked her legs under her and nodded at the glass and book, "You're up late, too, though. Aren't you sleeping well?"

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps a wise decision, considering what can happen on this vessel."

At her own question, he chuckles slightly and taps one finger on his temple.

"Catalepsean Node. It allows me to rest parts of my brain that I am not using while still remaining awake. One of the benefits to being an Astartes Adept, especially if one has work they wish to finish."

[jesushasayak.livejournal.com]

"Copper for your thoughts?" said a calm familiar voice. Behind him stood Aang, who then walked over and took a seat next to Cargn, legs folded in a lotus position.

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"Ah, greetings," Cargn says with a smile. "Just passing some time, I suppose."

"I am not given much to politics, being a warrior and such. Though I am still intrigued to see how these 'elections' will turn out."

It would be a sign of whether the crew could come together or tear itself apart.

[jesushasayak.livejournal.com]

"I like it. The arguing isn't really good because it's not the good kind of arguing that goes anywhere, but I like that everyone gets their say by voting," said Aang. "It'd different from back home, but I think that's in a a good way. People can choose someone they trust so they aren't always questioning their decisions."

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"I am not quite familiar with the method they chose to decide upon a leader, but I am willing to see it through. If it will bring some measure of cohesion to this crew, it is perhaps worth the risk."

I cheat. And send two.

[el-escarabajo.livejournal.com]

"So is your superpower, like, being really, really intimidating?"

He's joking, but at the same time, he's not.

There's a reason he's here, a reason that has to do with the fight, and with something he figured out. This guy is the mysterious guy what knows something of what's going on, so he needs to talk to him. Jaime needs to figure out if what instinct is telling him is true.

Re: I cheat. And send two.

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"I am also very good at Poker and Regicide."

He was also joking slightly.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

[el-escarabajo.livejournal.com]

"Guess any poker-playing kings have to watch out," Jaime jokes, but he still stands there, arms crossed, his expression somber despite the joking.

"You're the guy who knows what's going on. More than the rest of us, at least. About the Ohm, about...everything. And I have a feeling there's more you're not telling us that what you are."

Jaime walks closer, arms still crossed, but it's a self-conscious gesture, like he's holding something in.

"I have questions. About the Ohm. And I need answers."

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"Hmn. And I am sure you have proof of such deception?"

He doesn't seem to be fazed by the accusation. Rather, he seems vaguely intrigued by the one who brought it to him.

[morphitudinous]

With sleep out of the question, the next-best way to spend the night was to begin to form their weapons against the Ohm. Billy arrived as promised, looking slightly disheveled but just as focused as usual. In his arms he held four separate datapads, linked to exchange information between them at any moment. It was foolish to collect this type of information without backup data sets, especially considering that he could disappear again at any moment.

"I've collected data on the fight from our mecha pilots' systems, and that's available here along with a summary." It was forked over to Cargn easily. "I was attempting to determine which weapons used were most effective, but I believe you can do that more effectively than I can. And there's the experimental weapons to discuss, of course."

He didn't waste a second while in work mode, already preparing to take exhaustive notes.

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

Cargn closes the book he was writing in before looking over the notes Billy had sent him.

"One of the primary issues in fighting the Ohm is their thick armor," he says after a few moments. "From what you've brought me, it appears that Las-weaponry is a good deal more effective than most others. Burns through the armor."

"Perhaps I can see if there are any man-portable Las-cannons from my world in the armory for our crew that fights on foot. They're usually used as anti-tank weaponry, but perhaps we could use them against their larger sub-types."

[morphitudinous]

"Thick armor. Got it." He'd known that from his own notes and Cargn's previous lessons, but that was a point to focus on and scribble down.

Billy sat, thinking to himself about all of this. "And with your guidance, they could probably be duplicated and modified if necessary. We ensured that we adequately restocked during shore leave."

By then, his words were closer to their normal pace than a nervous rapid-fire. "I'd also recommend talking to Wyn. She could lead an effort to modify some of our mecha to use similar weapons from the air, but she's likely to be asleep."

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

"Well, I recommend my world's Las-cannons solely because they are easy to use and easy to maintain, while still being effective. I believe the Las-weaponry currently installed on most of our combat vehicles are superior in terms of firepower to the Las-canons, but would be more difficult to replicate."

"As for our crew members who prefer close-combat, I have been thinking upon that as well. I know the Jedi wield weaponry known as lightsabers, which appear to be quite effective against the Ohm, but would likely be impossible for us to replicate. However, I believe we can easily install power-field generators into standard, mundane weaponry, much like the Power Weaponry of my world. This would encase the weapon in a field of energy, allowing it to burn through the armor in much the same way as the lightsabers."