trans_9 | Archaeology, Natural Disasters and You [Closed]

The trip down revealed that Taleen was going to be of several things, none of which were pleasant. Arid, pale with a light dusting of red from the rocks, and yellow-white grass that extended in plains all the way towards far off mountains . There was a giant gash in the land near the orb landing area, which resolved itself into a massive canyon as the party drew closer. Spider webbing out across the top of the canyon were signs that a civilization had once flourished here. Traces of broken pillars and half submerged buildings, as well as what looked like a downed ship that had embedded itself in a massive building. There was no movement visible amongst the ruins now. As the dry wind blew through the stonework, it would became clear that they were walking into a mass graveyard.

Not somewhere you'd want to spend your vacation.

For some people, this was going to be a field day.

According to the scans and what little records they had, there hasn't been a sentient being around for hundreds of years. The majority of native wildlife had moved out of the area, seeking refuge. The land looked dead already. In the sky above, several specks of light twinkled in the sky, growing bigger with each passing hour. In a few days, it will be raining fire.

[Closed to Daniel, Eleventh Doctor, Sofia, Jamie, Hoshi, Howard, Billy, the Master, River Song, Cassie, Tom]

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Cassie was a bit taken aback at the alien's response, not understanding why a smile would elicit fear. But, then again, what did she know of her companion's culture? Nowhere near as much as she should. Perhaps a smile was a threat in his society or something else along those lines. She pressed her lips together, her mouth in a straight line, hoping that that would put her companion more at ease. It was a relief to see him relax, although she doubted that it had to do with her actions given the timing.

"Ninety-Seven? That's your name or your title?" she asked, seeking clarification. The process of choosing names by number reminded her some of Yeerk society, who were generally referred to by a name, number, and which pool that Yeerk had born to. It was interesting. This was the first alien race, besides the Yeerks, that she'd met who included numbers as a part of the way the identified themselves. At least, as far as she knew. Admittedly though, she didn't know as much about Taxxons and Gedds as she did the Hork-Bajir, Andalites, and Yeerks.

Cassie watched nervously as her companion began to grab at the plate. "I... maybe we should dig a bit more. It's still pretty deep in the dirt." She didn't want the object to be damaged before she could show it to some of the others on the team. Perhaps they could make sense of it.

"Are they not one and the same?" Ninety-Seven asked. Humans seemed to have more words than they knew what to do with, and all for the same thing. He was Ninety-Seven, his rank and place were Ninety-Seven. If he got promoted, he would change his identity to match.

The bug reluctantly let go. He'd wanted to show Cassie just how strong he was and he was sure he could get the item out for it- her? Was this a male or a female?

"If you insist" he said. He knelt, limbs folding in an eye crossing display, and began to dig with his claws around the artifact. "This seems like a highly inefficient means to unearth something. If you will pardon the forward comment," he hurriedly said. It wasn't like it was his place to criticize orders, but he was never the greatest at keeping his opinion to himself. "If you'd like, I could utilize my Agkth-ttt to assist in the process."

It translated loosely to acid bug spit. Primarily used to help in construction, it could easily go through the dirt. And the artifact.

Edited 2011-09-29 07:10 (UTC)

Cassie hesitated as she thought over what Ninety-Seven had told her, filing it away in her mind for further reference. "I suppose that they could be," Cassie said thoughtfully. This was an interesting fact. "That's not the way it works for humans though, so it's not something that's terribly familiar to me. I'm sorry for my ignorance, Ninety-Seven. I still have a lot to learn." She tilted her head, watching her companion curiously. "Could you... tell me more about your culture? I'd like to learn."

"Thank you for understanding, Ninety-Seven," she responded gently. "You're right that this is probably more inefficient then your method, but this way we can take it slow so that nothing is damaged while we unearth the artifact. You and I may not be able to decipher this thing, but perhaps one of the others with us can. Besides, we might be able to find more artifacts like this one while we dig." She tilted her head, looking confused. "Agkth-ttt? May I ask what that is?"

"You are learning.", Ninety-Seven said, thinking he was being extremely gracious and polite. "We are a hive. We each have our own roles, work as one collective, but we can gain rank if we do a beyond perfection job. I hope to do such a job, but like you, I am learning. Captain Eneesh is the most perfect at her job. It is why she carries two names."

Because that explains everything. "How do you fleshlings name each other? Doesn't it get confusing without numbers?"

Ninety-Seven looked as disappointed as a bug could. His feelers drooped for a moment then perked up. "Of course, Cassie. I will work as you prefer." This fleshling almost got even the pronunciation right. Incredible. He got to work next to the fleshling, and thought best how to describe the process. He made a motion with a claw. It looked suspiciously like regurgitation. "Agkth-ttt. It is a liquid we can secrete by reverting the flow of our Ii-Nkl gland, mixing it with our Sionl center as it comes up our throats. Very powerful. Very thick and...gooey? Is that the word?"

Edited 2011-10-01 06:12 (UTC)

Archaeology, Natural Disasters and You [Closed]

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