OOC: Yeah, I know this is my second solo rp happening right now, but I want Sins of the Father to be more of a narrative, long-form story while this can be more of a shorter-post, more frequently updating rp
ââWelcome to our shining beacon in the darkness, the one and only FELLIS STATION! Out here in the Sorvens, it might seem a little empty, but know that your presence here is another pinprick of light in our cosmic family!â The welcome message blared through the lobby, ensuring everyone there could hear it. In the center a hologram displayed a cartoon star dancing with an equally cartoony Scytheros.
âAt its base, the real High Lord stared up at it, shaking his head. Loud footsteps echoed behind him. Scytheros didnât need to turn around to know who it was.
ââYou know, you Scytherians try to hard to be funny, and yet I never laugh.â
ââWell thatâs just too bad, since youâre stuck with us!â Governor Lux appeared at the High Lordâs side, grinning. The two locked arms.
ââHowâve you been, Governor?â
ââBusy, busy, but alright. And how has your eminence fared in these times?â
ââSince when have you used a dictionary?â Lux chuckled.
ââYou know, Scytheros, for someone who was just talking about how much you hate humor, you sure seem like a comedian to me.â This earned a slight smile from Scytheros. âAnyway, Iâm sure youâd like to see the damn place, so if youâll follow meâŠâ
ââYouâll notice, of course, the luxury of the lobby, as well as the first couple floors. This was designed to let our researches stay in comfort while theyâre not working. Iâm sure you know of the⊠stresses that BrightSpace can enduse. Additionally, the station is designed to split into two parts. We figured that, should the technology start to pose a risk to our safety, it would be best to have the living quarters a healthy distance away.â Lux explained, pointing put some of the features in the halls.
ââAnd it would allow us to more easily quarentineâor destroyâthe labs.â
â"You know us too well, Scytheros. I suppose Iâd know you Avansi if I was named âAvantiâ "
âScytheros chuckled. âYou know Governor, itâs been a while since someoneâs called us that.â
ââWell, itâs your name, ainât it?â
ââIt is, it was.â
âThe two silently continued the tour.
âAfter another hour of touring, the luxuries died out. Here was a place of muted grays and cold, steel walls. The affect of it was immediate. It seemed to say âleave your joys behindâ. before them was the elevator, one of several that connected pleasure to science.
ââIn the case of an emergency quarantine, we have the ability to shut off these elevators or, god forbid a rapid detachment is required, jettison them into space. This room and the others like it can be completely sealed off from the rest of the station.â Lux commented. He eyed the elevator with a growing anticipation.
ââNo stations for military action?â
ââWhat, you expect a fight with BrightSpace?â
ââDonât bet on the knife.â
ââTouchĂ©, theyâll be in place by the time weâre done touring the station. For the record, I still think this is highly unnecessary.â
ââOpinion noted. Continue with the tour, if you will. There are some things Iâm eager to see.â
ââOh, I know who youâre talking about. Youâre going to love him; Hexadecimal did a great job with the kid⊠heh.â
Deeper in the stationâŠ
All was still in the laboratory. All was silent. Itaâs eyes were locked with the robot seated no more than a yard away, waiting. Finaly, she broke the silence.
âWell, are you going to sit there all day, or play the damn game?â The robotâs head looked down, examining the board.
âDr. Ita, is it not the point of this game to win?â
âIt isâŠâ
âThen if I can see no way forward that leads to victory, how am I supposed to play?â
âIn that case, you either give up, or move the piece and give your opponent the middle finger on your way out.â
âHrmm, I seeâŠâ he picked up the piece and played it, capturing three pieces in the process. Ita moved, finally ending the game.
âSee, that wasnât too bad, now was it? Good game.â The bot observed the board again.
âThis âcheckersâ is awfully strange. I think Iâd like to try it again some time.â
âYes yes yes, of course. For the meantime, I think itâs time for some actual science.â
(OOC note: to any who know the AI as Father Time from me talking about him on the discord, Iâve changed it to Chronos)
âAh, yes, the anomoly problem. It seems strange to me that youâd want to open one, considering the last one erased hundredsnof years worth of history.â
âIt destroyed more than just history, Chronos, it destroyed an entire system, and peopleâs homes.â
âHomes can be rebuilt. The Vanti live long enough for it, and the Mandi die too soon to care.â
âAnd what of the others? Do they not matter?â
âIf youâre asking me, Dr., no territory citizen with half a brain would want to live on the Vanti-Mand border.â Ita made to retort, but Chronos beat her to it. It was an annoying tendency of his. âBack to the matter, Colonus has the BrightSpace drives, why would High Lord Scytheros need anomalies?â
âWe can enter and exit BrightSpace just fine, yes, but weâre locked out of the potential. Itâs true that the anomoly ate away at Araknisâs star until it exploded in the smallest supernova on record, but thereâs more to it than that.â Ita paused, looking back at the bot. âItâs energy, Chronos. BrightSpace turns practically everything into light, but that reaction, even if for the tiniest moment, turns anything it touches into pure energy. There had to be a way to harvest that.â
âAnd if we canât?â
âThe Scytheros will find anither way. The manâs on a warpath. Colonus needs progress, and it needs it fast.â Chronos was silent, audibly spinning gears in what she could only assume was a metaphir taken literally.
âWe donât have suffiecient data to open a wormwhole. Iâm requesting a ship as I speak. Iâll leave the big man to you.â Ita nodded and turned to the elevator. He was comming down anyway, no reason to wait.
The elevator silently slid open, its thick metal doors disappearing into the walls. Governor Lux stepped out first.
âChronos, Dr. Ita,â he said, nodding his head at them, âmay I formally introduce High Lord Scytheros.â Scytheros followed him out of the elevator, shaking his head.
âLux, I am ever amazed that you survived my fatherâs reign.â
âWhat, like he would ever kill me?â Scytheros just stared at him. âRight?â Lux repeated, less confident now. Scytheros clasped his shoulder and turned to Dr. Ita.
âDoctor, Chronos, itâs a pleasure to finally meet youâ.
âThe pleasure is all mine, my lordâ Ita said, bowing down. Sheâd never met Scytheros of course, but she knew much about him. She was surprised, however, to find that his friendship with Governor Lux wasnât over exaggerated. Ita tried to immagine the two back on Scytheros, visiting the sights. There had been that rumored sighting at the muppet zooâŠ
âHigh Lord Scytheros, in order to get a jump start on our research, it would be practical to be able to observe BrightSpace from the inside.â
âIf thatâs what you need to do, then by all means, do it.â
âThereâs a little more to it than thatâŠâ Ita started, less certain than Chronos. Scytheros cocked her head at her.
âWell, what is it?â
âJust scanning BrightSpace isnât going to be enough, my Lord, we barely understand it how it is. We need to observe BrightSpacesâs interaction with our universe.â Chronos began, looking at Ita.
âYou mean letting it dissintigrate our ships.â
âYes, my Lord, big ships.â Syctheros turned away, talking with Lux in a hushed voice. Finally, the governor pitched in.
âWell, you have any volenteers?â
âAbout that, Governor. You could go without one of the reserve fleets, right?â Governor Lux burst out laughing.
âSee Scytheros, I told you you were going to like him!â Scytheros just shook his head.
âVery well, use the fleet. But after this, I think it would be pragmatic for us to discuss reasonal expectations going forward. Come now governor, I believe you were going to show me the rest of the science wing?â
âYes, of course. I think the panic room would be a good place to visit next.â
âYes⊠I think that would be wiseâŠâ
3 months laterâŠ
Dr. Ita sat with her head on her arms, wishing she could be anywhere else at that moment. When she was selected to head the BrightSpace project all sheâd thought about was the breakthroughs and enhanced understanding of the multiverse humanity had found itself in.
She had no idea how boring itâd be.
âDr., you simply must see this! Itâs incredible!â
âChronos, Iâm biological, remember? I take one look out thar window and I can kiss my eyes goodbye.â
âAh, yes, of course. Iâll have to describe it to you later.â
âSo, thatâs the fourth ship weâve sent screaming into oblivion. Tell me weâve made some progress.â Chronos activated the âblindsâ and turned his robotic body to face the doctor.
âOh yes, plenty of progress! No matter the size of the ship, the conversion into light seems to happen at a constant rate. So constant in fact, that Iâd almost say itâs organized!â
âSo we can tell how fast this is happening?â
âIndeed. In our dimension, judging from the Araknis data, it seems to convert like a faulty equilibrium. Theoretically there should be a point in which the conversion stops, but the sides are unbalanced. Our matter, energy, all that jazz shifts to the other side-into light.â
âAlright, good, good. So if we can figure out how to spark the reaction in our universeâŠâ
âPresto change-o, we got a wormhole.â
âPerfect. How does that help us?â
"I told you, itâs an equilibrium. That means at some point anything not sucked into lightbulb land over here will shift back to the other side. "
âOk, so if we play our cards right we can get some energy from it. There are easier ways to do that.â Ita sighed. Chronos picked up a pad from his desk and passed it to the good doctor, who perked up as she saw the words appear. âTell me youâre not serious.â
âUnfortunately, I am. Excuse me doctor, I need to go prepare an official report before we continue with our efforts.â Ita watched him as he left the room, wondering what she had gotten herself into.
(OOC: Iâve been thinking it over, and I might drop this as a narrative rp and change it to a more event-based one. Ex. I probably wonât talk about the nitty-gritty of opening the first artificial anomalies that much, but the first observed instance of BrightSpace ghosts will have much more time allocated to it than it otherwise would have)