Last post for introducing my new characters...
Associated Press said:
The DSEnterprises parking lot was the scene of Earths first encounter with alien life, after the appearance of three enormous robots and who some believe to be their leader. Confirmed reports that the aliens, possibly a diplomatic mission, attempted to communicate with DSEnterprises CEO Daniel Strowe, confusing him to be the leader of the planet. A private conversation between the alien leader and Strowe, which took place inside DSEnterprises headquarters, resulted in a misunderstanding, causing the robots to become combative. A potential crisis was averted when the alien leader was able to coerce her guards to hold their fire.
Additional information is forthcoming, once DSEnterprises sees fit to release. Currently, the corporation refuses to divulge any information. Rumors that this contact may be related to several mysterious files recorded by various countries and organizations, including DSEnterprises' TeleAwesome subsidiary.
In related news, DSEnterprises has asked for any potential information regarding the location of DSRacing CEOs Clay Alcata, James Richards, and Jessie Aromando, who disappeared approximately the time the alien mission reached our planet.
*The interrogation continues in the main lobby. The robots are now a far less intimidating height, although all three are taller than me. One guard remains, Sgt. Wright having gone to stall the reporters. The researcher hands each robot one of project DS0964. The creature presumably tells them how to use it. The second robot asks her something*
Her: He is unconvinced that using the translator is as simple as simply inserting it in his ear.
Me: Tell him that's how you did it, and how it was designed.
*The robot doesn't seem fully convinced, and decides to watch the first robot use it first. It steps forward, reaching for its metallic face. The metallic plate comes off, revealing a not at all robotic creature underneath it. He removes the respirator covering his muzzle, which comes off with a sudden hiss. Without it, I can see that he is the same species as the creature.*
Me: *As he removes the rest of his helmet* You were right. I apologize.
Her: I did tell you so.
*With his head uncovered, I take the time to observe him, with him doing the same for me. Physically, he appears similar to the female creature, except with very dark grey eyes and fur, compared to her blue/green and light grey. Parts of his face have small hoses leading from ports in the skin and down his neck. A small bundle of hoses and cabling heads from the back of his head. I can see two canines poke out from under his lip. Carnivorous? He asks the female something, surprisingly with the same mechanical drone. She responds, and he begins to insert the device.*
Me: If he panics, you're the one who stops him.
Her: Good idea.
*Needless to say, he does. The female almost immediately latches onto him arm, knocking him onto the table behind him, struggling to keep him from pulling the device out. Considering how much she has to work to keep him from getting at the device, he must be far stronger than her. And me. Perhaps through a stroke of luck, she manages to keep him from pulling it out, finally pulling herself off him as he goes limp, face blank.*
Her: *As he recovers* How do you feel?
Him: Ugh, I- I need something to-
*He pauses, realizing that the words coming out of his mouth are not in his own language. Notably, I note that the distortion through which his voice was filtered is not present. A vocoder? Then he notices me, and jumps to his feet.*
Him: *Filtered*
YOU, CITIZEN. *Points to me*
DESCRIBE THIS TECHNOLOGY.
Her: Perhaps it would be better if the other two had theirs in, first, before he explains.
Me: You would also be better served asking our researchers that question... where is- *notices the researcher hiding behind a sofa* Oh, get over here. *He does.* Also, if you could not use that filter for your voice, it would-
*He gives me a very nasty glare, as though I said something that should of gotten me killed. I can his ears flatten behind his head, and he snarls slightly, revealing even more sharp teeth. Yep, definitely a carnivore. His growl (which he decides not to filter) reminds me of a Hunter from Left 4 Dead; rather high-pitched and hollow, but still very threatening.*
Her: I think he is right. You would be better off using your normal voice.
*He glares at me for a bit, then nods. He turns to the others signaling for them to put theirs in. They remove their helmets. The larger one is again the same species, but instead of a single solid color, his face is decorated in a distinct stylized skull pattern, almost like a Mexican
calavera, with bright green eyes. The smaller creature is an entirely different species, with a vaguely catlike face, covered in dark grey fur, with a tan robbers mask over his brown eyes (This time with visible pupils).
The researcher, after some prodding, hands the two the remaining devices. This time, no one needs to prevent them from pulling them out. They must have realized that the process is normal. I notice that the short one reattaches his helmet after the process is finished*
Him: *unfiltered, to the researcher* Now that we have these translators, you will explain to us how these devices operate.
*I notice that his unfiltered voice is pitch-perfect with Clays'. He notices my surprise*
Him: You are startled by something. Explain.
Me: Um, it's that you, uh, have the same voice as one of our missing employees.
*He stares at me for a bit, then turns to the research*
Researcher: These translators, which are code-named "Babelfish," work by-
Him: Explain the name.
Researcher: It is from a famous series of science fiction books. They work in a similar principal to their namesake. They intercept brainwaves, and isolate those relating to language, whether spoken by the user or another being. The spoken phrase is identified and uploaded to our central supercomputer in real time, where it is translated in a complex and constantly updated database for each language. The translated result is then uploaded to the device, which manipulates your brain waves allowing you to comprehend the phrase. It also allows you to speak, read and write in any language, as well. If the language is unidentified, it can "learn" a language from the speakers knowledge of the language. It will do all this seamlessly.
Him: You stated that it analyzes a user to learn unidentified language. Explain.
Researcher: To do so would require that you have a detailed understanding of how the human mind works.
Him: Human?
Research: Human being.
Homo Sapien. Our species. *points to himself and I*
Him: *Turns to me* We asked you earlier for our location. You stated that we are in a country you called the "United States of America." Tell us what planet we are on, and its leader.
Her: I feel that we do not need to know the planets leader at this time. From our earlier conversations, he seemed to imply that this planet has no central government.
Me: She's right. We are on the planet Earth. We have no planet-wide central government. The closest are the leaders for the individual countries.
Him: And yours?
Me: Technically, our central government is split into three branches, though perhaps our closest person would be our President, Barack Obama.
Him: We will assume that he is located in this countries' capital city?
Me: Yes, the District of Columbia, or Washington D.C.
Her: Do we need to ask these questions?
Him: As a Guardsman, it is required for any new territory.
*Oh no...*
Me: Guardsman? Territory?
Him: *another glare* You will remain silent until spoken to. As it stands, we are to claim this planet for the United Sak'khar Federation. You will be integrated as a newly annexed territory under Sak'khar law once an official delegation arrives.
Me: What?! Why would you do that?! You can't... We won't.. You won't-
Him: Your military will consider it wise not to resist.
*He knew what I going to say?*
Him: The scale and training of our armed forces far exceed your own. To resist will be suidical.
*He turns to his teammates, activating his vocoder, and speaking in his native language.*
Me: Please tell me he is simply making a sick joke.
Her: I'm afraid he is completely serious.
*Then I notice the insignia on her uniform. I know I've seen it before, but where... Oh yeah!*
Me: Wait!
*They stop talking and turn to me. From the looks, I can tell they think poorly on me for stepping out of line and interrupting.*
Me: I think we received a message from you some time ago.
The short one:
ELABORATE.
Me: A sound file with encoded images.
Him: Show us.
Me: Call the TeleAwesome guys. Send them here with the files.
*After a short wait, one of them comes in with an iPad.*
Him: Give us the device.
*TeleGuy does. It seems that what I presume is actually a soldier is stumped by the device (OOC:
), as he stares at it, trying to figure out what to do.*
Him: *To TeleGuy* You. Tell us how to access the file.
TeleGuy: Uhhh... press the icon three rows down, one column to the right.
*They listen to the file.*
Him: It is our transmission. Access the images.
TeleGuy: They appear as scaled down versions on the interface. Press the button with a square on it first.
*He seems to understand that, and manages to bring up the images. What I don't expect is to see what appears to be confusion.*
Him: This is our insignia, but the images are dated roughly 600 years ago. When did you receive these?
Me: About 60 days ago.
Him: A month?
Me: You must have a different measure for a month, because it is two months for us.
Him: You must have newer transmissions. Display them.
Me: Those are the only ones we have.
*The larger one takes the tablet from him*
Him: No planet should have received a transmission this old, so recently. You are certain this is the only transmission from us?
Me: Yes.
*The other two find the second recording. For a minute, all four aliens freeze, intently listening to the voice from the iPad. When it finishes, the first soldier turns to me. It is clear he is furious. The other soldiers are no more pleased. By the time I think to run, he has already grabbed me, lifts me up by my coat, and slams me against the wall. The guard aims his weapon at the alien. The other two respond by aiming at him. The sole non-soldier, TeleGuy, and the researcher are rooted where they stand in panic.*
Him: YOU LIED! YOU STATED THAT YOU HAD RECEIVED NO NEW MESSAGES. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN RECEIVING A MESSAGE FROM OUR ENEMY?!
Me: I didn't lie! We received it at the same time!
*The non-soldier suddenly runs for the iPad, grabbing it from the larger one.*
Him: *Growling* Do not lie to us. You stated that you had received no recordings after receiving ours.
*She manages to bring up the associated image for the second recording. The shorter soldier notices, and examines the image for himself*
Him: You will either correct your statement, or we will be allowed to execute you.
Short one:
FIRST LIEUTENANT 078423. THIS IMAGE WAS TRANSMITTED CONCURRENT TO OURS.
*He tosses the iPad to my assailant, who releases me. TeleGuy gasps as his expensive toy is thrown through the air like a frisbee, sighing in relief when the first soldier deftly catches it. For a tense minute, he examines the message for himself.*
Him: No. No no no. No nononono. You cannot have received 600 year old transmissions. You should not have been able to.
Me: Then how do you explain why we were able to record it?
*He is silent, backing up to a seat. He sits down, clutching his head. He begins muttering to himself in his native language. The other three seem to be coming to grips with their situation themselves. They silently remain standing, staring at the ground. I realize that they know they are impossibly far from their home.*
Me: *to the researcher* I think we may have just dodged a bullet.
*Maybe I shouldn't have said that, as the first soldier gets up and walks toward me, hands balled into fists. I really can't run. He's far too fast, and he could easily shoot me, if necessary. He backs me up against the wall. He pulls his fist back...
And lets it fall to his side. He collapses against the wall, sobbing. The other three stare at him, as though such a display of emotion is violating an important rule. Considering his rather emotionless delivery before, it probably is. I notice that the other two seem to be close to crying themselves, and the non-soldier is in tears.
It is probably an exceptionally stupid idea, but I couldn't help myself. I gently rub the back of his head, trying to comfort him. He stops sobbing, and turns to look at me, in an expression that clearly states "Get your hand off me." He doesn't hold it for long, though, and dejectedly gets up and walks back to the others, sitting down in a sofa. For a minute, there is a strange silence in the air.*
Him: *after a long, deep breath* So what do we do, now.
Her: We are stranded on this planet. Perhaps we have no other choice, but to integrate into society.
Short one: *removing his mask* No. We are not them. They will never accept us. Nor do they deserve having us become part of their society. *James voice, right down to the Scottish accent. Is somebody trying to tell me something?*
Large one: You speak like an Androsuesse nationalist. You are proposing that we separate ourselves from humans? *That's a female voice! Ookay, not what I was expecting, but...*
Short one: Have you not observed how populations react to us. They always try to rebel against us.
Large one: We are four soldiers, not an invasion force. If we try to integrate as individuals, we stand a far better chance at being accepted.
*As they bicker, one of the guards contacts me*
Guard: Sir, we've reviewed the security footage.
Me: Yes, and?
Guard: The video clearly shows them disappearing into thin air. No other form of escape was seen. Also, we are unable to find Jessie's tracking beacon anywhere in the world.
Me: So they're gone?! Just like that?!
Guard: I don't know what else to tell you, sir.
Me: Uuggh...
*So if they're gone, than these must be... no. It couldn't be. Are they? Goddammit.*
Short one: Corporal Alessarro! Are you seriously suggesting that we-
Me: I have some questions of my own.
Short one:
YOU WILL REMAIN SILENT UNLESS ASKED TO-
*The ease with which he switches voices is startling*
Him: No, let him.
*And that response even more so*
Me: Uh... *shakes head* Why don't we start with your names.
Short one: We are forbidden to...
Him: No one is going to find out. You can tell him.
Short one: *Sighs to himself* Josares Hoaressa.
Him: Subject 914a.
Large one: Jeraisa Alessarro.
Her: Serrera Alessarro.
Me: You're related.
HerSerrera: We are sisters. I am five years her senior.
Me: *raises eyebrow*
Serrera: Females in my family lineage tend to be quite short.
Jeraisa: I have had extensive genetic and cybernetic modifications. Height was one of the changes.
Me: *To Subject 914a* So why "Subject 914a?"
914a: If you expect me to have biological parents, then yes, it is a strange name. But I was created in a laboratory, specifically to serve in the Guard.
Me: Your people can create living beings in laboratories?
914a: They engineered my species. *He motions to Jeraisa and Serrera* Creating an individual is comparatively no challenge.
Me: And that species name is?
914a: Fela'hari.
Me: *To Josares* And you?
Josares: Gerral.
Me: All right, and what is the Guard you mentioned?
914a: The Imperial Guardsmen. We are the elite force of our nation.
Me: The United Sak'khar Federation?
914a: Yes. We have been trained, modified, and engineered to be the pinnacle of warriors on our planet.
Me: And your government?
Serrera: An oppressive military dictatorship. Is there a word for multiple leaders?
Me: The closest I can think of is
junta.
Serrera: It will do. They are focused on conquering any territory they can reach, and defeating their neighboring enemy, to the detriment of everyone else.
Josares: If it keeps them from coming under Androsuesse rule, it is very much for their benefit.
Serrera: They only reason you believe that is that they constantly imprint it on your mind.
Josares: It is not propaganda, as you believe.
Me: That enemy would be who sent the second recording?
Josares: That would be them. The Imperial Androsuesse Nation.
914a: They are historically known for their genocides against anyone that is not pure Androsuesse blood. In fact, our nation was founded in order to fight them off. At first, it was the polar opposite of the Androsuesse. Somewhere along the line, they largely became the oppressive nation they were fighting against, minus the genocide.
Josares: The enemy changed. The Empire needed to change.
914a: To the point where any action against the government is liable to earn one a long stay is a realignment center? *Knowing what I'm going to ask next* They torture a law-abiding nature into you. It is not pleasant.
Josares: That is perhaps extreme, but any weakness could set us up for an enemy invasion.
Me: *shakes head* You were saying.
914a: Meanwhile, the Androsuesse worked to change its world image. They now present themselves as every the Sak'khar Empire was. The thing is, we are highly suspicious that the same royal lineage would change like that.
Me: Monarchy, I'm assuming? Either way, different individuals could run the country differently.
914a: They are bred to continue the same style of rule, so no.
Me: How do you know that?
914a: Spies.
Me: Ah. Anyway, I've asked my questions. Though if I may make a suggestion, you could consider taking up jobs here.
Josares: And why would we accept that?
Me: You are stuck here, and you will need money at some point. The employee you would be replacing could not find jobs until they came to us. I'm certain it would be even worse in your case. It would probably make it easier for all of us if you actually adopted their roles.
Serrera: So you are suggesting we become a different person?
Me: No. Just assume their identity?
914a: Would your government allow that?
Me: Technically, no. However, we have some influence, and four giants.
Jeraisa: We would intimidate them, you are saying?
Me: Partly that, partly pad their re-election funds. Your predecessor was extremely good at the "intimidation" part.
Jeraisa: *Evil smile* You have my interest.
Serrara: Oh, boy...
914a: I do not see any other choice, so...
Josares: ... Alright.
Me: Excellent! So, you *914a* will be known as Clay Leonard Alcata...
Clay: Alright. I like the name.
Me: ...you *Josares* will be James Daniel Richards...
James: ...
Me: uhh... anyway. You *Jeraisa* will be... This is gonna be a weird question, but... Are you a hermaphrodite?
Jeraisa: Yes, why?
Me:
The one you're replacing was...
Serrera: It's a genetic quirk on our planet. I am female, by the way.
Me: Okay, so you will be Jessica Natasha Aromando, "Jessie" for short.
Jessie: ^.^
Me: And you... *Serrera* We'll come up with something. For now, you'll be Serrera Aromando.
Serrera:
Me: Alright, now, who has any racing experience?
*Nobody rasises their hand*
Me: In any form?
*still none*
Me: Virtually?
Clay: I have some simulation experience.
Me: You have four wheeled cars?
Clay: Yes.
Me: Then its a start. We have a very large event for the three of you, *points to Clay, Jessie, and James* so you will need all to practice.
James: What sort of event?
Me: The FinalGear Wacky Races. It's a 24 hour race, with very little rules, weaponry allowed.
Jessie: So, you entered us into certain death.
Me: No, you will be fine. You predecessors did it for years without another racer hurting them. Also, we can probably adapt the car to fit your armor.
Serrera: And me?
Me: Well, what sort of talents can you bring?
Jessie: She's a firearms enthusiast...
Serrera: ^.^
Jessie: ...to the point of being a lead designer for one of the major firearms manufacturers our government contracts. In fact, she co-designed this railgun. *Hefts it up for display* It has not let me down once.
Me: You designed that?
Serrera: Most of it, yes.
Me: So you have a fondness for large guns.
Serrera: Indeed.
Me: I think we have just the position for you...
---And so my new character introduction is finished. Shorter wacky race related posts from now on.---
---Edit: Except for one thing...---
Me: Oh! One more thing: how did you shrink down to this size earlier?
Clay: *Cheeky grin* These.
*He pulls the collar for his armor down to reveal a pair of gray crystals in the sides of his neck. The same as Serrera, it occurs to me.*
Me: James and Jessie have the same?
Clay: Indeed. Do not ask us how, but any sentient species on our planet, or some alien species with genetic modification, can utilize something called "Reality Bending." It is simply the most common name. With these crystals, we can do things that appear to violate the rules of physics-
Me: Laws of physics, for us.
Clay: Noted. Reality itself seems to have little effect. Watch.
*Clay is suddenly enveloped in flame*
Everyone not Clay: WTF?! (Or to that effect.)
*The flames suddenly, instantly extinguish. Clay himself is untouched, but his armor crackles as it cools.*
Clay: And that is a relatively easy ability.
Jessie: Under Sak'khar law, citizens are barred from all but a select few skills. Imperial Guardsmen are allowed access to a greater amount, but still limited. Only our leaders are allowed complete access.
Clay: However, a resistance group managed to secure a copy of the complete anthology they use - We have no idea how - and transcribe it to... to...
Me: Your version of the Internet?
Clay: Does it link various computers together?
Me: Yes.
Clay: Then they transcribed it to our Internet. Needless to say, the government is working very hard at removing it from the Internet.
Jessie: Do not underestimate their power. They likely will. Needless to say, when one source is taken down, another springs up.
Clay: I actually took part in one removal process.
James: Which you took advantage of to procure your own illicit copy.
Clay: *Grinning* And now that we are out of the government's reach, we can use it freely.
James: We?
Me: Provided it doesn't break Federal law, right? Right?
Clay: Mostly, and I will need to upload copies.
Me: Ahh, crap. Three reality warping giants I need to keep under control...
Serrera: Four, actually. I can receive a copy. I have had cybernetic implants.
Me: Dammit.