trans_9 | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Planet Designation: Agrestic Status: Terrestrial, Q-class. Non-sentient life: Extensive agricultural flora and livestock. Natural habitats have been entirely eliminated Semi-Sentient Life: None. Sentient Life: Population 18 billion. Variety of races due to history of heavy immigration from neighboring universes. Dominant race Kanil, although representatives claim no species-based discrimination exists on planet. Water: 80% of the planet's surface. Climate: Varied. Current location is warm and moderately humid, average temperature 60 degrees Farenheit. Regular rain seasons. Landscape: Mountains, plains and oceans. No deserts. All terrain has been terraformed for maximum productivity. Air: Type I (breathable) Sky: Red. Warnings: Daligig not permitted within Agrestican territory. Mission: Shore leave and refueling.

As Stacy's shuttles bring the crew down, they're treated to the sights of massive mountains to dwarf even the mightiest Earth mountain range and golden, green and purple grain fields that take up more space than some entire civilizations have managed to colonize. The shuttles finally settle at the primary port city, Rura, which is ideally situated near and equidistant to a sprawling ocean, the base of a mountain range and a swath of farmland.

The people of Agrestic, including humans, Helians, Kanil, and plenty of other races, are for the most part hard at work and rushing from place to place. Very few pay much attention to Stacy's shuttles, as travelers stopping at this city and incredibly commonplace. Those that aren't working are relaxing, unencumbered by technological gadgets - while the technology here is very advanced, it seems primarily used to aid workers in their duties, and not for leisure. Fresh produce brought into the market is scanned by tiny mechanical beetles that inspect each piece for defects, but the children are more likely to be playing with sticks and rocks than anything else.

The crew exits the shuttles to find themselves at a large air-port like building, which opens up to a farmer's market and a strip of restaurants. As they exit the shuttles, some of the human port workers apologize for any inconvenience.

"We're sorry you couldn't bring the whole ship down, but the Truce specifically forbids Daligig to enter our airspace. You're lucky we managed to get clearance for shuttles of Daligig make to come in!" they say, before rushing off to help the next arrivals.

To return to the ship, a crew member may enter a shuttle and the autopilot will zip them back up to Stacy's underbelly. The crew may make as many trips back and forth as they like.

[OOC: This post itself will be for interactions with NPCs. Please do not set up subthreads in this post unless you are an NPCer. If you would like to create a new location on Agrestic, or do an open/closed log on the shore leave, please set up your own log. This will make it easier for our NPCers to know where they're needed.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, we have a whole library." Basil gestures with his tail to the aisles of books. "Help yourself to the fruit while our wait staff gets their act together. If you don't mind, I'll keep you all company as I rest my feet. Have you traveled far?"

Barbara giggled a little at Jamie's defensiveness, despite how rude it probably was. She covered her mouth with a hand and tried to fashion her eyes so they would look at least a little apologetic.

"A 'bookworm' is an expression for those who love to read. It isn't an insult - I'm a bookworm and I think that, at times, Ian can be too," she told him, teacher voice switched on just enough to be noticeable.

"Sometimes," Ian admitted, smiling himself. "If it's a good book."

"It depends on whether you mean how far we've travelled today or in total since we left home," he said, turning to Basil. "Today we came from a ship in orbit. But we're originally from a planet a long way away." Well, probably. But given that Earth didn't exist any more, it didn't really matter how far away it was.

"Oh. I see." Jamie, feeling a bit sheepish, gave Basil an apologetic look. Hopefully he wouldn't be too upset over the misunderstanding. "Thank ye very much for the fruit," he said politely, sliding the plate over so everyone could share. As Ian spoke, he nodded in agreement.

"Aye, we're here to pick up some supplies."

Basil's tail lays on the floor, rather than twitching in irritation. You're all clear, Jamie.

"In orbit? You wouldn't happen to be from that infernal meatball the Daligig inflicted on us, would you?"

No more smiles for you, Basil.

"Apparently."

It wasn't as if they had a choice, and Barbara could have said as much. One moment she was on Earth and the next, she was waking up naked in a pod of goop. She bit into an apple instead of talking. Still having every intention of exploring what literary delights she could find within the shelves, Barbara had no intention of being booted from the restaurant just yet.

"What makes you call it that?" Ian said lightly, taking a piece of fruit. He was worried too about being thrown out, but didn't want to sound like they'd done something wrong, in case that made Basil's mind up.

Having been caught mid-chew when Basil spoke, Jamie - perhaps fortunately - didn't chime in. Instead, he frowned ever so slightly, fruit held still in one hand as he waited to see what the reply to Ian's question would be. After all, the Daligig weren't allowed on the planet, so there had to be some reason for it. Maybe this would give them some sort of idea as to why.

Edited 2012-03-14 08:54 (UTC)

"One moment, please." Basil walks off to the kitchen and returns with a pineapple and a few melons in a basket before setting them on the table. "Some extra food on the house. I hear the rubbish they feed you on that ship is disgusting and it's certainly not your fault you've been kidnapped."

It's clear his opinion of the Daligig does not extend to the Trans 9 crew.

The fruit was a surprise. After talking so distastefully of Stacey, Barbara was certain they'd be discouraged from eating there. Or kicked out entirely.

"You know about all of that?" Barbara asked, confused.

He was right about the food and Ian happily started on a melon. "I wouldn't say we were kidnapped," he pointed out. "Our planet has been destroyed by the Ohm. It's not as if we have anywhere else to go."

"Aye, maybe so, Ian," commented Jamie, eying the pineapple thoughtfully, wondering if it'd be a problem if he pulled his dirk to try and cut it open. Basil was being...well, rather good to them, all things considered. He didn't want to alarm the man...er, cat.

"But it's not as though we've been given much choice in the matter either. How do ye get this thing open, anyway?"

"You use a knife, of course." He chuckles at Jamie and twitches his tail towards the silverware on the table. "And of course it's kidnapping. They didn't ask you politely before they took you onto their ship and imposed your rules, did they?"

Being the motherly woman as she often was, Barbara took the pineapple and a knife from the table, and began to cut it for Jamie.

"They didn't ask, no but Ian does have a point. Were it not for Stacey, we would be homeless or possibly dead." That wasn't such a pleasant thought but, she had a pineapple to focus on. No time to dwell on morality at the moment!

A few slices of pineapple (skin removed) were placed on a plate and passed over to Jamie. She assumed that Ian would want some, too, seeming as there was an incredible lack of fresh food on Stacey, and stacked a few rings on his plate before offering some to Basil.

Ian was currently working on the melon, but wasn't going to complain about having some pineapple too. But there was enough melon to go round that he passed slices of it over to Jamie and Barbara, although they would still have to separate it from its skin. "Is Stacy common knowledge?" he wondered.

"Hey!" Jamie tried to reach for the pineapple as Barbara took it and started cutting, fingers making a grab but falling short. Now that he's seen where she'd taken the top off of it, he could take care of the rest. Barbara was too quick for him, but he was mollified by the plate of fruit handed his way and tucked into it readily enough. He was quiet again up until Ian's question.

"Mm," he commented, then decided actually finishing the piece he'd been eating was a good idea. That done, he said, "We've been to a planet before where they knew who we were. Or who the ship was, at any rate."

"'Stacy'?" Basil tilts one ear back in an expression of curiosity. "Is that the ship you're on? Quite the strange name. We only know them by their Transmigration designation numbers. Yours is nine, isn't it?"

"Um," Barbara remembered the word 'Transmirgration' but she couldn't remember the number. "I've always called her Stacey. Seemed the most appropriate."

She picked up the melon on her plate, but held on to it, rather than ate it for a moment. "If you know so much about us and the ship, how come you don't like the Daligig?"

He wondered if Basil knew about Transmigrations 1-8 in that case, but he ate his melon and waited for him to answer Barbara's question first. Not least because his answer might answer Ian's question.

"It's easier to say Stacy than what she says her name is," commented Jamie, spearing another piece of pineapple with the knife that's on the table. "But aye, it's the ninth one, or so we've been told."

He flicked a glance between Barbara and Ian, then turned his attention back to Basil, rather curious as to what his response was going to be. Why didn't he like the Daligig?

"We on Agrestic and the Daligig have quite the sordid history. Namely, our planet only rose to prominence because of the war they introduced to this section of the multiverse, and then they saw fit to send us on suicide missions and boss us around rather than risk their own kind. We established the Truce to keep them from continuing to send our people to their deaths unwillingly."

Barbara glanced at Ian and Jamie, putting down her fruit and wiping her hands on the napkin. The conversation was far more interesting than fresh food. "But how did that all start?"

Nothing was going to put Ian off his food. "How did it end?"

"Aye, and I'd like to hear about those suicide missions as well." Because that was sounding a bit too close to something he had gone through for his liking...although, like Ian, the notion wasn't about to put Jamie off his food.

"Er, if you'll not mind telling us somewhat about them. Do they do that to everyone they...ah, work with?"

"As far as we know." Basil's tail lashes back and forth, knocking a book off the shelf - he looks embarrassed and picks it back up.

"The Truce is still in effect, unless something happened in the ten minutes since I've seen the paper. It started because they had a habit of giving faulty information to our generals to use our warriors as decoys, rather than letting our soldiers make an informed decision to die. Naturally, they never risked their beloved Kessek in these battles."