ON: YSS Eucharis, Cargo Bay
Ramiro tried to hide a small grimace at the sharpened teeth of the Gartagen he was working with. He figured it would be rude to show such an emotion, even if it was an oddity for him. "This is, in fact, a war ship. The YSS Eucharis is what is called a Plumeria-Class Gunship. It was designed roughly four years ago and is one of the prime gunships of the Star Army of Yamatai. On that note, I suppose it would have been best to start with the basic trivia of the ship. As I said, the class was designed four years ago, partly by Ketsurui-Taisa who you met earlier, and she was the first to captain a gunship of the class."
"The YSS Eucharis has served many different roles, from expedition, to front-line combat, to covert missions, to first contact missions such as this. As far as crew goes, it houses 18 crew members along with the Taisa, but can fit up to 100 in an emergency situation. As I said, it has six decks, starting from Deck 1 at the top and ending with Deck 6 at the bottom. There are roughly 150 Plumeria-Class Gunships that have been built. The YSS Eucharis is one of the most notable of these ships, along with several others that have been vital in the war efforts." After finishing his small speech Ramiro paused a moment to let the information sink in. Noticing Di's fascination with the burn marks he made a quick comment. "Those would be another...side-affect of our recent entanglement."
Solar Commander Di removed her hand from the ash, and brought held it out taking in the scent. “This is considered a mark of honor among our people. This ship is a tool that has no doubt saved your lives, and the lives of countless others. You do it a great honor by knowing her history. Take care of this ship, and she will take care of you.” Di said turning to Ramiro and rejoining him “If you wish to get into Gartagen philosophy.” Di said wishing to continue the tour.
“I am being rude however, what are some questions you have about my people? You made mention of them, and I am sure I can manage any questions you may have.”
Ramiro thought for a moment before responding. "Don't feel as if you've been rude. You are currently a guest on our ship, and I was under the assumption that I would state questions after I was finished with the tour. Before I ask my questions however, something to note as a first impression between our cultures is the difference in what you have just remarked. As you may see such a mark on the ship as one of honor, our culture tends to see it as an imperfection in the ship. I just figured I would note that because a detail such as that could cause confusion. And I apologize if I stated any of that awkwardly; it sounded better in my head than it did being said."
Ramiro paused a moment before continuing, "As to my questions, I don't have many so far. My only question at this point is, what different types of ships do you have? As a culture that seems to be newer to space travel in comparison to the Yamataians or Nepleslians, it seems as if certain types of ships wouldn't have served much purpose until just a few weeks ago."
“An imperfection? A war ship should be conduction war, taking enemy weapons fire, and returning it. Not languishing around looking…perfect. I have found something I do not agree with as far as your culture, but I find it refreshing to note our differences.” Commander Di resumed looking around, and paused thoughtfully at his question.
“It is a bit strange is it not? How you enter our star system and find it heavily fortified with ship yards and combat fortifications?” She said smiling. “At present we have several classes of military and civilian ships, many ranging from a few hundred meters long, to the Asimanu colony ship which is close to 1500 meters long.” “We have the prosecutor battle ship which is our largest and most powerful craft currently in operations. We have a frigate class ship which is ideal for scouting enemy positions and launching fast raids, we also have a destroyer which operates as a picket ship, and mk1 destroyer which is the work horse of our naval forces. My current command is on the Battleship Scaliguan.” She said before switching to it.
“Officially we have been told that our naval forces expansion is to show the people that we can protect our colonies from any threat foreign and domestic, and respond quickly.”
“Unofficially…after seeing your ship, it is as if our government knew something was out there…in space.” Di sighed and continued “I suspect that radio signals from other planets were detected sometime ago. What those signals said is up for debate, but our government is rather calculating. I unfortunately am a Military officer, so it is not my place to speculate on conspiracies, my task is to defend my world and my people.”
Ramiro smiled at Di and responded. "Well, it is understandable that there will be some conflicts with the way we live, that is unavoidable. To the degree of your naval fleet, I have to say that was one of my largest shocks was that you were so readily prepared for a war that you didn't even know existed. But, I suppose it's best to ready for anything. And it seems that your fleets cover roughly the same range of ships as any fully expanding empire would, and I am much impressed by such a fact."
Ramiro turned towards the doorway he was standing next to and pressed a button to open it. He motioned inside and said, "Shall we continue?" He entered the Zero-Gravity passageway and floated around a bit, waiting for Di to enter. "This, as you can tell is out Zero-Gravity passageway. It is one of two vertical passages that will descend from Deck 1 to Deck 6, the other being the Cargo Elevator. Since you have stated that you have had training in Zero Gravity, this should be a simple task for you. On the other side of the passageway is our engineering area, which is off-limits for obvious reasons. Above us, Deck 4 is simply the upper levels and catwalks of the various bays of Deck 5 that you have seen. If you have any comments or questions, now would be the time before we continue upwards."
“You are in the midst of a war; secrets are what will win it.” She said as she stepped into the Zero G chamber. “I wonder, how is this chamber an asset to your ship? We have such sections on our own ships but only out of necessity.” She said as she looked at Ramiro, waiting for him to continue the tour upwards.
Ramiro pondered the questions for several seconds. "You know, I've always wondered that myself, but after thinking about it, I suppose it's merely for easier travel. Multiple people can move through the passageway at once, as opposed to an elevator which may only move in one direction at a time; It makes it simple for moving vertically as well as horizontally to the other side of the passage, not to mention that it is easier than most other manual setups due to the fact that you can move as far as you need with a simple push."
With that, Ramiro gave a simple push and ascended upwards. Once he had risen two levels he stopped himself. "On Deck 3 is when you start to get into the more common rooms of the ship for crew to be using. At the far end of the ship, above the entry ramp that you entered upon, there is the shuttle bay which houses some of our smaller crafts. Deck 3 also houses the Power Armor bay, which you may or may not be familiar with depending on how well you've studied the PANTHEON information that you've had access to. Also, we have the medical center and the recreation area. On the other side of the passageway, above the engineering rooms, are the power systems and the central MEGAMI unit. MEGAMI is the computer and sensor program behind all Yamataian war vessels. She is a supercomputer, housing all necessary information, with an AI program for ease with communication between crew member and the computer. On the Eucharis, our MEGAMI's name is Charisma."
“A.I.” Di said as she marveled at the ship. “Power armor…they are like miniaturized versions of our Exo-suits,” she said softly, “except they can match a star fighter in their performance capabilities…to some extant.” She said. “I read a little on the Mindy before I had to get rest yesterday.” she said nodding.
She looked on hoping this was not confidential information as she watched Ramiro. He was a rather interesting creature…she noted he had almost no scent to speak of. “We do not use A.I.” Di said speaking up. “We found them harder to control…in fact one of the original A.I. experiments went insane, and killed several hundred people in a min shaft. Rather we have taken another approach with the CORE program…which is confidential.”
Ramiro looked slightly concerned at the last comment that he heard. "Well, to my understanding that has not happened yet, so I'm going under the assumption that the designers took that into account. Moving along." Ramiro gave another push and started ascending vertically before stopping himself. "On Deck Two, the most important part of the ship is housed, which is the Bridge, although I may just think that because I'm biased. Also on Deck 2 are the crew lounge and crew cabins; the Taisa's suite is at the head of the ship. Farther back is the armory, which extends to Deck 1, as well as a storage area. When we are finished with the tour you have the option of exploring the crew lounge and cabin area if you wish, as that is one of the areas you are allowed into."
Ramiro gave another push and extended the rest of the way up the passageway. "As I said, Deck 1 houses the second floor of our Armory. Also, Deck 1 houses the ship's wardroom and galley, where the crew eats a majority of our meals. That concludes the major parts of the tour. If you have any more questions or any requests at all, don't hesitate to ask." Ramiro gave a quick smile as he waited for the response; he wanted to make as good of an impression as possible.
I must say this is a very impressive star ship. It is smaller than I expected but I suppose it has some efficiency. Di said as she followed Ramiro on his tour. “Thank your for the Tour Ramiro. It was very pleasurable and informative.”
“Tell me…would you be interested in continuing this discussion over some Gartagen Cuisine? Commodore Toshiro tried it and he did not have an allergic reaction or get sick!” Di said smiling once more.
"That would be nice." Ramiro responded with a smile. "While we walk I just have a few small questions about civilian technology. I'm assuming we're going to a location off-ship?" Ramiro said the last part as he looked around, not sure which direction to head.
"Yes" was Di's response to Ramiro's inquiry about leaving the ship.
“I am going to take you to the main banquet hall where the Leader has set up a reception for your crew to relax and take in some of our food and drink, as a polite way of giving you some of our culture. “Some of your crew members may be in there conversing, but we shall have to see.” Di said as she waited for Ramiro to guide her out of the belly of this finely tuned war machine.
“Civilian technology is wide and varied, I will answer it as best as I can, but I can say this much, our standard of loving is nothing compared to the Utopia that your people probably enjoy.”
"Alrighty then!" Ramiro pushed himself back down to Deck 5 and exited towards the rear of the ship. Once there he waited for Di to arrive before proceeding out the ship. "Well, my first big question is regarding organized bodies that use large amount of technology, such as law enforcement or emergency responders. What types of technologies to these bodies use?"
As she followed Ramiro Di responded. “The Gartagen union army acts as the standing police force on our world. It is the largest military organization on our planet, and like the Navy and RRF uses some of the best grade technology we can provide. Now you will ask; is it wise to have a military policing the people? Will that not make the people the enemy?” Di said looking at Ramiro. “The problem lay with government control. The Government does not directly control the military. They fund us, but ultimately they have to request our aid. It is indoctrinated that the military’s duty is to protect and serve, and to not be the tool of a would-be tyrant.” “Emergency services such as fire fighting and hospitals are civilian run, but maintain access to the best technology available. Once they exited the ship Di would commence walking the stone path that lead over to a paved trail. The trail ran all the way into a massive sand stone door entrance into the Palace.
Ramiro looked up at the Palace as the two walked. "It is quite a fascinating building compared to the rest in the area. Moving beyond emergency services, what types of utility technologies do Garagens use? Are utility services government controlled or privately controlled?"
“At present most everything is government regulated to some degree. This is mostly due to the up coming colony effort, things are much better then what they were one hundred years ago. Civilians have freedom of speech, and with the right paper work and funds can acquire almost any thing they need. Many machines such as vehicles for transporting wounded…or computers are of government make and model. Our computer net work is fully public, and easily accessed on any street corner or in specific bars.” Di said as passed a 9 foot tall Earth Dancer Exo-suit that had just showed up to guard the Eucharis’ landing site. As It passed Di it raised it’s arms into the air presenting its weapons. “Solar Commander…” Di extended her hand into the air. “Carry on.”
“Many other technologies are for public purchase, such as data pads, and other information devices. But I can assure you our standard of living is nothing compared to the utopia you hail from.”
"That knowledge is quite useful. And I can assure you that I personally don't share the lifestyle of most Yamataians. I live in a more frontier setting, away from urbanization, and joined the military shortly after. Regardless, government regulations are something that we're used to. In Yamatai, many aspects of society are regulated, although we do enjoy many freedoms from the government." Ramiro continued to follow the Solar Commander as he spoke. "However, on that note of transportation, how common are personal vehicles to Gartagens, or is your society more reliant on public transportation?"
“It is interesting.” Di said as they entered the palace. The walls of the Palace were intricately cut with various images of Gartagen historical events, and appeared to be very ancient. The lighting of the palace was dim, and appeared to be done by a net work of glowing stones that were fitted into the rounded ceiling of the palace. Di’s voice reverberated as she spoke, and her toe claws clicked on the floor as she walked. “It is a mixture of modern, public, and...ancient. Many people still use animal husbandry to transport their families and goods…this is more common in rural areas, but not unheard of here in the city. Public transportation is the cheapest way, but private vehicles do exist, and are regularly used by businesses and families. In fact one of the biggest crime problems we have is with gangs of bike riding hooligans that terrorize the streets at any opportunity.
"That is quite an interesting thought," responded Ramiro. "That does not sound the type of thing that would happen on Yamatai, although the use of fast-paced vehicles are much more common there than what it appears to be here." Ramiro thought for a little bit before speaking again. "Well, I have no more questions for you. I'm satisfied, is there anything you would like to know?"
Di and Ramiro would enter a massive banquet hall that was heavily populated with a mixture of Gartagens of a both genders, and of all ethnic groups. The servants were easily picked out as they wore the simplest and most revealing clothing, which seemed to do little more the hide the private areas. Dancers stood up on seemingly inaccessible podiums, and wore ornate jewelry and other aesthetic decorations on their bodies. The more well-to-do Gartagens were a mixture of scientists, military officers, and government officials who stood mingling. Ramiro would see Hanako and another Neko conversing with an old male Gartagen Naval officer. The scent of the room was almost overwhelming as Ramiro’s nose would be filled with the smell of delicious foods of all types being set up on the large wooden tables that sat only two feet above a pillowed floor, and an almost overriding musk that was similar to that of Solar Commander Di noticeable aroma.
“The main banquet hall…we are having a welcome celebration for you and your crew to mingle, and enjoy some of our culture…think of it as a gesture of good will.” She said as she escorted Ramiro into the heart of the room. The only thing that truly off set the atmosphere were the armored and armed Guards that stood resolute against the walls of the massive banquet hall. “I was wondering, what is your impression of my species? To be honest your race is nothing like what we have heard.”
"It is a lovely hall," Ramiro responded. "As to your species, it wasn't quite what I expected. To be perfectly honest I hadn't heard much of you, and had only heard of your existence yesterday, so as you can imagine my knowledge was limited. My initial expectation was to be similar to the more common humanoids such as Nepleslians, Yamataians, Nekos, etc. I beg your pardon if my adjectives seem cruel or rude, but you appeared more sinister in appearance than what I expected. Obviously, that observation is simply because we are not used to appearances such as yours, and the only species that have greatly differed from ours are the Mishu, so you can understand how we may have an initially negative connotation. However, I assure you that it was merely an initial thought and was disproved many times from our conversations."
Di presented those sharp teeth once more. “Well that is good to know Ramiro…I should state that your species physical size is rather intimidating to mine. We had no clue that your people were grown so large. Tell me Ramiro are you hungry?” Di said looking over at one of the sampling tables that had just finished being set up. “Toshiro tried some of our food…and survived, I assume that if any of the other dishes are dangerous we can get you medical attention.” Di said as she awaited a response. “I also noticed your race seems to have a great stigma about its technology.” Di said switching the subject. “Almost as if it is sacred, rather then a tool to simply be safe guarded.”
"I never really thought of us as large, but compared to you I can see how that could be seen from us." Ramiro eyed the food a little bit. "Well, if it's good enough for him, then why not? And it's not really that we see technology as sacred, but as a crucial part of our lifestyles, since we use it for almost every purpose these days. Our species wouldn't even exist without technology, so we feel it's best to exploit it as best we can."
Ramiro would find Di had taken too bowls and scooped these dark orange looking noodles into the bowls. “Technologically dependant? What do you mean you are all artificially created?” Di would hand Ramiro one of the bowls. “Inish Dischali. It is a common breakfast dish for my people, and a local favorite.” Di said as she held the bowl of Inish Dischali and took in the scent for several moments. “It turns out that out bodies metabolic rate put into action by smelling the food…in a sense smelling the scent is apart of our dining experience. Try it.”
If Ramiro smelled the food, he would find it to have a very spicy and tangy scent. It was well round, and a bit over powering, but very enticing. Ramiro would have to eat the food with his fingers, as Gartagens do not dine with utensils. Di began picking at the food with her claws, and carefully scooping it into her mouth.
Ramiro thought for a moment. "Well not all of us, but a vast majority, Yes. Most Nekos were born artificially along with their minds; however there are some that were Yamataian and then converted to a Neko body. The Yamataian species is a genetically altered version of previous species. Most were born as Yamataian infants; however, there are some, such as myself, who were born as one of the unaltered human variants. I, for example, was once Geshrin, but converted to this body in order to better serve my country and my fellow people. You may have read a little about the species in PANTHEON."
Ramiro looked at the food before reaching to his belt and pulling out his knife. "I hope you don't mind if I eat with a utensil, it is not common for my culture to eat food such as this with our hands." He flipped the knife open, twirling the noodles around the knife before carefully eating them, making sure that only the back end of the knife entered his mouth.
Di smiled and nodded “It is acceptable, our ways are not the same, so no need to worry about offending me.” She said as she continued eating. Ramiro would find the flavor to be rather spicy, with a mint after taste. The noodles tasted almost like shrimp, and they began twitching and wiggling as he started chewing and swallowing.
“These creatures contain a high level of protean, and are best served uncooked, but we do prepare them properly, it is my favorite.” She said as she continued eating.
“I have read little on the Geshrin however, I mostly studied what I could glean about your history, and some of your culture. “But please continue, I am more then content to answer questions about my people, would you like a drink?”
Ramiro chewed the food thoroughly before swallowing it down. "It is quite interesting, but appetizing none the less. Usually in my culture our food is well cooked, however you have managed to do an excellent job on this dish without cooking it. And I think I'll have water." Ramiro continued to eat the food as he pondered additional questions. "Well, I guess the only question I have left is, what sort of personal electronics does a Gartagen normally carry with them?"
Di chuckled slightly “Well, I am a military Officer of the Navy; I naturally keep a Suleo XRASER pistol at my hip at all times.” She said as she pointed to the weapon which rested in a holster at her hip. “I also keep my Sheshka…which can be used for many things…I often use it to sharpen my claws.” She said pointing to the short wide bladed sword which rested in an ornate scabbard on her other hip. I have my personal communicator as well. She said pointing to the small oval shaped device that was attached to her uniform. Much of the civilian populace keeps personal communications devices and hand held computers provided they can afford them. But we have a wide range of electronics, but judging from how advanced your people are…they are mere trinkets”
Ramiro eyed each of the pieces of equipment with interest as they were listed. "Not mere trinkets at all. In fact, I worked with someone only a few months ago and his favorite thing to carry around was his sword. Since we two were instructors at this point, it made a good intimidation device. The pistol, I'm sure, is almost as advanced as our, and will soon become equal once you start to learn of the different technologies around the galaxy. Also, it is standard for most people in my culture to carry personal communication devices. It might come as a surprise, but your personal gear would be seen as fairly common in most places.
Ramiro, having finished eating his food, wiped his knife off on a cloth and folded it back up. After placing it into its pouch on his utility belt Ramiro slid the bowl to the side. "Well, I am all out of questions. If you have any more questions then please ask."
OFF