The Sereni-Tree: Newcomers and Oldtimers
POSTED BY: TheRealMe
UPDATED: Friday, August 15, 2008 10:18
VIEWED: 20595
PAGE 3 of 10
ICE CREAM!
Yes good idea. Wonder if we still have any of that stuff from the Purple Dimension? Yum.
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*limps over to the refrigerator*
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*spies a barrel of cream*
*breathes on it with her icy breath*
*starts to munch on the icey cream*
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98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.
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In Sereni-Tree’s Main Engineering:
TheRealMe tries to control the nervousness in his voice as he turns to address the feet of Jet, which are sticking out from under a computer console. “Ahem. Bride4? Is lightning supposed to be shooting out of the top of the main Jump engines?”
The feet under the console squirm a bit. “No. Lightning? Really?”
“That would be bad then?”
“Yes, that’s bad. But there are various levels of bad.”
TheRealMe gulps. “Like that ‘moonquake’ we had a while back?”
“Yes. Vibrations like those are MUCH worse than the lightning. The lightning only means that the Jump engines are strained and are about to explode. Did you find the reference to the phase converter coupling, yet?”
TheRealMe pages through the giant volume of Sereni-tree’s technical specifications as written down by its builder, TheGreyJedi. Jet had made many updates over the intervening years in red as old equipment broke down, new equipment was installed, or circuit pathways were re-wired. She called the book “Grey’s Anatomy”. “Yes, Bride4. Here it is.” TheRealMe shoves the book under the console. The page is covered with complex technical drawings and inexplicable magical runes. TheGreyJedi was not only a gifted engineer, but also a tech-priest and a techno-mage.
Jet drags herself out from inside the computer console to gaze at the page. She adjusts her glasses and brushes back an errant strand of her dark hair. The fact that she is so small is useful for squeezing into tight places.
“Oh, Bride4?”
“Mmmm?” Jet’s attention is still focused on the page before her.
“What DID that ‘moonquake’ signify? Why is it more dangerous than our Jump engines exploding?” At that moment, a bolt of lightning shoots out of the Jump engines and misses TheRealMe by a scant few feet.
Still studying the page, Jet explains. “We were on a ballistic trajectory through hyperspace to our new destination, as determined when we entered hyperspace last week. Now, however, we are overdue for our exit into normal space and our protective fields are starting to collapse. Once they are gone, we will each be exposed to the effects of raw hyperspace and probably be reduced to our component atoms in seconds.”
“Is this problem more sabotage by the FemaleReaver, from back when she was still on board? I thought that you tracked that all down.”
“I thought so too. But it might be possible. Or maybe the engines are just getting old. Remember, Grey didn’t teach me EVERYTHING about his creation before he disappeared.” An image of intense concentration is fixed upon the young woman’s face, but soon she is laughing. She hops up and starts tapping on the console before her, the one with half of its guts carefully extracted and arranged upon the floor. Suddenly, there is another moonquake as Sereni-tree shivers throughout its entire structure.
Jet leans back in her chair, sighs, and closes her eyes for a moment. “Don’t worry, that was me. I had to recalibrate the fields aligned with the ship’s seventh dimensional axis. They were out of alignment.”
TheRealMe looks at the readings on the various engineering consoles around him. “Does that mean that…”
Sereni-Tree shudders again.
“That’s it!” Jet smiles. “We just dropped out of hyperspace. “
The lightning around the Jump engines subsides as the accumulated energy is radiated out to space.
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
Jet, Bride4, Engineer
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*the hand releases her grip. she paces back and forth*
I don't need a new me. I"m fine being a hand. It would be weird to be someone else's hand. Freaky weird. Could be funny though...I'm cool just hanging out with a clone that can escort me. That's all I need.
*plops down on the panel and listens (how's that?) to the engine troubles*
---
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
-- Charlie Brown
www.thatcostumegirl.com
www.thatweirdgirl.com
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*boosts the tree up*
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\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/$$\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/
98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.
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In Sereni-Tree’s main engineering.
Jet sighs as she makes the last adjustment on the keyboard. She looks up. “Okay. I think the engine’s main sequencer is all fixed, now.” She finishes collecting the guts of the console that had been carefully displayed on the floor and has put them back inside the workstation. She returns the cover to its back.
“Excellent, as always, Bride4!” TheRealMe says.
“Thanks.” Jet is already making updates in red ink to the Sereni-tree’s schematics.
TheRealMe is feeling uncomfortable and is preparing to depart when his com-link beeps. He activates it and answers, “Hello, this is Me.”
“Yeah. Uh, this is Quincey on the bridge. We seem to have dropped out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere. There is no star system here. No planet.
“Check the proximity scanner, Bride5. I will come up to the bridge presently.” He waves goodbye to Jet and heads out of the great vault doors.
==================
TheRealMe arrives on the bridge and drops into a workstation. “What have you found?”
Quincey pokes her head down from her place above in the pilot dome. “Large metallic mass. About an hour away after a normal burn. What is it?”
TheRealMe smiles. “It is a space ark, traveling at sub-light speeds between the stars. It is a sort of way station. An interstellar market. Anyway, make docking arrangements, Bride5. You see, in our previous thread we received orders from our Fearless Leader Ebonezer. She wanted to raid a lost ark.”
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
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Up in the pilot dome, Quincey concentrates as Sereni-Tree slowly approaches the docking port. She twists the left hand grip slightly, then the right as she nudges the spaceship into the appropriate spot. A series of grappler arms reach out to grab Sereni-Tree and gently guide it into its assigned berth. With a click, the ship is secured. Quincey sighs and leans back, stretching the kinks out of her muscles.
Below the pilot dome, TheRealMe sits in a bridge console, monitoring the docking procedure. “Good job, Bride5. Thank you.” He reaches over to touch a com control. His voice echoes throughout the ship. ”All Hands! We have docked at the space ark. It is a space station. A port of call. Our last, best hope to… shop. Shore leave is granted to the entire crew.”
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
Quincey, Bride5
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Quote:
Originally posted by thatweirdgirl:
*the hand releases her grip. she paces back and forth*
I don't need a new me. I"m fine being a hand. It would be weird to be someone else's hand. Freaky weird. Could be funny though...I'm cool just hanging out with a clone that can escort me. That's all I need.
*plops down on the panel and listens (how's that?) to the engine troubles*
Bluefishie comes out of the Sereni-Tree’s kitchen with another bowl of ice cream. She sets it on a table next to where the Hand is pacing. Ace is still sitting at that same table, nursing her latest drink.
The little purple squid thing slithers over to the bowl and climbs up on top of it. It starts slurping the ice cream in the bowl. “Thanks!” Bluefishie, the Hand, and Ace all think.
The Hand is somewhat startled to notice (how?) that the little purple squid-thing is an exact-but-tiny replica of Inola Teg, Eldritch Horror from the Purple Dimension. Inola Teg was encountered so long ago (Thread 6) that few others among the crew would remember her.
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*goes to get some of this ice cream*
*opens the fridge*
*eyes widen at the enormity of flavors*
How will I ever choose...?
#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#\/#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#
\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/$$\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/
98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.
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