-Honestly, it seems to be very old, much older than everything I seen-Martin replied-And the AI... I have never encountered with something like that. In the United Empire, we build androids, but they are usually carfully programmed, so they can't think in a creative way. Mr Acromb is different, nearly like a human. I have no idea who and when could create such a robot. I hope I didn't bore you-he added, when he saw that the Automaton is looking in the other way.

-Well, if we can't enter here, maybe we should check the ship's mainframe. We will have an opportunity to talk a bit longer-

Valorum's hand twitches a little whilst holding his staff, probably his version of a flinch, and he quickly adds with a hint of nervousness to his voice as Angel moves to leave:

"Begging your pardon, Doctor Skeler, but I just want to be as clear as I can; It's not that I don't know anything about most societies. I know more than most Vodyani would care to learn, in any case.  All I wish to say is that I foresee that there may yet be some...cultural ambiguity in some scenarios, and I'd appreciate it if there were people I could turn to for an explanation of...simpler things."

It's actually a little comical, seeing Valorum trying to remain formal and dignified whilst going through these humbling contortions. It's almost like seeing a swimmer burst into flames.

Orb facing the floor, the Automaton had the Frame emit a sentence for it, Zeros approved. The Automaton's voice was almost identical to Zeros, but had an imperceptible softness to it. Where Zeros had a tendency to enunciate clearly. Speaking directly, its words delivered warmly, almost biotic. The Automaton spoke with mechanical perfection and simplicity, mimicking the pace and tone of a soft breeze. Someone had once referred to it as sounding "Prophetic". And Zeros had laughed at the hyperbole. "There is no need to put distance between where we are and where we will need to be, if we run off now it's likely we would just cause delays." Zeros looked Martin in the eyes with its singular glowing aperture. The focusing rings of the iris contracted to a narrow point then expanded. It settled into an oscillating pattern that never repeated quite exactly, but did follow a pulsing rhythm. Zeros was returned command of the vox emitter. Its wry voice laced with subtle sarcasm. "Nearly like a human you say?" [As if to say biotic life is the pinnacle of existence.] "I imagine, that whomever programed it would have attempted to mimic that effect." the Frame raised its arms, gesturing at itself. Softening the sharp edge to its voice. "And myself? I come from no "Human" creator, and yet I have been told by many that I appear very "Human", as I've intended myself to. It's entirely possible that Acrombs "Humanity" has a similar origin, a necessary side effect of living among biotics. " the Frame stood up and adjusted its height to match Martins, gears re-aligning and plates re-adjusting to better fit the new height. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, gazed locked, it quoted the Automaton. "For me, "It matters not either way." speculation on others history doesn't hold interest for me, Acromb is. You are. I Am. Anything else about us will be revealed in time.". The Frame shrugged, glanced around the room, pointed at a computor console, then went back to staring at the door. As welcoming as Zeros could appear, not every aspect of 0000 shared its geniality. And not one of them trusted anyone else on the ship fully yet. [Trust must be earned, not given.]

"Nobody knows everything, captain. We'll all learn something new about other cultures now, and I don't think we need to hide that we don't know. I'll tell you freely that I don't even understand all other clans and their culture. Take the Zolyas, for example. It's like they're proud of getting their ships blown up." Ylona shrugged. She could understand the problem. As captain, Valorum was supposed to be the ultimate authority for the time being, and any hole in his knowledge and wrong decision because of that would have undermined the crew's respect for him.

But nonetheless she didn't think it would be more than a theoretical concern. Everyone on this ship was here for one reason, and would work to achieve that reason. Nobody would force issues that would cripple the ship. At least that is what she was used to from Vaulter ships, where everyone knew what was at stake and that they were working for the clan. On second thought, she considered that in other cultures there might not be that much unity of purpose.

"Thank you Decius, it would have been quite unfortunate if we had not been aware of this." Rolak chuckled.

After handing out the medallions Rolak turned to look at the assembled personnel with a proffesional air surrounding him.

"Now then, my name is Rolak Ven-Vitto, acting security chief of this vessel. My combat specialties are in close quarters combat, battlefield improvisation, and boarding actions (though I doubt there'll be much use of that on this trip). While I usually try to be as friendly as possible you should know I will not tolerate harrasment of any kind on this ship. I also expect you all to be proffesionals, do you understand me?" Rolak smiled as they nodded, "Good."

"Now then." he said, dragging a nearby chair over to where he was standing and taking a seat, "starting with you on the left, I want to know who you are and what kind of skills you can bring to the table."

((I'd like to include Decius in this exercise if possible. I'm doing this exercise to give a little flavor the rp.))

"All right, Captain. If you do the blessing in your rooms, at least you won't have Pilgrims complaining. For them, we'll have those." She pointed at the viewscreen and the still ongoing speeches it showed. There would probably also be some kind of rite to name the ship involved in the ceremony at some point, or at least Ylona suspected so. She hadn't bothered to read through the program, as she'd expected to be busy for most of it, anyway.

"You said we're ready for launch", the first mate added in the direction of the leaving Alice, "Tell me if anything comes up that changes that. I'll be here, having the conn and hopefully also the helm soon."

And then, for a moment, as both other officers left the bridge, Ylona was alone. She used the time to do what she'd meant to do for a few minutes now, finishing the watchstanding roster. Outside, the speaker wrapped up and there was an interlude with music played live from a band. It was a bit eerie, watching them playing in silence, as there was no way to pick up the sound from outside.

With one more nod, Valorum left the bridge.

 ----------

Obtaining his things from the barracks was an easy task after Valorum left the bridge. Finding his new quarters was a little tougher, but it scantly took 10 minutes before he finally found it; a branch hallway between the two main halls on the second floor, a short walk away from the bridge, where a door was set into the wall closer to the bridge. Valorum had actually passed it on his way to the barracks. It made sense in retrospect; a captain should stay as close to the bridge as possible, but Valorum was used to long walks. His personal quarters aboard the Endymion was halfway across the battle-scarred Ark, and he often used the trek as time to reflect upon his studies and work.

Pilgrims were nothing if not pragmatic, though. Opening the door, Valorum found his new quarters; it had an almost 3 metre tall roof, a far departure from the 2.5 metre hallways, and was easily 8 by 8 metres. There was a bed on the far wall, with a pillow and a folded blanket on it, and a desk on the left wall with a console built into the desk’s top and holo-projectors integrated into the wall. Probably so he could get some work done during his breaks. There was also another desk by the right wall, just in front of the door, but smaller. It looked more like some sort of personal altar, with a cushion tucked underneath it. The top was bare, 

 ...It’s tiny, though. At least compared to my old room. And there are no windows either...still, it’s a private arrangement.

The entire room was made of the same white metal as the rest of the ship, and the single light fixture in the centre of the ceiling cast a faintly blue light all throughout the room; a precise contrast to the black and orange chaplain who now inhabited the room. Closing the door, Valorum set his bags down near the bed and began to set up his odds and ends on his desk. As he placed his whetstones on his work-desk in a decorative manner, Valorum’s thoughts went elsewhere.

It’s only a matter of time before we launch. The Pilgrim blessing won’t be long and the ingredients are inexpensive; some hydrocarbon paste, a sprig of Eden incense, and a few minutes of prayer. It can easily be done in here...but I think Pilgrim ships do have a communal prayer room. It might be best if I did it there rather than in priv-

In the midst of placing his fourth whetstone on his desk, Valorum was suddenly stricken with vertigo. Involuntarily moaning and feeling the world around him beginning to spin, he dropped the small brass sphere and used his now free hand to steady himself on his desk. In the semi-relfective metal surface, he could vaguely make out his face, but what was more telling was his core; the essence within was flickering.

 Oh no...

 Groaning, Valorum could only hope that his spell of dizziness would pass soon. After standing still for what felt like ages, his core stabilized and his surroundings stopped spinning, but the dizziness was replaced with an uneasy feeling deep in his gut. He never got that disoriented, not out of nowhere at least, unless..

 I suppose it’s time for a meal...

Hesitantly, Valorum reached into his duffel bag and withdrew one of his three thermos' full of Dust and he compacted his glaive so he could lay it on his bed while he grabbed his clerical briefcase. Sitting cross-legged on the floor and facing the door, he opened the case and withdrew a golf-ball sized sphere made of black metal. Touching it to a small port on the thermos he carried, Valorum watched as orange lights slowly flickered to life on the sphere, climbing up the length of it until the whole thing lit with small, triangular pinpricks, giving it a look that was unmistakably Vodyani. 

Placing his thermos and briefcase aside, Valorum grabbed his blade from his bed, sheathed it, and laid it across his lap before he laced his fingers together and cradled the sphere in his hands, templing his thumbs over it as he held it in his lap. Moments later, strands of golden Dust began to snake out of the little sphere, crawling up the air towards the unarmoured sections of Valorum’s chest, where it began to revitalise him. Valorum’s head dipped slightly as he fell into a deep trance, shuddering as he tried to focus solely on absorbing the Dust as fast as he could.

 The nightmares, when they came, didn’t help.

She was only watching the viewscreen out of the corner of her eyes when she spotted the stately and charismatic figure walk up to the podium. Awed, Ylona stopped with her mouth slightly open. There he was, Kamau Savasbat, leader and greatest hero of the Pilgrim nation, and the one whose speech she had looked forward to. Now, the lack of sound from outside made itself felt more than before, as she regretted not hearing his words. It got even worse, as she did not even have time to imagine them. The radio crackled to live, relaying a message from traffic control: "Tower to Saviour. You are scheduled for takeoff in five minutes sharp. Please confirm."

Slightly numb with disappointment, the Vaulter answered the hail and then got to work with businesslike movements. The hologram projections were switched off, and she was about to power up the core when she remembered to inform the crew. She flipped open the ship-wide communication channel, but then hesitated. What title was she supposed to introduce herself with? She just went with: "This is Ylona. We are now launching. Everyone to their stations ASAP. If you forgot to turn off your stove at home, now it's too late. Everything and everyone that's not on board will stay that way. Our next stop is Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Tianquitzli in a week. We will hit above-c in —" she did a quick calculation "— thirty minutes. Until then, we're on full alert. I repeat, everyone to their stations. Bridge out."

She imagined the rising hum of the engines as she powered it up, ramping up its output from the small trickle needed to supply the lights to the high load required to get the propulsion going. There was of course no sound in the bridge, as far as the core was away, but to Ylona that sound, even if just imagined, was relaxing. While the little gauge on her holographic screen slowly rose, she found herself waiting in a queer mood. She was not one to pray or call for ceremony, but alone in the bridge with the engine waking up under her fingers, she did feel a bit moved.

Putting a fist to her shoulder, she fixated her gaze at the group of Vaulters in the audience. "Though my path may lead through darkness, I will not loose my way. As between the stars we wander, our clan is our home. No matter how far I might stray, to you I will always return." Staring at a small boy in the group who watched the ceremony intensely, she quietly added: "Fare well, Rojlas."

Then, she hit the ignition of the main engines, and it wasn't just in her imagination that the ship lurched for a second as the drives flared and the maneuvering thrusters failed to compensate immediately. This was nothing she was alarmed about, as it always happened during manual launches. If she'd had had the luxury to program the entire course right from the launch pad, there wouldn't have been as much as a shudder, as the computer would have timed the compensation for the ignition perfectly. But even without, it was a good start. The core output was steady, and all thrusters reported full functionality.

"Saviour to Tower. We have ignition and are prepared to receive control", she spoke into the radio. The answer came promptly: "Acknowledged, Saviour. Gravitic fields are disengaged." It meant that the ship was now floating freely in orbit, independent of the station, and any slightly nudge would have eventually resulted in a collission. But the maneuvering thrusters were still set for stationarity and kept the ship perfectly steady.

"Launch in one minute", the radio announced. Ylona set the frontal viewscreen to a display suitable for manual piloting, displaying her overlaid over the view from the ship's nose the projected orbit as well as the exit node she had programmed before, from which the computer would take over to steer the Saviour on auto-pilot. It was in a halfway good position for a cinematic exit visible from the station.

"Launch in thirty seconds... Launch in ten seconds ... three ... two ... one ... launch!" Right on time, the pilot nudged the steering stick forward, and majestically the spaceship glid forward, out of the dock. She couldn't see our hear it, but as the white and smooth hull slowly pulled away from the podium, the Pilgrim leader saluted them while the band played a majestic march fitting to the occasion.

As soon as she had cleared the station gates, Ylona forced the ship downwards into a faster orbit to catch up with the node, then at the right moment pulled up carefully to hit it in the best possible angle and at the right speed. Her face was locked in concentration, and her right hand gripped the steering stick tightly. As the target rectangle on the screen came closer, she began to sweat, and subconsciously her left hand went towards a chain around her neck, as if to pull it out from under her clothes. But she didn't, as a few seconds later she reached the node and the computer quickly acknowledged the perfect trajectory insertion with a cheerful noise. The Vaulter breathed out heavily, and let go of the stick.

In twenty minutes, she'd be able to give the all-clear and then take a bit of a rest while Valorum had the conn. With the whole mix-up of the captaincy, she hadn't had the time to actually inform the new captain of the watchstanding schedule. But that was a problem to be faced once the ship was safely underway. For now, she carefully watched the core output gauge as it slowly rose as the engines drew more power.  It was all stable and within acceptable levels. If her experience told her anything, then she'd actually planned too conservatively, and this core wouldn't even be under half load at the point of highest acceleration for the course she had laid out.

((Happy new year, everyone. Time to return from the holiday stupor and get this journey underway))

"This is Ylona. We are now launching. Everyone to their stations ASAP. If you forgot to turn off your stove at home, now it's too late. Everything and everyone that's not on board will stay that way. Our next stop is Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Tianquitzli in a week. We will hit above-c in thirty minutes."

The door to the store-room suddenly closed. It was automatically programmed to do so to ensure that the objects in the store-room do not fall out of the door during the jump.  Fortunately, it has a scanner and a complicated algorithm to ensure that no creature would be crushed during the closure. 

"Bother." The Ancient robot cursed. "The store-room can wait, I need to go to the bridge. I can't miss out on launch" Laudmas tensioned his legs and faced the smaller robot. "Let us hurry." The ancient robot then rushed towards the bridge, leaving Dhanyl once again.

Today would not be a repeat of that incident, thankfully.   The reactor was holding steady well within safe limits thanks to the improved housing she'd spent the last five years perfecting.    It was almost sad, really,  to see what may end up her life's work completed.    Could she really rise any higher than today?

"Engineering to bridge,"  she thumbed the control while lighting another cigarette, "Reactor's holding steady so far.   We're having a few small surges, but I'm confident my team will get things locked down within the next hour."

Zeros watched as Martin walked away listening intently as it did. {We should follow to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.}

The Frame pushed itself off the wall and followed the human toward the center of the ship. Keeping its eye on him.

After a few minutes the comms crackled, the navigators voice coming through them:

"This is Ylona. We are now launching. Everyone to their stations ASAP. If you forgot to turn off your stove at home, now it's too late. Everything and everyone that's not on board will stay that way. Our next stop is Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Tianquitzli in a week. We will hit above-c in thirty minutes. Until then, we're on full alert. I repeat, everyone to their stations. Bridge out."

Zeros almost spoke up, but they were headed in the right direction anyway. So it decided to remain silent a while longer.

After a few minutes Martin spoke up. "And continuing, speculations are sometimes a good way to keep your brain working, at least for me. It's like a riddle, and I like riddles"

As Zeros was about to reply the ship shook. Martin turned and looked at 0000 with a scared expression on his face. "It looks like we're starting. I hope everything is fine. Where's the mainframe? I'll have to check the entire system before we engage warp, if we don't want to find ourselves in the heart of a supernova."

"That would be unfortunate, as I've stated before though, I'm uncertain as to the location of the mainframe. My position is centered more on physical repair than much else. Although I do have experiences communicating with devices, it's not something I am trained for. More of a feature of my existence. Perhaps we should heed the navigators announcement from earlier and report down to engineering? At the very least that will give us a staging point to search from. I wouldn't worry unduly though, I'm certain our navigator has quadruple checked our course before lift-off."

+You should mention the maps.+ [Ah! Thank you.] 

The Frame gestured engineward. "We should walk and talk." Then began striding forward, assuming Martin would follow. "I believe I noticed a handheld device in your possession earlier? Have you uploaded the ships map and personnel data? It might be able to assist you in finding your way around."