Chapter 2A: Ironsides

Trade Era 1235, Day 130

Shuttle bay, Celestial Voyager, Draco system
Hank was in the shuttle bay, efficiently coordinating the preparations. A handful of people, including the ship's chief engineer, helped load and prepare the shuttle for the voyage. The cargo hold was now filled with some food and plenty of empty crates, ready to be loaded with essential replacement parts, supplies and, if possible, any rare goods that Draco I could offer.

Their mission was clear: negotiate with the local suppliers, gather vital resources, and maintain a discreet presence.

A couple of minutes later, with Jil, Hank and Gabe onboard, the shuttle smoothly ascended and departed, leaving the Celestial Voyager behind in the cold silence of space. Inside, the hum of the engines was the only audible sound as Jil expertly guided the vessel towards Draco I's starport. Strapped into their seats for safety, the crew felt nothing, thanks to the fully operational gravitational compensators.

In the cargo hold, crates secured and provisions stowed, the ship's first officer monitored their ETA. The anticipation of negotiations and potential acquisitions hung in the air, while he checked and rechecked Hank's list and the Celestial Voyager's inventory in his datapad.

For the next couple of days, the shuttle pressed on, 3Gs of constant acceleration propelling it forward until the midpoint, where it would flip over and burn an equal amount of reaction mass in the opposite direction, to decrease velocity. With enough fuel for 1 week at 3Gs, Jil was not worried about a couple of days. Thankfully, the compensators and grav-plates worked seamlessly, shielding the crew from the acceleration strain.

I don't know how much opportunity Hank has had before to operate the shuttle, so he is taking the chance to get more familiar with it.

And, since she is new to the crew, he also takes the chance to make some small talk with Jil. He won't push it, but he'll definitely try for some conversation. "So, what brought you to the Celestial Voyager?"

Without turning from her monitors Jil answers Hank abruptly.

"I’ve done cargo runs since I left the Navy. I applied for the Celestial Voyager because my last ship was decommissioned."

A silence follows, only interrupted by ever changing rows of green lit numbers on Jils screen. Eventually she turns to face Hank.

"Actually, I do have a personal reason for taking this job. I’ve always wanted to visit an Elder site. Apparently my homeworld contained some ruins but no one could go near them." She barks out a sharp laugh. "No one had clearance to go anywhere on Ulivia Prime. If it wasn’t for the Navy I would have worked and died in the same district I was born. "

With a sullen expression she looks back at her screens to re-check the calculations.

"Professor Stone’s work on the Elder fascinates me. You seem to know her quite well. I heard she lectured at Conitech, is that where you met?" Jil flashes Hank a tight smile. "I noticed a hint of New Jordan in your Tulsoma accent."

With the initial silence, Hank doesn't push it, so remains quiet himself. He figures that if she's just not a talker, he will respect that.

When she mentions the Elders, that pushes one of his interest buttons, and he responds, "Yeah I know that feeling. I went to university, and after graduation I tried to become a research assistant for elder research, go on a university expedition, and join the explorers to go on an expedition all to no avail. That was really discouraging. Even so, during my time at the university, I was able to examine many artifacts and even got to keep one. After university, I was still able to follow much of the research, so I know quite a bit, but I never got to see a site. It is beyond exciting to find out that the chance just fell into my lap on this!"

To her second question, "Yes, I met her during university. I discovered an attempt at identity theft on her account and went to warn her. She is the reason I got to see those artifacts I mentioned. I was fortunately able to help her a lot during my last year at university, and even informally the year after graduation while I was failing to get on an expedition. I found out later that she has a lot of detractors and I was viewed as being too much 'in her pocket', so was prevented from joining."

He smiles and adds, "Good job on that accent detection."

"YOU ACTUALLY OWN AN ELDER ARTIFACT?!" Jil scoffs with disbelief.

Embarrassed by her outburst she looks at Hank and apologizes.

"Sorry. I’ve grown up with Elder ghost stories and conspiracy theories. It’s odd to hear someone talk so casually about them."

Jil relaxes a little in her chair, but her voice turns bitter.

"Back home whenever someone disappeared it wasn’t long until the Elder abduction rumors' started. I had to put up with it myself when my sister went missing a few years ago."

Jil had never really believed the tales surrounding the Elder, but she had to admit the thought of being close to something Elder was suddenly unsettling.

"You didn’t bring it onboard did you?"

Hank did not expect Jil's reaction to the artifact, and so lets that last question slide, instead addressing her prior comment. "I am so sorry to hear about your sister! I was very fortunate to live on a stable world in a stable family. It is always unnerving to be reminded that I should never take that for granted. How common were 'disappearances' on your home world?"

Hank will work through that part of the conversation first and won't move on or dismiss it until Jil is ready to. (I imagine she will want to move on from it quickly, but he wants her to set the pace for that topic.) Once she does, he'll loop back around to the Elder.

"I have to admit that I am not well versed in the superstitions and conspiracy theories on the Elder. Having studied them in academia, I am more familiar with their arguments and turf wars. Are you familiar at all with the current academic theories on the Elder? It is really quite fascinating how much can be written about how little we know about them."

Depending on her interest, they can then continue to discuss what is known about the Elder. He will also ask her about her home world's beliefs about the Elder, as it sounds like there is a lot he isn't familiar with on that front, and he is genuinely curious. Quite frankly, I figure we could end up spending at least a day talking about the subject, as Hank is more than willing to talk about that subject all day. Gabe would probably be horribly bored, though.

Hank will also spend some time making sure he is familiar with the shuttle's controls and going over the "shopping list". Depending on how the conversation goes, he'll also check his Elder reference material (assuming he has some references on his hand computer) to double-check or look up anything that comes up in the conversation.

During the conversation it's clear Jil has no academic understanding of the Elder. Her interest stems from the folklore of her homeworld and a rebellious streak against its strict travel restricts.

"The stories were mostly told to keep children in line. Behave or the Elder take you away! That type of thing. But I will admit there is something unsettling about living on a world that may have been occupied by aliens. Not that I think for one second Lamune, my sister, was taken by them. Its more likely she was hit by a gang or arrested for not carrying her ID card, then assigned to a low-pop district. She was always losing it."

Jil does not ask again about the artifact. But staying on the topic of Elder she asks what drew Hank to study them.

Hank is eager to prattle on about the Elder, but he also doesn't want wear out his welcome, as it were.

"That's still awful that anyone, much less your sister, could have just disappeared. I can't even imagine that just being part of life."

Hank the switches subjects to the Elder. "I was always curious about them. I mean, mysterious aliens, magic-like tech, all of it. But getting into that research is very hard. As it turned out Professor Stone was my entry point into finding real research. My college degree was still around data analytics, but I was able to minor in Elder studies as a result of the Professor. Even though I failed to get in on any expeditions, I still am able to keep tabs on the research and follow up on how things are advancing.

"As far as living on a world that was once occupied by aliens, there is pretty firm consensus that any 'shirt-sleeve world' in this sector is likely that livable because of the Elder. They were all over this sector."

Hank will wait for Jil to show she wants to hear more before diving into more details.

"So the Elder were terraformers?"

Hank replies, "Many think so. I don't know if it is a full consensus or just a sizable minor view, but many believe so. The reason for thinking so is because there are a lot of genetic traces that just don't match up. Plants and animals on the "wrong" planets. Or on multiple planets at all. All present when the ITC first entered space. Plus there just seems to be too many habitable planets in this region of space, which doesn't fit any mathematical models that have been developed." He smiles, continuing, "Not that I can validate any of that. I'm just reporting what has I have read about the subjects. And when anomalies are found, the usual proposed culprit is always the Elder."Hank says, "That is a big bone of contention. While the installations or cities we have found are remarkably well preserved, they surprisingly don't tell us much. We can deduce the occupants were generally our size, though a few places are built for noticeably larger or smaller occupants. They also appear to have had hands, or something equivalent, based on many of the artifacts that have been found. They were also likely to have been humaniod in shape, based on certain items found (like recognizable chairs). But, despite the artistry and beauty of the installations found, none have included depictions of the occupants. As a result, all that is left is a lot of speculation, however well informed.

"Some think the Elder were actually multiple species that worked together. Each installation seemed to be built for a single type of occupant, but that doesn't preclude some general intermingling. Some think they were a single species that used genetic engineering to differentiate themselves. This is were Professor Stone breaks from the orthodoxy. She thinks the actual Elder were an ascended species who were guiding the occupants of the installations to join them in their ascension. Presumably they were successful and left, which is why everything we have found is empty."

Jil listens intently while Hank describes the Elder.

Her schedule during the trip is simple. She works and exercises in a set daily routine, always early for duty and late to finish. Otherwise she reads in her quarters (studying details about the target destination). She eats alone unless anyone chooses to join her. Jil is certainly not hostile to the others, she just lacks social grace and confidence.

Hank will try to eat with others, though he won't persist if rebuffed. (Meaning he will eat with Jil and Gabe as they permit.) He's just trying to get a feel for his new crew mate and figures casual conversation is the best chance for that. As before he will do polite attempts at small talk and let it lay if he gets no response.

And, just to be safe, Hank will double-check the shopping list, make sure he doesn't see anything that is missing, check up on what the destination is going to be like (such that their library data can tell him), and continue his reading through the Elder research papers. He will exercise, though at different times. He does NOT have a set schedule, but rather kinda does things as they occur to him through out the cycle. (With the complete and total lack of military background, he takes a more free-form approach to his "schedule".)

Downtime rolls, 2 days:

Hank: Get a feel for his new crewmate (Notice), Elders research papers (Academics)
Jil: Exercises (Athletics), reading details about the destination (Navigation)

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Receive +1 XP, each.