[21:42] <Chamelaeon> <<SESSION TWENTY-SIX, LIFTOFF! DON'T GET OFF, THE
LANGOLIERS WILL EAT YOU!>>
[21:45] <Chamelaeon> <<Last session you'd arrived on a Sleythin that had had the
crap kicked out of it but good. You met up with a guidebot, who led you first to
a place to upgrade Vernon's suit, and then once again to the place where the
Last Living Sleythin resides. The cavern is almost pitch-black now, and the orb
lights the clearing and the derelict exosuits with a soft pink glow.>>
[21:45] <Chamelaeon> <<You are at the very edge of the clearing and have a
little way to go to hit the ruined base of the globe. [/END EXPOSITION!]>>
[21:48] * Tim looks around and consults his sensors repeatedly.
[21:49] * Vernon is staring at his sensors as well. "...I'm still completely
lost as to what's going on."
[21:49] <Chamelaeon> <<The sensors read blank, except for you and the
guidebot.>>
[21:49] <Isis> ( Do we still have the... right. )
[21:49] <Charlie> (had we reconfigured the sensors for the bugs again?)
[21:49] * Isis turns to Pragmatic. "I don't suppose you have a condensed version
you could give him?"
[21:50] <Tim> Don't worry. It'll all make sense when you're half asleep many
many days from now. 
[21:50] * Chako sticks in front of everyone and walks. "If you're lucky."
[21:51] <Chamelaeon> [I dunno.... I mean, a condensed version of what?]
[21:51] <Tim> Yes.
[21:52] * Isis raises an eyebrow. "You have a point." She turns to Vernon.
"Short version: This is an alien planet. They were invaded by some large
silicate beings that look like spiders and basically destroyed everything. Said
silicate spiders are now teamed with the Hippies and are inside our star
system."
[21:52] <Vernon> ...not good. God it.
[21:52] <Vernon> (Er, got.)
[21:53] <Tim> Yeah, that fits in 'not good'. I can't wait to hear how we're
gonna fix this.
[21:54] <Chako> Got me. Maybe we'll just dump some All-Fix on it. 
[21:54] <Vernon> The application of large quantities of violence?
[21:54] <Charlie> hmm.. Also note that most of the beings who lived here are
supposedly in hiding and there seems to be another faction watching the whole
thing from afar.
[21:54] * Isis nods. "That giant meteorite we went to is a 'Messenger'. The race
here sent them all over the galaxy as a warning, and a method of help."
[21:55] <Vernon> Of help?
[21:56] * Tim chuckles at Chako. "Sure. Maybe we can get our hands on some
'All-Kill' and take care of the bugs with that."
[21:56] <Isis> The crystal inside is called the 'All-Drug'. Remember how it
'cured' Illyana? It basically rewrites imperfections at the genetic and
molecular level.
[21:56] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic floats along.>> [Don't feel bad, uh, whichever
human you are. Most of this is news to me.]
[21:56] * Isis frowns and looks away. "Sadly, it doesn't seem quite perfect."
[21:56] * Vernon nods.
[21:56] <Charlie> They seem to be hoping that someone out there is strong enough
or stupid enough to fend off the silicate things. *he smiles*
[21:57] <Vernon> Fascinating...
[21:58] <Charlie> One of them is living outside of time.. or something.. in this
thing. *he points to the pink swirly thing*
[21:58] * Vernon nods.
[21:58] * Tim nods. "He's basically there to answer questions and maybe keep an
eye on things. Ostensibly, anyway."
[21:59] <Tim> "Oh, and he makes some really good tea."
[21:59] <Vernon> ...
[21:59] * Isis furrows her brow. "I don't trust the tea."
[22:00] * Vernon snaps his fingers, and looks less confused than he has
since...well, you met him. "Oh! That parallel dimension experiment must have
worked better than I thought."
[22:00] * Tim drones like a brainwashed person from an old b-movie. "The tea is
good, Isis. You must have some tea. You must conform."
[22:00] * Chako snickers. "Hey, it's her loss."
[22:00] * Tim perks up. "Parallel dimension experiment?"
[22:00] * Isis eyes Vernon.
[22:01] <Chamelaeon> <<Vernon - as you walk, you note that the clearing is full
of sleythin exosuits - old, decrepit, moss-covered, and all facing the orb.>>
[22:01] * Vernon smiles. "Kidding. It's not exactly easy to be dragged into
what's more or less dealing with paranormal activity."
[22:01] <Chamelaeon> <<It's hard to see them though, as it's dark.>>
[22:01] * Vernon looks around. "..."
[22:01] <Tim> Aw. Damn.
[22:02] *** Atom[Angel] is now known as Atom
[22:05] * Chako looks at the exosuits and mutter, "I don't like 'em. Graveyard
of killing machines."
[22:05] * Isis shrugs. "Live by the sword, die by the sword."
[22:05] <Chamelaeon> <<The orb looks ... funny, as you approach it. Almost like
it's an old rabbit-ear reception TV that's just SLIGHTLY off-kilter. Static
every now and then.>>
[22:06] <Chamelaeon> [Uh.. that's not normal. Shit, what'd they do to it?]
[22:06] * Tim frowns. "Oh, this can't be good."
[22:06] * Vernon stares at it, turning his head this way and that.
"That's...strange."
[22:07] * Isis sighs. "It was a little naive of us to think they couldn't get
this far, I guess."
[22:07] <Tim> I'll put my money on 'tried to break it, and got halfway there'.
[22:07] * Tim shrugs. "C'mon, Vernon. Looks like we've got work to do."
[22:08] * Vernon nods.
[22:09] * Tim heads up to the gate and tries to get a better assessment of it's
condition. He even turns on his suit's lights, if he has to!
[22:10] * Vernon backs up Tim, trying to figure out how the gate is (not)
working.
[22:11] * Isis takes this time to find somewhere to 'sit'.
[22:13] * Chako wanders forward, looking around.
[22:13] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic follows you as you go down the incline of
rubble into the 'basement' where you entered the globe before. The pillar
extending from the bottom of the globe suffers the same effects - there are no
obvious scars, but nothing that looks like you could interface with it either.>>
[22:14] <Chamelaeon> <<Tim and Vernon, rather.>>
[22:15] <Chamelaeon> <<The rest of you find decently large chunks of rock to sit
on.>>
[22:15] * Tim frowns. "Hey, Pragmatic. You know any way for us to access
detailed info on the condition of the gate?"
[22:17] <Chamelaeon> [Uh... I think so. Just a second.] <<It pauses.>>
[22:17] * Charlie double checks his sensors' condition to make sure they're set
to detect the bugs.
[22:17] <Chamelaeon> [City Central says it's working, as far as it can tell.]
[22:18] <Tim> I'm starting to wonder if City Central's been hit in the head a
lot or something.
[22:19] * Chako looks about and grumbles.
[22:19] * Vernon mutters. "Or something."
[22:19] * Charlie walks up to one of the taller, more stable looking exosuits.
"I'm gonna see if I can get a better look around.".. and he starts climbing it.
[22:19] <Chamelaeon> [I don't think so. It's on the other side of the Gate of
Ages...]
[22:20] * Tim frowns. "That's true. Are you getting any interference in your
link to it?"
[22:22] <Chamelaeon> [No. The Gate looks untouched. I think they may have just
knocked the globe off-kilter.]
[22:23] * Charlie says, after looking around a bit, "The perimeter seems pretty
clear from up here."
[22:23] * Isis glances at the bot. "And what's the probably effect of that?"
[22:23] <Isis> (Probable)
[22:24] <Chamelaeon> (Yer not near the bot, are you?)
[22:24] <Tim> Okay. How bad is off-kilter?
[22:25] <Isis> ( I never left the area? )
[22:26] <Chamelaeon> [Uh... fucked if I know. City Central says it might be a
few nanodegrees off of correct, which means it's close enough for the n-th
dimensional gravity well to drag you in in a couple seconds, if you know what
the hell that means.]
[22:26] <Chamelaeon> (YEah, but it's down in the hole and yer at the top.)
[22:26] * Chako nods. "I don't think there will be much to worry about, but I
ain't gonna get surprised." She keeps looking around.
[22:28] <Tim> ...I don't, but I don't like the sound of it.
[22:29] <Vernon> We can get there safely, but it'll be...less than pleasant for
a couple seconds.
[22:32] * Tim sighs. "Sounds like the ride on the ass-rigged bosyslide bowl in
Sig-Asp." He shrugs. "Although we've already been through one of those, so it
couldn't be too horrible. May as well go."
[22:32] * Vernon nods.
[22:33] <Charlie> Well.. what do you mean, by 'less than pleasant?'
[22:33] <Tim> Uhm... kinda' like you were living in the opening of the Outer
Limits.
[22:34] <Isis> And this is the only way to get to the Gate of Ages?
[22:35] <Charlie> Like the ATC bodyslide, eh?.. Anyone else want to stay here?
[22:35] <Atom> ( You need a dicebot? )
[22:35] <Chamelaeon> [All I knew was the pat about the Level Four Magistrate,
and that's apparently ass-wrong. So your guess is as good as mine.]
[22:35] <Charlie> Maybe guard the place? *he glances at Chako*
[22:35] <Chamelaeon> (Prly not, atom.)
[22:37] * Chako chuckles. "Dunno. Doesn't sound like much of a party to me." She
looks around. "'D hate to get jumped on the way out."
[22:40] <Chamelaeon> [I dunno, guys. The actual Gate is right behind the orb,
but I don't know how to open it.]
[22:41] <Tim> And City Central can't or won't do it?
[22:42] <Charlie> What _is_ a Level Four Magistrate?.. Just a rank for a
Slaythin?
[22:43] <Chamelaeon> [Yeah. But from what you guys said, the Last Sleythin told
you only the Key worked.]
[22:43] <Tim> Oh, right. That thing.
[22:43] * Tim pulls out The Key and looks at it. "Okay, Key. This is where you
do something."
[22:44] <Vernon> ...hmm?
[22:44] <Chamelaeon> <<The Gate shimmers irresolutely, like a wave of heat
behind the globe. It doesn't budge, and nothing happens to the Key.>>
[22:45] <Tim> So much for that. Shit, don't the Sleythin ever give something an
user's manual?
[22:45] * Chako snickers. "Somethin' didn't work? That's what the last
Sleythin's for."
[22:46] <Charlie> Ya. Weren't you going to check on him? He might have some
advice..
[22:46] <Tim> Well, yeah. 
[22:47] * Chako rubs her head. "Didn't they say time didn't pass right over
there? Or something like that?"
[22:47] * Isis glances at the gate. "If there's something wrong with it, I'm not
going through it, no matter HOW small the error margin is."
[22:49] * Tim shrugs. "Well, let's go chat with whatsisface. No doubt he'll just
be overjoyed to tell us how the key works. If he's alive."
[22:49] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic makes the disagreement/annoyed noise.>> [No,
the error's im the globe, not the Gate.]
[22:49] <Tim> And tea would be damn good right about now.
[22:50] <Isis> ( I meant globe, sorry. )
[22:50] <Vernon> (I could really go for some goddamn tea.)
[22:50] <Chako> Well, that makes it easy. Isis can guard the gate with
Pragmatic. Charlie, ya can stay too if ya want. I figure that we should have as
many people over there, though, so we can try to remember it all. Since the
suits don't do it right.
[22:50] <Tim> Right. And we need the globe to see whatsisface. And we dunno how
well it's working.
[22:51] <Charlie> Sounds good to me.
[22:51] <Chako> (Keep saying gate when I mean _globe_. It's infectious. c.c;)
[22:51] * Tim shrugs, heads up, and touches the globe. It'd be a rather painless
death, in theory.
[22:52] <Chamelaeon> [Works for me. I can't make it through the blobe anyways.]
[22:52] * Isis raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"
[22:52] <Chamelaeon> <<Presuming Tim takes off his glove first, he is whisked
away into the depths of the globe.>>
[22:53] <Chamelaeon> (or forget the glove thing._
[22:53] * Chako shakes her head. "Well, here's to hoping I don't die." She
chuckles. "Be back."
[22:53] <Chamelaeon> [It doesn't quite work on AI.]
[22:53] * Vernon shrugs, and touches the globe.
[22:53] * Chako walks her way down to the globe thing and taps it.
[22:54] <Chamelaeon> <<Vernon and Chako are whisked away!>>
[22:55] <Chamelaeon> <<Those of you who are staying outside have a little bit to
converse before the others return.>>
[22:56] * Isis sits down again, drawing her sword and looking at the blade.
[22:57] <Chamelaeon> <<Those of you who went are treated to the sight of a GIANT
FLOATING BRAZILIAN SPACE JESUS accompanied by an angelic choir of nudist
squirrels and prawns. Thankfully, it only lasts for a couple seconds - enough
for the GBSJ to smile eerily - and then you find yourself in the familiar
spherical room. Take a mental strain point.>>
[22:58] <Isis> ( *waves her "Get Out Of Strain Free, I've Seen Cham Half-Naked"
card* )
[22:58] *** Tim (stdwrs15@AC84F6D7.ipt.aol.com) Quit (Read error: Connection
reset by peer)
[22:58] <Chamelaeon> <<...pause.>>
[22:58] <Isis> ( Anyhow. Everyone but me and the bot went, yes? )
[22:58] <Chako> (Charlie stayed, ne?)
[22:58] <Chako> (And I have, like, fifty of those. ;_;)
[22:58] <Chamelaeon> (Charlie stayed.)
[22:59] <Isis> Well, he and I can keep going, yes? ^_^
[22:59] <Chamelaeon> (Yes.)
[22:59] <Isis> () that, even.
[23:00] *** Tim (stdwrs15@ACA3CA77.ipt.aol.com) has joined #ATC
[23:00] <Chamelaeon> <<Unpause.>>
[23:00] <Charlie> (ya, I'm still out there)
[23:00] <Vernon> ...nn......yeah. Wow, that was like the time I got a noseful of
tape drive head cleaner.
[23:00] <Tim> ( Just in case any of you have forgotten that I hate AOL, I'm
going to remind you. I hate AOL. Thank you. )
[23:01] <Tim> That rollercoaster was fun, momma. Can I ride it again?
[23:02] * Charlie takes another look around, then sits down on the shoulder of
the exosuit.. leaning on the helmet.
[23:02] * Isis holds the blade up a bit, examining the edge. "I wonder what my
father would say if he knew the family's swordsmanship style might even be used
to save the galaxy." She laughs a little. "I sound like a sci-fi vidstar."
[23:02] <Chamelaeon> <<Eh, too much trouble. Join #globe, people inside it.>>
[23:03] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic buzzes confusion.>> [Eh? I didn't catch most of
that.]
[23:03] * Charlie chuckles and makes lame swordfighting hand motions. "I'm sure
he'd be proud"
[23:03] * Chako shakes her head violently. "Fucks. Can't they make something
normal? Dimensions and crap."
[23:03] <Chako> (Er.
[23:05] * Isis shrugs her shoulders, taking off her helmet and setting both it
and the sword down. "Would he? He's gone. Not dead. Just... gone. I'm not sure
I'll ever have children and my sister can't even lift a sword, let alone use
one. The style's persisted since the 1600's in Japan... and I'm the reason it's
going to die out."
[23:07] <Charlie> Can't you teach it? *he takes off his helmet too*
[23:07] <Isis> I did. Before I joined ATC, anyway. And even a little after. I
admit I joined the company out of rebellion, a little. And look where it got me.
[23:07] <Chamelaeon> <<pragmatic settles on a rock and listens. Or looks like
it's listening.>>
[23:08] * Charlie looks at Isis. "It'd make a great ad line. 'The sword fighting
style that saved the galaxy!'" *he swipes his hand across the sky, as if reading
across a banner*
[23:08] <Charlie> (sky, air, ceiling.. y'know)
[23:09] <Tim> ( And it's great for flattening your waist and shaping those legs!
)
[23:10] * Isis laughs. "Well, that's true." She looks at Charlie. "I wonder if
it's good to pass on, though. I mean... you're a sniper. Is it something you'd
want to teach your kids how to do?"
[23:11] <Charlie> hmm.. Not very practical every-day knowledge, is it?
[23:11] <Isis> Well, neither is swordsmanship.
[23:12] <Charlie> There is probably something to say for the discipline that
comes with something like swordfighting or even being a sniper.
[23:13] <Charlie> .. but there should probably be a better way of teaching
discipline.
[23:13] * Isis smiles a little. "Well, that's a philosophical way of looking at
it."
[23:13] <Chamelaeon> [...hm. Can I say something?]
[23:13] <Charlie> Go for it.
[23:15] * Isis raises an eyebrow. "Certainly."
[23:16] <Chamelaeon> [Well... this clearing was here before the globe was. So
were the suits. There used to be a statue of the Lawgiver here, but they moved
it beyond the Gate. The Lawgiver said that none of the Sleythin should use
weapons - any of them. So they put the suits without any redeeming qualities
here, facing the statue, and melted the weaponry.] <<He pauses.>>
[23:17] <Chamelaeon> [I have no idea how it worked out at first. I only know the
rudimentary history. But I suppose it counts for something that by the time they
made us they couldn't make weapons anymore.]
[23:19] * Isis thinks about that for a moment.
[23:20] * Charlie looks at some other suits, "I did notice they had some mount
points with items missing."
[23:20] * Isis draws her sword again. "I think peace is an ideal situation.
That's when people can really grow. When they're secure and not threatened.
But... there's always a need to protect that peace. That's how the universe
works. Somehow there's always something threatening. Throwing away weapons
doesn't mean war or strife go away."
[23:21] <Charlie> I bet that's why they sent out the messengers. They needed
someone who was willing to fight.
[23:23] <Charlie> Pragmatic, do you know what percent Slaythin are behind the
gates?
[23:23] <Chamelaeon> [All but one.]
[23:25] <Isis> Does anyone know what they've been DOING behind it?
[23:26] <Chamelaeon> [I don't think even the last Sleythin knows.]
[23:26] * Charlie thinks for a sec. "I thought someone had said some of them
fled to other planets... Can they live regularly that way? I wonder if it's wise
to open the gate."
[23:27] <Charlie> If they're safe back there, why disturb them? .. You know what
I mean?
[23:27] <Chamelaeon> [There's been no contact with the extrasolar Sleythin in a
thousand years. We presume they are quite dead.]
[23:27] <Charlie> Ah, I see.
[23:29] <Tim> ( Hopefully that haven't mutated into silicate insectoids or
something. )
[23:29] *** Chamelaeon sets mode: +v Tim
[23:31] <Isis> ( They're our chiiiiiiildreeeeeeeeen! )
[23:34] <Charlie> I wonder if there's a way to get to those planets.. to see if
they are gone or not and find out what happened to them.
[23:34] <Chamelaeon> [I have no fucking clue.]
[23:35] <Isis> Supposedly, they're all charted. The museum had the data...
though I suppose the only records left of *that* are what I brought back with
me.
[23:35] <Chamelaeon> [Outside of the Gate, at least.]
[23:38] <Charlie> They might be able to help, if they're still out there.
[23:38] <Chamelaeon> <<The others reappear at the base of the pillar.>>
[23:39] <Charlie> How many years have they been gone? 1000 plus?
[23:39] <Chamelaeon> [Two thousand... welcome back.]
[23:39] * Tim reappears, and then opens his eyes. "Hi again. Damn, that's good
tea."
[23:39] * Chako says, "The trip could have been better, though."
[23:39] <Charlie> A lot can change in two thousand years.. Hey guys.
[23:39] * Charlie waves
[23:40] <Vernon> That was...unusual.
[23:40] <Tim> Alright. Gate's down this way, yes? ::points::
[23:40] <Charlie> What'd you figure out?
[23:41] <Tim> Nothing useful. We we're gonna go talk to the Egg, now.
[23:41] <Charlie> Egg? *he hops down from the top of the exosuit*
[23:41] * Isis gives Tim a *look* (her helmet's off). "You drank the tea, didn't
you?"
[23:42] <Tim> Yeah, Egg. 
[23:42] <Vernon> Very good tea.
[23:42] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic activates its hover jets again.>>
[23:43] <Tim> 'Course I drank the tea. And I have no desire to devour your
brains as a result.
[23:43] <Tim> If that changes, tho, I give you permission to stab me repeatedly.
Ready to go?
[23:44] * Chako says, "At least, one that he didn't already have."
[23:44] * Isis grins. "No permission needed. Let's go."
[23:44] * Tim chuckles and heads for... THE GATE!
[23:44] <Chamelaeon> <<pragmatic bobs along quietly.>>
[23:44] * Vernon follows.
[23:44] * Chako walks that way.
[23:45] * Charlie is following. (if you're waiting on me)
[23:46] <Chamelaeon> <<Soon you find the pedestal that Shanaa'na was talking
about. It's sitting almost directly behind the globe, and it's blocked by some
shrubbery. It looks very unused. It also just looks like a rectangle of metal
with a small divot in the top.>>
[23:47] * Tim shrugs, cleans any dust or bits of shrubbery or anything else out
of the divot, and pulls out the key. "Everyone ready?"
[23:47] * Chako turns around and looks behind her carefully. "Yeah. Don't wanna
let anything through."
[23:47] <Vernon> I guess.
[23:47] <Chamelaeon> <<Your sensors are clear.>>
[23:48] <Chamelaeon> <<You also don't see a damn thing, because you are
paranoid.>>
[23:48] * Charlie has put his helmet back on.
[23:48] * Charlie .. while walking earlier.
[23:48] <Chamelaeon> <<You in fact do not see, smell, sense, taste, touch, feel,
or insinuate the presence of anything.>>
[23:48] * Isis has done the same. Sword's still drawn.
[23:49] * Tim shrugs. "Here goes." He puts the key in the ignition!
[23:50] <Chamelaeon> <<A space in the shimmering Gate irises open to reveal a
deep solid forest green hue behind it. It's roughly ten feet in diameter.
Surprisingly, nothing hums, vibrates, or explodes. Nothing even attacks you.>>
[23:51] <Isis> ( Clearly, the gazebo is asleep. I sneak attack! )
[23:51] <Tim> Nice. Alright, anyone staying behind?
[23:51] <Chamelaeon> (You cannot disbelieve the Orcaplant.)
[23:51] * Chako shakes her head. "Let's go."
[23:52] * Tim nods and heads in.
[23:52] <Chamelaeon> (Winamp - Ride of the Valkyries.)
[23:52] * Vernon sighs. "I wonder what I've gotten myself into."
[23:52] * Vernon steps in.
[23:53] * Chako walks through.
[23:53] * Charlie 's turn!
[23:54] * Isis goes feral and cuts everyone to ribbons!
[23:54] * Isis actually just walks through.
[23:54] <Charlie> Will this thing shut behind us?
[23:55] <Chako> The Sleythin said so...
[23:55] <Chamelaeon> <<The transition is swift, painless, and free of errant
visual stimuli. Once on the other side, you find yourselves staring down the
barrel of the single largest gun that has probably been invented ever. You can
TELL it's a gun because it's glowing deep inside the forty-foot diameter barrel,
and it's surrounded by exosuited sleythin, some of them merely battleplated, but
all of whom are carrying nicely angry-looking guns.>>
[23:55] <Chamelaeon> <<The ones whose faces you can see look mad. They have a
LOT of teeth. Pointy teeth. Funny how you didn't notice those before...>>
[23:55] <Chako> ... Er.
[23:56] <Vernon> ...
[23:56] <Tim> ...uh... shit.
[23:56] * Isis raises an eyebrow, then glances at Pragmatic. "A lot City Central
didn't share with the public, I take it."
[23:56] <Isis> ( For an AI, it's an impressive spin doctor. )
[23:56] <Tim> Um, we come in peace? Please, PLEASE understand that we come in
peace?
[23:56] <Chako> (Pragmatic to the last.)
[23:56] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic, who floated along behind you, is very
silent.>>
[23:58] <Chamelaeon> <<One of the exosuits starts towards you - the faceplate
melts away, revealing a sleythin with a pronounced and very colorful crest. He's
got his weapon trained on you.>> [Don't even think about moving.]
[23:58] <Chako> Does it look like we're moving?
[23:58] * Tim seems nervous. No, really.
[00:00] * Isis sighs. She seems more annoyed than scared. "What a nice welcome.
And we only had to risk our lives five times to receive it."
[00:00] <Chamelaeon> <<It stops about a meter away from Tim, who's in front. The
suit is decorated with what might be military insignia. He... she? Looks you
over carefully.>>
[00:00] * Charlie seems calm-ish..
[00:01] * Chako eyes the exosuit back.
[00:01] * Charlie to Isis: ~So much for the Lawgiver's weapon ban~
[00:02] * Isis raises an eyebrow and smirks a little. ~Sounded too good to be
true from the beginning.~
[00:02] <Chamelaeon> [I am Gyor'carl, Third General of the Protectorate Army in
Abstentia. State your name, species, and approximate location of your planet of
origin.]
[00:02] * Tim is looked over.
[00:03] <Chamelaeon> [If you have a ranking system, send the ranking officer
forward with this information.]
[00:04] * Charlie to the team: ~Not that we're ranked anymore, but.. Chako?~
[00:04] <Tim> Uhm, Tim Larson, Homo Sapiens or 'humans' colloquially, and... oh,
right. Chako, you talk to them.
[00:04] * Chako suit-says, "Sure, why the hell not. Hope they know where the...
uh, Sol System is."
[00:05] <Charlie> ~One of us has star data, right?~
[00:05] <Isis> ~I do.~
[00:05] <Tim> ~Er, I'd tell you if I weren't too nervous to think straight.~
[00:05] * Isis says, out loud, "But the stupid data won't transfer over IR." She
calls up the museum star maps.
[00:06] <Tim> ~That is an AWFULLY big gun.~
[00:06] * Chako grins, and says, ~Innit? I gotta get me one.~
[00:06] <Chako> ~Can ya project it or something?~
[00:07] <Tim> ~Yeah. One that isn't pointed right at us.~
[00:07] * Isis blinks. ~Yes, actually.~ And she turns on that neat holoprojector
the GM gave her and she's never used.
[00:07] <Isis> ( UNless the data's SERIOUSLY cranky and won't even display THAT
way. )
[00:08] <Chamelaeon> <<A view of the third spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy
springs into existence.>>
[00:09] * Chako steps forward, and says, "There we go. I'm Chako Styrina, that's
Tim, Charlie, Isis, and Vernon, we're humans, and we're from..." She points
helpfully at the view. "Somewhere around there. I think."
[00:09] <Chamelaeon> <<A small dot glows along the outer rim. Gyor'carl peers at
it, then turns her head to an unsuited Sleythin over on the side. He hunches
over a holoterminal for a second, then looks up and nods.>>
[00:09] <Isis> ( 8resists having it display "Earth, JERKS." next to our widdle
dot* )
[00:10] <Tim> ( Go for it. You know you want to. )
[00:11] <Chamelaeon> <<SHe turns back to you, and very slowly, raises hir gun.
The rest of the sleythin follow along, and the glow in the UBERMASSIVEDETHGUN
starts to fade.>> [Huh. Looks like you check out. Congratulations, you're the
first legitimate race to make it here.]
[00:11] * Tim blinks. "...huh?"
[00:11] * Chako mutters, "Hoo-fucking-ray. Do we get a trophy?"
[00:12] <Chamelaeon> [No, you get to not die. Enough for you?]
[00:12] * Isis mutters, hoping Japanese is enough to screw with anything
resembling a universal translator, "I'll 'legitimate' you, lady."
[00:13] <Chako> Yeah, sure. I can deal with that.
[00:13] <Tim> Not dying is good for now, sure. Uhm, so. ...how exactly does a
non-legitimate race get in here anyway?
[00:13] <Chamelaeon> <<Most of the Sleythin resume guarding positions.
Pragmatic, for his part, is floating around kind of oddly, like he's stunned or
passed out or something.>>
[00:13] * Isis finally sheathes the freakin' sword. "To be perfectly frank, my
save-the-universe motivation just took a serious swan dive downward. Don't know
about the rest of you."
[00:14] <Vernon> Well, I'm still trying to catch up.
[00:14] <Tim> What's more, what consitutes 'legitimate'?
[00:14] <Chamelaeon> [If someone comes along and finds the Messenger when it
wasn't meant for their race because we deemed it unfit to fight, then they're
illegitimate.]
[00:14] <Chamelaeon> [It's that simple.]
[00:15] <Tim> ( "Only those who like Sha'naana's tea are allowed in. That
simple." )
[00:15] <Tim> Oh. I'm assuming the messenger would have informed us of out
unfittingness if that'd been the case?
[00:15] <Charlie> ( "Sorry Isis.. *CANNON*" )
[00:16] <Isis> ( Go ahead and fire. You'd all be coming with me. )
[00:17] * Isis eyes the... whichever one of the Bulbasaurs is speaking. "You've
got an impressive attitude, all things considered." She seems... really upset.
[00:17] <Tim> ( On the upside, I don't see how a gun that big could fail to make
our death quick and painless. )
[00:17] <Chamelaeon> <<The torso part of the sleythin's exosuit dissolves.>> [I
suppose you think our greeting is rude. Well, you try knowing that some barely
known species has been hunting after you for millenia and could break through
any time. It doesn't do much for one's peace of mind.]
[00:18] <Tim> Uhm, about that...
[00:19] <Isis> ( Man... they'd kill us, but I could at least kill THIS one. ) 
[00:19] <Chamelaeon> <<She starts walking around the gun, which actually blocks
your ENTIRE view of the presumed city behind it.>> [What?]
[00:20] <Tim> Well, they kinda' roughed up the part of the planet the gate's in.
[00:20] <Chamelaeon> <<She stops dead in her tracks.>>
[00:20] * Tim follows nervously, hoping that doing so won't get him shot.
[00:21] * Vernon follows along, as usual.
[00:22] * Isis is *visibly* forcing herself not to say a word.
[00:22] <Chako> ~Man, can't you wait until after he's away from the gun?~
[00:22] <Chamelaeon> [So they're here.] <<She waves an arm at a passing Sleythin
with a thin bland crest, and flashes a complicated series of hand signals at
him, combined with some odd gutteral clicks and some escapes of air through the
gills. He nods once, says [Yes, Ma'am!], and runs off.>>
[00:23] <Tim> ~Er, sorry.~
[00:23] <Tim> Well, were here is more like it.
[00:24] <Chamelaeon> <<She, you guess, turns around.>> [Did you see any of them,
in the flesh?]
[00:24] * Isis snaps, irritably, "And now they're in our system, only a few
planets away from our homeworld and everyone we know or care about. Cheerfully
waiting to wipe out our 'legitimate' race."
[00:25] <Tim> On the way in? No. They're in.... what she said.
[00:25] <Isis> ( Hoo, these guys hit Isis' soft spot something FIERCE. )
[00:25] * Tim checks his atmosphere readout. Is it save to take off helmets in
here?
[00:27] <Charlie> We only came across a few of them last time we were here.
[00:27] <Chamelaeon> <<She blows air through her gills in the
sadness/displeasure manner.>> [Look, that's not my fault. I'm real sorry and
all, but how the hell are we supposed to know? All we have to connect us to
anywhere is the Egg, and it doesn't know crap.]
[00:27] <Chamelaeon> [Or at least it doesn't tell us anything.]
[00:27] * Chako snickers. "Now that sounds normal."
[00:27] <Chamelaeon> <<The air is perfectly safe.>>
[00:27] <Vernon> ("It's perfectly safe.")
[00:28] <Tim> ...shit.
[00:28] * Isis takes off her helmet, eyes narrowing. "Well, then, to use your
words, forgive me if WE'RE a little stressed because the fact that you locked
yourselves in a closet for the past 10,000 years means the human race might DIE
OUT, and we get met at the door like MARTIAN BAPTISTS."
[00:29] * Isis pauses, pressing a finger to her forehead. "Ignore that last bit,
it probably won't make sense to you."
[00:29] * Tim takes his helmet off and runs a hand through his hair. "The Egg
had better start talking, I think. This would be a very good time for it."
[00:29] * Chako whistles... appreciatively?
[00:30] <Isis> ( Well, it's what they did and it's upsetting Isis a WHOLE LOT.
"Oh, we don't WANT to fight! We're philosophers!" And then the spiders EAT THE
UNIVERSE. )
[00:30] * Vernon takes off his helmet. "Oh, my."
[00:30] <Tim> Very very good. We could sure use a little knowledge about, say,
what we're dealing with and how to get rid of it? ...although a place to sit
would be swell, too.
[00:30] <Chako> (Yeah, it's a little much.)
[00:31] <Tim> ( Pretty much, yeah. Maybe the Sleythin are French? )
[00:31] <Chako> (c.c;)
[00:31] <Chamelaeon> [Understood. But that's how we meet everyone coming through
the Gate, and it's been necessary every time.] <<She turns around and starts
walking again, around the gun.>> [You'll want to follow me. We've got lodging
for you, and the Council will want to see you. And I'm sure you'll get an
audience with the Egg, if that's what Shanaa'na told you. That old relic.] <<She
makes a noise translated as "derision".>>
[00:31] <Chako> ~She must not like tea.~
[00:31] <Isis> ~GOod for her.~
[00:32] <Chamelaeon> (Remember, taking off the helmet eliminates the comm
system.)
[00:32] <Chamelaeon> (well, not entirely, but then they can, you know, HEAR
you.)
[00:32] * Charlie follows along.
[00:32] * Tim nods and follows. "Yeah, it is." He decides not to ask about the
relic bit just now.
[00:33] * Chako follows, eying the gun as she passes.
[00:33] <Isis> ( Then all she heard was me. -_^ )
[00:34] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic finally recovers, and promptly ZOOMS forward to
Gyor'calr.>> [Ma'am! A... a general! Guns!] <<His little optical sensors flare
red.>> [What's going on, dammit!]
[00:35] <Tim> I think they're trying to survive, Prag.
[00:35] <Chamelaeon> <<Gyor'calr blinks, slowly, and then peers.>> [A Guidebot?
A Pragmatic unit... amazing. They still work. Go on back through the Gate,
antique. You're not needed here.] <<She starts walking again.>>
[00:35] <Isis> I think they're compensating for *something*.
[00:36] * Isis pauses. "Stop right there." She eyes her guide. "It stays, or we
go." Fun how she asked everyone else's opinion on that.
[00:36] <Tim> Hey, be nice to Prag. He's alright.
[00:38] <Chamelaeon> [It's an ancient relic. What could you possibly want with
it?]
[00:38] * Isis shrugs her shoulders. "If it weren't for this 'ancient relic', we
wouldn't be here at all."
[00:39] <Tim> Yeah. 'Sides, I prefer the phrase "Timeless Classic".
[00:39] * Charlie finally speaks up, "Does it matter if it's here or not?"
[00:39] <Charlie> (that was to the Slaythin)
[00:40] * Chako hrms, and just keeps quiet. Everyone else is doing plenty of
talking, after all!
[00:40] <Chamelaeon> <<She waves her claw.>> [Fine, fine. I don't give a damn.]
<<She begins walking again, Pragmatic following along sullenly behind, and you
finally clear the gun.>>
[00:41] * Tim follows. So the Sleythin decided sticking their heads in the
extradiminsional sand wouldn't work, after all.
[00:41] <Chamelaeon> <<Beyond the gun is an even more impressive sight than the
dead city you were just in. It's the same architecture, but it's ALIVE. Signs
flash, Sleythin and exosuits move among the streets, and it's brightly lit. Well
manicured trees line the roads, and tasteful topiaries stand side by side with
heavily armored exosuits. It is, in every sense of the word, awesome.>>
[00:42] <Chamelaeon> (And an odd side note - references to 2000 years ago should
be merely 1000.)
[00:43] * Tim whistles. "Nice."
[00:43] * Vernon raises his eyebrows. "Impressive..."
[00:43] <Chamelaeon> <<It's very pretty, and unless you've spent time on Earth,
it's the prettiest city you've ever seen. But it is certainly the tallest. Some
of the buildings are actually connected to the ceiling of the cave. Nearby, you
spot another rippling like the Gate, only this one is self-contained and
domeshaped.>>
[00:43] <Chamelaeon> <<For its part, the Gate from this side is a shimmering
emerald green.>>
[00:44] * Chako says, "Man, this place is awesome. Hell of a lot better than
Twilight City."
[00:44] <Tim> Yes?
[00:44] <Isis> Amazing what 10,000 years will do for architecture.
[00:45] <Isis> ( Every time I say that number, I keep thinking we're in El
Hazard. )
[00:45] <Chako> (Or Xenogears? ^_~)
[00:46] <Chamelaeon> <<Gyor'calr silently threads her way through the crowd,
which does a VERY nice job of parting for you. You're the first aliens to make
it through and not want to kill them, after all, and you're so WEIRD with those
for limbs and HAIR. It's like a little mini-parade.>>
[00:46] <Chamelaeon> <<And everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, is stopping work to
stare at you. More of them come in from side streets as the news spreads.>>
[00:47] * Isis looks around as she walks. "If they hadn't painted the bullseye
on when we first showed, I'd feel honored."
[00:47] * Vernon walks along, looking somewhat embarrassed.
[00:48] * Chako looks around. "Why let that stop ya? Are ya telling me you
wouldn't have been just a little paranoid after a thousand years of being
screwed over?"
[00:48] <Chamelaeon> <<You hear things like [Saviour] and [Blessed], alongside
[Freakish] and [Horrific.]>>
[00:48] * Tim seems uncertain on how to react to all this, so he doesn't.
[00:50] <Chamelaeon> <<But on the whole, you seem very well recieved. Small
children are being hoisted above the crowd to see, and more people just keep
coming, and filling in behind you. They all seem polite enough to not touch you,
or even try, though. Possibly because Gyor'calr is dispensing a grinning
toothful expression (that the translators designate as "warning") very liberally
at the crowd.
[00:50] <Chamelaeon> (+>>)
[00:50] * Isis resists satisfying her curiosity that if you cut off, say, a
tail, will it grow back.
[00:51] * Charlie is nodding 'hi' at a few of the Slaythin who look at him.
[00:52] <Chamelaeon> <<The trip goes smoothly. About midway, a small child runs
up to Tim and hands him something that could be an apple, if apples had eyes
like potatoes. She is almost immediately snatched up by an adult, who makes an
apologetic look at Tim and fades back into the crowd.>>
[00:52] * Charlie says to the others "Y'know. We at least had some idea what
they would look like live. We saw statues and pictures first. They probably had
no idea what was going to show up."
[00:53] * Vernon nods.
[00:53] <Charlie> Coulda been a 10 legged ball of teeth and eyes that walked
through that gate.
[00:54] * Tim frowns. That might've been tasty. ;_;
[00:54] <Chamelaeon> (Oh, you kept the applething.)
[00:55] <Tim> ( Oh. Yay. ^_^ )
[00:55] * Tim looks it over. "This good to eat?"
[00:55] * Isis glances at Tim. "You seem to be very popular with small animals
and children."
[00:55] * Chako 's eyes defocus slightly. "I wouldn't risk it."
[00:56] <Chamelaeon> <<Gyor'calr glaces back at it.>> [It is for us, but fuck if
I know about you.] <<Some of the crowd recoil at the use of the expletive.>>
[00:56] <Charlie> At least analyze it first. It could be good for them, but bad
for us.
[00:56] <Isis> ( Oh my god. It's a cross-bred pokemon. It's a Chakosaur. )
[00:57] * Tim notes that. "True." He does the analyzing thing.
[00:57] <Chako> (Haw.)
[00:57] <Chamelaeon> <<The appletato is delicious, nutritious, and high in
dietary fiber.>>
[00:57] <Chako> (FISHY FRUIT.)
[00:57] <Chamelaeon> (I'm saving that for later. <_< >_>)
[00:58] <Tim> That's the result of the scan?
[00:58] <Isis> ( ...if you do, I will gut you. )
[00:58] <Vernon> (Wafflefruit!)
[00:58] <Tim> ( Er... +() )
[00:58] <Isis> ( *sets Calc on fire* )
[00:58] <Chako> (That's Honey Onion.)
[00:58] <Chamelaeon> <<It is indeed the result.>>
[00:59] <Isis> ( You live way too close to me to be ref'ing LoM fruit, Mecha. )
[00:59] <Chako> (There's nothing like a fishy fruit. Anyways.)
[00:59] <Chamelaeon> <<As you keep going, you appear to be heading towards a
building with way too many arches to be structurally stable. Think Utena-Movie
Ohtori Academy-type thing.>>
[00:59] <Isis> ( ... )
[01:00] <Chamelaeon> <<But not moving. Or on a lesser scale, the Sydney Opera
House.>>
[01:00] <Isis> ( This mean we have to turn Vernon into a vagina-shaped car to
leave? )
[01:01] <Vernon> (...)
[01:01] <Chako> (I get to drive the castle!)
[01:01] <Chamelaeon> (Someone from the crowd tosses a cow at Isis.)
[01:01] <Isis> ( *slices it into various cuts* Fire up the grill, it's barbecue.
)
[01:02] * Tim tries the fruit. :9
[01:02] <Chamelaeon> <<Gyor'calr gestures at the building.>> [The Council House.
You'll spend the night here, to give the Council time to get ready to talk to
you.]
[01:02] <Chamelaeon> <<The fruit tastes remarkably like a really sweet tomato.>>
[01:02] <Tim> Alright. Thanks.
[01:03] * Tim hms, shrugs, and has another bite.
[01:04] <Chamelaeon> <<You note that the Council House has no guards near it. In
fact, it has instead a system of incredibly complex fountains feeding each
other, squirting water across walkways, and in some cases, floating in air. It's
like a Japanese Water Garden only bizarre.>>
[01:04] <Chamelaeon> <<And the second bite of the fruit tastes like
watermelon.>>
[01:05] * Isis looks around. "So, basically, they took the last of their
military with them and locked themselves in." She glances at the 'general'.
"Right?"
[01:05] * Tim blinks, and has another bite.
[01:06] <Chamelaeon> <<Gyor'calr stops about a hundred and twenty feet before
the door.>> [No. No guards at the Council House.] <<She makes the displeasure
noise.>>
[01:06] <Chamelaeon> <<Which means you go in alone. There'll be a low-caste to
guide you to your rooms.>>
[01:06] <Chamelaeon> (-<<>> +[])
[01:07] <Charlie> I think she meant everybody.. not just the Council. *he shrugs
and heads for the door*
[01:08] <Chamelaeon> <<The third bite of the fruit is pineapplelike.>>
[01:08] * Vernon bows, before heading on. "Thank you again."
[01:08] <Chamelaeon> [No. There was no military when we sealed ourselves behind
the Gate. It's politics. I don't know if you'd understand or not yet.] <<She
waves her claw in dismissal.>>
[01:09] * Isis grits her teeth. "This lesser species business is starting to
irritating me."
[01:10] * Tim follows some more, and has more fruit. "This stuff's great."
[01:10] <Chamelaeon> [Not my job to rank you. Just to get you here.]
[01:10] <Chamelaeon> <<At the fourth bite of the fruit, you hit the core, which
tastes very distinctly of dirt. >>
[01:11] <Isis> ( For the sake of everyone involved, I'm pretending she didn't
just say 'rank you'. Lalala, it's true if I don't look. )
[01:11] * Chako shrugs helplessly. "Eh. Whatever. See ya t'morrow, maybe." She
walks into the place.
[01:12] <Chamelaeon> (Don't start genocide so early in the campaign, Todd.
Plenty of chances later. ^_^;)
[01:12] * Tim makes a face. Well, the fruity part was good, anyway.
[01:13] <Isis> ( Isis is very likely going to throw herself off a bridge
Javert-style once this is all over. )
[01:14] <Chamelaeon> <<The great door of the Council House opens as you approach
- two white-robe-clad Sleythin are pushing them open. They have little to no
crests to speak of, and appear to have been touched up with makeup or something
to be as pale as possible. A third one inside gestures for you to follow it.>>
[01:14] <Chamelaeon> <<I should note it's virtually impossible to tell a male
from a female sleythin.>>
[01:14] * Vernon follows.
[01:14] * Tim follows, too. ( BRB. )
[01:15] <Chamelaeon> (Don't worry, Isis, things get better eventually. Not
everyone in the universe is an asshole.)
[01:15] <Atom> ( You lie. )
[01:15] <Chamelaeon> (The robot is pretty nice.)
[01:15] <Chamelaeon> <<Speaking of Prag9 - he's been floating along, silently.
If you didn't know better you'd say he was incredibly depressed.>>
[01:15] <Isis> ( That's true. I like the robot. )
[01:16] * Chako hrms. "I can't figure if I like that one or not. I think I'd go
stir crazy."
[01:17] * Isis sighs, glancing at the guidebot for a moment, and slowing her
step to fall back to it.
[01:17] <Chamelaeon> <<As you follow the small white form through the twisting
corridors, you get very very lost. You are unsure if this is a design choice or
if they can tell where the hell they're going innately.>>
[01:17] <Tim> ( Back. )
[01:17] <Chamelaeon> <<Pragmatic turns to Isis.>> [I'm... confused.]
[01:18] * Isis raises an eyebrow. "How so?"
[01:19] <Chamelaeon> [They had such a great culture... I looked up to it.
Efficient and all, yanno? Why did they change?]
[01:20] * Isis raises the other eyebrow. "'Change'? This isn't how you remember
the Sleythin, then?"
[01:20] <Chamelaeon> [With the guns? No. Never. Weapons were forbidden. Even
when they left.]
[01:21] * Charlie hears and walks closer to the bot.
[01:22] <Charlie> Maybe they had a bad run-in with some visitors.
[01:22] <Chamelaeon> <<You take a left turn and the wall melts in front of you
to reveal a suite. The sleythin gestures inside.>>
[01:22] <Chako> Uh... weird door.
[01:23] * Isis glances between Charlie and Prag. "They got paranoid. It's...
amusingly similar to something that happened in Earth history you wouldn't know
about. You think funny thoughts when you're locked in the closet because there's
a monster in your bedroom, Prag."
[01:24] * Tim nods to the sleythin and walks in, looking around. Anything that
looks like a trash can?
[01:24] * Vernon walks in.
[01:25] * Chako walks in too.
[01:25] * Charlie starts checking out the room.
[01:25] * Isis walks in alongside the bot.
[01:25] <Chamelaeon> <<The suite has a single circular main room, the walls of
which are covered in an ivy-plant, real, for all you can see. There's a single
low table with a circular couch around it, and a small fountain plays into a
water trough in the back, which flows into another room in which you can see
Sleythin sleeping basins, preheated and bubbling. In the other direction is a
room with a single terminal device.>>
[01:26] <Tim> Nice.
[01:26] <Chamelaeon> <<it's spartan but pleasant to look at. The sleythin, when
you are all in the room, softly - VERY softly- asks [how do you care to sleep]
exactly like that, with absolutely no intonation.>>
[01:27] <Chamelaeon> <<There's a circular hole in the wall with a marking that
translates to "Rubbish" if you look it up, Tim.>>
[01:27] <Chamelaeon> <<And there is a small vase of beautiful green flowers in
the center of the table.>>
[01:27] <Tim> Generally, on a soft solid surface. With, uh, a soft sheet of
insulation, I guess you'd call it. Guys?
[01:27] * Tim walks over to the rubbish bin and throws the pit of the fruit
away.
[01:28] <Chako> Pretty much. Might want a pillow or somethin'.
[01:28] * Vernon nods.
[01:28] <Chamelaeon> <<You hear a soft fizzle as something happens to the
core.>>
[01:29] <Tim> Oh, right. A softer sollid about yay size *gestures* that serves
to support the head. ...that at all doable?
[01:30] <Chamelaeon> <<The sleythin nods, walks into the room exactly three
paces, and gestures at the wall. It... extrudes... five things that look like
soft yoga mats or futons, five blankets of an indiscernable nature, and five
things that look like gumdrops of soft foam. It bows, and backs out of the room
respectfully.>>
[01:30] * Vernon eyes the walls. "That is, if we sleep at all, which would allow
less time for reverse engineering."
[01:31] * Chako peers at the things. "Well, hey, at least I won't have to sleep
in the suit."
[01:31] * Charlie grins. If his helmet wasn't off before, it is now. "Pretty
nice place though."
[01:31] <Chamelaeon> <<The door rebuilds itself after the sleythin leaves.
Pragmatic settles on the table.> [I think I'm gonna hibernate for a few cycles,
guys. I need to free some processing power.]
[01:32] * Tim stars starry-eyed at the walls. *_*
[01:32] * Isis nods faintly at the bot.
[01:32] <Isis> (I'm starting to lose focus, here. ^_^;; )
[01:32] <Chamelaeon> <<He powers down. A small light glows blue.>>
[01:33] <Chamelaeon> (It's been four hours. ^_^; This is as good a place to stop
as any.I was just kinda gonna go until 2 or until someone said stop, so.)
[01:34] <Chamelaeon> (Anything anyone wants to do before we end it?))
[01:34] <Chako> (I can't think of anything we haven't done. ^^;)
[01:34] <Charlie> (I'm good for stoppin')
[01:34] <Vernon> (All set. ^_^)
[01:35] <Isis> ( I'm good. )
[01:35] <Tim> ( Either works for me. ^^ )
[01:35] <Chamelaeon> <<SESSION TWENTY-SIX, LANDED! CONGRATS ON THE LONGEST
FLIGHT EVER!>>