In Which A Programmer Discovers the Sensorium [Open]

[kirasaves.livejournal.com]

He'd heard about the Sensorium - places where anything could be created - but hadn't really believed their capabilities until he'd been inside it.

Kira first tried to create a simple white room, and was surprised when the ship seemed to respond to his words, forming, indeed, a white room around him. After that, he'd populated it with little objects and mementos, starting small, until he'd recreated his room on the Archangel.

Where to go after this? The possibilities were endless, and so he couldn't really resist trying to see how far he could take it. So, he requested a different style of interface: A computer pad through which he could describe the area he had in mind. Kira's fingers flew over the keyboard, and before long, the white room had become a beautiful, idyllic garden in front of a large manor house, complete with glass-covered gazebo.

Beyond that, though, the rest of the world began to take shape - a balcony overlooking large body of water, in the center of which was a massive pillar that stretched high into the sky... where it disappeared from view. In fact, though the walls did an excellent job at recreating the illusion of a blue sky, the entire place was contained as part of a space colony - or, as known in his world, a PLANT.

It was Lacus' manor garden, where he'd awoken after the destruction of his Strike. He'd only spent a brief amount of time here as he recuperated, but it was still... relaxing. It felt peaceful.

Kira sat on one of the garden benches, looking up at the sky, and feeling the breeze across his face. None of it was real; it was just a simulation that he'd programmed. But how could he ever tell the difference?

(ooc: Open, open, open! Come bug and/or meet Kira :D

Also, this is a truly open log. Feel free to thread hop or interject if only to meet new people 8D)

Comments

[morphitudinous]

"And we'd be glad to have you on board. Piloting isn't on the immediate agenda, and there are no vessels available to us at this time; however we have several people with talents in that field. Somewhere along the line, we may need to build our own vehicle and put it to use on a future mission." Whether that includes battle tanks or escape pods isn't known yet, but Billy sees potential uses for either.

With an awkward smile, he successfully grasps Kira's hand and shakes it firmly. Someone should give these two a medal for their hard-earned achievement. "Precisely. The cultural dissonance has been an enlightening experience, to say the very least."

[kirasaves.livejournal.com]

Kira nodded, and hesitated for a fraction of a sentence before continuing, "I have a little experience piloting myself, too. I think I might be more useful as a programmer, though." The self-deprecating smile grew a bit larger, and not entirely faked, either.

His grip is firm, though not outright hard. "I'm still getting used to the idea of... meeting people from beyond the Earth Sphere," he admitted.

[morphitudinous]

"I think we all are, to be honest. There are organic structures and species here that I never even dreamed of. If---when we're returned home, I'd be honored to somehow share some of what we learn with the scientific community."

Billy sighs and settles his hands on his belt. "Engineering's laboratories are located near the medical bay. Someone from our department is always there, so you can drop in at any time. I must warn you, though, that our engineers are quite defensive of their projects and react poorly to any perceived signs of tampering." It's a bit of an understatement where some crewmates are concerned, but not untrue.

[kirasaves.livejournal.com]

For a second, Kira looks thoughtful. "I wonder if people could handle it... suddenly learning about everything beyond the Sun. So many of them mistrust what they aren't familiar with already."

Still, he looked up, letting the distant look slip away. "I knew a lot of professors and students like that, so you don't need to worry. I'll stop by soon."

[morphitudinous]

"True. If I presented the information all at once, it would in all likelihood invite distrust and conspiracy theories, possibly setting back the advancement of technology even further. It would have to be done at a believable pace, and perhaps only the parts that would immensely benefit the Earth."

Billy leans back and twists his face into a smile. "Excellent. My crewmates might be rough around the edges, but they mean well. The sciences tend to attract people with poorer than average social skills, for some reason. If you run into any problems, you can contact me or Allen Gentry over the communicators. He's the co-chief of this department and one of our more gregarious engineers."

[kirasaves.livejournal.com]

"Even then, it might take people decades to get used to the ideas. It depends on how different they are, I guess." He shrugged.

"I will," Kira nodded, the ghost of a smile on his face. "If I can help out in any way, let me know. I don't have much else to do right now anyway."