Author Topic: One Week (Read 3883 times)

Marjorie · « **Reply #20 on:** October 27, 2019, 07:59:34 pm »

"It was before the modern era," Emrys said, "I think." Because he wasn't sure about anything when it came to red tide. "Some information is confirmed though... red tide takes minds... this may be 'taker of souls,' that incident report I gave you demonstrates use of poison, water, and plant magics.

"I don't know if I buy the prophecy, or believe they - it? are powerful enough to take over Aedolis, but it certainly appears they mean to try. They did put up a good fight against a Pilot and their Dragon... the threat is real, whatever their abilities to carry out their end goals."

Emrys shifted in his chair, his hands moving from his data pad to the computer console so he could have two searches up at once. "There's some stuff in the non-digital archives..." He threw some images up. There was the stone tablet, of course, and some art-work of a woman and of red tide. "It's old occult works from the modern era. I don't know if the spears are around, or if they are even actually spears... and it's not some old symbolism.

"There's a lot of government and alien abduction conspiracy theories that existed around the subject of red tide, during the modern era."

[[I'm calling the "present day" equivalent time period of the planet, the modern era.]]

DragonSong · « **Reply #21 on:** October 27, 2019, 08:50:27 pm »

Nova's ears pricked up--figuratively, she didn't have that many cybernetics.

"Hold on. This thing fought off a dragon?" She leaned forward, blinking her holoscreen away. "Well, let's just go interview the Pilot then, right? They're bound to have more information from actually fighting it than we'll get from looking through data files and old books."

Marjorie · « **Reply #22 on:** October 27, 2019, 10:03:26 pm »

Internally, Emrys cringed, externally, nothing about his expression changed though. "You are," he said, as simply as if he'd said the weather was nice out today, "I wrote that incident report.

"And I already told you what I know... they - or it, is or are an amalgamation of minds, I know because I connected to them psychically. THey can use water, poison, and plant magic - masterfully. I've fought mages before, killed a few even... I've never faced anything with that kind of power... and hundreds of minds, it was nauseating.

"Dragon fire can compete with their magic - so can psychic abilities, but psychics tend to be limited in the kinds of things they can do, and strength and power, usually. I've known a couple psychics that might be as powerful in their magic."

There was one other thing that he was holding back... he wasn't sure she needed to know, but he also thought that she wouldn't stop looking until she found out what really happened."They took my son and told me they were going to contact me in a week to trade her for the Priestess.
I don't know who she is.

"They also don't seem to realize we belong to our dragons, and there's no way I can give them anything they wanted, even if I wanted to," because Rojgher would kill him to keep that information safe, or to keep him from getting absorbed into that collective that was red tide.

"I want to use this meeting to our advantage."

DragonSong · « **Reply #23 on:** October 28, 2019, 08:06:54 am »

Nova blinked.

There were a lot of ways she could have reacted to that revelation--but she had a feeling only one of them would be acceptable to her mentor.

At least, if she wanted to remain on his good side. Relatively speaking.

Letting out a short, sharp breath, she nodded once and pulled her holoscreen up again. "Okay. Priestess. That's good to know, I can work with that." She started combing the data files for any mention of a "priestess" in conjunction with Red Tide.

After a moment or two of quiet though, she couldn't help asking softly, "Which son?"

She wasn't stupid. She'd done her research on Emrys after their initial meeting, she knew how many children he had, who their mothers were, even how old most were--all of the official information, essentially.

Marjorie · « **Reply #24 on:** October 28, 2019, 08:20:46 am »

"Right... Whoever this Priestess is, this red tide thinks we, the Pilots or the government, has her," Emrsy said, "I don't know if we do or not. I don't know if I was given high enough access to find out what we know about her, or that we even have her or not."

Which son?

The worthless one. He thought it with such exasperation that she might have even picked up that errant thought from him. "Bevyn." The fact that Bevyn was usually the subject of his rage or the cause of his anger, but that didn't mean he wanted to abandon the child to whatever red tide would do to him if he couldn't get him back. As a psychic, and knowing his son was very weakly psychic as well, the idea that it might be possible to have his - or his son's mid consumed by another entity and trapped within it's consciousness was rather terrifying. He didn't let any hint of that fear slip by though.

DragonSong · « **Reply #25 on:** October 28, 2019, 09:04:23 am »

Nova had to swallow back a smirk as she caught a flicker of exasperation from the edges of his consciousness when he said the boy's name. "Bevyn," she repeated, filing the information away to be examined more closely later.

"Alright, priestess, priestess...Ah!"

She suddenly cried out, doubled over, and her holoscreen flickered away. The red dot in her pupil flared and she clenched her jaw, hissing in pain. "L-locked out," she managed to spit through gritted teeth, clutching at her head. "Can't access...hurts..."

Marjorie · « **Reply #26 on:** October 28, 2019, 09:36:11 am »

Emrys terminated their connection to the network.

All the data they'd already pulled remained but anything actively being downloaded was cut off immediately. "What happened, are you ok?" There was just a small touch of concern there in his voice as he came around the table and looked at her. He touched her with his mind and eased the pain a little.

DragonSong · « **Reply #27 on:** October 28, 2019, 09:40:11 am »

She had to take a couple breaths, but the pain had begun to fade when he cut their connection, and the faintest brush of his mind against hers eased it further.

Fuck, she'd probably have to thank him for that.

Wincing, Nova shook her head slowly, then seemed to change her mind and nodded. "I--I'm fine. I think. Or I will be. I just..." She shrugged, lifting her head to look at him. "I don't know what happened. There was just this--this white hot pain, and then I couldn't access any of the files." She huffed and dropped her head again, rubbing at her still gently aching temple. "...Sorry."

Marjorie · « **Reply #28 on:** October 28, 2019, 10:04:32 am »

"It's alright," Emrys had said he didn't know if his clearance was high enough. "I should have been more careful about this." He didn't realize there were that kind of safeguards on files. Of course he could plug into the system, like all Pilots, and it was addictive being connected, but he didn't the way she did.

"Do you know where the files were coming from?" he asked. If he knew their source he might be able to press a contact or request access.

DragonSong · « **Reply #29 on:** October 28, 2019, 10:19:01 am »

"H-hang on..." Nova closed her eyes and mentally scrolled back through the files she'd been exploring when she'd been locked on. "Um...shit, that clearance level is insane, does anyone have that?...Okay...Ow!"

A memory of the pain sliced through her mind and she hissed, snapping her eyes open and jerking slightly as though from a physical blow. Shaking her head in an effort to clear it, she muttered, "I can't tell you where the files are coming from, but I can tell you where they came from." She smirked, tired but triumphant. "How'd you like a physical IP address?"

Marjorie · « **Reply #30 on:** October 28, 2019, 10:48:02 am »

"That'll work," Emrys said. "Send it over to me, and then delete your trail... I don't want you getting in trouble for trying to access it."

Once he had the IP address, Emrys ran it threw a program that he had, for just this sort of thing. "TRIMM," he said softly to himself, "This file originates from TRIMM no wonder I dont' have clearance for it."

He glanced at Nova. "We're done here for today, I have to confer with Rojgher. I'm going to have a car come pick you up and bring you back to the ATC." Then he saved the files that they had found to his data pad before removing the secure measures on the room.

"Don't forget this is all classified," he said and then stepped out of the room. A few minutes later a yeomen came in and showed her out and to the car that was waiting for her.

--

Emrys requested an audience with Rojgher as he waked out of the archives. He went and spoke to Rojgher, and it was agreed that Emrys needed access to the files. However, those files were not released for remote access. He'd have to go there and read then on a stop-gaped computer. He'd also been granted a brief audience with a doctor who he didn't know how she was involved, but she too was on TRIMM.

So, in the middle of the night, someone woke Nova, and told her to get dressed, pack and overnight back, and move. Emrys was waiting for her by the exit with a car. He wasn't in his dress uniform anymore, but he was still armed, and he looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep sense they'd parted. He ran a hand threw his hair and got back into the car.

He didn't have to or even need to bring her with him, but field work was the best test. He wanted to see if she could handle it. She had also proven she could be useful.

DragonSong · « **Reply #31 on:** October 28, 2019, 10:58:16 am »

"You--wait a--"

He was gone.

"Ass," Nova grunted to herself as the yeoman approached to lead her to the car.

It was a sentiment that was repeated tenfold when someone appeared in her room at nearly two in the morning and she jerked awake with a yell, instinctively using her mind to fling her alarm clock at what she perceived to be an attacker.

The "attacker" ducked, luckily, and managed to stammer out that Pilot Noble Broin had requested her presence outside, and that she should back a bag.

Nova grumbled insults and curses under her breath all the while she shoved a few changes of clothes and some of her basic necessities into a smallish knapsack, then stalked out to the entrance of the ATC.

"Two AM?" she hissed at Emrys once she was in earshot. "Are you fucking kidding me with this?"

Marjorie · « **Reply #32 on:** October 28, 2019, 06:02:13 pm »

“This has a time limit,” Emrys said, with little tolerance for her attitude, “and it expires in 5 days. So stop your bitching and get in.” He hadn’t even gotten the nap that she had, so she could shut her damn trap. He’d spent hours speaking with Rojgher, and then further hours making arrangements and finding transportation.

As soon as she was in the car and the door was shut, he put his data pad in her lap. “Sign this,” he said, “it’s a non disclosure agreement, same as the last. Everything you see or do until I return you to the ATC is classified.”

DragonSong · « **Reply #33 on:** October 28, 2019, 06:18:59 pm »

"Yeah, yeah, I get the drill," Nova grumbled as she signed the pad. Handing it back to him, she huffed, "Honestly, this would be easier if you didn't bother sending me back at all until you know you're not gonna need me. Then I wouldn't be getting woken up at a gods-awful hour. I'd just be bitchy and generally sleep deprived, like you. At least we'd be on the same page."

She smiled as she sat back in her seat, propping her ankle on the opposite knee again. "So. Where to?"

Marjorie · « **Reply #34 on:** October 28, 2019, 11:55:14 pm »

Emrys ignored her snark. He wasn’t used to people snarking him, but as long as she didn’t do it when others were witness, he let it slide for now. Mostly because he was too tired for a proper dressing down at the moment.

“Frankly,” he said, “the thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t have anywhere to put you while I was in meetings.”

As for her other question, well she’d have to guess. “We’re headed off world, but I’m not allowed to tell you where to,” Emrys said, “but you’re smart I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

DragonSong · « **Reply #35 on:** October 29, 2019, 08:51:46 am »

It only took her a few seconds of thought, and even that she was inclined to blame on her grogginess.

"TRIM." She cocked her head again, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why wouldn't you be allowed to tell me that? Did no one think I was gonna figure it out when we got there?"

Marjorie · « **Reply #36 on:** October 30, 2019, 01:59:53 pm »

Emrys didn’t confirm or deny. “Because I didn’t ask permission to bring you,” Emrys answered her question. Of course his dragon knew because he was in Emrys head, and he didn’t disapprove, that wasn’t the same as asking permission. Also he hadn’t asked any of his other superiors in his chain of command. Emrys was used to working a little outside that chain anyway, though, because of the nature of his job.

DragonSong · « **Reply #37 on:** October 30, 2019, 02:04:29 pm »

That threw her. In a much smaller voice than normal, she murmured, “Oh...” by way of reply, then lapsed into silence.

After a few more moments of driving in silence, she found her voice again and asked, “So if anyone happens to be nosy, I’m not here in any official capacity?”

Marjorie · « **Reply #38 on:** October 30, 2019, 02:13:27 pm »

Emrys made no attempt to fill the silence. In the absence of conversation, he rested his head against the head rest and was nearly dozing when Nova spoke again. He sat up a little straighter and looked at her when she spoke though. “If anyone happens to be nosey your an unimportant Candidate who doesn't know anything and is just following their mentor around,” Emrys said.

“I work outside and around the chain of command all the time. It’s fine as long as I don’t commit treason and I keep getting results. With what I do, time is sensitive and I have to move faster than the bureaucracy allows for sometimes. It’s a fine lime to walk, but I’ve managed not to overstep it so far.” A lot of that had to do with as long as he didn’t piss off his dragon, Rojgher’s approval would go a long was to dismiss ALMOST anything.

DragonSong · « **Reply #39 on:** October 30, 2019, 02:20:43 pm »

Nova shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss. Just wanted to make sure I had my story straight.”

Again, she fell quiet, though rather than rest as Emrys did, she turned her attention inward, flicking through a few commands to bring up her holoscreen—projected from a panel in her cybernetic arm this time. Using the ocular one too much gave her a headache.

She skimmed down through what information she’d managed to download at their trip to the archives before she got booted off the system, both re-familiarizing herself with the details and attempting to find anything she might have missed earlier.