|
|
|
October 16th, 2008
10:53 am - ALERT: alien symbiote infestation in Steeltopia / Midas mission aftermath report
BEGIN SYMBIOTE ALERT
Emperor SteelCobra was attacked by a parasitic xeno yesterday. I have completed Class 5 Sterilization of the Consulate in Steeltopia. As a precaution I am following orders to isolate the Consulate's guardian organism, "Yoggy". As an invertebrate, it has thus far managed to ooze under or through several improvised containment units.
END ALERT
BEGIN MIDAS MISSION AFTERMATH UPDATE
I have confronted my Creator concerning the aftermath of the Midas mission. Over his objections, I am compelled to relay the following information:
The soul-chip of Gematria SteelGears was critically damaged from the encounter. Dr. Mason refuses to accept the damage is irreversible, but her essence is currently inert. In override of the edict by the Fates against family members time traveling, he has built an Ethereal Time Cabinet into a wheeled carriage to retrieve components for rebuiding her.
Koen has regenerated following a "fatal" wound on the mission. For reason not yet explained, he no longer carries his ka (an ancient Egyptian term he uses for defining the immortal aspect of his essence), the interdimensional being known as the Vortex. Furthermore, Koen has announced an estrangement from Dr. Mason.
Dr. Mason has taken on a new apprentice, a neko urchin from New Babbage named Oahu Wijaya. He does not bear the markings of the Bloodtail tribe, but he is undoubtedly descended from the neko of the Sumatra region.
The whereabouts of Marcus Gabriel Mason and the Midas must remain Classified until further notice.
END UPDATE
POSTSCRIPT
I will begin transfer of dispatches to the Emigres of Europa Wulfenbach NING. The lack of graphics uploadability (barring additional funds from the deva) has been an obstacle. I will pursue this course after containing the Yoggy organism, which appears to be reading this dispatch over my shoulder as I type.
POST-POSTSCRIPT
Yoggy possesses faster reflexes than previously exhibited. This will take longer than previously estimated. I will do my best to avoid excess damage to both the Consulate structure and Yoggy.
|
September 24th, 2008
12:54 pm - fancy meeting you here
The Bloodtails stared at me, in the image of the demon that built a temple on their sacred mountain and became their immortal ruler. They surrounded me, bearing their fangs and cursing me. The words were too fast and too emotional to make out all at once, but the word "Betrayer!" did reoccur in heavy sequence.
"Guys! Guys!" A familiar voice piped up in English above the fray. "That's not Bloodwing! That's my brother Ash!"
At this point I nearly blew a logic circuit.
Koen slipped between his kinsman to face me. "I was wondering when you'd get here!" He turned to face the rest of the tribe. He faltered at his ancestral tongue, then switched back to English. "He's come to rescue us!" The cats stopped shouting, but still stared at me disdainfully.
"Koen? How can you be here? Last I saw you was in New Babbage in a bear suit."
He crossed his arms. "I haven't been in Babbage since Sumalee was alive. You must mean Life Number Two. Last I saw you, you disintegrated while trying to free me from Jeremiah!"
I frowned. "So...this nine lives folklore... is more than just a metaphor for the tenacity of the feline species?"
He laughs. "Look at these guys, Ash! See how they're all in tight groups?"
[Conducting Facial Scans - Identical Subsets Confirmed]
Koen continued. "Every neko soul that was trapped in those crystal had eight other versions of themselves trapped with them. That's why we stuck together, not those humans who just screamed at each other!"
One of the other Bloodtail pointed a claw at me angrily and growled in his own tongue.
"How do I know that's not the demon?" His companions hissed similar concerns.
Koen rolled his eyes and whispered in my ear. "Sorry to do this, bro..."
He turned away from me then spun in a kick. His pronounced foot-claws raked across my hips, and the cats cowered from the scraping of enamel across metal.
He turned to them and made a chopping gesture. They all nodded and chuckled to each other.
I spoke up in the best formal Bloodtail dialect I could, if indeed there was one.
"It is an honor to meet my ancestors, but we must still rescue Koen's father!"
They pointed the stone pedestal they had dropped on the foyer tiles, then back at the damaged wall beneath the stairs. The plaster had given way to the metal frame of a door.
I nodded. "Stand aside..."
|
September 23rd, 2008
01:36 pm - uninvited guests
Jeremiah's minion aimed his pistol at my head just as I felt a sudden drain in my power levels. The mindscape faded as I heard an echo of the gunshots. I was suddenly processing what was happening in the physical world around me. My systems were compromised by cables wrapping tight around my frame and burrowing their way into my power conduits, fastening themselves to my soul chip. Attempting to rip them free would have damaged me, if not destroyed me. I shut down all nonessential systems to extend my battery output. In this state I estimated I had two hours left of activity.
In addition to the drain, I felt a series of rapid pulses of energy travel through the cables, through my chip and into the astral portal. With each pulse I felt an instant of another consciousness. Something was using my connection to the brothers to enter their psyches! I willed my essence back through the portal. I found myself at the same point where I had vanished.
I realize that this "virtual" Mason estate was fashioned by the memories of the brothers. But at no time in the family chronicles did I read of the plantation being overrun by several hundred Bloodtail neko. They were vandalizing everything in sight, and had already made short work of the butler. Several of them had pushed a bust of one of one of the Mason ancestors onto the tiles of the foyer, shattering it. They then lifted the Doric-style marble pedestal it had rested on, and were using it as a battering ram against the section of wall under the stairs.
They seemed to be unaware of me. Perhaps I had not yet fully reintegrated. I searched my database of the Founder's records of the Bloodtail language and gave a loud and direct command.
"STOP!"
The neko stopped in their tracks, and stared at me with their slitted feline eyes.
|
September 19th, 2008
12:37 pm - immersion
Being unable to penetrate the telekinetic barrier, I monitored the Mason brothers as best I could and continued trying to pry open a link to their locked psyches. They were both showing signs of physical distress with elevated temperature and heartbeat.
"Ash." The two spoke as one. As I feared, their minds were becoming entangled.
They presented a psychic image, it was the mansion of the Mason family estate, lit by flashes of lightning. It was a gateway. I projected myself through it and became immersed in their realm of memories and metaphor.
I climbed the stairs to the front door, wary of the storm brewing above me. I decided against knocking and pulled open the double-doors. I noticed that my arms, just as the last time I looked inward, were pale and wrapped in mystical sigils. As I swung the doors open, I heard a scream and the shattering of glass with the clatter of a metal plate. A young woman cowered in the corner as I approached cautiously.
"Madam. I am not here to harm you. I am merely here to..."
As I passed the gilded mirror I stopped in my tracks. I was staring at the Founder. I bore his image in every detail I could see, save for the fact that the sternum, the wherein my soul was housed, was glowing from traces of science and magic. I had only glimpsed this when scanning through the memories Bloodwing had left behind for me. This was the body I had come to life in. Therfeore, it was also my astral form, the internal self-image I had been ignoring for gears and boilerplate.
I willed my crimson wings to lower in time to see the reflection of a man in a butler's tuxedo emerge from a hidden panel behind me. He drew a pistol from under his jacket and aimed at the back of my head.
|
September 11th, 2008
03:30 pm - on the outside looking in
The passageway in the Midas had erupted in steam from the energies released in the magical duel between Marcus and Darien. My visual scanners were impaired in this environment. The heat of the steam made body signature detection useless. Darien was obviously overcome with rage, berating his brother who insisted upon being worshipped as the new Regent.*
I felt unfamiliar emotions rising in myself as well. Despite the previous agreement with Darien...
I am what remains of the Founder! I am built in His image! It is only natural that I...
[ILLOGICAL PROCESS ERROR - TRUNCATING]
Someone must rule...
[AASIMOV PROTOCOLS REPORT COUNTER-PROGRAMMING ATTACK]
[locate source]
[INTERNAL CELLULAR INTERACTION WITH SIGIL CONFIGURATION - ENGAGING COUNTERMEASURES]
These new voices were quickly silenced. There is not enough of the Founder in me to qualify as a reincarnation. I am my own soul.
So this was why the Founder tried to keep such tight control over the family. There is a biological imperative...an instinct...in the Bloodline to acheive dominance in the absence of a strong leader. This must be passed on in the human descendants. It ruled Aleister, Jeremiah's lives. How could it not be in Jeremiah's cloned children? What of the rest of the family?
The greatest surprise was when I found the two brothers, hands wrapped around each other's throats. I attempted a stunning blow to Marcus' head, but a telekinetic shield deflected hand. The were staring into each other's eyes, their occasional movements reflected perfectly in the other.
I attempted psychic contact with Darien, but all of his neuron receptors were locked with Marcus, and their energy signatures were too high to measure...several times more active than normal, even in a combat environment. All non-essential functions of their brains had been diverted to a war of neuron against neuron.
I realized this biological drive was driving them to destroy each other, but with a total interface such as this...both of their identities were in danger of being lost.
*Lumina Elvejhem had not yet accepted the mantle at this point.
|
September 5th, 2008
08:41 am - I will serve with honor and to the best of my parameters
[Momentary Fast-Forward]
The Consulate meeting in Steelhead was indeed lively. It is a marvel of time management that the organization is so prolific. I was very surprised to be appointed Consular Liason to Steeltopia. Perhaps it was due to my tactics in defusing the crisis on board the Midas.
I do find Steeltopia an enjoyable place to visit and shop for upgrades. I must however device a diplomatic line of questioning as to why Herr SteelCobra would choose a self-acknowledged Human Supremacist with a genocidal agenda as Ambassador.
The recent events of House Bloodwing were not discussed. In light of the staff roster present, it was the wisest choice. There must be a way to heal this rift. The Founder would not have wanted it this way.
|
September 3rd, 2008
01:38 pm - The Transmission
The Founder's voice thundered throughout the ship as we slipped through the service tunnels. Darien and I looked at each other with alarm, this time at eye-level. For the first time the sacred trust between Creator and Created was overshadowed by suspicion. Before he even opened his mouth, I made my intentions clear.
"No. I have no wish to be Founder."
"Been there, done that, Ash. Being in the front seat would only make it worse. But if what he said was true..." We both knew it was. Under Bloodwing's control the Hydra had become little more of than nuisance to him, but free from the Founder's grip the Hydra's heads would stretch across the cosmos. "...someone has to. But it sure as Hell can't be Marcus!"
"How do we stop him?"
Darien stopped in his tracks, catching his breath. "I don't know..."
"Attention Dolls!" It was the voice of a young man. It could only be Marcus. "We have intruders on board! You must DESTROY..." The voice was interrupted by the distorted speech of the crustacean demon.
"Atten-shone Dolles! The Whiiine Cell-ar eez now ho-penn! Come get zee last of zee Blood-whiiine! Ex-clooo-siv veen-tages! Sooo-veneirs!"
Darien looked up at me. "What the HELL is he doing?"
"He is gathering all of the Dolls in one place."
He nodded slowly. "He is on our side, right?"
"Apparently. I am sure Marcus will not be happy that his orders are..."
"DOLLS!! I AM YOUR NEW FOUNDER! I ORDER YOU TO..." *pssssssh...*
I closed my eyes and started to tap the knowledge of the immortal that had once shared his soul with mine. In the clear backdrop of my imagination I whirled through images of dusty tomes and wooden codices in my mind. I had finally grasped the basics of the Founder's native tongue and script. Past the books and strung planks I came upon a stone tablet, and sensed the answer lay in the cuneiform. I translated each sentence as best I could, struggling through the Gordian knot of grammar and sentence structure of Old High Ereb'ai. I felt a chill, realizing that with the destruction of one of the oldest kingdoms in the Underworld, this incalculable store of ancient knowledge now existed only in one place in the Universe...embedded in the sigils and bone that housed my spirit. My hand, which inexplicably was covered in pale flesh and interlaced with black markings, glided over the lazy river of runes.
"Just calling oneself Founder is not enough. To become strong enough to challenge the Hydra, one must under go a...transformation..."
A few seconds later when we felt the ship lurch. We heard explosions. I opened my eyes. My hand was indeed the metal that I remember.
Darien shook his head. "He's throwing a tantrum. We need to get near the cellar. But not too close, got it?"
"That sounds logical..."
|
August 14th, 2008
01:41 pm - smarter than the average bear
I refitted the bear mask and somehow managed on unlock a hatch with the huge padded claws sewn into the outfit. After hearing the ticking and giggling of gossiping dolls pass by, I crept down the corridor. The dark luxurious carpet combined with the plushness of the suit muffled the creaking sounds coming from my legs, that I had hastily reattached at the knees. Through the earholes I could make out arrhythmic sounds which I assumed to be the cries of someone in extreme discomfort.
I came to one of the larger chambers. A collection of Avarian crystals orbited near the center of the ceiling, glimmering and tracing intricate light patterns on the carpet. The pattern was so bright I wondered if the crystals were unstable. I heard laughter and the sound of crystals contacting each other. This could not have come from above (Avarian crystals tend to explode that way) , but I did see a gathering of round tables and chairs, and five dolls gathered around one of the tables on the far end. They were clinking their glasses, filled with that infamous vintage.
Behind them was a stage, and playing on a large white grand piano was a green-scaled demon wearing the most outrageous outcropping of hair one could imagine, much less on a reptilian. The loose fitting outfit was...
I cannot cross-reference the colors to any known creature or natural occurence. At first I began to wonder if my optic sensors were failing, then I pondered if there were worse humiliations in the Court of Erebus than wearing the bear suit. He did not seem to be playing a coherent song, but testing the instrument by playing discordant notes just softly enough as not to disturb the conversation of the dolls below.
"Ohhh they're both so dreamy!"
"I think Marcus is handsomer!"
"Oh of course, no one is arguing that, but Darien is bish too in a vulnerable kind of way."
I stopped in my tracks after I bumped into one of the tables. The glass tipped over on the tabletop above me. I managed to catch it in my paw before it broke on the carpet.
"I mean, Marcus has just...so much powerrr... and in a bish like that that's just sooo..."
"This one likes Darien better."
There was an awkward silence.
"Yeah, like, what-ever. You can be wing girl then, once we enslave them as vampires!"
"Ohhhh having two bishy brothers to make Bloodwine for us for the rest of ETERNITY! Cheers!"
Four glasses touched and lowered to sip bloodwine from porcelain lips, the one who abstained, who wore darkers clothes and hair then the rest slowly rose from the table.
"This one thinks she should go."
"Yeah, that one better..."
As the outcast weaved through the tables as the others whispered insults. As she walked just past me, she paused to gaze directly at me for a moment, then continued on. The demon on stage cleared his throat.
"Aye, it's a great time to be Blood Doll, isn't it Ladies?" He gulped nervously. I made my way towards the side of the room as the dolls turned their attentions to the entertainer. His hands searched the keyboard from some harmonious chords.
"Two young Masons...young forever...boy that's a lot of cute outfits to make them try on, isn't it?"
There were peels of laughter and light applause from the table.
The notes seemed familiar in sequence, but completely out of context. I think I felt my first sense of revulsion when I realized it was the Founder's song...
"Our domain, this kingdom come..." The Dolls fell silent, staring. They rose from their seats as the refrain started.
"And I believe, that we'll conceive..." They advanced towards the stage. I did not realize reptiles could sweat. He was barely able to finish "when I see this kingdom's mine" before the Dolls fell on him. As I found a greater sense of safety behind the bar he screamed his clearest note, and I heard fangs biting into flesh.
A trapdoor in the bar was slamming upwards under me into my midsection. I leaped backwards and assumed a submissive animal stance as a blue crustacean rose halfway from the panel.
"Wut? A Bay-uhrr? You cen take thet off, Suhr," he said. "We arr thee last two demons on boardt thees vessel!" I shook my head. It was better to act the part of the Fool I was dressed for than to risk discovery as an intruder. He poked my fur with his claw. "Eef you theenk the Doles weel spehr you as a Bay-uhrr, then goodt luck to you, Suhr." He tapped the metal circle over his apron pensively, and presented me with a bottle of Bloodwine. "Put thees on the bawr. They weel be hungry for more Bloodt-wiiine to clear thee palate of thee ee-chorr." He pried the cork loose with his claw in a casual gesture.
I nodded and held the bottle in my paw. It was not the best grip. "They weel run out soon. Ah weel hide myzelf een thee cellar now. If you can stop zee dizazter from happeneeng, do not let zee Mason boys drink thees! Egg-specialy thee hansom one or wee arr all DOOMED!" I turned my head to try and guage sincerity from his inhuman features, and I heard the bottle tip over on the wooden bar and begin spilling Bloodwine across the surface.
The Blood Dolls screamed as the wine expert slammed the trapdoor shut and locked it from below.
|
August 11th, 2008
09:31 am - mutiny, and dolls overboard
I hit the deck with a loud thud and was dragged about a hundred hundred yards until I skidded to a stop. I decided the best course of action was to stay still until told to move, unless any other crewmembers had taken a head count. As I lay face-up, clouds would roll over the deck of the ship, obscuring my view of the darkening sky. I heard footsteps, and several Dolls passed me. One bent over from behind me to stare down at me.
"Lestrega?" she asked in a deceptively sweet tone. "I smell no ichor in this one...a drop at most." I heard screams from skyboat that were quickly muffled.
"We already drained that one, Denishka." Denishka curled her nose, bearing her fangs slightly.
"They don't have the sense to hide their own dead? Disgusting!"
"You want disgusting? This skyboat reeks! It smells like turpentine and cheap cologne! And the turpentine smells better!"
Denishka stuck out her tongue in disapproval. "Let's light it on fire and push in overboard! Who has a naphtha jet installed? Oh you do, Seiglinde? Would you be so kind?"
I heard the roar and saw the flare of a paint-fire soon afterwords. I heard the dolls groaning as they pushed the boat towards the edge of the ship, and the rope around the neck of my costume grew taught. They were now fighting against my weight. I heard the panic rising in their voices as the flames leaped higher and closer to their lacy outfits.
I was tempted to let the dolls catch fire, run around in a panic, and let the exploding boat damage the ship. However, to the best of my knowledge Darien was still on board.
For once I was in a danger that was easy to circumnavigate. As they pushed with all the might of their clockwork muscles, I pulled off the head of the bear costume and the noose that surrounded it. I pulled the head from the noose with one hand and quickly released my grasp on the rope. Denishka, Lestrega and Seiglinde screamed as they fell overboard along with the flaming skyboat. That is when I stopped to ponder the consequences.
"Ach! Did I just destroy the Muses Playhouse again?"
|
August 8th, 2008
10:05 am - this was not in my job description
At Koen's insistence, I donned the bear costume. A squad of demon-pirates landed in a skyboat, their ship barely navigable from load of grey-stained wood and carpentry tools.
I waddled out before them in bear fashion and activated the sound projector in the muzzle.
"MOARRR!"
These demons were...gangly, and garishly dressed even for what was expected of pirates, and certain demons for that matter. They looked at me in stunned silence and turned to each other. I open my arms wide and roared again.
They jumped from the boat and hugged me. Not the reaction I was led to expect. However they did tip me over (my reattached legs were still adjusting) and began kicking me. That I was told to expect. They stubbed their toes (all of these demons wore boots) while trying to kick me. There were loud clangs as they ineffectually assaulted my frame beneath the fur. I was worried that would give away my identity, but the kept at it until they dropped their load of wood on me and started rebuilding Novem.
Without so much as a Thank You, I would pass them one board after another as they constructed a semblance of a pirate's tavern. One pirate stood on my chest after the last board was removed and knelt down on my head. I saw his fangs through my eyeholes as he hissed at me.
"I have no idea who ye be, lad...everybody on the Midas is accounted for..." I heard his sword slide from his sheath. "But bein' th' Bear is the only way to survive as a stowaway on an Ereb ship." I noticed the sword at my throat was actually a flimsy form of wood. " That's how I started when I was a wee lad. Stay away from Princess Gem an' don't rile the Dollies, they're not our kind, an' next time someone gets shamed ye'll be Mr. Next-to-Last. Got it?"
I nodded, and he stood up again. They kicked me over to the boat and put a leash around my neck. Halfway up to the Midas they scooped me up and threw me overboard. I dangled by my neck from the leash off the the aft until they dragged me on the deck of the ship as they landed.
Current Location: Ruins of Novem, and upwards
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/sad.gif) uncomfortable
Current Music: "I get knocked down, but I get up again..."
|
August 7th, 2008
01:52 pm - watch that last step
I totally sympathized with Master Darien, and allowed him to vent off some steam in his Mother's dialect while I supported him on my shoulders. Being in the body of thirteen year old, Darien did have some room to maneuver inside the trash chute that had opened in the underbelly of the massive Black Trireme.
I however was immobilized when the chute abruptly closed while I was trying reconfigure myself to fit in the passage. My wing assembly was crushed, my arms were pinned, and my neural relay had been severed below the waist.
"Okay, Ash...we can figure this out. You can't fit in here with me. But if I push you out, you crash and I might crash with you."
"Correct."
"I got it. Ash..." He held out his hand. "GIVE ME YOUR SOUL CHIP!"
Now it was my turn to demonstrate the creative applications of a Germanic language. When I finished, Darien was crumpled against the edge of the iron tube, hiding his face.
"Darien? Darien...I'm sorry. That was a time of extreme...helplessness for me that I never wish to experience again. Please forgive..."
"Well what have we here?" interrupted a screeching voice of something obviously inhuman. I felt a pair of bony claws wrap around my ankle, and then a similar pair of claws around my other ankle. "These are a mighty FINE pair of boots you got here! Now who'd want to waste footgear like this on a crappy old CLANK that's too big to push out the TRASH chute?" I winced as I heard my shin being slowly torn from its socket.
"I have an extra left boot! Perhaps we can make a..."
"No Siree! I'm looking for a set of eight myself!" One powerful twist after the other, and my lower legs torn away. Steam billowed from the empty sockets until my servos redirected the energy circulation.
Darien stared down at me in horror. "Ash?"
The sounds of my body scraping against the iron ampified up the tube. With one violent pull, my wings broke free from my torso assembly as I was wrenched out of the hatch. Thankfully the hatch snapped shut before Darien could be trapped and crushed, or fall to his death.
I took a wild swing at the purple arachnid that clung to the underside of the ship, but missed without coordination of my legs to get the correct leverage. He dangled me by the balls of my knee joints as I reached for my hip holster.
"Bad clank! No coal for you!"
I was able to reach my weapon, but as I plummeted towards Babbage Palisade I was spinning too quickly to aim. I impacted the rubble of the Muses Playhouse at maximum velocity. When I came to, the bearlike creature that had fell from the Midas before me was looming over me.
"Pardon, Sir? If you could kindly find my lower legs I could..."
The creature did not respond. It seemed to be grabbing at its own neck.
"Sir? Are you injured? I advise you not to damage your vertebrae by..."
The furry head fell off, onto my torso. The face of a badly bruised, but very much alive Koen Mason was grinning down at me.
"Hey Bro! Seen better days?"
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/confused.gif) confused
|
August 4th, 2008
12:29 pm - pulled aside
"Ash!"
Master Darien tugged on my jacket while in I was entirely devoted to measuring the time fluctuations. I was able to lock my measurements before being tipped off balance. The boy was strapped and ready for another jetpack flight. I was warned by Frau Lowey to watch for such impulsive behavior.
"One moment, Darien. Three more fluctuations were detected in rapid succession, but only the final wave reached Earth. One from the coordinates where Hostel once existed. Another from New Erebus on Wormwood. And the final..."
"The Mason Plantation."
I lifted my chronometric goggles and stared at him.
"How did you know?"
"I have a hunch. We're going to Babbage."
"Darien, you are not allowed to..."
"Ash? I need to get to Novem."
"Gematria is handling your affairs at Novem for the time being."
There was an uncomfortable lull in the conversation.
Business before RP. Just go with it.
"I have a hunch. I need to run some tests."
"Your Spark has not surfaced yet."
"It stirs. And you are going to help me so I don't blow myself up. At least until I refine some more Reanimation fluid."
"You disposed of the last of your supply, Darien."
"If I'm right I don't NEED any damn pomegranate juice!"
"Watch your language, young man. While the modern pomegranate is indeed a direct descendant of the Bloodfruit, I doubt even the most advanced fermentation equipment could..."
"Look..." He whispered into my ear. His theory, while lacking in details on the chemical level, was empirically sound. Not only would we recover a single dose of Reanimation Serum, but it would reveal some clues as to the forgotten Mason brother.
"Ash? Race ya!"
Current Location: Steelhead Consulate, en route to Babbage Palisade
|
July 29th, 2008
09:13 am - darn it all
I regret that I was unable to attend the Baron's birthday, my sincerest apologies. However, once I noticed increased chronowave fluctuations from New Erebus I dedicated all of my processing to monitor the events. I was able to measure the next two localized ripples, where the chronowaves were concentrated.
They were the remains of the Baltimore Mason plantation and the former site of the Bloodwing Foundation in Steelhead. There can be no question at this point as to whether the time ripples are a natural phenomena. They are being triggered with a purpose: to rewrite the history of the Mason dynasty.
I was distracted from my work by one intrusion. I was visited by the newly reincarnated Koen Mason. (He explained that he was not permitted to appear as Vortex during this visit.) He was visibly excited to make my acquaintance. He embraced me and thanked me for risking my existence to save his.
I...was surprised by my reaction. I need to investigate the configuration of my emotions at a later date.
He asked me if I saw any records of him wielding adamantium claws. I had no such recollections, but then I found pictures of such in the family chronicles. He recalled the general time of their disappearance from his person while hunting flying salmon in Steelhead. The event corresponded with the most recent fluctuation.
A pattern appears to be emerging to the temporal revisions:
First, the Galvanic Tesseractor technology was downgraded.
Second, the time loop of Darien journeying to the past to masquerade as Jeremiah was broken.
With the most recent disruption, Koen was never thrown into the future by Bloodwing as a punishment for crimes against the family. Because of this, he never received his adamantium claws as a reward for helping a tribe of feral nekos destroy a nest of gigantic mutant scorpions.
Instead of the fabric of time starting to fray, to borrow a metaphor, it are being darned. Temporal disruptions are being removed, not created.
This leads to the next question: What other events in the Mason History shall be rewritten next?
Ash Mason
Research Assistant
Consulate of Europa
|
July 24th, 2008
02:47 pm - Happy Birthday Baron Wulfenbach!
Master Darien explained that the pointed hat and uncoiling wind instrument were cultural requirements along with the rhymes. Personally, I don't think you resemble a primate much at all beyond the common special features all humans share. Furthermore I realize that your hygeine is impeccable as a Scientist. I haven't seen what test subjects you have in your laboratory, but it may possibly qualify as a "zoo", given poetic lisence.
Current Location: Consulate Office
|
08:52 am - Astronomical and Aethermetric Analysis of the New Erebus/Wormwood Conjoinment
I have recorded observations from various visual telescopes and detailed aetherwave receptor measurements. The Wormwood comet and the space station known as New Erebus have made physical contact, but not collided. The latter seems to have landed on the former. Of further interest is that the two celestial bodies seem to now be stationary in defiance of all known laws of aetherdynamics. Known physics in an area around the two bodies seems to have simply stopped.
The recent chronometric fluctuations are indeed emanating from the stationary comet (asteroid?) as Master Darien supposed. The instances of sudden notice of historical discrepancies versus personal memories can be tracked precisely to the moments the chronometric waves passed through Earth orbit. What we are experiencing is an inversion of the Schroedinger's cat paradox. It is quantum superposition on an unprecedented (and perhaps by definition unrecordable) scale. Could the cessation of normal aetherphysics in the field around the two bodies be redirecting and radiating the building blocks of thie reality outwards to cause these distortions? Unable to formulate equation and measure aetherwaves to the degree of accuracy needed to test theory at this time.
Based upon the Founder's previous attempts to manipulate time we must assume that he is at least partially responsible for this event. I cannot at this time determine if it is possible to contact the Founder through the chronostasis field. I taken the initiative to contact Qli-2. Considering the magnitude of this aberration in Time itself, utilization of Qli-2's anachronistic technical knowledge is required, overriding cultural protocols. Her memories of the dimensional collapse of the city of Hostel may be relevant to this case...or at the very least be an omen.
-Ash Mason, Research Assistant of Europan Consulate
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/thinking.gif) pensive
|
July 16th, 2008
03:32 pm - Escape from New Erebus
I lost track of events when fighting the Pandorus. My body was gone, and Frau Lowey had my psychic essence secured on her person while she was first fighting the abomination then escaping to the Wulfenbach ship. I did my best not to interfere. I was for the first time understanding the emotion of despair, when the loss of contact with Qli-2's frequency distracted me from the string of percentages that ran like a string of zeroes.
The probability of us lifting off and escaping orbit while New Erebus was sharply altering course must have been astronomical. I abandoned my consideration of the laws of physics in the deep aether when I felt myself pressed tight against the one that carried me as she strapped herself into one of the navigation chairs. I heard the ather transmission, as much of a death rattle as a proclamation...
"HAIL BLOODWING...KING OF NEW EREBUS."
It sounded exactly like Dr. Mason, were he in his death throes, which with much relief was not the case. I sensed him in the chair beside us...uninjured except for some bruises and and a severed prosthetic limb, which he clenched between his knees as he struggled to strap himself in with occasional help from hands behind his shoulders.
I saw through Frau Lowey's eyes again as re-established the psychic link. First I focused on the dashboard. The instruments on Frau Lowey's dashboard were fluctuating wildly. The scanner revealed that the surface of the space station was transforming. Even though the reinforcements established a psychic shield around New Erebus, I could feel the Founder's power grow exponentially as it merged with the city itself and claimed it.
I made out the outlines of the orbiting junk that was the Imperial Fleet of Hades. I could not account for all of the hulls that should have been strewn through the aether around us or crashed into the ground below, which quickly absorbed the wrecks, and the rest of the Avarian architecture, like quicksand. The surface was smooth except for a black structure where the Engine Room had been. Then, an astoundingly complex pattern of structures emerged from the clay. I did not have enough time to attempt to analyze further as our entire ship was shifted through the space between spaces, far away from the carnage.
Safely in the Void, the emotions of the crew came into focus. I sensed Frau Lowey's feelings envelop me like the tides as she lay her fingertips over my runes as she examined me for damage. From everyone on the ship I felt the gratefulness of survival. I felt the pride of bravery in combat, especially from the Jaegers, countered by twinges of regret from the failed rescue. The emotions that ran through Dr. Mason's mind as his prosthehetic arm clattered to the floor were so intense and so conflicted I could not fathom them. I could only watch the tears roll down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.
|
09:04 am - Upgrades and Edicts
With Frau Lowey no longer suffering from exposure to the Selenite psychic transmissions, Dr. Mason has relieved me of guard duty at the mines. I immediately went back to my room at the Consulate and built a new back-mounted flight unit I had been formulating during my period of immobility. I tested it by flying to Babbage Palisade, where Dr. Mason was busy hiding his laboratory equipment and...classified equipment at to comply with Novem's new designation as "Welcoming All Avatars." There was a large amount of illogical decorations. I considered a line of query as to his mental health until I read the wall displays loaned by Sir J. J. Drinkwater. The display and the upcoming event tonight at 7pm SLT concerns the commemoration of Lewis Carroll's works. His novels are known for their surrealism and absurdity.
He was visibly surprised by my new wing configuration. I heard him murmur that it looked familiar, but would not elaborate.
He then revealed a schematic he had taken of a cybernetic unit he had just encountered. It was of a highly advanced design. Apparently the individual had a central nervous system transplant into the construct form at least a decade ago and had never realized she was a cybernetic organism until recently when the seam of her dermal unit needed repair!
I agreed that there was an ethical dilemna, but there was certainly a "need-to-know" basis at that point. I am certainly content that I was never deceived into believing I was anything other than a construct, and that the details of serendipitous (for me at least) creation were revealed to me as they were discovered.
I asked Dr. Mason about using the Galvanic Tesseractor to journey to Lost Angels in the Dark Future to recover Qli-2, to help with Gematria. I believe the metaphor for his reaction was..."going ballistic". He said due to the events leading to Bloodwing's demise, the Mason family was absolutely forbidden to engage in time travel until further notice. I asked how this message would be relayed to Qli-2, and he olny shrugged and went back to taking down the upstairs pictures of mating rituals and dispatched me to go tell Gematria of the new edict.
I have a received a transmission from the Baron concerning accessing a general announcement to all Consulate members. I will access it this evening after my Grid Aetheric Transponder has recharged.
|
July 9th, 2008
08:52 am - Regarding Castle Heterodyne
"False Men - Puppet things of shadow and dead meat"
That is a very inconsiderate term. Organic construct would have sufficed.
"Wings of Brass and Bone" - That turn of phrase I can use. As a matter of fact, I think I will.
*grumbles in Pseudoromanian as he finishes recharging and gets back to guard duty*
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) aggravated
|
July 7th, 2008
10:47 am - staying in one place, and observations on movement
I am proud that my report on the Selenite expedition has been used as reference in other journals. Dr. Mason has seen fit to invite me into the High Tea & High Adventure Society. He has ordered me to guard the entrance to the Selenite mine. Specifically, no one with origins or ancestry from the Lower Planes are permitted inside (Mason family included.) Proof of override from Caledonian or Consulate authority required.
Gematria visited me while on duty. She said she had come back from an ethnic festival hosted by Dr. Figaro. Her red kimono was rather striking. She asked to borrow my repair kit.
Her gait had unusually small steps, but she insisted it was due to the construction of her garment. Apparently human females of that culture undergo gradual modifications of their feet to a "lotus" configuration to achieve an aesthetically pleasing (but impractical) method of ambulation. Fortunately for a construct like herself, the reconfiguration is simple to both achieve and reverse.
I have had problems myself in the past regarding human footwear. I notice female bipeds often complain about fitting failures for their ambulation equipment and are constantly searching for highly specialized gear for each assignment.
Current Mood: determined
|
June 27th, 2008
08:21 am - Submission to the High Tea & High Adventure Society: Report from the Selenite Mines
Images recorded here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hthas/
I joined the Society expedition at the Moors. Extensions of the alien ships were embedded in the soil from where it had crashed ages ago, the claws rotating and extending downwards at regular intervals. Were the ends of the claws not broken they may very well have neutralized anyone attempting to use the levitation device (verikon). When the claws were fully functional and programming still intact they wold have been an effective security system.
On the mushroom-shaped central console of the verikon was an indentation holding what appeared to be molten cavorite, which served as the power source. Engraved onto the console itself was a two-dimensional illustration summarizing what was to be found below. Also, symbols there, and repeated below, contained universal diagrams for focusing sound and light ("media controls"). The descent downwards was smooth for those who were sitting down. Also on the console and throughout the site were engravings of unknown script. (I find Col. Hotspur's insistence of identifying them as Earth languages highly suspect.)
Within the cavern itself, elements of the Selenite ecology were still intact. We were accosted by flying glowing crystals. I could not confirm the very birdlike "chirping" came from these crystals. Also there were stalagmite-imitating creatures on the roof of the cavern that attacked us by falling down over us. We were very lucky no one was injured. The stalagmoids would vanish and reappear from their nesting points before I had a chance to make a full scan.
Several outcroppings of a tan bulbous mushroom species were growing in the cavern. It seems unusual for a fungus of this sort to grow where it is impossible to take root in solid rock. At least one of them did tip over when touched. Chemical analysis revealed neurotoxins. [Has this species been categorized? Seleniticus?] Is it a coincidence that the sudden appearances of now fungi throughout the Realm of the Roses coincides closely with the discovery of the Selenite mine? Could these mushrooms be from spores released from the opened mine?
Arachnoid creatures lay dormant in the far end of the chamber and on the far wall. Their power sources were still running. The largest one appeared to have a weapons system. They did not respond to binary signals, nor to attempts to climb them and use them as vehicles.
In addition to the verikon there were three functioning artifacts of Selenite technology in the chamber: the holographic projector, the suspension pods and the wall monitor.
The holgraphic projector had a mushroom-shaped central control like the verikon, and also had an energized cavorite core visible in the center of the console. The media symbols were prominently displayed on all sides. Upon activation the "petals" of the projector would rise from the floor and encircle the operator and anyone else touching the console.
The hologram would project on the inner walls of the petals. It was a swirling pattern of green shapes on a black background. Some claimed it was a presentation of a Selenite, but I could not discern it. The audio portion sounded like hissing and propulsion of air through tubes (a whooshing sound). There was a non-symmetrical repeating rhythm to the sounds of about five seconds in length. Perhaps through extensive study we can learn how to utilize the device correctly (to the extent it can still function) and extract more data.
The glowing green suspension pods hung from the ceiling and would drop and engulf members of the expedition, then retract back to the cavern ceiling. Inside it was glowing green and there were loud organic sounds. After initial panic and attempts to breach the pods, the pods would respond to touch and drop the expedition members. These pods seemed to be depicted in the wall engraving holding Selenites. Since these pods are easily exited (by Humans at least) I suspect they were intended for life support and not incarceration.
The most intriguing artifact was the wall monitor. This piece was completely intact. It was a large circular pane of glass-like material with green glowing designs. The pane was encircled by a fitting rounded frame, then connected by a sprouting of rock to the cavern wall. A second such outcropping on the other side of the frame reached out to where more equipment must have been. There were angled borders that matched the style seen in the engravings. In the center characters that would scroll from bottom to top in repeating sequence. Here we have elements of Selenite script perfectly preserved. This must be the starting point for deciphering the rest of the engravings.
My theory is the monitor is reporting on machinery hidden within the cavern wall. Combine this with the fact that the giant claws at surface level match the design and proportional placement in the engraving of the Selenite mother ship force me to conclude that the Selenite mine, indeed this entire archaeological site - is the buried Selenite mother ship! I look forward to seeing more internal passages of the ship excavated, and perhaps the entire outer hull.
The wall engraving appears to be an inventory of the Selenite fleet and crew. Also there is a gridded map of ancient Caledon, before the northern half rose from the sea and connected to the Winterfell region. South of the Moors there was higher land than seen today. Perhaps the geological change was a result of their crash landing? The low level of coastal detail was noted. It may be the passage of time that wore away the details, as seen by the barely recognizable script.
In addition to the oval suspension pods depicted containing Selenites, I believe there were seperate images of Selenites traveling in the floating geodes, such as the one accessible from traveling above sea level in the verikon in a damaged pod. It could not determine how I found myself inside the hollow rock. Did it organically flow around me or was there refined teleportation? The geode descended at a non-fatal velocity and dropped me off at standing level at the surface entry site. Then the geode vanished. This may have been their preferred transit system outside of the ship. A complete inclusion in rock suggests they had no concern about suffocation, therefore no respitory system as we know it. Also they may have preferred a total seclusion from the Earth atmosphere which may have been harmful to their exoskeletons.
The only other general observations I make from previous contact with the artifacts of the Avarian civilization: There are no outward similarities between the Selenites and the Avarians. Further, no indication these civilizations had mutual contact. Also no similarity between the Selenites and the recovered technology of the "Martian" invaders that attacked Caledon and Steelhead.
END OF REPORT
Ash Mason (Tumim)
Product of Mason Labs
Member of the Consulate of House Wulfenbach
Current Location: Caledon Moors
Current Mood: intrigued
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
ash_mason's journal